After Diego dropped Kristen back off at the hotel, Kristen did as she'd promised and called Roman. When he answered the phone he sounded genuinely excited to hear from her. He asked if she had any plans for dinner and she told him she didn't. He said he didn't either and asked if she wanted to come over and have dinner with him. He said he'd called his mother and begged for her secret spaghetti and meatballs recipe with her special sauce and after she refused the first few times, she finally gave in when she learned he was cooking it for Kristen. Kristen didn't know what to make of that. Roman told her he'd pick her up downstairs in front of her hotel at 5:30. Kristen asked if she needed to dress for dinner and he hurriedly told her no. He told her to wear what she'd worn earlier. He requested it with that familiar husky tone in his voice and Kristen had to force herself not to run to her shower and masturbate when they got off the phone.
Joy happened to be in the suite when Kristen was talking to Roman and started screaming and jumping up and down like a schoolgirl when Kristen told her what her evening plans were. She tried to talk Kristen into wearing some sexy underwear in case something went down but Kristen nixed that idea. She barely knew the man. What did she look like having sex with him after only knowing him for 24 hours? Besides, she was already wearing sexy underwear. The thought of Roman undressing her and seeing what was beneath her clothes was enough to make her cream her panties. The thought of him taking her virginity made her even hornier.
Kristen and Joy went to Ms. Austin's room and hung with her crazy ass for a while; then went back to their room to get ready for the evening. Joy was going on another date with Damian. She told Kristen she had spoken to Beau but they hadn't made any plans to hook up that day. Kristen could tell it bothered Joy that Beau would sleep with her and not want to see her anymore but she didn't speak on it. Kristen didn't push her. Kristen wore her heart on her sleeve but Joy was just the opposite. Something would bother her for a minute and then she would go the hell on with life like nothing had ever happened. Kristen wished she could be as blasé' about her own conflicting situation.
Kristen had a couple of hours to kill before meeting up with Roman so she decided to take a nap but sleep was futile. She couldn't stop thinking about Diego and the warning he had given her about Roman. She also couldn't stop feeling bad about how she'd hurt him. He'd said he was okay and he'd seemed fine when he dropped her off but a wall had gone up between them. They hung out for a while in the park but they didn't say much after he expressed his conflicted feelings about her being with Roman. When he dropped her off at the hotel he didn't walk her upstairs; just said goodbye in the front lobby and went on his way. She hated the strain her revelation had put on their developing friendship but she was hopeful things would get better with time.
At 5:00 Kristen climbed out of bed in her bra and panties, took a quick bird bath, put on a fresh pair of sexy underwear and redressed in the dress and sandals she had worn earlier that day. She reapplied her lip gloss and added light eyeliner and mascara to complete her look. The eyeliner gave her sultry brown eyes just the allure they needed.
Her heart skipped a beat as she thought about how eager Roman was to see her wearing it again and although he'd already seen her in it, she prayed she'd get the same visceral reaction from him like before. She was not disappointed. When Roman pulled up at her hotel and saw Kristen waiting out front, his eyes narrowed and smoldered as he looked at her. Then he gave her that irresistible, dimpled smile and got out of his Hummer and helped her inside.
To her delight, he had changed his clothes. He was wearing a form-fitting black t-shirt that outlined his chest perfectly and relaxed black jeans. She loved seeing him in black. It looked fantastic on him. She had to make herself stop staring at him in the car. They listened to the late great Prince on their way to his apartment and engaged in light-hearted conversation. Once upstairs in his penthouse, Roman led her into the dimly lit ornate dining-room and sat her in a chair opposite his.
As she waited to be served, Kristen took note of how beautifully the table was decorated. There were lightly scented candles away from them on the further end of the table and Roman had placed his fancy dishes and silverware out just for her, with the spoons, forks, and glasses in the right places. She was impressed. Roman put some old-school R&B classics on the stereo and went into the kitchen to gather the food.
She could hear him singing along with the melody of a Teddy Pendergrass song that was playing and practically swooned out of her chair. She may be young but she was hip to the classics. Her parents had made a point of introducing her to Motown and all the other greats from that area into the 80s, and she loved that music. Outside of Next Level, it was the only kind of music she listened to.
She looked out the picturesque window to the right of her and became hypnotized by the luminous full moon and endless stars shining in the sky. Tonight couldn't be more perfect if she had dreamed it herself.
Roman soon came back in the dining room with serving bowls filled with fresh garden salad, yeast rolls, and his Mother's spaghetti. The aroma coming out of the bowls smelled so delicious it sent Kristen's stomach into hunger overdrive. Everything looked so good and the presentation was immaculate.
"Looks delicious," she said, giving him a pleasant smile.
Roman appreciatively grinned at her as he stood at the head of the table. "Thank you." He slapped his hands together. "Well, you can't drink so... What would you like? I have tea, Fruit Punch, Pepsi-"
"Tea will be fine. Thank you."
