"You look pleased with yourself." I told Kwest with an interested raise of my brow as Kwest shrugged before sitting back down on his armchair and taking a huge bite out of his homemade sandwich.
"Yet another one of those things you're not going to comment on?" I asked in irritated amusement as Kwest chuckled lightly.
"Geez, you're nosy, Harrison." Kwest said with a private grin as I kicked him in the knee—watching as he choked on a bite of bread and ham before leaning over to rub his knee with a wounded expression. I just shrugged nonchalantly.
"That winsome little smile of yours is driving me nuts so I suggest you hide it from me unless you're planning on sharing what's so amusing." I stated sardonically as Kwest grinned again mischievously before standing up to walk around the back of the couch with a huge smile plastered across his face. I groaned as I realized his intention to annoy the hell out of me so I just stuffed my face into his couch pillow mumbling something about the defects of the human male race while Kwest laughed softly from behind me.
"You can relax, Jude. Besides, it may be best if we both called it a night. According to Little Tommy Q, and don't ever tell him I called him that, we're both needed at the studio in the morning." Kwest said with a sigh as I just stared up at him contemplatively.
"You're a good friend, Kwest." I said honestly as he walked around and grinned down at me self-importantly.
"I know." He replied with a smile and a shrug before walking into a hallway and returning with a blanket and a pillow—throwing them at me indecorously before stomping to his room with a grin.
"Try to sleep tight, Harrison." He said nonchalantly as I laughed at him merrily.
"As best I can in this Psychedelic room. I'm liable to wake up feeling like I'm tripping on something." I replied with a chuckle as Kwest threw me a friendly glare before closing his bedroom door in my face. I was still chuckling as I lay down on the sofa—sinking into my own thoughts as the night progressed. A lot of what Kwest had told me kept circling around and around in my head as I tried to sleep fitfully and when rest finally came, I dreamed of illicit things while Kwest's voice echoed through the fantasy "He revels in it, Jude. He revels in it…"
I woke up grouchy and sore the next morning—not even speaking to Kwest as he sauntered into the room with a cheerful disposition, and he grinned as he realized I was SO not a morning person. It didn't help that he thought singing was something that would entertain me, especially when the singing was very loud and very off key.
"At least tell me you sound better in the shower." I said with a wince as he cocked a brow and handed me a very large mug filled to the brim with steaming java.
"Oh, bless you." I commented as he laughed seethingly before stealing the mug back and holding it over his head.
"Now what were you saying about my singing, Jude Harrison?" He asked humorously as I growled at him like a bear forced out of hibernation.
"That you sing like a friggin' nightingale." I said through clenched teeth as I grabbed ceremoniously for the cup. "Now hand me the caffeine, Kwest, or you're going to discover exactly where the girl from 'The Exorcist' learned her spinning head trick." I finished as Kwest laughed before handing me the mug in a white flag gesture.
"I'm thoroughly impressed by your people skills in the a.m." Kwest remarked before grabbing his car keys and looking at his watch pointedly.
"Ten minutes til I walk out this door, and I'm timing you. So, if you want a ride, you better run." He replied as I threw him a look before rushing into his bathroom only to emerge minutes later fully dressed in blue jeans, a black off-the-shoulder shirt, and black strappy heels to find Kwest staring at me in wonder.
"Now that was impressive." He remarked wryly as he looked down at the window of his watch in amazement. I just smiled.
"You should see me remove a bra from underneath my shirt." I stated cordially as Kwest choked on the coffee he was cradling like a beloved child in his hands. Ahhh, men are so easy to disturb. I stared pointedly at his keys as he tried to recover from his coughing fit.
"Am I driving, or are you because ten minutes ended about two minutes ago." I said as I walked haughtily out the door. Kwest shuddered as he followed.
"You are going nowhere near my wheels, missy. They may not be as fancy as Tommy's, but I still need them to get to work." Kwest said on a sigh as I threw him a look before climbing into his SUV. Geez, what was it with people letting me take their car keys. It's not like I had ever hit anything moving before. Not really.
The trip to the studio took only minutes, and I watched Kwest exit the vehicle with a raised brow.
"I think I'm just going to sit here a minute." I replied softly before glancing pointedly at Tommy's motorcycle. I guess he wanted to rest the viper for a little while. Kwest nodded in understanding before shutting the door and walking away. I waited for him to enter the studio before I climbed out and made my way to the alley—the same alley where every emotional turmoil that had taken place for me over the past year seemed to meet their peak. That should have been warning enough for me because before I knew it, I rounded the corner only to find myself face to face with Tommy's wife.