I have to say a big, huge "Thanks!" to Season 4.5 and abc79de. You guys were wonderful editors. So, yet again, another chapter has been approved by some of the best Trory writers EVER. And thanks for all of the reviews. I hope you enjoy this next installment. And once again it's not mine.
Monday morning dawned bright and early. Chris and Lorelai were eating breakfast.
"Empty. Chris … empty. Christopher Hayden, put down that paper and get me a refill." Lorelai thrust her empty coffee mug out to her husband, who had the choice of either grabbing it or watching it fall to the floor.
He shook his head, "I swear, Lor, one of these days I'm going to let it fall to the ground, and it will be all your fault." He placed the filled-to-the-rim mug in front of her. "M'lady, will there be anything else?"
Lorelai grinned over the top of her mug. "Nope, that'll do."
"How was the store yesterday?"
"Very informative. You missed Rory. She came to help in the workroom."
"I'm sorry, I didn't think eighteen holes would turn into an all-day affair. How was Rory? I haven't talked to her since lunch on Saturday."
She replied in a teasing voice, "Oh trust me, she is doing great. Beyond great … stupendous."
Chris took in her twinkling eyes and the grin playing about her lips. "Okay, what aren't you telling me?"
"Just that your daughter met somebody. And is deliriously happy."
Settling back in his chair with a self-satisfied smile, he replied, "Really. I just knew Johnson and her would make a great pair. I'm glad that they hit it off. I'm surprised that she didn't mention it on Saturday."
"Back up, buddy. I never said it was one of your stiffs."
"Well, who else could it be? I haven't set her up with anyone else."
Lorelai sat there debating the pros and cons of telling him the truth. He wouldn't like that Junior wasn't father approved, but he needed to understand that Rory was her own woman and not a little girl anymore.
"She met him at a record store with Lane on Saturday–."
"So, some patron of this store just hits on my daughter–."
"Hold up and let me finish. He works there and plays bass in a band. Now before you get all upset, I want you to realize that I haven't seen our daughter this excited in a long time. You will not ruin this for her. Do we understand?"
Chris sat there looking at her, "Oh, we understand." Understand that our daughter is involved with someone unsuitable and unable to provide for her, to take care of her. Oh I understand that I need to act quickly. Maybe it's time to introduce her to Tristan DuGrey.
"Do you really?"
"Yes, I do. But, I also have a man that I want to introduce her to, if it doesn't work out with the bass player."
"Okay, that's fair. Well I need to head to the workroom, and you need to go to the office. Call me later," she kissed him before leaving the room. "I love you."
"Love you, too."
Tristan had tried all day yesterday to get a hold of Rory, but was unsuccessful. The only good thing about not hearing from her was that he could assume she hadn't turned the blackberry on.
As he walked by Lane's desk, she informed him, "Mr. DuGrey, Mr. Hayden wanted you to stop by his office when you got in."
"Okay, thanks. And Lane, I told you call me Tristan."
She smiled and shook her head.
As he walked down the hall toward Mr. Hayden's office, he began to wonder if Mr. Hayden had found out about his deception. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer. As soon as he saw Mr. Hayden's face he knew that Rory hadn't told him anything. He looked too happy.
"Tristan. Glad you could stop by."
"Good morning, Mr. Hayden."
"Now, none of that. Call me Chris."
"Okay. Chris. Lane told me that you wanted to speak to me. Is there something I can help you with?"
"Oh no. Nothing like that. I just wanted to touch base with you. Make sure that you're finding your niche and that you are happy here."
Smiling, Tristan reassured him, "I love it here. Everyone has been exceptionally great during my transition. And Lane, she's absolutely indispensable. I've never had a better assistant."
"Lane is a wonderful girl. I don't know if you knew this, but I've known her since she was a little girl."
"She mentioned something like that, saying she had been best friends with your daughter since diapers."
Chris stood there reminiscing. "Yeah, those two were so cute growing up."
"All little girls are precious."
Chris knew in his gut that Tristan would be an ideal match for Rory. She would be happy and Tristan came from the right background, and he was polite. This was his chance to get the musician and life of instability away from Rory.
"Have you had the chance to meet my daughter?"
"No I haven't, but I think I saw her the other day."
Chris moved to sit behind his desk, an intimidation tactic. "Tristan, I wanted to invite you to my house for a small dinner party. Rory will be there and I think you would enjoy her company."
Blindsided, Tristan sat there. He couldn't let this happen. "Umm, Sir, as nice as that sounds, I'm going to have to pass."
"Why not? Are you already in a relationship?"
"No. I'm sure Rory is a lovely girl, but I'm so busy right now. With all these new clients I just don't have the time to devote to my personal life."
"Ah, well, I understand that. When you get a little more settled, let me know and I'll introduce you to her."
"Okay." Tristan glanced at his watch, "I need to get going Sir. I have a meeting with Johnson in a few minutes."
