Let's Stay Together (14 page)

33

L
auren sat on top of her covers, her laptop in front of her.
We’re getting serious while sitting in front of computers three thousand miles apart! This is agony! This is torture!

34

P
atrick wiggled his fingers over the keyboard.
Something is happening, something wonderful, and I can’t think of anything to say.

Patrick raced to charge up his phone and returned to the laptop.

35

L
auren leaped out of bed and put on a slinky black silk robe.

She lounged in her bed, letting the robe part to reveal a lot of leg.
I feel so sexy right now. It is so good to feel like a real woman for a change.

Although the sound of her phone made her jump, she let it ring twice before answering. “Hello,” she said as huskily as she could. She ended up coughing.

“Are you all right, Lauren?”

Now, that’s a real man’s voice,
she thought.
Strong. Virile. Deep. Definitely Brooklyn.
“I’m fine, Patrick. I was trying to do a little Bette Davis.”

“I like Lauren Short much better,” Patrick said.

“It’s easier on my voice, too,” she said.

“And my ears,” Patrick said. “It’s good to hear your voice.”

“Yours, too,” Lauren said. “What are you wearing?”

“Sweats and a T-shirt,” he said. “You?”

“A black silk robe,” she said.

“Oh,” Patrick whispered.

“You don’t have a black silk robe to lounge around in?” Lauren said.

“No, and even if I did, I wouldn’t wear it in Brooklyn in late November,” Patrick said. “Lauren, I want you to know that I have never done anything like this before.”

“Talking on the phone?”

“You know what I mean,” Patrick said. “Flirting like this.”

“Patrick, we’re not flirting with each other anymore,” Lauren said. “I think this is lust.”

“Yeah,” Patrick said. “I didn’t know I could be this lusty.”

“I bring out the beast in you, huh?” Lauren whispered. She untied the robe and let it slide off her shoulders.

“I’m not much of a beast,” Patrick said, “but you almost undressed me from three thousand miles away. How did you do that?”

“I have skills I didn’t know I had,” Lauren said.

“Yes,” Patrick said. “You could probably get me to do just about anything.”

“I couldn’t get you to let me call you,” Lauren said.

“No, and don’t bother trying,” Patrick said. “I’m old school like that. I should have already asked for your phone number.”

“I respect old school,” Lauren said. “It shows you had home training.”

“I really trained myself,” Patrick said. “So, um, how do we proceed?”

Lauren ran her free hand down her stomach. “How do we proceed? Isn’t that what we’re doing? Proceeding?”

“True,” Patrick said. “But typing it is easier than saying it. At least for me.”

She slid her hand over her thighs. “You’re doing fine. We’re only cuddling now, anyway, right?”

“Oh right.” Patrick sighed. “How silky is that robe?”

Lauren pulled the robe back over her shoulders. “What robe?”

“So . . . you’re naked,” Patrick whispered.

No, my shoulders are cold.
“Whisper to me again.”

“You’re . . . naked,” he whispered.

That was sexy.
“I wish you could touch me right now,” she whispered.

“I wish I could, too, Lauren,” Patrick said.

“Where would you touch me?” Lauren asked.

“I would start with your . . . left ear,” Patrick whispered.

Lauren laughed. “Really? My ear?”

“I’d start at the top,” Patrick whispered. “And then I’d work my way down.”

“Okay, okay,” Lauren said. She rubbed her left ear. “I’m rubbing my left ear.”

“I didn’t mean for you to do it now,” Patrick said.

“It feels good,” Lauren said. “Where would you touch me next?”

“Lauren, I’m not very good at this,” Patrick said.

“Trust me, man,” Lauren said, “you’re doing fine.”

“Okay, I, um, I kiss your neck while I rub your right thigh,” Patrick whispered.

Lauren arched her neck, rubbing her right thigh with her free hand. “Your kiss is hot.”

“Your skin is hot,” Patrick whispered.

Lauren shivered. “Your kiss is making my skin hot.”
And yet I’m shivering! What’s going on?
She put on her robe, tying it tightly. “But I’m so cold.”

“I wish I was there to keep you warm,” Patrick said.

“So do I,” Lauren said. “I want you to know that I’m really very shy when it comes to sex. I’m not shy about much, but I am shy about sex.”

“You could have fooled me,” Patrick said.

“It’s the actress in me, I guess.” She pushed herself back against her headboard, her body still shivering. “I love your imagination by the way, and I love your accent. It’s more Italian than Irish.”

“Because of my mama,” Patrick said.

“Is she . . . still around?”

“No,” Patrick said. “She died nine years ago. Cancer.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Lauren said.

“Thanks,” Patrick said.

No father, no mother. He’s really an orphan now.
“No brothers or sisters?”

“No,” Patrick said. “I feel the need to say something to you.”

“Well, say it,” Lauren said.

“Thank you,” Patrick said.

Lauren stopped shivering. “For what?”

“For talking to me,” Patrick said. “For listening to me.”

“I should be thanking you,” Lauren said.

“You don’t need to thank me,” Patrick said. “You’re Lauren Short, the amazing actress, and I’m just a guy from Brooklyn.”

“You’re so much more than a guy from Brooklyn, Patrick,” Lauren said. “And I can’t for the life of me understand why such a handsome, strong, kind man like you isn’t with someone.”