"I'll be right back."
Kristen resisted the urge to sample the food while he was gone and counted the minutes until he came back. Roman walked back into the room with a glass pitcher and poured the brown liquid into her glass. "I guess I'll be a responsible adult and have tea too," he humorously deadpanned.
Kristen giggled and secretly thought about how much she didn't want him to be a responsible adult. She wanted him to kiss her so badly. She wondered if that time would ever come. Her eyes locked on the muscles budging in Roman's arms as he sat the pitcher on the table and continued to stare transfixed at him as he walked around to the other side of the table and sat opposite her. Roman's gaze locked on her like a magnet as he sat down.
Kristen's nipples hardened under his gaze. Long as she lived, she'd never forget how it made her feel every time he looked at her. He made her feel like she was the most beautiful girl in the world.
Endless minutes passed by in a blur. Their eyes remained fixated on each-other. Kristen was so turned on she feared she'd pass out. She'd give anything to know what he was thinking; what he was feeling. Were his feelings for her as strong as hers were for him? Did he feel anything emotional towards her at all or was it all primal? And if primal was all there was could she live with that?
"I suppose we better eat before the spaghetti gets cold," he spoke in that unmistakably sexy low tone.
Kristen rapidly blinked away the lustful images forming in her mind. "Yes. I'm starving."
In more ways than one.
Conversation eluded them as they dug in. The melodious sounds of several golden-voiced singers filled the air, almost intermingling with the harmonious sounds of their silverware clinking against their plates as they ate. Kristen couldn't finish swallowing one forkful before she was digging in for the next bite.
Everything was so delicious and seasoned just right. She didn't want Roman to think she was a pig but it was so good she practically scarfed her whole plate down in just a few minutes. She longingly looked at the serving bowls, desperate for more. But she wouldn't dare. When she saw him going in for seconds, she felt a little better about it and helped herself to both the spaghetti and the salad, taking smaller portions this time.
Roman glanced over at her and appreciatively smiled. He nodded towards her plate. "Good?"
Kristen swallowed a mouthful of spaghetti and vigorously nodded. "Excellent."
Roman playfully blew on his knuckles and rubbed them on his chest. "Mom will be proud."
Kristen laughed with him then abruptly stopped, suppressing an obnoxious belch that threatened to erupt from her lips. She covered her mouth with her fist and swallowed it down. She and Roman were cool but they weren't there yet.
"Are your parents still married?" he asked her.
Kristen took a sip of tea and nodded. "Yes. They've been married almost twenty-two years."
"That's good. There aren't too many long-term couples staying together these days. Seems like divorce is as common as people changing their underwear."
"Yes. I'm very lucky. Most of my friends' parents are divorced and Joy never knew her father."
"That's too bad."
"Your parents are divorced, right?"
Roman nodded slowly. "Yes. It was difficult at the time but we all learned to live with it. It made things hard sometimes but that's life. It soured me about love for a long time though."
Kristen bit into a dinner roll and almost moaned out loud at how sweet and warm it was. "You still see your father a lot?"
Roman sat back in his chair and chewed. "Not as much as I'd like but we talk about once a week. He's doing well. He's moved on and married someone else. So..." He indifferently shrugged and resumed eating, dropping the subject. "Are you going to stay with your folks for a while or are you going to move out?"
Kristen rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment. "I'd like to. Joy and I talk about getting our own place before she goes to school, but... I don't know."
"You going to try to get a job or just wing it for a while?"
"Oh, I don't have it like that," she chuckled. "My parents aren't free-hearted when it comes to doling out money and I'm not the type who could live with that and not try to help them out. If Joy and I do decide to get a place I obviously need to work to help out with the bills. Once she goes to school I'll be living there by myself, so... That's kinda scary."
"You seem like a responsible young woman. I'm sure you'll be fine."
"Yeah, I know I will. It's just this growing up thing seems so appetizing and then you get there and you're like..." She made a face and shrugged. "Now what?"
"You're making me feel old," he said, laughing.
She curiously looked at him.
"I'm six years older than you, and I've never had to worry about things like that. We've been famous since I was your age and by then I already had my own car, house, money, everything. So I don't really know what that's like. At the same time, I kind of envy you because you do get to make your own way. You can freely make mistakes and it won't affect anyone besides you. You don't have people making decisions for you and whatever decisions you do make, they affect only you. If I make the wrong one, it affects four other guys."
Kristen quietly moved her fork around in her spaghetti. She hadn't thought about it much but Roman was six years older than her. What could they possibly have in common? They were getting along good right now but there was a significant age gap and they were at extremely different stages in their lives. Not to mention he was famous as fuck and was known all around the world. The group was at an impasse at the moment but with the new CD coming out soon, things were bound to take off like a rocket again. How would that change things between them?
She dejectedly shook her head and took a tiny bite of spaghetti. Why was she even thinking about it? They weren't even a thing anyway. What did it matter?