by Ashlee Price
“I was just there and offered to help. No big deal, really.”
“No big deal? Son, you’re the face of the company and my son. I can’t have you helping a girl out and getting photographed with her. Do you even know anything about her?”
He was getting too personal, and I didn’t like the way the conversation was going. I was still literally glowing from being with her, and I didn’t know why my father didn’t care for the idea of it. It was bad enough that he was my boss and dad; I wasn’t going to let him dictate my life any more than he already was.
“I know a lot about her. I’ve gotten to know her because you made me. You want to buy her bistro, remember?”
“Of course I remember. What does that have to do with you helping her?”
“You told me to charm her. That’s what I’m doing.”
I heard derision in his scoff, and I knew that he wasn’t happy about my words, or my plans. When Dad realized that I’d paid for her to get out of debt, I was sure that he was going to hate me, but for now I just had to keep my mouth shut.
“There are ways to charm her without making yourself look bad. Have I taught you nothing?”
“I never did pay attention when you talked about women, Dad. You never were good at keeping them happy.”
I regretted it as soon as I said it, but it was too late. It was out of my mouth and there was no taking it back.
“Women are only worth the amount of time that you ride them. Why haven’t you gotten that yet?”
The conversation was getting nowhere and it was just pissing me off. I needed to get off the phone with him before he drove me crazy.
“Well, Dad, I got a lot of work to do.”
“I’m not done talking about this, Scott. You don’t get to just write me off. You still work for me.”
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and shook my head. I was sick of being reminded who I worked for. I likened it to being a slave, but there was really nothing that I could do about it. I did work for him, and for the moment I had to listen to what he had to say.
“I know who I work for. I’m reminded of it every day when I have to continue to use Caroline. She hates me, and I know the only reason you wanted me to hire her was because she tells you everything that is going on. It’s like you have your own mole here.”
“Caroline is a good assistant. I’ve used her for over twenty years.”
“Well, then, why are you even asking me about this?”
“Because when I heard it, I wanted to check with you. I was sure that she was wrong, but she wasn’t. This is not over, Scott. I want you to really think about what you’re doing and how you look to others when you make poor decisions like that.”
I finally got off the phone with him, but my day was already ruined. I wasn’t going to take anything that he said to heart, but it worried me. He had too much control over my life, and he was far too interested in Jesse.
Chapter 2 – Jesse
“I didn’t think I was going to see you until later. Did you decide to take the rest of the day off?”
He kissed me, and I heard a few comments from the line that I tried to ignore. It was still new with me and Scott, but he was making himself a regular fixture at the bistro. I’d truly thought that I wasn’t going to see him again after we had sex, but I was seeing him even more, if that was possible. It became an unspoken routine that every night was spent together. I certainly didn’t have a problem with that, but I was worried about what was going to happen when he got bored with me. I knew his reputation, and I knew guys like him.
“I have to go back to work, but I just wanted to give you a kiss. I missed you.”
I giggled a little and kissed him again to a chorus of catcalls and wolf whistles from my customers. Smiling at him, I told him he was lucky because I was looking for some help. I was just joking, but he got a strange look on his face that bothered me a little bit. Was he that against helping me?
“Well, never fear, Scott, I was just joking. I know that you’ve got better things to do than taking money and wiping down tables.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Then what is it like?”
He started to say something and then stopped. I realized that I had things to do and customers in front of me, so it made it easy to push it to the back of my mind. I didn’t want to think about what was going on in his mind, so I just tried to ignore the uneasiness that I felt.
Scott gave me another kiss, this one noticeably quicker and less lingering. I felt my face go red, and I knew it was because of what I was thinking about doing to him later. I wasn’t sure what he was upset about, but it was clear that something was bothering him. I told myself that it most likely had nothing to do with me, but how could I be sure? I wasn’t, and as I watched him leave, I had to think about whether he was done messing with me. I knew that the day was going to come, but I still wasn’t sure when it was going to happen.
I tried to shake the feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. Melissa asked me what was wrong a couple of times, but I told her that I was fine. Everything was fine, but in truth I wanted to cry. I wasn’t much of a crier, but I felt suddenly hopeless.
After closing everything up, I made my way upstairs and almost jumped when I heard the phone ringing. I’d built up the earlier meeting with him in my head so much that I was convinced that I was never going to see him again. When I realized that it was Scott on the phone, it was hard to think of something to say. I’d been so sure, but then again I’d been wrong a time or two before.
“Hey, Scott.”
“What’s wrong?”
I groaned inwardly. Why was everyone asking that when I was trying so hard to hide my emotions?
“Nothing, I just figured that you were going to be working tonight.”
“I still am, but as soon as this last meeting is over I’m going to be heading your way. Since I don’t have a key and I figure that you’ll be sleeping, I was wondering if you could leave the key out for me or something.”
