While Chasing Our Dreams Ch. 02.1

M

Hotel booked. Travel routed. Time taken. Bags packed.

I was so excited by the time we were leaving I didn't need any coffee. I was so awake. Cal, of course, fixed himself a to-go cup and we caught breakfast on the road. Randy had tried to go to sleep at a reasonable hour, but going to bed at one or two when he was used to sleeping at three or four, then getting up at six to take a ten-hour road trip, wasn't the most successful endeavor. After we got our fast-food breakfast Randy fell asleep in the back of my car, and he didn't surface for a few hours. Cal and I had a good giggle about it. Until he woke, we kept the music down and our conversation to a calm level. He was still such a kid on the inside sometimes, and though usually loud and obscene, when he slept, he had such an innocence about him.

I just knew Jane would love him just as much as we do. Plus, we had Randy to thank for finding her. Cal wasn't wrong, either. Jane getting on with each of us, but especially Randy, was a major plus. I had no doubts this meeting would go very well indeed.

After our little bro woke, we chatted excitedly about what we all wanted to do in New York City as we drove. We could see the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Times Square, and more museums than I could name! Jane had even mentioned the Bronx Zoo as an option when we were in the planning phase. That, however, would've been an all-day enterprise, and we wanted to see as much as we could. We'd have a whole day and basically a half day to explore. To get home at a reasonable time Sunday night, we'd have to leave around noon. As much as I wanted to stay with our beautiful Jane, our lives were still in separate states. Nothing would change that until she decided she was ours, and came to live with us.

I'd be ready for that tomorrow, if I were being honest. Because I'm an idealist, and a romantic. I knew what I wanted and what we needed. I also was pretty goddamn sure we'd found the real thing with Jane. You can say I've read too may romance novels, but as a direct product of a fairy tale love story, I was absolutely certain it could happen for us. Still, I knew it was too soon to even suggest her moving in, though it would be the logical next step. In my mind, we were already getting married at sunset in Hawaii, and I had to mentally pump the brakes.

First seduction. Sweeping her off her feet, claiming her forever. Then moving, marriage, kids, and happily-ever-after.

Patience, Mickey Smith. Enjoy the courtship.

We stopped for a bathroom break and a stretch after Randy woke up, and caught another bite to eat sometime after that. None of us wanted to waste time on less-than-essential stops when our princess was waiting. Every couple hours, Cal or Randy updated her with our travel times. We took four bathroom breaks, getting in and out as efficiently as possible. I had to fill up the tank midway through, but from there it was smooth as hell. The real trick was going to be navigating a city in which I'd never driven, making it out onto "the Island" and grabbing Jane before we had to go back into the city. She offered to take a train in and meet us there, but all of us shot it down for the simple fact that we wanted time (which was not necessarily "intimate") with her in close quarters. The drive back to NYC offered us an ice-breaker, and a chance for Jane to become comfortable in our physical presence. If the lady was going to spend an entire weekend in our company- very intimately- it stood to reason that she would need some time to get acclimated.

We had to build trust. Considering we'd met online and she was taking a huge risk by agreeing to let us whisk her away into the busiest and most populated city in the country, she needed to see we weren't going to harm her. I mean, I knew we weren't scumbags, as did my friends, but how would she know that? The trust she was placing in us just to do this was already spectacular, and I was determined to live up to it.

After nine-ish hours on the road, the GPS finally took us through the Lincoln tunnel and directed us to the hotel. We thought it might be a good idea to quickly stop, check in, and drop our stuff before getting Jane, so we did. Once there, we spruced up before returning to the car and taking off for the last leg of our road trip. The route to Jane's address had us cutting through Manhattan and skirting around Queens, but the rest of the trip was a cinch afterward. Practically all highway until we hit the suburbs.

An hour passed and we got our first look at Long Island. Jane had joked about strip malls and car dealerships as far as the eye could see until it all turned into farms, and from what we saw, I couldn't have argued with her.

Soon enough, our grand destination loomed, and we began to get nervous. The GPS put us a half an hour away, and Cal dutifully texted Jane we were close. Looked like we were going to arrive at about 5:20 PM. Not too bad, really. We'd be hungry soon, and should arrive in plenty of time catch the dinner reservation I'd made for four at the most famous restaurant in New York City. Maybe we'd even get a chance to dress for dinner, not that my crisp skinny jeans and button-down shirt were inappropriate. We were casually attired, not slovenly, but it would be nice to look sharp for our dinner-date.

