'God, where is she?' Howie thought painfully as he eased his body beneath the soft layers of his bedding. It felt cold and uncomfortable, the loneliness of his situation eating at his soul as he felt the vast emptiness of his king sized bed. He had wanted Grace beside him underneath the covers as he watched the glowing embers begin to fade from the fireplace in his room. It had been a week since Kevin's abrupt demand of Grace's immediate removal from Howie's life. Only, Grace had quickly rebutted with hints of her past, sending Kevin home with a tail between his legs. But she wasn't liberated with the feeling. Instead, she had snapped sharply at Howie and left without another word. Brief periods during the night she would return, but barely for a few minutes before stalking off into the night. It pained Howie to see her so troubled, yet she acted as if he didn't exist. And, yet another night would pass that he would have to dream of her not laying in the bedroom beside his master bedroom. It worried him fiercely.
He sighed heavily, rubbing his tired face as he continued to watch his fireplace. Confronting someone like Grace about what she was going through wasn't an option, but he had to do something. He was becoming sick with worry for her safety. The house was empty without her free spirit roaming the house with the impish and innocent nature he adored. He just wanted her home.
Home... Howie had to give a sad smile at that thought. This truly had become her home as the weeks passed. Before Kevin, Grace had treated Howie as if he were her husband. It was a wonderful feeling to come home to find her waiting for him. It had caused his heart to soar tremendously with pleasure. He couldn't stand the thought of her not coming home. After all, this was her home... Their home...
Only, Howie's thoughts were disturbed with a soft knock on his slightly open doorway. He lurched up in his bed with surprise as the door gently eased open to reveal Grace. She was a vision of loveliness in the soft glow of the fireplace. Her honey curls glistened within the lighting, accenting the soft strawberry highlights that gave way to her Irish heritage. Her emerald eyes glowed with a soft appreciation and hopefulness as she waited patiently in the doorway. The white cast on her right arm was removed and she looked slightly refreshed and absolutely breathtaking in a simple pair of worn blue jeans and the first shirt Howie had selected for her with the elegant fairy dancing.
"Are you too tired to talk?" she questioned softly, fingering the soft petals of the single dark pink rose she had selected specifically before returning to the house.
"No, not at all. Come on in and sit down," Howie patted a free spot on his large bed, smiling with relief.
"You're not naked or anything are you?" Grace attempted to tease as she lingered in the doorway. There was a soft blush accentuating her cheeks, proving that she was slightly nervous about entering his bedroom. She knew that she had scared him frightfully over the past week, but more importantly were the emotions that she had to face when Howie was laying in his bed. She noticed the toned muscularity of his bare chest, causing her insides to heat with erotic thoughts. She attempted to brush those thoughts aside, though, knowing she had hurt him terribly.
"Nope, I got some pajama pants on," Howie chuckled, patting the spot again for her to sit down. "I was worried about you."
"Oh..." she trailed quietly, finally moving inside. She leaned back against the door to close it, then moved slowly toward his bed. She eased down on the corner of the bed, blushing furiously when Howie beckoned her closer. Sighing, she moved to sit beside him at the head of the bed, resting against the thick pillows Howie obviously loved to cuddle with at night. She was silent for the longest moment, trying to forget the burning sensation ripping down her spine. She was here for more important matters. Not silly fantasies. Swallowing, she offered Howie the single dark pink rose. "My mother grew roses when I was little. She told me each color had a different meaning... The dark pink is thankfulness... So, I had to pick one up for you..."
"Oh, well thank you," he took the rose from her and smelled the sweet scent. It reminded him of Grace. "It's very beautiful. But you don't have to thank me. I'm just doing this for you because I want to."
"I know... But they don't really have any 'I'm sorry' colored roses..."
"I'm the one that should be sorry. I tried to get Kevin to leave before he could--"
"You don't have to be sorry for what Kevin said. He had a right to be concerned about you. I have no doubt that Evan spoke very ill of me to him when he was at Devil's Playground. And, I don't doubt that Evan threatened to harm you if I didn't return some favors--"
"He can threaten all he wants; I'm not scared of him. He can't control anyone like that, even if he thinks he can."
