In spite of how slowly she walked, Jesse did arrive back at her desk at length, and she sat down into her chair with a deep sigh. For a while, she merely looked down at the surface of her desk, her mind feeling vacant and numb. There was nothing she really had to work on, and she didn’t want to allow her mind to wander too far lest she become weighed down with the graveness of her situation.
Eventually, though, Jesse needed a distraction. She briefly contemplated going to see Mark in his office but dismissed the idea. She didn’t know what she would say to him anyway and didn’t need to distract him from his work. In addition, she felt as though she had let him down. He had played a large part in securing her job, and now she felt sure that she was about to lose it.
Jesse stewed over that a while more, feeling her heart sink ever deeper into her stomach. She browsed the internet for a while, hoping that some light humor would help to lift her spirits, but nothing seemed to be able to bring her out of her haze of misery.
She vaguely considered reaching out to Hal. They had, after all, spent the previous evening together. She could call him up just to thank him again. She quashed that idea as well. She knew that if he didn’t answer, she would feel dejected. She was more fearful, though, of how she would feel if he did answer.
No. All she could do was wait. She didn’t need to drag anyone else into her state of emotional distress. This was all just her penance for her failure as a reporter, and she would bear it alone.
Jesse managed to calm herself somewhat. She knew that she didn’t want to be an absolute nervous wreck when Elaine finally called her in. Jesse largely looked through various pop articles online and vaguely wondered who was covering which of the latest stories, as she hadn’t been paying an ounce of attention to the meeting that morning.
Time passed, and before Jesse knew it, the lunch hour was upon her. She was eager to take the excuse to get out of the office, but the anticipation of what was to come with Elaine weighed heavily on her and prevented her from being able to stomach a meal.
Reluctantly, Jesse made her way back to the office as the lunch hour drew to a close. People around her were settling into their desks, and Jesse had just pulled her chair up when her desk phone rang.
Her stomach dropped, but she didn’t dare let the phone ring a second time before she answered it.
“This is Jesse Clarke at The Edge,” she spilled her customary line into the phone, trying to keep her shattered nerves from being evident in her voice.
“Hey Jess,” she heard a warm, male voice on the other line. “Are you okay? You sound a little shaken up.”
Chapter 30
Hal
Hal frowned as he heard Jesse release a long, shaky sigh from the other end of the line. She had sounded tense, and her reaction to his call had made him all the more worried that something wasn’t right.
“Hey,” he spoke again, letting his concern seep into his voice. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s nothing,” Jesse snapped her answer quickly. “Just something here at the office.”
“Oh,” Hal said, relieved.
“Yeah,” Jesse sighed again, and Hal clearly identified anxiety in her tone. “Look, this is a bad time for us to talk. And you can’t keep calling me here at the office.”
Hal was taken aback at her sudden brusqueness, but he recovered quickly.
“Well, if you don’t want me to call you on this phone, you’ll have to give me the number to your cell,” he said easily. “And if this is a bad time to talk, we’ll have to set up a time to talk later.”
Hal heard Jesse sigh again, and he smiled to himself at being the cause of her irritation.
“Fine,” she said and began to rattle off a chain of numbers. Hal scrambled to jot them down as she listed them off.
“There,” she said as she finished. “Are you done?”
“No,” Hal said in return, allowing some of his own irritation to creep into his tone. “We haven’t decided on when we’re meeting up to talk since you’re so busy.”
There was silence on the other end of the line, and Hal briefly worried if he had come on too strong and overplayed his hand.
“Alright, okay,” Jesse said, her tone much more docile. “What if you came to my place around six?”
“I can do six,” Hal said, allowing a satisfied smile to creep over his face.
“Okay,” Jesse said, her voice sounding more subdued and somewhat defeated. Hal frowned at the tone, and he got the nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked again.
“Like I said, it’s work,” she said quickly. “Can we please just talk about this tonight?”
Hal was dissatisfied with her answer, and he wanted to know what was going on right here and now. He could tell, though, that she was in a real state of distress, and he knew that if he had to, he could wait for her explanation.
“Yes,” Hal answered, keeping his tone soft. “Yes, of course.”
“Thank you,” Jesse breathed into the phone.
A brief silence passed between them, and Hal searched for words to say to fill the gap.
“Well …” Jesse beat him to it. “I’ll see you tonight then.”
“See you to …” the phone went dead before he could finish his goodbye, and he scowled down at his phone before shoving it roughly back into his pocket.
Hal braced his hands on the edge of his counter and shook his head. Before he knew it, though, his frown of irritation had transformed into a smile, and a soft chuckle passed his lips.
“What’s so funny?” Hal turned as he heard Adam’s familiar voice as he entered the kitchen.
“It’s funny that domestic animals live a higher quality of life than most humans,” Hal quipped.
“It’s Jesse, isn’t it?” Adam raised his eyebrow, and Hal let out a long sigh.
“Of course it’s Jesse,” he freely admitted, opening up the fridge to withdraw a plum from the bottom drawer.
“And what have you done to her now?” Adam pressed, crossing his arms.
