Table for Two (18 page)

*****

The night of the concert finally arrived. She left the restaurant just as the dinner rush was starting, after Antoine reassured her that he could handle it. She rushed to her apartment to shower and dress before Parker got there. After getting out of the shower, she put her hair in curlers, and went to her closet to pick out a sexy outfit that would make Parker drool…hopefully.

She ended up choosing her black leather pants with a silver tube top and strappy silver heels. She took the dryer to the curlers, trying to speed up the drying process. Giving her hair just a few more minutes to set, she did her make up and went all out, exaggerating her eye makeup to make them pop.

When she finally took the curlers out of her hair, she was very pleased with the results. She flipped her head over, gave it a few shots of hairspray, then flipped it back up. The curls were perfect, and fell all around her shoulders and down her back. She was hoping that Parker would like it as much as she did. With a quick spritz of perfume, she left the bathroom and went to wait for Parker.

Before she could even sit down, the knocking on the door brought a smile to her face. She rushed over and opened the door, so happy to see Parker on the other side. She flew into his arms, and he crushed her lips with a searing kiss.

"God I've missed you." Parker told her looking her up and down, then pulling her back into his arms. "You look amazing, but I think you're missing something."

Bella looked down. She was dressed, her makeup was done, she had her purse…"What and I missing?" She asked, her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"This." Parker said and held up his hand with a necklace dangling from it.

Bella looked shocked. It was white gold with a heart and key made out of diamonds. On the back of each charm was a name inscribed. Parker was engraved into the heart, and Isabella in the key. She turned around and lifted her hair so that he could put it on her.

"You're the only one with the key to my heart. Just remember that." He told her and kissed her softly.

Isabella nodded, not trusting her voice for fear that she would start crying. She looked in the mirror and smiled. It looked perfect with her outfit. Finally she could speak. "Thank you. It's perfect."

He kissed her again, and told her that they needed to leave so that he could get there on time. She locked her door and they went down to the waiting car hand in hand. 'So far, so good' she thought.

The concert was amazing! Parker went out for two encores, pleasing the amazingly loud crowd. Bella was so proud to look up at the stage and know that her boyfriend was the one that they were screaming for; the one that brought them all to their feet. She saw it in his eyes every time he performed; he was in his element, he lived to be on that stage.

The after party was packed, almost to the point of being obnoxious. But, for once, Bella didn't mind. Parker deserved it, and she wanted to make sure that he had fun and celebrated his last show for the tour. When he walked into the room, she was right there waiting for him, with beer in hand. He took the beer and grabbed her in a passionate kiss, still riding his high from the show. All she could do was laugh at his antics, not even embarrassed at all at the PDA.

They stayed at the party longer than any other one they attended, and Parker made sure to keep Bella at his side at all times. He saw some of the looks she was getting, and he didn't want to risk the chance of one of the drunk or high guys getting their hands on her. Not only that, but it eliminated the chance of another girl trying to kiss or grope him in front of her.

Bella had a great time. She let go and really enjoyed herself, thankful that she was at his side the whole time though. The drinks were flowing endlessly, and though there were plenty of drugs being passed around the room, she was relieved that Parker didn't indulge in any of them.

After a few hours, she was well past being drunk, as was Parker, and they were both glad that the party was dwindling down. It was getting hard for both of them to stand, whether it was from the alcohol or the passionate kisses and looks shared between the two. Finally Parker led her to the waiting limousine, both of them slightly stumbling along the way. Once they were safely tucked inside with the privacy window up, they finally gave into their craving for each other. The sex was hot and quick, not even bothering to shed all of their clothes, only the ones that were necessary. Parker hoped that neither one of them passed out because he had more plans for her when they got back to her apartment.

The ride seemed to take forever after they finally got their clothes situated again, but once they got through the door to her apartment, they started to undress again. This time it wasn't as frantic, or as needy. It was more gentle, and occasionally awkward when one or the other stumbled in their drunkenness. But when they finally collapsed into her bed, it was amazing from there. Parker took his time making sure that she was ready, bringing her to the brink of her climax with both his fingers and tongue. When he left her in that state, she protested loudly, only to receive a devilish grin from him. He slowly kissed his way up her body, and when he found her lips, he slid himself into her with one swift movement. It wasn't hard enough to hurt her, but just enough to bring her over the edge that he had recently abandoned. She cried out in ecstasy, raking her nails down his back.

Parker watched her face, and no matter how much he had to drink, he was sober enough in that moment to have her look of pure satisfaction etched into his memory forever. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out, but he knew that he wanted to satisfy her at least one more time before he could give in to his release.

When she rolled them over so that she could be on top, he thought that he was in heaven. To feel her grinding on him was amazing, and to watch her breast bouncing as she rode him was nearly killing him. She grabbed his hands in hers and linked them together over his head, kissing him with all she had, and Parker fought his control. She was completely taking over, and he loved every single second of it. When she sat back up, she placed his hands on her breasts and she ran her hands through her hair, grabbing it half way through and tossed her head back as she rode through another orgasm.

He couldn't handle it anymore. The look of sheer bliss on her flushed face and her contractions around him sent him over the edge, exploding his seed inside of her. She collapsed her slightly sweaty body onto his, laying there and feeling their hearts racing together. In that moment, she felt truly and completely connected to him. His fingers softly ran up and down her back, causing her to shiver slightly, but loving every second of it.

"Think we can make it to the shower?" She asked. "I have to pee, and it’s only a step away."

"We can try, but let’s make it a quick one, ok?"