"All right. And Tristan, thanks for coming in. You're doing great here. I've heard nothing but good things from your clients."
"I really do think that I'm a good fit here. I really enjoy it. Thanks again."
As Tristan walked back to his office, he had a dazed expression. That was close. I wonder what prompted Mr. Hay—Chris to talk of a set-up? If he were like Rory implied, he wouldn't like the thought of her with someone like Junior. "I wonder."
Chris sat looking down at the busy streets of New York. That didn't go as planned. I'll have to set something up so they can meet accidentally. Maybe I'll invite him to Lor's birthday celebration.
He could feel a smile play across his face. Just the mention of Lorelai's name could still do that to him. He was so lucky to be in her life. Being with her, loving and supporting her gave his life meaning.
The buzzer signaling his assistant shattered his daydreams.
"Mr. Hayden. Dr. Beard is on the line for you."
"Okay. Send him through."
"David. Thanks for calling."
"Hi Chris. I set aside time this Friday for you to come in at one o'clock"
"Friday. That's Lorelai's birthday."
"Chris."
"Okay. Never mind. I'll make it then."
"Good. So, I'll see you soon. Give my love to Lorelai and Rory."
Her purse sat there, taunting her. All morning long she had been distracted, knowing that Junior's secrets were tucked away in a little electronic device. Rory knew that she needed to return it, as soon as possible, or she would give into the temptation of looking.
"Hey, Sal. I'm leaving for the day at noon. I'm going to work on some stuff at home."
"Okay. Hey how's the birthday planning going?"
"Pretty good. But that reminds me to double check the location."
"Okay. Well, I'll see you tomorrow Rory."
While sitting in mid-day traffic Rory called the Bubble Lounge.
"Yes, I'm just calling to verify that the Haydens reserved the lower part of the club for Friday, the 28th of August."
"Ma'am, we don't have anything written down, but that doesn't mean anything. Our owner is the one who is in charge of reservations, and he keeps those at his desk."
"Can you verify it with him?"
"Well, he's not in right now, but I can have him call you back."
"Okay. Please do so and have him call me as soon as possible. My name is Rory Hayden and my number is 212-211-1104."
As she finished her call, she pulled up in front of Vinyl.
The front door dinged, drawing Jess's attention.
"Hi. I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Rory."
"Oh, hey. What can I do for you?"
"Well, you can you get Junior for me. I have his phone."
"Ohhhmmm, let me check the back, hold on once second."
Jess rushed to the back. The shit is about to hit the fan. He quickly dialed Junior's number at work and waited as his secretary put him through.
"This is Tristan."
As soon as Tristan answered, Jess blurted out, "Junior. You've got to leave work now. Get to my apartment."
"Jess, calm down. What's wrong?"
"Dude, just do it. Rory is here, and she wants to talk to 'Junior' because she has your phone."
"DAMNIT! Okay you have got stall her, it'll take me at least thirty minutes to get to your apartment."
"I'll try my best. Get there as soon as possible. Make sure you go to mine, she'll know you're lying if she steps one foot inside your place."
"Thanks again, Jess."
"Later."
Tristan grabbed his briefcase and started down the hall with purposeful strides, and he paused at Lane's desk. "I'm going out for the rest of the day."
Lane took in the pinched look of Tristan's face and the tension radiating off of him in waves, "Is there something I can do to help you?"
"No, there isn't, but thanks for the offer. I'll try to check in later."
Jess walked back out, wondering how he would be able to stall Rory for ten minutes, let alone thirty.
"Rory, I checked in the backroom, but I can't find him. He must have run out on an errand. You are more than welcome to hang around here."
Glancing at her watch, "Well, do you think he'll be gone a while, or will he be right back?
"I think he should be back pretty soon."
"Well, there is an errand I have to run myself. So, I'll just run out and do that and then come back here."
"Alright."
Jess checked his watch, noting that only three minutes had passed. Okay, just let her stay away for another twenty minutes and it'll all work out.
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Fifteen minutes later, the door dinged again, drawing Jess from the backroom.
"Hey Jess. Is he back?"
"No, I'm sorry, he called right after you left. He isn't coming back this afternoon. He's just hangin' around his apartment. I could always give you directions there."
"Well–I do want to give him his phone back. Do you think he would mind?"
"No, not at all. Let me get a pen and I'll write out the best way to get there. He lives here in SoHo, so it's not very far. "
Tristan had never made it from the financial district to SoHo during the afternoon rush in less than thirty minutes, but luck was on his side. He pulled into Jess's neighborhood in twenty minutes.
He tore out of the car, fumbling with the locks; thank God Jess had cleaned yesterday. Doing a once over of the apartment, he took down photos and stuffed the mail into a kitchen drawer. Realizing that he was still in his suit, he quickly changed into some of Jess's torn jeans and a t-shirt.
