67:Privilege

“You’re what?  Surely to God you’re not dating the Charlie I know?  The one who’s painting a mural for you?  My divorce lawyer?”

Smothering a sigh big enough to disrupt the atmospheric pressure in all of New York City, Jon crammed his hands into his pockets.  Dropping the boys off was supposed to mean leaving the counselor in the car for no more than three minutes.  Up in the elevator, see them in the door, wave at Dorothea in passing and get the fuck out.

Lilah’s fucking Fate, or whatever powers that were ruling this night, had different ideas that possessed Jake to cross his mother’s doorstep before asking where Charlie lived and when they’d be seeing her dog again since she and Jon were dating now.

While Jon expected his brothers and their wives to pick up on the nuances of hand holding and familiarity between him and the counselor this evening, he hadn’t anticipated that his clueless sons would piece it together.  They barely acknowledged Chiara’s presence tonight in Jersey.  How was he to guess that they were connecting relationship dots while they kicked each other in the head on the trampoline?

After Jon told Jake he wasn’t sure the next time they’d see Nana, the boys had taken off for their rooms and left him to deal with their accusatory mother, who was still waiting for an answer to her questions.

“How the fuck do you know she's painting a mural for me?" he accused just as adamantly.

"Because she was at Matt's house last week looking at pictures when I stopped by."

Funny how he hadn't heard about that, but then again, why would he?  Jon was fairly certain the counselor hadn't advertised their sex life to Dorothea.  Scratch that.  Based on his ex-wife's reaction just now, he knew for damn sure that his sex life hadn't been advertised, so there was probably nothing there worth mentioning.  He might ask later, just in case, though.

"Yes, it's that Charlie, and I don’t need you to tell me exactly how fucked up it is.  I’ve got a pretty damn good idea without your help.”

“I knew she wasn’t acting quite herself the other evening.  I guess that explains why."
Rolling her eyes heavenward, Dot’s mouth fell open in something that vaguely resembled a smile and uttering something that vaguely resembled a laugh.  "Unbelievable.  There aren’t enough women in the world who would drop and suck your dick on the street corner if given the chance?  You have to go chase after my friend and the divorce lawyer you cussed on a daily basis?  I can only image this is some challenge to knock her off the pedestal you think she’s on.  That’s beneath you, Jon, and she doesn’t deserve it.”

“Goddammit!”  He shoved a hand through his hair in frustration before holding his head high and jamming hands onto hips.  “I just said I know how fucked up it is!  I sure as hell didn’t plan to do it as some elaborate means of revenge.  Jesus!  Her boys met Jess on the beach and… it just happened.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it ‘just happened’,” she snorted derisively before her eyes went thoughtful and lines of concentration creased her forehead.  “But why did I think she was married?”

There wasn’t a fucking chance of him going down that rabbit hole. 

“I have no idea, but I’m not talking to you about this anymore.  She’s waiting in the car so I’ve got to go.  I’ll get the boys again this weekend since I’m leaving for a short tour next week.”

“They might have plans already,” she warned, blissfully distracted from the counselor and her marital status.  “My family is getting together for Labor Day.”

He had Vivi’s birthday party that day, so the schedule worked out well for him.  “Fine.  I can pick them up Friday and have them back on Sunday.  Think about it and let me know if there’s a conflict.”

Before she had a chance to say anything else, he waved a hand and escaped into the elevator.  The doors closed behind him and his head dropped back long enough for a silent swear before Jon took a deep breath and shook it off. 

That could’ve gone so much worse, and it might still go that way once she had a chance to dwell on it and realize why she thought the counselor was married.  Not that it was any of her damn business.  She didn’t have any jurisdiction over his dating life, but she also withheld her opinion about as often as Lilah did.

Never. 

Neither of them was his primary concern – or secondary for that matter.  Since Matt had planted the earlier seed of doubt about the counselor not being entirely truthful, his main focus for the remainder of tonight was discovering that truth.  If he didn’t like the way the answers played out – or played him – Dot and Lilah’s opinions of his relationship would be irrelevant, because there would no longer be a relationship. 

It wasn’t what he wished for because – exercising a moment of brutal honesty with himself – Jon would admit this woman had found the soft part in his callused heart.  With her fearless attitude and childish love for Disney, she had stomped her way in to the spot reserved for kids, animals and the struggles of others.  She was planted in the dead center of it with a stubborn Tinkerbell pout, ready to put up a fight if he tried to evict her.

He, however, was a determined son of a bitch when he needed to protect his best interests.  Over the years, he’d found out he was his own best interest, and if it became necessary to protect himself from her, he would do it without a second thought.  Simple as that. 

Approaching the driver’s side of his black SUV, he came upon a picture that laughed in the face of his bad-ass determination.  There, with her feet tucked beneath her and leaning on the headrest so that she faced the driver’s door, was the counselor – sound asleep.  In that relaxed state of vulnerability, she looked about as dangerous as her damn little dog, and pouting Tinkerbell spread out a picnic blanket that staked full claim over that soft spot in his heart and a little of the callused part, too.

