Girl Gets Her Man

Joanne woke up. She felt a bit strange. It wasn't the fact that she'd slept over at Daniel's place. They'd done that a lot, lately. He had this habit of letting her sleep, which was a welcome change from Jesse's loud morning ritual. This morning, Daniel was moving around his room naked. For a little while, anyway. Perhaps, because she was wearing one of his shirts, she felt a bit over dressed.

He obviously must have walked down the hallway with his bits swinging freely, because he was still wet from the shower. He hummed quietly as he rubbed the water out of his hair and tossed the towel to the ground. He went into a drawer and pulled out a pair of briefs. As he balanced to put them on, he glanced her way.

"Good morning, babe," he seemed to sing. "You don't need to be up for another hour. Go back to sleep."

She knew that. Her last final was this afternoon. "We meeting for dinner?"

"No, I've got grading to do," the song left his voice. "But, you could come over here and eat. Pop's trying out some sort of fish sandwich recipe for downstairs." He pulled his jeans up and buttoned them before reaching for his shirt.

"That's okay. I think I'll eat by myself, for a change," she yawned as she moved to get out of the bed.

He sat down next to her, with his shirt still partway up, and frowned playfully, "You like eating alone? This will be a problem."

She smiled, "Well, maybe for you, but I'm fine with it."

She couldn't resist pulling his shirt the rest of the way down. Her fingers made contact with his warm stomach. She held it there to enjoy the feel of the little hairs below his navel.

"You're gonna make me late, aren't you," he whispered.

"Wouldn't dream of it," she moved her hand and dropped back down to the pillows. With a smile, she closed her eyes, and arched her back. "I wouldn't want you to be late for anything. I hate being late."

"Now, that's not fair."

"What?" She turned away from him, "I'm not doing anything." She knew he liked to kiss the back of her neck, so she gave him a nice open view while she settled into the pillow.

He touched her arm and she turned back to look into his eyes as he said, "Oh, you wait. I'm gonna get you."

"Maybe." She closed her eyes again with a smile.

"Oh, yes. You're gonna get it," she heard him say as he left the room.

*

Jo met up with Jesse outside of the sciences building. "Girl, what is that you're wearing?"

Jo looked down at Daniel's shirt and her jeans. "Clothes."

"Somebody else's clothes," she frowned. "You are not some huge heifer that needs to hide. Let's go."

"I'm just going to a final exam. Nobody gives a damn what I'm wearing."

Jesse snorted in disbelief, "I do! Now, let's go get you some real clothes on."

Since the air had been cleared, things had been a lot better between Jesse and Jo. But, Jo drew the line at being a clothes horse, "No."

"Oh, come on! You need to make that boy remember why he wanted to get with you. Lately, you've been kinda frumpy."

Jo grumbled, "He likes me frumpy. Besides, I won't be seeing him, tonight. He's got grading..."

"Then, it's girl's night out. But, no drinkin. You're a lousy drunk," she laughed. "Meet you back at the apartment at three thirty?"

"Sure. But, I'm not dressing up."

*

A tap came to Daniel's office door. Padha looked up with curiosity. He opened the door just a crack. Jesse stood with her finger over her lips. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Phase one completed. I'm taking her to the spa, so you got anything special you want done," Jesse gestured at her crotch.

"Uh," he blushed, "no. Just get her to the bar on time. They've got a schedule."

"Ok. You gonna tell me..."

"No. You'll find out when everybody else does."

She twisted her lips to the side and frowned, "Well, how many phases are there?"

"Thanks a lot, Jesse. I owe you one." He shooed the girl away from the door before he closed it. He turned around to look at Padha's broad smile with a frown. "You tip her off, you die."

*

Joanne looked over her exam one more time. She knew there were a few places she wasn't sure about, but she couldn't stand to look at the thing any longer. She gave the exam and scratch paper to her designated proctor and started to leave.

"Psssst!"

She turned to see Padha waving wildly at her from the other side of the room. She turned and slowly walked over to her.

"Have you seen him today?" The woman whispered too loudly.

Jo frowned, "No, I'll see him some time tomorrow."

"Oh. He seems a little strange today. Maybe, you should go see him, now."

Jo's frown deepened as she waved good bye. 'She was emphasizing those words a little too hard. She's a bit frantic. She thinks he's gonna propose tonight. He's not going to. He said he'd wait till graduation. I'll start worrying then.'

