Chapter 8 - Keep You Much Longer
Wish I could just stop by, and maybe say hi, wish I could just stop by, and lay by your side - Akon
Currently in her eighth hour of beauty sleep, Bella was having one of the best dreams. It was right above the one where she meet Coco Chanel.
They had gone on their second date last night, and Bella couldn't stop dreaming. Even the weird shapes and swirls reminded her of him…the color of his eyes, his hair.
He had kissed her goodnight, almost as sweet as their first.
Being with him was just comforting, she didn't have to try to be the strong New York City reporter, she was just Bella.
If his touch made her fell like jello, it was his kisses that sent a cold rush up her spine…goosebumps down her arms, through her legs.
When the loud honking of speeding taxies shook Bella out of her dream, she still had that tingling feeling running through her body.
Bella unconsciously had rapped her Ralph Lauren at Home sheets tighter to her slender body, crawling in the fetal position.
When she pulled her body to sit up straight, she realized that it wasn't remembering his touch that was causing her to shiver, but that she actually freezing cold.
Why was it so cold? They paid their bills. Didn't Alice always set the thermostat to sixty-nine?
It was like jumping into the Artic Ocean wearing a bikini…like sitting in a vat of ice chips.
Rapping her duvet around her body, Bella stumbled into her bathroom and pulled out the thermometer already dreading the results.
She didn't get sick that often, but when she did it was more disastrous than the white tights fad.
After three low beeps, Bella pulled out the thermometer from underneath her tongue and read the screen.
103.5°F. Just wonderful! Ugh, she had to stay home on her death bed and Jessica was going to get the cover article.
"Oh you look paler than Anne Hathaway at the 2009 Oscars," Alice worried.
Bella was griping her sides tightly, trying to stay warm in an ill-fitting gray Princeton sweatshirt. Long black footless tights covered her legs, classic chestnut UGGs on her feet. Gray, Black and Chestnut! Ugh, it was a good thing she normally had impeccable style or Alice would have admitted Bella to the psych ward.
The only time she ever looked this bad was in college when she had that really bad fever… "No! Not the Bella Fever. Rose and I have meetings today, Crap!" Alice cried.
"Al I'll be fine. I'll just sleep it off," Bella said trying to reason with her friend.
"Pul-ease, that's what you said last time and then you fainted. What's your temp?"
"103.5, but I'll be fine."
"Just promise me you'll drink fluids and sleep," she said as slipped on her plaid blue Burberry Pea Coat and tied the belt around her slim waist.
"Will do," Bella promised as she stumbled back into her bedroom.
Flipping the plasma screen that was mounted to her bedroom wall to the Food Network, Bella crawled back into bed and snuggled in her sheets.
Just as the fifteen minute marker was announced for battle chocolate on Iron Chef America, the door bell rang.
Already dreading the immediate tremors that would run down her body, Bella got up slowly as to not give herself a head rush.
When she stood up, Bella looked at her floor length mirror, knowing her appearance today was more of a lost cause than Joel Madden's newly died hair.
Crossing her arms for warmth, Bella opened the front door.
Her sickly expression turned into a simile when she saw her green-eyed crush standing in the door way with two CVS bags in hand.
"Dayquil, Tylenol, Aleve or Excedrin?"
"Whaut are de collection plans?" Francisco asked the table of designers and consultants. Alice's newly single and ill-tempered boss arrived back in the states at midnight and had called a meeting to go over the spring collection.
"Well, they've been showing a lot of florals right now so I thought-," One of the designers with a nose job faker than Heidi and Spencer's marriage said.
"Florals! In de spring! Oh how original," Francisco said aggravatingly cutting her off. "No, we need something better."
"I thought that we could go chic. Focus more on tailoring, making statements rather than shapes," Alice said her head up confidently.
"Gracas a Deus!" he yelled throwing his arms behind his over hair gelled head. Alice immediately recognized his Portuguese, 'Thank god.'
"I'm glad someone brought their brain with dem today. I knew there was a reason why I kept you Aliuce."
"Consentino's gonna take it," Bella mumbled into her pillow. Edward, the saint that he was, made her swallow some horse pills and climb back to bed.
He was lying on her bed (on top of the covers of course) and was rubbing her arms trying to create friction to keep her warm.
Bella hated that he had to see her looking sickly and disgusting. She wanted to jump into the shower so she would at least smell clean, but didn't have any energy. It frustrated Bella more than Gossip Girl repeats.
"Not a chance. Did you see that lamb Batali just took out of the oven?!" he exclaimed.
Bella was trying not to be nosy, but questions were flying around in her head and she needed answers more than she needed a triple fleece blanket.
"Hey Edward? I love that you're here, really I do. But um how did you know I was sick? And shouldn't you be at the restaurant or something?"
"Oh, Alice called me on your cell earlier," he said smiling down at her. "She was really worried for you."
"She's worse than my mom," Bella said jokingly. "Sorry she called you so early."
