Chapter 136 - Moonlight and Valentino

Jon and Cate continued their trek in silence, holding hands and wandering slowly along the shore, bathed in the dusky afterglow of the sunset. Finally they approached the stretch of beach fronting Jon’s villa. Jon smiled as he saw Cate’s eyes widen in surprise.

As it had been on their first date, the deck was aglow with the warm light of flickering candles. But this time the deck had been transformed into a beautiful beachside dining spot, a white-cloth covered, elegantly-set table for two centered on the veranda.

“Oh, Jon…” Cate breathed. “What did you do?” She stopped and tugged gently on his hand, smiling as he turned to face her. “This is why you wanted to go to the Village,” she guessed. “To get me out of here so you could have this set up.”

Jon chuckled and dropped a sweet kiss to her lips. “Yep. You got me. I wanted to have this all ready when you arrived tonight, but then Officer Naughty showed up early and fucked up my plan.” He grinned. “Among other things.”

Cate chuckled at Jon’s dirty tease, then kissed him again. “It’s beautiful,” she said softly.

Jon pulled her into a hug. “I thought of taking you back to Delaney’s, but I wanted somewhere really private, where we didn’t have to worry about being seen together. Where you could relax.” He kissed her forehead. “Then I realized that this is the perfect place. This is our place.”

Cate nodded, feeling a little lump form in her throat. She would always think of the King and Prince as “their” place, even though she would probably never set foot in this villa again after he left. She smiled sweetly back at Jon and returned his hug.

Jon led Cate by the hand up the steps to the deck. They paused to look at the gorgeous tablescape before continuing through the French doors into the villa. “If you’re ready to eat, I’ll call and have dinner brought over,” Jon told her, pulling off his baseball cap and tossing it onto the sideboard. “I have a chef and a waiter standing by.”

Cate couldn’t help but chuckle. Jon surely couldn’t realize how pretentious his statement sounded. She knew he didn’t mean it that way; he was used to having a staff of people catering to his wishes and needs. But this kind of thing didn’t happen to normal people like her.

“Jeez, I feel underdressed,” she commented, turning more serious. “I had no idea you had something so elegant planned. I would have at least worn something a little nicer, if I’d known.” Cate looked down at her faded jeans and flip-flops.

Jon gave her a little grin. “You look beautiful,” he replied softly. “But…” He reached out and gently pulled her baseball cap from her head, watching her mahogany hair tumble down over her shoulders. “There. Much better.”

Cate self-consciously ran a hand through her waves of thick hair, which was still slightly damp from her earlier shower. “Give me a minute to freshen up,” she said almost pleadingly. “If we’re going to have a nice candlelight dinner, with a waiter and everything, I want to at least put on a little perfume or something.”

Jon chuckled at her nervousness. “Baby, you don’t need to do that,” he said gently, stepping forward and dropping his lips to hers for a sweet kiss. He closed his eyes and pulled in a breath, his nose barely an inch from her hair. “You smell delicious already.”

“Well, thanks, but…” Cate blushed slightly. “Still…”

“Go.” Jon smiled. “I’ll call the restaurant and let them know we’re here.” After decades of enjoying the company of beautiful women, it still mystified him how the fairer sex always seemed to carry some sort of insecurity about their looks. He sighed softly as Cate turned and padded toward the bedroom, giving him a little backward glance and a tender smile before disappearing through the doors.

Shaking his head slightly, Jon stepped over to the phone and dialed. He notified the VIP guest services assistant that he was ready for their meal to begin, then smiled when he was informed a package had been delivered for him, from a shop in the Village. Jon asked that the parcel be brought to the villa along with the wine he had requested, then ended the call.

With a self-satisfied little smirk Jon followed Cate’s path into the bedroom. He noticed her t-shirt and bra were lying on the bench at the foot of the bed, and the closet door was ajar. Strolling over to the closet, Jon pulled open the heavy door to find Cate twisting the tails of his white cotton oxford into a loose tie at her waist. She had buttoned the placket up only to her breasts, leaving the top three buttons undone and exposing the soft, tawny skin of her bare throat and chest.

Jon felt a little growl rumble from his chest at the lovely sight. “Raiding my closet, huh?” he teased gently.

Cate looked up at him, surprised. “I didn’t think you’d mind…” she replied meekly.

“I don’t,” he answered quickly. “I told you, I love to see you in my clothes.” He gave her a gentle smile. “You look better in ‘em than I do.”

“Oh, bullshit,” Cate chuckled. “You don’t look bad in anything. In fact, you look even better in nothing.” Her eyes twinkled with her teasing tone, though she was dead serious.

