Chapter 22

Mark ushered them into the apartment, leading them first to the kitchen so Cilla could take care of the cake. As they entered the living room the quiet conversation that had been going on came to a grinding halt. It was so quiet you could hear the seconds ticking by on the clock on the wall.

Cilla gave Jon's hand a slight squeeze before she crossed the room to Sid. "Why did everyone stop talking?" Sid kissed Cilla's cheek, "You look lovely Cil and I think they are all a bit shocked at who you walked in with." She crossed the room took Jon's hand and went back to stand by Sid, whispering fiercely in his ear "introduce us and tell your friends to stop staring."

Sid cleared his throat, "everyone, I'm pretty sure you remember my best friend Cilla." The men all nodded their heads, "this is her" he looked at Jon and Cilla and shrugged, "boyfriend, Jon." Cilla rolled her eyes at his use of the word "boyfriend." Sid indicated to the first couple, "Cilla and Jon, this is Steve and Eric." The men shook hands with Jon and kissed Cilla's cheek.

Sid turned to the next couple, "this is Ted and Larry." Again there were handshakes and kisses. Jon could tell by the look on Ted's face that he was a fan. He waited for the reaction and wasn't disappointed when, not two seconds after introducing himself, it happened. "Oh my you're Jon Bon Jovi! I just love your band's music!"

Jon just smiled, "yes I am and thank you." Ted continued to gush, "I listen to Lost Highway all the time and Larry and I have tickets to the last two shows at Madison Square Garden." He nearly squealed like a girl as he rushed to get the words out. Jon smiled, "keep your ears open, we've got a surprise in the works."

Ted got all excited, "a surprise, I love surprises. We'll keep our ears to the ground and our eyes open!" He turned to Larry, "won't we Larry?" Larry looked mortified at his partner's behavior. "Of course we will Ted. Now come on, I need a refill on my wine." He looked at Jon and mouthed "sorry" as they walked away.

Jon closed his eyes and prayed that the whole night wasn't going to be like that. "Here." He opened his eyes to find Cilla standing in front of him holding out a wineglass. "I thought you might need this." He gratefully took the glass she offered and sipped the golden liquid, "mmm, thank you. You must be able to read my mind or something." Cilla smiled, "or something."

When they all sat down to eat Jon had Cilla on his left and Mark on his right. As he and Mark spoke his hand rested lightly on Cilla's thigh. She tried to concentrate on the conversation she was having with Larry but it was difficult with heat of Jon's fingers seeping through the thin silk of her pants. She slipped her hand under the table and covered his, giving a gentle squeeze before she stood.

In the kitchen with Sid, Cilla retrieved the pink box from the refrigerator. "Do you have a cake plate Sid?" He looked at her, "you're kidding right? Of course I do." He got the footed plate out of the cupboard and handed it to her. "Are you going to tell me what you made?" He arranged cookies on another plate poured the coffee into a carafe, arranging everything on a tray.

Cilla slid the cake from the box onto the plate. "Your favorite." He turned and saw the tall coconut cream cake on the crystal plate. "You made coconut cream! You hate coconut cream, but thank you." She kissed his cheek, "you're welcome. Come on, let's take this in the other room before we're missed."

After dessert was cleared away and the couples were sipping their coffee in the living room, Sid disappeared only to reappear minutes later with a stack of board games in his arms. Cilla groaned inwardly and looked at Jon. An amused smiled tugged at his lips and Cilla wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. She leaned over and whispered in Jon's ear, "want to get out of here?" He was more than ready to get her alone, but he shrugged his shoulders and left it up to her, "whatever you want to do baby."

Cilla took their cups to the kitchen and grabbed Sid on the way, "we're leaving." Sid pouted, "but its game time." Cilla snuck a peek past him and into the living room, "Jon and I have our own games we want to play." She kissed him "I'll see you Monday morning Sid. Thanks for everything." She grabbed Jon's hand and he stood. They said their goodbyes and headed to the elevator.

When the doors slid shut Jon pulled Cilla close and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, "I've been wanting to do that all night." She slid her arms up around his neck, "do it again." He smiled and kissed her thoroughly. When the elevator opened again Cilla's face was flushed and she had to hold onto Jon to keep from falling down.

When they stepped outside Cilla started to the left and Jon tried to go to the right. He looked over at her, "come home with me?"