"It doesn't matter," Grace sighed, not really wanting to break Howie's optimistic core. He wasn't submersed in the constant darkness that Evan provided. He couldn't even begin to understand the horror that Evan could cause if he didn't get his way. The mere image Evan prompted of finding Kitra and Howie's heads severed had scared Grace horribly. She swallowed the cold lump in her throat, glancing down at her hands. "I shouldn't have been so ugly toward you after he left. I'm sorry for hurting you. I should have treated you with more respect... After all you've done for Kitra and me..."
"You don't have to be sorry--"
"Please, Howie... it takes a lot for me to do this... just accept my apology?"
"But you don't--"
"Stranger, please?" Grace whispered, her voice strained with obvious pain.
"Okay... okay, I do accept your apology. I wish I could understand what you're going through, but I don't."
“It’s okay, no one does," she answered meekly, resting her head gingerly on his shoulder.
"You could tell me," he offered, rubbing her back with gentle circles.
"It wouldn't change anything," Grace answered with a somewhat polite refusal. The soft lull of his hand against her back caused her eyes to slowly droop from sheer exhaustion. She curled closer to his body, nestling her head against his chest for further comfort. She had never been held while she slept, at least not since her mother died.
"I'm here whenever you think otherwise, alright?" Howie whispered into her soft curls, bringing her into his embrace.
"Alright..." she agreed, smiling softly at the warmth of her cheek against his bare chest. If she had ever had the chance to grow properly with love, Grace would have been extremely affectionate. She loved to play innocently, especially while she danced. Running her fingers against her customers to elicit moans of pleasure. Only, with Howie, it seemed far more special than any cheap dance. She could hear the soft, steady rhythm of his heart and it soothed her. For once.
"I'm just glad you're safe at home," he spoke after a few moments of a comfortable silence as he held her close. His hand went from rubbing her back up to playing with her curls and then down her back again.
"I worried you?" she guessed, attempting not to physically wince at the true relief coursing through his voice. She attempted not to comment on the 'home' comment, not wanting to completely spoil the mood. In actuality, it wasn't her home. Just as Kevin, Kitra, and Evan had stated - this was just a fantasy. It was Howie's home and when she got back to her feet, she'd be gone.
"Of course... I didn't know where you were or if you were okay--"
"I'm sorry that you worried about me, but you didn't have to," Grace interrupted, concentrating on the slowly burning embers of Howie's personal fire. She loved to watch the flames dancing, but now the coals were just burning a brilliant variety of reds and oranges. She didn't understand why Howie had been so worried about her. Kitra had been gone for how long, yet he hadn't voiced any opinion about her.
"But I was--"
"You should have been worried about Kit."
"Why?"
"Why wouldn't you?"
"She's with AJ... there's nothing to worry about because he knows what could happen if Kit got in trouble. She's fine," Howie replied, looking at the fire as well. "I didn't know where you were, but I knew where Kit was."
"Yeah..." Grace trailed, unbelieving of his explanation. If anything, he should have been more worried about Kitra because of the fact that she was with AJ and they both loved getting into trouble. That thought just caused her to remember the horrible fight she had gotten into with Kitra before leaving for Devil's Playground. It just didn't seem fair that Kitra was causing all this drama, because she wasn't just hurting herself, she was hurting Grace, too.
"What's on your mind, Race?"
"Nothing..."
"You sure?"
"Yeah," she promised, though she couldn't even begin to count the various ideas rebounding across her already aching brain. Evan's threats seemed to mix with Kevin's hatred, adding to the pressure of trying to keep Kitra safe. Not to mention the recurring nightmares of her jaded past that had surfaced sharper than before after Kevin's accusations. But, most importantly, were all the emotions bubbling over for Howie. She had ached to speak to Kitra about what she was feeling, because she had yet to identify any of the emotions. And the kisses they had shared last week were unbelievable. It just seemed to cause further confusion, though, especially since Howie wouldn't define anything anyway.
"So... what do you want to do?" he asked, pressing a few kisses to her temple and forehead. The fire had finally died and they were sitting in the soft glow of the moonlight through the bay window.