The minutes passed quicker than I expected as we began to drive through small towns and neighborhoods rather than shopping districts, and when we were five minutes down the road, searching for the turn-off, I caught myself almost hyperventilating.

"She says to come around the side of the house," Cal told me, looking up from his phone. "The house has a red door and there's a fire hydrant right in front of it. Jane's got a private entrance in the back and we can meet her there." I nodded.

"Oh my God oh my God," I muttered to myself, turning onto her street. We drove down, watching the street numbers tick lower. I felt a hand on my knee, and took comfort in my best friend's firm squeeze.

"It's going to be wonderful, M," he said, calming me. Randy poked his head between the front seats.

"We're gonna have us a girlfriend by the end of the night, buddy!" He laughed in his usual rambunctious fashion. "Don't freak out. She's going to love us."

"And we're going to love her," I declared, steeling my nerves. The street seemed to just go on and on. I saw that the houses all had very similar constructions, which I guess is why Jane told us the hallmarks of hers. My eyes were on the road, and the guys stared at right side of the street, watching for the number 12. Shortly, I heard Randy yell-

"There it is! The red door!"

"And there's the hydrant," Calvin confirmed. "Number 12." He shot off another quick message to Jane as I parked. Once fully stopped, we unbuckled ourselves and got out of my car, and I was practically dancing with the adrenaline of meeting our woman for the first time face-to-face.

"Huddle up, guys," I called, waving them to me. Their expressions were sober, and as they clustered in, I knew they needed this pep talk as much as I did. We pressed shoulder to shoulder together, and I extended my arms over each of their necks. Cal had to stoop pretty low to allow it, but we did it. "We're about to walk into our destiny. Now, I'm not saying any of us are possibly gonna fuck this up, but I feel like this is such a huge moment and I just don't want anything to go wrong. So let's do our absolute best and try not to overwhelm her in the first hour."

"And for all our sanity, let's agree not to start picking out the rings until we know for sure Jane will want us all," Cal added on, shooting me a dry look (if looks could be dry). "I'm pretty confident we'll all have chemistry with her physically, and we all know that's the deciding factor. But, please guys, I don't want to get my heart ripped out."

"Me neither," Randy agreed. "Still, I think we're better than okay on that account. Jane's already into all three of us, and we're gonna blow her fucking mind. Now let's go get our girl!"

Cal and I agreed, and we broke apart. Single file, we discreetly slipped around the side of the house to a back door under an upper-floor patio and its set of stairs. We'd been told not to pay any mind to the giant pin-cushion doll statue that would be sitting there (her bestie's art piece, apparently), and I had to admit, it looked kinda creepy, derelict and weather-beaten. I understood why our date had given us a warning as I eyed it.

Cal made the bold move of knocking, and I hurriedly smoothed my hair.

"Oh God this is it," I urgently whispered to my two best friends. Randy squeezed my shoulder.

"Relax buddy, it's gonna be great," he assured me. "We're getting there. Today's a big step, but it's all going really well." Though we'd been chatting with Jane online and over the phone for weeks now, this was the big test: Our first meeting in person. Our first night together. Thinking on it made me nervous again.

Too soon, but too slowly, the door opened.

A lovely, soft, curvy brunette with delicate ankles, beautiful thick thighs and full hips, hourglass waist and heavy, huge breasts stood before us, blushing as she passed her gaze over our trio, one at a time. She wore an adorable bubblegum-pink dress over bright green stockings. There were faux butterflies and flowers clipped into her dark waves. When she saw us, she pressed her hand to her round cheek, slightly bumping up her glasses; it was a gesture I took to mean she was feeling shy and needed something to reassure her. She leaned against the doorframe with her other hand, her lower lip wobbling as her mouth parted. For a second she struggled to find words.

"H-hi," she finally uttered, her voice breathy. "Ohmigod, hi. I can't believe you're here."

Our date was clearly ready to receive. She was dressed to go out, her purse on, and a bag visible on the floor behind her.

