When Dreams Come to Life (13 page)

“Any tension with Jessie today?” Damn, I was hoping work wouldn’t come up.

“Not at all. It went great.”
That’s not going to hide shit, Lea!

“You sound like something happened. Tell me, Lea.”
Okay, here it goes.

“I had an old boyfriend show up, asking why I didn’t tell him about you. He disrupted my work and kitchen, so I made him wait it out in my office.”

“Well, I know you would have handled it. You’re very assertive.” He has no idea.

“He got assertive back, Eoin.” I wait. “He kissed me.” I feel a tinge of pain in my throat.

“Well, I hope you stopped him and let him know you’re mine.” Oh, my, I hear the anger in his voice.

“I pushed him hard enough to put him on the couch from my desk. Are you mad at me?” I swallow hard, waiting in silence for a few seconds.

“Good girl,” he says, a smile evident in his tone. “I could never be mad at you. You did nothing wrong and you told me about it, which makes me trust you even more.” I feel nothing but relief.

“Good! I’m so hungry that I could die,” I say with a laugh. “I’m counting the days, Eoin. I’m so excited to see you.”

“I’m very excited too, babe. Go eat and I’ll text you tomorrow. I’ve got heaps to do so I’m not sure if I will be able to call.” I frown at that.

“Okay, I miss you and hope you’ve had a good day. Give that orange tabby a kiss from me,” I add, recalling his extremely cute picture.

“I will. Have a good day tomorrow and let that guy know I said thanks for admiring what’s mine.”
Ha ha, that was perfect.

“I will. He’s got nothing on you, handsome. Sleep well and we’ll talk soon.” We hang up and I just hug my phone. He’s perfect!

“See, he’s not mad at all,” I toy. “I had to tell him.”

“Good, dude. He’s too sweet. I’m super jealous.” She makes a squish face at me and we laugh.

We finish up our food and watch a movie, drinking wine and chatting. I’m so glad I have her here with me, I’d be going insane otherwise.

I lay back and start thinking about all that I need to do before I go, making a mental note to get the girl next door to watch my animals again for me.

I have so much to do that it makes my head hurt so I start to think about Eoin and am instantly in a better place.

I’m ready to see and touch him. I wonder what he has planned for me. Is he going to be picking me up at the airport? Oh fuck, I can only imagine the swarm of his
fans. I hope he’s okay with all of that. I’d hate for me to be added pressure or stress on his already filled plate.

I feel myself dozing off with many of these wayward thoughts and finally fall asleep on the couch with Crystal.

ä

When I wake, I have a throbbing headache. Damn wine - this is why I stick with a white wine or beer. Red just kills me.

I go into the kitchen to get some Advil and notice a note under a delicious looking blueberry muffin from Crystal.

Going to be with Chris tonight (hehe), so I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. Love ya.

I’m so pleased she and Chris are hitting it off. Maybe he’ll get her to move back here, hopefully. I may have talk to her about that.

I get ready for work and head out, stopping by the
neighbors’ place to arrange for her daughter to come by and take care of the animals again while I’m gone. I hand her the spare key and let her know I leave Sunday and return in a week.

Good, that’s taken care of and I feel somewhat better about taking the week off. Just a few more things to check off the list and I’ll be all set to leave the day after tomorrow.

I get to the restaurant and walk in to Vicki yelling on the phone. I wait for her to finish and ask her what’s wrong.

“Fucking men! I swear they’re only good for one thing sometimes. Derik is acting like a prick about me doing our girls’ night instead of going to his parents’.”
Shit!
I totally forgot about that. She shoots me a look so I give her a huge grin.

“You forgot, didn’t you?” she sighs.

“I did, yes. We’re still on but without Crystal. She and Chris seem to be hitting it off.” I smile again and she smiles back.

“Good. I would’ve been mad if I just yelled at him for nothing.”

“We’re set. Get through this day and we’ll get knackered, okay?” She winks at me and I head back to the kitchen.

I’m interrupted by a customer asking me about the menu.

“Can you tell me which of the ingredients are fresh in this dish?” I want to laugh!

“Ma’am, all of our ingredients are bought fresh every day.”

She switches tact suddenly, startling me. “Oh, so how long have you been dating Eoin? Are the two of you in love? What’s he like to you?” I nearly lose it with this fucking woman!

