Brief Encounters_The Encounters Series

by Scarlett Hopper

  “Don’t let us interrupt,” Viv says as they slide into their side of the booth.

  Heat creeps across my cheeks, something Jess seems to notice because he lets out a small laugh while squeezing my arm softly.

  “Well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” Jess says with a small shrug.

  Viv lets out a squeal before pouncing on the both of us for every detail of how things went down.

  “Honestly, Viv, there weren’t any grand gestures or anything. Both of us were just honest about what we wanted, and it happened to be each other,” I reply, trying to shrug off all of her questions.

  At the mention of the word honesty, Viv’s eyebrows shoot up and recognition flares behind her eyes.

  I give her a small nod, confirming that Jess knows everything. Her gaze darts toward Jess and then back to me. The guys are off in their own world of conversation, having gotten bored of the relationship questions.

  “I’m so proud of you, Ellie,” Viv says with a reassuring smile. “I think this is going to be our best year yet.”

  Looking over at Jess, I can’t seem to find one reason to disagree.

  Favorite Scar

  “So do you think it will be weird?” I ask as I take one last look in the mirror. My hair is styled in thick curls tonight because, hell, I want to make an impression. It’s only been three days since we made it official, but we haven’t really had the chance to spend a whole lot of time together, so tonight is our first official party as a couple.

  Thankfully, the party is being held at Jess’s house, so that’s a quick getaway if I’m not feeling it. And the fact that Jess’s bedroom is directly upstairs doesn’t hurt either.

  “Els, chill. Tonight will be fine. Everyone already assumed there was something going on with us before, so I don’t think they’ll be too shocked when we confirm it,” Jess says through the bathroom door.

  Everyone already assumed there was something going on with us?

  Opening the bathroom door, I cock a brow at Jess. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing bad about being associated with Jess, but I had no idea people thought we were together other than when we initially started hanging out.

  Jess lets out a small laugh. “Els, do you know how many questions I’ve fielded from the guys in regards to you? I think everyone was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.” He pauses before continuing. “Me included.” Jess gives a small shrug as I try to fight the grin forming on my face.

  Was I that oblivious before? Or maybe I just didn’t allow myself to see what everyone apparently saw.

  “Oh, Jess Parker, I had no idea you’ve been in love with me since the moment you saw me,” I tease over my shoulder as I grab my clutch off the coffee table. Obviously I’m kidding, as we’ve only been dating less than a week now and talk of the L word is way too soon. But that doesn’t stop the thump in my chest when Jess grabs me by the waist and pulls me into him.

  “What can I say, Els? After you practically begged me to sleep in your bed that first night, I was hooked,” he whispers into my ear.

  I swat his hands away and turn around so we’re facing each other.

  “May I remind you, Jess Parker, I was highly intoxicated and can’t be held responsible for my actions that night,” I protest as he tries to pull me closer.

  “Oh, admit it, Eleanor Ivy, you liked having me in your bed as much as I liked being there.” His husky whisper sends chills down my spine, but I attempt to appear unaffected.

  Knowing that I’m about to make another useless rebuttal, Jess cuts me off by joining his lips with mine. The kiss is passionate and intense, completely melting my insides and filling me with a warmth I haven’t felt before.

  I pull Jess in closer, deepening the kiss while my tongue enters his mouth of its own volition. This elicits a small groan from Jess, who proceeds to pull me down to the couch with him, not once breaking contact.

  Jess takes my lower lip between his teeth, which nearly sends me over the edge. I can’t help the moan that escapes me as I try to pull him closer to me, if that’s even possible at this point.

  “Jesus, Els, you have no idea what you do to me,” Jess says through muffled sounds as he begins kissing my neck.

  Well, if what I feel pressing against my upper thigh is any indication, then I have a pretty good idea.

  Instead of replying, I slip my hands under his T-shirt and pull the material over his head.

  Yep, just as beautiful as I remember.

  I run my hands up and down his chest, reveling in his sculpted physique.

