After the Interview (7 page)

“Let’s do this,” she said.

“What?” he said with a strained look.

“Let’s get to this party and get the unforgettable night you promised me started,” Zoe answered.

Not exactly what C J was picturing, but he put his hand at Zoe’s waist and said, “I can’t wait.” Zoe bit her lip and realized C J had a knack for saying things that could have double meanings.

Stepping outside, Zoe looked at C J when she did not see the Cadillac parked and ready to go.

Guessing her reaction, C J said, “I told you the Cadillac wasn’t my usual ride.”

He took her arm and guided her to the passenger door of a Jeep Wrangler. “I took the liberty of leaving the top off since it looks like another nice night to stargaze,” he said, smiling at her.

Zoe buckled her seatbelt and looked at C J as he got in the jeep. Before getting on the freeway, C J apologized for the noise but told Zoe the drive was a short one. Zoe didn’t mind at all because it gave her time to watch C J and not have to say a word. The wind rustled the curls behind his ears and gave him a tousled rakish look, which had Zoe wishing she had chosen the elevator to her room option. Sooner than she had expected, they exited the freeway and began to wind their way through an industrial warehouse district.

C J noticed that Zoe was looking at him intently and asked, “What’s up?”

“Just wondering how a flight to Houston to do a routine interview ended up with me attending a crayfish boil,” Zoe said. What she was also thinking was, how long does a crayfish boil last?

“So, what exactly happens at one of these events?” Zoe asked.

“Well we eat, drink beer, laugh a lot and dance. It’s a dinner party outdoors, with newspaper on the tables instead of tablecloths,” he answered her.

Before they turned the corner of the building on their left, the distinct aroma of spices mingled with seafood reached her nose, and then she heard the unmistakable pulse of Zydeco music. While C J was sliding the jeep to a stop, three men all yelled his name and walked over to shake his hand with one of the men shoving a beer into his other hand.

“Oswald Dupre, cher,” the man closest to her said and hugged her.

Catching her breath, Zoe introduced herself, and before she knew it a cold beer was also in her hand. As the men spoke to C J and laughed, Zoe surveyed the party. There had to be over 200 people at this crayfish boil. Picnic tables covered in layers of newspaper surrounded a dance floor on three sides and she was just able to catch glimpses of the band through the crowd. Zoe spotted Burt Marshall and C J’s sister, Logan, at a crowded table covered with piles of crayfish, corn on the cob and buckets of iced beer. Logan yelled at C J to get his attention and he grabbed Zoe’s hand without thinking to help guide her through the crowd to the table. Logan smiled as they walked up, and she told her side of the table to scoot down the bench to make room for them.

C J placed a paper plate filled with crayfish and corn on the cob in front of Zoe. “Start right in and throw the empty shells in a pile on the newspaper.”

This wasn’t that unlike eating crab at an east coast beach party, so Zoe started to feel at ease. What Zoe wasn’t prepared for was the zing of the red pepper that hit her palate after she ate a few of the crayfish.

When he saw her reaction, C J half grimaced half grinned and said, “Sorry I didn’t warn you about that but now you know why the beer comes in handy.”

Then he pulled one out of the bucket, twisted the cap off and placed it in front of her. As Zoe started to drink, the cold beer cooling her mouth, she saw Jack Dupre walk by with a bucket of beer in hand, headed to another table. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Logan watching Jack without any effort to hide her interest.

C J was right; this event had a lot of food, beer and people laughing while having a great time. Zoe noticed no hierarchy at this party. She saw CEOs talking to forklift drivers, and people mingled freely from table to table. However, C J was not leaving her alone like he had done at the cocktail party, and Zoe liked the fact that he positioned his body so that she was leaning into his side the whole time. More people had started to dance, and Zoe realized she was swaying to the music without thinking about it. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and then she saw Jack Dupre extend his hand and pull her up. Oh crap, Zoe thought, I haven’t danced in so long it’s not funny. Maybe the buzz from a few beers will make up for it.

Jack smiled, as if reading her mind, and said, “Don’t worry. If you can waltz you can manage this, and besides, the dance floor is so crowded we will hardly be able to move.”

Zoe, not sure if this last part was that comforting, stepped onto the dance floor with him. Jack was a phenomenal dancer, and Zoe felt like she was being guided effortlessly through the steps.

“Having fun?” he asked after spinning her expertly through two couples.

“I’m having a wonderful time and I’ll be sure to mention the Williams Company in my story. Thanks for inviting me,” Zoe said, smiling genuinely.

“As I recall, it was C J who invited you tonight and I am thrilled you could come,” Jack answered.

The song ended and Jack took his time walking Zoe back to the table, introducing her to people along the way. By the time they reached the table, C J was on his feet and extending his hand to Zoe.

“After seeing what a great dancer you are, it’s my turn now,” he said, glancing at Jack. When they reached the dance floor, Zoe was relieved to hear this song was slow.

C J grinned and said, “I paid handsomely to get them to play a slow song.”

Zoe gave him an “oh really” look but melted into his body as he pulled her close to him. She could feel his heart beat against her chest, and she leaned her head against his shoulder and relaxed. C J paused mid-step, and Zoe looked up to see Logan and Jack on the dance floor together. The two of them did not look like lovers, but they did not look like enemies either. When C J and Zoe headed to the table to sit down, she had to swerve to miss sitting on a beer bottle someone had left on the bench. In doing so, her hand landed on C J’s thigh but this time she didn’t move it. C J waited to see if Zoe would move her hand, and when she didn’t his thigh muscles relaxed a bit but his penis started to grow hard and stiff.

