Jessica kissed the base of her neck. “You’re overdressed,” she whispered, and refocused her attention, pulling the shorts from Brooklyn’s hips and settling herself back on top, a place she seemed very much at home. Jessica dipped her head and circled a nipple with her tongue, the effect of which was only magnified by the delicate tickle of her long hair across Brooklyn’s stomach. She ran her palms down the smooth expanse of Jessica’s shoulders, loving the feel of her skin against her own, the way Jessica’s weight pressed her snugly to the mattress.
She wrapped her legs around Jessica, craving more contact, her body on fire. Taking the cue, Jessica began to move against her, but at an agonizingly slow pace. Brooklyn whimpered, pulling her in more, anything to accelerate the pace, but Jessica held strong. Jessica wrapped one arm all the way around Brooklyn and with the other reached between them. And then Jessica was inside her and the sensation was breathtaking. She dropped her gaze and found her eyes, the deep blue that reaffirmed their connection.
“Jess,” she breathed, which earned her a reassuring smile. Little jolts of pleasure overtook her with each firm movement, and though it was her instinct to close her eyes, to let herself get lost in the sensation, she couldn’t take her eyes from Jessica. She was too beautiful, the slashes of moonlight highlighting her features. The orgasm built steadily from her fingers and toes inward until she was flying uncontrollably, pleasure unleashed. She arched into Jessica, who pushed deeper, keeping them connected, pressed tight.
Brooklyn gasped for air, unable to say a word as she lay there, the feelings that swirled so raw, so new. Jessica rolled them onto their sides and kissed Brooklyn softly. “I’m falling in love with you,” she finally whispered, stroking Brooklyn’s cheek with her thumb. Brooklyn nodded and turned her face to kiss her palm because that sentence carried so much. She tried to answer, to say something in return, but the words simply wouldn’t come.
So instead she turned on her side and pulled Jessica’s arms tightly around her. That way, as they drifted off to sleep, she wouldn’t see the tears that were already gathering in her eyes.
Chapter Fourteen
The number of voice mails Jessica had waiting for her at the office that next week was insane. While Bentley was good, he apparently wasn’t that good, and the office had taken a hit with her off the grid for most of the weekend.
“Did you get the mock-ups to Preston over at Retro Records? They’re not a major account, but they could be one day. We need to pay proper attention where they’re concerned.”
Bentley shuffled through the handful of papers on his desk. “Uh, let’s see. Retro Records. Yes. Preston signed off and we’re good to go with production.”
“Fabulous. Make sure Nancy and her assistant know we’re good to move forward.” She rested back in her chair and rubbed the muscles bunched at the base of her neck. They’d been working for several hours, and morning had shifted into afternoon without a lunch break. “And with that, why don’t we take thirty minutes and I’ll inhale something resembling a salad from the deli?”
“I’ll call it in.”
“You’re my favorite.”
“You say that to all your assistants.”
She tilted her head. “That’s true. But you’re definitely the most handsome.”
That got her a smile.
He picked up their lunch from across the street and they ate together in her office. Bentley studied her throughout. “You haven’t said a word about your weekend. I’ve given you every opportunity, but now I’m having to turn in my man card and ask for details.”
She shook her head and moved the lettuce around in her plastic container. “There’s not a lot to tell. I think it wasn’t as easy for Brooklyn as she was hoping it would be, meeting her parents.”
“What, are they crackheads? Criminals?”
“The exact opposite, really. Perfect. Kind. Together. I think it hurt her to see what she missed out on.”
He considered this. “I don’t blame her for that. I’d be so pissed I don’t know what I’d do.”
“Neither do I.”
“Is she going to see them again?”
“I’m not sure about that part. Before we got back to the city, she already had a handful of voice mails from her birth mother. She called her back, but the conversation was brief and formulaic.”
“She needs time to process.”
“You’re suddenly all-knowing over there.”