  Jess lets out a small laugh as he catches me staring, but I don’t even feel a little bit ashamed.

  “See something you like?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.

  Before I get a chance to respond, my phone goes off. I let out an aggravated sigh as I drop my head back on the couch.

  “Brando?” Jess questions with eyebrows raised.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  I’d completely forgotten about him. And he calls now, of all times!

  I give Jess a reassuring smile and quickly scurry out from under him, snatching my phone in the process.

  “Work,” I say with a shrug as I silence my phone. I nervously look up at Jess, but luckily, he seems content with my answer.

  “Anyway, we better get going. Viv will kill me if we show up two hours late.” I laugh.

  Jess huffs as he pulls his shirt back over his head. I don’t even try to look away from his muscles as the shirt comes down.

  “You know,” Jess begins, “I can think of a lot of better things to do than this party.” The smirk on his face tells me exactly what he would like to do, or better yet who, but that will just have to wait.

  “Come on, cowboy. Let’s get this show on the road. The sooner we’re there, the sooner we can leave.”

  Jess finally relents and grabs his keys from the coffee table. He places a quick kiss on the corner of my mouth as he brushes past me. Fuck me, even that kiss sends a rush throughout my body.

  “Coming, Eleanor?” Jess teases with a knowing look as he signals toward the door. “You know we don’t want to be late.”

  It’s as if he’s daring me to stay, but I use all my willpower and follow him out the door.

  Oh boy, am I in trouble.

  “There you two are!” Viv shouts across the music to Jess and me as we enter the guys’ living room.

  We can barely hear her because “I’m Sexy and I Know It” is blasting throughout the whole house. The smells of beer and too much perfume permeate the air from the bodies that are packed together.

  This is by far one of the biggest ragers the guys have thrown, as there are people squished into nearly every corner of the house.

  Having Jess by my side isn’t something new, but the meaning behind him being there is. Just last week we were here as friends, nothing more—well, to me anyway—but now everything has changed.

  Jess and I are not merely here as friends this time. We’re a couple. Jesus, even though it’s been three days, it doesn’t seem real. In less than a week, I’ve gone from a non-monogamist to being in a relationship.

  If me from four months ago could see me now, I don’t even know what she would say. But for once, I don’t care. I’m happy and I’ve decided to live in the moment and not fret over the what ifs.

  “God, what took you so long? I thought we’d lost you two to Eleanor’s bedroom!” Viv yells loud enough to garner a few stares and smirks from partygoers.

  I feel my face redden at her presumption; even though Jess and I are no strangers to sex, we haven’t had it yet. I think in some way, both of us want to do this right.

  “Jesus, Viv, can you keep your voice down?” I say through gritted teeth. Jess tries to stifle a laugh next to me, which earns him an elbow in the stomach.

  Viv lets out a small giggle, then covers her mouth. “Sorry, Ellie. I just missed you,” she says in an exaggerated tone.

  I can’t even
pretend to be annoyed at her when she’s this adorable.

  “Don’t stress over it,” I tell Viv as I lean in to give her a hug, which she eagerly accepts. Despite the fact that she’s probably had three too many vodkas, the girl is still cute as hell.

  After pulling away, I lean into Jess and he ropes his arms around my waist, an action that evokes quite a few stares. At the sight of it, Viv’s smile turns into a full-on goofy grin that I can’t help but laugh at.

  “Be right back,” Viv says with a squeal when she spots Will in the kitchen. Her vibrant blonde curls don’t lack an ounce of bounce as she saunters away.

  “Someone seems especially happy tonight,” Jess whispers into my ear while signaling to Viv, who is now mauling Will in one of the recliners.

  Mental note not to sit on that one anytime soon.

  “I honestly think she’s just really relaxed for the first time in a while,” I reply. “I think we all are.” And it’s the truth.

  Jess spins me around to face him and doesn’t take his eyes off me while he holds my face in his hands.

