1961
Jonathan couldn't believe that it had worked. He'd felt a little bad, being slightly dishonest, but what harm had it done? He and Jennifer were happy, and it was New Year's Eve. That's what mattered.
In the week since Christmas, he and Jennifer had continued to spend every single day together. If she spent the day with her Aunt Renee going shopping, then Jennifer made sure that she and Jonathan could get together for dinner. If she spent the day with Jonathan, she went back to the Carlyle for tea and dinner and whatever else with Aunt Renee. And Max had plenty to keep himself occupied, and he supported Jonathan spending whatever time he could with Jennifer anyway. Jonathan certainly was lucky for that.
The weather continued to be awful, however, so they couldn't just walk through New York hand in hand like they might have liked. They went ice skating again on the one day it wasn't below zero. They went together to The Strand and bought more books together, each giving the other recommendations. But they mostly went to the theater in the Lower East Side that played old movies, and they sat together in the back and enjoyed the magic of Old Hollywood. And if it was a film they'd both seen or weren't interested in, they instead kissed in the dark.
Jonathan hadn't fully realized how much he enjoyed Jennifer's neck until the winter weather had forced her to wear scarves every day. He missed seeing it. Touching it. Kissing it. Sucking it. Biting it. The sounds Jennifer made just drove him wild, and it turned him into a man possessed. She wasn't particularly loud—thankfully, since they were in the movie theater and not completely alone—but she was certainly enthusiastic. God, he wished they could be well and truly alone so they could do more than just this. Memories of Jennifer's birthday when she had straddled him in her car and grinded down on his erection until what Jonathan assumed was an orgasm intruded his thoughts whenever he got to be with her intimately like that. He wanted her to do that again. He wanted her to do that when he was inside her. He wanted…
Oh this was dangerous. And he knew it. Jonathan had purposefully not let things get that far after her birthday because he was fairly certain that she was a virgin, and he wasn't going to take advantage of her trust in him. Jonathan loved this girl more than anything in the world and that meant protecting her. It also meant that his own teenaged urges were extremely loud and shouting down his better angels. So best to keep to public places where things couldn't go too far. Because if Jennifer's birthday was anything to go by, she wasn't going to be the one to stop them. God, she was the most incredible girl in the world.
But ever since Christmas, Jonathan had been thinking. They wanted to be alone together. They both seemed to want to take things further. After all, they were in love, so why not? Jonathan knew for certain he wasn't just using Jennifer for that. Not like with other girls he'd had experience with in the past. He and his past girlfriends—such that they were—had enjoyed each other for the sake of that and not much else. It was different with Jennifer. He loved her, and she loved him. He wanted her, and she seemed to want him. And he wanted more than anything to be able to give her pleasure and to feel the pleasure he knew he could find in her beautiful body.
So Jonathan came up with a plan. On December 30th, he'd asked Max what his plans were for New Year's. "I got me a date," Max said with a glint in his eye. And Jonathan knew what that meant. Max was well known for being extremely charming with the ladies. He'd taught Jonathan quite a few tricks over the years, in fact.
"I think I'll probably go to the party at the Carlyle with Jennifer and Aunt Renee," Jonathan replied.
"Great. That'll be a good way to bring in the New Year."
And that was all they said on the subject. But unbeknownst to Max, Jonathan then called Jennifer at her hotel.
"How would you like ring in 1961 at the apartment? Just something quiet. We'll listen to Guy Lombardo on the radio," he suggested. He hoped Jennifer wouldn't suggest they go to the hotel to be able to watch the broadcast on television. Max didn't have a television set.
But thankfully, Jennifer had said, "That sounds wonderful. Aunt Renee usually goes to a party and leaves me alone at about ten so she can do whatever she does. I'd much rather be with you and Max."
"Great! How about I pick you up around eight and we can take the subway together?"
Jennifer agreed, and the date was set. Jonathan and Max both left the apartment around seven-thirty. Max was going to pick up his date and take her out to a party being thrown by a bookie Max was friends with. And as far as Max knew, Jonathan would be at the Carlyle under Aunt Renee's supervision all evening.
When he arrived at the hotel, Jennifer was already waiting in the lobby, and she looked so pretty that it took Jonathan a minute to remember what he was doing. She had on a purple dress that made her auburn hair and freckled skin almost glow. And, because it was winter, she also had a white fur wrap around her shoulders, and she carried her heavy coat.
"Hello, you," she greeted with a smile that practically stopped his heart.
"Hi," he answered. "I guess I should have dressed." He suddenly felt very underdressed in just his regular clothes and not wearing a coat and tie. Hell, with her looking like that, Jonathan felt like he should be wearing a tuxedo. Except he didn't own a tuxedo.
