"A word if you please, Miss Jareau," Aaron asked politely.

Aaron Hotchner was the studio producer of one of the biggest studios out in California. He was in overall charge of the whole studio and he mostly enjoyed his job.

Jennifer Jareau was the costume designer and very good at what she did. Aaron had noticed her immediately several years ago. She was very sought-after for her expertise, but she only had so much time. She also had a way of soothing rather temperamental actors, given their egos a boost, if they needed one.

Aaron had been wanting to ask her for a date for a long time, but knew she was with a guy that he considered in no way worthy of her. Will LaMontagne had left her pregnant with twin children, Henry and Michael, before he had gone back to New Orleans permanently, over two years ago. JJ as Jennifer was affectionately known seemed to be glad to be rid of him, at least from what he could tell from a distance. JJ had seemed happy enough raising her sons by herself, but Aaron knew she was probably lonely.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Hotchner?" JJ asked in surprise, as she had never expected to ever speak to the studio producer of the studio. He was a busy man after all and she doubted that he had noticed someone as insignificant as her.

"I was wondering Miss Jennifer if you would give me the pleasure of a date," Aaron requested, then gave her his most charming smile that had been known to make woman fall at his feet.

JJ was totally shocked, as she was sure that Aaron Hotchner had never even noticed her. She was only the costume designer for the studio after all. There were multiple sets where a lot of different things were filmed at the same time, movies, TV shows, documentaries and she had to have costumes and everything else ready.

"Yes," JJ answered immediately. She had never told anyone not even her best girlfriend, Emily Prentiss, but she'd had a huge crush on Aaron Hotchner for a long time. She had started dating Will trying to get over him and Will had been such a louse. He had left her rather aptly saying he missed New Orleans, JJ suspected that he had a sidepiece, maybe even two, as that was the kind a man Will was. She'd never had any proof of it however, but wouldn't be surprised in the least if that had been the case.

"What about tonight? I know this great little place, where the paparazzi won't follow me," Aaron suggested with another charming smile. "I'm sure they'll want to know who the lady that I'm with is and whether she's just a friend or a girlfriend. You're likely to have your face plastered all over the papers, when the paparazzi discover we are dating."

"Must be a pain to have the paparazzi follow you everywhere," JJ sympathized.

"It's not too bad really. I'm not as interesting as the actors who work in the studios, though that doesn't mean I don't have some problems. If you don't want your face known then don't go into the movie business," Aaron said knowingly.

"Sound advice," JJ said. "If I'm going to be out late, I'll call my mother who's looking after my sons, let her know I won't be home for awhile."

"I'll see you about nine," Aaron said smiling

"I'll be waiting," JJ promised.

~~~Aaron and JJ~~~

"So where are we going?"

"To this little place I know out in Alhambra. The pap don't follow me there, as there's not as much of a scene. I know this great coffee and dessert place we can go afterwards unless you're too full."

"I've never been to Alhambra," JJ said. "I grew up in Burbank, but I've really left this section of the city, though I have been to Chinatown and Little Italy."

"You could spend your whole life exploring Los Angeles alone. I didn't realize when I came out here that the city itself is actually 500 miles. Like most everyone, I thought that was the whole county," Aaron said.

"Yeah, it's probably one of the biggest cities in America," JJ agreed. "I suppose you can get so stuck in just living your life, that you don't take time to smell the roses, to explore more then a tiny bit of your home city."

"Yes, you can get stuck into a routine with no time for spontaneity," Aaron agreed.

"So what made you ask me out?" JJ asked. This was something she had been curious about ever since Aaron had asked her on a date right after lunch.

"I've been wanting to ask you out for several years," Aaron honestly. "But you started dating Will LaMontagne and I didn't feel that I had any right to interfere by asking you for a date, since you weren't free. There was also me and Haley and until we divorced, well, I wasn't about to cheat on her."

JJ had heard all about Aaron's divorce from Haley, as it had been all over the papers. The divorce had been rather tumultuous. Haley had cheated on him several times, at least according to all reports, while Aaron's only affair with an upcoming star was after his divorce. The relationship hadn't lasted very long at all, just three months. Since there hadn't been any other mention of who Aaron was dating after that, JJ had to assume that he hadn't dated at all and had probably kept it to one night stands.

"I would've dumped Will like a hot potato, if you had just said something. I just figured you didn't even know who I was. It's a big studio after all, that thousands of people work for," JJ said. "Will was handsome enough, but had all the ethics of a slug."

"A lot of men are like that," Aaron admitted.

"Women too," JJ agreed.

The two spent the rest of the drive in companionable silence.

~~~Aaron and JJ~~~

"Wow! This place is great," JJ said, as she looked in the window at all the desserts.

"Let's go in. You can order anything you want," Aaron said.

"How did you discover this place?" JJ asked.