"Hey Janey-baby," Randy purred, eager to break the ice. "It is so fucking exciting to be meeting in the flesh." Ever the rogue, Randy stuck out a hand and waited for hers. When he got her shaking fingers, he lifted them to his mouth and gave a kiss on her knuckles- earning a coo- until he dragged his tongue across the ridge and got a squeal instead. Jane nearly collapsed as she giggled.

"Oh, oh!" she panted. "Randy, you naughty bastard, at least let me meet the three of you before you work me all up." I felt myself relax as the tension left me. I grinned. Randy wins again.

"Mickey," I said, sticking out my hand. "But you can call me 'M'."

"I'm Calvin. You can call me that or Cal," the big guy rasped. I looked up to see his expression and I found the raw lust there. Oh ho, that was unusual. Jane met my eyes and smile as she shook my hand, and when she turned to Cal, I heard her gasp, and the mirth from Randy's playfulness vanished. At first I took her reaction for fear, knowing how intimidating Cal often seemed, but Jane surprised me. Her knees weakened as she shook his hand, her pupils dilated, and blood rushed into her cheeks. My eyes darted to her chest. As I suspected, her nipples had peaked under the fabric of her dress.

"Wow," she half-moaned, "you're even sexier in person," she told my incredibly large friend. "I mean, you all are incredibly sexy and really goddamn attractive and..." she trailed off, body language closing in, her blush deepening. I saw her squeeze her thighs together even though she shrank back. Not backing down, Calvin stepped forward and impulsively took her chin in his thumb and forefinger, gently lifting her gaze toward him. The subtle control of her body made Jane melt where she stood.

Shit, this was turning out better than I expected.

"Hey." He growled a little as he spoke, demanding her attention. "You're so fucking beautiful, Jane," he growled, totally taken with the little princess. Our third snickered.

"Ohh," she moaned, fully this time, and I saw her go wobbly. Cal supported her weight and stroked her cheek with his finger. He was devouring the sight of her, and I could tell he wanted to drag her to the nearest bed and ravage her, which was a desire I'd never seen on his face before. "Th-thank you," she finally managed. Jane squirmed but found her feet again. Reluctantly, Cal let her go. Our girl smoothed her dress in an obvious attempt to smooth her frazzled nerves, and she tossed her incredibly long hair backward, putting on a brave smile. "Well then. I'm Jane. It's really amazing to finally meet you all. I've so been looking forward to it, and..." Her eyes raked all three of us, and her sultry side emerged. "You're even more than I dreamed." She really looked at me then. "My God, you're breathtaking. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world right now." I grinned.

"Not at all, sweetheart, you made us the luckiest guys in the world today," I answered. "Shall we go?"

"Um, do any of you need to use the bathroom before we leave? You want the quickie tour?" She stepped back from the door, waving her arm toward the room(s?) behind her.

"Sure, we have some time," Cal replied, holding the door for us as he stepped inside.

"Pee break's not a bad idea," Randy quipped. Jane pointed to the small commode, past a sink and countertop and next to the door that presumably led to the upper parts of the house. Calvin and I stepped onto a tile floor. A pool table separated the 'kitchen' area of the downstairs apartment from the 'den' section. That half of the room was carpeted, with a couch and an easy chair, a TV, and some random tables, lamps, bookcases et al.

"You play?" Cal asked casually, thumping the pool table as we passed it.

"I have on occasion," Jane replied easily, leading us to another door situated next to the TV and entertainment center. "I think that table actually belonged to my bestie's older brother, who's long moved out. Even Hydie is finally gone, moved out of state to be with her boyfriend."

"Nice digs," I said, sweeping my gaze around the room. Behind us came the sound of water as Randy finished up what he was doing in the bathroom. "This is pretty much private?"

"Yeah, the house was essentially built for like, whole families to have separate apartments," Jane said. "You would have two generations splitting the home to save money but maintain privacy, and believe me, with the cost of living around here, this kind of thing is essential. I mean, everyone I know either lives with their parents or has multiple roommates." Jane blushed a little and I impulsively wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss on her forehead. She gasped but returned the affectionate gesture by putting her arm around my hip, one hand resting on my chest. Cal saw this and grinned, but he also growled possessively.