“Why am I always the villain with you?” Hal diverted the direction of the conversation, feigning hurt in his tone. Adam let out a short bark of laughter and shook his head.
“Because I know you,” he shot back. “So what’s going on between you two now?”
“I’m going over to her place tonight,” Hal said simply.
“And?” Adam prodded, and Hal frowned.
“She seemed a little bit unsettled,” Hal said.
“Happens to the best of us, I suppose.” Adam nodded, sitting down at the breakfast bar.
Hal grunted and bit into the fruit in his hand. He had a feeling that this was more than just an instance of being slightly unsettled, but he couldn’t really figure what it was.
“She said it was work,” Hal offered after he swallowed the bite he had taken.
“I’m not surprised,” Adam said flatly.
“No?” Hal raised an eyebrow, and Adam gave him an odd look.
“Wouldn’t you be a little unsettled if you worked under Elaine Beck?” Adam pointed out.
Hal frowned. Even the mention of Elaine’s name was enough to get him irritated. She knew how to get under anyone’s skin, and she never hesitated to do it. He hated the idea of her being anywhere near Jesse.
Hal suddenly remembered that the only reason he had met Jesse in the first place was so she could interview him for Elaine’s magazine. He had only done that to get the woman off his back, and it had somehow turned into one of the most intriguing instances of his life. In reality, he had no real respect for The Edge, and he thought it was a shame that Jesse was working there when it was very clear to him that she was capable of so much more.
“Elaine should be working for Jesse,” Hal murmured, mostly to himself.
“Well, be that as it may …” Adam shrugged and left Hal to fill in the rest.
Hal brooded about Jesse’s unfortunate circumstances. He wondered
if there was anything he could do to change her situation. Even if there was, she was highly unlikely to accept any help from him. She took a lot of pride in her work, and she would never allow him to pave the way for her. He couldn’t help admiring her for that.
“I wouldn’t worry myself too much,” Adam spoke up again. “She’s got a lot of spunk. She’ll get through whatever it is that’s got her down. And then she’ll have plenty of time to keep putting you through the ringer.”
Hal laughed at Adam’s words. His friend was absolutely right. Jesse certainly kept him on his toes, and he wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Since he had been with her the previous night, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He was glad they had stopped where they did. He didn’t want her to think that he only wanted her physically, and he knew that if he had acted on his desire, that was the very impression she would have gotten.
Still, it had taken a lot for him to call the cab and watch it take her home. He was achingly hard, in spite of all the alcohol in his system, and he had spent quite a bit of time last night with his cock in his hand, imagining the feeling of her soft skin against his own, and wondering how her voice would sound in a throaty moan.
Hal felt his cock surge a little even at that memory, and he shook his head to keep himself in line. He vaguely wondered if it was a good idea to go to her home later that evening.
Even so, good idea or bad, they had made the arrangements, and at six in the evening, he would be at her door, just as she had said.
He could hardly wait.
Chapter 31
Jesse
Jesse could practically feel her mind unraveling. She had the sick thought that Elaine was dragging this out on purpose just to antagonize her. She had half a mind to go up to her office and just get it done with. She knew, though, that she didn’t actually have the courage to take the first step. So, she remained at her desk, simply waiting for however Elaine would summon her.
Time continued to pass, and finally, the work day was over. Jesse looked around in utter disbelief as her coworkers began to gather up their things and filter out.
She hadn’t gotten a call, an email, or even a summoning from one of Elaine’s assistants. It felt to Jesse like an eerie, unwelcome silence—like a silent rebuke. Somehow it was even worse than a scolding. Jesse knew that she would never be able to rest if she didn’t get some form of feedback from Elaine, and she knew she had to act.
Jesse quickly gathered up her things from her desk and made a straight path to Mark’s office. She bumped into several people along her way and muttered out flustered apologies to them as she moved through the building. She arrived at Mark’s door just as he was standing from his desk.
“I’m going to see Elaine,” she said resolutely. Mark blinked over at her and shook his head, her blunt statement obviously catching him a little off guard.
“Wait, what?” he uttered. “Did she not call you in today?”
“No,” Jesse answered in a rush. “I’m going to go talk to her right now; I can’t wait any longer.”
“Oh … okay.” Mark nodded. “I’ll be right here …”
Jesse heard his words, but she had already turned her back on him, making for Elaine’s office. She hoped dearly that Elaine hadn’t for some reason packed up and left already. Jesse knew that she couldn’t stand to go home without at least some word from her employer about this article.
Jesse arrived at the door to Elaine’s office and saw her sitting at her desk. Jesse knocked on the door three times, and Elaine looked up, both of her slender brows raised in an expression of graceful surprise. Elaine waved at her to enter, and Jesse did not hesitate to do so.
“Miss Clarke,” Elaine leaned back in her chair. “What a surprise to see you. I certainly wasn’t expecting you.”
Jesse could clearly hear the veiled disapproval in her boss’s tone, and she suppressed her crippling anxiety enough to say the words she needed to.
“I was just wondering if you had read through the article,” Jesse managed to say.
Elaine frowned a little and tilted her head as if she was trying to remember something she had forgotten.