"I'm originally from Virginia," Aaron explained. "But I took drama in high school. Unfortunately, I have no talent for acting, so I got into the other side of the business. I worked my way up to my present position. I met Haley Brooks in my late 20s and we were instantly infatuated with each other. She was an up-and-coming actress and we believed that infatuation was love. We were married about 12 years and had three children. I'm actually surprised the marriage lasted that long, as I know she cheated on me within about three years. She tried to hide it, but I know all the signs, and it doesn't help she was an actress, which meant the paparazzi followed her whenever she was out in public, trying to get a soundbite. I should've divorced her then, but I figured it's Hollywood, it happens," Aaron said.

"So why did she cheat on you?" JJ asked.

"Well, part of it I think, is I made more than she did. While major stars can make a million per episode of a TV show, depending on how many seasons it runs or that much for a movie, depending again on how big it is, Haley has had mostly minor bit parts. She's never been a really big star compared to others, like Harrison Ford or Judy Garland. She certainly made enough to support herself, even without our marriage where she got a nice settlement, but that's not always enough. We're both in demanding careers and I believe she was jealous that I make far more than she does."

"That makes sense as people can be jealous over stupid things. Cheating on you was a way to get you back," JJ said. It did make sense, but that didn't mean it wasn't selfish in the extreme. People could be selfish though for the stupidest of reasons.

"Something like that," Aaron agreed.

"She might also have believed that you were cheating on her. A lot of people that work at someplace like a movie studio have absolutely no ethics and don't mind going after the big guns, even if that's just to sleep with them to say they have and they often don't care if you are married. You could've told her that you didn't cheat, but that doesn't necessarily mean she would've believed you," JJ said.

"She might very well have believed that, as there are rumors floating around someplace like a movie studio all the time. I'm sure there are some about me having a relationship with various persons. The paparazzi just love to make up stories about who I've been seeing. Of course, they do that much more for the stars," Aaron said, shaking his head. "Personally, I think Haley just wanted a legit way out of our marriage, but that's just my opinion," Aaron said.

The two of them entered the late night dessert place for it was after 11 now.

"Ah, Mr. Hotchner. Where is Jack, Olivia and Trista?" Jamie asked.

"They're with their aunt tonight, Jamie," Aaron answered. "You remember to put aside some of those Pastelitos for them?"

"Of course, Mr. Hotchner. "We'll, get some with the cream cheese in next week and also the ones with pineapple. We'll set some aside for you," Jamie said.

"You better make that three dozen, they won't last very long around my kids," Aaron said. "If I can't pick them up I'll send my assistant."

"Of course, Mr. Hotchner," Jamie said.

"Both Jennifer and I will take two café de ollas, two zeppola, and a rosca de reyes. What kind of dessert do you want JJ?" Aaron asked his date.

"It all looks so good it's hard to decide, JJ said.

"Well, we'll just have to come back then," Aaron said smiling. "I come here every few weeks."

"Well, what about those," JJ said pointing. "They sure do look good."

"Ah, the silvanas, it's a desert from the Philippines. It's two cashew-meringue cookies with buttercream frosting on the inside. It's one of our best sellers," Jamie said.

"Sounds good to me," Aaron said. "If you could just bring that over to our table when it's ready."

"Of course, Mr. Hotchner," Jamie said.

Aaron led JJ over to his favorite table which was, right near the front window. You could see people coming and going even this late at night.

"This place is something else," JJ said. "I've never been somewhere that just sells desserts before."

"And also some of the best coffee around," Aaron winked at her sexily, causing JJ to blush and also have a rather hormonal reaction. "I ordered us the café de ollas. Trust me, you'll love it."

"I'll take your word for it," JJ said in a teasing tone.

"You'll see," Aaron said. "I sometimes prepare the café de olla at home if I'm in the mood and feeling adventurous, though the rest of the time it's just plain black coffee."

Jamie brought over their order just then and placed the items from the tray on the table. "Enjoy yourselves," Jamie said with a wink before she left.

"One bowl is cinnamon, the second is sweet cream and the other is piloncillo, a kind of Mexican brown sugar," Aaron explained.

JJ looked down at her mug, which was potbellied and made of earthenware. It was steaming and had a slightly spicy fragrance. She took a sip and hummed in pleasure.

"Add some of the cinnamon, the sweet cream and the sugar," Aaron suggested. "It's even better."

JJ did so and doctored her cup, took another sip. She hummed again in pleasure.

"This is really good, I had no idea they made coffee like this."

"You have to be willing to take a chance as you never know what you're going to like. The café de olla is originally from Mexico, but they serve a lot of different desserts from a lot of different countries here. It's one of my favorite places to bring the kids, as the paparazzi are not likely to follow me here because there isn't much of a scene."

