by Ella Jade
“You’re the political consultant?” What were the chances?
“I am.”
“He speaks so highly of you. I heard him tell someone over dinner about you and Governor Ralston. It sounded as if you’d done something really big.”
“I just helped the governor of New Jersey make a crucial move in his career.”
“He’ll get reelected?”
“Yes, but I have something bigger in mind. He’s going to the White House.”
“How do you know that?”
“It’s my job to know that. It’s also my job to get him there. What I do requires longevity. I invest in someone and I stick with them until we’ve accomplished it all.”
Except me. You didn’t stick with me. “Sounds impressive. I guess we’ll see how far you can take him.”
“It’s really good to see you.” He inched closer. Close enough for me to remember how hard I fell for him when I gazed into his emerald eyes. He was far too dangerous. I wasn’t falling into that trap again. “We didn’t part on the best terms. It was my–”
“Jameson.” Conrad slapped him on the back. “I was wondering when you’d make an appearance.”
“Conrad.” Jameson shook his hand. “I told you I’d check in and make the rounds.”
“Are you hearing good stuff?”
“You’re doing a bang up job.”
“I see you’ve met my date.” Conrad came to stand beside me, much closer than I wanted and took my hand.
Jameson gazed down at my hand in Conrad’s. “I already know Cecilia.”
How was he going to explain this?
“Really?” Conrad looked at me. “How?”
“I used to eat lunch at this quaint cafe where we met one another.” Jameson smiled at me. “I haven’t been there in a while. I miss the food.”
“I don’t work there anymore.” After my mom died I didn’t have the energy to hold two jobs and with the extra money I’d earned doing the nasty with Jameson, I was able to manage.
“Small world.” Conrad glanced between Jameson and myself.
This whole thing was awkward.
“I was speaking with Mac Mason.” Jameson nodded toward a tall, older man on the other side of the bar. “He’s interested in your proposal to assist the mayor in Boston. Why don’t you grab his ear for a few moments? Make sure he hears you.”
“That’s a good idea. I guess that’s why I pay you all that money.” Conrad kissed my hand. “I’ll be back in a few.” Was he staking some sort of claim? I didn’t find it sexy at all.
When Conrad was out of earshot, Jameson said, “He doesn’t seem your type.”
“He’s not,” I said that way too fast. “I don’t know him that well. He asked me to come with him and I agreed.” He didn’t start getting all touchy until Jameson showed up.
“I’m glad you did.”
“Why? So your client will win?”
“You’ll increase his chances but you’d have to be seen in public together a lot more over the next few months and I don’t see that happening.”
“You don’t?”
“To answer your first question about why I’m glad you’re here,” he continued. “You’ve been on my mind since the last night I saw you. I apologize for the way we left things but it couldn’t be helped at the time.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s complicated. We shouldn’t get into it here.” He took out his cell. “Is your number still the same?”
“Yes.”
“Can I call you?”
Wasn’t this what I had wanted? Dreamed about for twelve months? Didn’t I wish he would be there to comfort me during the lowest time in my life? If I said yes, I’d be taking a huge chance. How could we build anything after the way we started? Oh, what if he thought we would pick up where we left off? Did he want to pay me for sex again? I was never doing anything like that again.
“I’m not the same person I was a year ago.” I wanted that to be clear. I didn’t want him to think what happened between us before would happen again.
“I wouldn’t expect you to be the same person. We all evolve.”
“Have you evolved?”
Jameson
That was a good question. Could I answer it honestly? Had I evolved? Of course I knew she’d be here tonight. I’d seen her name on the guest list. I’d wanted to reach out to her over the last year, but I had decided she was better off without me. That was a decision I had regretted. It was time for me to rectify my mistakes. All of them.
“I’d like to think I have.” I wasn’t using anymore. I hadn’t had a drink in almost three years. I didn’t proposition anyone for sex in a year. Not that I wanted anyone else. Yes, I suppose I had evolved but was I worthy of such an extraordinary woman? “I’d like to take you to dinner.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to get to know you this time. I want things to be different between us. What I did...” I shook my head, still disgusted that I had paid her for sex. “It was wrong. I’ve struggled with that for a long time.”
“It wasn’t just you.” She looked down at her hands. “I agreed to your terms. I took the money.”
Not that I ever thought that she was wrong for accepting what I offered, but knowing her circumstances made me feel even more ashamed of myself. I put her in a position where she had no choice but to say yes.
“I’m sure you had your reasons.”
“Are you?” She looked into my eyes. “How do you know I didn’t do it because I wanted expensive things? Designer clothes and shoes? A new car?”
“Whatever your reasons were they’re yours.” The same way my reasons for propositioning her were mine. We all have something and I was in no position to judge.
“You don’t know me,” she said.
“I’d like to.”
“It’s too late for that.”
Ouch.
“We’ve both moved passed what we did.” She picked up her bag off the bar. “It’s best if we just leave it at that.”