“You need to leave now before I make you leave,” I reply through gritted teeth, feeling nothing but loathing towards her.

“Are you threatening me, Chef Lea?”
Really, bitch? I’ll snag you by that ratty blonde hair and show you, I promise!

“Get the fuck out of my restaurant, now!” I give the reporter the most evil look I can muster and she turns to leave, just as Trent walks in.
God fucking damn it!
This is all I need!

“Trent, get the hell out of here, too! I don’t have time for your shit.” He’s smart and leaves. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the reporter scurry off.
Fuck!
He would never do that to me… I hope.

Thank the heavens the rest of the day goes by smoothly. It’s almost closing time when I pull Jessie into my office and give him some instructions on the party we have next week. I also let him know he’s in charge as of now.

“I’m trusting you with my life, Jessie. Show me that you can handle this and a raise may be in your future.” I look him dead in the eyes as I say this.

“Chef Lea, I’ll take care of it as if it were my own. I’m looking forward to this opportunity to show you my skills.” He shakes my hand and smiles.

“I’ll call every day to check on you. If you need anything or have any questions, please call me. I’ll answer straight away.”

“I will. Things will flow like normal, I promise, chef. Thank you again for this. I hope that you’re okay too.” I look at him questioningly.

“I saw the reporter,” he replies, answering my unspoken question. 

“I’ll be okay, Jessie. She’s just doing her stupid-ass job of being nosy.” I laugh.

“Okay, just making sure, chef.” I reassure him everything’s fine and head out with Vicki.

We stop at a local bar and have a few drinks then head to my place, stopping by the liquor store for beers and whiskey, and also picking a pizza up.

We both shower and grub down on the pizza, chit chatting away. I decide to check my pages because I haven’t been on in a while.

“Looks like you and Aurora have the page set,” I laugh.

“Yeah, she does great during the day. Have you talked to her yet? She’s been blowing me up, asking about you and Eoin.”

“I see I’ve got a message from her, but I know it will be more than one. Let’s see what they say.” I open up the window and good God!

I scroll through all of them and begin to laugh hysterically at some of her comments. I love this girl - she’s always good for a million laughs and sweet as ever. Vicki and I are in tears!

I wipe the moisture from my face and begin to type simple, short answers to her questions, ending with “Hi Aurora, how are you?” I wait a few seconds and she starts to respond.

* Oh, my God, Lea! You’re so lucky! Is he there now? If so, HI, EOIN! I LOVE YOU! *

Again I laugh out loud.

* No, he isn’t here LOL but that’s awesome
!
*

I turn to Vicki.

“I’ll have to try to get him to take a picture with me on my cam to send to her.”

“You’re going to kill the poor thing if you do that but she’d love it. Watch out though, she may ask him to get naked on the cam.” If I don’t stop laughing this hard, I think I may die. I get another message.

* Damn! Where is he? Oh, I know, he’s shooting his show. You’ve got to tell me everything that’s happened! *

I start to give her the play-by-play and she messages me in between with OMFGs and smileys. Vicki’s sitting next to me on her iPad, going through the page and showing me the fan comments.

Some of them know who I am so there are tons of questions and ridiculously funny comments. Of course, the fans that don’t know me can see what the others are saying and are also going nuts!

I decide to post on the page to explain that yes, I’m the one who’s dating Eoin now. I make it short and sweet so I don’t have to answer a million questions.

“Lea, you know they’re going to hound you no matter what. It’s going to be fun reading those comments, though.”

“I know but the ladies that know me have ruined any kind of discretion I had. Best to just let them know I won’t answer personal questions.” I shrug and she agrees.

I finish up with Aurora.

* I’ll let him know you love him. Maybe I’ll even send a picture your way next week. *

* OMG, Lea, that would be so awesome! You’re seeing him next week? *

* Yes, I’m going to Georgia to spend a week there. I’ll chat with you soon, and great job on the page. *

We finish up and I turn my attention to Vicki for our girl’s night. I grab a beer and a glass for her whiskey and pour some in. I turn the music on and we sit on the floor.

“So, what happened? How the fook did you manage to land the sexiest man alive?” I was waiting for that question.

