That Summer

Disclaimer: This is obviously 100% fiction; product of my over active imagination. This is my first real person fan fiction and reviews are greatly appreciated.

So, for future reference, if I ever say '5 days' don't believe me. I mean, I may update quickly sometimes, but if I give myself a deadline, I won't meet it. I'd gotten a head cold, during Thanksgiving and finally kicked it's butt a couple of days ago. Hopefully this chapter will have been worth the wait. Thank you so much for the reviews! It's true that reviews are quite motivating and do speed up the update process, at least for me. Sorry for the long wait... I've already started the next chapter.

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CHAPTER 3

If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance.
~Bern Williams


It took her an unusually short amount of time to shower and dress... but she attributed that to being a single parent. Showers all alone were a rarity, or something that needed to be rushed. But she didn't have to this time, actually. Her cousin (Melanie,) who was her back-up sitter and close friend, was sitting in the living room with Joseph now. Upon hearing the reason her services were needed, she rushed over, giving Victoria time to shower and dress in peace. Melanie was glad to hear her taller, dark haired cousin was going out. And with a man.

It wasn't that she didn't go out. Victoria liked to go out every now and then. Socialize over a few drinks. But she usually didn't go this early and rarely did her outings involve men. Melanie on the other hand, who was only 8 months younger, was a young actress with deep dimples, fiery red hair, and always made time for men. Now, since she was an 'actress' in Los Angeles that translates to a 'really cute waitress, who has her SAG card.' But she had her own place, made good money, and was very much the kind of person that made time for fun in her life. Which made Victoria pretty jealous, sometimes. Although she'd never admit it.

Standing in front of the mirror in her robe, having just finished her make-up, Victoria heard the door open with a squeak. In rushed her tiny man, wearing only a shirt that did nothing to hide his tush. She reached down and lifted him up; he was grinning and looked rather proud of himself. "You think that since Mom's going out for the evening you can run around the place naked?" His response was to giggle and sneeze in her face. She closed one eye, wiping her cheek and said, "Thank you for that, Joe. I really appreciate it."

She walked out into the hall, no sight of Melanie. So she followed her cousin's voice to the living room. Melanie was sitting there, smiling, with Victoria's cell phone pressed to her ear.

Victoria set the boy down; he quickly crawled over to a pile of blocks and became distracted. Hands on her hips she mock-glared and said, "What the hell?!" darting for the phone. Melanie caught sight of her and jumped up, stepping over the back of the couch, laughing.

"Tell me who it is NOW or you'll die!" Victoria was not amused! She stopped chasing as it was clear from Melanie backing away and jumping around that she was not going to help her. Victoria did not deal well with teasing and begin to whine, "Just give me my fucking phone, and don’t make me beg!"

Melanie said, "Ok. Here she is." Handing her the phone and bouncing over to sit next to Joseph, where she'd be safe. She was still smiling at her cousins frowning face. "Oh come on... I was only playing."

Victoria rolled her eyes and said, "Hello?" in a less than enthusiastic voice.

That familiar voice that reminded her of all things warm came through, "Are you well?"

She smiled, and turned back down the hall toward the bathroom. "I am. I'm sorry, I forgot to bring the phone in the bathroom with me. I figured that," and at this she turned to bellow down the hall, "PEOPLE WOULD KNOW BETTER THAN TO TOUCH THINGS THAT DO NOT BELONG TO THEM," she moved her mouth back to the receiver. "I'm sorry. Did she harass you?"

Alan was grinning, "She was charming. Asked me my name, what I did for a living, what my intentions toward you were." Victoria's mouth was hanging open, "Well what did you tell her?!"

Alan was sitting in the bar of his hotel, rolling a tooth pick between his fingers. He didn't order a drink, it was just a good place to sit and people watch. Oddly, LA is one of the places he was least often recognized. He dipped his head speaking into the phone, "I told her that my name was Eduardo, I'm a used-car salesman, and that we were going to run away to Mexico."

Victoria laughed and sat down on the toilet, sliding her shoes on. "You're lying! I'm serious." He mock-grumbled, "Oh very well, I told her my name was Alan, I'm an actor, and I intend to take you out for dinner. Is that all right?"

Well, at least Melanie didn't really have an idea who he was. That would have made her completely unbearable. And was that sarcasm she detected? She smirked, oh, this should be fun.

"Yes." She was quiet for a moment. "If you want me to be ready when you get here you should consider letting me dress, otherwise I'll be wearing a blue terrycloth robe to dinner."

Alan looked at his watch. "I'm leaving in fifteen minutes and if you're only wearing a robe when I get there, we'll just have to make the best of it." Victoria grinned. This flirting was ridiculously juvenile, but fun none the less. "Ok then. I will see you soon.. and if you get lost, just call and I'll direct you in."

"Right then. Fifteen minutes," he said before turning his phone off and pocketing it.

