He pinned her with another one of those electric stares that hit her like a fist behind her rib cage. “You have no idea what I can do, Romano.”
Her mouth felt dry and her skin felt too tight as she forced a cocky grin. “Looking forward to it, Drake.”
Chapter Fourteen
The New York Newsmaker award ceremony and banquet was the industry highlight of the year. Every major player in New York journalism, all in one room, and this year, thanks to Mariel’s generosity, Jess got to be a part of it.
Naturally, due to a stalled train at Jay Street, she was late. She just prayed her hair, carefully coaxed into smooth waves, wouldn’t be a frizzy mess by the time she made it inside. She ditched her coat at the coat check and hurried to the ballroom, finding Lina waiting for her outside, chatting with Hassan.
“Hey, sorry I’m late. Wow, you look fantastic.” Lina had poured her stunning curves into a skintight red knit dress, its demure knee-length hem and long sleeves offset by a plunging back. Jess’s feet hurt just looking at her impossibly high heels.
“I know, right?” Hassan said, giving Lina an appreciative once-over.
“Hands to yourself, mister.” She gave Hassan a playful shove before looking Jess over. “You look so cute in that dress, Jess.”
In Jess’s experience, girls who barely cleared five feet were never described as “sexy” or “stunning,” just “cute.” She’d long since resigned herself to it. But Lina was right. In her black beaded minidress with its deeply scooped neckline, she looked pretty good, if she said so herself. And while she wasn’t sporting Lina’s skyscraper stilettos, her strappy black heels did great things for her legs. “Thanks, it’s vintage. Which really means it was my mom’s.”
Lina laughed. “Well, your mom had good taste. You look great. Let’s get in there and get our free drink on, yes?”
“Yes! I’ve been looking forward to tonight for weeks.”
All her enthusiasm for the night ahead nearly shriveled up on the spot when they walked into the ballroom and were immediately confronted with Alex Drake and Chase Bennett, standing just inside the door.
“This is getting ridiculous!” Jess hissed in a whisper to Lina. “Everywhere I go, there he is.”
“I wish Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was real,” Lina sighed wistfully. “And you could just erase annoying people out of your life.”
Hassan elbowed in between them. “Who are we talking about?”
Alex and Chase turned to face them, and there was a moment—it came and went so fast, Jess was sure she imagined it—when Alex’s eyes slid down the length of her body in undisguised appreciation before they found their way back up to her face. That must have been when he realized who she was, because the admiration leached away, replaced by the stone-faced expression he always reserved for her.
“We really need to stop meeting like this, Alex. It’s becoming embarrassing.”
“What are you doing here?”
She waved a hand at the room behind him. “It’s the New York Newsmaker awards. I’m a New York newsmaker. And I guess you are, too. In theory.”
The glare he shot her could have melted the beads off her dress, but Chase spoke before he could zing her with a biting comeback.
“Lina. You’re looking gorgeous tonight, as always.”
Lina sniffed. “I know.”
“Is this your brother?” Chase asked, indicating Hassan.
Wait...what? Jess looked from Alex to Chase. Surely that was a joke? A seriously bad, racist joke?
Alex flinched. “Jesus, Chase...”
Lina’s eyes flared with rage. “This is Hassan. He’s not my brother, because he’s Pakistani and I’m Puerto Rican!”
Chase, not the least bit shamed, held his hands up and grinned. “Sorry. No offense.”
Lina rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Come on, guys, I need a drink.”
“See you around, Lina!” Chase called after them.
“Not if I can help it!” she shouted back.
Hassan collared a passing waiter and snagged three glasses of champagne. “So who’s your asshole friend?”
Lina nearly growled as she slugged back half her glass. “Not my friend. I would happily chop off Chase Bennett’s dick before I called him a friend.”
Jess took a sip of her champagne. “We’re not going to let either one of them spoil our night.”
“No,” Lina declared. “No, we’re not.”
