"Yelena Christina Guadalupe Sandoval!"

I rolled my eyes at the use of my full name, usually only uttered by Jen to get my attention. I had ten minutes before our update meeting on Sexy LA and I needed at least five of them to finish my brief.

"Why do you always put my whole name out there? Are you angry that I have two middle names?"

Jen stomped into my office, stylish slingbacks slapping against her heels. The clingy, knee length blood-red wrap dress with the plunging neckline was so much for the office, but Jen would rather be fired than tone down to heather gray and periwinkle blue. The powers that be decided as long as she was covered, they'd let her be herself.

"No," she huffed, sitting in the chair in front of my desk and tossing one leg over the other. The split in her dress showed off a long, tanned thigh. She lived at Venice Beach Spray Tan. "I'm angry that it's been three weeks and you haven't spilled your pretty little guts."

"Spilled about what?" I had one eye on the clock and one eye on the keyboard, so no extra eyes for her, which was a good thing because I was afraid any change in my expression would give me away.

"Don't play dumb with me, spicy chalupa!"

"Chalupa? You're being very culturally insensitive right now. Besides, chalupas aren't even Spanish. At least not the way Taco Bell serves them."

"Don't change the subject. You've been in a very annoyingly cheerful mood for the last three weeks. And you've been walking around here like somebody split you in half."

I squinted hard and glared at Jen. "What are you talking about?"

"You are glowing, you are stupid happy even on a Monday and some days you look like your rode a horse to work. Someone. is. blowing. your. back. out." She scooted forward in the chair and leaned her elbows on the desk. With an earnest expression and the loudest whisper I've ever heard, she asked, "Is it who I think it is?"

"You're so damn nosy, Jennifer. Don't you have work to do? We have an update meeting in..."  I checked the time in the corner of my laptop. "Shit! Five minutes. I'm busy; go away!"

Jen sucked her teeth and slowly stood, but I felt her eyes on me the entire time. "Don't think you're getting out of telling me anything. I will find you. I... will find you."

"Okie dokie, Liam Neeson. I mean, I work here, so you won't have to look far."

I wasn't going to say anything but I was waiting for someone to notice. The impossibly good mood- yes, even on a Monday. The long periods of wistful staring into space with a smile on my lips. The several times a day I looked at my phone and said Awww, or burst into laughter at something JC had sent me. My hurry to get out of the office every day at 4PM sharp. How I always had a really good weekend, but couldn't pinpoint a particular event or activity that made it so good.

"It was just really good," I would answer.  Really good, indeed.

Since JC's birthday we'd been nearly inseparable. He had a lot of work to do- music sessions and meetings, not to mention press for the upcoming launch of his film, Opening Night. But once his commitments were satisfied, he always came to find me and Barksdale. Sometimes he'd join us for an evening walk at Runyon, sometimes we'd meet him in town for dinner at a dog friendly spot. Most nights, though, he'd come over and sit on the couch and play with the dog and eat whatever I cooked for dinner, talk incessantly through a movie or a TV show and then take me to bed.

It was no wonder Jen noticed that I'd been walking funny. I'd had more sex in the last three weeks than I'd probably had in the last five years. It had been really fun making up for lost time. Splitting me in half was... an amazing euphemism for sex with JC. And I had it on good authority that rumors that I was loose were greatly exaggerated.

"He really did have a small penis though," I'd told him one night while we laid in bed, drenched in sweat and trying to catch our breath. He'd pulled me close to him, the thick bulk of his arm around my shoulder. I reached up and wound my fingers between his.

"Well, there you go," he'd said. "Maybe he's overcompensating, you know. Making himself larger than life to make up for how small some other objects appear."

"If you only knew how I had to stretch my imagination to come up with a story that worked for him, that sufficiently hid his white bread, upper crust life back in Greenwich, Connecticut."

"But you know the story. He can lie and pretend and play that role all day but you know the real deal. Maybe he ran you off the road in a past life, but you still hold a lot of power over him. He can't stand that. Must be a guy-with-a-small-penis-problem. I wouldn't know anything about that."

I let out a series of sultry chuckles and curled my body into his. His arm tightened around me.  "Nope, you wouldn't know about that at all."

"Lena, are you coming to this meeting, or are you going to sit in your office and smile at nothing all day?"

I snapped to attention at the sound of Ian's voice. Shit. He'd caught me daydreaming, remembering that night. I slammed the lid of my laptop closed, grabbed a notepad and pen and scurried to the conference room.

After the meeting ended, I was the first to leave the conference room, swinging by the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. And a cookie, since Jen had brought in an assortment of three dozen cookies from Snookies, another local gourmet bakery. 

I picked out an iced sugar cookie and turned to head back to my office. As soon as I hit the hallway, a set of clutches grabbed my elbow and yanked me down the hall.

"Jen! I have coffee! Slow down!"