"Makes sense," I told her. I refrained from telling Jane the thought in my head- now she was with us, she'd never have to worry about money ever again. I knew that right then she wouldn't want to hear it.

Randy emerged, looking refreshed, and Jane smiled. She gently let me go, and I let her pull away.

"You want to see my room?"

"Sure, baby," my giant friend growled. "I want to see where you've been entertaining us." Her blush deepened, and she laughed. Without a further word she opened the door behind her, and led us into a tiny but cozy room with a very high bed, a couple of basic bookshelves, and other assorted furniture. We recognized the pillows and the wall behind her bed, and I'm sure we all instantly warmed at remembering why.

There wasn't much to see, but she let us poke around and 'ooh' and 'ahh' at her treasures. Her faux rose collection, her collectibles and personal décor, plus her 'most prized' possession- a stuffed doll of her favorite vampire. Signed, even, by the character's voice actor. Randy especially found that impressive. He also found something else. Something that made him snicker out loud and practically jump for joy in her bedroom.

"And what's this, baby?" He almost shouted, holding up a small black pipe. It had been cleverly hidden in plain sight on her shelf, alongside her jewelry box and some other stuff. Jane grinned and laughed.

"Oh, that's Vladimir. He used to be a water pipe, but I broke him so now it's just a straight glass piece." Randy held it up and looked at the glass bowl- she'd fixed it up with black electrical tape. "Still works."

"Bitch, are you four-twenny friendly?" He asked her with glee.

"'Vladimir'?" Cal asked wryly.

"Named after a giant grenade launcher in Hellsing," she jibed at the big guy. "And yes, Randy, I am. I take it that excites you?" He didn't even bother answering. My bro just threw his arms around her instead.

"You are the perfect woman," the perverted one squealed, more happy than I'd ever seen him. Cal and I chuckled. We indulged occasionally with our bro, but he toked up at least a few times a week. Hell, most of our friends had at least tried pot, if not more. In my opinion it beat heavy drinking, even if I only partook once in a while.

"Good to know it's not an issue," Jane replied, stroking the back of Randy's head. "Is it just you, or do you guys smoke too?" She looked up at us while our friend got in a last squeeze and then let her go.

"Sometimes we enjoy a bowl or a bong with our little bro," Cal answered. "We have a few beers or drinks here and there too, you know, nothing over the top."

"Works for me," she said. "Usually my indulgence happens once a week or on weekends. I've only comparatively recently started smoking, and besides booze, that's the hardest I've gone."

It was time to get moving, and Jane replaced her stuff before we parted her bedroom.

"Plenty of time for other shit," Randy told her jovially. "I've tried a bunch of stuff, but we can talk about that later. I think we have more important things, this evening, to do." He gave her a lascivious look, and she laughed.

"I think you're right. You guys have got to be hungry by now. I take it we're off to catch dinner before we become more involved with... other pursuits?" Saucily, Jane hinted at the activities to come. We converged on her.

"You guessed right," I said, offering her my arm. "We have a dinner reservation waiting. Are you ready to be swept off your feet, my darling?" She took my arm, giggling.

"I can't feel my legs, so you're off to a great start!"

We chuckled, and I escorted her to the door, then led her to the car while Randy and Cal grabbed her bag for the weekend. We'd drive back into New York City, take her to dinner, get to know each other, and we then had a hotel room for two nights... The three of us didn't know for sure exactly how physical, how fast we'd be getting, but Jane had told us sex was important to her, and in our situation it was going to be crucial. If she didn't click with one of us or only clicked with one of us, this wouldn't work. However, her obvious desire for Cal and Randy was half the battle. That and, Cal returning that desire. That was big.

"Would you like to sit up front with me or in the back with one of the guys?" I asked her casually. I felt her gait hitch a little.

"Hmm, sexy man number one or sexy man number three? Why aren't you an option, sexy man number two?" I laughed, and stroked her arm.

"I'm driving," I told her. "I'm a little bit protective of my car." I nodded toward my Lexus GS F, done in white, only a couple years old but still in top shape.

"Ah," she answered. "Makes sense. I hope you put a towel in the backseat because sticking me with either one of those two is almost guaranteed to get me all hot and bothered," she commented dryly. I had to snort in surprise. Jane really wasn't shy about sex. Shy about herself was another story.