She came over to kiss him softly. "No need," she murmured, kissing him again. "I just like to dress up for the occasion."
"Well, you look beautiful. Perfect."
Her nose wrinkled as she grinned at his compliment. "Thank you, darling."
Jonathan helped her put on her coat and scarf, covering up the gorgeous expanse of her neck, and took her arm to lead her outside so they could walk the two blocks to the subway and travel eighty blocks downtown.
"Is Max cooking dinner?" Jennifer asked. "I'm obviously not dressed for the kitchen, but you know I like to help."
"No, we'll order pizza," Jonathan answered. "There's a spot we like just a couple blocks away that delivers, if you can believe it."
"That's incredible," Jennifer laughed. "I've never heard of such a thing!"
Jonathan just grinned. He had hopes of introducing Jennifer to a lot of new things tonight.
Half an hour later, they trudged up the stairs to Max's apartment. It was dark when they went in. Jennifer turned to him questioningly. "Where's Max?"
"Out on a date," Jonathan answered simply. "I…well, I'll take you back to the hotel if you want, but I thought maybe we could spend New Year's Eve all alone. Just the two of us."
Her jaw dropped but she quickly recovered a neutral expression. "No chaperones? No public places?"
"That was the idea," he answered. His heart beat faster as he awaited her response.
A slow smile curled over her lips. "What a wonderful idea, darling." She put her arms around his neck and kissed him through her smile.
Jonathan wrapped her up in his arms and deepened the kiss, indulging in the joy of getting to kiss her without worrying who was watching or who would interrupt and being able to actually stand up while doing it because they didn't have to hide in a car or something.
But they had all night for that and more, so Jonathan pulled away. "Let me hang up your coat and we can get comfortable. And I should order that pizza."
They put on the radio to listen to the New Year's Eve broadcast live from the Waldorf-Astoria, cuddled up together on the sofa where Jonathan had slept during the Thanksgiving holiday when Jennifer stayed in his bedroom. The pizza arrived just under an hour later, and they sat on the floor with plates on the coffee table, half-listening to the radio and mostly talking and laughing together. Jonathan had offered Jennifer the choice of wine that Max kept in the cupboard above the refrigerator or just Coca-Cola. She was the one to pick the wine. Neither of them knew too much about wine, so they hardly knew whether it was good or not. Jonathan was even a little embarrassed that he struggled with the corkscrew to open it. But they managed, pouring the wine into water glasses and having that with their delivered pizza.
As far as Jonathan was concerned, it was a perfect night. And it was only going to get better.
They cleaned up after dinner and lingered over the wine. When the band played on the radio, Jonathan took Jennifer's hand and danced with her in the living room. At some point, when the wine was nearly finished, Jennifer took off her shoes. Jonathan joined her, and they went back to dancing, this time in their stocking feet. He held her closer than he would have if they were dancing in public. But they weren't in public. And he could hold her as close as they both liked.
The song ended, but Jonathan didn't stop dancing. He pulled her in a little tighter and murmured the old Fred Astaire song, "Heaven, I'm in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak…"
Jennifer joined in, "And I seem to find the happiness I seek when we're out together dancing cheek to cheek."
They giggled together and somehow ended up kissing again. The radio program went on, but Jonathan couldn't hear it anymore. He and Jennifer had stopped dancing. Her tongue was in his mouth and that was the only thing that mattered.
After a while—Jonathan had no idea how long—Jennifer pulled away. "It's almost midnight," she said. Her voice was a little hoarse.
Jonathan blinked, trying to put together the words she said. On the radio, the countdown from ten had begun. He and Jennifer both joined in.
"Four…three…two…one…Happy New Year!"
The band on the radio played Auld Lang Syne, and he and Jennifer started kissing again.
"Happy New Year, darling," he murmured against her lips.
He could feel her smile as she answered, "Jonathan." She pulled back to look at him properly. "Jonathan, take me to bed."
She didn't have to ask him twice. He gave her a little peck on the tip of her adorable little nose and took her hand to lead her to his bedroom.
Jonathan turned on the lamp at the bedside. It was pitch black in the room otherwise. And the overhead light wasn't exactly a romantic sort of ambience. He could hear Jennifer moving behind him, but it wasn't till he turned around that he realized what she was doing.
Jennifer had unzipped her dress and let it fall to her feet in a lavender pool around her ankles. She was left in just a slip and her stockings. And presumably undergarments underneath the slip. Jonathan's mouth went dry.
"I figured it would save time," she said quietly.
"You…uh…" He didn't really know what he was trying to say. He just stared at the revealed flesh of her. All pale skin and a million freckles. Jonathan already knew how slim she was, but without all her clothes, she looked so small. Delicate. Beautiful.
