CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“Hey Tadpole,” cried Jay. “How’s it goin’?” Jay leaned
over the bar and shook his hand as he always does.
“Jayy, great to see you. I had a feeling you’d be back
again,” Tadpole grinned widely at him and pulled a beer
before sliding it across the bar, coming to a stop in front
of Jay.
“Really? What, are you a bloody psychic now, are ya?”
Tadpole laughed and then replied, “Believe me, it wouldn’t
take a psychic to see why you’re back again.” his eyes
strayed across the room behind Jay and came to rest on
Danni, who was stacking empty beer glasses on her tray.
Jay followed his gaze, a broad smile spreading over his
face when his eyes fell upon Danni. His expression
softened and he was overcome with a warm feeling, that
girl sure did make his senses peak. His eyes moved up
and down over her beautiful body, taking in it’s every curve
and contour, her shapely hips and tiny waist stirred the
man in him. Her full bust and slender neck were just
perfect. Jay had never seen a finer looking woman. The
Queen of Sheba could walk right by him now and he
wouldn’t even notice. Danni was his Queen and nothing
else mattered, he was taken with the girl. Hook, line and
sinker!
Turning his attentions back to Tadpole he lifted his beer
to his lips and said, “Hey Tad, what’s the chances of me
takin’ her off your hands a few minutes earlier tonight?” he
nudged his head in Danni’s direction.
Tadpole pursed his lips and clicked his tongue in a
serious manner. “Gees, I don’t know, Jayy, it’s kinda
busy here tonight,” he scratched his head and frowned
weakly. “I don’t know that I can spare the man power.”
Jay scanned the bar and billiards room. He counted
maybe five customers in total. He looked back at Tadpole
whose frown was now replaced with a cheeky smirk and
trying desperately to hold back his laughter.
“You mongrel,” Jay cursed at him playfully.
“Go on you love machine, get out of here!”
Jay downed his beer and placed the glass back on the
bar. He was already walking away when Tadpole yelled
after him, “Just make sure you bring her back. Good help’s
hard to find you know.”
He waved his hand in the air and crept up behind Danni,
who by now was at the next table clearing the last of the
glasses away. His hands extended and grabbed her firmly
around the waist, “Hey there gorgeous.”
She jumped so high that she lost her balance and would
have toppled over, glasses and all, if it hadn’t been for
Jay’s tight grip steadying her on her feet.
“Good God!” she gasped. “You scared the living daylights
out of me.” She let out a nervous laugh and then threw
her arms around him, planting a kiss on his cheek. She
glanced over at the bar and saw Tadpole staring at them,
a knowing smile on his lips. He gave her the thumbs up
and then went back about his business.
“You’re early,” she told him. “I don’t get off for another half
an hour yet. You want to have a drink at the bar?”
“Already had one.” he replied, his eyes fixed firmly on her
and a strange little grin on his face. He was mesmerised
by everything about her and couldn’t believe it has taken
him nearly a month to realise it.
The first night they got together was nothing more than a
meeting of two people who had over indulged in the
offerings of the cock-tails at Fred’s retirement party,
resulting in a drunken roll in the hay. Their second
meeting of the bodies was almost the same. He was
drunk, she wasn’t. He’d tried hard not to get attached or
develop feelings for her. Throwing her out of his bed on
that second morning had been his cruel attempt at
distancing himself from her, yet he was still unable to get
her off his mind. She had already gotten to him by then
and he was hooked on her. It just took him a little while
to admit it.
“Are you ok, Jay?” She asked, gazing into his eyes. “You
seem a bit, I don’t know. Weird!”
He leaned in towards her and wrapped his arms tighter
around her, pulling her closer to him. “I’m fine.”
His fingers fiddled with the strings of her apron, untying
them and letting the beer stained, black garment fall to
the floor between them. “Let’s get out of here.” Jay then
grabbed her by the hand, looked over at Tadpole who was
holding her handbag up ready for collection, and led her
toward the door. Danni mouthed thank you to him as she
took her bag from him on the way out of Bluey’s. He shot
her a happy wink and nodded his head.
“So how’s little Danni Junior?” Jay asked, patting her
softly on the stomach before opening the cruiser door
and ushering her in.
Danni’s eyes softened at his gesture. “You really are
excited about this aren’t you?” she asked, crawling up into
the seat.
“Sure am,” he replied, opening his door and hoisting
himself up. He started the engine and pulled away from
Bluey’s. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
She smiled sweetly at him and rested her hand on his.
“You’re not so tough after all, are you?” her smiled
broadened.
“What do ya mean by that? I’m tough” He glanced over at
her, puffing his chest up and flexing his arms tightly.
“See? I’m all that and more.” he joked.
“You certainly are. All that and much more.”
Outside her house he cut the engine and remained in his
seat.
“You want to come in?” she asked, sliding closer to him.