"I think I should let you get to bed..." she suggested after several moments of silence had lapsed. She suddenly felt guilty as she pulled away from his embrace, knowing she had violated about every portion of his personal space. She was practically on top of him, curled into his arms, hogging the bed. It was selfish.
"Why don't you stay with me tonight? We're already under the covers and everything," he suggested, trying not to frown at her pulling away.
"Excuse me?" she actually laughed.
"Stay here with me."
"In this bed? Together?"
"Yeah--"
"Together? You and me?" she repeated with bafflement.
"That's usually the definition of together..." he trailed off, raising an eyebrow.
"And what exactly do you plan on doing together in bed with me?" she questioned, hopping off the end of the bed. Only, she didn't stray too far, just to Howie's expensive dresser. She opened it to find her favorite old t-shirt of his that he loved to wear around the house on 'lazy days.' Smiling, she tossed it on the top and started to disrobe. She didn't consider it much of a problem as she removed her jeans to reveal her favorite Tinkerbell bikini underwear nor removing her top garments to darn Howie's.
"Sleeping?" he replied, trying not to let his jaw drop at the natural beauty of her body. He could see the faint scar along her ribcage once again, but knew better than to question it. Her soft skin glowed along with her golden ringlets, making the perfect image of an angel.
"Then why even insist that I stay here with you if all you plan on doing with me is sleeping?" Grace boldly asked, slipping Howie's shirt over her delicate body. It fell to accentuate her sweet curves, ending at the high part of her thigh. She then moved back toward the bed, actually taking the initiative to straddle Howie's lap as she waited for an answer, playing with his dark curls.
"Because I thought tomorrow night we could do something after I take you out to dinner," Howie replied, swallowing hard as he looked deep into her eyes. His heart pounded harder and he prayed she couldn't hear it.
"You do realize that you completely avoided my question about tonight by offering me the world for tomorrow night, right?" she groaned with a light roll of her dark emerald eyes.
"Is that a yes?" he smirked.
"I'd rather go back to my original question..."
"I would want that to be a mutual want... not just because you want to repay me or anything."
Grace studied his face for a few moments with an adorable confusion. "I just wanted to know why you wanted me to sleep next to you tonight..."
"Oh, you're something else," Howie laughed, his cheeks flushing a dark red. "I just wanted you laying with me tonight."
"Why, though?" she questioned like an innocent child, falling onto the free side of his large bed.
"Because I don't want to be lonely... and I know you'll give me sweet dreams," he replied honestly.
"Stranger," she sighed as if she wanted to groan, but a lovely smile graced her beautiful face.
"Just telling you the truth."
"Yeah, yeah... come on, if I'm going to give you sweet dreams then we've got to get to sleep."
"What about dinner tomorrow?"
"What about it?" she questioned, slipping underneath the covers that Howie had lifted for her. Instantly she was greeted by silk sheets, causing her to smile with appreciation at the cool softness it provided.
"Would you like to?"
"I would, but I can't."
"Oh..."
"Howie, no, it's not like that," Grace laughed softly, turning on her side to face him. "I promised the bartender at Devil's, Georgie, that I would baby-sit his kids tomorrow."
"Baby-sit?"
"Yeah," Grace confirmed. "He has four adorable little girls that drive him absolutely nuts. He's done so much for me since I've worked at Devil's... I offered my services so his wife wouldn't kill him and they immediately requested a tomorrow night gig. Otherwise, I would have loved to go to dinner with you, since I kind of owe you a date for the door or whatever, right?"
"You don't owe--"
"Or you could baby-sit with me. I don't think Georgie would mind and the girls would love you."
"What?"
Grace furled her light brows with confusion at his question, suddenly feeling insecure about herself. "You wanted to go on a date with me, right?"
"Of course--"
"Well, I'm making a pre-date with you. Unless you don't want to--"
"No!"
"No?"
"I mean, no I do want to. I would love to come and baby-sit with you tomorrow night."
"Are you sure?"
"More than anything."
"Good. You're going to need you rest, though. The girls will run you ragged," Grace kissed his cheek and immediately cuddled against his chest.
