Chapter 1: Tony's Perspective
How is it that after all these years you still have a hold on me? I tell you that I am doing a lecture at NYU. And you tell me how sad that you couldn't make your work trip fit into the same days. I arrive and check into my hotel. I wish you were there with the AC cranked down when I arrived. But I know you have to be in Boston for a talk of your own. I unpack and shower for mine. I know I'm riding over with some colleagues at around 5 and I am already starving but I have to wait. I go downstairs at 4ish and roll over in my head what I have to say. I'm not like you, I just put 10 points in my head and wing it. I know you have 300 slides and probably practice for a week before you speak. I order a beer and some cuban empanadas. Mike and Shane come downstairs and we are ready to go. I cash out and square my shoulders. Let's do this.
It's a quick ride to the university. This is my first time here so I'm not sure what to expect when I arrive. Mike has held lectures here before so I just follow him. I'm the third speaker so we go in the back and and shake hands with alot of people whose names I will never remember. I'm not good at academia so I'm a bull in a China shop. They put us in the back. Mike is a hybrid that taught me I can be more then just a smart redneck and I can share what I have with these uptight academics. I end up in the back some room waiting for my turn. See I'm not afraid of public speaking like many other but I do get anxious before I go on stage. I'm just a bull in the pen wanting to go. My first 30 seconds on stage I'm always blah blah blah. Then I'm me. I square these shoulders and I'm just me. It's finally my time and I go on. I just have to get my 30 seconds of blah blah blah out. But then I get stopped in my tracks. Who is that blond I see sitting 10 rows back? My Cleo! We make eye contact and I can't help but smile and stop for a second. Now my head is all a tilt. I forget where I am and pause. Not professional. Mentally I square my shoulders and smile. Now I'm me. Now I'm back to being the cocky swaggered redneck. I refuse to look over at you again. Which I know infuriates you. That's fine, you would be a brat no matter what I did. I just focus on what I'm there to do. I flow across the stage making many quips and stepping on many toes. But I'm private sector so I don't really care bout feeling. Just facts. Finally as I come to my closing. I find you again in the crowd. I lock eyes again. You are smiling which let's me know I did good and she you are proud of me. I give my final salutations without ever breaking eye contact with you and exit the podium.
As I leave Mike is laughing and asking what the hell got into me.
'I know you always go hard but damn man them kids weren't ready for that!'
We begin to leave. I shake all of those hands whose names I have already forgotten. Mike says he has a reservation at a steak house for dinner. I finally pull my phone out of my pocket and look down and see many many many messages from my cleo. You are a brat to the fullest so once you saw I was ignoring you, you started reminding of things we have done, things you want to do, and things you promised me you would do when next we met up. I am stopped in my tracks a second time in 2 hours. Mike tells me to hurry up but I read your last text. You are waiting for me outside and don't have a place to stay in NYC, and was hoping I could provide one. I now have a full shit eating grin on my face. I look up at Mike and ask if there is room for 1 more.
He shakes his head and says, 'Is that what the pauses and disruptions in your talk were? Yeah we can make it work where is she?'
I tell him I'll be right back and go around the block. There you are looking side to side. In your beautiful green dress bag in hand. I see you before you see me and I start walking towards you from behind. You finally look over your shoulder and see me and your face lights up. I approach faster and don't break stride as I embrace you and kiss you roughly. It only lasts a minute and we both start to laugh.
I ask, 'what the fuck are you doing here?'
You smile and say, 'Plans change. I wanted to see you speak and hopefully steal a hotel room for the night.'
Your mischievous smile almost buckles my knees. I want nothing more then to go back to the hotel right now, but I know Mike and Shane are waiting so I take your bag and give you my arm and look down at you and say, '
I think I can make that happen. But first dinner then I can have my dessert at the hotel.'
Chapter 2: Cleo's Perspective
Dinner with two of the most important people in your life was not how I was envisioning the evening going, but you know I'll always follow your lead, so here we go. To a restaurant where a glass of wine is 3x my per diem. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to act so I square my shoulders and take your arm as we enter the fancy but cozy place. You pull out my chair for me and introduce me as a friend from back in the day and now world famous scientist Dr. Cleo. You introduce Mike, your mentor, and Shane, your apprentice. You boys order bourbon and I settle on an expresso martini as this promises to be a long night. I pretty much down it and order another, which I manage to sip and start to relax. As the apps come I talk about my research and turn back into the captivating woman I am and charm everyone there, including you. As I talk about the hippocampus, your hand starts to creep up my thigh underneath the table. We are fully pulled up against the table and no one can see. And I know I can't let them see it on my face, so I smile and continue to discuss the neural underpinnings of memory formation, forcing myself to concentrate and not just let my head fall back, close my eyes, and moan as your hand lightly caress my thigh. Teasing but never actually reaching my pussy.
Then the main course arrives and your hand returns to the table. I get a strawberry rum drink of some kind (you order it for me) and enjoy my meal while you boys talk about work and things that I basically just smile and nod at. You can tell I'll bored.
My phone vibrates with a text, 'I assume you're a good girl who brought your toy. Excuse yourself to the bathroom and put it in. Make sure the app is connected and slip me your phone when you return.'
I blush and excuse myself and head to the bathroom. I'm sure you boys talk about me while I spend 5 minutes getting the stupid app to pair. I wash my hands, square my shoulders, and walk carefully back to the table, where I slip my phone, app open into your palm as I take my seat.
You've ordered another drink for me and they've cleared the plates but it's clear we will be here shooting the shit for a while. You make sure the toy is on,