Jon grinned and reached for the hem of his t-shirt. “Well, if you’re gonna change, so am I.” He stripped the snug tee from his muscular torso and tossed it on the floor, then stepped toward Cate. He gave her a saucy wink as he reached past her for a hanger holding the caramel-colored dress shirt he had worn to the Director’s house last weekend. He was sure to lean far enough in toward Cate that his pecs brushed against her chest.

Removing the hanger from the shirt and hooking it back onto the lower bar, Jon pulled the shirt over both his arms and shrugged it up over his shoulders. He smiled at Cate as she raised her hands to the buttons, fastening only the bottom two before stopping and raising her face to his. “Holy shit, you look sexy in this color,” she breathed, a delighted little smile playing over her lips.

Jon laughed at her reaction. “Baby, you sure are good for my ego,” he responded, lowering his mouth to hers as his hands went to Cate’s waist. He pulled her against him as he slipped his tongue between her lips, gently tasting her.

They were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

“Dammit,” Jon whispered, breaking the kiss and giving Cate a little smile. “Dinner’s here.”

“Crap,” Cate responded anxiously. “Give me a minute, okay?” she hurried out of the closet, making a swift u-turn into the bathroom.

Jon laughed out loud. “Shit, Cate…. it’s just us! We’re not having dinner with the Queen of England!” he called out to her as he strolled out of the closet, headed for the front door. “Trust me, I should know…” he mumbled as he crossed the spacious bedroom and passed through the double doors. “We’re WAY underdressed for that…” he continued talking to himself as he padded across the tile floor to the small foyer, then finally to the front door.

Jon pulled open the door and greeted the impeccably-groomed, dark-haired young man who was standing on the doorstep. “Come on in,” he said welcomingly, holding open the door. He watched as the waiter pushed a white cloth-draped cart through the door, careful not to jostle the silver-domed platters nor the wine chilling in the large glass bucket.

“Thank you, sir,” the waiter answered respectfully. “On the deck?”

“Yes, please,” Jon responded. “Go ahead, I’ll be there in a minute.”

The waiter nodded and guided the cart toward the French doors. Jon watched him for a moment, then headed back into the bedroom. “Hey Baby?” he called out to Cate.

“Yeah?” Jon heard her reply as he sauntered over to the open bathroom doors. He grinned and leaned against the door frame. She was standing at the vanity, applying shiny rose-tinted gloss to her full lips. Jon’s heart melted as he watched her for a long minute.

Cate shot him a sideways look when he didn’t say anything. “What?” she asked again before rubbing her lips together then parting them with a soft smack.

“Oh. Ummm… do you have your iPod with you?” Jon had momentarily forgotten what he wanted to ask her, he had been so enchanted by the sight of her feminine gesture.

“It’s in my bag,” Cate answered, tucking the little tube of gloss into her toiletry bag and turning to give him a quizzical little smile. “Why?”

“Go plug it in to the stereo and pick out something to listen to,” Jon directed her with a grin. “No Hair Nation at dinner. That gets you into trouble.”

Cate chortled softly. “You didn’t have any complaints…” she teased gently, arching her eyebrows at him.

“Naw, but I’m hoping for something a little more mellow for a nice, romantic candlelight dinner,” he chuckled. “Somehow I think you have some kinda playlist on there that will work.”

“I think I just might,” Cate answered softly, moving over to Jon and placing a gentle hand on his lightly-furred chest, in the deep vee of his unbuttoned shirt. She glanced up at him with a soft smile.

Jon reached up his hand to cover hers against his chest. He dipped his head to kiss her sweetly before she pulled her hand away and pushed past him in the doorway. Jon closed his eyes and winced slightly once Cate had passed, for in the fleeting moment their eyes had met he had again seen that familiar sadness in her gaze. She was trying to hide it, but it was still there. And it was tearing his heart out.

Taking a deep breath, Jon turned and watched Cate as she unzipped the side pocket of her bag and took out her iPod. He followed her into the living room, then left her at the stereo as he stepped out onto the deck to evaluate the dinner preparations.

The sun had fully set and the horizon was now a velvety purple, deepening to inky indigo higher in the sky. The waning moon shone brightly and stars twinkled in the clear sky. The flickering candles on the table and around the deck’s railings glowed softly, illuminating the romantic tableau.

Jon smiled as his eyes roved over the elegant table decoration, a simple trio of magnolia blooms centered between small glass hurricanes sheltering short ivory pillar candles. The place settings were white and silver as well, and the crystal stemware sparkled with the reflection of the candles’ flames. It was as elegant as he had hoped.

His eyes came to rest on a small, flat white box tied with a pale blue ribbon, resting beside one of the place settings. Jon turned to the waiter, his eyebrows raised questioningly. “Is this the parcel that was delivered for me earlier?” he asked quietly.

“Yes, Sir. I was instructed to bring it with the wine,” the young man answered respectfully.

Jon gave him a smile. “Thank you… what’s your name?”