KNOCK, KNOCK
"SHIT!" Balling up his thousand-dollar suit, he shoved it under the bed and raced to the door. He took a deep breath and opened the door.
"Junior," Rory said softly.
He stepped back to let her into the apartment. "Hey babe. How did you know where to find me?"
"Jess told me. Please don't be angry with him."
"I'm not mad at him." He smiled at her. "I'm happy you're here." He just wished that it wasn't under false pretenses and that they were in his apartment and not his best friend's. Guilt stabbed at him like a sharp dagger. He couldn't help but wonder if the longer he continued this deception, the more likely he was to lose Rory in the end. Would she be more forgiving if he confessed? Maybe he should tell her now.
"I have to admit that I could have waited until later to get a hold of you, but I wanted to see you. So, I went to Vinyl to give you back your blackberry, but Jess said that you were out running errands. Since I had time to kill, I left to do an errand, and when I got back he said that you weren't coming back to the store today. So, he gave me your address." She pulled the phone out of her purse and set it on the coffee table. "And also I wanted to say thank you."
"For what?"
She walked toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck and covered his mouth, kissing him tenderly. "For giving me a beautiful dress, taking me dancing, and giving me a wonderful night."
Tristan smiled and cupped her face, "Trust me, it was my pleasure. Do you have to get back to work, or can I convince you to play hooky with me?"
"Well--."
"Maybe you need a little incentive," he bent his head and took her mouth, moving his lips over hers in a sweet, firm movement. Pulling back, he whispered, "So how does spending the day with me sound?"
She had craved this kind of excitement for so long and was eager and excited to accept whatever he had to offer. "Oh, I think you've convinced me."
"Great. Make yourself comfortable. I need to grab a couple of things, and then we are out of here."
"Where are we going?"
He caressed her silky cheek with the back of his hand, "Don't forget that spontaneity is my middle name. It's a surprise."
Rory shook her head and smiled at his playful grin, "Okay, okay. Well let's hurry 'cause I want my surprise."
While Junior was grabbing his stuff, Rory did a quick survey of the living room. In one corner stood Junior's guitars and sheet music. Photographs lined the fireplace mantel. A large plasma TV and stereo system dominated the room, while a leather sofa invited you to curl up read one of the many books stacked randomly around the room.
"Ror, you ready?"
"Yeah, lead the way."
Tristan was losing it over this woman, but he couldn't help it. It wasn't everyday that Tristan DuGrey would skip out on half a day of work. She had some sort of strange power over him.
As he escorted her out of the apartment, his mind wandered back to her kiss. The intensity wasn't what leapt out to him, but rather the sweetness. It was a kiss of 'welcome back'. It meant more than any of their previous kisses. She had initiated it; she had shown him that she really wanted to be in his company. Oh, the heat and temptation were there, but without words she had told him whatever they were doing was not about a one-night stand.
All of the sudden this playing at being a bad boy wasn't so bad. Slipping into his bad-boy persona was a little easier than he thought it would be. It meant breaking the rules, but he found that he like his spur-of-the-moment escapades with Rory. He decided to drive his sports car, even though the possibility of the Rory asking about it could always arise.
While zipping down the streets of Manhattan, Rory sat trying to make the different pieces of the Junior puzzle fit. The apartment, the job, the guitar, and even the attitude all fit; but the sports car, the manners, and sometimes the comments he made didn't. There was so much to learn and uncover.
"Junior, where were you born?"
"Lenox Hill Hospital."
"Upper East Side, right? That's a pretty snazzy area of Manhattan."
He looked away from her piercing gaze, "Yeah, I guess. Where were you born?"
"Hartford Hospital, in Hartford, Connecticut"
"Oh, and here I thought you were born and bred in Manhattan."
"Nope, I guess we were both wrong in our assumptions, Upper East Side, huh."
"Trust me, I'm not that interesting."
"Oh, I don't believe that at all. I'd say that you were rather interesting because of your conflicting characteristics. I think you are a badass musician in the body of an overly observant sensitive guy. Simply put, you are a good-guy in a bad-boy wrapper."
Tristan just sat there, neither confirming nor denying her comments. He didn't want to give her any more ammunition to back up her observations.
"This is a great car though."
And back came the guilt. Okay, so maybe taking the sports car wasn't the best move, but he was bound and determined that he wouldn't let it ruin their afternoon. Losing the guilt somewhere around E 79th and 5Th Ave, Tristan pulled into a parking space.
Rory looked around taking in their location. "Central Park and the Met?"
"Yep."
"Really? Okay, I guess I just never thought that you would bring me here of all places."
"Careful, Honey, your blue-blood side is showing."
Chastised, she explained, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you didn't belong in cultural settings. I just figured we would be going somewhere totally out of my 'comfort' zone."
"Trust me when I say this will be an afternoon to remember."