“I honestly have no clue! I was standing in line to get autographs and he was just staring at me.” I shake my head, still in disbelief. “When I got up there, I was breathless and then as I went to leave, he grabbed me and asked me to save him a dance.” I throw my hands up and give her a confused look. How do I explain why he chose me?

“I think I would’ve fallen over and died if he did that to me.” She laughs and I tell her how the whole few days went down, how I instantly became a face in the tabloids.

Then I start to tell her about the sex… The amazing, perfect sex I
so
wish I could have right now. How he’s very attentive to me, touching me in all the right places. There’s not a word from Vicki this whole time. She has this amazed look on her face and I laugh.

“Are you going to be okay, Vicki?” I nudge her knee to bring her back to reality.

“I just can’t believe it. You’re so damn lucky.” She smiles at me and we continue to talk about Eoin and how she and Derik are doing, just a great night, all in all.

I love hanging out with her. She’s just as much of a loon as I am and we get along beautifully.

After we dance like mad all over my living room, we plop onto the couch and decide it’s time to wind down. I flip the TV on and channel surf. I come to an entertainment channel and see my face!
Oh, fuck!

The bold letters read:

Is Eoin Skye dating a small town chef?

“What the hell? I can’t believe what they are saying about me.” My irritation level just went through the roof! Small town chef? Denver is huge!

They also throw in there that most women like me are only in it for the fifteen minutes of fame and it will never last,
it
obviously referring to our relationship. Vicki grabs the remote and changes the channel.

“Don’t even worry about that, Lea. They’re just jealous he didn’t pick their fake-ass selves,” she says and reaches over to rub my shoulder.

“I just don’t get why they have to lie and say such horrid things. They’ve got no clue who I am.” I feel like screaming at the top of my lungs.

What a disgusting woman the presenter was. I should know better than anybody how tabloids are. It’s just hard when it’s you they are picking on. The thought makes me feel even worse for Eoin.

I look at my watch and notice it’s almost midnight. There’s been no word from Eoin; he must be tired.  I send him a short and sweet text message.

* I know you’re tired. Talk soon xoxo *

Vicki and I wash up and climb into my plush bed.

“Goodnight, lover,” she giggles.

“Same to you, lover face. We have shopping to do tomorrow.” That will be a nice stress reliever for me. I just hope Eoin didn’t see that terrible crap on TV. I take a deep breath and fall quickly to sleep.

Nine

I WAKE TO Eoin sitting in front of me. I quickly rise and wrap my arms around him.

“Why are you here? I mean, I’m so happy to see you but I’m just surprised.” I feel the heat rush to my face.

“I saw the entertainment news’ story, and I thought maybe you were upset about what they’d said about you, so I got on the first flight I could.” He runs his fingers down my face, making my body quiver all over.

“Yes, I wasn’t pleased about that one bit. I would love to see that blonde bitch say that to me herself.” I smile, looking over and noticing Vicki isn’t in bed.

I shoot back at Eoin, “Where’s Vicki?”

“I woke her when I got here. It was funny, actually. She asked if she was dreaming.” We laugh and he kicks his boots off, his clothes following slowly.

He’s so damn good at taking my breath away. He’s not wearing boxers and I can’t help it when my jaw hits the floor as he takes his shirt, then pants off, revealing... it! He laughs at me.

“Shall I keep the pants on?” he asks with a devilish look.

“
No!
” I clear my throat. “I mean, no, please leave them off.” Biting my lip, I throw him a wicked grin and he climbs into bed on top of me.

Taking my hands, he pins them above me and starts to kiss from my forehead down to my neck. Mmmm, I miss his delicious lips on me. He gives my neck a bite, making me jump. I look up into those eyes, the
fuck me
request clear in their depths.

“Still in character, are we?”

“Yes and you’re definitely something I want to drink, Lea.” He pushes his erection into me and I throw my head back, letting out a moan.

Biting his way down to my breasts and then my thigh, he pulls my legs apart and begins to swirl his tongue, before putting two fingers inside me.
Fuck me, Eoin!
He stops.

“You’re so ready for me, aren’t you, Lea?” Before I can say anything in return, he lowers his head again and continues to work his mouth on me.

I start to gyrate my hips and he picks up the pace. I feel like I’m about to burst when he stops and slams into me, pushing me over the edge. That’s it! I orgasm so hard, my legs shake in ecstasy.

