Love by the Book

Celeste was not all that surprised to see that the place he had in mind was none other than his old club, The Viper Room. Their booth was the most secluded of any in the place and she was greatful for that.

"What would you like to drink?" he asked, placing the black marbled ashtray in front of him.

"Shirley Temple, please," she said quietly. He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not much of a drinker."

He left her for a moment to fetch their drinks. Celeste reached into her purse and pulled out a long menthol and lit it, taking her first puff much like a hungry child to a mother's teet. Her leg was shaking violently, her stomach full of hot air. This was so surreal. She sunk into the cushy leather and her mind began to wonder. She saw herself laying on a waterbed, scantily clad, her normally stick straight brown hair in soft, sensual waves. The room in her mind was warm, full of red and burgundy tones. Soft silk sheets and big fluffy pillows covered the bed. She imagined Johnny then, walking in wearing a black terry cloth bathrobe. He was making his way toward the bed, swinging the lose end of the robe in front of him....

"Here we are. Shirley Temple for the lady, scotch on the rocks for me," Johnny said, sitting down.

Celeste snapped out of it. "Thanks."

She watched closely as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a single hand-rolled cigarette and lit it, her mouth parted slightly, wishing for the first time in her life that she was a cigarette.

"Before you say anything," she began, "I want to apologize in advance if anything I say is incoherent. You have no idea how anxious I am right now."

He took a long draw. "Trust me. You have no reason to to be nervous."

"That's easy for you to say. You aren't sitting in the company of someone you admire greatly."

"On the contrary, I am," he said, smoke billowing from his nostrils. "A friend of mine recommended your book to me about a month after its release. I fell in love with it instantly."

Another alien noise escaped her throat. She puffed on her cigarette and cleared her throat. "Put yourself in my shoes," she said, pointing her smoke at him. "You're a young writer from a small town. You get a book published and suddenly everyone is talking about you. You visit California for a few weeks to do some signings. Your first day there, your first time EVER being in this place, a very famous, talented and handsome actor tells you he admires you and loves your book. Then he invites you out for a drink. You got that in your mind yet? Now you can't possibly tell me that you wouldn't be nervous."

He laughed. A warm, honest laugh. "I can definitely see where you are coming from. Is there anything I can do to make you feel more at ease?"

She thought for a moment. The only image in her mind was him, stark naked in front of her. "I'm afraid only several shots of Wild Turkey could ease my nerves at this point. But I'm not an avid drinker..." She held up her glass. "So I'll just have to deal."

"Fair enough," he said. He flicked his ashes. "You know, we hail from the same state."

"I did. You are top on the list of celebrities bred from the Bluegrass State. We tend to value being able to say things like "My uncle worked for Nick Clooney, ya know, George's dad." It makes us feel important"

He laughed again. Celeste felt a pain in her stomach. "You are one of two authors I love that are from Kentucky."

"Hunter? Fear and Loathing...it doesn't get any better than the Good Doctor and Johnny Depp."

"You're too kind."

She shook her head. "I like to give credit where credit is due. You are one of the greatest actors of this generation. I mean, my god! You were Edward Scissorhands, Raoul Duke AND Ichabod Crane! Very few people could pull that off and still be convincing."

He sniffed. "I don't really know what to say to that...," he smiled.

"Don't say anything. No, because regardless of what you say my opinion will not change. No comment is needed."

He looked at her approvingly. "You are exactly how I imagined you'd be."

"Huh?"

"You are how I imagined you be. Smart, humble. You have a southern twang in your voice, yet you speak so clearly. Witty, honest. Very honest," he smiled.

"And you were able to decide that in the 15 minutes you've known me?"

"No. I was able to do that in the first 5."

She snorted without meaning to.

"Finally! I was begging to wonder if you were ever gonna smile."

She smiled again. "Well congratulations. You wore me down. 'Tis a mighty feat..."

"What do I win?"

"You got a good laugh out of me."

He shrugged. "Fair enough."

She was slightly chuckling to herself, looking around at their surroundings. She brought her gaze back to him and was startled to see the way he was staring at her. His deep brown eyes seemed to be looking right through her. "Are those bedroom eyes?", she thought to herself. She cleared her throat.

"Um, excuse me." she said, excusing herself to the bathroom.

The bathroom was softly lit and the low vibrations from the live band playing echoed through the walls. The room was empty, and she took refuge in the very last stall. The porcelain was white and clean and she sat down on the bowl to think. She didn't really have to pee, but she pulled down her panties out of habit and just sat there. Her eyes closed and she was taken back to her semi-fantasy. Laying there on that warm waterbed, legs spread open as he kissed and caressed every inch of her lower body. His lips were so soft.

Without even realizing it, Celeste's hand crept down between her things, gingerly touching her sex. Her fingers frolicked up and down the lips, before one finger decided to go a littler further, disappearing between them. She wasn't really trying to accomplish anything. No, not here in this bathroom. It was too public for her liking. Yes, all she wanted was a little teaser, something to relax her nerves a bit. She was already planning out how her night would be at the hotel. No one there but herself, her hand and her Seal cd to make for a wonderful evening.

She ran her index finger along her pink flesh, getting goose bumps from the texture of it. Very hot, moist and smooth, with a few ripples every few centimeters. She had always found vaginas fascinating; ever since her first exploration as a very young child in the bathroom with a hand mirror. A grown woman now, she had had plenty of experience with them, mostly her own with a few others thrown in to keep things exciting. But we won't go into that. Now, her finger had found the spot. What one man had called "nature's rubix cube". What a mystery indeed! How can something so small be the main factor in something so grandiose! She touched the perimeter of her clit, careful not to touch it directly. It was far too sensitive at the moment, and she was looking for a bit of simple pleasure, not pain.

Then she felt wetness on her hand. The wetness of herself. It wasn't her body's natural lubricant though, no. It was her own urine and she hadn't meant to do it. But the deed was done, and she laughed at herself as she wiped her soppy fingers off with the toilet paper.


When she made her way back to the table, Johnny sat up quickly.

"Sorry about that," she smiled. "I got into a lovely conversation with a woman in the bathroom," she lied.

"No worries," Johnny smiled.