"Well, they appear to stay open quite late," JJ said looking at the time. It was after midnight now.

"They close about two," Aaron said. "They serve a lot of people who work late, like those at the movie studio. This is Lost Angeles California, home of Hollywood after all. This is a very popular place for a lot of people who work in Hollywood. We're a lot like New York in that it should be called the city that never sleeps, there's just so much nightlife here that the city always seems busy.

"Yes, I know," JJ admitted. "That's usually not me, but a lot of people have night jobs, ones that last until dawn or at least 3 or 4 a.m."

"We'll have to do this again sometime," Aaron said.

"I would like that," JJ said trying not blush, for Aaron Hotchner was a very handsome man. She had always known that though and been rather infatuated from the first time she had seen him. She was sure that a lot of women shared her fantasy and wanted to at least date the handsome producer.

"I'm going to be a zombie tomorrow if I don't get home," JJ said. "I'm glad it's my day off, so I can sleep in."

"Yeah, I'll probably sleep in a little too," Aaron agreed. "The kids won't be home at least until 10 o'clock or so. Jessica knew it was going to be a late night tonight. She was actually happy I was dating again."

"Why wouldn't she be?" JJ asked puzzled. "I can see why she cares as she's your sister after all, so why wouldn't she be happy that you're dating?"

Aaron chuckled and JJ was again puzzled and a little insulted.

"Sorry," Aaron said once he had quit chuckling. "You just have it all wrong. Jessica isn't my sister she's Haley's. I was lucky that she came down on my side in the divorce."

"Oh," JJ said embarrassed. "I guess I just assumed."

"You had no way of knowing," Aaron promised putting his hand on top of hers.

"I'm glad that your ex-wife's sister came down on your side then," JJ said.

"So am I, Aaron agreed. "This stops from having to hire a babysitter, though I do have someone that watches them in between if Jessica gets involved in a project at work."

"So while your sister-in-law came down on your side..." JJ paused.

"Her parents did not," Aaron said. "They hate me, particularly the father, Roy."

"Well, I suppose you can't always like your in-laws," JJ sighed.

"No, you can't," Aaron agreed smiling. "They're still allowed to see their grandchildren so long as they don't try anything underhanded. Jessica takes them to visit their grandparents up in San Francisco several times a year."

"And Haley's father still hates you?" JJ asked amazed. "Doesn't he realize that you could deny him access to this grandchildren."

"You can't help people's feelings," Aaron shrugged. "So long as they keep their feelings to themselves, especially when my children visit, then it doesn't really matter. I won't have either one of them spew that bile around Jack, Oliva or Trista though. The minute they do Jessica knows to bring them straight home, even if that means they cut their visit short. Roy will either keep his feelings to himself or he won't be allowed to see them. He knows this, as Jessica has told him my feelings on the matter. They could try take me to court, but I would win that battle as I have far more money and influence. Also, there is no evidence that I abuse my kids, because I don't and Jessica could testify if necessary if they tried to take me to court for that kind of thing. I'm sure Jessica would be a witness for me, even if it would upset her parents. She knows how her parents are, as she's witnessed several of their rantings against me, though from what I understand that's mostly Roy. Of course, that's when the children are not there. Jessica has tried to talk to her parents and tell them that it wasn't my fault that Haley and I divorced, but Roy in particular still hates my guts."

The two finished their desserts feeding each other the entire time. They had shared all three desserts and it was very intimate and romantic, as there was hardly anyone in the place, so they were basically alone.

JJ fed Aaron the last piece of her silvana, which he took from her fork.

"That was really good," JJ said.

"Yes, it was," Aaron agreed. "It's time I take you back to the studio though, so you can pick up your car.

"It's going to be after two by the time I get home," JJ said. "I really enjoyed myself tonight though, so that makes up for lack of sleep."

"Those in the movies business should not be on any particular schedule, particularly the actors and directors, though I suppose that doesn't really count for you, since you probably get home at a decent hour."

"That's true most days, unless they really need my expertise," JJ agreed

The two rose and JJ took the arm Aaron offered her. They then strolled outside and to Aaron's car, which was over a block away.

"I could just take you home," Aaron suggested. "It would save you a few minutes."

"Then I wouldn't have any way to get to work tomorrow," JJ shook her head.

"I'll send a car for you," Aaron suggested.

"You don't have to do that. This was only the first date," JJ reminded him, even though she was flattered.

"Alright then, I'll take you directly to your car, so that at least saves you walking distance this late at night," Aaron agreed, giving in with good grace. "Muggers attack people in parking lots all the time, even the well lighted ones. I wouldn't want that to happen do you."

"Thanks, that's very nice of you," JJ agreed.

"I'm a nice guy," Aaron said in a joking tone and JJ laughed, even though it was true.

~~~Aaron and JJ~~~