"Oh, really?" he laughed in surprise, welcoming how perfectly her body seemed to fit within his. Carefully, after pulling the covers higher over their bodies, Howie wrapped his arms around Grace's delicate body. The warmth invading him was beyond the greatest pleasure he had felt in this lifetime and he silently thanked God for urging her to cuddle with him.
"Yeah, and when they actually drop dead from exhaustion, I'll take you to a fancy dinner. Cold Domino's pizza on Georgie's porch with a baby monitor tucked at our side," Grace answered with an sleepy, impish grin.
"Sounds like the perfect pre-date," he smiled, kissing the top of her head as her eyes drooped close. "Goodnight, Race."
"Sweet dreams, Stranger..."
"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong or do I have to be disgusted with the fact that my awesome fuck job didn't put a smile on your face?" AJ questioned openly as he leaned over to nuzzle Kitra's bare neck before lighting a cigarette. Kitra had spent the last the last few days with him, only, the light in her eyes had been different. She seemed dampened, despite the amazing days and nights they had spent together. AJ had even spent several hundred dollars on her celebrate, perhaps cheer her up. It actually hurt his heart to see her so troubled, which was different for him.
"I'm sorry, Alex. Too much has been on my mind lately and that isn't fair to you," Kitra sighed, taking a cigarette out of her own pack and lighting up as well. She blew out a long stream of gray smoke, turning on her side to face him.
"What's wrong?" he asked sincerely, wrapping his free arm around her waist to pull her closer. Gently running his fingers through her flaxen blonde locks.
"Racie and I got into a big fight the last time I went back to Howie's... she wasn't happy to see that I started using again... and I said a lot of things that I shouldn't have," Kitra bit on her bottom lip, taking a long drag of her burning cigarette before placing her head on his bare chest.
"You really care for that brat, don't you?" AJ murmured, reaching for the ashtray to settle it beside him so they could flick their burning ashes into its pit. He didn't understand how Grace and Kitra had become friends anyway. They were so different. Grace was unable to seek adventure unless she was on a stage stripping off her clothing and living in a fantasy world with Howie. And Kitra was willing to risk it all with him, knowing exactly what living life had meant.
"Alex, if it wasn't for her... I would have been one of those prostitutes found dead in a garbage bin a long time ago. I love her like a sister and she means the world to me," Kitra confessed, ashing her cigarette before taking another drag.
"She's only holding you back, Kit. She's living in some ridiculous fantasy world with Howie and it's only going to bite her in the ass."
"I could ask you the same thing about Brian, Howie, Kevin and Nick. They only try to hold you back, so why are you still with them?" Kitra fired back.
"Because I make a hell'uva'lotta money with them."
"Well I stay with Racie because she's the only person in this damn town who gave two shits about me."
"She doesn't know how to live life and what does it matter to her if you enjoy a few good lines now and then?"
"I had a bad batch from Evan about a year ago... I almost died. Since then I promised her I would stop."
"My stuff is always clean."
"She just worries, Alex."
"I'm not going to let you get hurt, Kit."
"Yeah?" she looked up at him with her dark blue-gray eyes.
"Yeah," he confirmed, smashing his short cigarette into the ashtray. Shifting, he gently ran his thumb against her soft cheek which had just healed from Evan's assault. He honestly did care about Kitra. She was the first woman he had been with that actually listened to him. She enjoyed his company and he enjoyed spoiling her. She gave him satisfaction he had never felt before. "I care about you, Kit. It's not just the sex, alright? Though it fucking rocks."
"It is the best I've ever had," she confessed, feeling her cheeks blushing softly. Affection wasn't something she had grown up with and to have someone of the opposite sex say that he cared about her was new. "You really care about me?"
"Yeah, you're the second best woman in my life."
"No one goes before your mom..."
"Not in a million years."
"You're lucky to have her."
"Extremely."
"I can't even remember the last time I saw my mom."
"Why?"
"My step-dad made it Hell for me at home when I was growing up. He put me down, calling me names and sometimes hitting me. My mom didn't dare do anything, because he would hurt her if she did... so she pretended that everything was fucking peachy in our lives. I couldn't take it so when I was sixteen, I ran away and lived on the streets while still going to school," Kitra explained softly, taking one last hit off her cigarette before putting it out.
