AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She’d done it. This time, Jess was sure. He was out of her life for good. With her words, she’d wounded his ego, had dealt a serious blow to his male arrogance. He was no longer coming back to haunt her. She had her life back. So why was she only mildly relieved?
ChapterFour
SEPTEMBER
“See ya tomorrow,” Vanessa, a colleague, cheerfully waved to Jess as they parted ways.
“See ya,” this returned, smiling, walking in the opposite direction.
Together with a crowd of 238 people, she was making her way out of the Ballroom Half Section, one of the large conference rooms in the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago. They were attending a three-day workshop seminar sponsored by an internationally known brand of beauty products, centered on the latest fashionable haircuts, which also included a briefing on the most recent treatments and beauty techniques available on the market.
“Oh Jess!” Vanessa called out, making her turn around. She was walking back towards her, negotiating her way around the stream of boisterous beauticians, gathered here for the occasion from all over the states.
“Yes?”
“I forgot to ask you what happened with your date,” Vanessa lit up with an engaging, between-us-females smile, as they moved to a quieter corner of the Four Seasons main hall.
“My what?”
“Last time we spoke, you told me you had started dating someone…Ron something, and since we haven’t seen each other in weeks, I was wondering how things were going between the two of you.”
Jess sighed, remembering the occasion in which she’d foolishly mentioned Rob to her. She’d gone out for drinks with a group of people to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and Vanessa had been among them. The tall, slim red-head with light brown eyes and a sunny disposition worked in a spa at Lake View while Jess worked in Lincoln Park. They had been introduced, and with the help of a bottle of Chardonnay, had spent a lively, light-hearted evening becoming acquainted.
But how could Jess tell a virtual stranger she was dating Rob –if that’s what you could call a couple dinners out without so much as a goodnight kiss, only to purge another man out of her system, without sounding shallow? How could she explain to Vanessa what it meant to be able to find the slight interest in a man who wasn’t Reece, for the first time in almost one year? What words could she use to tell her that Rob –bless his little heart, was more than willing to take their relationship a step further, but Jess was stalling him, because he couldn’t, even by being his most charming self, set off anything similar to the explosive chain reaction her ex-husband was always able to stir up inside her with a simple look. These were not things you could tell someone you’d met twice, hoping she’d understand your motivations. Even LeeHanne had a rather difficult time grasping the whole situation, and she’d been her best friend and confidant for years.
Vanessa was looking expectantly at her, yet Jess could not come up with a suitable answer. She liked Rob. He was pleasant to speak with and considerate of her needs. Chivalrous to the extent that on their first date he had insisted on opening every door for her, and at the end of the evening, he had insisted on walking her home, even going as far as checking her apartment inside, room by room, before leaving. Although at times he had the tendency to go a bit overboard with his gallantry, Jess had to admit she was flattered to receive that kind of attention from a man. Unfortunately, what she felt for Rob was lukewarm interest, not lust. She wasn’t physically attracted to him, though his blond hair and all-American good-looks had a certain appeal, and Jess seriously doubted she would ever be so lucky as to share with another man the all-consuming passion she’d shared with Reece.
His sheer presence had always made her quiver with sexual awareness. His overt sensuality, his arrogance, the strong will to succeed in whatever he set out to achieve, were an addictive mixture no woman could resist. What hot-blooded female wouldn’t feel privileged to be the only one capable of firing-up such a dynamic man with her mere presence? Who wouldn’t feel heady, knowing she held such undisputed stirring power over such a species man? Who could be so stupid as to refuse the guy who made her feel every pore of her skin, each of her senses, alert and alive whenever he was near, only because said woman aspired to something more than sensational sex?
Jessica Wright. That’s who.
“So how is it going with this man of yours?” Vanessa inquired after a few moments of silence from Jess.
“I miss him.”
“Why is that? Has he gone away?”
“Who?”
Vanessa frowned. Taking a step back, she tried to better assess her. “Are you okay? You look funny.”
“I’m fine,” Jess was quick to reassure her. “Sorry, something just occurred to me.”
“Am I keeping you from meeting…what’s his name?”
“Ree-Rob,” Jess quickly amended, realizing her slip with horror. If Vanessa had heard it, she didn’t show it. Jess was about to add that she missed Rob because she had not seen him in two days, when her colleague’s phone rang and she had to take the call. Her departure spared Jess a white lie.
“Excuse me, ma’am. Are you Ms. Jessica Wright?” A young, blond man wearing a hotel uniform approached her, stopping Jess before she could leave the hall.
She frowned, wondering what he wanted. “Yes.”
“I have a message. A man gave me this, asking that I deliver it to you.” He handed her a white sealed envelope with only the Four Seasons’ logo printed on it, said his goodbyes, and went back to the reception desk. Curious, she opened the envelope, and frowned at the thin magnetic key she found inside. There was also a brief note. She didn’t recognize the handwriting.
Room 4621. I’m waiting for you. R
The note both flattered and flustered Jess. It was sweet of Rob to book a room here at the hotel where she was attending the convention, send her a key, and invite her to spend some time alone with him. Only, she wasn’t prepared to take the monumental step the note subtly hinted at. Although during the last month, Jess had started to feel the first feeble tinges of desire to physically know another man, she wasn’t ready to throw herself into somebody else’s arms.
Taking one of the elevators, she sought out the right room. To any onlooker, the cadence of each step showed her determination to clarify her position with Rob once for all, putting an end to their non-existing relationship before he made too much of it. Inside she was quivering with misgivings, unsure how to handle the situation with tact, and avoid hurting Rob’s feelings.