“What if I don’t want to?” Do you really want me to leave you alone? “Just give me one dinner and if we’re not compatible I’ll leave you alone.”
She debated for a moment. Was she faltering?
“It was good seeing you.” She tried to walk past me but I took her wrist in my hand.
No way was I screwing this up again.
“Don’t.” She glanced in Conrad’s direction but he was too busy with his conversation to notice what we were up to.
“Please give me a chance to make things right.” I was never the type to beg. “One dinner. That’s all.” I wanted more but I was going to have to let her lead this time. “One chance.”
“There isn’t anything you have to make right.”
“That’s not true.” I knew enough about my road to recovery to know Step Nine really well. Make amends to those I’d harmed. “Tomorrow night.”
“Jameson, I don’t....” She took a breath when I rubbed her inner wrist with my thumb. “One dinner.” The skin between her brow crinkled. Was she that conflicted over me?
“Thank you.” I fought the urge to kiss her. Why had I never kissed her? “I can pick you up around seven.”
“No.” She removed her arm from my hold. “I’ll meet you.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s not a date,” she reminded me.
Let her lead, let her lead. I balled my fist by my side as I repeated those words. Maybe if I said them enough I might believe I would let her be in charge. “Nothing wrong with being cautious, gorgeous. It’s probably not a bad idea when it comes to me.”
“I’ve already learned that the hard way.”
Sassy girl. “Meet me at the marina tomorrow night.”
“Which restaurant?”
“No restaurant. Dock 28. Around 7?”
“What’s at dock 28?”
“You’ll see.”
She seemed skeptical but she nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”<
br />
As she walked away, I studied her slender neck and toned back displayed beautifully in that classy but revealing dress of hers. Turning back toward the bar, I noticed Conrad staring at her too. Shit! Now I had to get my eager senator-to-be to find another suitable date for his cause. Cecilia was off-limits.
Chapter Seven
Jameson
Two minutes to seven. Cecilia would be here soon and I needed to settle down. I paced the dock, waiting for her to arrive. I was a calm individual. I thrived off pressure. My brother swore I needed things to be stressful in order for me to get the job done. Maybe I did. But nothing rattled me. Not until her.
I didn’t lack confidence when it came to women. When I met her I had all the control. I set it up so she had to say yes. That was no longer the case. If I wanted a do over I’d have to prove myself in ways I’d never had to before. She was giving me one shot. This time she held the power and I had to accept that if I was going to get what I wanted.
When I saw her last night, every miserable thought I’d had about myself came crashing to the surface. I had been such a jerk to her during a difficult time in her life. She was better off without me. I hadn’t meant to invite her here tonight, but when I walked into that reception and found her sitting alone at the bar, all the feelings I swore I didn’t have for her couldn’t be ignored. No matter how much I tried to deny there was anything between us or how much I wanted to believe she had fallen for me, and I could never reciprocate were exposed as a lie. Seeing her last night ignited something deep within me, and when I gazed into her eyes, I knew I would never stop. Not until she was truly mine.
I ceased pacing when the headlights gleamed off the water. She parked her car, an older black Nissan, into the spot just before the dock entrance. I was happy to see she’d finally gotten a car and didn’t have to walk.
She came toward me, her long slender legs adorned in a high pair of stilettos that accentuated her calves. The tiny dark dress dipped low, revealing her subtle cleavage. Her shoulders were bare except for the thin straps of the halter that fit snug around her neck. She’d worn her hair up. It wasn’t as elaborate as last night, and as she made her way closer to me I noted her makeup wasn’t as heavy as it was twenty-four hours ago. Either way she was magnificent but I preferred her natural and innocent.
“Jameson.” She dropped her keys in her bag before meeting my stare.
Controlling the commotion inside my pants wasn’t easy, but when she said my name, I had to admit I didn’t have much command over anything much less my arousal. This woman was worse than any other addiction I had. She was far more dangerous, but when had I ever cared about such things?
“I’m glad you’re here.” I took her hand and grazed her knuckles along my lips. Did I just make her shiver?
“Where is here?” She glanced over my shoulder and stared at my newest toy.
I kept her hand in mine as I led her toward the boat at the end of the dock. “I just bought this a few weeks ago.” We stepped on board. “This is the first time I’m entertaining on it.”
“This is yours?” She gazed around my yacht. “It’s the biggest one in the marina.”
“Really?” What could I say? “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Hmm.” She smiled. “It’s lovely.”
“It’s a perfect night for a sail.” I pointed toward the glass windows that overlooked the water. “I thought we could eat out there.” I’d had the staff set up a light dinner before dismissing them for the evening. The captain was on board but he would be too occupied to worry about what I was doing tonight. Not that I had any plans to do anything other than get to know her better.
“I’ve never been on a boat before,” she said.
“We can stay docked if you’re uncomfortable.” It didn’t matter to me. I just wanted to be with her. “But out there you can’t run from me.”
“I could swim.” She giggled but I wondered how much truth her statement held. She walked over to the windows. “It’s so pretty on the water.”
