‘Started the job search,’ she typed. ‘I went to a library, and I’m filling out a bunch of online applications.’
She finished typing the message and pressed send. She wished she was doing something more eventful, but it just wasn’t the case.
‘What about you?’ she followed up with a second message, hoping to divert their conversation to a more interesting topic.
She waited for a moment, and then her phone buzzed as she received another message.
‘Not much,’ it read. ‘I just played a video game with Adam for a little while.’
Jesse read the message and was relieved to find that she hadn’t interrupted him or anything.
‘That sounds like fun,’ Jesse noted in her message.
‘It was fun enough,’ Jesse read the message that came in promptly after she sent hers. ‘I was really just playing to keep myself distracted.’
Jesse frowned as she read and began typing her response.
‘Distracted from what?’ she typed out and sent her question.
‘I couldn’t stop thinking of you.’ Jesse blushed as she read his reply. She thought for a moment about what an appropriate response to that confession would be.
‘Really?’ she typed and sent, feeling stupid for being unable to come up with a more intelligent response.
‘Really,’ Hal responded instantly. ‘You shouldn’t be so surprised.’
Jesse thought for another moment before typing out her response.
‘Just not used to it,’ Jesse admitted.
‘Well, you should probably start getting used to it ☺,’ Hal replied, and Jesse couldn’t help blushing and smiling at the message. Before she could reply, she got yet another message from him.
‘So,’ it read. ‘You’re not going to take at least a few days to be free before you start looking for another job?’
Jesse felt a surge of stress rise up in her chest at the reminder that she was unemployed.
‘I think that’s a luxury I can’t exactly afford,’ she replied. ‘The sooner I get another job, the better off I’ll be in the long run.’
Jesse sent the message, and it was a few moments before she got a reply.
‘Well, I salute you for your commitment to finding work again so soon,’ the message read. ‘I think that wherever you end up working will be a far better option than working for Elaine.’
Jesse smiled at Hal’s jab at her former boss.
‘Well, we’ll just have to wait and see,’ Jesse sent her response, and she typed in a few more things on her application before looking back at her phone and the waiting message from Hal.
‘Of course,’ it read. ‘Well, what are your plans for the day other than filling out applications?’
Jesse’s heart quickened. She knew that this would most likely lead to an opportunity to spend time with Hal. She wondered for a moment if she wanted to do that, and felt the tightness in her chest. She bit her lip as she typed out her next message.
‘I didn’t have anything planned,’ it read. ‘I’m not running on a very strict schedule these days.’
She sent the message, and her heart raced as she waited on his reply.
‘Haha, I suppose you’re not,’ his reply read. ‘Well, would you be interested in letting me take you out?’
Jesse read that message, and she felt a lump form in her throat. She frowned, though, at the thought of him spending more of his money on her. At the same time, though, she did want to see him. She wondered how she could have her cake and eat it too. After a moment of thought, she finally composed her message.
‘I don’t really feel like going out for dinner,’ Jesse answered honestly, hoping that he would believe her. ‘What if we hang out later in the evening?’
She sent the message, hoping that he would be willing to compromise. She did want to spend time with him but was sure that she would never feel totally comfortable allowing him to spend money on her all the time, even if he certainly had enough of it to go around.
A few moments seemed to stretch on and on before her phone buzzed and she read the message he sent.
‘I would love to!’ it read. ‘What if you come to my place? We could hang out, get some snacks, watch a movie. We could go on a walk. Just whatever you want.’
Jesse contemplated the idea. It sounded like a great time. They wouldn’t be spending a lot of money, and she would be spending time with him. She did not waste too much time in thought before she gave her response.
‘Sounds great,’ she typed. ‘I was thinking at eating at about six, so I could head over around seven if that’s alright.’
‘Of course,’ Hal replied almost instantly. ‘I can come and pick you up if you like.’
Jesse frowned at the idea.
‘No thanks,’ she replied. ‘I can just take a cab.’
‘Are you sure?’ Hal typed. ‘It’s really no trouble.’
‘I’m sure,’ Jesse hastily replied, hoping that he would simply let her have this.
There was a moment of silence before the phone buzzed again.
‘If you insist,’ it read, and Jesse could practically hear his irritation.
Jesse hesitated before typing her response, which allowed time for another message from Hal to reach her inbox.
‘Either way,’ she read, ‘I am excited to get to see you tonight.’
Jesse felt her heart warm, and a smile lifted the corners of her lips.
‘I’m excited to see you too,’ she typed.
‘Well,’ Hal replied. ‘I guess I’ll let you focus on your applications for now. See you soon.’
‘See you soon’ Jesse typed her response, feeling a mixture of relief and sadness that the conversation was over.
Jesse sighed and let herself ponder her situation and her emotional state. She was grateful that she had not simply been ignored by him she found herself becoming steadily more excited for the coming evening.
She wondered what they would do with all the time they spent together and found herself getting excited in an entirely different way. She was reminded of the last time they had been alone together, and she felt warmth gathering between her legs.
