It's Magic, You Know

Jakob smiled then told the hostess, "Two glasses, please."

When their server returned with their drinks, she handed them both menus and said she'd be right back. Hollie started looking and only saw numbers.

"Jakob, this is insanely expensive. Look. A salad is $15. And that's just the salad!"

He smiled but didn't laugh as she said, "And look here. The shellfish appetizer is $59! And this entree is $119!"

"Just order what you'd like, okay?" he told her.

"Are you sure? I mean, this is...sinful!"

He finally laughed, but only politely.

He reached over and gently took her hand then said, "You deserve to be treated like this. So please, have whatever you like."

She looked over at him, and the look on his face as well as his tone of voice told her meant it, but even so, this was very difficult for her.

Jakob let go of her hand then said, "I wanted to tell you again how beautiful you look and how much this means to me."

She lowered the menu then thanked and asked, "Why? I'm the one being treated like...royalty. How is this so important to you?"

It was a genuine, sincere question and Jakob knew she really didn't understand.

"Hollie, I've been very...blessed?" he began, saying 'blessed' as though he wasn't sure it was the right word.

"Or maybe just...lucky. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is I've had the privilege of spending time with a fair amount of beautiful women over the years, and..."

"Of course," Hollie said with a bit of a smile. "How could you not?"

"But I've never wanted to spend time with any one of them as much as I want to spend time with you," Jakob said as he picked up his glass.

"I...I really don't understand, Jakob," Hollie told him.

"I hope to help you understand, but for now, would you join me in a toast?"

"Yes. Of course," she told him as she reached for her glass.

"To the power of laughter and to Jenni's complete recovery," Jakob offered.

His toast so surprised her she forgot what she was doing.

She blinked twice then said, "Sorry. That...that was so wonderful of you to say."

She raised her glass then repeated his words before the flutes touched and each of them took a sip.

"I've only had champagne twice before," Hollie told him. "At my wedding and on our first anniversary."

She immediately apologized for bringing up her ex-husband, and Jakob told her he wanted to know as much about her as possible so any and all topics were fine.

The server came back, and Hollie still hadn't really even looked.

"Would you order for me?" she asked very sweetly as she handed the menu back to the younger woman.

Jakob ordered for both of them, and as their server walked away, Hollie said, "I'm going to try not to think about how much each bite I take is costing."

Jakob smiled at her then said, "Let me worry about the cost, okay?"

"I'll...I'll try," Hollie told him before smiling then asking Jakob to tell her everything that had happened in the last ten years.

This time he laughed.

"I might need...ten years...to do that," he told her.

"Well, not...everything," she told him as she finally got over the prices and took her first real look at the gorgeous younger man sitting next to her.

Jakob didn't like talking about himself so he condensed ten years into two minutes by skimming over all the hard work he'd done (while working full-time) preparing himself for any break that might come his way.

"So three months ago, a friend of David's was at my act and came up after the show and talked to me. I never really believed it would lead to an interview let alone opening for David, but a week later I got a phone call from his personal assistant and two days later I met him for the first time."

"Go on," Hollie said. "This is so fascinating!"

"Really? I just don't see it," Jakob said. "But what would interest me is hearing about you. After all, that's why I asked you out."

Hollie smiled and said, "Which I still don't really understand, but..."

She spent a good ten minutes explaining Jenni's slow-but-steady recovery, thanking Jakob several times, then how she went into remission and passed the five-year mark to be considered cancer free.

"She still has annual checkups, but I feel really hopeful the cancer is gone forever."

"That is such an amazing story," Jakob told her sincerely. "And you are an amazing mom."

He saw Hollie blinking then turn away.

"You're going to make me cry," she said as she reached for the linen napkin on her lap.

"I'm sorry. That's the last thing I wanted to happen," Jakob said as he moved his chair closer and reached for a paper napkin.

"Here. Let me," he said as he reached a hand her way.

Hollie turned toward him, and in spite of her watery eyes, both of them looked at the other for several seconds. Only when a tear fell did Jakob realize what was going on. He gently soaked up the water then just as carefully dabbed each eye.

"There. Perfect," he said. "Just like you."

Hollie looked away then said, "You and I both know that isn't true, Jakob. It's very kind of you to say, but it..."