He threw his sandwich wrapper across the room, sinking it perfectly in the wastebasket. His hands sailed into the air in victory. “And all-talented. Check that out. But the trip was good, you know, for the two of you?”
She got up to toss the rest of the salad in the trash. She really needed to stop frequenting that mediocre deli. “That’s the thing. I think it was.”
“I sense the word ‘but’ about to happen.”
“It’s early, and she’s cautious.” She sighed and sank into her leather desk chair. “And I might have jumped the gun.”
“In what way?”
“I told her I was falling in love with her.”
He froze as if not quite sure what to do with the information. “That’s news. Did you mean it? Or was it just something to say in the moment? A carried-away-by-passion kind of thing? ’Cause I’ve done that.”
“You are such a dog.” She shook her head but moved past it, because it was a valid question and one she’d asked herself as well. She nodded. “I really think I did mean it.” And then she amended. “No, I know I did.”
“And that’s even bigger news. Color me shocked over here.”
She didn’t want it to, but his reaction stung. “Because I’m not capable of adult emotion or—”
He held up a hand. “I know you’re capable. I just didn’t think you’d let it happen. You’re so wrapped up in…I don’t know.”
She came around the front of the desk and rested against it. “Say it, Bent.”
“The world of Jessica Lennox.”
She nodded, absorbing the barb. They were talking as friends now, off the clock, and that meant he was giving it to her straight. “Okay, I’m self-involved generally. I get that. But do I have to be for the rest of my life? I see the value in how she approaches the world and who she is, and I just want to be a part of that.” She ran her hand through her hair in frustration. “Do you know how badly I want to call her right now? Just to say hi. I’m resisting that urge because I don’t want to send her running for the hills because I’m ahead of myself.”
He shook his head at her.
“What now? What’s with the head-shaking? Because I swear to God, I will tackle you, heels or not.”
“Since when have you ever let anything stand in your way?”
She felt the smile tug as she straightened. “Valid point. Think I might need to actually leave at five o’clock today.”
He nodded. “I’ll alert the media.”
*
“Wednesday hates me,” Brooklyn said as she dropped her head dramatically onto her desk.
“You know who else is going to hate you?” Samantha asked. “Your noggin, when you have to pop five aspirin for what you’re doing to it over there. Maybe lay off the super histrionics? Just a thought.”
She glared at Sam. “Histrionics are called for in some cases. And this would be one of them. I have two weeks to make this campaign pop and make Foster love us. Want to marry us. Have fantastic-looking children with us.”
“What are you talking about?” Hunter said from where she sat atop the kitchen counter, her computer in her lap. “The stuff we have is unique, and they’re going to be blown away.”
“Lofty prediction,” Mallory said, without even turning around from her desk. “As soon as we let ourselves get too complacent, that’s when we lose the account. Let Brooks pout, it’s part of her creative process.” She swiveled around to face the room. “She panics, freaks out, and then comes full circle with a dynamite project.”
“You’re right.” Hun
ter turned back to Brooklyn. “Proceed with the head-banging.”
Ignoring the other two, Samantha pulled a chair up to Brooklyn’s desk. “You’ve had a lot on your plate lately. Maybe knock off early today? Give yourself some time? You’ve had a big week.”
“That’s the last thing I need. I have several calls to return, a storyboard to dictate, and the final moments of the Foster spot to come up with. What I need is—” Her phone buzzed from where it sat atop her desk. She glanced at the readout and her skin tingled. How Jessica was able to do that via a text message still mystified her completely, but then again, much of how Jessica made her feel was uncharted territory.
“Is that who I think it is?” Samantha asked, her voice lowered on purpose.
She nodded. She’d told her friends about the weekend, about the meeting with her parents and how she’d fled the scene. But only Samantha knew about Jessica accompanying her on the trip, and only Samantha knew about the new turn their relationship had taken. And that was by design. She didn’t want to upset the already-dicey waters if she didn’t have to. It was better to bide her time and figure it out as she went.