“Are you hungry?” I opened the sliding doors that led to the deck. “Dinner was just prepared before you got here.” Everything was placed in heated pans and would be ready when we were. “I ordered several items because I wasn’t sure what you would like.”
“I’m not picky.” She stepped outside, a cool breeze danced over us. “I’m sure whatever you have is fine.”
“Should I send the captain home or would you like to go out for a bit?”
She gazed out at the water, debating for a moment. What was going through her head? Was it a tough decision for her to join me tonight? Had she thought about me the way I had her this last year? Had she forgotten what I’d done to her? How I treated her? Could she ever really let that go? She was here so that had to mean something.
I stepped behind her, placing my hand on her hip. “I’ll be with you the entire time.”
She nodded as the cool air ghosted over us again. “I want to.”
“Perfect.” I took my cell from my pocket and shot the captain a quick text telling him we were ready. “Would you like a glass of wine?” When I ran my fingers down her arm, her skin prickled under my touch. I wouldn’t be able to join her but I’d picked up a bottle of wine to be hospitable.
“You don’t drink.” She turned to face me. “Is that still true?”
“It’ll always be true.” I shrugged. “I don’t mind if you drink.”
“How come you don’t drink?”
Transparency? There was a thought. I pulled out her chair and motioned for her to take a seat. “Would you like to start with some appetizers?” I nodded toward the assortment of fruit and cheeses on the table.
“Sure.” She sat down and placed her napkin in her lap. “Are you going to answer my question?”
“Is it important to you?” I sat across from her. “The answer?”
“Am I getting a limited amount of questions?”
“No.” I grinned when I realized she was challenging me. “You can ask me whatever you want. I want things to be different this time.”
“Then yes, it is important to me.”
“I’m a recovering alcoholic and drug addict.” I waited for her expression to change. For her to give me some indication that she was disgusted by my admission. “I’ve been clean for three years.”
“Good for you. That’s quite an accomplishment but I’m sure it was also a struggle.”
“In the beginning of my recovery I relied heavily on my work to keep me busy. I came out of rehab and put everything I had into my firm. It’s very successful. So successful that I don’t have time to struggle anymore. One day I woke up and realized I never think about drinking or using.”
“Your sobriety has become a way of life?”
“Something like that but sometimes I need to distract myself with activities other than my work.”
She leaned forward, tilting her head to the side but she didn’t say anything.
What are you thinking, gorgeous?
“Was I the distraction?”
The boat took off as I pondered her question.
“I told you last night,” she said. “I’m not the same person I was a year ago so if you invited me here because you thought I would–”
“No.” I cut her off. “I asked you here because I need to make amends for what I’ve done.”
“You really don’t have to.”
“Yeah.” I reached across the table and took her hand. “I do.”
“That’s not going to work for me.”
“What do you mean?”
“You asked for one dinner,” she said. “If you want me to stay I don’t want to talk about what we did before. I’ve tried hard to put it behind me.”
“You’ll give me a chance if I don’t apologize?” I hadn’t expected that.
“I’ll give you tonight.”
“I’ll take that.” For now...
Cecilia
Two hours later, the boat was back in the marina. Dinner
was fabulous and the conversation was even better. I’d built Jameson up to be this amazing man in my mind because I didn’t know him at all. Learning that he was a bit flawed made him more approachable. In a span of a hundred and twenty minutes I’d learned he was a recovering addict, an exceptional political consultant, one of three boys, a workaholic, and a safe bet to say he was probably a billionaire.
When I came here tonight I had every intention of giving him a harder time. I thought if I wasn’t as agreeable he couldn’t hurt me. I still wasn’t ready to rush into anything with him, but getting to know him helped me change my perception of him.
As the night came to a close I wondered what would happen next. Would he want to see me again now that he had attempted to make his peace with what we had done last year? Was I a loose end that needed to be taken care of?
As I gazed out at the water, he came and stood behind me much like he had when the evening began, but this time he wrapped his arms around my waist. My body tingled with anticipation. I recalled what passion he could draw from me when he was behind me. My legs quivered as I held onto the railing in front of me.
“Sorry, I had to step away.” He inched closer until his chest was flush with my back. “I wanted to tell the captain he could leave for the night.”
“It’s okay.” I tried to focus on the lights and the other beautiful boats in the distance but all I wanted was for him to touch more of me. “I had a wonderful time.”
“I’m glad you agreed to this evening.”
“Me too.” I faced him, leaning against the railing. When the night breeze caressed my neck and shoulders, I trembled. “It’s getting late. I should probably go.”
“Can I see you again?” He took his jacket off and draped it over me. “Maybe a date next time since you said this one wasn’t.”
“Maybe I changed my mind about that.” I motioned around the deck. “This was a really elaborate evening.”
“This.” His face lit up in amusement. “Was nothing.”
“Maybe for you.”
“I’m happy you enjoyed tonight but I want to see you again.”