He gently put his hand on her forearm and waited for her to look back at him.

"Yes. Yes, it is true," he told her. "To me, you are perfect, Hollie."

Those same feelings of confusion swept over her again just as their appetizers arrived.

"Enjoy!" they heard their server say.

Hollie looked down at Jakob's hand who slowly moved it away she could begin eating. She tried again to get him to talk about his work and his personal life, but he turned the conversation back to Jenni.

"So how is she doing in school? I know she's very young, but is there maybe a boy she likes yet? Is she interested in sports or cheerleading or going to college?"

Hollie loved talking about her daughter, and she answered each one of Jakob's question in as much detail as he could with her answers spurring more questions.

By the time they'd finished eating, Jakob had talked less than a tenth of the time, and Hollie still felt like she barely knew anything about him.

When she mentioned that, Jakob smiled again then said, "I'm a very simple man, Hollie. I have two loving parents, I get paid to do the thing I love the most, and I'm out with the only woman I've ever had feelings for."

Again, his reply caught her completely off guard. He saw her quickly look away again, so he reached over like he'd done before and touched her arm.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No. It's just...well...you barely even know me, Jakob. I truly am flattered. I am. But..."

"But?" he asked, his eyebrows raised and a smile on his lips.

"But...well, this can't be...you and me, going out. This can't be...serious," she said as she turned back to look at him.

"It can't?" he asked, the smile still there but the eyebrows no longer raised. "Why can't it?"

"Jakob. Please," she said, not sure what else to say.

He moved his hand down to hers then gently took it.

"Hollie? The only thing missing from my life is someone to share it with. And as I said, it's not like I've had difficulty meeting woman."

She went to speak, but Jakob squeezed her hand and continued.

"When I saw your name on the list of people coming to my show that night, my heart leapt. I'm not exaggerating, Hollie. Then when I saw you and Jenni walk in, I actually choked up."

Trying to be funny, Hollie said, "I'd cry, too, if I saw myself walk in."

She smiled hoping Jakob would laugh. He not only didn't, he tilted his head to indicate his displeasure and disagreement.

"Hardly. All I could think was how you were even more beautiful than I'd remembered. And when you were on stage with me, all I wanted to do was...kiss you."

"Jakob. Please!" she said, the nervousness she was feeling coming through loud and clear.

"No. It's true. I did want to kiss you, and...I still do," he told her as he held her hand a little tighter.

She looked down then said, "I...I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

Jakob leaned over a bit to try and catch her eye then asked, "Is there maybe someone else in your life?"

"In my life? Please!" she said yet again.

"Was that a 'no'?"

"Yes, that's a 'no'. There's never been anyone since my divorce," she told him without looking at him.

"Is it me then?" he asked so gently it forced her to look at him.

"You? No. Heavens no."

"Then what is it, Hollie? Do you just not find me attractive or interesting or..."

She not only looked at him, Hollie turned to face him then said, "That's ridiculous. You're...gorgeous and you're very interesting."

She smiled then said, "Well, from what little I was able to pry out of you."

When she smiled, Jakob did, too.

"You see. You really are beautiful. Whenever you smile at me, it...kills me," he told her.

"That's...that's just...hyperbole," Hollie said, amazed that she remembered the word she was looking for.

"No. No it isn't," he told her as she moved to the edge of his chair.

"It isn't?" she asked as Jakob's handsome face was less than a foot away from hers.

"No. It isn't hyperbole. It's the truth," he told her. "You are by far the most beautiful woman I've ever known, Hollie."

The truth was, he'd dated many women as attractive as her and a few even more so. But none of them had ever made him feel the way she made him feel. And that, plus her own outward, physical beauty, did indeed make her that beautiful to him.

"Then what does...this...mean?" she asked, clearly referring to their date and everything surrounding it.

"It means I like you, Holly. Very much. It means I want to spend time with you. It means I can't stop thinking about you, and yes, it means...I want to kiss you."

She carefully listened to each word and watched his eyes as he spoke. By the time he finished, she knew he was sincere, but she still couldn't understand why. But she also remembered her 'wise' daughter's counsel and tried thinking of her own needs; needs she hadn't had met in well over a decade. Her body ached to be loved, and her soul ached ever more to wanted.

