“Did you have something in mind?” she asked.
He grinned and her stomach knotted with a peculiar twisting motion. “Actually, I do. You remember my friend Adam?” She nodded, the name sounded familiar. “Well, with July Fourth coming up, he’s invited a bunch of friends to his place in the Hamptons for the weekend. Would you be interested in going?”
“I would. You’re sure he wouldn’t mind you bringing a plus one? I haven’t been to the beach all season. The city is so hot this time of year.” Her roommate and bestie, Becca Edwards, had been trying to get Jessie to the beach, but she was usually working late, clocking in hours at her firm.
“Excellent. If you can get off early, I’ll pick you up on Friday afternoon. Sound good?”
“I’m in,” she told him. Despite knowing she was putting herself in the path of danger by going to the beach with Ryan for the weekend, she thought that, perhaps, she could put their relationship back into the box it had always been in. She would finally be able to stamp out his face, which had found itself floating into her dreams, both day and night.
She would do it.
She had to.
Although she was restless and dissatisfied with her life, she wasn’t about to blow up her relationship with a dear friend over an attraction that would fade. Plus, if Ryan was considering a job at Black Crescent, it would be the antithesis of what her parents would want. She had to stay the course.
* * *
Figures danced on the screen in front of Ryan’s eyes later that afternoon. He’d been staring at them for the last hour with little result of producing the report he’d wanted to complete by end of day. Leaning back in his executive chair, he glanced out the window from the forty-fourth floor of his office building.
Since his lunch with Jessie, he’d been out of sorts and unable to focus. At first, he’d thought it was because he’d finally spilled the beans about his job opportunity with Black Crescent, but that wasn’t it at all.
It was Jessie. He’d thought going to lunch and telling her of his opportunity at Black Crescent would put a nail in the coffin of their already strained relationship. Instead, there was an awareness between them that hadn’t been there before. When he’d peered into her beautiful brown eyes, he’d forgotten she was the next-door neighbor he’d known for nearly twenty years.
Instead, he was seeing a full-grown, woman with a wavy mass of thick black hair and a wide, generous mouth. And when her two dark orbs gazed on him, all Ryan had wanted to do was to sweep her into his arms and forget about everyone and everything. But he hadn’t. This was Jessie. His friend.
Or was she?
Ryan had studied her during lunch, looking for signs Jessie felt the same vibes, and, if he wasn’t mistaken, she had. There had definitely been a spark of electricity between them that’d had nothing to do with a dazzling evening underneath the stars. Ryan thought he’d ended that attraction. Pursuing the position with Black Crescent should have ensured any fantasy of being with Jessie was crushed, but the spark was still there.
Unfortunately, the attraction he’d felt for Jessie had become like an infection. One he was sure he could get rid of. He mustn’t forget that Jessie had ignored him for years by choosing to be with Hugh and his family instead.
He squeezed his eyes shut trying to block out her image. If only he could block her out of his heart.
He hadn’t lied when he’d told her he’d had girlfriends. Although the number was small—he was selective in the women he chose to go to bed with—he’d had lovers. None of which held a candle to Jessie, the woman he’d measured them all against. His last girlfriend had told him in no uncertain terms that until he dealt with his unrequited feelings for Jessie, he’d never truly move on with anyone.
Is that why he’d blurted out an invite to Adam’s Hampton house? Was he testing himself? Jessie? To see if her relationship with Hugh as solid as she portrayed? To see if what they’d felt for each other on the dance floor was real or imagined?
And if he was testing, what result would the weekend produce?
Ryan supposed he would have to wait and see.
So why am I so excited at the prospect of finding out?
Three
“You’re not coming home this weekend?” Angela Acosta asked when her daughter called her late in the evening from her office. Jessie was working late, as she always did, and apparently had only stopped to order some sushi for dinner.
“No, Mama. I have plans.”
“But’s it’s July Fourth. I’d planned to have a big family BBQ. Your brother Pete is coming with his girlfriend, Amanda.” Jessie could hear the pout in her mother’s voice. “Surely, the firm can allow you to take some time off. You’re working your fingers to the bone.”
“I do have the long weekend off.”
“Then why aren’t you coming?”
“I have plans,” Jessie stated.
“More important than your family?” her mother inquired.
Jessie didn’t appreciate the guilt trip her mother was trying to lay on her. She was a dutiful daughter and came home more often than her big brother, so why was she being made to feel bad because she was taking time for herself? Plus, she wasn’t too eager for a repeat performance of her last visit. When the Black Crescent article had come out, her father’s mood had bottomed out, to say the least. Jessie had been dreading going home and this last-minute invitation for the weekend had provided the perfect excuse.
“I had these plans before I knew you had something planned,” Jessie said. “I’m going to the beach with Ryan and some friends.”
“Ryan from next door? What about Hugh?”
“What about him?”
“It’s not right that you should be off gallivanting with another man when your fiancé is in another country.”
“We’re not engaged, Mama.”
“But that’s always been the plan—that you would get married.”
“One day.”
