Five:

Five:

 

After no sleep, a full day of shopping for clothes she couldn’t afford, a manicure she didn’t think she could ever get used to, and three new pairs of shoes to match the outfits, Sarah was nearly ready.  She should have been exhausted, but the adrenaline rush kept her going.  She heard a knock at the door as she put the final touches on her hair and make-up.  She wanted to run to  the door but forced herself to walk.  When she reached it, she was suddenly overcome by nerves.  What if she was overdressed?  What if it wasn’t him?  What if . . . She shook her head and opened the door.  Seeing JC standing before her, she froze.  He looked absolutely . . . tasty.  Yes, tasty was definitely the word.  She could think of nothing she wanted to do more at that moment than taste him.  Unconsciously licking her lips, she studied him.  The khaki pants hung perfectly on his frame.  The dark blue silk shirt made his eyes stand out.  The black leather jacket set off the highlights in his hair.  The thought crossed her mind that he almost looked like he had raided someone else’s closet; after all, JC’s recent clothing choices had been wild fashion nightmares.  Sarah found it very encouraging that he wasn’t wearing anything with rips, tears, or fringe.

 

JC stared at Sarah.  She had decided on a simple black dress which hung just above her knees.  The neckline was modest, though he couldn’t decide if he was relieved or disappointed at that.  Her hair fell softly around her face and her eyes seemed to be shining at him.  He thought his knees would buckle when she looked him up and down then licked her lips.  The bodyguard leaning against the wall behind him poked him in the ribs and JC snapped out of his trance, holding out the single, long-stemmed pink rose to her.  She seemed to come back to earth at the moment as well, politely stepping aside and asking the two men in.  They stayed only about five minutes, long enough for Sarah to change her shoes (she knew those heels would be too high) and grab her purse.

 

They rode in a white SUV with darkly tinted windows.  The bodyguard drove and JC sat in the back with Sarah, in their own private universe.  Watching them in the rear-view mirror, the large man smiled to himself, thinking this was going to be a very good thing for JC.  It had been a long time since the boy had been so smitten with anyone, and even longer since the object of JC’s affection had been worthy of him.

 

Sarah sighed in happiness as she leaned against JC.  She hadn’t even thought to ask where they were going, but she honestly didn’t care as long as he was there.  In what seemed like no time at all, they had stopped and were ushered out of the vehicle and into a building.  Looking around for the first time, Sarah realized it was the hotel.  She followed them into the elevator and then down a long hallway and up a flight of stairs.  The door at the top of the stairs opened onto the roof.  JC covered Sarah’s eyes as he led her through it.  When he removed his hands she gasped in surprise and delight.  There in the middle of the roof was a small table for two, complete with music (provided by a small CD player) and candlelight.  Two men in hotel room service uniforms stood by the table.  They waited until the couple were seated (JC holding Sarah’s chair), served them, then disappeared with the bodyguard.

 

“So, what do you think?” JC asked quietly, afraid of breaking this wonderful spell they were under.

 

“Oh Josh!  It’s beautiful.  No one has ever done anything so sweet for me.”

 

“Then you’ve been hanging out with the wrong people, Sarah.  You deserve so much more than this.”  He waited a moment, just enjoying the sight of her before continuing.  “Come on, let’s eat.  This is just the beginning.”  She nodded and picked up her fork.  The food was wonderful, but she couldn’t tell that.  She was so wrapped up in JC that she honestly wasn’t sure she could remember her own name.

 

After they ate, JC stood and walked around the small table, holding out a hand to her.  “May I have this dance?”

 

“Of course,” she answered with a smile.  She wasn’t sure how long they danced, or what songs they danced to.  It was strange.  She had always believed that every tiny detail of a moment like this would be forever ingrained in her memory.  How wrong she had been.  The only things Sarah was aware of were the smell of JC’s cologne and his own personal scent, his arms around her, and the steady rhythm of his breathing. Eventually they stopped dancing and just stood there, holding each other.

 

 “I was going to take you out,” he whispered, “Show you off.  But I don’t want to share you right now.”  He punctuated his words with a kiss on the top of her head.  Sarah sighed in happiness.  She couldn’t imagine anything better than this.

 

“Come on, we can’t just stay up here all night,” he eventually said.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“I have no idea,” he said with a dramatic shrug.

 

“Oh, okay,” Sarah said.  She didn’t care where they went.  She would follow him anywhere . . . especially with the view following him provided.

 

 

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