           Knowing what she was feeling, C J looked at her and said, “Zoe I think you need to move your hand or I won’t be able to get up and walk out of this party.”

Zoe’s hand moved to the bench, but she could hardly breathe. She had not felt this much pent up desire in years, and it was all she could do to sit at the table for one minute more. Jack and Logan walked back to the table, talking quietly. As C J looked at his sister she mouthed the words “just talking” and sat down. Before Zoe could say anything, C J stood up and started saying goodbye to the people at their table, using her flight out tomorrow as an excuse to leave the party early. Zoe nodded to Logan and said her goodbyes to the group as well. It seemed to take forever to wind their way through the party and head back to the parking area. When they encountered Jack Dupre on the way out, Zoe hugged him and thanked him for a great evening.

C J looked at Jack who said, “It’s fine, C J, nothing to get worked up about.”

Apparently C J was satisfied with this because he turned, put his arm around Zoe’s waist and headed for the Jeep. Instead of opening the Jeep door for her, C J turned her body, bent his head down and kissed her so hard that she knew exactly what his intentions were. She was ready.

As Zoe pulled him closer to her, she parted her lips and his tongue slid into her mouth. She felt his penis hardening as his body pressed against her, and she moved her hand down his back, molding her body into his to feel the length of him.

C J pulled back and groaned. “Unless we plan to finish this in the back of the Wrangler I say we stop now and get out of here.”

Zoe, about to opt for the Wrangler, looked at C J and said, “Whose place is closer?”

Opening the door for her, C J said “Mine.” Zoe leaned back in the seat, looked up at the stars and thought this is going to be one of the longest rides of my life.

C J hesitated long enough to fix the shortest route to his place in his mind and then hit the gas. He felt an intense desire to satiate his body’s longing by connecting with Zoe and this shocked him. The need for sex was not new but such an intense desire for a particular woman surprised him. C J had no doubts this night with Zoe was going to be memorable and nothing else mattered at the moment. His desire to hold Zoe’s naked body and feel himself inside her was all he could focus on. Too damned bad they hadn’t just stayed in the hotel. Pulling into the driveway of his home, C J nixed the idea of waiting for the garage door to open and stopped near the front door. He looked over at Zoe and saw she was just as eager as he was because she was already reaching for the door handle to exit the Jeep.

No reason to be shy or pretend she was having second thoughts at this point, Zoe thought to herself. Visions of C J naked and linked with her body were about to become a fact. Zoe relaxed a bit and sighed, only now realizing how much pent up desire she had for this man. She had no fears she would be disappointed in his body or his sexual appetite. Zoe’s thoughts were interrupted by C J unlocking the front door and waiting for her to enter his home. As she stepped into the foyer, she heard the door shut and immediately felt C J’s hands pull her body into his. She felt his hands deftly unbuttoning her shirt as she dropped her purse and scarf, freeing her hands to pull his face down to hers. When C J’s lips touched hers, it was like flooring the gas pedal in a sports car. Zoe’s body ached for him and her desire was evidenced by the moistness she felt between her legs. C J raised his head and looked at Zoe briefly before she felt her shirt slip off of her shoulders and slide down her back. His hands caressed her neck and back. Then his lips started trailing kisses down the side of her throat to the hollow at the base of her neck. The moment Zoe felt her bra loosen, her body tensed for what she knew was to follow. Feeling C J’s lips tease the nipple of her left breast as his hand caressed her right almost brought her to her knees. Then his tongue ignited an ache between her legs as it started to circle her nipple and his right hand started to move to the top of her pants.

“No,” Zoe said in a throaty whisper, “you don’t get all of the fun,” as she brought her hands to his belt.

C J was silent as she undid the button on his jeans and slid the zipper down. Her hand moved over his hard belly, felt the heat of his body and the throbbing of his penis as her other hand tried to concentrate on getting his shirt unbuttoned. Zoe quickly abandoned working on the shirt and used both hands to slide his jeans down enough to give her the access she wanted to caress his penis. As her hands encircled his erect penis, C J arched his back and leaned into her touch.

Seconds later Zoe heard C J say, “Now.”

There was a momentary pause, a glance and then clothing came off in a frenzy of motion. Zoe thought she heard fabric rip as C J freed himself from his shirt while she slid her pants and underwear down her legs onto the floor. Before she could step out of the pile her clothing had become, C J pulled her back into his arms and she felt the full length of his hard penis press into her belly. Zoe wanted nothing more than to feel him inside her and, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking, C J cupped her buttocks in his hands and lifted her off of her feet. Zoe tightened the grip of her arms around his neck and worked to circle her legs around his waist. She felt the moist lips to her vagina part as C J’s penis entered her body. Zoe moaned with desire as he slid into her, and she felt her body tighten with the pleasure she was feeling. They had both started to move and found a rhythm that matched, when Zoe felt her desire quicken. Working to draw C J even deeper inside her, she felt her body driven by waves of pleasure that pushed her to engulf C J’s penis with the intent of keeping him in her prolonging the pleasure. C J matched the intensity of Zoe’s desire and thrust more deeply into her. As Zoe felt the strength of her orgasm building, she could sense that C J was working to draw out each moment of pleasure for both of them. While her orgasm was reaching its climax, she felt C J‘s penis pulsate and then release itself inside her. Clutching Zoe to his body C J slowly leaned back against the wall to steady them both. Zoe laid her head on his shoulder not wanting to break contact with his body.

The only words Zoe uttered were, “Don’t let me go just yet.”

“No chance of that,” C J said as he turned, still holding Zoe, and walked down the hall.