An hour later, they were back in the car, ready to have dinner, but could not quite decide where to go. Niles pulled out of the parking lot building without any destination in mind. Having Ms. Babcock beside him was enough. He turned left in Lexington, driving away from the Ritz.
"I thought you wanted to have dinner at the Ritz, Niles. I can always change back into my dress," said CC.
"If you don't mind having another casual dinner with me…" began Niles.
"But it's my treat this time. You have been very nice carrying all my shopping bags and patiently walking with me to all the stores…"
Suddenly CC's eyes lit up excitedly, stopping in mid-sentence what she was saying.
They turned right in front of the huge Victoria Secret in Herald Square.
"Wait… can we just have a quick stop to buy lingerie before dinner? I promise I won't take long," pleaded CC.
Niles shook his head hadn't she had enough shopping for the day, but her enthusiastic smile was contagious, and he couldn't help but smile back as he turned towards another parking spot.
"I don't get to go out often... you know busy with work," she said with a smile, justifying their stop.
"Okay, have it your way but I get to pick the dinner place and it is not the Ritz," said Niles firmly.
Once they were inside, CC started browsing the lingerie section. Thinking it wise to keep his distance from Ms. Babcock while she picked out undergarments and negligees. He knew he could vividly picture her in whatever she would hold out in front of him to check out.
He could see the teenage attendants in the dressing room eyeing her with envy, a clout of mean girls that were probably biased towards a gorgeous blond with a lot of money to spend.
"Hey…girlfriend, help me out here," called CC, waving at Niles to come over.
Niles sighed, purgatory, here I come.
"Before, when we were in college, my friends and I help out each other in picking out a sexy lingerie for when we have boyfriends to wear it for in the future," recalled CC with fondness.
"Haven't had those girl bonding in long time," she continued.
CC suddenly disappeared from his view, and he wondered where she went to. As he came closer to where she originally was standing, near a bunch of racks with lacy bras and underwear labeled Naughty n Nice, preparing himself for when she raised the sexy undergarments in front of him like she did with the clothes in the other stores to show him and get his opinion but to his astonishment he was unprepared with the sight that grazed his sight.
"Miss Babcock?" he called out.
"Where have you disappeared to?"
"In here, Niles", she cried.
Following where he heard her voice, in the line of dressing rooms behind the racks, he unknowingly entered and when he was right outside the door of the first room, CC opened the door and modeled a periwinkle baby doll floral mesh lace set. It covered her breasts but it was like a beautiful Christmas wrapper containing Santa's gift.
"How do you like this?" she asked sweetly with a big smile.
Alluring was the first word that came to his mind, and the first thought he had was to push her back into the dressing room and make love to her after he tore off that embroidered fishnet of an underwear that left so little to the imagination.
At the sight of her, he felt his barometer bulge against his slacks to his ultimate horror. He was afraid she and the attendants would notice.
Immediately to dissipate the growing desire in his traitorous body, the zinger came which he tried to cover up so as not to ruin their day.
"That'll be an old rag before a boyfriend sees you in it."
The smile left CC' face and Niles could see the flash of hurt and confusion.
Niles bellowed at the teenager that suddenly came in, "Get her the newest collection brassiere set. A 36B and make haste!"
The young girl immediately left the dressing room with a nod.
"You know, Ms. Babcock, I think it wise if you should spend on those sexy bras and panties instead. Those are things you wear every day at work than buying something you will keep in the closet," said Niles in a kinder, friendlier tone.
"I'm still planning to wear them for myself and not for anyone," she said.
Too tired to argue, she just shrugged and waited for the undergarments the young girl would bring.
Unheeding Niles' suggestion, CC still bought lingerie and two velvet teddys on top of the brassiere and underwear sets. Proving his theory right that the young girls misjudged Ms. Babcock, looking simple in her jeans to have money to splurge, the cashier turned to me.
"Will that be cash or charge, sir?"
I smiled. "Ask her, it's her purchase. I'm not her husband..."
"yet" mumbled Niles under his breath.
The cashier caught his word and looked at him with a slight smile, but CC was not able to catch his offhanded remark, having her back turned and looking for something in her purse.
The cashier asked her, and she simply stated, "Cash".
"So where are we having dinner?" asked CC.
Taking the pretty pink packages from the cashier, Niles smiled inwardly as CC held on to his arm, his offensive remark about the lingerie totally forgotten.
"Would you like to listen to some music to go with our casual dinner?" asked Niles.
"Sure. Music and dancing sounds nice. Tequila shots would be great too," said CC.
After they dropped the packages to the Jag, they walked half a block to where the restaurants were located, and opted to go into a bar where a band was playing music. The menu consisted of burgers, grills and salads.
They sat at a table near the bar so they could watch the band play.