  “You have no idea how happy I am that we’re here tonight, together,” he says to me as he pulls me closer. He places a slow kiss on my mouth. I can sense the wandering eyes and questions around us but don’t give them a second thought.

  Even though we’re in a room full of people, it seems as if it’s just the two of us. I know how lame it is to say shit like that, but it’s the truth. Even when we were just friends, Jess always had a way of making me feel special.

  Pulling away from his mouth, I can’t shake the grin I’m now wearing. “I think I have a pretty good idea,” I whisper against his mouth.

  He doesn’t say anything to that and neither do I, because in reality, there isn’t anything that needs to be said.

  We stay wrapped up in one another for a while longer until Jess is pulled away by the guys, and then I decide to look for Viv. The house is still absolutely packed as I attempt to shuffle through it and find her.

  The drunken antics of college guys halt me a few times as I attempt to tell them to keep their hands to themselves or else they’ll lose them. Although some word about my relationship with Jess has spread, I assume most people just think it’s a fling, which honestly doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.

  Neither Jess Parker nor Eleanor Ivy is known for monogamy, so I figured from the beginning it would take some getting used to by everyone. Luckily, everyone doesn’t really matter; just the people close to us do.

  Circling the house one more time, I finally spot Viv cuddled up into the arms of Will on the couch. As I begin to walk over, the smells of cheap perfume and skanky bitch stop me in my wake.

  “It won’t last long, you know,” Tiff spits out.

  Retaining composure, I slowly turn around to greet the girl who has done nothing but piss me off since I met her. With a fake smile on my face, I raise my eyebrows in mock confusion.

  “Whatever do you mean, Tiffany?” I ask innocently.

  She doesn’t even try to hide her disdain as she looks at me. “I give it a month tops before he’s in my bed again.”

  Usually her comments would piss me off, but I can’t help feeling bad for her.

  “Okay.” I shrug with a smile.

  Clearly not expecting my reaction, she narrows her eyes and looks at me as if I’m crazy.

  Getting tired of this already short conversation, I decide to be straight with her.

  “Listen, I know you and Jess had your fun, and as much as I don’t like it, I’ve accepted it. Now it’s time for you to accept that your ‘fun times’ with Jess Parker are in the past.” I move closer to her so she knows I’m not fucking around. “Don’t push me, Tiff. You brought a knife to a gunfight, and I’m always packin’ heat.”

  Her jaw is practically on the floor. I can’t help but give myself a mental pat on the back.

  “He was in my bed last week,” she snaps after a few moments of silence, clearly wanting to get a rise out of me.

  “But he’ll be in mine tonight,” I say with a smug smile as I turn around and walk away. I hear a small huff and then the clatter of her heels as she walks away.

  “Wow,” a voice says from behind me.

  I quickly spin around to see Jess leaning against the sofa with his arms crossed. The material of his T-shirt perfectly outlines his godlike abs, and I can’t help but feel pins and needles throughout my whole body.

  Taking a step forward, I see that I have an audience of Will, Wren, Claudia, Wolf, and a now-aware Viv, all staring at me with their mouths agape. I guess they all heard my little face-off with Tiffany.

  Well, this is embarrassing.

  “Holy shit, Eleanor. That was seriously hot. You can defend my honor any day,” Wolf says with a chuckle.

  My gaze shoots back to Jess, who is sporting a seriously sexy grin. “Usually I would kick his ass for that comment, but I have to agree with him,” he says as he takes a step closer to me.

  Ignoring the comments from the others, I reach out for his hand and nod toward the front door. “Let’s get out of here,” I say, suggestion flaring in my eyes.

  Jess clearly gets what I mean, as he has me out of that house faster than if it were on fire.

  Five minutes from my apartment, my phone rings. My previous excitement for the night flies out the window as I cautiously look down at the caller ID.

  Brando.

  “You can answer it, you know,” Jess says, turning down the radio as he signals to my phone.

  Apprehension clogs my throat, leaving me breathless as I look back and forth from the phone to Jess.

  “I’ll call them back tomorrow,” I say with a meek smile.