"I'm afraid," Hollie replied very quietly.

"Of what?" Jakob asked as he reached up and touched her face very softly.

"I don't know," she said just as quietly. "Getting hurt, maybe?"

There wasn't much room left, but Jakob managed to move a tiny bit closer before answering her.

"Hollie? I've never put myself in a position where I could get hurt before. I've always kept things casual. And that's because anyone I ever dated was just...a date. I never once saw any of them as well...a potential...mate."

She went to speak but Jakob asked her to let him finish.

"They were just...place fillers. They didn't mean anything to me in terms of my future. But that's not true where you're concerned. So this is all new to me, too, and I'm risking being rejected and having my heart...broken," he said, his voice trailing off at the end.

When she knew he was finished talking she looked into his eyes then said, "I had my heart broken once, and it was awful. Absolutely awful."

Hollie now squeezed his hand then said, "I would never, ever do that to you, Jakob. Ever."

"And I would never do that to you," he whispered as he moved even closer to kiss her.

Hollie's heart was pounding as she closed her eyes. She'd been kissed several times since her husband left, but she'd never experienced anything like this before in her life.

Yes, a part of it was the sheer amount of time since anyone she found attractive had kissed her, but it was also more than that. In fact, that was really only a very small part of it. What it was involved being with someone who genuinely cared about her and her daughter; someone who'd gone to extraordinary lengths to show her how much he cared then told her in unmistakable terms that he did.

So as his lips pressed against hers, her brain flooded her entire body with an endorphin cocktail that made her wonder if this was what it felt like to shoot heroin into one's veins.

The kiss only lasted a couple of seconds, but it made a lasting impression on her. What she didn't know was that it made an ever deeper impression on the handsome, younger man who'd just kissed her.

"And...now what?" Hollie asked very softly.

"I'm not sure," Jakob told her. "What does a person do when their life finally begins?"

Hollie smiled because she couldn't do anything else. She was so happy it was impossible not to smile.

"Considering how it feels like mine just started over, too, I'm afraid I don't know, either."

"Can we figure it out together?" Jakob asked, never taking his eyes off of hers.

"I...I'd like that," Hollie told him, hoping he would kiss her again.

"Together. That sounds nice, doesn't it?" Jakob said before softly kissing her one more time.

Not sure why, she ignored what he said, and found herself saying, "I...I don't always look like this, you know."

Jakob smiled a happy smile then said, "Well, I can't afford to do this all the time, either."

Hollie laughed along with Jakob who said, "Besides, this is fantasy. Our real lives are messy and often not at all pretty. Like me when I wake up and my hair's a disaster, I need to shave, and my...breath stinks."

Hollie laughed but said, "I find it hard to imagine you ever not looking wonderful. I'm the one who looks, well...her age."

"Uh-uh. Don't even go there," Jakob playfully warned her. "I'm willing to bet everything I have that you look amazing no matter what time it is or where you are."

"You haven't seen me at 5am," she told him.

"No, but I'd...like to," he told her with a smile.

There was a long pause before Hollie spoke.

"Do you really mean that?" she asked, the very thought of that happening sending another flood of something very pleasant through her.

"Yes. But I'm in no hurry. The last thing I want is to even give you the impression that's all that matters to me."

"I'm not thinking that at all," Hollie replied. "I'm just trying to understand why it matters to you at all."

"You're a hard sell, aren't you?" he teased as he held her hand. "That's okay. I'm up to the challenge."

"You may be biting off more than you can chew," she both warned and teased.

"Can I be the judge of that?" Jakob asked.

"Yes," she said so quietly he barely heard her as she leaned over and kissed him.

"Does that mean..." he asked once she moved away.

"I...I don't have a curfew," she said, barely able to believe she said those words.

"Hollie. I really don't want to mess this up. If it's too early..."

"No. I trust you, Jakob. So if it's what you want, then..."

"Yes, but only if it's what you want."

She nodded then said, "Yes. It's what I want. Definitely."

He reached for his phone and asked, "Do you mind?"

"No," Hollie said.

She could only overhear parts of his side of the conversation, but it sounded like he was talking to David Copperfield's personal assistant.

"You're sure it's available?" she heard him say.