"Grilled salmon with mixed vegetables on the side, and a Tequila Sunset," said CC.
"I'm famished. Don't judge me if I order a lot," laughed Niles.
"You can eat as much as you want, and I'm gonna drink as much as I want. I don't get to drink when I'm the one driving. It's just great I have you to drive tonight," said CC excitedly.
True to her words CC ordered several cocktail drinks, foregoing dessert. She was on her third drink when Niles noticed she was always ordering something different.
"Shouldn't you stick to just one type of cocktail drink so you wouldn't get drunk," reminded Niles, watching as CC seemed to be getting giddier and happier by the minute.
"I want to try those that I haven't tried yet," said CC, approaching the bar and ordering from the bartender a White Russian.
No sooner had CC sat on an empty stool on the bar, waiting for her drink, when two guys approached her.
This was another disadvantage of wearing something casual, guys were not intimidated and would more likely approach you and hit on you.
"Let me pay for your drink," said one of them, taking the seat closest to CC.
CC flashed him a big innocent smile. "No, thanks. Someone is paying for my drinks tonight."
The guy was not discouraged. "I could give you a Sex on the Beach. I know you'd love that."
Niles was immediately on his feet, feeling protective of CC. He didn't appreciate his sexual innuendo towards her.
"Excuse me, the lady is with me, and I don't appreciate men hitting on her," said Niles.
"Cool, man. Maybe you shouldn't be leaving her alone then, " said the guy before leaving.
She drunk her White Russian in one go. "It's alright Niles, we were just talking," she said with a doe-eye stare and wide smile.
"This one taste great! It's chocolate but with a twist," cried CC, showing Niles her empty White Russian.
"A Blue Lagoon, please," she told the bartended.
"Ms. Babcock maybe you should stop changing drinks," scolded Niles.
Now he knew she was a bit tipsy. She didn't even realize when someone was hitting on her.
He was trying to keep CC as sober as possible, so he believed it wise to go before she completely gets drunk. He called for the waiter to pay the bill and while they were waiting, the male vocalist of the band, asked if there was anyone who would like to sing, there were a few hands, all women, but instead of taking them he went straight to their table and asked CC if she could sing. Niles was about to decline and tell him she was not in the condition to sing but CC gladly accepted and went with the vocalist.
The vocalist took CC up the center podium where the band was playing. "Let's give a round of applause to this pretty young lady."
If most drunks were either loud and talkative, wild, or sad, CC was neither of those, she was a happy drunk which amazed Niles as she had never been so friendly and amiable to strangers before. She had greeted and chatted with the people around her, and nicely answered the questions put to her without sounding haughty but Niles doubted she could sing, let alone when drunk.
Niles was afraid she would embarrass herself in a room full of people and she would hate herself in the morning. He was on his way to pull her aside when the band started playing "Waiting for Tonight" and CC took the microphone and started dancing to the intro of the song. Her movements were graceful, hot and sexy that Niles was mesmerized watching her. He had forgotten about pulling her aside. She was easy on the eyes to watch that the band extended the intro of the song to let her dance a little more but Niles feared she would be lost in the song and wouldn't know where to begin but to his astonishment, she didn't only dance well, but she could sing! She perfectly knew when to begin, even when the band had changed a few arrangements, she was still in rhythm and in tune.
Never in his wildest dream did he ever conceived the idea she could sing. He knew she could act because she was in the University Drama Club when she was in college, and she did want to be a Broadway star before she settled into becoming a producer instead.
He never thought there were new things he could still learn about Ms. Babcock. The people burst into loud applause when she started singing and Niles could see the female vocalist taking a break turning into a green-eyed monster when the spotlight was taken from her. The male vocalist started dancing with CC and singing second voice like it was a rehearsed choreography which truly entertained the crowd.
As soon as the performance ended, Niles grabbed CC off the stage while the audience burst into another loud applause. Requesting for an encore.
CC smiled and waved at the applauding audience.
"How about another song?" said the male vocalist, unwilling to let her go even if the female vocalist was done with her break.
Niles politely declined by shaking his head from offstage.
The band started playing, "It's Raining Men" and the female vocalist began singing the first verse.
CC's docile disposition suddenly changed at the sound of the song as Niles was leading her back to their table.
In her drunken stupor she exclaimed, "I like that song!" and freed herself from Niles' grasp and ran back to the podium, taking the microphone from the vocalist just as the chorus began.
Loud applause and howling erupted when she sang the chorus. It was fun watching her. It was like a concert performance where the artist looked great, sounded awesome and danced sexily to bring the house down. Except that there was no revealing outfit to wet the men's appetite but to his dismay, CC tied her blouse up to reveal her flat stomach and navel to make her dance moves sexier on the last repeat of the chorus. He ought to order her a cup of coffee to sober her up.