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Twelve minutes later Victoria was dressed in a simple black strapless dress. Feeling very naked when she looked in the mirror she quickly put on a black sweater with a rounded neckline and pearl buttons. Her shoes were simple heels that made her legs look worlds better and accentuated her already muscular calves. Her black hair was parted on the side and styled into glossy layers that were curled at the end. And her light green eyes were outlined in a thick black liner on top, to accentuate her lashes. With a bit of liner blended at the edges on the bottom, widening her eyes. Lip gloss seemed appropriate, and so she was applying some when she heard a knock at the door.

'Shit,' she muttered putting her lip gloss into her purse and turning around to make sure everything looked ok from the back. She snapped off the light and hurried down the hall, thankful she was the first to make it to the door.

She stopped for a moment, smoothing down her dress and took a breath, opening the door. She smiled at the sight of him. He was wearing linen. Not nearly enough men wore linen, in her opinion. It was especially nice looking on him. The suit was a taupe with a white shirt. The top three buttons remained undone and the contrast of his skin against the crisp white shirt was perfect. He smiled back at her.

"You look very nice."

She blushed prettily and looked down for a moment, never being one to take compliments well, before returning his gaze. "You look very nice too. Just give me a minute?" He nodded and waited at the door, she was grateful he didn't attempt to come in. The living room was a bit out of place. She grabbed her purse off of the kitchen table and went over to kiss her son, who was currently in his high chair covered in half chewed pieces of egg. She picked a piece out of his hair and kissed him until he cried, "Noooo!!!" She pulled back and wiped the lip gloss off of his chubby left cheek.

"You be a good boy and Melanie will give you chocolate milk, ok?" He clapped and said, "Ok." She waved and patted Melanie's shoulder, "Bye bye, Joseph." Melanie gave her a little push, almost knocking her off balance. "Go!"

And so she went.

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Once in the car they drove in near silence. Victoria was mostly looking at the window, while Alan was looking at her. Then he decided to break the silence.

"You do like Italian food, don't you?" She was snapped out of her little daydream a few times.

"Oh.. yes. Of course. Amatuzzi? It calls to me like a moth to a flame." He grinned. "It seemed safe to assume, since I don't know anything of your preferences beyond fruit. And that you're, apparently, allergic to bananas."

She nodded. "Safe assumption. I am pretty picky, but you were lucky." Smiling at him she took a moment admire the way his hand looked on the steering wheel. He did have rather large hands, didn't he?

He followed her line of sight from the back of his palm to her face and raised and eyebrow.

She grinned. "What?"

He grinned and rested his hand on her thigh, almost causing her to gasp. Instead she put her hand over his and smiled, looking back out the window. She could do this. He was just a man. This was just a date.

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Dinner had been nice. He told her about the last film he'd done. About a musician friend of his he visits with when in LA that has an eleven year old daughter who can sing opera. She told him about how she came to be a make-up artist and her other passions. Books, stories, photography, theater. That she paints and, after a couple glasses of wine, offered to show him some of her paintings, which were framed around her home.

They walked out to the car, he bracing her against him by putting an arm about her waist. She wasn't tipsy, only slightly buzzed, but she liked the way his arm felt, so she didn't protest. She wasn't slurring or stumbling, but she was feeling rather warm. When they got to the car he went around to passenger side to open her door.

She'd been feeling anxious all night and having him that close was almost too much. He opened the door for her and paused as she leaned back, smiling at him. With her heels on, she was the perfect height for kissing, he wouldn't have to bend at all. He leaned forward, looking down at her and whispered, "I don't mean to be forward, but.. would you like to come back to my room for some coffee?"

Victoria smiled, feeling the alcohol mix with the arousal and she moved one hand up to his cheek, pulling him in for a fierce kiss. She didn't have it in her, just yet, to say what she wanted, but she would do her best to show him. He kissed back but it was slowed the kiss. His kiss was much more sensual than reckless. Clearly he had more patience than she did. But by the end of the kiss she was breathing heavily and almost couldn't open her eyes.

He smiled at the look on her face and the blush that had crept down her chest, all the way to the delicious looking cleavage he'd been doing his best not to notice for the better part of the evening. Before she could open her eyes he lent forward and whispered in her ear. "Get in the car, sweet girl." She grinned even more but moved to get in the car.

He quickly rounded the car and got in. Victoria was still grinning; feeling rather charmed, and said, "Yes."

He'd started the car and was now pulling out of the parking lot. But looked up at her, "Yes?" She smirked. "Yes, I'd like some coffee." He nodded.

Victoria took this time to admire his profile. It was very regal, really. His nose was, unquestionably, large but its shape was nice. His face would look funny without it. Those almond shaped eyes that were really very kind, with only a few fine lines around them and his deliciously perfect mouth. She was drawn to his mouth more than anything, and not just because of the beautiful voice that came out of it.

He watched as she removed her sweater. She'd rolled the window down the window to feel the warm night breeze. He took in the way her skin glowed in the dim light of the sunset. She was fair skinned, but nicely tanned. Her eyes were a lighter shade of green than his and much more round. She wasn't like any woman he'd seen before... at least that he could recall. There was just something about her... the way she smiled all the time when she was nervous and the way she gave herself over to passion. She wasn't thin, but all soft curves. He'd be lying if the curves weren't part of the attraction.