"Damn... I'm sorry, Kitra," AJ whistled softly with true awe, just staring down at the broken woman cuddled so perfectly to his chest. Gently, he rubbed her back like his mother used to do when he had a nightmare. It always seemed to soothe him. "Life was never meant to be fair, I guess..."
"No, it's not. Good thing I figured that out nice and early," Kitra sighed, her fingers playing along the slight six-pack that AJ had been working towards lately to get his mind off things. "At least I know who I really am thanks to him."
"You're a strong broad, Kit."
"Strong, stupid, useless, slutty... yeah, I guess."
"I never said that--"
"I know you didn't. That's who I am."
"No, it's not."
"Yes--"
"Kitra, no," AJ insisted, cupping her face. He brought her to straddle his lap, ensuring that she was watching his dark eyes. "You're not some piece of meat, okay? You're a woman with feelings, hopes, dreams, aspirations, and... Holy shit..."
"Holy shit?" Kitra asked softly, her long hair flowing down over her shoulder.
"Howie was right..." AJ murmured, releasing her face to rub his temples. Every other woman AJ had used had been for sex. It was just a simple act that caused AJ's body to release tension and wash over with pleasure. But Kitra was different. She gave him something else and AJ couldn't believe that Howie had actually been right. That these two women were more than just a cheap lay.
"Right about what? Alex, what's wrong?" Kitra leaned down and began rubbing his temples and forehead for him. "You can tell me."
"I think I need a drink..."
"No, you're not going to get wasted just so you don't have to talk to me," Kitra kept him pinned down to the bed with determination. "C'mon, Alex."
"I didn't want to take you girls to the hospital from the alleyway when we found you. I just thought you were cheap hookers who got what they deserved, alright?" AJ barked softly as he grasped Kitra by her upper arms, lifting her from his body. He tossed her toward the opposite side of the bed, reaching to pull on his boxers. "Howie bitched me out because I was selfish... And I was selfish... I didn't want to help you because you were just some whore on the street. A woman that any other day I would have just fucked and kicked out of my bed before daylight hit... But it's different now, okay?"
"You... you were going to leave us to die?" Kitra whispered, watching AJ stand up and pull out a bottle of tequila from his drawer.
"I didn't know you like I do now--"
"What does that matter?"
"I'm an asshole, okay?" AJ spoke frankly, leaning on his dresser as he took a long swallow from the small glass bottle. He made a face as the strong liquid burned his throat, but cleared the burn with another chug. "And I'm sorry."
"Alex..." Kitra sighed heavily, standing up from the bed and walking over to him. She took the bottle out of his hands and placed it on top of the dresser. "You're not an asshole."
"Could have fooled me--"
"Stop. You're not an asshole. If you were, would you care about me like you do?"
"You're special to me," he admitted, grasping her bare hips to pull her closer into his stance.
"You're special to me, too. And you're not an asshole," she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I'm sorry," he whispered into her fair locks and, for once, he meant it.
Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on / Livin' like a lover with a radar phone / Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp / Demolition woman, can I be your man? / Razzle 'n' a dazzle 'n' a flash a little light / Television lover, baby, go all night / Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet / Little miss ah innocent sugar me, yeah
Grace grinned as she allowed her body to move to the saucy beats of the old hit song, unable to deny herself the pleasure. Howie was getting ready for dance rehearsal and Grace had an ache to cook. Knowing all the goodies Howie kept stored away in his kitchen, Grace had gathered the ingredients to make chocolate peanut butter chip cookies. They were her favorites, Kitra's favorite, too. And, whenever Grace was working, she needed music to entertain her. As much as she hated taking off her clothing, she still missed expressing her creativity on the stage of Devil's Playground. Dancing had been her life and music had been her escape from the hardships. She loved to express herself within her body's movement and the soulful melody of her voice. Dipping with the slow roll of her hips, she licked the spoon of chocolate before singing. "Pour some sugar on me / Ooh, in the name of love / Pour some sugar on me / C'mon fire me up / Pour your sugar on me / Oh, I can't get enough / I'm hot, sticky, sweet / From my head to my feet, yeah!"