“After Natalia, I gave up,” Patrick said.

“There has to be more to it than that,” Lauren said.

“I guess you could say that I put all my eggs in one basket,” Patrick said. “And when she flew the coop, I guess I got chicken.”

“Funny,” Lauren said. “So you haven’t even gone out with anyone in the last twenty years?”

“No,” Patrick said.

“I’m having trouble believing that,” Lauren said.

“It’s true,” Patrick whispered.

“You had to have had offers,” Lauren said.

“A few,” Patrick said.

“And you broke their hearts,” Lauren said.

“I doubt that,” Patrick said. “I wasn’t interested.”

Natalia broke him.
“You’re not giving up now, are you?”

“No, but please try to understand,” Patrick said. “I’m not the kind of guy a movie star has on her arm. I’m more the kind of guy she gets to drive her places or to keep her safe.”

Which is exactly what I need!
“What if this
former
movie star wants someone to drive her places and keep her safe?”

“Well, that’s different,” Patrick said. “I can do that. Except that I don’t have a car.”

Lauren smiled. “There are other ways to drive someone.”

“I would love to drive you all night long,” Patrick said.

This man’s timing is perfect! Oh, the movies we could make!
“You would?”

“I meant,” Patrick said, “I would love to drive you anywhere all night long.”

“And I’d be right next to you all night long.” She looked at her screen.
You know, we could make a movie right now. Sort of.
“Do you have Skype?”

“What?”

“Sorry,” Lauren said. “Bad transition. Some people have random thoughts. I say random things. Does your computer have Skype?”

“Yes, but I’ve never used it,” Patrick said. “Does it cost anything?”

“Not if we both have it,” Lauren said. “Find the Skype button.”

“Here it is.”

“Did you click on it?” Lauren asked.

“Yes,” Patrick said. “It says I have to download it first.”

“Go ahead.”

“That was a quick download,” Patrick said. “Choose language. Ah,
Italiano.
”

“English, please,” Lauren said.

“Okay,” Patrick said.

“Do you speak any Italian?” Lauren asked.

“Some,” Patrick said. “But not enough to hold a conversation. Uh, it says to choose a Skype name.”

“It’s easiest to use your own name,” Lauren said. “I’m Lauren-dot-Elizabeth-dot-Short.”

“Elizabeth,” Patrick said.

“Alan,” Lauren said.

“Okay, I’m Patrick-dot-Alan-dot-Esposito. Oh, it’s telling me my video works. That light has never come on before. Oh, there I am. The picture is so small.”

“You can make it full screen,” Lauren said. “Add me as a contact, click on my name, and let’s . . . proceed.”

“Okay, I’m clicking on your name. . . .”

“Do you see me?” Lauren asked.

Patrick didn’t respond.

“Patrick?”

“I see you,” Patrick whispered. “I can’t believe it’s you.”

“Who else would it be?” Lauren asked.

“I meant . . .” He sighed. “I meant what I said. I can’t believe it’s you.”

“I’m nothing special, Patrick,” Lauren said. “I’m just an ordinary woman. Well, tonight I’m an ordinary
horny
woman, but it’s your fault.”

“You’re special to me,” Patrick said. “I’m going full screen now. Wow.”

Lauren expanded the dark box in front of her until it focused on a man’s nice, hard chest. “Tilt up your screen. I’m staring at your chest.”

The screen tilted up until Lauren could see Patrick’s face. “Hi,” he said.

“Hi,” Lauren said. “You don’t look like Bruce Springsteen.”

“I told you my mama was drunk a lot,” Patrick said.

“What do you see?” Lauren asked.

“I see a whole lot of delicious-looking brown skin,” Patrick said. “Will this pick up sound?”

“I hear you,” Lauren said. “You’ve noticed that our lips don’t match our words.”

“It’s like a dubbed movie,” Patrick said. “So I can hang up the phone?”

“Sure.”

Lauren watched Patrick close his phone. “Patrick, I’m going to give you a tour of my body.”

“This is the best movie I have ever watched,” Patrick said. “I wish it was in HD.”

“Hush,” Lauren said. “Tell me what you see.” She set her laptop on the edge of the bed and moved her foot close to the lens.

“I didn’t know this would be in three-D,” Patrick said. “Nice foot.”

“I have two of them,” Lauren said, “but my right foot is my best foot.” She scooted closer and leaned forward.

“Um, are you cold?” Patrick asked.

Lauren looked down at her breasts.
Whoa. My nipples are trying to shred this robe.
“A little.” She tilted back the screen, set the laptop on the bed, stood, then turned around and shook her booty.

“Oh, Lauren,” Patrick whispered. “That is
very
nice. If someone made a sculpture of you and put it in a museum, I would pull up a chair and look at you all day.”

“Which part of me most?”

“Your booty,” Patrick said.

She sat and brought the laptop to her chest. “Can you see the look on my face?”

“Yes,” Patrick said.

“This is the face of a happy woman,” Lauren said. “This is the face of a woman who feels like a woman again. You bring out the beast and the best in me. I am so happy, but I want to be happier. I have to be with you, Patrick. I need you beside me, and to be completely honest, I need you inside me, too. I want to come see you.”