The Brooklyn Daily Post staff had been seated at the same large, round table. Jess took a seat beside Hassan and Lina.
Mariel smiled across the table at them. “Jessica, Lina, Hassan, nice to see you all here tonight.”
“Hi, Mariel,” Jess said. “Thanks so much for the invite. I’m really excited for this.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” Mariel reached for her wine. “You might feel very differently after you sit through Peter Volk’s keynote speech. He’s a sexist old windbag and his jokes are terrible.”
Everyone laughed and the chatter around their table continued to be light and fun. Another glass of champagne and Jess was starting to enjoy herself in earnest. The reporting staff were one-upping each other with the most embarrassing stories they’d ever covered, while Hassan showed Lina and Isaiah pictures of his last cosplay at Comic Con, and Lina teased him ruthlessly about the size of his light saber.
Then she saw the one thing that could destroy her evening coming toward their table. Well, the three things—Alex Drake, his father, and Chase trailing in their wake.
Dan Drake, dressed impeccably in a tux, threw his arms wide. “It’s the Brooklyn Daily Post, New York’s favorite underdog story!”
Mariel scrambled to her feet, clearly unwilling to have Dan Drake tower over her as she sat. Dan cast an imposing figure, but so did Mariel, in her way. Her dress was an ivory beaded sheath that hung straight down on her slim body. Her hair was swept up in a French twist, and the only jewelry she wore was a chunky gold circlet around her neck. She looked like an Olympian goddess, casting judgment down on all the lesser mortals huddled at her feet.
“Mr. Drake,” she said, her own smile like an ice-cold blade compared to Dan’s mega-watt grin. “It was so kind of the organizers to include your website in the invitations.”
Everyone at their table sucked in a breath. “Sick burn,” Hassan whispered appreciatively.
ClickNews might be one of the biggest names in internet news, but Jess was far from the only traditional journalist questioning their credibility. Drake’s new website didn’t hold much cachet in a crowd of serious journalists like this and he knew it.
But Dan easily absorbed Mariel’s swipe, something flaring in his eyes, a kind of sharpened awareness, like a shark who’d just smelled blood in the water. “Yes, well, it’s all due to my secret weapons. Have you met these two brilliant young men?”
Alex had been hovering silently behind his father. Now he stepped forward and politely shook Mariel’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Kemper. I’m Alex Drake.”
“You’re the one running the news department at ClickNews these days?”
“No, that would be me,” Chase interjected, extending his own hand. “Chase Bennett.”
“I see.” Mariel managed to pour an ocean of judgment and scorn into those two little words.
“We’re doing some really exciting things in journalism, right, Mr. Drake?” Chase asked, clapping Dan on the shoulder with far more familiarity than Alex showed.
Mariel’s eyebrows lifted. “Exciting? That’s one way to describe it, I suppose.”
“We’d better get back to our table,” Alex murmured to his father.
“Yes, I’m presenting, so I’d better get ready,” Mariel replied.
Another dig. She was a respected member of this establishment in a way the Drakes weren’t. Dan Drake, no matter how many networks he acquir
ed, would never be asked to present at this venue.
Dan gave her another smile. “I look forward to it. It was...a delight to see you again, Mariel. Enjoy your evening.”
“Oh, my god,” Lina breathed. “He’s totally checking her out.”
When they were gone, Mariel dropped back into her chair with a growl. “Insufferable, presumptuous, arrogant, egotistical, obstreperous, bombastic, insolent asshole!”
“Too many adjectives, sweetheart,” Isaiah drawled as he refilled her wine.
The table erupted in laughter, which broke the tension.
Jess pushed back from the table. “I’m getting food before this thing starts. You coming, Lina?”
“Not just yet,” Lina turned back to Hassan. “Maybe later.”
Okay. Hassan. That was surprising.
The buffet table held an unappealing spread of pasta, limp vegetables, and overcooked meat wallowing in gravy, steaming in silver trays.