It was also best to keep busy. Keep moving. It’s what she did to stop herself from thinking too much. About meeting her family, about how unsteady she felt when she thought about Jessica and where things were heading.
Jessica, who seemed to come with a giant exclamation point as of late. Every feeling she elicited was that much stronger now, and that included fear. Brooklyn let her thoughts drift momentarily to the woman who’d occupied most of her daydreams since returning to New York.
The first thing she thought of was the dark-blue eyes that shimmered when Jessica felt passionately about something. She was smart and knew how to command a room. She was beautiful and her hair smelled intoxicatingly of strawberries. She was sexy for days, witty, caring, and had the cutest smile when she lost herself in a moment. It felt a little like waiting for the other shoe to drop. And wouldn’t it? The other shoe always dropped.
“Are you going to talk to…?” Samantha inclined her head in Mallory’s direction, keeping her voice low. “You can’t keep dodging the issue, Brooks. That’s not fair.”
“So you think I should disrupt everything when we have this big account to worry about?”
“I’m thinking more about you. I think this whole thing matters to you a lot more than it used to, and it’s time to face that. Talk to her.”
“I think you should talk to her too,” Mallory said, turning around in her chair.
Brooklyn opened her mouth and closed it again, as her heart thudded away. “You do?”
“I know the first meeting wasn’t ideal and no one wants to walk into a surprise like that. But now that you’ve had time to process, maybe it’s not such a bad thing to give it another go. You said the messages she left for you were all understanding, sympathetic. It seems like she’s really trying to turn things around.”
Brooklyn blew out the breath she’d been holding. Cynthia. Mallory was talking about Cynthia. Brooklyn blinked several times to clear her head and adjust. Relief really was a fantastic thing. The Mallory battle was not one she was in the mood to take on. And if she knew that Brooklyn was sleeping with their sworn enemy, it would be a battle indeed. “You know, I think I still need time. I don’t know how I want to handle things on that front quite yet.”
“That’s understandable. If you need anything, more time off or—”
“Yeah, I know.” She didn’t mean to cut Mallory off, but it seemed like the stakes were growing moment by moment. Sam was probably right. She did need a break. She grabbed her bag. “I think I will take a few minutes after all.”
Samantha squeezed her hand. “Good idea.”
After the short elevator ride home, her phone buzzed again. This time it was an incoming call from Jessica. She smiled and clicked over.
“Hey.”
“I hope I’m not bothering you.”
Just the sound of Jessica’s voice had the world slowing down for her, and she relaxed into it on reflex. “Just a little. But for some people I make an exception.”
“What do you have going on?”
“This week has been crazy. We have this really intense competitor who keeps us on our toes over at Savvy. It’s crazy.”
“Sounds crazy. I don’t know who she is, but I’m sure she would back off, sign all her clients away if it meant she’d get to lay eyes on you.”
“If only I’d known it was that easy.”
Jessica laughed, and Brooklyn sank comfortably into the couch at the sound. “Can we have dinner tonight?”
God, she wanted to see Jess, but she had a lot on her agenda for the day that she hadn’t gotten to. She was planning a late-night work session. “I may have to work.”
“Me too. But guess what’s considered two birds with one stone?”
“What?”
“Have dinner with the competition. Scope them out. Surely, that’s a good business strategy, no? Meet me at Puzzles.”
She laughed. “Bad idea.”
“You owe me, remember? The night we first met. You promised to reciprocate.”
Brooklyn sighed. “Crafty. Very crafty making this about money when you already have so much of it.”
“Come talk to me over wine. We can flirt. It’ll be a good time.”
The idea of going back to Puzzles, the start of it all, was tempting. She remembered the excitement of that first night. How taken she was with Jessica. How fabulous their conversation was and how off-the-charts attractive she found her. And those feelings had only grown exponentially since. She got a little shot of energy at just the thought. “Fine. One drink and then I really have a lot of work to get back to.”