*

Jesse came in early and slapped the sandwich out of her hand.

"Girl's night out, damn it! We're gonna stuff you silly all day long! But first, let's get you into something for the boys to get all sweaty over."

"What? Jesse, I told you..."

Jesse put her hands on her hips, "What if we were gonna bump into some hotty with a bankroll the size of a car? You need to look good, so I can rope that boy in!"

Joanne let out a sigh, "Fine. But, this is the last time I do this."

"Of course it is. It's not like Hot Chocolate even notices that kinda stuff."

'He notices. He just doesn't put a lot of stock into it.'

By the time Jesse was done with her, Jo felt a little naked. The skirt was too tight, and the top was way too small.

"Damn, you look hot," Jesse smiled. "A little too hot. Save that outfit for Danny. Let's get you something while we're out. Something that covers up a bit more. And look at those legs. You need a wrap and a wax. Maybe a pedicure. Let me see those fingers. Hell, we're gonna spend the day at the spa. Maybe, you'll look presentable enough by tonight. Come on," Jesse dragged her out of the room.

Jo dug in her feet. 'I'm still wearing this!' "But, Jesse. I need to change..."

"No time to waste. Let's hope they had some cancellations. Get your coat on, come on!"

*

Joanne was getting to enjoy the spa. The soft music was lulling her into a little bit of a nap as the hands worked their way across her back. She wouldn't have thought of this on her own. The whole hair removal thing was a bit rough, but she figured it would be a little present for Danny when they finally got some time together.

The last few nights she'd been focused on studying. She'd been so tired, they'd barely said two words to each other. She figured, that tonight would be something exciting, but she'd have to wait another day or two to get his attention.

When Jo finally stepped out of the spa, she felt a lot cold and naked, even though she was wearing one of her full length coats.

Jesse looked at her watch and said, "Way behind schedule. Getting you presentable took too much of my club time. If we're lucky, we'll get there by 10:30. Oh yeah, we still have to find you a dress. Preferably tight, but not too tight. Maybe stretchy with a plunging back, yeah."

'The woman is out off her damn mind,' Jo smiled at her friend and let her take her to the mall.

*

Daniel sat nervously as his turn slowly moved forward. He'd already talked to the mc and was moved to last. He hoped she'd get to the bar soon. He had the two songs ready. He'd been practicing for the past month to get them just right. The place was packed. He figured he wouldn't be able to find her, if she was in the building.

The mc gave Danny a nod and introduced him, "I debated on whether I should let this guy back up here for amateur night. The guy just comes up, sits down, and destroys the competition. Well, tonight we had some aspiring artists in the mix so we'll see how he stands up next to talent. Everybody, please welcome, Daniel Langier."

Daniel waved at the clapping people and sat down. He did a quick run, closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. He did a version of "Crush" by Gavin Degraw. The crowd seemed to enjoy it.

He then shook out his arms and did the song that he'd worried over. "My Joy" by Jeremy Carter. He did it the way that he'd wanted it to sound in the beginning. In his mind, Joanne was standing behind him with her hands on his shoulders. By the end of the song, he could feel her arms around his waist as he was about to penetrate her. When he finished, there was a silence. It took a moment to gather himself. He'd kept his eyes closed, so when he opened them, every face was on him. When he stood up, they cheered. He felt raw, like he'd been on a marathon. He stepped down and walked toward the bar.

The mc joked, "Crap! I have to follow that? Danny'll be signing his new LP, titled, 'I just did you with my piano while your boyfriend watched.' It's scheduled for release, oh, I'd say...Right around closing time? Mother fucker's gonna get a world of love tonight!"

The crowd laughed, as Dan got the occasional pat on the arm as he got closer to his spot by the bar. He was just about to get back to his stool, when he felt a hand go up his back. He turned to see Jesse's breasts hanging out of the tightest dress he'd ever seen. He averted his eyes, and said a quick, "Were you here in time?"

The woman scoffed, "Here in time? I've been cock blockin for the past 45 minutes. She is gorgeous tonight. You are so lucky I like you, because there are some fine boys up in here I could have put her with. When she gets out of the bathroom, I'll bring her over."

"Was she okay with the surprise? I know she hates them. If she's mad, you can tell her I didn't spend a fortune this time," Dan said as he thought about their last dinner date. He'd pulled a lot of strings to get things just the way he'd wanted them. The gold flaked chocolates had been probably a bit over the top, but it was beautiful. She'd complained that a burger joint would have been just fine, but he could tell that she loved all seven courses.