“The article, the article …” she mumbled to herself and tapped a manicured finger on her lips. “Oh, yes, the Hal Roberts article.”
“Yes.” Jesse nodded eagerly. She knew that Elaine was having a grand time digging and twisting her long claws into her, and there was nothing she could do but stand there and take it.
“That one,” Elaine said with a nod. “Yes, I read it. Nothing wrong with it. I submitted it to the publicists this morning. Should be out in the magazine tomorrow.”
Elaine said this with an easy smile. Jesse felt sure that she was about to explode. She could see in Elaine’s eyes that the other shoe was about to drop, but Jesse couldn’t take any more of the cruel game.
“I know it wasn’t what you were expecting it to be,” Jesse went ahead and confessed. “And I know it’s not good enough to justify the mess I’ve gotten into with Roberts.”
“No,” Elaine said in a clipped tone. “It wasn’t.”
Jesse blinked and looked at Elaine in confusion.
“Then … why did you submit it to the publicists?” Jesse asked, feeling lost.
Elaine gave her a wolfish smile and slowly began to rise, bracing her hands on the edge of her desk.
“If I had not submitted it,” Elaine said slowly, “then nobody else would get to see what a generic, dime a dozen little journalist you are.”
Jesse felt the words like a knife to her stomach.
“Now,” Elaine continued, “everyone will see the article, and they will see who wrote it. They will see that we had an opportunity to get diamonds, and the best we could come up with was some shiny coal.”
Jesse looked down at the ground, truly feeling shame creep over her.
“I could have brought you in here, given you a scolding.” Elaine nodded and then shook her head. “But where’s the lesson in that? No. I think this is for the best. And it will serve as a reminder to you as well. Now, whenever you start to think that you could really be someone, really do something … you can just read your Hal Roberts article and remember who you really are, and where you really belong.”
Elaine’s tone was icy by the time she finished her tirade, and Jesse felt an unbidden tear trickle down her cheek. She didn’t dare to look up at Elaine, but she heard her sit back down behind her desk.
“Now,” Elaine’s tone had resumed its usual quality. “If that’s all, you may go on home for the evening. I’ll keep my ears open for anything that might be more suited to your abilities for tomorrow’s briefing.”
Jesse recognized the dismissal, and she promptly made her way out of the office. Tears trickled down her face as she headed back to Mark’s office, but she didn’t really feel anything. She knew that Elaine was right, and that she had deserved every one of the woman’s scathing remarks.
As she arrived at Mark’s door, she found him leaning against his desk, looking up eagerly at her.
“Well?” he pressed immediately, eager and anxious to hear how it had gone.
“She said it’s mediocre … that I’m mediocre,” Jesse said softly. “And she published it so that everyone will know just how dime a dozen I am.”
“Oh, Jesse …” Mark’s face fell, and he opened his arms as if to embrace her. “I’m so sorry …”
“Please,” Jesse held up her hands to stop him. “Don’t … let’s just go home.”
With that, Jesse turned away from her friend. She waited for him to close the door behind him, and then they began the walk back to their apartment. Jesse could feel Mark’s eyes on her every now and again, and she knew that he wanted to say something to comfort her. There was nothing he could say, though, and Jesse was grateful that he remained quiet as they walked along.
Finally, they reached their separate doors. Jesse put her key in the lock and turned it. She made to step into her apartment, anxious to be
alone.
“Jesse?” she heard Mark’s voice and turned to face him.
“I’m right here if you need anything,” he said, sympathy evident in his tone.
Jesse gave him a weary smile.
“Thanks,” she said, her voice cracking a little. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Mark gave her a small smile, and then a wave, and Jesse turned and entered her home, shutting the door and bolting the lock behind her.
For a long while, Jesse just stood in the entry of her home. She felt purposeless. She had failed at her assignment. And now everyone would see it.
Finally, Jesse stepped into her living room and sat down on the couch. She looked down at her coffee table, not really seeing it. She felt drained and numb. She couldn’t bring herself to do anything but sit there, her mind empty, and her body unresponsive.
Time passed, but she was unaware of it, and when her doorbell rang, she barely even realized it. It rang out twice more before she even looked in the direction of the door. It was only when she heard knocking that she rose with a sigh to get the door.
She slowly crossed the room and moved to the door. She undid the bolt and then the sliding lock, and then opened the door. There, she saw Hal Roberts standing, looking slightly irritated.
Jesse could only blink up at him. He looked down at her expectantly, but she had nothing to offer him. Without a word, she turned her back and headed back to her couch. Whether or not he came in would be up to him.
Chapter 32
Hal
Hal frowned as he took in Jesse’s despondent state.
“Hey,” he called after her as she turned and headed back into her apartment without as much as a word to him.
Hal turned and shut the door, locking it promptly behind him.
“Jess,” he said, concern rising up to the forefront of his mind. Still she did not answer him, instead taking up a seat in the middle of her couch.
Hal approached so that he was in front of her, and she looked up at him, though she seemed disinterested at best.
“Hey,” Hal crossed his arms and looked down at her. “What’s wrong with you?”
Bedroom Rodeo: A Billionaire Romance Page 50