Niles grabbed her immediately at the end of the song, untied the knot on her blouse to cover her midsection again and almost carried her off the stage.
"Come on Ms. Babcock, you're giving them a run for their money. Let's go," insisted Niles.
Then they started playing another song that excited CC more.
"Oh, I love that song. Can I sing another song?" she asked Niles.
"No!" said Niles.
As they passed the bar before reaching the door, the bartender handed CC another drink.
"This is on the house, Beautiful. You sing beautiful, you dance beautiful, and you look beautiful. Your husband is a very lucky man," said the Italian bartender, looking at Niles.
"What is this?" asked CC.
"A triple sec, a vodka and a lime…" continued the bartender, handing the short glass with garnish to CC.
"Oh, a Kamikaze. This used to knock me out when my girlfriends and I hung out back in college but that was a long time ago. Perhaps not anymore…," said CC, thanking the bartender for the drink.
Ignoring the coffee Niles was handing her, she leisurely finished her drink. She put her arms around Niles' neck and leaned on him after she had finished her drink.
"What's he talking about? I don't have a husband," she whispered in Niles' ear, her lips touching his ear.
A wave of desire shot through him once again. He must take her home before he starts to forget himself.
"You're too drunk to understand," smiled Niles.
She hugged him tighter. "I'm not drunk. Who says I'm drunk? I'm just a little sleepy. Let's go home," said CC.
Niles was not sure if it had been deliberate, but on their way out, the female vocalist approached the bar and ordered a tequila. She tripped on her way back to the podium and spilled the Tequila on the helm of CC's blouse and a little on her jeans. Luckily, Niles' reflexes were swift and managed to push her hand and drink before they all spilled directly on CC. Otherwise, she would have been totally soaked.
Niles dabbed her blouse with water using his handkerchief to take out the pink stain and stickiness.
Walking back to the car, they walked side by side. CC had not lost her jolliness, clinging to Niles' arm, swerving as she walked. She started pointing out the different constellations in the sky before ranting about planets, stars and heavenly bodies.
They had walked no more than five minutes when CC started leaning on Niles' shoulder, unable to walk further, her eyes half closed, her drunkenness starting to take over.
"I'm tired," said she.
"Come on, Ms. Babcock. The car isn't that far," he said, urging her to continue walking.
She tried to keep walking alongside Niles, but her tipsiness would make her knees wobble and she would fall sideways. Niles realized she truly couldn't walk when she suddenly fell faint. Niles caught her before she fell on the ground and hit her head. He caught her head on his upper arm while his other arm caught her back.
"Oops, sorry," she laughed.
Then she burst into an acapella, singing the chorus of Pretty Boy, as she put her arms around Niles' neck.
"Oh my pretty, pretty boy, I love you. Like I never ever loved no one before you…"
"Ms. Babcock!" exclaimed Niles, trying to help her stand and stop singing.
Goodness, even without the melody she could carry a lovely tune.
"Pretty, pretty boy of mine..."
"You don't expect me to carry you, do you?" asked Niles wryly.
She kept singing happily.
"…just tell me you love me too. "
"Oh my pretty, pretty boy I need you. Oh my pretty, pretty boy I do."
The fact is he was indeed tempted to carry her to the car, and he wouldn't mind at all, but he didn't want CC to know how eager he was, yet at this point she was too tipsy to notice anything, and all she could do was sing and walking seemed out of the question.
"Let me inside… make me stay ride beside you…" smiling as she sang.
Niles sighed and decided to give her a piggyback ride the way he kept seeing the male protagonists do for the heroines in several Korean tv shows he watched. He saw it in a crime and suspense show "Signal", he also saw it in the drama "Good Doctor", and the romantic comedy "Suspicious Partner" and many other Korean Dramas and thought he should give it a try. Wouldn't that be romantic even if it was a one-sided romance? He'll never have another chance to get such a romantic moment with Ms. Babcock.
"Okay, Ms. Babcock. Get up. Let's go. Give me your foot and I'll help you onto my back."
Without any protest, with her eyes half closed, still singing Pretty Boy, CC put her arms around Niles' neck as he carried her on his back. Niles could feel her face nestled on his neck. She wasn't as light as he expected but then again, she's as tall as he was. How could she be as light as a feather, but he wouldn't say she was heavy either, but he loved how her body was pressed against him and how she kept burying her face around his neck as he walked carrying her to the car.
She stopped singing and nuzzled her face on his neck.
"Hmmm… I love your aftershave…. You smell so wonderful," she whispered dreamily.
Niles smiled but didn't tell her he tried the Acqua di Gio perfume when she was shopping for a dress in Armani Exchange. He made a mental note to buy it since Ms. Babcock liked it.