For a moment, he wondered if he shouldn't have invited her back. Perhaps this was rushing things a bit. The next moment he wasn't thinking at all. He gasped aloud as he felt her hand in his lap, caressing his thigh. She laughed when he gasped but he kept his hands on the wheel. 'Alls fair, right?' she thought. Her hand moved a little higher, dangerously close.

"If you move your hand any higher I'm going to wreck, you know," he said in a firm but joking tone. Not picking up on the humor in his voice, she removed her hand, feeling a bit offended.

Noticing her offense he grabbed her hand and put it back in his lap, adding quickly "Oh, love, I was only kidding. Please don't be like that."

She sighed, thinking she made a fool of herself, "Oh god, I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm doing."

He smiled as they stopped at a light, now only two blocks from his hotel, and leaned over to kiss the cheek closest to him. "It's all right." She searched his face for any sign of pity, and when she saw none, offered him a weak smile in response.

She felt very rusty. Very very rusty. The men she had dated in the last year and a half had been... less than spectacular. There were never more than 3 dates with any of them. None of them had anything interesting to say. And none of them had turned her on during sex as much as he had just standing next to her. And he was so smart and thoughtful. The words he chose and the way he'd engaged her was so sweet. He seemed genuinely interested in her as a human being, or a friend. That was attractive to her.

They pulled into a gated community not far from the Farmer's Market in Beverly Hills. It wasn't in the fanciest part of town (the place didn't reflect it though,) but then again this was Los Angeles. The parking was underground and he pulled into the parking space with ease. As if he'd been there for years.

"They're condominiums but the ones that aren't being leased are rented out monthly. Quite nice, actually." Victoria nodded and made to get out of the car, looking at her watch. It read 8:15.

Alan rounded the car and greeted her with a chaste kiss on the lips, grabbing her hand and leading her towards an elevator a few feet away.

Victoria was looking around, taking her surroundings in. Concrete walls. Lots of nice looking cars. Suddenly she looked toward him and asked, "How's your head feeling?" He frowned a bit, wondering what she was on about and she explained, "You know, earlier. You'd said the time change bothered you. You had a headache?"

He pulled her along as the elevator door opened and pressed the button for the third floor. "Yes, right. I'm feeling much better, thank you. I took a nap earlier and some aspirin before dinner."

The walk down the long corridor was a bit eerie. The walls were white, the carpet was a nice neutral beige... and it felt like it was never ending. His hand was warm in hers and she didn't mind being pulled along. She mused 'I could follow him anywhere...' He was only leading her to his room but he carried himself as if he were so sure of himself. He didn't stop to assess her or wonder aloud where he was, he just kept following the numbers until they finally reached his room. He let go of her hand to find his key and proceeded to unlock the door.

Once he'd unlocked the door he stepped back to allow her entry. She stumbled over something large in the dark of the room and said, "Son of a bitch!"

Alan quickly turned the light on and said, "God, I'm sorry." Victoria was now sitting on his suit case, one of her high heels having broken in the fall, but she was giggling. "It's ok... help me?" He put out both hands gripping hers between them and pulling her up.

She hobbled to a stool by the bar area of the kitchenette and removed both her shoes. Holding the broken shoe up for a minute before dropping it by the chair.

Alan watched as she did, bending to inspect her ankle. "Does it feel all right? Do you need ice?"

She sighed, slightly... the feel of his hands on her bare leg was electric. She shook her head. "It's just sore, I'm not hurt." He frowned, guilty and stood before her. "You are hurt. I'm sorry. I'm not usually that careless with my things but I didn't expect company."

Victoria stopped his rant by smiling at him with a different sort of look in her eye. She'd looked at him many times through out the night but not once did she hold his gaze for longer than 30 seconds. She'd always look away uncomfortably or blush. But this time he felt as if she were looking straight through him.

He responded to her radiant smile by bending towards her, slowly grinning widely as their lips came in to contact before pressing forward. Victoria licked his bottom lip before running her tongue along the seam of his mouth, urging him to open to her. He hesitated only a moment before responding to her, deepening the kiss and moaning low in the back of his throat. The moan set her aflame, as if she weren't already.

His hands were placed awkwardly on the bar and the arm of the chair she was sitting in when he felt hers on the buttons of his coat and then his shirt. They pulled apart for a moment and she looked up at him breathlessly and said, "Bedroom?" He took her hand, wordlessly and lead her, now barefoot, to the room...

Smirking as they stood next to the bed, he teased, in a voice thick with arousal, "I thought you wanted some coffee?"

Victoria, in a moment of boldness, grabbed hold of the bottom of her dress, and in one clean swoop pulled it over her head, leaving her standing before him in a black strapless bra and nothing else. She stepped toward him, standing on her tip toes as she put her arms around his neck and said, "Can't we have it in the morning?"

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Oh, a cliffy! Remember, I have no beta... so if there are mistakes, I'll fix them in the next couple of days. (By rereading... I always tend to catch something after I post a chapter.) Let me know what you think.