"Yeah right. I have to wake up at four to get my orders from the docks downtown. And I don't go in until three since we don't open until six. Plus, I have some really good su chefs that can take over if I'm late," he said nonchalantly.
"I'm sorry. You don't have to be here, you probably have more important things to be doing," Bella whispered quietly.
"Nope," he said making the 'p' pop. "I'm all yours sweetheart," he said running his thumb down her cheek. His touch made goosebumps run down her neck that weren't from the fever.
"I'm gonna get you some soup. If you don't eat, Alice will kill me," he said smiling and kissing her hair softly before sliding off of her king-sized bed.
"Yes. We would need silk in by five at the latest," Alice said into her corded desk phone as she bit the end of her purple pen.
The designers needed the material ASAP and Alice didn't know if she should
a) continue to play the nice card
b) yell at the man to deliver the darn fabric
c) run over to the warehouse and beg on her knees
There was no way Alice would ever beg in a dress, so opting for "a" she waited for his response.
"I'm only doing this because you're my favorite, Alice," said the tired man. "I'll have my guys bring the truck around in a couple of hours."
"Thanks Andy you're my man," Alice said jokingly as she said her goodbyes to the company's cloth man. All of his cloth was imported from Italy. Expensive, but Francesco didn't bother with anything else.
"Alice, there is someone here for you at the main door," called the company's secretary just as Alice hung up the phone.
"I'll be right down," she called into the speaker phone.
Straightening out the hem of her fitted forest green knee length CK dress, Alice walked out of her office. The company owned two floors. The first floor was full with conference and showcase rooms, while the second was all personal offices.
As she walked carefully down the metal stairs that lead to the entrance double glass doors, Alice saw him in all of his six foot three, model glory.
He was leaning casually on the cherry wood of the secretary desk wearing a pair of dark distressed Calvin Kline jeans, his hands stuffed in a simple leather jacket.
"Hey Jasper," Alice called as she hopped down from the last step.
"Alice," he said, his face breaking into a big grin. "Are you busy now? I thought I could maybe steel you away for lunch?" he said nervously.
"Sure, let me grab my coat," she said smiling at him and running back up the stairs, her five inch Nicole Miller pumps clacking against the metal.
"Amy, Andy's boys are gonna drop off the cloth soon, in case it gets here before I get back, okay?" Alice told the secretary. She was a sweet girl, the only work friend Alice had.
"Don't worry Alice, I got it covered," she said winking at her and nodding towards the front door where Jasper stood waiting patiently. "Enjoy your lunch break."
Slipping her hand into his, Alice braced herself for the cold New York City fall air.
"So how did you know that was my building?," Alice asked curiously as he led her to the nearest bistro. There were about three different Kline offices in the city.
"I have some pretty good connections," he said smiling. "I just had to ask around for the beautiful dark haired Calvin Kline producer."
"So you kinda like me huh?" she asked playfully, but worried for his response.
"Yes. How could I not?" he asked rhetorically smiling.
"Oh that's a good thing, because I kinda like you too," Alice said looking up from her Because Your Worth It lashes.
"Ughhh, no! I don't want to go back. Francisco is so not happy right now and I'm the one that has to deal with him," Alice whined as they approached her building.
Well if you wanted to get all technical she didn't want to leave Jasper. He had his arm wrapped around her small shoulder, as if to protect her from the cold air.
"Hey Alice can I ask you something?," he asked, repeating her words from the other day.
"Yeah," she said giggling.
"Can I call you sometime?" he asked as they stopped in front of the building.
"I would love that. Here, let me see your phone," she said smiling, her stomach doing back flips.
"Oh I actually already got it when I found out which building you worked in," he said shyly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand that wasn't still perched on her shoulders.
"Can I ask you another question?"
"Sure," she said with a smile as she turned to face him.
"Can I kiss you?"
His question caught Alice so off guard she couldn't speak, couldn't answer. All she had wanted to do since she had met him was to touch her lips to his.
Still suffering from voice paralysis, Alice nodded and hoped Jasper knew what she meant.
Cupping her cheek with his hand, Jasper leaned down and touched her soft lips with his. Almost instantly, the fire erupted from her stomach.
His kisses were so different than others because of the heat that rocked through her, the spark she felt.
Not wanting to let go, Alice stood up on her tiptoes and placed her small hand on his muscular arm.
Pulling away first, Jasper whispered in her ear, "Thank you."
Ever the southern gentleman.
Thank you guys so much for all of the reviews. I love it that you enjoy the story.
Who has seen the 'Wolf Pack' picture yet for New Moon. Can you say Ehmygosh!!!Thank you Summit Entertainment from the bottom of my heart and who ever else made that picture possible. My girly hormones thank you.
For the next chapter do you guys want some more alone time or bonding with everyone. I was thinking maybe a club?? Let me know and I'll do the writing. I picked out the song "Bad Girl" by Danity Kane for the chapter if they go to a club. Oh...What do you think the chapter would be like??!!
As always thank you for reading
xoxo
Lex