Chapter 7
Izzy had eaten dinner out with Joe and Kris three nights a week for the past three weeks. She offered to pay her own way, even going as far as to pull out the cash to cover her meal. Joe was always insistent that he pay for her meals.
After all, it was he who had invited Izzy to join them for dinner every night at the request of his wife. Kris doted on Izzy. The woman seemed to know something about Izzy that she herself did not.
The first night Izzy had gone out to dinner with them Kris had asked if there was anyone special in her life. Of course Izzy had answered no, but she couldn't escape the glimmer of some sort of knowing in the older woman's eyes. It was as if she knew something, as if she could read Izzy's mind.
That night at dinner Izzy had thought back to the dream she had had the night before. She dreamed Jareth had come to her, loved her. The dream had seemed so real to Izzy she could almost feel his hand caress her face.
Jareth's passion filled eyes that had looked so lovingly at her when they'd spent the night together were burned onto her consciousness. Why was she tormented with "memories" of things that had never happened?
"No." She had answered apologetically to Kris' question. There was no one. "I'm as pathetically single as I've ever been." Not that she hadn't had past relationships. But none of them had lasted long.
She had laughed, deciding to tell them about her horrible blind date with Doreen's boyfriend's cousin. Joe and Kris laughed as Izzy humorously relayed the story.
"He looked more like a pig in a trough while he was eating!" She described her date's eating habits in vivid, revolting detail. Kris had covered her mouth with one hand, laughing softly.
"Oh, no… oh dear. Surely it wasn't that bad?" There were tears in Kris's eyes. Izzy nodded.
"Oh, it was!" Then the evening had ended on a happy note as they bid each other good night.
Tonight had also been an enjoyable evening, like every evening when Izzy dined with her boss and his wife. Izzy was beginning to feel spoiled and unworthy of their devotion to her. The conversation dragged as they got up to leave.
Joe eyed his wrist watch, "It's getting late, ladies. I think perhaps I should get my bride home before her strength is spent." He held out Kris' heavy wool coat for her to slip her arms into. Kris kissed Izzy's hand in farewell, since being wheelchair bound she could not stand to kiss her cheek. Izzy bent low to kiss the old woman on the cheek in farewell.
"Good night, dear Izzy. I'm sure the perfect man will find you when the time is right." She patted Izzy's hand. What on earth had made her say that out of the blue, Izzy wondered? Had she somehow known that Izzy was contemplating her love life, or lack thereof?
The trio walked out of the restaurant, going their separate ways. Izzy smiled, waving at the retreating couple as they drove away from the Café. She truly did love her boss and his wife. They were good to her.
She hailed a cab and climbed into the back seat rubbing her arms. She pulled her heavy winter coat around herself in effort to ward off the chill. Shivering, alone inside the frozen back seat of the cab her teeth started to chatter.
Izzy closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the seat. As they had a million times in the last three weeks her thoughts drifted to the wonderful dream of Jareth making love to her. Every time she thought of the dream it felt so real to her. It was as if she could actually feel The Goblin King holding her close after a night of incredible sex.
Izzy felt warm arms encircle her, holding her close. Her eyes fluttered open in an instant. Jumping, Izzy turned her head to see Jareth's smiling face looking back at her.
"Hello, my love." He kissed her the tip of her nose. "Sorry to startle you."
Izzy froze. "You're good at that!" She snapped harshly. "Why must you always frighten me? Why… Why do I have memories of encounters with you that never happened? And what the hell are you doing here?" She was near to hysteria.
The cab driver glanced in the rear view mirror periodically to watch the exchange. A look of frightened bewilderment was on his face. There'd been no one but her in the back of his cab a second ago, hadn't there? He was in the middle of late night traffic. He definitely hadn't stopped to pick up anyone else.
Jareth laughed softly. "Think about it, Izzy. If you've never met me before then how do you know who I am? You seem to be awfully comfortable in my arms for a woman having a conversation with someone who doesn't exist."
Izzy was silent. How could she explain it to him? She turned away from him, facing the cab window with arms crossed.
Chuckling, Jareth teased her, "Do you have any idea how adorable you are when you're angry?" She ignored him.
When she didn't answer Jareth grabbed her chin with his free hand and forcibly kissed her long and hard. Her frozen posture didn't change. He tried again. He kissed her third a time, leaving her breathless when he finished.
He whispered something in her ear she couldn't quite make out, and suddenly the images of the dream came to her in waves. She remembered. It wasn't a dream. It had been real after all. Tears streamed unabashedly from Izzy's eyes.
Jareth smiled softly at her, whipping away her tears with his thumb. He kissed her again, gently this time. And this time Izzy melted into him, passionately returning his kisses.
The grey haired, pot bellied cab driver watched the exchange in his rear view mirror with growing interest, one bushy grey eyebrow was raised. "Uhh… folks. We've reached your destination, but... I can… uh… drive around the block if ya want."
"No. Thanks, but we'll be getting out here." Jareth told the cabbie coldly in his softly accented English. He got out of the cab easily and helped Izzy out, slamming the door after her. He picked her up, cradling her like a child and disappeared without a sound up the stairs to her apartment.
"Hey! Hey, wait a minute! You forgot to…."
The cab driver had been about to say "pay," when suddenly in his gloved hand appeared the exact fare for the cab ride. The old man blinked and shook his head in disbelief. What a strange night he was having.