She pulled me into her office and shut the door behind us. "Sit," she ordered, taking the seat directly across from the one she'd pointed at.  I hesitated, contemplating how fast I could get out of her office if I ran for the door. "Sit your ass down! You and I are having a chat."

"Maybe I don't want to have a chat."

I sat though, and set my coffee and cookie on the desk. I stalled for time, brushing the sugar crystals from my hands... which reminded me of that first night with JC when he said I tasted good. My thighs clenched involuntarily and I fought against a shudder while the memory of that night rolled through my mind.

"Something is going on. I want to know what it is. Furthermore, after all the support I've given you-"

"You mean harassment," I interrupted, breaking the cookie in half and taking a bite, washing it down with a swig of coffee.

"I hardly call pestering you to leave Limp Dick in your past where he belongs and getting on with your life to be harassment. No one has been more supportive of you, Lena. I'm hurt that something has happened and you haven't shared it with me."

"Hurt? Laying it on thick."

"I was appealing to your more humane side." I sighed, rolling my eyes up to the dingy rectangle ceiling tiles, wishing our office was a cool loft space. "Lena!"

"What? What do you want to know? What?"

"Is there a someone that is the reason you're so happy?"

"Yes. I can confirm that there is a someone."

"Is this someone not your dog?"

I laughed. "The someone is not my dog. Though he does make me pretty happy."

"So... is it... the person Ian risked his job to connect you with? The person that I, myself, personally begged you to call?"

"Could be, Jen. Could be." I took another bite of cookie and reached for the Styrofoam cup of coffee.

"I swear to God I will knock that shit out of your hands, Lena. I'm crazy, I'll do it."

"Fine! It's JC, okay? Splitting me in half and blowing my back out and I look like I rode a horse to work... yes. It's all him. Happy?"

A huge, huge grin spread across her face. "Yes, actually. I am very happy. Was that so hard?"

"It was, in fact, very difficult. I don't want to jinx it."

"There's nothing to jinx. He obviously likes you back because... I'm just saying. People in Santa Monica can see that glow coming off of you."

"Oh, stop it."

"I'm serious! You look really happy.  I've never seen Happy Lena. I might cry."

"It would ruin your eyeliner."

"You could pretend that I have a heart. So is he fun?"

"I'm having fun. And so is he. And so is Barksdale. He's in love with the dog. If we ever split up-"

Jen scowled. "Don't say that! Don't even think it! Man of your dreams, remember?"

"I... okay. Whatever. Anyway, he loves the dog and any man that loves my dog is okay with me."

"And he's good to you?"

I beamed. "He's so good to me."

"That's all I needed to know." Jen started to stand, but then sat back down again. "Except... you know... how is he?"

I laughed and pushed myself up from the chair. "Time for me to go."

"No, I was just gonna ask if he was-"

„I am absolutely not telling you a thing about him-"

"Is he bigger than-"

"I'm leaving," I said, opening the door to Jen's office and escaping into the hallway, where I promptly collapsed into giggles.

>>||<<

JC's usual tap tap sounded at the door before he turned the knob and stepped inside the condo. Barksdale hopped down from his perch on the couch to greet him. The sun was sinking toward the night sky, capping off a sunny day with a cool, breezy evening.

I dropped seasoned strips of chicken into a hot skillet and listened to the usual series of grunts, growls and belly rubs with the dog.  After Barksdale had been sufficiently greeted, JC came into the kitchen.

"I was wondering if you'd remember that I was here."

"Of course I remember you're here," he said, stepping behind me, sliding his arms around my waist and dipping his head to drop a loud, wet smack on my neck. "Sorry I'm late. I ran into some issues on my last session. I didn't think it would take as long as it did to iron it out."

"It's no problem. I just started dinner."

"What are you making? Smells good."

"Sweet pepper and chicken fajita stir fry. I grabbed the recipe from one of those Tasty videos people incessantly post on Facebook. We'll see how it goes."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, honey. But it sounds good." His lips moved to my ear, then my cheek. "How was your day?"

"My day was... good. Interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Yeah. Apparently, on some days I come into work walking like I've been riding a horse."

"Oh?" I felt his lips bend into a smile against my skin. "Wonder which days those are?"

"Possibly the days that someone decides sex at 7AM is a good idea."

"Can't help it. You're so..." He sucked, then nibbled my earlobe. "Sweaty and sexy after your run in the mornings."

"Yeah, well." I stirred the slices in the skillet, making sure they browned evenly.  "Jen finally demanded to be told what was going on. She practically took me hostage until I admitted to her that I took her advice to call you that night."

"Oh, that was her idea? Remind me to send her some flowers."

JC turned, reaching to open the refrigerator. "Did you get any regular beer and not that craft beer nonsense?"

"If by regular you mean boring Corona, then yes. And there's some lime in there, if you're a pansy and like that sort of thing."

