Romancing the Runway

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Kennedy wasted no time in filling Xavier in on her conversation with Martina, telling him about the new Latin club and how much she loved the music. “Are you busy this evening? I’d love for you to come meet my friends.” She cringed, thinking she may’ve been a tad too forward. Well, I couldn’t possibly know if I didn’t ask him.

“I’m all yours, but I’d better get going. I have a couple of things I should take care of if I’ll be hanging out with you and your friends the entire evening.” He got to his feet. The desire to kiss her hit him full force again. Instead of giving in to his craving, he took her by the hand. “Walk me out?”

Loving the feel of her hand in his, Kennedy smiled softly. “No problem.”

At the front door, Xavier found the nerve to brush his lips against hers. The minor contact shot through him like a major lightning bolt, heating up every part of his body. This was ridiculous, he thought. How was it possible to feel so much from so little?

Kennedy was happy Xavier had kissed her, but she was a bit disappointed he hadn’t deepened the contact. Still, hope arose in her, causing her heart to float.

“What time should I pick you up?”

“Eight o’clock is good. I promise not to keep you out too late. However, if you prefer, I can always meet you there. Whatever works best for you.”

Xavier scowled. “Nonsense! I prefer picking you up. Okay with you?”

“Just fine. See you around eight.”

Xavier opened the door and stepped outside. Before Kennedy could close the door behind him, he was back inside, gently pulling her into his arms. This time he kissed her the way he’d dreamed of since the first day he’d met her. He kissed her thoroughly, making her moan with sheer pleasure. The intimate contact felt explosive.

Xavier didn’t give Kennedy a chance to respond to his spontaneous affection nor stay in range long enough for her to slap his face. He was out the door in a flash, leaving her bewildered and utterly bewitched. As she stared after him, he blew her a kiss.

Sighing deeply, running her fingers across her lips, she wished she could preserve his kiss forever. Maybe she wouldn’t have to. Perhaps he wanted more of the same, as she did. She couldn’t wait to feel his mouth on hers again.

Xavier hung up the phone after listening to his messages. He could hardly believe the content of the long running commentary his agent had left for him. He had just been offered a guest appearance spot on one of the most popular soap operas on television, Love, Laughter & Life. This news was great but totally unexpected.

He’d auditioned a while ago and had been told by Kirsten that the studio planned to use several other professional models for judges in a modeling segment. With that in mind, he thought Kennedy just might be called upon. That’d really be nice, since he definitely wanted to work with her again.

This particular segment of L,L&L was featuring a story line about a modeling contest. The producer had thought Xavier would make an excellent celebrity judge. Besides being very easy on the eyes and having a beautiful body, Xavier’s warm personality and his popularity among both the older and younger generations had earned him the producer’s nod.

He couldn’t wait to share his news with Kennedy. The thought of phoning her crossed his mind, but he decided to wait until he picked her up later on. Her facial expression was what he wanted to see most, sure that she’d be overly thrilled for him.

After Xavier washed his hands at the bathroom sink, he went out to the kitchen to get something cold to drink.

Soda in hand, his strides long and deliberate, he made his way into his office, where he pulled from his pocket the paper with the possible vacation dates. After grabbing his calendar, he sat in the leather swivel chair at the desk to compare their schedules. It didn’t take him long to find that his agenda was even tighter than hers. Nothing in June worked. July showed that he had the same time frame as she had open at the end of the month. He circled the dates, though he hated that they were so far away.

Still, there’d be plenty for them to do before then. Southern California was a hotbed of all sorts of activities. If nothing else, they could swim and then laze around his pool or the beach. A vacation away wouldn’t necessarily bring them closer. If that’s what they wanted, they could make it happen by continuing to spend quality time together.

As Xavier thought about their evening, he wondered if Kennedy would mind if he invited Janine and Jonathan along. Janine also had a huge thing for Latin music. But if he wanted to be alone with Kennedy, why was he inviting others to come along?