Kitra walked into the house, for once cleaned up and sober as she heard AJ peel out of the driveway in order to make it to rehearsal himself. She had missed Grace and needed to make amends with her best friend. The sounds of Def Leppard echoed throughout the large house along with Grace's beautiful voice. She smiled and made her way towards the kitchen to watch. She loved it when Grace danced, it was like an Angel dancing in Heaven with the voice to match.
Grace was oblivious to the fact that she had an audience, too caught within her personal world of music to care. She used the kitchen like she used a stage, working her hips to the sultry beats as she bent down to pick up the towel that had fallen. She then worked with that like a harem dancer, her footwork fantastically clean and sharp. "You got the peaches, I got the cream / Sweet to taste, saccharine / 'Cos I'm hot, say what, sticky sweet / From my head, my head, to my feet / Do you take sugar? one lump or two?"
"Two," Kitra finally spoke as Grace began dancing to the guitar solo.
Grace glanced up from her beautiful world of dancing in obvious surprise, dropping the towel back to the floor. Her emerald eyes softened for a moment when she noticed the familiarity of Kitra's clear blue-gray eyes, but they immediately hardened into an emerald stone when she realized what had happened the last time Kitra disappeared. Grace's posture stiffened with hurt as she leaned to turn off the CD player, moving to stir the mixture again before dabbing cookies onto the greased sheet. "Come back to grab some more clothing before you leave again?"
"No, I came to apologize." Kitra wasn't surprised by Grace's greeting, knowing she had crossed the line with their last argument. "Racie, I said things I shouldn't have and you don't have to accept my--"
"Stranger! you're going to be seriously late again! It's dance rehearsal, so I doubt you have to be too concerned about apparel unless some cute dancer caught your eye!" Grace interrupted with a holler, licking her chocolate covered finger as she walked toward doorway connecting the kitchen and living room. She was honestly tired of Kitra's excuses and really wasn't in the mood to hear them.
"Racie! Damnit, wait a minute!" Kitra followed Grace and grabbed her arm. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm really sorry and there's nothing else I can say."
"Get off my arm," Grace warned, holding the messy chocolate spoon toward Kitra's face as if she might smack her with it.
"What else do you want me to do? I can't turn back time, you know! I can't wave my wand and make all the bad words between us disappear!" Kitra continued, still holding onto Grace's arm.
"It's not my fault that I live in a fantasy world where I hope for magic wands and princes on white horses," Grace sneered, ripping her arm away as she jogged toward the stairs. "Stranger!"
"GRACE! I lost my family, I don't want to lose you, too!" Kitra nearly screamed.
Grace planned to yell for Howie again, but Kitra's shrill screech caused her to stop. She shifted her eyes back to Kitra, just staring in disbelief. She was caving quickly and hated it. "It's not my fault that you fucked up again, Kitra. Don't you dare make me feel guilty for being mad."
"You won't even hear me out, I've been trying to apologize!"
"What makes this I'm sorry so different, Kit? I'm sorry for using all our money to buy drugs. I'm sorry that I'm asking you to help me work the corner. I'm sorry that Evan is after you because I can't pay. I'm sorry I used again. I'm sorry I OD'ed. I'm sorry I hurt you. When does it stop, Kit?"
"It stops now. I'm not going to hurt you again, because when I hurt you, I hurt myself. It's not fair to either of us, alright? You've been there for me when no one else has and I've been an asshole, taking advantage of it. God, you're my best friend and my sister. I love you and I'm sorry," Kitra whispered, looking down at her hands. She was truly sorry from the depths of her heart.
"You're damn right you've been an asshole... Probably a hairy nut-sack on top of an asshole..."
"I'm anything you want to call me, Racie. I deserve it."
"You deserve it, but I'm not going to drop to that level."
"I really am sorry."
"...Fine..."
"Yeah?"
"I don't know why, but... yeah."
"Here, let me make it up to you. We'll go out tomorrow night for dinner and dancing," Kitra offered, looking back up at Grace.
"Excuse me?" Grace questioned in confusion, wiping some of the chocolate from the back of her spoon to taste.
"Dinner and dancing tomorrow. You, me, Howie and Alex. I know how much you love dancing, Racie. It's my treat."