“I’d stick to the salad.”
She jumped and turned to glare at Alex. “Really? Again? I thought we’d agreed to avoid each other tonight.”
“We did? Sorry, I didn’t get the memo.”
She snatched up a plate and started indiscriminately plopping food onto it. “It was implied.”
“Listen, I’m sorry about Chase.”
“Keep him away from Lina or he might lose a limb.”
“Deservedly. That was pretty bad.”
Well, at least he knew that. “Yep, pretty bad.”
“And sorry about my dad. He’s...hard to corral sometimes.”
“Your table is a handful tonight.”
Alex blew out a frustrated breath. “You could say that. I’m sorry if Dad pissed you off.”
“He didn’t piss me off.”
“He pissed off Mariel and I know you’re protective of her.”
“Mariel can take care of herself.”
Alex let out a snort of laughter. “That’s putting it mildly. I can’t remember the last time somebody took the skin off my dad like that, and she barely even said anything.”
“She’s very smart.”
“Yes, well... I just didn’t want you thinking that was my idea. I know we have...”
“We have what?” She dropped the spoon back in the gooey tortellini alfredo and turned to look up at him. A tuxedo was a dangerous weapon when deployed by Alex. It was all Jess could do not to take a step back just to give herself room to breathe.
He waved a hand between them. “Past history? Present resentments? Open hostilities? A declaration of war? Take your pick.”
“E. All of the above.”
Alex chuckled again, sparking a curious little curl of satisfaction in her stomach. Making him laugh was almost as good as making him mad. “Well, I promise I’ll keep him pinned down at our table. Enjoy your night.”
And just when she was gearing up for a good scrap with him, he smiled politely, turned, and left. Jess clutched her plate, feeling oddly deflated as she watched him make his way across the room.
Fine. He could stay on his side of the room and she’d stay on hers so she could enjoy her evening.
“Was that Alex Drake?” She startled at the sound of Mariel’s voice behind her. She was arranging a tidy little pile of salad greens on her plate. “I didn’t realize you knew him.”
A frisson of alarm raced down Jess’s spine. Damn Alex Drake, forever landing her in these awkward situations. But at least now she knew Lauren hadn’t ratted her out to Mariel after she caught them together. That was surprising, honestly, but she wasn’t going to question her good fortune. “Um...we went to college together.”
Mariel’s eyebrows lifted expressively. “Really? You went to college with Alex Drake?”
“And Chase Bennett. So did Lina.”
“That’s some graduating class.”
“We weren’t exactly friends.” Ugh, now she sounded defensive, which wasn’t helping.
“He seemed friendly enough just now.”
It’s just an act, she wanted to scream. Don’t fall for it! But that would be rude and immature. “We don’t run in the same circles at all. I’ve barely seen him since graduation. He was just saying hello.” Oh, my God, shut up, Jess. She sounded wildly guilty to her own ears.
“Of course. This pasta looks a little suspect, doesn’t it?”
Jess let out a shaky exhale. Disaster averted. “Sure does. I’d avoid it if I were you.”
Jess fully intended to do the same. She’d avoid the pasta, the buffet table, and every single man in this room with the last name Drake.
* * *
Lina pounced as soon as Jess made it back to their table. “What was Alex saying to you?”
“Did Lauren see us?” She glanced quickly at Lauren, who was halfway across the room. The last thing she needed was for Lauren to see her talking to Alex again. That might provoke her into telling Mariel all about that disastrous lunch after all.
“Nah, she’s been too busy kissing asses all over the room. You’re deflecting.”
“He didn’t say anything. Well, he apologized for Chase and his dad.”
“Chase is the one who should be apologizing.”
“Yeah, I don’t see that happening. Do you?”
Lina chuckled. “Chase? Self-aware? Perish the thought. Still, it was nice of Alex.”
“Strangely nice. He must be coming down with something.”
“Jess, I know you hate him—”
Jess let out an ungraceful snort.