Jesse gave him a shove on his arm, "Girl was ugly crying by the end of that song. It was so bad, a lot of girl's let her cut the line so she could straighten herself out in the bathroom. That song was hot. I had no idea it was supposed to sound like that. I'll be back. I think I see her coming out of the john."

Dan asked for a ginger ale and put down a ten dollar bill. He felt another hand, on the small of his back this time.

"Hey, handsome," he heard the last voice he wanted to hear.

He turned and said a grudging, "Candace."

She had that same smile, "Wow, Donatello. I didn't know you could do half of that with your fingers. I always thought that Jerry was the better player."

He took the veiled insult. "Um, thanks." She moved in to hug him, but he caught her arms and moved them back to her sides.

She frowned at him, "You're still mad at me?"

"Candy, I'd have to feel something for you to be mad at you."

She seemed shocked, but recovered quickly, "So, what happened with you and the little girl?"

"Oh, nothing much," he smiled to himself when he saw Candy's face brighten.

He figured that what he had with Joanne would prove itself very shortly. Whatever hopes Candy still harbored would be gone oh too soon. He thought he saw the side of Joanne's face as she moved through the crowd.

"It was nice to see you, Candy."

He walked out to find her. He saw that she'd straightened her hair, and she was wearing a pair of gold hoops. She didn't usually wear earrings, unless it was a special occasion or Jesse asked. When he got close enough to see all of her, he froze. The air went out of him in a puff. The gold lace covered cream dress hugged her every curve. There was something about the way that her bottom swayed when she was just standing there. She held a tissue under the long lashes on her right eye as she arched to listen to what Jesse was saying. The little dress accentuated the long, chocolate legs that ended in a pair of gold laced heels. He had this sense that Jesse picked out the outfit by the way that Jo kept tugging the hem down. The thought was confirmed when she turned around. He tried to make his mouth work, but he couldn't. Joanne smiled slightly at him She put her hand over the diamond that was exposing her cleavage and gave him a hug.

"I thought you had to work," she said to him as he put his arm around her.

Daniel tried to sound coherent, "Well, can't think of an excuse, right now. Beautiful woman. Skimpy dress."

She showed him the dress in a slow turn, "It was Jesse's idea. What do you think?"

He thought better of it, but he said anyway, "I think, I want to take it off you." 'Rip it off! Maybe just bunch it up at your waist as I...' He gave himself a mental slap and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. He knew she wouldn't mind. She'd heard him say lots of things more suggestive than that. Joanne just seemed to get embarrassed if he said it in a public place.

"So, how'd you like the song," he asked her.

He watched the happiness fade from her face as she said, "It was beautiful, Dan."

He put his fingers to her cheek. "Hey, no sad stuff. I redid it so it would be a good thing."

"It was a good thing," she buried her face in his chest.

*

Joanne hadn't been paying attention to the other acts. She kept having to avert her eyes from some man that was staring at her. She hated the dress. The hole in it made it impossible to wear a bra. She knew what the men were waiting for. If she leaned over, a breast would pop through that hole. When the mc said his name, she looked up at the stage. Daniel went over the keys quickly, then stopped playing. He seemed to not pay attention to how long he sat there with his eyes closed.

The crowd was starting to get nervous when he started to play again. "Crush" by Gavin Degraw. He'd been humming the song. He'd also been singing some strange twangy thing recently. She hoped that wouldn't be the next song. She didn't think the public would be ready for Dan's country debut, especially if it involved the booty shaking that he happened to be prone to doing at the time. She smiled to herself at the memory. He finished the song with a vibrato.

His eyes were still closed when he shook his arms and went into a strange intro that she'd never heard before. It was slow and intricate. It moved into a more intense tone then descended into something she started to recognize. His voice started out in a low tentative hum. She saw him settle in and his voice built into this strong sexy baritone. She'd never heard him sing like that. She felt this trembling in her gut as he got to the chorus. She looked over at Jesse. Her friend reached out and rubbed at her hand in concern. She looked down at her hands, because she was afraid of what she would do if Dan suddenly opened his eyes and looked at her.

He lapsed into French as he sang the third chorus. She closed her eyes, and felt him breathing next to her ear while they were in bed together. He moaned where the song required it, but it made her thighs start to tingle. Jo jumped when he did it again. She crossed her thighs and then her ankles as the tingling turned into a burn. When he finally finished, he let out a slow ragged sigh. She looked up at his calm face.

