CJ was bemused when Toby was saved from a more elaborate anecdote that she wanted to get wind of as a lanky, spectacled lad approached and greeted the older man.
"Hey Professor Z!" his dark, lustrous quiff was like a crow's wings shimmering under the Santa Monica beach sun but she was distractedly drawn to his prominent jawlines almost too impressive, CJ wondered if sleep deprivation made out a Madam Tussaud wax figure figment to talk to Toby.
The charming lad turned to CJ and she immediately knew that he recognized her. He introduced himself without any qualms except for his boyish grin turning to a shy smile.
"Hi Miss Cregg. I'm Vince, one of Professor Ziegler's former scourges...students." Toby scoffed and raised his eyebrows, an amused expression plastered on his face.
"It is an honor to meet you," Vince continued. He took off the glove from his right hand which was previously shoved in his navy full zip jacket and offered his bare hand to CJ. She gladly took it, the unbidden warmth jolting her a bit.
"You should know CJ that impressing everyone with wry off the cuff remarks is his favorite policy."
"Oh, you wound me Professor Z and I thought you were one to never state the obvious," Vince retorted, feigning hurt and dismay.
"Professor Ziegler here used to be fond of that policy too," CJ quipped. Vince sniggered as Toby scowled.
Another student arrived sporting a crew cut and a distinct anchor beard that accentuated his full lips. He stood beside Vince and nodded to acknowledge Toby as "Mister Z", a faint dimple playing at the corner of his right cheek.
Besides a heavy coat that was a dashing fit to his wiry build, CJ also noticed the full four-capacity take out cup carrier he was holding. It had a frappe with a non-humanly possible excessive amount of whipped cream, one large-, and two regular-sized paper cups.
"Wow. The GPS spyware you put on my phone finally worked?" Toby satirically questioned motioning towards the drinks the young man was carrying.
The query was soon forgotten as the fashionable bloke turned towards CJ.
"Oh, Hi Miss Cre…"
"Dee, this is Claudia Jean of the House Cregg-Concannon, First of Her Name, the Unhinged, Queen of the African Highway Infrastructure, Khaleesi of the Great Santa Monica Seas, Breaker of Hearts and Private Funding, and Mother of Goldfish. CJ, this is Dee, another one of my former…scourges," Toby interrupted with his playful tirade.
"What is surprising there was really not that I am unhinged but that you've evidently read that epic fantasy novel when you said you would never de Bergerac and nice to meet you too Dee."
The young men brazenly simpered while Toby sneered staring at the empty platters on the table.
"It's.." Toby was interrupted by a loud ringtone of a rich, smooth baritone crooning
Never look her in the eyes
Never tell the truth
If she knows your paper
"What the…," Dee muttered as he fumbled through his pockets to get his phone.
You know she'll have to burn you
He tilted his head with an accusatory glare at Vince. Dee gracefully asked CJ and Toby to be excused and the music stopped once he answered the phone. The other boy simply kept shaking his head trying to claim innocence.
November 2010
Never tell the one you want that you do
Save it for the deathbed
When you know you kept her wanting you
And do everything she'd never do
That jarring song Andi's reckless and frankly, idiotic new neighbors blasted loud enough the whole Maryland 5th district might have heard was still humming in his head. Toby soberly sat on the bed and shivered from the dawn's frigid gust of wind. He picked up his strewn clothing on the treacherous, bare floor where he almost slipped last night while Andi was ardently taking off his sweater. He wore the lower garments he gathered and remembered that he haphazardly threw his side of the plush comforter. She must be feeling cold now. He was about to fix that when she stirred.
"Toby? Toby, stay for a while," Andi gently implored half-asleep.
Fall asleep with stranger's wives
The wild wives of unknown men
Good for you, you've just become
Just another one of them
They both relented again to this cycle of fervid undressing propelling to unceasing caresses that took his breath away each time, and to rousing a seemingly unending inquisition of each other's skin as if those were roadmaps to novel unconquered colonies. He inferred that this was yet another phase of election year rush- the ambivalence of the highs and lows of campaigning, the ambiguity during the kick off and the certitude of the outcome once it wraps up, the intensity of strategic planning on idealistic agendas to serve the voters' interests and the waning ardor to the practical once reality hits, that legislation is mostly compromise.
It was over now, she won as the people's representative, back at a staggering eighty percent, yet here they were, still. He thought perhaps this time it was the alcohol.
"I'm just going downstairs to make coffee," he replied trying to mask the cynical elation at her demand.
"Just lay here for a bit."
Never say you miss her
Never say a word
He should be admonishing her to clothe herself because the twins could wake up any minute and knock defiantly at their locked door to demand breakfast and that she should keep herself warm from the biting cold; but he capitulated and laid, half-clothed this time, beside her. She snuggled up against him and he lapped up the sensation of her fragile, mellow warmth overlaying his rough, clammy body.
Toby gently stroked the length of her radiant auburn hair until he reached the ends and moved to the small of her back. Her sultry purr almost made him give in to his raw, unbridled, carnal striatum or whatever part of the brain responsible for that is.
"Andi, we should stop doing this," he tries to articulate in a hollow, distant murmur.
Don't let her see your cardinal eyes
"Doing what?"
"This, whatever this is."