“Yes, baby. I’m nowhere near done with you,” he hisses.

Oh, fuck, he starts to really thrust hard into me. My legs are jelly. He puts both of them above his shoulders and I watch his face as he moves. I just stare into his eyes, moaning, and enjoying watching that face scrunch up in pleasure.

I lean into his lips. I want him to let go while his mouth is on mine. His breathing picks up and he groans…

Finally, he lets go and pushes into me hard, holding himself deep inside me. He lets my legs fall and collapses beside me, pulling me into a kiss. A very passionate, amazing kiss…

ä

“Lea! Wake up!”
Ah, what the fuck?
I hate dreams that feel
that
real but love them at the same time.

“Why the hell did you wake me, Vicki?” I laugh and throw the pillow over my face, trying to go back to where I left off, but to no avail.

I reluctantly get out of bed and get ready.

We head out and hit up the best stores in Denver. I get this super cute black sundress and decide it’s what I’ll wear tomorrow. I get to Atlanta around 10am so I’ll have all day to flaunt it in front of Eoin.

Vicki and I hit up The Rialto Café for lunch. A friend of mine used to be the sous but he’s got his own restaurant now. It’s a good thing that the owner knows me well because we get a free meal.

I’ve spent way too much money today but it’s worth it. I got a sexy nightie to wear as well, along with some new panties and bras. I
so
hope Eoin likes them all.

I also get him a few things. I knew a really cool T-shirt shop that sells band shirts and what not, so I got him an awesome Radiohead one. A few other silly things, too, like a Colorado cup.

I’m a total dork but oh, well. He’ll like them… I hope!

Vicki heads home once she has helped me pick out Eoin’s gifts, and I go home to pack and get to bed. I’ve got to be up super early and hate being groggy.

I lay in bed and go through my check list of things to do, making sure I did everything I needed to.

I smile at the thought of Eoin being there to pick me up. I’m so excited to see him, to touch and kiss him. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

ä

Trent opens his door to a familiar blonde.

“Can I help you?” he asks.

“Maybe you can. What do you know about Lea McKenzie?” He gives her a sly look.

“Who are you and what’s this about, exactly?”

“I saw you in her restaurant and she didn’t want to comment on her relationship with Eoin. I thought maybe you could use the extra cash and fill us in.”

Oh, I would love to fuck this up,
Trent thinks to himself.

“What do you need to know exactly?

“How do you know Ms. McKenzie, exactly?”

“Well, we’ve been together for about 10 years now. We had a fight the night before she went to Dallas for the convention and then next thing I know, she’s with Eoin.”

              The reporter nods sympathetically. Trent notices she has a recording device in her hand suddenly that she seemed to whip out of nowhere.

“She cheated on me. Lea McKenzie broke my fucking heart.”

              The blonde is eating out of the palm of his hand so he invites her in for a few drinks. He continues to feed her everything he’s got, every pent-up, frustrated, angry feeling about Lea, for the next hour or so.

             
When he’s said everything he has to say, Trent shows the reporter out, pocketing the two crisp hundred dollar bills she slides into his hand on the way out, as he closes the door.

ä

I’m all cute and ready to go; I’ve even curled my hair! Anybody who knows me well enough knows I never do that unless it’s important. I look in the mirror and watch as a huge smile spreads across my face. Today, I get to see Eoin… My boyfriend.

I laugh like a crazy lady and do a dance. Okay, time to get going. I give my paw family some love and say goodbye, before heading out.

DIA is packed as usual. Luckily, I have a buddy that can rush me through and before I know it, I’m boarding the plane.

Before take off, I quickly ring and check on the restaurant. Jessie has everything under control. I breathe an audible sigh of relief, and pull out my book to read.

ä

I’ve never been here before so I’m a bit lost. I follow everyone else and eventually find the area where family and friends wait to pick passengers up. I don’t see Eoin, though!

As I scan the crowd, I see ‘Chef Lea’ emblazoned in capital letters on a sign held by a fierce-looking guy in a suit. I smile and walk up to him.

“I’m Chef Lea. Eoin isn’t here?” I ask.

“No, ma’am, that would be a mess so he had me pick you up.” I frown and he leads me to the line of waiting cars and taxis. We stop at a black SUV with darkly tinted windows and he leads me around to the trunk, helping me put my luggage in.

