The phone suddenly rang, pulling Kennedy away from her heated thoughts. “Excuse me.” Normally she didn’t answer calls when she had company, but she was expecting to hear from her best girlfriend, Martina Sellers.
“Hey, Marty, what’s up?”
“Everything is cool. A few of us are going out tonight to this new club called Caliente. Knowing how much you like the Latin scene, I thought I’d call to see if you wanted to join Mitchel and me. Bianca is also stopping by for a bit.”
“Sounds like fun. What time and where is the club?”
“Around eight-thirty or so, at Redondo Beach. You know nothing really pops off before eight or nine. Get a pen and I’ll give you the address.”
Using one of the pens and pads she kept next to the phone, Kennedy told Martina she was ready to copy. The beach cities pretty much ran one right after the other. Redondo was on the other side of Manhattan Beach, but it didn’t take long to get there. “Okay, Martina, I’ll see you guys later. I’ve got something interesting to tell you.”
“Any hints?”
“Not right now. Talk to you when I see you.”
Kennedy wasted no time in filling Xavier in on her conversation with Martina, telling him about the new Latin club and how much she loved the music. “Are you busy this evening? I’d love for you to come meet my friends.” She cringed, thinking she may’ve been a tad too forward. Well, I couldn’t possibly know if I didn’t ask him.
“I’m all yours, but I’d better get going. I have a couple of things I should take care of if I’ll be hanging out with you and your friends the entire evening.” He got to his feet. The desire to kiss her hit him full force again. Instead of giving in to his craving, he took her by the hand. “Walk me out?”
Loving the feel of her hand in his, Kennedy smiled softly. “No problem.”
At the front door, Xavier found the nerve to brush his lips against hers. The minor contact shot through him like a major lightning bolt, heating up every part of his body. This was ridiculous, he thought. How was it possible to feel so much from so little?
Kennedy was happy Xavier had kissed her, but she was a bit disappointed he hadn’t deepened the contact. Still, hope arose in her, causing her heart to float.
“What time should I pick you up?”
“Eight o’clock is good. I promise not to keep you out too late. However, if you prefer, I can always meet you there. Whatever works best for you.”
Xavier scowled. “Nonsense! I prefer picking you up. Okay with you?”
“Just fine. See you around eight.”
Xavier opened the door and stepped outside. Before Kennedy could close the door behind him, he was back inside, gently pulling her into his arms. This time he kissed her the way he’d dreamed of since the first day he’d met her. He kissed her thoroughly, making her moan with sheer pleasure. The intimate contact felt explosive.
Xavier didn’t give Kennedy a chance to respond to his spontaneous affection nor stay in range long enough for her to slap his face. He was out the door in a flash, leaving her bewildered and utterly bewitched. As she stared after him, he blew her a kiss.
Sighing deeply, running her fingers across her lips, she wished she could preserve his kiss forever. Maybe she wouldn’t have to. Perhaps he wanted more of the same, as she did. She couldn’t wait to feel his mouth on hers again.
Xavier hung up the phone after listening to his messages. He could hardly believe the content of the long running commentary his agent had left for him. He had just been offered a guest appearance spot on one of the most popular soap operas on television, Love, Laughter & Life. This news was great but totally unexpected.
He’d auditioned a while ago and had been told by Kirsten that the studio planned to use several other professional models for judges in a modeling segment. With that in mind, he thought Kennedy just might be called upon. That’d really be nice, since he definitely wanted to work with her again.
This particular segment of L,L&L was featuring a story line about a modeling contest. The producer had thought Xavier would make an excellent celebrity judge. Besides being very easy on the eyes and having a beautiful body, Xavier’s warm personality and his popularity among both the older and younger generations had earned him the producer’s nod.
He couldn’t wait to share his news with Kennedy. The thought of phoning her crossed his mind, but he decided to wait until he picked her up later on. Her facial expression was what he wanted to see most, sure that she’d be overly thrilled for him.
After Xavier washed his hands at the bathroom sink, he went out to the kitchen to get something cold to drink.
Soda in hand, his strides long and deliberate, he made his way into his office, where he pulled from his pocket the paper with the possible vacation dates. After grabbing his calendar, he sat in the leather swivel chair at the desk to compare their schedules. It didn’t take him long to find that his agenda was even tighter than hers. Nothing in June worked. July showed that he had the same time frame as she had open at the end of the month. He circled the dates, though he hated that they were so far away.
Still, there’d be plenty for them to do before then. Southern California was a hotbed of all sorts of activities. If nothing else, they could swim and then laze around his pool or the beach. A vacation away wouldn’t necessarily bring them closer. If that’s what they wanted, they could make it happen by continuing to spend quality time together.
As Xavier thought about their evening, he wondered if Kennedy would mind if he invited Janine and Jonathan along. Janine also had a huge thing for Latin music. But if he wanted to be alone with Kennedy, why was he inviting others to come along?
Well, for one thing, he could hardly consider a club setting as alone. Her friends would be there, too. Maybe they were the same people they were going to cook for next week. If that was the case, breaking the ice before then would be a good thing. Without giving it any more thought, he picked up the phone and dialed his friends.
Out of respect and habit, Xavier stood until Kennedy was seated on the sofa. Now was as good a time as any to share his thrilling news with her. He then thought about waiting until they were at the club, but he quickly dismissed the idea. He wanted it to be a private moment. The timing was perfect right now.
Smiling from ear to ear, Xavier took hold of Kennedy’s hand. “I got some great news earlier.” He then spilled the beans, giving her all the details his agent had left on his answering machine. He still hadn’t talked to Kirsten.
Several seconds passed by and Xavier began to get nervous. Kennedy hadn’t said a word and he couldn’t read her thoughts because her expression was blank. He opened his mouth to ask her why she was mum, but he thought better of it. While he didn’t quite know what to make of the uncomfortable silence, Xavier didn’t want to speculate, either. God forbid he should come to all the wrong conclusions.
All of a sudden, Kennedy laughed and threw her willowy arms around Xavier’s neck, nearly toppling him off the sofa. “Congrats,” she cried out. “How exciting for you! Oh my gosh, you could end up becoming a soap star. You are going to be on L,L&L. That is so cool,” she gushed. “Think I can visit the set?”
Xavier laughed at how all of Kennedy’s words were tumbling out in rapid succession. “Come up for air, sweetie. Breathe,” he joked. “It’s okay to inhale and exhale.” His laughter continued to ring out, loud and lusty.
Beyond excited for Xavier, Kennedy fell out laughing, too, hugging his neck all the while. “You are the man!”
Her reaction made him feel like he’d just been crowned prom king. The expressions