She watched him sit back from the keys and slowly stand up. The cheer was like a slap in the face. She knew exactly why she was crying, but that didn't stop her mascara from running. She covered her face with her hands. 'My god. Why did he have to do that with this song? Why'd he have to do it in public?'

Joanne stood up and raced for some tissues, but she saw the line of women waiting to use the too small facilities. She felt the tears start to run down between her fingers. She thought, 'Oh, great! I'm gonna ruin this dress for sure,' which only made her cry harder.

She stood there bawling for a few seconds as she tried to figure out how to stop the dripping black stream from hitting the dress. A girl in line gave her a napkin and pulled her forward in line.

She yelled up toward the front of the line, "Hey, let this girl wipe her face! CAN'T YOU SEE SHE'S CRYIN?"

It took her longer than expected to get herself together. When she got back to Jesse, she tried to smile and laugh at the joke she was telling. She looked around for Daniel, but she couldn't find him in the dense crowd. Then Jesse pointed over her shoulder and he was standing very still just a few feet away. His mouth was slightly open, and he didn't seem to notice that people were knocking into him.

'I guess, the dress worked. Jesse told me he'd probably stop dead in his tracks when he saw me.' She couldn't help teasing him a little bit about the surprise, but the shock was over, now. 'He needs to stop these surprises, or he won't have two pennies to rub together.'

When he asked about the song, she couldn't hide the jumble of emotions anymore. Danny was so sweet to want to do that for her. She squeezed him so tight, she could hear his heart beating over the canned music in the bar.

*

Daniel Langier sat down carefully across the table from Joanne's parents. Karen bore into him with those penetrating eyes. He knew this was coming. He wasn't sure how she knew what was going on at Joanne's place, but she seemed to know for a fact that he'd spent the weekend with Joanne. She'd kept her mouth shut when he got back home that day. Shed' pressed her lips together and didn't say a word. His father tried to say something to smooth things over, but she gave David a withering glare. That was coming up on a month ago.

Karen Croix was now sipping the mint iced tea out of a straw and drilling a hole into his face.

"So, whose idea was it to scare the hell out of me, yours or hers?"

"Uh," Dan tried, "we didn't mean to..."

"You had to have been using protection, or I would be seeing a ring on her finger, by now," the frown deepened. "You couldn't wait, could you? I didn't think you could, anyway. You and those puppy dog eyes, don't fool me. From what I've been hearing from Jesse, you've been nothing but conciliation, so I guess, I'm not that mad. Jerry, on the other hand," she sucked on her teeth. "He'd have been removed from this earth, before he knew what happened."

Daniel looked at the condensation on the glass and thought, 'Ask her, now, before she gets on a roll.' "Uh, Mrs. Croix..." 'Say it! Say it!'

Karen raised a hand to stop him from talking, "Don't say something stupid, like it's over. It's not over. I don't care if the statute of limitations says he can't be charged. I've been talking to every newspaper I could get a number for. He's going down for hurtin my baby."

Daniel sat back and let the woman vent. He knew the words were meant for a man that was currently on a European tour. James just sat there and downed his tea. When he'd finished it, the older man set the glass down and said as though Karen hadn't been rambling for a good twenty minutes, "You love my daughter?"

Karen stopped talking. Daniel nodded in the affirmative.

The low gravely voice seemed even more menacing than usual, "That's what this sit down is, right?"

"Yes, sir," Dan tried to make his face relax. He hated when he gritted his teeth. "I wanted to talk to you about our relationship."

James raised one side of his lip and said, "Boy, we don't have a relationship. You obviously don't have any brains if you think you can just go to bed with my daughter."

Dan's cheeks started to burn, "Mr. Croix, I don't go to bed with Jo, unless she wants me to. And, I don't think it should be any of your business."

"You made it our business when you took off with her for three days without so much as a phone call," Karen cut in.

"I didn't take her. We both made a decision." 'Whoa, they're still this mad?' He took a breath and said, "I'm sorry. She should have called you. I should have thought about that, but we spent so much time apart..." 'This sounds so stupid, right now.' "It took us so long to get to where we are, now, it felt like the right thing to do at the time. It was. You'd still be where you were a couple moths ago, if we hadn't spent that time away from everything and everybody. You've probably been hearing more from her, now, right?" He saw the confirmation in Karen's glance toward the pastry bar.