I smiled at myself and knew more than ever that I was in trouble. I was grinning ear to ear just from the thought of him wanting to come after work. Even if I was sleeping, he would rather be with me. It was like everything that I’d worried about was for nothing. I’d been worried about the end of us for no reason. I chided myself for being such a worrywart.
“Sure, I’ll leave it under the mat. I’m kind of tired, so I don’t know how much longer I’ll be up, but you’re always welcome.”
“Thanks, Jesse. I don’t want to be without you tonight, but I don’t want to keep you up either.”
“I’ll stay up if you want me to. I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to make it worth my while.”
I heard the deep sound of his laugh and I melted a little more inside. I don’t think he knew how badly I wanted him there with me right then. I wanted to feel his body on mine, if not for anything else than a reminder of the fact that he was still mine.
The phone clicked, but the sinking feeling that I’d carried with me all day was gone. It was scary how just hearing from him could change my mood so much. I’d fallen too far, too fast. That was clear to me then.
***
“Jesse.”
I didn’t hear him, not really, until he was next to me in bed, naked. I was in the same state. I would have thought that I would have woken up before my body was wet and ready for him. My nipples were hard and still damp from his mouth. How long had he been there?
The question died on my lips when I felt the hardness at my opening seconds before he pushed in swiftly. It took my breath away, as it always did, and I was powerless to do anything more than wrap my legs and arms around him. He was like an amusement park ride: I had to hold on tight when he really started going.
Scott’s name was continually on my lips as he sank deeper and pulled out faster, only to repeat the process immediately. He felt so good. Far too good – before I’d been up a total of five minutes, I was coming so hard it almost p
ut me back to sleep.
His pleasure took longer, and I was limp by the time he finally got off of me. There had been something on his mind that night that had impelled him to such a thorough taking of my body, but Scott said nothing to help me understand. He pulled me to him and I lay on his chest, listening to his slamming heart slow down as minutes passed.
“Are you okay, Scott?”
“Yeah, why?”
I stopped and just shrugged, nestling into his hair and closing my eyes. There was no point in bringing it up. If it wasn’t broke, there was no reason to fix it, or so I was thinking. I should have asked, maybe pressed for an answer, but I realized that I most likely didn’t want to know what it was anyways. I didn’t want to know if this was the last night with Scott. I knew that it would come soon enough, so there was no point in worrying about it now. There was always tomorrow for that.
Chapter 3 – Scott
This call was a hard one to make. I knew how important it was, and for some reason I was far more nervous than I should have been. Why did I feel like everything was riding on tonight? I felt guilty springing it on her in such a way, but now there was no choice. If my father was willing to meet Jesse and give her a chance, I was going to do my best. Just telling him about her was enough to let him know that Jesse meant something to me. That was why he’d invited her over for dinner. Even my mother was going to be there, and to have the two of them together was already a miracle in itself.
“Jesse?”
“No, this is Melissa. Do you want me to get her for you, Scott?”
I felt bad that she recognized my voice, but I didn’t recognize the difference between her and my girlfriend. I didn’t want to think about that, so I quickly replied that I needed to speak to Jesse.
“She’s busy right now. Do you want me to have her call you back?”
“Please do. Tell her that I have something important to talk to her about and the quicker she calls the better.”
Melissa sounded unsure, but told me that she would relay the message. After thanking her, I went back to the paperwork that I still hadn’t even gone through, let alone signed. I sighed to myself. I was putting it off as proof that I didn’t have to listen to my father and jump when he told me to, but it was killing me to not do it. I was about to start in on it when I got a phone call. It was my personal line, so I was hoping that it was Jesse.
“Hey, Scott, what’s up?” She sounded like she was dreading the call.
“Nothing much. I was just going to see if you were busy tonight.”
“Tonight? No, not really. Why, what’s going on?”
The anxiety was still in her voice. I wasn’t sure where it came from, but I pushed on with my thought. “My parents would like to meet you, Jesse. they want to go out tonight and grab some dinner. I told them that we would come if we could, so I guess I’m wondering if you even want to go?”
“You want me to meet your parents?” The dread had turned to shock. I wasn’t sure what was going on in her head, but it was clear that she hadn’t been expecting that. I couldn’t blame her. I was still surprised myself that I’d chosen this course with any woman.
“Yeah, it’s not a big deal, just a little get-together and all of that. No biggie.” Why did I keep saying that? It was a big deal. Actually it was an extremely big deal, and there was nothing but trepidation in my heart. I wanted them to like her, but more than that I needed my father to approve of her. It was very important, and while I wanted to rebel, I knew that it was true.
***
My father kept looking at Jesse as if she were an insect that he was going to squash. I’d been worried about him looking at her in another way, but instead he looked down on her. Although Jesse was too polite to say anything, I could tell that she could feel it. It wasn’t what I’d wanted, but in the back of my mind, I wasn’t surprised that this was how it was turning out.
“So, tell me about your parents, Jesse.”