  “Isn’t it kind of late for them to be calling you?” Jess asks as his gaze flashes from the wheel to my phone and back again.

  Shit. Questions.

  The one thing I don’t want to do is lie to Jess anymore, but I can’t risk him finding out about Roger, or else this relationship is going to be over before it even begins.

  “Must be some sort of work emergency. They don’t usually call this late,” I lie, all too well might I add. Then a feeling I’m all too familiar with creeps in on me.

  Guilt.

  I know as well as anyone, you can only feel guilty if you care, and looking into those hazel eyes, I know that I do.

  As much as I hate what I’m about to say, I know I have to. “On second thought, do you mind if we cut tonight short? I think it would be better for me to deal with this now rather than later.”

  I can’t help noticing the disappointment that flashes behind his eyes as the words leave my mouth, but if Jess and I have any hope for a future, I have to end things with Roger. Tonight.

  “Of course, Els. Want me to drop you off at home?” His voice lacks any anger or frustration. Most guys would be pissed at me bailing, but it’s thoughts like these that make me remind myself who I’m talking about. Jess Parker isn’t just any guy.

  “That would be great.” I smile as I take his right hand in my own. “Thank you for understanding,” I whisper. I place a small kiss against his rough palm before placing it in my lap with my own.

  He doesn’t reply. Instead, he gives me a smile that makes me really wish I didn’t have to leave him tonight.

  As we pull up to the corner of my apartment, reluctance to leave him overtakes me, and to my own surprise, I tell him.

  “I wish I didn’t have to go,” I say as he cuts the engine.

  “Me too, babe, but it’s okay. We can see each other tomorrow,” he says, voice full of sincerity.

  As we sit there in shadowed darkness, I know Jess can tell something is wrong. He reaches over and unbuckles my belt before lifting me from my seat and onto his lap. Now straddling him, I can’t look away without being obvious as to my current predicament.

  He reaches up and cups my face in his hands, sending shivers down my spine.

  “What’s going on, Els?” Concern has taken up residence on his fac
e, and I decide to partially tell the truth in order for it to find a new home.

  “I think I’m going to quit tonight,” I whisper as I thread my hands through his hair.

  “I didn’t know you weren’t happy at your job. I mean, I don’t really know a whole lot about it in general, but I assumed you liked it,” he says as he begins to draw circles on my thigh.

  Jess and the guys all think I’m a personal assistant. It’s the only thing that explains my crazy hours and is boring enough that no one ever asks too many questions.

  “I guess I just don’t like the late hours and stuff,” I lie. “Plus my boss is kind of an asshole,” I say with a laugh because, well, it’s the truth.

  Jess relaxes, as he seems to agree with what I’m saying. “Yeah, Will didn’t really take a liking to him,” he says, trying to stifle a chuckle.

  “Okay, well, I’d better get going if I want to have any chance getting to bed before dawn,” I say as I begin to move off of him, but Jess pulls me back.

  “I think we can take five more minutes.” His voice is muffled as he places small kisses around my collarbone.

  “Okay, I think five minutes will be fine,” I whisper as Jess’s kisses spread lower and lower.

  Let’s just say five minutes turns into fifteen.

  After my steamy make-out session with Jess, I’m more determined than ever to end things with Roger. Because the sooner I’ve put this to bed, the sooner I can take Jess to mine.

  As soon as I’m out of Jess’s car, I text Roger that I’m coming over. I want to get this over with as soon as possible.

  Walking up to his penthouse, I can’t believe what I’m about to do. This profession has been my life for the past few years, and I’m about to give it up for a guy. But I guess if I really think it over, it isn’t for Jess. This is for me. Being with him has made me realize that I don’t need this. I am enough.

  I let out a huge breath as I come to the front of Roger’s towering double doors. I knock twice, anxiety flooding my body.

  This is it. Starting tomorrow, I’m no longer Eleanor Ivy shadowing as Eliza. I’m going to be Eleanor Ivy, unemployed college student.