Jon was screwed.

Shaking his head with resignation, he slid behind the wheel.  Chiara didn’t awaken with the opening and closing of the door, but when the engine fired up, sleepy Bambi eyes blinked at him in confusion. 

“Well, that’s embarrassing,” she mumbled, turning to face forward and fasten her seatbelt as the exited the garage beneath Dot’s building.  “I guess I should be grateful I wasn’t drooling on the leather.”

“You were.  I mopped it up already.”

“Oh my-“ Her groggy brain finally registered his smile.  “Listen, you.  Is this going to be the deal?  You pick and give me hell like you did telling by Tony and Lilah I begged you to come fuck me?”

“Part of the time, yeah.  Lilah was actually right about it being a compliment.  Means I’ve gotten comfortable with you.” 

“In that case, I suppose I’ll learn to deal with it.  Just don’t get all crybaby on me when I dish it back.”

He smiled into the artificially lit night, cutting a quick glance in her direction before the light changed.  “I was surprised that you didn’t retaliate tonight.  It was the perfect chance to out me as a pussy who wouldn’t sleep in his own bed alone.”

Stretching her arms in front of her and working the tightness out of her neck, she didn’t even look his way when saying, “It never occurred to me, quite frankly.  Even if it had, that was a private conversation that I assumed you’d want to stay between us.  Was I wrong?”

“No.” 

She wasn’t wrong in the least.  It probably made him a little bit of an asshole, but he’d created the opening with Tony and Lilah this evening to see if Chiara would use the insider information to defend herself.  When she had merely turned his own words back on him, it had been a significant point in her favor.

Trust wasn’t always about the big stuff, Jon had discovered over the years.  Any idiot knew not to put his hotel room number on Facebook, but not everyone would hold back something that seemed so trivial, especially in the company of those he held closest to him.  It was a little thing, and those kinds of little things had the potential to become something big. 

“Come home with me?” he asked as he approached the intersection that would force him to choose between Tribeca and Brooklyn.

He felt as much as saw her head swivel in his direction.  “I really should go to my place. The only work clothes I have in my bag are wrinkled beyond wearing.”

Faced with a choice that had to be made now, he took the turn for Tribeca on sheer impulse.

“Do you really have to work tomorrow?” he asked casually, taking his right hand off the wheel and extending it to her, palm up, so that she would place hers on top.  When she did, his fingers folded around her hand and squeezed.  “Could we go over to Grand Central in the morning and then take the rest of the day to let all the skeletons out of the closet?  You’re obviously tired and I’d rather have sex than talk tonight.”

The air hissed out of her lungs in a lengthy sigh, although he didn’t think it was frustration or disgust.  It sounded almost like… relief?

“The wine and jet lag are inhibiting my ability to speak coherently, otherwise I’d tell you exactly how much I love that plan.  As it is, you’re gonna have to settle for perfect.”

Chuckling softly, he assured her, “It’ll do.”

“I really like this holding hands thing you’ve started.”  The quiet statement drew his attention as he turned the corner onto Walker Street.  “But nothing compares to being naked with you.  As many times as we’ve had sex, just the thought of it is still enough to excite me.”

So much for her impaired speaking ability.  She spoke just fine as far as he was concerned. 

“Yeah?”  Was it possible that he could coax something a little more interesting out of her?  “What is it that excites you?”

“Mm.  The look you get when you’re about to fuck me.  So intense.  Your eyes get so dark.”

“Sex with you is intense,” he justified, pulling up to the parking gate and waiting for the bar to lift.  “Never quite sure what you’ll say or do.  The only thing I can count on is that you’ll surrender yourself in those last few minutes.  That is the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

“You’ve had a horde of women paraded through your bed.  I find that hard to believe.”

Tilting his head and lifting his shoulder in a shrug, he conceded, “I’ve had more than my fair share, but those women would’ve done any goddamn thing I wanted for the privilege of sucking my dick.  With you…  Ah, fuck, I don’t know.  Chalk this up to the songwriter in me.  It’s like you don’t want to surrender, but you don’t have a choice.  Watching you cross over from Charlie to Chiara is mesmerizing.”

The SUV glided into his assigned spot, and Jon extracted his hand to put the gearshift into park.  Turning to see why she didn’t comment, he found her smiling at him with seduction in her eyes.

“Tonight I’ve found out you’re a tease and that you see things on a deeper level than most people.  I now understand why those women gave you whatever you wanted.”

No she didn’t.  She had nothing in common with women who had no idea of who he really was.  In their short time together, Chiara had seen more of the real Jon than a fan would in a hundred concerts and interviews.  The fact that who he was turned her on…  Well, that turned him on.

It also touched him in a way that he wasn’t ready to acknowledge yet.

“C’mon, Counselor,” he invited, opening the car door.  “Let’s go find out how far you’re willing to go for the privilege.”

With a sultry laugh, she pulled the handle on her door.  “I’m willing to go as far as the penthouse.  After that, what you get is up to you.”