Let her treat you like a criminal
So you can treat her like a priest
Girls forgive my human mind
Girls forgive me one more time
"You mean this thing called fucking by two responsible, consenting adults?" she jabbed at him.
It was too early to say another stupid thing so he yielded to the grim silence.
"Did the therapist…?" concern and a trace of disappointment were apparent in her tone.
"No," he curtly replied, imperceptibly still caressing the small of her back. He had a sudden urge to hold her closer so that he would be nuzzling her disheveled, fiery hair, and so he did. He helplessly wracked the left side of his brain on something, anything resembling rational thinking and dire consequences. Instead, he shamelessly placed a brief and chaste kiss on her head.
She looked up at him, amused, and returned the gesture with a wanton, charged, profound kiss on the mouth that floored Toby. It reminded him of friendly ghosts in long-abandoned houses waiting to read farewell notes left for them in secret crevices or hearken back whispered memories into ancient orifices.
He matched her fervor. He lavished her delicate, slender neck with the same deep kisses, moved onto her elegant shoulder blades, and to her lovely, pert breast as he fondled the other.
Jesus Christ you have confused me
Cornered, wasted, blessed and used me
Forgive me girls I am confused
Stiff and pissed and lost and loose
Her delightful moans were like the thrumming of strings congruous with tasteful synths and subtle percussive elements that blended to an intricate, sensuous melody. Warbles that constantly reminded him how mere, indifferent notes combined could evoke a terrible intimacy, without any need for clarity, that may only leave him with nothing but utter irreversible and seismic devastation. Yet he plays them anyway and simply compartmentalizes for the moment, muscling through the sentimental bullshit he is making out of all of this. It is too early and too cold for that and his kids may awake any minute.
As if on cue, they heard a remarkably loud rapping at the door. Andi slyly giggled and kissed the top of his head now resting in the middle of her chest.
"Let me," he initiated.
"Breakfast!", two shrill voices bellowed in unison.
"Yes, Molly and Huck, I will be downstairs in a moment. The first one at the table gets the pie."
Andi raised her eyebrows at Toby who resumed dressing himself.
"I could still do things fully clothed."
"As I am aware that you can crazy boy. But pie?"
"Am I to assume that you'll help yourself?"
"I invoke the fifth to save you from burning the bacon."
"Okay."
He headed towards the door as she called out, "It's more fun when you help anyway."
Later in the evening, when Toby had put the twins to sleep, he opted to catch up on the late-night shows. He noticed a half-opened package on the coffee table, looked at what's inside or what's left of it, and found a book entitled, "A Feast for Crows."
"Hey, want to help me with something?" a dulcet, silky voice whispered to him and deft hands kneaded his shoulders.
"Is this that fantasy novel they are turning into some television debauchery?"
"One in the series, yes, and by the way, that's from your sister. I think it was her way of telling me to stop you from raising guerrilla leading kids and to shut you up."
"This supposedly brutal and bleak fiction is her proposed alternative? Great!"
"I'd take that over the Colfax Massacre or Bloody Monday for god's sake Toby. Let Molly and Huck enjoy being sane seven-year-olds."
"Okay, but now you can shut me up with that thing you wanted help with."
After Dee's call, he whispered something to Vince eliciting furrowed brows on the lanky lad, and then addressed CJ again.
"It is my pleasure to finally meet you in person. My mom always loved watching your briefings and some of your recorded talks on the web."
CJ blushed and uttered a thanks.
"Was your mom able to see that briefing with your esteemed professor suggesting that Miss Cregg-Concannon could swat the terrorists in Ramallah with her purse?" Vince boldly jived at Toby again.
"And the tracker had always worked Professor Z," Vince cut the grouchy man off even before he could start a clever retort. "We just made sure we show up when you're with a gorgeous date."
November 2010
"I'm handing you over to my gorgeous date now," CJ heard Danny proclaim.
"It's Josh," Danny whispered, giving his phone to CJ knowing she was already wrapping up her other call.
CJ thanked him with a quick peck on the redhead's sunburnt beard causing a loud "Ow". She muttered a sultry sorry and kissed him on the neck. Danny softly held her dainty waist and breathed a hiss of retribution that made CJ giggle and bite her lower lip.
"Danny? Hello? CJ? Claudia Jean!," an all too familiar barking was heard over Danny's phone reminding both that Josh was on the other end.
"See ya later," Danny coyly pinched CJ, smirking, and went back to check on their daughter who was thankfully asleep the entire time they had their date night at home - her cooking dinner and he in charge with the dessert.
"I'm here Mrs. Bennet, " CJ responded.
"Hey how's Thea?" Josh inanely inquired.
"Come on Josh. I know you've already asked Danny about our daughter, how he is, how I am. I bet you even talked about the weather, and the latest in sports, so stop beating around the bush, what can I do for you?"
There was a long pause and CJ checked the phone's screen to see if the call got disconnected.
"Josh?"
"Um, I just wanted to ask if...when," the unlikely hesitant tone troubled her a little but she waited.
"If it was Danny or was it Hollis, his queen of African road infrastructure offer? Or both? Or...I mean, when did you know that...you know?" he blabbered.
CJ now owes Danny twenty bucks.
"Eight years and the confluence of many, many things Josh."
"I almost asked Donna to marry me."
Fuck. Now CJ owes Danny fifty bucks.