"I'm gonna drink my domestic pale lager like a real man."

I heard the clinking of glass and the pop of a bottle being uncapped. JC tossed the cap in the recycling bin and resumed his spot behind me, where he watched me throw the vegetables I'd chopped earlier into the skillet. He drank a few swigs, then gave me a wet, beer-scented kiss.

"I'm gonna go hang out with-" The shrill ring of JC's phone filled the air. It was the standard telephone ring, which meant it was business call, not one he could ignore. "I'll take this outside if you want me to take Barksdale out." 

I nodded as he picked up the line. "Hey, man.....nothing, hanging with my girl....yeah, the one with the dog...."

JC winked at me before he walked out of the kitchen and snapped his fingers at Barksdale. With the phone cradled between his ear and shoulder, he hooked up the leash and he and the dog stepped outside.

I'd finished the stir fry and fixed two plates, setting them at our usual spots in the kitchen. JC still wasn't back from walking Barksdale. Worried that he'd run off and JC was wasting time trying to find him, I went looking for them.

I'd made it nearly to the end of the breezeway when I saw them. JC, still on the phone, sitting on the bench near the grassy area where Barksdale likes to run around. The dog lay at his feet, calmly watching the sunset behind Runyon Canyon in the distance.

"I mean, I hear you." JC was saying as I walked up to him. "It's business, but...yeah, that's true." I reached for the leash he'd rolled up and was gripping with an iron fist. He looked surprised to see me- his eyes popped wide open.

I motioned to him that I would take the dog. He nodded and continued his conversation while I walked Barksdale back to the condo.

JC came in a few minutes later, looking markedly more tired and giving off a less chipper vibe. "Sorry," he mumbled, sliding onto the chair he liked to use, because he could see the TV from that seat.

"No problem. Everything okay?"

He started to nod, but then... didn't. He picked up his fork and stabbed at the chicken and vegetable mixture that was lukewarm at best by then. "Just... some stuff. Eric got a call today about an opportunity I might want to take and... I don't know about it. Got some thinking to do."

"If it's a good opportunity, why wouldn't you?"

JC didn't answer. He ate a few bites, then a few more. "This is actually really good."

"You say that like you're surprised."

"You got a recipe off of the internet. Never know." He shoveled in another bite and chewed hard.

"So... there's a job and you don't know if you want to take it?"

"That's a good way to explain it. Yeah."

"And your reasons for not taking it would be..."

"I just... sometimes... well, think of all the reasons some of your clients might not want to do a movie, shoot a commercial, endorse a product."

I paused to ponder his point, thinking back to my days as a celebrity publicist. I had a model that wouldn't do ads for diet products because she didn't believe in them. They weren't the reason she was so thin. Certain athletes didn't want to rep certain products- like Reebok- because it would hurt their chances of ever being pitched by Nike.

I chuckled. "Rex once didn't want a song on his album because he said it made him sound like a pussy."

JC nearly choked on the mouthful of food he was eating. "No shit?"

"No shit."

"So what happened to the song?"

"It went on the album. You know how it goes. When you sign your first deal, you have no power, no say in what happens to you. You do what the label says."

"Hm." JC was somber and pensive, obviously consumed by whatever loop his manager had tossed into his life an hour ago.

"Did you want some more to eat?"

He shook his head and pushed his plate away. "No, I'm okay, thanks. I uh... hate to eat and run, but-"

"Oh." I tried hard to mask my disappointment. I knew it didn't work by his cringe. "You're not staying, tonight?"

"I just... got something kind of heavy on my mind right now. I need to go sit in my studio and..." he sighed, standing and pushing the stool away. "I just need to work some things out. We're still on for tomorrow?"

Westchester Park had been airing a series of 80's movies at dusk. We'd gone the week before and saw Sixteen Candles. This week they were showing The Breakfast Club.

"Yeah. I guess. If you're up to it. But... you have to leave right now? We didn't even get to..."

JC paused, mid-reach for the doorknob, keys in hand. He turned to look at me, standing between the kitchen and the front door, trying hard not to look hurt.

He dropped his hand, pushed his keys into his front pocket and walked back in my direction. When he was standing in front of me, he opened his arms and, the mush that I am, fell right into them. He closed his arms around me and pulled me close. My arms rested on his shoulders and I buried my face in his neck. He smelled good, fresh air and sandalwood.

"I don't mean to be clingy," I said, my words muffled. "If you really have to go, I understand. I was looking forward to spending time with you tonight."

"I was looking forward to that, too. I guess I don't have to go right this second. So..." He pulled back and kissed me, then started moving, shuffling us toward my bedroom. "What do you say we spend a little time together before I have to go?"

I grinned, almost embarrassed at how quickly my mood turned around. "I guess that sounds like a good idea."

"Bet your ass it does. Can't have you showing up to work not looking like you rode a horse in."