“Sounds more like no day,” Angela said underneath her breath, but Jessie had heard her. And her mother had cause to be concerned. Jessie and Hugh were in trouble. If her weekend with Ryan took a turn, a permanent break might happen sooner than expected.
“Give Daddy my best,” Jessie said, quickly rushing off the phone. She didn’t want to feel guilty about spending time with Ryan. They were friends. But would they stay that way? She hadn’t been able to forget how she’d felt when they’d danced, how her body responded in ways she could only contribute to its awareness of Ryan. His enticing scent had intoxicated her and she recalled feeling as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of her lungs. Her mind was telling her to follow the path she’d chosen, but her body was reminding her how completely dissatisfied she’d been over the years.
Jessie was curious. If they were alone again would she feel the same way?
The more important question is, if I do, will I explore those feelings?
* * *
“Do you really think it’s a good idea to play with fire where Jessie’s concerned?” Adam McKinley asked when Ryan told him he was bringing Jessie with him to the Hamptons for the weekend.
After settling down with a beer, Ryan had called his best friend once he’d finally made it home from work. “I’m not.”
“Who do you think you’re talking to?” Adam said on the other end of the line. “I’m the guy who listened to your sob story for years about how this girl never paid an ounce of attention to you. Who pretty much abandoned your friendship after her rich boyfriend’s parents paid her high school tuition. Do you recall those conversations?”
“Of course I do.” How could Ryan forget? He sounded pathetic. Like a real schmuck, hung up on a girl who paid him no mind. He wasn’t that man anymore. “That’s not what’s happening here.”
“Then you’re lying to yourself,” Adam stated bluntly. “You can’t tell me there isn
’t some part of you hoping this weekend goes differently.”
Ryan both hated and appreciated Adam’s forthrightness. He was straddling the fence, so he spoke plainly. “I admit I’ve always wanted Jessie to see me in a different light. Not as a shoulder to cry or lean on, but as a man.”
“And if she doesn’t? I thought, after the reunion, you were done with wishing and hoping she would see you differently?”
“I was. Hugh came in and Jessie morphed right in front of me, but maybe away from our normal surroundings, she can be free to be herself.”
“Free to be with you?”
“Yes.”
Adam sighed. “All right, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Seconds later, Ryan looked at the phone in his hand. Spending the weekend with Jessie was a gamble, but it would enable him to see if the sparks he’d felt weren’t one-sided.
It was totally worth risking their twenty-year friendship.
* * *
“You realize you’ve been trying to pack a weekend bag for over an hour,” Becca told Jessie as she stared at the pile of clothes on her bed in their two-bedroom apartment in Chelsea when Thursday evening rolled around.
“I know, I know.” Jessie sighed heavily. She had left the law firm around 7:00 p.m.—a reasonable hour given she usually stayed until nine, sometimes ten, o’clock—so she could go home to pack for her weekend with Ryan. But it wasn’t a weekend with Ryan, per se. It was more like two friends hanging out together. So why was she stressing out over what outfits to bring?
“Then what’s the problem?” Becca asked, her eyes glinting with amusement. “I mean you’re going with Ryan. I thought you guys were just friends?”
“We are.” Jessie lied.
“Are you sure about that?” Becca, sitting on Jessie’s bed, looked up at her. “I’ve never seen you act this way except when you were fretting about Hugh coming for a visit.”
Hugh.
Truth be told, Jessie hadn’t thought about him in weeks other than when he’d called her about the Black Crescent press conference. And when he’d tried to Skype last night, she’d avoided the call. Pushing the clothes aside, Jessie joined Becca on the bed. “Can I be honest?”
“If you can’t be honest with your roomie and friend of nearly a decade, who can you?”
Jessie smiled at the lovable redhead with the brilliant green eyes. Becca had been her roommate since her freshman year at NYU. When they’d met, they’d hit it off instantly. There’d been none of the craziness she might have assumed based on Becca’s hair color. Instead, they were like sisters, often trading clothes because they were both a size four. They’d lived together ever since. Becca was a fashion buyer for Bloomingdales and often came home with great finds.
“I’ve been struggling with some unexpected feelings that have come up with Ryan.”
“Did something happen?” Becca asked.
“Not really. Nothing concrete. Except...at our ten-year reunion at Falling Brook a few months back, something changed between us.”
“You mean you finally noticed how drop-dead gorgeous he is?”
Jessie stared into Becca’s green eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“C’mon, Jessie. You seem to be the only one oblivious to how good-looking Ryan is,” Becca replied with a smirk. “Don’t you remember how all the girls in the dorm went crazy whenever he came to visit?”
“Really?”
Becca chuckled. “Maybe not. You were too busy making goo-goo eyes at Hugh to notice, but Ryan is quite a catch. And now that he’s working at that big investment company, some woman is going to come and snatch him up at any moment. So, if you’re just noticing him, you’ve had your head in the sand. Now is as good a time as any to make your move.”
“Becca!”
“I know I mentioned Hugh, but let’s be real. You guys have had a long-distance relationship for nearly a decade. You both haven’t lived in the same city since you were at prep school. Maybe it’s time to let him go and start looking at all your options, including Ryan, who’s been right in front of your face this entire time.”