He rushes to open the door for me and I peep inside, only to see Eoin in the seat! I beam and jump in, heading straight to his lips. The door shuts and I see flashing.

Fuck, the paps spotted me getting in. We both laugh. He rolls the window down and blows them a kiss. God, he’s so good at being nice, even to those scumbags, and I love it.

“I missed you!” I smile and kiss him.

“You look delicious in that dress, Lea.” He’s looking me up and down. I get the chills and kiss him again.

“It’s just a comfy sun dress,” I reply coyly.

“You knew exactly what you were doing when you put that on,” he purrs, caressing my thigh.

“I have no idea what-” He pulls me into him and kisses me with vigor. I throw my hands in his hair and kiss him back even deeper.

He lifts my dress as I move on top of him, straddling him. Fuck, he knows exactly what I want him to do.

He yanks my panties aside roughly and they rip. I let out a deep groan and tear his jeans open hungrily. My hands on his hot and hard member, I lift myself and slam down on him, as he once did to me and am rewarded with a loud, and super fucking hot, groan.

I start to ride him so hard that the car feels like it’s moving up and down, even though we’re driving. Kissing and licking me, he pulls my dress down, revealing my breasts. He bites his lip and begins to literally eat me.

I continue to fuck him… hard. He grabs my face.

“You’re such a perfect fuck, baby. I never want to stop.” His tone is so erotic and sensual.

“I never want you to either, Eoin. I could have you buried in me all day, every day.”

I’m in sexual bliss! I want to come just looking at him. He pulls my nipple to his mouth, playing with the piercing there. I keep riding him, ever so slowly, when all of a sudden, he flips me onto my back. I throw my leg over his shoulder and grab his perfect ass.

I help him thrust into me, screaming out that I’m going to come. He begins goes faster… harder.
Oh, God…

“I want you to come so hard, baby,” I blurt out and he rewards me with a sexy-as fuck face that I know means he’s going to fill me up. I’m so ready for it. He brings his face close to mine and bites my lip.

“Oh, Lea! I’m going to-.”
Fuck yes, baby. Let it go.
He explodes into me hungrily, greedily, his hands twined in mine.

We collapse next to each other, our chests heaving. When I catch my breath, I sit up and fix my dress, watching him with heavy-lidded eyes as he pulls his pants up.

We both try and compose ourselves as we pull up to his condo on Peachtree.

Eoin grabs my hand and the door attendant attends to the luggage. We walk into a beautiful opening and I take in the perfect décor of the lobby.

I look over at him and he has a perfect smile on his face. I smile back and he pulls me into him and kisses me sweetly. I inhale deeply and drink him in.

I can feel him in me when he kisses me, like I’ve inhaled him. He just takes me to another world when those lush lips are on mine. It’s funny how one kiss can feel like an eternity with him. He pulls away and I give him a silly full smile.

“Let’s get upstairs so I can show you your first surprise.” Oh, I forgot about that!

“I hope you didn’t go to much trouble for little ol’ me.” He laughs and we head up to the tenth floor. When he opens his door, I nearly fall over. His condo living room is filled with flowers! Not roses… Columbines and wild flowers indigenous to Colorado! I stand there and tell myself to breathe but I can’t seem to do it.

I finally let a deep breath out and look over at him. My chest is heaving with amazement. How the heck did he pull this off? I feel like ripping his clothes off right there and I would, if not for that pesky doorman.

“I don’t even know what to say, I’m-”

“No need for words, Lea. That face and how beautiful you look right now is what I was hoping for.”

How can he get any more perfect? I shake my head with a smile and grab his face, staring into those eyes that leave me weak at the knees, and kiss him.

The doorman must sense the building sexual tension because he quickly deposits my bag and leaves, closing the door softly behind him. As soon we are alone, Eoin sweeps me into his arms. Heat starts at my face and makes its way down to the lowest point in my body.

Kissing me the whole way to his bedroom, he lays me down and I realize I’m on top of petals.

Fuck, Eoin!
His entire bed is covered in nothing but red rose petals. He undresses as he stands in front of me and I begin to do the same.

Laying beside me, he takes some petals in his hands and lets them float down onto my body. He reaches to grab a full rose and traces it down my length.
Mmmm…
I know exactly what to do and angle my head in sync with where he moves the rose.