Bella nodded and headed for the bathroom quick, and once she flushed the toilet, Parker knew it was ok for him to go in there for their shower. They both rinsed off quickly, then got out of the shower. Parker wrapped Bella in one of her large fluffy towels, glad that she hadn't washed her hair. He didn't want to wait for her to dry it, he just wanted to get back in bed with her. Once they were both dry, they climbed between the sheets and cuddled together, quickly falling asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning, Bella woke up alone, with a bottle of Gatorade and a few ibuprofen on her nightstand. Even though her hangover surprisingly wasn't too bad, she took the pills and drank the whole bottle of the refreshing liquid. Noticing that she was still naked, she threw on her satin robe and went searching her apartment for Parker. On the kitchen table, she found a note telling her that he had an early morning radio show to attend, but he hoped to be back with some breakfast before she woke.

Since he hadn't come back yet, she jumped in the shower, ridding herself completely of any hangover that she may have had. By the time she was dressed and ready to go for the day, Parker was just getting back with a bag of fresh bagels and an assortment of cream cheese. Bella's mouth watered at the smell of the hot bagels and kissed him for his thoughtfulness.

As they sat at the table eating, Isabella had a thought. "You know, if you're going to stay over here a lot, you should bring some of your stuff so you don't have to leave so early to go home and change before appearances." Immediately her face reddened. "I mean, if you want to. You don't have to, if it's too soon for you." She back peddled.

Parker smiled. "Well Ms. Violi, I didn't realize we were at that level yet." He teased, making her blush even more, lowering her head so that he couldn't see exactly how embarrassed she was. He reached over and put his finger under her chin and lifted it, making her look into his eyes. "I'm glad we are finally on the same page with our feelings. I thought you would never get there." He smirked. "So how many drawers do I get?"

She smiled, feeling relieved that she hadn't made a total ass of herself. "Well, I guess I can clear out three drawers, and part of my closet as long as you don't keep buying me stuff to fill it. And you can even have half of the medicine cabinet in the bathroom." She told him, as if she was making a huge sacrifice. But both knew that it wasn't a sacrifice at all.

"So I take it we'll be here most of the time?" He asked, not really caring.

"It's just so close to the restaurant. When you have to do things, it's all over the city. It just kind of makes sense, right?"

He leaned over and kissed her. "Yes. And just for the record, I would be wherever you wanted to be."

She smiled again, blushing a little before looking at the clock. She really needed to get there early to make up for not being there the night before. "Well, thanks for breakfast, but I really need to run or else I'm going to be late."

"Do you want my driver to take you?" He offered.

She laughed. "It'll take longer to drive than to walk, but thanks."

"Ok." He said, getting up from the table and pulling her up with him. "Let's go then." She gave him a confused look. "I'm going to spend as much time with you as possible right now. I know work is busy, and I'm going to have to travel a little for promotional appearances, so just humor me, ok?"

She kissed him before grabbing her purse and held his hand as they walked out of the apartment. On her walk to work, she greeted all the people that she normally greeted, but smiling just a little bit more.

Once they got to the TigerLily, she was happy that none of her employees were there yet. She pulled Parker into the restaurant and gave him a searing kiss. When he tried to go for more, she pushed him away with a laugh and told him she had work to do. He groaned, but accepted it. With another quick kiss, he left her to her work. Bella stood there for a moment, watching him walk away, feeling happier than she ever had in her life. As she practically danced around the tables to her office, she thought to herself that she was in so much trouble because of her feelings for Parker. It was way too soon for the thoughts and feelings that she had swirling around in her.

The morning went by all too quickly because she was so busy cleaning up the paperwork on her desk. It was amazing how quick it all piled up. Soon after she was done, she needed to go and inspect some shipments that were coming in. It felt like things were finally returning to normal after her vacation, and it only took a couple of weeks to get there. She swore that she was never taking a vacation like that again, it took way too long to play catch up.

And it wasn't just about how much work she had to make up, she missed Dylan too. He had always been there for her, and it seemed like lately, he had been constantly mad at her. He'd been on his vacation for a few weeks, and she hadn't heard from him at all. In all honesty, it was worrying her that he would come back and tell her that he was done, that he didn't want his job anymore. Isabella understood that he just wanted to protect her from Parker, but he also needed to trust her and her decisions. He needed to let her go and let her soar or fall, but make the choice on her own. And if he was a true friend, he would let her make her decisions, then be there as her friend at the end, no matter what happened. That was how friendship worked, right? It was the way things worked with Jason, why couldn't it be that way with Dylan too?

Her fear of Dylan quitting caused her to call Abby to come in and start as soon as possible. Even though she didn't really have the extra time to train her, she needed to be prepared just in case Dylan was a bonehead and quit on her. Amazingly, Abby was able to start that night, she had been sitting around bored without working.

Abby showed up around 4:00 that day, giving them plenty of time to acclimate her to the restaurant before the dinner crowd started to filter in. She familiarized herself with the menu and met the chefs, and even sampled some of their food. She was definitely pleased at their cooking and raved that it was way better than the last restaurant she worked at.

Since Abby wouldn't be working in the kitchen at all, she was going to be dressed in a black shirt with white pinstripes, and black pants. Bella had already ordered her uniform, so it was ready for her when she got there.

When the first few customers came in, Abby shadowed one of the best waiters, learning the seating chart, and how the guests were seated. She was very impressed with the professionalism that she saw, and realized how lucky she was to get the job. When things started to pick up, she went back to the kitchen where Bella was. Bella showed her how she prepared the desserts when the kitchen got too busy, which would be the only thing that she would be doing in there, if anything at all.