"Niles…thank you for buying me dinner and paying for all my cocktail drinks without asking for anything in return."
"Did guys want something when they ask to pay for your drink?" asked Niles with concern.
" Uhu… so I don't take drinks from anyone. I can buy my own," she laughed in drunken stupor.
"I have enough money to buy my own" she yelled gayly before closing her eyes once again as though it was hard to keep them open.
"Remember, Ms. Babcock, just turn to me when you need anything, and I assure you I will not ask for anything in return," said Niles sincerely.
With her eyes still closed she just whimpered an "Uhuh".
Niles wanted to keep her awake, and thus continued with their conversation.
"I didn't know you sang," said Niles.
Her eyes were still closed but she managed to answer.
"Nobody cares if I do. My father considered showbusiness a taboo profession and so I settled on being a businesswoman, like most people in my family."
"Too lowly a job?" teased Niles.
"Uhhu," said CC.
"I was young. I had dreams but I was penniless. My trust fund and all the money were from my parents…"
His pace slowed down. He didn't want to reach the car just yet, he wanted to listen as the woman he loved bared her soul out.
"What about now? You are successful. You have your own money. You can do what you want," said Niles.
"Yeah, I can buy anything I want. I can do anything with my financial independence…" she said in a low voice, almost falling asleep.
"But?" asked Niles.
"I hear a BUT coming" continued Niles.
CC wrapped her arms tighter around him.
"I'm sleepy…you feel so nice and warm," she murmured half asleep, pressing herself closer to him.
Niles was in heaven. He'll always remember her sweet words even if she said them in a drunken state. Well, people were often more honest when they were a little drunk.
"So why don't you?" persisted Niles.
It took a minute for CC to reply that he thought she had fallen asleep.
"What? Sleep or be a theater actress?"
"Both," said Niles.
"I've changed…Life has made me tough and cynical. I don't want to put my fate in the hands of other people. When you're an actress, you're at the mercy of the directors, producers, people hiring actors … and… I don't want to sleep because you might drop me…I'm at your mercy," she said, nuzzling her face in his neck.
"I'm not going to drop you. I promise," said Niles.
"I know you would. You were always so mean to me. If I hadn't been so down and lonely lately,,,"
"What? You wouldn't have gone out with me today?" finished Niles.
"Yeah… I wouldn't have trusted you. I know you'd find a way maybe to lock me up in a dressing room or strangle me with a scarf…"
Niles bit his tongue. He wasn't drunk but he almost wanted to blurt out he wanted to tie her up in his bed and lock her up in his bedroom to make love to her till the next morning. He was getting bolder with his thoughts. If she wasn't so vulnerable now, he would take another shot to insult her. He must dissipate the growing heat in his body.
"Thank you. I had a lot of fun today. You've been really nice," she said in a low voice.
His heart soared at her kind words. He wondered if this was the right time to tell her he loved her and he wanted them to spend every weekend together.
Suddenly, CC burst into a giggle that Niles looked up on her face to see what she found funny.
"What's wrong? What's so funny?" asked Niles.
She was no longer leaning on him. She was making shadow puppets with her hands over Niles' head.
The moonlight over the sky had cast their shadows in front of them.
"Look at that! You look like a demon," giggled CC.
She made a V sign with her right hand on top of Niles' head, making his shadow look like a horned demon. After a minute of more giggling everything was quiet.
"Ms. Babcock? We're here", said Niles but she remained quiet.
"Ms. Babcock?" he inquired.
Realizing she was sound asleep, he carefully laid her to her feet, supporting her dead weight with his arms before carrying her inside the car.
As he settled on the driver's side, he tenderly looked at her sleeping form on the passenger side wished this night never had to end. He could stay in the car the whole night just staring at her.
"So how do you propose to go home, Ms. Babcock?" he said aloud.
Sleeping soundly, she stirred and nestled comfortably on the cushion, her hair falling over her face. Niles pushed it behind her ear and was contemplating giving her a chaste kiss on her forehead but decided against it.
"You owe me a kiss, Ms. Babcock, and if you don't wake up soon, I'm going to steal one," he whispered.
Still, she lay like sleeping beauty beside him, unmoving in her deep sleep. He took off his jacket and draped it over her like a blanket.
He sighed and turned on the navigation system in the car. He checked the destinations logged in and there were only a couple saved. She was either good with directions or she wasn't going out of town that much. Unless of course her dates picked her up which was likely. A pang of jealousy overcame him at the thought of other men taking her out.
He knew she lived somewhere in Park Avenue and soon found instructions to reach her condominium. After finding its location, he drove around a bit, waiting for her to wake up but thirty minutes later she was still out. Against his better judgement, he drove up to her condominium parking entrance.