Jesse was both nervous and excited about the possibility of physical intimacy between them. She knew that it was completely within her capabilities to initiate such an interaction between them, but somehow that made her more nervous. She only hoped that she would be able to goad him into taking charge.
She shuddered at the memory of his lips hungrily pressing into hers and blushed as she squirmed a little in her seat. She glanced around briefly to see if anyone had seen her. Fortunately, it seemed that everyone was pretty much committed to their own business and were not paying her any attention.
Still, she had no desire at all to be seen hot and bothered by anyone else who was in the library. So, she did her best to clear her mind of any thoughts of Hal and focus on finding more and more jobs to apply for.
The task soon consumed her, and she buried herself in the process of filling out as many applications as possible. Stress built up inside of her at the prospect of not getting a job, and she ended up even applying for low-level jobs at fast food restaurants, just in case her other opportunities fell through.
After what seemed like an endless stream of blank spaces to be filled, Jesse decided to stop for a moment. She sighed, rubbed her hands over her face and looked down at her phone, shocked to see that the time was just past five.
She had been in the library for hours, which was about what she had intended, but it was still shocking to see it illustrated by the time on the clock. The time she had spent was also confirmed by the stiffness in her joints and the pang of hunger she felt in her stomach.
Jesse decided that she may as well call an end to her search. She knew the library was quite a walk away from her apartment and that she had better start heading that way if she wanted time to eat and get herself ready for her evening with Hal.
Her heart fluttered as she remembered the date she h
ad scheduled with him. She found herself growing even more excited as she gathered up her things and slung her bag over her shoulder, then headed out of the library. There was an undeniable skip in her step as she set off back to her apartment.
Jesse couldn’t keep a small smile off her face as she walked. She went through a mental inventory of her closet, and she already knew exactly what she was going to wear. Now, it was just a matter of getting home, having her dinner, and taking a shower before she called a cab and headed over to Hal’s building.
Jesse hadn’t been so excited to see anyone in a long time. As much as she tried to resist it, she felt an undeniable connection to Hal, and whenever she was with him, she felt happy.
Jesse could hardly wait to see what the rest of the evening would hold.
Chapter 42
Hal
As the clock ticked closer and closer to seven o’clock, Hal felt his excitement mounting more and more. He couldn’t wait for Jesse to get there.
It was currently six forty-five, and he had no idea how he was going to make it through the next fifteen minutes. He had been looking forward to this all day, and now that the time was so near, he worried he wouldn’t be able to contain himself when she finally arrived.
Somehow, this young writer had captured him in a way that only one person ever had before. He frowned even at the memory and wished that he had never told Jesse about her at all. That was a dark time in his life.
Now, he was successful and more than capable of getting any woman he wanted. He had been unimpressed by the social climbers that had accosted him after his rise to success as an actor, and then again after the success of his film. All in all, he felt rather exhausted by the notion of romance as a whole. In fact, he had come close on more than one occasion to calling it all off and spending the rest of his life as a single man.
Then, Jesse appeared.
He would have never guessed it at their first interview when he had mistaken her for an intern, but she had become a focal point of his life. There was seldom a moment that passed that she wasn’t at the forefront of his mind.
Hal huffed impatiently and paced back and forth across the floor. He strode over to a mirror and appraised himself. He had opted for more casual attire since they would be staying in. He wore a black T-shirt and a pair of jeans, with matching brown shoes and a belt. He wondered vaguely if he should change into something nicer but dismissed the idea fairly quickly. He knew that she wouldn’t care.
Hal’s attention was pulled away from the mirror when he felt a vibration in his pocket. He snatched his phone out and looked eagerly at the screen, and sure enough, there was a message from Jesse, which he hastened to open.
‘Hey!’ it read. ‘Just got in the cab, be there soon.’
Hal smiled as he read and immediately began typing his reply.
‘Great!’ he answered. ‘I’ll be waiting for you outside.’
Hal sent the message and immediately checked to make sure he had put on deodorant after his shower. Assured that he did not smell, he headed through his home and over to the elevator. The doors closed as he stood in the center of the box, and he hastily pressed the button for the first floor.
Hal fidgeted in his excitement, unable to keep still now that Jesse was finally getting close. He only had a little while longer to wait.
The elevator opened into the lobby of his building, and he gave a nod to one of his security guards that were stationed on the inside of the door as he passed out of it to stand on the sidewalk.
There, he stood, waiting ever impatiently and jumping at the sight of any cab, each time hoping that it was the one that Jesse was in.
Chapter 43
Jesse
Jesse clenched her fists in her lap. She had gotten into the cab not knowing that the driver would be so insistent on having conversation with her.
“So what are you doing heading out to the other side of town?” the driver asked, his New York accent horribly thick and nearly unintelligible.
“Just visiting someone,” Jesse answered, not wanting to be rude.
“Visiting who?” the driver asked, scoffing as though he didn’t believe her.
Jesse was silent, beginning to really get annoyed with the man. She crossed her legs and moved to look out of the window of the cab, fixing her eyes on the buildings passing outside.
“Alright, alright,” the man waved her off. “None of my business, I know. I’m just asking is all. I know it’s a pretty high end side of town.”
