by Harper Bliss
“Okay. Hold up, please.” Liz put her cutlery down. “I want to hear more about the advertising agency, but first I’d like to say I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying the food. And no, I’m not a chef. I just really like a colorful plate of food. I always go by color when I cook. It must be the art buff in me.”
Because of the delightful meal in front of her and Liz’s left-field answers to her questions, Jessica was reminded of Katherine’s words of the other day again. But for now, she decided to just enjoy the rest of the evening. If she had to break all ties with Liz as of tomorrow, to protect her own heart, so be it. She still had tonight. She’d make the most of it—something she hadn’t done in a good long while. “Do you follow the art world?” Jessica asked, well aware she was steering the conversation in a different direction again. A few minutes ago she’d been willing to talk about her failed business but now Liz was looking all too spectacular again, and was saying the kind of things that on any real date would have Jessica swooning, and Jessica couldn’t bear to revisit her failures in front of this woman any longer.
“I collect a little.” Liz’s eyes lit up. “In my line of work, I get an interesting tip from time to time. A way in behind the scenes of certain galleries. There are many perks.” She held Jessica’s gaze. “Many,” she repeated.
Jessica took a deep breath. She feared a dizzy spell if Liz kept talking like this—and looking in her eyes like that. “Picked up anything interesting lately?” She managed to squeeze the words past the constriction in her throat.
Liz arched up her eyebrows. “I might have.” She folded her features into a more serious expression quickly, as though suddenly aware of crossing a boundary. “But let’s get back to you. Tell me about your business.” She reached for her glass of pinot noir—she had picked the wine as well. Jessica had, literally, only had to show up at her own dinner table. She’d certainly never had the all-inclusive service like the one Liz was offering now.
Jessica responded with a small shake of her head. “You’re much more interesting to talk about.”
“I assure you that I’m not.” Liz leaned away from Jessica. “And you brought it up, which means you want to talk about it. I’m all ears. In fact, I’m rather curious.”
Jessica sighed. “It was one big fiasco.”
“So you keep saying, but give me some details, please?”
Jessica put down her fork. Her palms had gotten sweaty. She rubbed them on the napkin in her lap. “It’s hard to talk about.”
“Surely it’s not harder than what you did earlier?” Liz cocked her head.
Jessica leaned over the table. “You know, Liz, there’s just something about you that doesn’t quite gel with the reason you’re here. It’s quite disconcerting. It’s making me quite unsure how to behave.”
Liz nodded slowly. “I’m sorry about that. This is just how I am. I get that Laurel was different but there isn’t some sort of standardized procedure to what we do. And in case you’re wondering, I’m genuinely interested in you.”
“That’s what’s so unnerving,” Jessica said.
Liz stared at her for a few more seconds, then looked around the room. “Hold on.” She walked toward a chair by the wall where her bag stood. She fished out her phone and fiddled with it for a bit. She headed back to the table and showed Jessica the screen. “I sent this message to the agency when I came down earlier. Before I started cooking. This means I’m off the clock.”
Jessica glared at the message. It was just one word. A cold, sterile one-word sentence. Done.
“What does that mean?” Jessica asked.
Liz put her phone on the sideboard behind the table and took her seat across from Jessica again. “It means that, after you were so brave to look at yourself in the mirror for the first time since your surgery, I wanted to stay with you in a different capacity than the one I arrived in.”
Jessica scoffed. “And what capacity might that be?”
Liz sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, as though she was giving this some serious thought. “Interested acquaintance, perhaps?” she said after a while.
“I’m still none the wiser.” Jessica knew she was massively on the defensive, but she wanted to make absolutely sure she wasn’t misunderstanding anything.
“Okay, it looks like I’m going to have to spell this out for you.” She slanted over the table. “I like you, Jessica Porter. I like spending time with you. I didn’t much feel like going home. I think we had a bit of a moment earlier and I felt like exploring that more… in a different capacity.”
Christ. Jessica didn’t quite know how to react to that. She wanted to jump up, push Liz’s chair back and shower her in all the affection she had saved up since her diagnosis, but something was holding her back. Caution. A gut feeling that something didn’t quite add up. “Isn’t that terribly unprofessional?” she asked.
Liz smiled. “Maybe,” she said.
“I don’t really know what to do with that.” To prove her point, Jessica sipped from her glass of wine. She couldn’t do much else. Her brain couldn’t quite compute what was being said. She was afraid of misinterpreting what Liz was saying. In fact, she was sure she was hearing it all wrong.
“I’m sorry, Jess.” Liz straightened her posture. “I shouldn’t flirt like that. It’s unfair.”
“It’s confusing.” Jessica planted her elbows on the table. “To put it bluntly, I paid you to come here. That’s what you do. That’s the service I asked for. You came. We spent time together. But instead of leaving after my time with you was up, you decided to stay.”
“That sounds about right.” Liz pulled the sides of her blouse tightly over her chest. “But maybe I should go now.” She rose. “I feel like the evening has taken a turn and that I perhaps got the wrong impression. I apologize for that.”
The sight of Liz getting up tightened something in Jessica’s stomach. “No, please don’t leave.” Jessica pushed her chair back. “I could use… an interested acquaintance right about now.”