Tristan had brought a blanket, and after buying a couple of hot dogs and drinks from a vendor they copped-a-squat to people watch.
Rory was thoroughly relaxed. She lay there looking up into the clear blue sky, thinking about the handsome man next to her. Junior was an enigma. The rock-playing bass player and the highbrow Met enthusiast? Some how it all worked, but she did wonder about his roots. Many wealthy individuals frequented Lenox Hill Hospital. Maybe, Junior came from money. He had never said otherwise, she had just assumed.
She felt a hand snake over her stomach, coming to rest on the blanket causing Junior to lean over her. He bent his head down, placing sweet kisses along her neck.
She twined her fingers in the silky strands of his hair; pulling him closer as he whispered into her sensitive ear, "You taste so good." He traced the outer shell of her ear with the tip of his tongue. Slowly blowing his breath over her moist flesh caused a chain-reaction to set off over her body. Goosebumps appeared, her nipples tightened into hard peaks, and she squirmed into the blanket.
Tristan settled over Rory, making room for his body between her legs. "I have been wanting to kiss you since I saw you on the other side of my door."
Rory slipped her arms back around his neck, their legs entwined. "I can't deny the fact that I want to kiss and touch you. It's hard to deny attraction. Don't you think?"
"No. It's not hard, it's impossible."
Their lips met, and for a moment neither of them moved. Rory concentrated on the pressure of his mouth on hers, the sweet taste of the lemonade from earlier, his hard chest and legs pressed against her breasts and belly. Feeling how she affected him caused her to groan out loud.
Tristan gathered her as close as possible, needing to feel the soft cushion of her thighs and the heat radiating from apex of her legs. Their eyes kept the connection, while they caught their breath. He could see the swirls of lust and heat in her eyes, darkening the color to a deep, stormy blue.
Rory discreetly moved her hips against the hardest part of Junior. She looked up at him through her eyelashes and smiled mischievously, "Show me how I make you feel."
He did just that, kissing her until she couldn't breathe; until she couldn't tell where her mouth ended and his began; until she learned his mouth, as if they had been kissing each other for years, instead of minutes. He traced the edge of her jaw with his fingers, down her neck, and around her shoulders. He gathered her closer, if that was even physically possible.
Her nipples had become a physical ache. The pressure of his chest wasn't enough any more. "Touch me, Junior. Please, touch me." Her heartbeat was erratic, and she was taking ragged breaths. Trailing wet kisses up the side of his neck to his ear. She softly nipped his earlobe and repeated her plea.
The feel of Rory's sharp teeth and her impassioned plea was like kindling to a match. Heat jumped between them. Chuckling, he slowly ran his hands along her sides, gripping her hips. "You are one wicked woman." He captured her lips in another bruising kiss.
The need for touch was an instinctual human characteristic. But the need for Junior had become an obsession. Rory whimpered with need, the pressure was still too light, the touches too fleeting. She needed more and Junior was the only one who could help her. He had started an internal fire and it was raging.
Tristan instinctively started to move against her, to bring her closer to the pinnacle but the sound of a dog barking in the distance penetrated his trance. Placing his hands on her hips to keep her restless movements concealed, he broke the soul-shattering kiss. "Baby, we have to stop before we are arrested for public lewdness."
Burying her head in the crook of his neck she panted erratically, "Oh my god! I can't believe I was just making out like a mad-woman in the middle of Central Park on a work day." Her breathing was slowly returning to normal.
Tristan took in her flushed cheeks and her sparkling sapphire eyes. "I can. You let the inner enchantress come out to play. She is a part of you, Rory; embrace it. And I want you to think about two things while we are in the Met. The first being that I want you more than I have wanted anything in a long time. And the second is, all I will be able to think about until we get back to the apartment is the look you get right before you reach your peak."
Rory's expressive face reflected a myriad of emotions: surprise, shock, embarrassment, and a flicker of pleasure. "Umm–I--uh, wow. You sure know how to shock the words right out of a gal."
Tristan rolled off of her and onto his back groaning, "Oh Ror, it's not about shocking you. It's about communicating this fiery need you stir up. I love losing myself in the Met, but I know that I'm not going to be able to concentrate, or enjoy it, because I will be focused on you."
"Well," she said, as she propped up on her elbow and traced an invisible pattern over his chest, "maybe we should skip the Met and just go back to your apartment. I think I have the remedy for your loss of concentration."
He captured her roaming fingers, bringing them up to place a chaste kiss on their tips, "That sounds wonderful, but there is an exhibit I really want to share with you." Tucking a loose piece of her hair behind her ear, "But just remember, after the Met, all bets are off."
Thanks for reading. And here's a head's up, the next chapter is another "hot, hot, hot" scene, so only my "ickle" gals will get the full version. I will post the tamer version here. Please let me know how you feel. Jackie