“That’s not why I’m going to the Hamptons.”
Becca raised a brow. “Aren’t you?” She motioned to all the strewed clothes on the bed. “The reason you’re having such a hard time packing is because you’re nervous. You want Ryan to like everything you’re in. Or out of.” She winked.
Becca was right in that Jessie wanted Ryan to find her attractive. But did she want more?
Maybe.
Ryan had invaded her dreams lately and she’d wondered how he’d looked outside of his clothes. The once chubby preteen she’d grown up with had thrown off the baby fat and was lean and trim. And very dangerous to her sensibilities.
Jessie stood. “Help me, then. I need to look my best.” There was so much still unsettled. What if Ryan went to work for Black Crescent—the company that had caused her family so much pain and misfortune? And what about her own growing dissatisfaction with her life and wanting to step away from her parents and doing the expected? This weekend would surely be a test to see if she could break out of the mold of her life and embrace all life had to offer.
* * *
Ryan leaned against his Porsche 911 Carrera in front of Jessie’s brownstone. It was a warm Friday afternoon in early July and, after working half a day, Ryan had returned home to change into a polo shirt and lightweight slacks for the trip to the Hamptons. Now he was waiting for Jessie to come down.
When the door opened to her building, it had been worth the wait. Instead of straightening her hair, Jessie had it in soft waves to her shoulders. She wore a pretty, yellow sundress with flowers all over it, showing off her olive skin.
He met her halfway up the steps and took her bag from her.
“Thanks.” She smiled at him and his heart kicked over in his chest.
“No problem.”
She glanced at his wheels and back up at him. “I like fast cars. How fast can it go?” she asked, following him to the back of the vehicle while he put her bag in the trunk.
“About 190 miles per hour.”
Jessie grinned. “Then I can’t wait for our two-hour drive to the Hamptons.”
She didn’t know the half of it, Ryan thought as he helped her into the vehicle. With the car so low to the ground, he watched Jessie try to climb in without showing too much skin. He closed the door behind her, but not after seeing a nice length of her smooth olive-toned legs.
When he climbed in, he looked over at her. “We aren’t driving all the way there.”
Jessie’s brow furrowed. “Then how are we going to get there? Please tell me we are not taking the shuttle. If we are, I would have worn a more comfortable ensemble.”
Ryan chuckled. “We are not taking a shuttle, either.”
“Then how are getting there?”
“Helicopter.”
Jessie’s eyes narrowed as she regarded him. “So, you’ve been holding out on me.”
“What do you mean?”
She eyed him warily. “You’ve always made it seem like your job was on the low end, yet you drive a Porsche and we’re on our way to a helicopter?”
“Your point?”
“How wealthy are you?”
“It’s indelicate to ask someone, Jessie,” Ryan reprimanded, but he grinned at her. “But to answer your question, I do all right.” He was more than all right, having already amassed his first million years ago, but he’d always held off bragging about his successes because he’d wanted to spare Jessie’s feelings. He knew how hard it was for her and her parents to scrape by. He’d never wanted to flaunt his wealth.
“Clearly, it’s more than that, while I will forever be mired in debt trying to pay off my student loan from law school.”
“You’ll get there,” Ryan said, glancing quickly in her d
irection before returning his eyes to the road. “I know your work ethic. Failure is not an option for you.”
“No, it’s not,” Jessie responded. “After seeing what happened to my father, I’ve always been determined to succeed at all costs. And once I make partner, my plan has always been to help my parents.”
“And you will. I believe in you.”
Jessie smiled and it lit up her entire face. “You always have. And I don’t think I’ve ever told you, thank you.”
“For what?”
“For your support. For your friendship. For never giving up on me when maybe I deserved it.”
“You’re being too hard on yourself. You deserve the best and then some.”
They were silent for the remainder of the short ride to the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. After parking his Porsche 911 Carrera, he handed the keys to a gentleman wearing a polo shirt with the Porsche logo. He appeared to have been expecting him.
“What’s going on?” she asked Ryan.
“They’re going to service the car while I’m away and drop it back at my penthouse in Murray Hill. C’mon.” Ryan picked up their bags and guided Jessie across the short distance to the helipad, where a bright red helicopter was waiting to take them to Adam’s East Hampton beach house.
Jessie positively buzzed with excitement by his side. “Have you never been on one of these?” Ryan asked with amusement.
She shook her head.
“You’ve lived in Manhattan for nearly a decade.”
“I know, but I’ve been too busy at the firm to have much time for extracurricular activities.”
Ryan spoke with the pilot and, following the taking of several pictures that Jessie just had to have, their bags were loaded and they were ushered inside. After being given earphones so they could talk to each other, the helicopter soared into the air above the Manhattan skyline.
“It’s stunning,” Jessie said from beside him as they made a sweep around the city and got a view of the Empire State building and 911 Memorial. Soon, they were passing the Statue of Liberty and headed toward the Hamptons in Long Island. Ryan was excited for the weekend ahead and never more so when Jessie reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze.
Insatiable Hunger (Dynasties: Seven Sins Book 3) Page 3