“That’s all I’m asking for.”
*
Jessica walked to Puzzles from her apartment, taking in the sweet smell of the sugary nuts the street vendors always sold in the fall. The Village was bustling with folks wrapped up in jackets, moving to their end-of-day locations. She passed a group of twenty-somethings laughing and nudging one another before they headed into the restaurant across the street. Jessica stared after them, wondering what it was like to belong to a group of friends. She’d never really made time for much of a social life, and she felt the tug of regret now.
Brooklyn had that, she thought to herself, with the girls at Savvy. She didn’t like that she was envious, but it was there all the same.
When she arrived at Puzzles, she blinked against the dim lighting of the bistro and scanned the tables, realizing she was the first to arrive. Jazz music played quietly from the sound system, and the place was quite a bit busier than the last time they’d been there.
She took the liberty of ordering a bottle of Chianti from the bartender and found a cozy table off to the side where they could talk. When Brooklyn walked in, her face was carefully blank. Her hair was pulled up today, and she wore a blue army-style jacket and jeans that made her look entirely too cool for Jessica and her black business skirt and heels.
Brooklyn’s eyes settled on her and she smiled. And there it was, that little click that she’d been missing. Brooklyn leaned in and kissed her cheek before settling into the chair across from her. She was such a sight for sore eyes, it almost hurt to look at her.
“So, hi,” Brooklyn said, resting her chin in her hand and grinning in the most endearing fashion. “How was your day?”
Jessica stared, still taking her in. It had only been a couple of days, but she’d missed her. “Better now. What about you?”
Brooklyn took a sip of wine and sat back in her chair, contemplative. “Getting there. This really is a charming little place.” Her smile faded. “But if I’m being honest, it’s really good to see you. I think that’s a big part of it.”
“How are you feeling, after the trip?”
“That’s a big question. I think I need some distance from…my family. Regroup a little. Those words sound so weird. My family.”
“I can imagi
ne. And us? I was worried we’d moved too fast, that I might never see you again.”
Brooklyn took a deep breath and shook her head. “I don’t have answers. But I do know this. I want to sit here with you. And drink this wine. And ask you about your day. Because that sounds about perfect.”
Jessica relaxed into her chair and let it all go—her worry, the lack of control that had her reeling. Because what Brooklyn had said made sense. There was no need to overthink it. “You first.”
“Let’s see. I walked with Hunter and Elvis through Central Park early this morning before work. We do that a couple of times a week. It’s kind of our thing.”
“I’m sorry, Elvis?”
“Elvis is our dog. Her dog. But kind of ours. The Savvy mascot, if you will. Does The Lennox Group have a mascot? I’m going to imagine not.”
“No.”
“Yet another disadvantage.”
“I’m still learning.”
“Well, clearly.” Brooklyn snagged a crumble of manchego from the cheese tray. “What did you do this morning?”
“Straight to the office. I was there by six a.m.”
Brooklyn nearly choked. “I’m sorry. Did you just say six a.m.?”
“I did. There’s a lot to do.”
“Yeah, but in my world it would still be there at eight.”
“Yet another way we’re different.”
Brooklyn regarded her. “I like that about us.”
It was a huge compliment, and Jessica let it settle. “Me too. Disorganized free spirit meets structured corporate rock star.”
“Or creative race-car driver seduces uptight high-rise dweller.”
“Or that.” Jessica laughed.
They talked for the better part of an hour, nearly killing the bottle entirely, hitting topics as far-reaching as Jessica’s weakness for anything sweet and Brooklyn’s preoccupation with Anderson Cooper’s wardrobe.
“I mean, it’s always pristine.” Brooklyn laughed. “Have you noticed that? He could be anywhere—earthquake, flood, a third-world country—but he’s always perfectly coiffed. Prada adorned. How does he do it?”
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