“—but he’s not so terrible.”
“Lina, he’s an arrogant, entitled—”
“You sound like Mariel talking about Dan.”
“They’re exactly the same.”
Lina shrugged and sipped her champagne. “Maybe when we started college, but Alex grew up a lot in those years. More than Chase did, obviously.”
She set down her fork and twisted in her seat to face Lina. “What are you suggesting, Lina?”
Lina fiddled with her champagne flute, turning it in circles. “Just maybe give him a chance?”
Prickles of uncomfortable awareness broke out across her skin, making her feel weirdly cold and burning up with heat at the same time. “A chance for what?”
“He was checking you out when we came in.”
Thank God her skin didn’t flush easily, because she felt the heat start in her belly and race up her chest and neck. “That doesn’t mean anything. It was just a male libido stretching its legs. Chase was blatantly leering at you, and you know how sincere that was.”
Lina rolled her eyes. “Chase and Alex might be friends, but they’re not the same person at all.”
“I can’t believe you’re suggesting I should—”
“I’m just saying—”
“Lina, I have Peabody.”
“He’s not real!”
“Yes, he is! Just because I haven’t met him yet, that doesn’t mean I imagined him. I’ve shown you his messages, Lina. You know how amazing he is.”
“Jess, he might be amazing, but right now, all he is is a screen name. Are you willing to pass up a flesh-and-blood real-life opportunity for a bunch of texts?”
“Alex is not an opportunity.”
“He could be.” Lina pushed her chair back and laid a hand on Jess’s shoulder as she passed behind her chair. “Think about it. I’m going to get something to eat.”
“Stick to the salad.”
Lina’s words ate away at her. Not the Alex part. That was patently ridiculous. The Peabody part.
Was she being foolish, considering herself already half-committed to him when he was avoiding meeting her face-to-face? Was she passing up “real life” opportunities for a guy who might, in the end, never be more to her than a username on her phone?
Did Peabody not co
unt as “real,” no matter how much she enjoyed what was happening between them? Maybe. And maybe she wasn’t really satisfied with texting, despite convincing herself she was. She wanted more. And if he didn’t, then she had a real problem.
Chapter Fifteen
Monday dawned cold and damp, the sky a leaden gray blanket hanging low over the city. A frustrating morning trying to corner a city commissioner for an interview that never happened did little to improve Jess’s mood.
When she got back to the paper, Lina was sitting at Sally’s desk. Sally was standing behind her, a comforting hand on her shoulder as she pressed a cup of coffee into Lina’s hands. They were both staring at Sally’s computer monitor.
Cautiously, she approached Sally’s desk. “Hey, guys. What’s going on?”
Lina looked up from the monitor. Her dark eyes were glassy with unshed tears.
“Lina, what is it? What happened?”
“I got scooped,” she murmured helplessly.
“What? Your Assemblyman Stevens story?”
“My source talked to somebody else.”
Jess hurried around Sally’s desk so she could see for herself. A cold tendril of dread unfurled in her stomach when she saw the screen. ClickNews. The assemblyman’s ex-staffer—the source Lina had been so painstakingly developing—had spilled everything to a ClickNews reporter.
“Lina, I’m so sorry.”
Lina inhaled shakily. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”
Jess rubbed her shoulders. “No, sweetie, you’re not.”
She shook her head fiercely, swiping away a tear. “This was going to be my first big story. Something that wasn’t filler about building code violations and Christmas tree mulching. It was a byline I could brag about. And now—” Another tear slid down her cheek.
“Okay, we’re taking an early lunch.” Jess tugged Lina to her feet and marched her into the newsroom toward her desk. “Grab your stuff and let’s go.”
“But—”
“No buts. You need to get out of here for a little bit. As your best friend, it’s my job to cheer you up. I’ll even buy you a drink. You deserve one today. Coat. Purse. Let’s go.”
The One I Love to Hate Page 11