“Valentino, Sir,” the man replied politely. “Or just Val.”

Jon chuckled at the irony. A moonlight dinner with Valentino. “No shit?” he grinned. “That’s a great name.”

Val smiled, nodding deferentially. “Thank you, Sir.”

Jon chortled softly to himself as he turned back to the table, picking up the small box and tucking it into the back pocket of his jeans. He heard soft, bluesy piano music start. Perfect, he thought as he turned toward the French doors, waiting for Cate to step out onto the deck.

Just a few seconds later she appeared, her lips curving upward at the sight of his radiant smile. Jon moved over to her and took her hand, then led her to the table. Holding Cate’s chair for her, he waited until she was comfortably seated then leaned down to chuckle in her ear. “Sinatra, huh? Excellent choice.”

Cate giggled softly. “Somehow I thought you’d approve.” She turned to look at him, giving him a little grin. “But it’s not just Frank. It’s my Jersey Boys playlist. All my favorites. About 200 songs on shuffle mode, so you never know what you might get.”

Jon grinned and clutched melodramatically at his heart. “God, what a Dame!” he proclaimed teasingly in his thickest Jersey, shooting Valentino a mischievous smirk. “Is this some kinda woman, or what?”

“Yes, Sir,” Val replied with a grin.

Jon leaned down and brushed Cate’s cheek with his soft lips, feeling the heat of her blush. “You know, you forgot something,” he murmured against her skin.

Cate’s brow furrowed at his words. “I did? What?” She had no idea what it could be.

“Your neck is naked,” Jon replied, a teasing little gleam in his eye.

“What?” Cate’s hand went to her chest, wondering if Jon meant she was inadvertently displaying too much cleavage to their waiter. Shit. I should have left the bra on…

Jon chuckled throatily at Cate’s reaction as his hand moved to his back pocket. He pulled out the box and placed it gently on the table in front of Cate. “This should do the trick.”

Cate’s eyes widened at the sight of the ribbon-tied little package. “Jon…” she breathed.

“No arguments. Just open it.” Jon cut her off with the gentle command.

Her hands trembling slightly, Cate picked up the box and slid the ribbon over the corners. She lifted the lid and sucked in a sharp breath, her lips parting in surprise. “Oh… oh my God…” She was stunned to see the beautiful sterling and sapphire necklace she had admired at the boutique in the Village just an hour ago. “How…?”

Jon laughed quietly. “Never mind how.” He reached out and gently took the box from her hand, lifting the necklace out of its white satin nest. Undoing the clasp, he stepped behind Cate and swept aside her hair before slipping the chain around her neck. He re-fastened the hook, then stroked her hair back into place.

When Jon stepped back up beside Cate he saw tears sparkling in her beautiful eyes as her fingertips grazed the deep blue stones set in the little silver circles along the chain. He felt moisture spring to his own eyes as he saw her bottom lip tremble. “You’re welcome,” he said gently before she could form the words. “I saw you admiring it, and I wanted you to have it.” He smiled. “It matches your eyes.”

Cate swallowed hard and nodded, then fluttered her lashes to blink away her tears. His kindness was overwhelming. It just made it that much harder to bear the thought that this was their last night together.

Reading her thoughts through her glittering sapphire eyes, Jon leaned down and again gently kissed her cheek. “Let’s eat, yeah? I’m starving!” he said, trying to keep a happy note to his voice.

Cate smiled gratefully up at the beautiful man before her. “Okay,” she agreed softly.

Jon smiled back at her and moved to his chair. As he was seated the waiter stepped forward from his post by the cart. “Wine, Sir?” he asked politely.

Jon grinned at Cate. “Cate, meet Valentino.” He tilted his head toward the waiter. “Fitting, huh?”

Cate had to laugh at the coincidence. “Moonlight and Valentino,” she chortled sweetly. She could see by the waiter’s politely confused expression he had no idea what they were talking about. No surprise, she thought. Hell, he’s just a Baby. He was probably all of five when that movie came out. Cate gave the young man a gentle smile. “How perfect.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.” Val replied respectfully. He looked back to Jon, awaiting his answer regarding the wine.

Cate noticed. “Wine would be lovely,” she said kindly, noting the relieved look that flashed in the young waiter’s eyes. She had decades of experience reading people, and she could tell Valentino was getting a little unnerved by the private joke over his name.

Jon reached across the table to take Cate’s hand as Val poured the wine, a vibrant Italian Pinot Grigio, offering it to Jon for inspection before pouring a glass for each of them. With a tender smile Jon raised his glass. “To us,” he said softly, repeating his earlier toast at the wine bar.

Cate swallowed against the lump in her throat. “To us,” she replied, touching her glass to his before taking a sip. She lowered her eyes to their joined hands on the table and smiled a bittersweet little smile. And to the memory of us.