"Okay. Thank you. Yes. I'd like to use it."

He signaled for the check then paid their bill.

"You ready?" he asked Hollie who offered him her hand.

Jakob held onto it as they headed to the elevator. Their private guide was no longer there, but Jakob told the person who was, "The presidential suite, please."

Hollie grabbed his arm tight then said, "No! Jakob, that's ridiculous! We can go somewhere...reasonable."

Jakob turned toward her, smiled, then said, "It's on call for people like Mr. Copperfield. No one else is using it tonight, so it's ours. And before you ask, I'm not paying for it."

He saw a look of relief wash over her face then asked, "Is that okay?"

Hollie smiled then said, "You really know how to impress a girl."

"Some girls are worth impressing," Jakob told her before he softly kissed her again.

The presidential suite was 980 square feet, and as large as a small apartment only with very high-end...everything.

"I don't even know what to say," Hollie said as she looked around then out the window at another spectacular view.

"As you long as you want to be here with me, I don't need anything else."

Hollie sat her borrowed clutch down then put her arms around Jakob.

"I very much want to be here with you," she told him.

"Hollie, I really am worried about moving too fast," he told her again.

"Then...move slowly," she replied with a warm smile as she slowly slid his jacket off then untied his bow tie.

"Okay. I can do that," he replied as he slowly unzipped her dress.

When it fell to the floor, Jakob said, "Oh, my God."

"Is it that bad?" Hollie asked wishing it was back on.

"Bad? Are you kidding? I've never seen anything so amazing before in my entire life," he said as he moved closer and held her.

Her confidence was growing, but when she finished undressing Jakob and saw his hard, young body, she felt much less so. In fact all she felt was...old.

"We don't have to do anything," he assured her when she told him how she felt.

"No. I...I want to. I just can't convince myself someone as perfect as you would want to be with someone like me."

"And yet I do," he whispered as he touched her pretty face. "More than anything."

When he kissed her again, Hollie willed herself to again try and think of her own needs; needs that were screaming at her so loudly they wouldn't relent. When she felt him growing against her bare skin, she moaned softly, surrendered, and gave herself to him completely.

Hollie had only ever made love with two other men besides her husband, but she'd never experienced anything close to that before. Ever.

"Was that okay?" he asked as she lay in his arms.

"No. It wasn't okay," she said very quietly. "It was...utterly fantastic and amazing and wonderful and..."

She looked up at him then said, "I came three times. I've never cum more than once before—ever. So...no, it wasn't just...okay. Okay?"

Jakob smiled happily then asked, "Would you like to try for three more?"

"I think I could risk my body shaking apart again," she said playfully.

"Then come here," he said as he rolled on top of her and entered her almost immediately.

It was around midnight when Hollie said, "I don't have a curfew, but I really shouldn't stay out all night."

"I understand. Completely. I'll call for the limo to be here in what? Half an hour?"

"Is that okay?" she asked, hoping it really was.

"Of course," Jakob said. "I'm in this for the long haul so as long as I know I can see you again, it's just fine."

Holly climbed on top of him, smiled, then said, "If you still want to see me after...seeing me...all of me...then I'd love to see you, too."

"Oh, I definitely want to see you again. As often as possible, in fact."

She was essentially sitting on his chest and looking down at him when he noticed her eyes tearing up again.

"Is that too much?" he asked.

Hollie shook her head.

"No. I...I just can't believe this is happening. Not to me. This kind of thing just...doesn't happen...to me."

"Well, it is," Jakob told her. "And it'll keep happening as long as you'll let me."

"I'll always let you," she told him as a tear rolled down her cheek as she leaned down and kissed him.

When Jakob kissed her goodnight on her front porch, Hollie walked inside feeling another wave of emotions wash over her. There was happiness, excitement, and because she was so late, a small amount of embarrassment which got worse when she saw her daughter asleep in the recliner, obviously waiting up for her mom.

There was no way to get past her without Jenni noticing, and when she tried, her daughter said, "Did you have a nice time?" causing Hollie to nearly jump.

"Why are you still up?" her mom asked, avoiding the question.

"Because that's what best friends do," her daughter replied as she sat up then stood.

When she saw her mom about to cry she asked, "What's wrong? Was it bad?"