Jennifer stepped out of her dress and took two bold steps toward him. "I think we ought to be even," she suggested.
Jonathan nodded dumbly. He didn't really know what she meant, but he would agree with her about anything just now.
She stood before him and started unbuttoning his shirt. As she moved down the front of his chest, her lips softly kissed the exposed skin of his throat. Jonathan swallowed hard. She pulled the tails of his shirt out of his pants to unbutton the rest, and she pushed it off his shoulders when she was done. Jonathan was left in just his undershirt and pants. And his pants were growing uncomfortably tight.
Jennifer wasn't finished, however. She took the hem of his undershirt and pulled it up over his head so his upper half was entirely bare. He watched in disbelief as she gazed at him hungrily.
"The first time I ever saw you, this is what you looked like," she confessed. "I didn't even know your name. I saw you trimming hedges at Brookfield and it was a hot day and you took off your shirt. And I knew from that moment that I wanted you." Jennifer looked up into his eyes and then said, "I had no idea that I'd ever get to have you. And I had no idea that I'd love you so much."
Jonathan didn't know what to say, still, so he just kissed her. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hungrily. He was going to take things slow with her, but jeez, she really didn't need it, did she? Still, she deserved for their first time to be special, and he had to exhibit a little restraint. If he could. For now, though, he could kiss her without holding back at all.
He led her to the bed so they both fell down onto it. Jonathan rolled her onto her back and moved his kisses to that magnificent neck he'd become so obsessed with. She sighed and gasped and moaned softly, spurring him on. His hand moved up her waist to her breasts, palming the right one and feeling her shiver beneath him. Jonathan went back to kissing her swollen lips and moved his hand to the hem of her slip, slowly inching his hand beneath it. He'd never ventured entirely up her skirt before, only daring to touch her through her clothes before now. But it was time to explore her now.
The heat of her bare thigh was almost enough to undo him right then and there. Touching her soft skin while tasting her tongue was a heady thing. Jonathan's brain had turned to mush and he was acting on pure impulse and instinct. She was all that existed to him, and her little sounds of pleasure and desire kept him going.
All of a sudden, a big hand was on the back of his neck. A hand that wasn't Jennifer's. And Jonathan was being yanked backward.
"What the hell d'you think you're doin'!?"
Jennifer screamed in surprise and embarrassment as Jonathan struggled to catch his breath and scramble up off the bed. Max stood there with a look of fury that Jonathan had never seen before.
"Miss Edwards, you get dressed and I'll take you back uptown," Max said, speaking much more gently to Jennifer.
Later, when Jonathan's rational mind had returned, he would be grateful to Max for his kindness to her.
Max picked up Jonathan's clothes from the floor and tossed them at him. "You come with me," he insisted, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the room.
Jonathan had no choice but to follow. He was still incapable of speech. But he knew well enough to put his shirt back on. He decided to forego the undershirt and just button up half his regular shirt and leave it untucked.
When they were alone in the living room, Max shoved Jonathan onto the couch and sat down beside him. "Come on, Jonathan, you know better," Max said gruffly.
"I…Max, I love her." It was all Jonathan could manage to say for himself.
"I know you do. But you gotta remember that she's sixteen, and she loves you. And she'll do whatever you say. So you gotta protect her from herself and from you. She's got a bright future ahead of her, and you can't get her into trouble."
Jonathan hadn't even thought of that. Of course he hadn't! He'd wanted to have sex, plain and simple. And he wanted to share that with Jennifer because they were in love and it was an expression of all that love they shared. But it came with the risk of falling into a family way, and if that happened, Jennifer's future would be ruined. Oh Jonathan wasn't worried about the responsibility of it, not really. He was going to marry her sooner or later, he felt sure. But Jennifer was smart and ambitious. She as going to be a writer one day. And she couldn't do that if Jonathan was too stupid to knock her up before she finished school. Max was right. They had to be more careful. Jonathan had to protect her.
A minute later, Jennifer came out into the living room. Her head was downcast in shame, and Jonathan felt his heart shatter in his chest. He never wanted to hurt her or embarrass her or make her feel anything bad ever. And he'd done this.
"Get your coat, sweetheart," Max said kindly. "Say your goodbyes for the night, and you two can talk tomorrow. I think the old movie theater is gonna play His Girl Friday. You'll like that one."
Jennifer just nodded. She got her shoes from beside the sofa and her fur wrap and coat from where they were hung by the door. She didn't even look at Jonathan as she hurried out of the apartment.
"She'll come around. You'll talk to her tomorrow. For now, you just go to bed," Max told Jonathan. "I'll be back later. We don't gotta talk about this anymore tonight."
And then Jonathan was left all alone in the early morning hours of 1961.