Jay bit his lip and swallowed hard. “More than anything
in the world…”
Danni started to open the door.
“But I’m not going to,” he blurted out.
“You’re not?” she echoed. “Have I done something
wrong?”
He laughed and pulled her closer to him again.
“Absolutely not. I just wanna make it special y’know?”
“Make what special?” she asked, a confused look on her
face.
“The next time I enter a room alone with you, we both
know what’s gonna happen…” He stared directly into her
big brown eyes. “And I just wanna make sure when it
happens, that it’s special.” he lifted her hand to his mouth
and kissed it gently. “Is that ok with you?”
Danni placed her hands on either side of his face and
answered, “That’s more than ok.” She bent forward and
kissed his lips.
“Now stop that young lady, that’s just being cruel!” Jay
cried, pulling back from her. “How am I supposed to
remain a gentleman when you go and do things like
that?” a cheeky giggle escaped him.
“Alright, you win! But just don’t blame me for the rules of
no contact. That is your idea, remember?” she teased him.
Jay wanted so badly to whisk her inside and
show her
just how much contact he did want. He wanted her to feel
his desire for her. It was taking everything he had to
control himself. His entire body was screaming at him to
give in and follow his lust. But that was the problem, he
didn’t want it to be all about the lust, not this time. Next
time it was going to mean something and he was going
to make it mean something if he had to hold back for
another six months. He knew that she wanted him, he
could see it in her eyes, hear it in her words and feel it in
her touch. She too, would just have to wait, soon the time
would be right and they will both be thankful that they
had waited a little longer.
“So, don’t you have to be going to see a doctor or
something soon?” he changed the subject.
“Yeah, I guess so. I’ll make an appointment for next week.”
“Can I come?”
She was taken aback by his enthusiasm. “Boy, you sure
do want to get right in there and be a part of this don’t
you?”
Her hand caressed his face.
“You don’t want me to?”
“Of course I do, I’m just a little surprised that you want to
come to a boring old doctors appointment with me.” she
smiled at him. “I’d love for you to come, sure.”
“Great! Consider me there.” Jay thought for a minute
and then added, “What about that birth stuff?”
“Birth stuff?”
“Yeah, you know, where you go to the hospital and they
show ya videos and teach ya how to get ready for the baby
and all that?”
“Gees, I don’t know. At this point, you know more about
what goes on than I do, Jay.”
she grinned at him. “Is there something you’re not telling
me? Have you done this before?”
“Ha, ha, very funny,” he replied. “No, I just did a bit of a
search on the net last night about babies and birth and
that sort of stuff. I just wanna be there for you, Danni.”
“Oh Jay,” she whispered. “You’re going to be a fantastic
daddy and…”
“And what?” he egged her on.
“And a fantastic partner too.” Her head rested on his
shoulder and she cuddled up to him. “You make it hard
for a girl to resist you, don’t you?”
“Well I should hope so,” he said. “See, I told ya I was
tough. Tough to resist!” he let out a hearty laugh and
squeezed her tightly to him.
For sometime the two just rested there in each others
company, enjoying the closeness and savouring the
moment. They watched through the windscreen as the
blanket of stars shimmered and glittered above them, it
was a perfect night and a perfect second date.
“Oh hell, I nearly forgot,” Jay interrupted the moment
with his booming voice. “Can you get off a little earlier
tomorrow night?”
“I can’t see why not. Taddy’s usually pretty good and he
owes me a few shifts. Why?”
“Ben and I are having a celebration at Bluey’s. I just
thought you might like to join us when you finish? I’ll
introduce you to Ben, properly.”
“Ben? He the guy you were with the other night?”
“Yeah, that’s him. You’ll like him, he’s a top bloke.”
“Sounds great. What are you celebrating?”
Jay shifted from his seat and opened his door. “The
demise of the baddies, my sweet. Another one off the
street.” He walked to her side of the car and helped her
out. “Now let’s get you inside and locked up safe for the
night, eh?”
Jay led her up the pathway and up to her front door. She
took out her key and unlocked it. She noticed him looking
down at the pavers on either side of the steps and she
said, ”Don’t worry, they’re being stacked away tomorrow!”
“Great idea. Next weekend we’ll get stuck into pruning
that big old tree back around the side too, okay?”
“It’s a date,” she laughed.
“No, that’s hard work!” Jay joked back. “You’re one high
maintenance babe aren’t ya?” He stepped closer to her
and wrapped his arms around her. “So I’ll see you
tomorrow night?”
She planted tiny kisses on his lips and in between said,
“That is a date!”
“See you then,” he whispered and backed away from her.
“Round eight-ish I guess.”
“Eight-ish it is.”
Jay ran down the steps, across the pathway and into his
cruiser. He watched as she entered the house and closed
the door behind her. His cruiser fired up and, with a
gratified smile, he shifted it into gear and drove away.