This brought a small smile to Liz’s face. She walked over to where Jessica was sitting and squatted down next to her. “I feel like, under different circumstances, you and I could be friends, Jess.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s only eight o’clock. Maybe we can create some of those different circumstances tonight.”
Jessica scrunched her lips together. “Friends, huh.”
“Is that a problem?” Liz asked.
“Well, I have many friends, but I wouldn’t dream of doing with them the things I’d like to do with you…”
“Something a bit different than friends then.” Liz put her hands on Jessica’s knees and pushed herself up. Once up, she brought her hands to the back of Jessica’s chair and hovered over her. “Friends who enjoy doing this.” She planted a kiss on Jessica’s cheek. “Perhaps even this.” The next kiss landed on Jessica’s lips. “Or this.” The next time Liz kissed Jessica, she opened her mouth and licked Jessica’s lips with the tip of her tongue. Jessica didn’t hesitate. She met Liz’s tongue with hers and melted into their kiss.
When they broke apart, Jessica stared up at Liz’s triumphant smile. “You seduced me.”
“Who’s to say it didn’t happen the other way around?” Liz said.
Jessica loved Liz’s quick wit. The way she had a response at the ready for anything Jessica said. And she adored that smile that, every time it was aimed at Jessica, truly did make her feel as though everything was going to be all right—just as Liz had promised her earlier that evening.
“I am,” Jessica said. “And there’s no doubt about it.” She curved her arms around Liz’s neck and pulled her closer so she could kiss her again.
Liz brought her long legs to either side of the chair and straddled Jessica. This time, she didn’t hold back. She pushed her chest against Jessica’s torso and let her tongue dance freely in her mouth.
“Would you like to go back upstairs?” Liz asked when they came up for air.
“Not yet,” Jessica
said.
Liz grinned at her. “That’s right, you haven’t told me about your business yet. Great way to get out of that.” She pecked Jessica on the nose.
“I’m still processing what just happened,” Jessica said.
Liz stood up from Jessica’s lap and pulled a chair close. She took Jessica’s hands gently in hers and nodded. “I can imagine it’s a bit of a mind fuck.”
“You’re one big mind fuck. You being here is just… I don’t know.” Jessica didn’t have the words to describe this highly unusual situation.
“How about this.” Liz looked at their hands. “You take all the time you need to process but, in the meanwhile, we arrange a proper date.” She locked her gaze on Jessica’s. “One where you don’t pay me at the end of the night.”
“It would still be a mind fuck, but I do like the sound of that.” She squeezed Liz’s hand.
“It’s a date then.” Liz beamed, giving her a wide smile.
“Does that mean you’re leaving now?” Jessica asked.
“Not if you want me to stay.” Liz turned her gaze away and stared into the lounge. “How about you show me what’s so exciting about watching television. I couldn’t help but notice that monstrosity hanging from your wall. Why waste such prime space on a flat screen when you could hang a gorgeous piece of art instead?”
“Art is only entertaining for a few seconds. TV can keep me on the edge of my seat for hours.” Jessica thought about how she’d felt about television that very morning. But it had been a long day. And she had a point to prove.
“Oh, the blasphemy.” Liz clutched a hand to her chest. “Art may require you to use a bit more of your imagination, sure, but doesn’t that make it more rewarding?”
“More rewarding than an episode of The Kramers?” Jessica said. “I think not.” She got up and held out her hand to Liz. “Come on, Miss High Brow, it’s about time I corrupted you.”
Chapter Twelve
Liz had been shaking her head for the past five minutes.
“Please, don’t hold back on my account,” Jessica said.
“I’m perplexed,” Liz said. “And I cannot help but wonder what this sort of TV show being so popular says about our society as a whole.”
“Oh, so now you want to have a discussion about the effect of The Kramers on society?” Jessica grinned.
“All that woman goes on about is how one particular brand of makeup is better than the other. I fail to see the entertainment value in this.”
Jessica turned away from the screen. “This has to be one of the strangest days of my life.”
“Why? Because it suddenly dawned on you that the company you work for produced this and it has instigated a deep crisis of faith in the TV industry?”
“Hey, you’re the one who wanted to watch television.”
“Nu-uh.” Liz shook her head. “I’m the one who wanted to do very different things.” She let her tongue flash over her upper lip.
“What I actually meant to say”—Jessica rolled her eyes while, really, she couldn’t believe how utterly comfortable she felt in Liz’s company—“is that watching The Kramers with you was not what I thought I would be doing tonight. And I certainly didn’t think you’d be all snooty about it.”
“But tell me honestly, Jess. How else can one be about this but snooty? It’s utter drivel. It makes me happy I don’t have a television. In fact, it makes me never want to have one in my life.” Liz had a smug smile on her face.
Jessica reached for the remote and switched off the television. “Better?” she asked.
“Much.” Liz turned to her and drew her legs onto the couch.
Jessica sunk her teeth into her bottom lip and looked at Liz.
“Pressing matter on your mind?” Liz asked.
Jessica nodded.
“Does it have anything to do with Kathy Kramer? Because I can’t help you with that.”