“It is,” Jesse agreed shortly, still not looking over at him.
“I’m just saying,” the man went on, holding up one hand in a gesture of innocence. “I mean I don’t see it a lot. I don’t come this way a lot, you know.”
Again, Jesse declined to respond. She saw that they were getting close to Hal’s building, and she could see him standing out in front of the building on the sidewalk, waiting for her.
“Hey, ain’t that the movie star guy?” the driver asked. “What’s his name? Hal Rogers?”
“Roberts,” Jesse corrected.
“Yeah, yeah, Roberts,” the driver nodded excitedly as they pulled up.
The cab pulled up to the sidewalk, and Jesse reached into her purse to pull out money to pay the man.
“Oh, I see what you’re coming over here for now,” the driver said, his voice dropping.
Jesse ignored him and made to hand him the amount that read on the meter.
As she reached between the two front seats, she gasped as the cab driver took hold of her wrist.
“When you’re done taking care of him,” the cabbie said, his voice low and his eyes sparkling with intent. “Why don’t you give me a call …”
Jesse blushed furiously and gaped at the insinuation. She was just about to protest when suddenly her door of the cab flew open, and Hal peered into the cab. The cabbie immediately dropped her arm as he saw the rage flickering in Hal’s green-gold eyes.
“Is there a problem here?” Hal asked, his voice hard and his jaw set as it clenched.
“No, no problem,” the driver quickly replied, and Jesse could see the apprehension in his face. “Just—just caught me a little off guard, see …”
Jesse looked up at Hal, who narrowed his eyes at the cabbie’s lame excuse. It was obvious that he didn’t believe the man. Instead of contesting his claim, though, Hal looked down at Jesse.
“Is everything alright, Jess?” he asked her, his eyes intense.
Jesse nodded, feeling anxiety roil up in her stomach at this encounter. She saw Hal relax a little, and she, too was relieved. He held out his hand, and she took it, allowing him to help her out of the cab.
Once she was standing, Hal leaned over into the car to address the driver again.
“In the future,” Hal uttered, his voice icy, “you ought not to be surprised when someone makes to give you your fare.”
“Yeah, yeah, of course.” The driver nodded eagerly, his hands tightly gripping the wheel.
“Very good,” Hal said softly, standing up. “Go.”
With that, Hal shut the door of the cab, and the wheels of the taxi screeched against the pavement as the driver pulled back out onto the street as he drove away. Hal looked after the cab, and Jesse could see his fists slowly uncurl from the balls they had been clenched into. Jesse looked at him apprehensively as he turned to face her.
“Are you alright?” he asked her gently and maintained his distance from her.
Jesse nodded and stayed still as Hal began to slowly move toward her, placing his hand gently on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry I startled you,” Hal said, his eyes downcast. “I saw the way he was looking at you. And when he grabbed you I … I had to do something.”
“It’s alright,” Jesse said softly. “I … I’m actually glad you said something to him …”
“He wasn’t just taken by surprise, was he?” Hal narrowed his eyes, and Jesse could see the anger simmering deep in them.
Jesse looked down at
the sidewalk and shook her head, offering Hal a grim smile. She heard a hiss of breath from between Hal’s teeth, and she watched as he shook his head.
“No matter,” Hal said dismissively. “I’m sure not all the cabs in the city are driven by men like him. But just know, you never have to take a cab again if you don’t want to. I can always send someone for you or even come get you myself.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary.” Jesse shook her head, smiling softly up at him. “But thank you.”
Hal smiled down at her and cupped her face gently in his hand.
“Shall we go up?” Hal asked her, his mood already drastically improved. Jesse smiled a little brighter as well and nodded excitedly, feeling a soft flutter in her stomach.
Hal took her by the hand and easily led her into the building. They crossed through the floor and Hal ushered her into the elevator. The doors slid open as they arrived on the floor of Hal’s living space. Taking her by the hand one more, he led her into the hallway.
The place looked different than when she had last visited. The furniture was arranged differently, and the couches in the living area were oriented so that one was facing a large television mounted on one of the walls, with a coffee table in front of it, and the other was adjacent to the wall.
On the coffee table was a plethora of snacks and drinks, some alcoholic and some not.
“I don’t know what you like to eat,” Hal explained as they drew closer to the couch, and Jesse took a seat. “So I just got a bunch of stuff.”
Jesse laughed.
“You didn’t have to do all that,” she said, though she beamed up at Hal, very flattered to know he had put so much effort into their meeting.
“Well,” Hal shrugged, “you can have anything you like, just in case you get hungry.”
“Thanks,” Jesse offered him a smile as he sat down beside her, and he smiled back pleasantly.
As he sat down, Hal stretched, opening his mouth in an audible yawn as he raised his arms up over his head. Jesse’s eyes flicked down to the hem of his black shirt, which had risen to reveal the belt threaded through the loops of his jeans and the dark trail of hair that stood out against his skin and disappeared beneath his waistband.
Bedroom Rodeo: A Billionaire Romance Page 55