That was something that I hadn’t even asked about. I hadn’t asked about family or much of anything else. We really didn’t talk much when we were together, so that was one question that I didn’t mind hearing the answer to, even though I thought my father was being rather nosy. At least my mother wasn’t acting the same way. I knew that she wouldn’t. She was just happy that someone meant enough to me to introduce her.
“Well, there’s not much to tell. My mother has been gone since I was a child, so my father pretty much raised me. We opened the bistro together and were running it up until he died a couple of months ago.”
I couldn’t stop looking at her. Although she didn’t show it on her face, there was a pain in her eyes that was usually not there, as well as a slight shake to the hand that was bringing her glass to her lips. I felt ashamed for never asking. Why hadn’t I known that about her? That was something that I should have asked and I should have known. Here I was thinking one thing, not knowing that she was still so positive after everything that she’d been through. It made me look at her differently, and dare I say it, it made me love her even more than before, if that was possible.
“I’m sorry to hear that you lost your mother so young, Jesse. I don’t know what I would have done without mine. She taught me everything I know.”
Jesse kind of chuckled and agreed. “Yes, my father trying to teach me how to put makeup on was a challenge, but that’s what friends are for. My mother didn’t die, though, she just left. I’m not sure where she went and I don’t really care. She didn’t want to stay when I was a child, so I have no use for her now.”
There was a steel in her voice that I’d only heard when we first met. I could still hear it in my mind and I knew that Jesse was far more upset than she appeared. She was good at hiding it.
“Sorry to bring it up. It must be a hard memory.”
“Not really. Everything happens for a reason, and I don’t regret how I was raised. My father did a good job, the best that he could.”
“So your father, what did he do?”
Jesse turned from my mother to my father. There was a bit of defensiveness in her eyes. She hadn’t taken long to see my father for what he truly was. I don’t know why, but it made me so happy that she could see right through him too.
“He cooked, sir.”
“I hear that he got himself into a bunch of gambling debt and was about to lose that place.”
I would have killed my father if I could have. The look on Jesse’s face was enough to make my heart clench. Did she know, or was this a shock? That must be why the finances were messed up. I would have never guessed, but no matter the truth, it was obvious that Jesse didn’t want anyone talking about her father in such a way.
“Yes, sir, I believe that he did get himself in debt with a few people, but I assure you that the bistro isn’t going anywhere.”
“Oh really? How is that?”
She looked at me and then took another drink from her glass. Jesse didn’t have to say where she’d gotten the money. The look my father gave me was enough of an answer. I was going to hear about that, I was sure of it.
Chapter 4 – Jesse
I left the dinner with Scott’s parents with mixed feelings. While I really liked his mom, his father was not a man who was going to be easy to get along with. There was a resemblance between the two men that was undeniable, but I remember being thankful more than once that Scott did not act like his father as much as he looked like him. The resemblance was one thing, but the feeling that the older man gave me was nothing like the feeling I got from being with his son.
Insisting that he take me home, I told Scott that I wasn’t feeling very well and that I wanted to be alone. It was the first time since we’d been together intimately that we wouldn’t spend the night in each other’s arms, but I was okay with that. I needed time to think and get over the way it all made me feel. The man had made me feel like I was the gum on the bottom of his shoes, and I can’t say that I liked the feeling at all. I could have gone a lifetime without ever meeting him
.
I worried that Scott would feel the same way about me. I knew that he was out of my league. I’d known it since the first time that I’d met him, but his family had made it even clearer without actually saying a word. His father had sneered when I’d talked about my father, and that upset me more than anything else did. I didn’t care what he thought or said about me, but I still cared about my father’s memory. It was all I had left, and I wasn’t going to let it get tarnished by a man who had never even met him. I just couldn’t.
Scott called me after he got home that night. I did answer, but we didn’t talk for long at all. I was feeling weird, and I didn’t want to tell him that his father was a jerk. I was pretty sure that he knew it, because he’d been raised around him, but I didn’t know how close they were. The evening had made many things clear, and one of them was how little we actually knew about each other. How could I be in love with him without knowing anything about him besides what I’d read in magazines? It didn’t make sense, and it was hard to really take it all in.
I promised Scott that I would call him in the morning, but he was there waiting for me when I got up. Like before, he was knocking on the door before we opened, but this time I was happy to see him. I gave him a big hug when I opened the door. I’d missed him the night before, but I would never breathe a word of it out loud.
“Good morning, Jesse.”
He had a strange look in his eyes, much like he’d had when he came to see me the day before. I was still unsure what made him look that way at me. What was going on?
“Morning, Scott. Are you coming in?”
He nodded that he was, but he didn’t make any move to do so. I was trying to tell myself that I was just imagining things, but I wasn’t sure if that was true. I didn’t want to work myself up again for nothing, though, so I tried to take a deep breath instead. I moved back into the shop and pretended like I wasn’t shaking inside with a sense of impending doom.