“Is Liz your real name?” Jessica asked.
Liz didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “It’s Nicole Elizabeth Griffith. I never liked Nicole or even Nikki. I’ve always gone by my middle name. But my name on any official piece of paper would be Nicole Griffith.”
“Nicole.” Jessica regarded Liz intently. “You really don’t strike me as a Nicole.”
“That’s what I told my mother years ago. Even she called me Liz, notwithstanding the occasional slip-up out of habit.”
“Liz is much more glamorous,” Jessica said.
“I know. It slips off the tongue so sensually.” She chuckled.
“So you don’t go by a fake name for, er, work purposes?”
“Nope.”
“Is that… safe?”
“Perfectly so.” Liz shuffled in her seat. “Look, Jess, the clients I see are… how to put this. Me knowing their real name, which is something the agency demands, can be much more of an issue for them than them knowing my real name. Some girls use a fake name, but I don’t like all that fake stuff. I like to provide an authentic experience.” She drew her lips into a smile.
“You’ve certainly got the hang of that.”
“But this is really me, Jess.”
“Then what’s the difference between you at this very moment and you when you’re with a client? Say, you about two hours ago?”
“There really isn’t much. I like being me. And sometimes I have to make things sound a little more exciting than they are, or I have to smile when I don’t much feel like it, but I generally try to avoid those kind of situations.”
“You make it sound so… easy.”
“I provide a service that many people have the wrong idea about. Do I sleep with other women for money? Yes, that most certainly happens. But you know what? It doesn’t even happen all of the time. Often, I’m someone’s plus one. Women of a certain age really hate going to functions on their own. A lot of the time, I spend a few hours with someone just to brighten up their day.”
“Like with me?” Jessica asked.
“Exactly.”
“So, it’s not weird that we… haven’t done anything?”
Liz shook her head. “Of course not, although what happened today was highly unusual. We were definitely intimately involved. Much more so than if we’d had actual sex.” She reached out her hand and touched Jessica’s thigh. “‘Weird’ is really not a word that should come up.”
“Well, Nicole,” Jessica said, “I’ll have to take your word for that.” She snickered.
Liz shook her head again, but much more forcefully this time. “If you start calling me Nicole, I can’t be held responsible for the consequences.” Her hand snuck up from Jessica’s thigh to her belly, where she pinched her in the side.
“Ouch,” Jessica squealed. “Have some respect for a cancer survivor’s body, will you?”
Liz withdrew her hand and found her gaze. “I think someone just made a huge leap forward.”
“How do you mean?”
“You just made a very lame cancer joke.” Liz drew up her brow.
“Lame? How very dare you.” Jessica mimicked Liz’s earlier hand motion and pinched her in the side.
Liz held up her arms. “I surrender,” she said in a dramatic voice. “Have mercy.”
Jessica retracted her hand and glanced at Liz, who sat there with a wide grin plastered on her lips. “You know what would be a massive ratings hit?” Jessica straightened her posture. “The Nicole Elizabeth Griffith Show.” She witnessed Liz’s grin evaporate. “That smile. The wit. The wisdom. The intriguing life you lead.”
“Oh sure, I can hear the voice-over already. Liz is about to visit a high-profile client. Jessica Porter really needs a seeing to today, so it would appear.”
“I concede,” Jessica said. “The format is dead in the water already.” She snuck another glance at Liz, then looked away. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun.
Chapter Thirteen
“Earth to Jessica. Earth to Jessica,” Caitlin said while she waved her fork in the air. “Ar
e you so preoccupied with work already? You’ve only just come back.”
Jessica had invited Caitlin to lunch after her second half day back at ANBC. She hadn’t fared much better than the day before—and she was doubly distracted by the prospect of her date with Liz that evening.
“It’s not work,” Jessica said, surprising herself with the amount of glee in her voice. “I have a date tonight.”
Caitlin’s eyes grew wide. “A date?” She put down her fork. “How did you swing that?”
“What do you mean how? Some might consider me a most eligible bachelorette.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it, Ms. Porter, but you haven’t exactly been busy in any social circles now, have you? I’m just wondering where you met this dateable woman.” Caitlin leaned back in her chair.
“She’s a friend of a friend.” Jessica wasn’t going to tell Caitlin how she’d met Liz. “And I really, really like her.” Memories of last night flooded her mind again. They’d sat in the couch for a while longer, chatting and chuckling, until Jessica had gotten visibly tired and Liz had left. She’d kissed Jessica chastely on the cheek and had invited her to her place for their date the next day.
Jessica couldn’t believe she was actually going to Liz’s home tonight. She glanced at her watch. Only six more hours of unbearable anticipation to get through.
“Very mysterious,” Caitlin said. “Is the friend anyone I know?”
“I’ll tell you all about it later, okay? I shouldn’t have brought it up. I’m probably massively jinxing it just by talking about it.”
“Sure. Let’s meet here again tomorrow so you can give me all the details.” Caitlin flashed a smile.
“I’m a little nervous,” Jessica said. “It’s been a while since I last went on a proper date.”
“If it’s meant to be, it’ll work out.”