"I can't tomorrow."
"Why?"
"I'm babysitting for Georgie."
"Oh. Damn... what about the next night?"
"I guess that's fine, but Howie's not going to want to go--"
"Not wanting to go where?" Howie asked as he descended the stairs.
"Now you answer me? What the Hell happened to your voice fifteen minutes ago?" Grace groaned, glancing up to see Howie dressed in a fresh white tank top and baggy track pants. Grace admitted he looked overly handsome in the simplistic outfit, the fine definition of his gorgeous body outlined by the clothing. But she brushed those thoughts away, remembering what Kitra was asking. Not that she would ever turn down dancing, but she wasn't sure she wanted to go dancing with AJ... Because Nick was bound to follow... And then Kitra would start drinking...
"It was in the bathroom? What's going on?" Howie questioned in confusion, glancing at Kitra and then back at Grace.
"Alex and I wanted you two to come out dancing with us in two nights. We're taking the VIP lounge upstairs and having dinner. It's going to be really fantastic. Nick and Brian said they might end up coming, too. But Racie seems to think that you won't want to come..." Kitra trailed, glancing to Howie for confirmation.
"You're going to be really late, Howie," Grace interjected, attempting to sway the conversation elsewhere. "You should get going."
"Wouldn't you want go dancing with Grace?" Kitra immediately fired back, refusing to let this argument be passed away. She wanted to treat Grace to a beautiful night out. And, the only time Grace really seemed to be truly happy was when she was dancing.
"Well yeah, but--"
"Kit, he's going to be late."
"Grace, just stop," Kitra groaned, cupping a hand over her friend's mouth. She glanced back toward Howie with her blue-gray eyes glistening. "Howie, can we count on you to come with us? It'll be a good start for a first date with you two."
"I would love to go if Grace does... but can we count Nick out? Brian can bring Leighanne, but... I can see myself flipping out on Nick."
"Why?"
"Because of how he acts around Grace."
"Oh..." Kitra clicked her tongue with remembrance as she glanced to Grace. "Nick doesn't have to come. Okay, Racie?"
"Whatever you want to do, I guess," Grace sighed.
"Don't you want to go dancing?"
"Well, yeah, of course--"
"Then be more excited about it, because we'll have tons of fun!"
"Okay," Grace groaned, unable to hold a laugh as Kitra excitedly kissed her cheek and bounced into the kitchen for some chocolate goodies. Grace gently rolled her eyes as she glanced toward Howie. "You really want to go dancing?"
"Yeah, I really want to go dancing. Especially with you," Howie brought her close to him for a gentle but deep kiss. "Leave me some cookies to snack on when I get back from rehearsal?"
"After burning all those calories you're going to stuff your face with overly fattening cookies?" she teased, holding up her index finger coated in chocolate.
"Only because you made them," he answered, leaning down to slowly lick the chocolate off her finger.
"Oh God," Grace actually wheezed as his tongue curled around her finger, sucking gently. Her entire body warmed within the spark of sensation, sending signals of ecstasy toward parts of her that she thought died long ago.
"Mmm... I'll see you in a couple of hours," he kissed her again before walking down the rest of the stairs and out the door.
"I definitely need to get a vibrator," Grace whispered as she collapsed onto the steps with a shiver of delight when he left.
"Ooh, what was that about?" Kitra poked her head out of the kitchen, her mouth full of cookie.
"What was what?" Grace questioned, playing dumb as she wrapped her arms around herself. She had never felt so sexually stirred before in her life. After all the abuse, Grace had been completely turned away from sex. But lying with Howie in bed the previous night and him sucking on her finger did wild things with her imagination and heart.
"The blonde act doesn't work on me. I saw what Howie did to your finger and may I just say one word? Da-mn!"
"Shut up, Kit," Grace grimaced, covering her blushing face with her hand.
"Racie and Howie, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby--"
"THAT'S IT!" Grace growled, jumping up from the steps. Without warning, she tackled her older friend to the floor. She prepared to tickle her sides, but remembered she had the chocolate mess on her spoon still. She grinned wickedly. "I want to finger paint the Kitty!"