Well, for one thing, he could hardly consider a club setting as alone. Her friends would be there, too. Maybe they were the same people they were going to cook for next week. If that was the case, breaking the ice before then would be a good thing. Without giving it any more thought, he picked up the phone and dialed his friends.

Out of respect and habit, Xavier stood until Kennedy was seated on the sofa. Now was as good a time as any to share his thrilling news with her. He then thought about waiting until they were at the club, but he quickly dismissed the idea. He wanted it to be a private moment. The timing was perfect right now.

Smiling from ear to ear, Xavier took hold of Kennedy’s hand. “I got some great news earlier.” He then spilled the beans, giving her all the details his agent had left on his answering machine. He still hadn’t talked to Kirsten.

Several seconds passed by and Xavier began to get nervous. Kennedy hadn’t said a word and he couldn’t read her thoughts because her expression was blank. He opened his mouth to ask her why she was mum, but he thought better of it. While he didn’t quite know what to make of the uncomfortable silence, Xavier didn’t want to speculate, either. God forbid he should come to all the wrong conclusions.

All of a sudden, Kennedy laughed and threw her willowy arms around Xavier’s neck, nearly toppling him off the sofa. “Congrats,” she cried out. “How exciting for you! Oh my gosh, you could end up becoming a soap star. You are going to be on L,L&L. That is so cool,” she gushed. “Think I can visit the set?”

Xavier laughed at how all of Kennedy’s words were tumbling out in rapid succession. “Come up for air, sweetie. Breathe,” he joked. “It’s okay to inhale and exhale.” His laughter continued to ring out, loud and lusty.

Beyond excited for Xavier, Kennedy fell out laughing, too, hugging his neck all the while. “You are the man!”

Her reaction made him feel like he’d just been crowned prom king. The expressions he’d barely been able to wait to see on her face were priceless. She hadn’t let him down, not in the least. He was just plain relieved, glad the awkward moments between them had passed.

Kennedy stood. “I guess we’d better get going if we’re to get to the club on time.” Feeling slightly bold, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently on the mouth. “I’m very proud of you. Congratulations!”

Suddenly looking downtrodden, Kennedy turned to face Xavier. “I wasn’t going to say anything to you about auditioning for a part on L,L&L, but it’s deceptive not to. Unlike you, I haven’t gotten a nod. My manager, Chase Hudson, hasn’t heard anything yet. Since you’ve been offered a part, I can’t help wondering where I stand. The producer seemed to like me. To be quite honest, I’m very disappointed there’s been no word.”

Xavier’s expression was apologetic. “I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t hurt your feelings by coming off so enthusiastic.”

“My feelings are hurt, but I don’t fault you. It would’ve been nice to have heard something from the producer by now. It’s possible they haven’t called everyone. Who knows? I’m still happy for you. Please don’t think otherwise.”

Desperately wanting to taste more of her, Xavier pulled her into him and held her snugly in his arms. His mouth then covered hers in a riveting kiss, one that made her body turn into a mass of jelly. She prayed he couldn’t feel the quivering, but she couldn’t imagine how he couldn’t since it felt like an earthquake was exploding inside her.

As Xavier lifted his head, Kennedy pulled it back down. He wasn’t the only one who wanted more of this bursting passion. He had singed her lips with fire and desire and she wanted it to go on and on. Their eyes clashed with fiery heat as they kissed again.

Just as they were about to go out the door, Kennedy told him to go ahead outside. She had forgotten something and promised to be right along. Then she ran into the kitchen and punched in a code on the phone. After giving instructions to the person she’d phoned, she hung up and ran back to the front, where she set the alarm and stepped out.

How Kennedy had managed to have the crystal vase of long-stemmed red roses delivered to the club so quickly had Xavier astounded. It seemed like they’d just left her home, but a glance at his watch had confirmed for him it had been a while. Coupled with the fact that she’d suddenly gone back into the house, he was sure she’d phoned in the florist order then. It was the only time it could’ve happened. She hadn’t been out of his sight before then. He knew of several area florists who did late-evening deliveries.