One Night

by Sydney Canyon

  "I need to tell you something."

  "Okay?"

  "Before I met you…"

  "Are you seeing someone else?" Jasmine blurted out.

  "No." Caylen met her eyes honestly. "Please listen to what I have to say."

  "Go ahead." Jasmine squeezed Caylen's hand and let it go.

  "As I said, a little over six months ago and before I met you, I went to Texas on a business trip. I met a woman and had a one night stand with her. We never exchanged more than first names. Wait…" Caylen took a deep breath. "let me start from the beginning. Jasmine have you ever heard of Jarrett Financial Corporation?"

  "Yes. What does that have to do with you having a one night stand with a stranger?"

  "I'm Jarrett. C.J. stands for Caylen Jarrett. It's my family's company. I'm the Vice President."

  "What?!" Jasmine looked baffled.

  "I didn't lie to you. I really am in banking and everyone calls me C.J. It's very hard for me to tell people who I am. I've had a lot of women come after me for my money. My father really did pass away and leave me his Bentley. Otherwise, I'd still be driving my BMW which was a third of the price of the Bentley."

  "Okay? I'm confused C.J. or Caylen whatever your name is."

  "C.J. is still my name, Jasmine. I'm sorry I'm dumping this on you, but I want you to understand where I'm coming from with this." She stopped to back track on her thoughts. "Anyway, I'm very reluctant to let people get to know anything about me."

  "That's an understatement," Jasmine huffed.

  "I know. So, back to Texas. I had a one night stand with a stranger and to be honest it was one of the best nights of my life. I haven't really given myself to anyone completely like I did that night, in almost two years. A big part of that was the fact that she was a stranger and I knew she would never know anything about me and she wasn't with me at the time because of who I was or what I had."

  "C.J. if you think I'm dating you because you have money then you're out of your mind. Apparently, up until this minute, I didn't even know your real god damn name."

  "No, I know that. Please let me finish."

  "Alright."

  "This woman from Texas showed up in my office about two weeks ago…"

  "What?!"

  "Yeah, I was shocked to say the least. She ran into my clients that I was with the night I met her and they told her my name. She searched for me on the computer because she wanted to see me again. So, to make a long story short, she came to California to interview with a company here and decided to take the job and move here. She came to see me after that."

  "Wow."

  "I had dinner with her to catch up and actually really meet her for the first time. I'm still freaked out about the whole thing. I don't think she's stalking me or anything like that. She has a great job with a big company. I checked it out just to be sure."

  "So, did you rekindle your old flame?"

  "No, we were headed down that road when I stopped it and told her about you. The thing is, Jasmine, I haven't wanted a relationship in a long time. That's a big part of the reason I haven't had sex with you. Right now my mind is running in a hundred different directions and I wanted to be straight forward with you."

  "Are you in love with her?"

  "You know, Margo asked me that same question the other night."

  "And?"

  "No. But, there is a very powerful connection between me and her. I haven't seen her since that night we went to dinner and I only talked to her once. I kind of hurt her feelings and I didn't mean to. I've just been really confused. I'm thirty-three years old and next in line to take over a multi-million dollar corporation when my uncle retires. Not to mention my bank account or oceanfront condo." She saw the shock on Jasmine's face. "Now, you see why I'm cautious? The gold diggers lurk in the corners. Especially, after they find out I'm a lesbian."

  "That's crazy."

  "I promise I'm not nuts." Caylen smiled sheepishly.

  "I know that. This is a lot to take in though."

  "I'm really sorry, Jasmine."

  "Let's try being friends for a while and see how all of this plays out."

  "I agree. Are you still hungry?"

  Jasmine laughed. "Yeah, let's go get Chinese."

  "That sounds good."

  ~

  Caylen spent all day Saturday cleaning her condo as usual. She mopped the tile, swept the hardwood floors, and vacuumed the carpet. She washed her bedding and dusted everything. After that, she cleaned both bathrooms.

  It was late afternoon when she decided to get the Bentley washed and waxed, something her father did religiously, and she did when she thought about it which was every other month or so. Margo called her just as she was leaving the car wash.

  "What can I do for you?" Caylen said when she answered.

  "Is that any way to answer a call from your best friend? And what the hell makes you think I want something?" Margo snickered.

  "Name it."

  "Lila called me today."

  "Oh really. Did you tell her to go take a long walk off a short pier?"

  "No." Margo laughed.

  "What did she want?"

  "To have hot sex on the hood of your Bentley."

  "Gross!" Caylen slammed on the brakes to keep from running a red light. Margo was laughing hysterically. "Don't crash on account of me."

  "Tell me what she really wanted smartass."

  "Actually, she just called to shoot the shit, which is really odd for her."

  "She wants something and she's bating you."

  "Masturbating. That's about all she's doing these days. She says she's single."

  "What do you care?"

  "I don't."

  "Good. Open your front door." Caylen closed her cell phone and walked inside Margo's condo. It was situated further inland instead of beachfront like Caylen's and it was a little smaller and styled more like a townhouse, whereas Caylen's was loft-style.

  "Make yourself at home," Margo said as Caylen walked passed her on her way to the kitchen. "There's beer on the bottom shelf."

  Caylen came back out with two longnecks and handed one to Margo. "I told Jasmine about Tanner."

  "You did?"

  "Yeah, Friday night."

  "How did that go?"

  "Surprisingly well. I told her all about me and the company, then I told her about Tanner. I did not tell her Tanner was a stripper though. Anyway, we talked for a while and decide we're better off friends right now until we see where all of this goes. Afterward, we went and ate Chinese."

  "That's interesting. Have you talked to Tanner lately?"

  "She called me Friday to give me her new cell number. I told her I needed some time to sort through all of this. She said she understood."

  "Are you going to call her any time soon?"

  "No. I don't know. I just decided to be friends with a girl I was dating for two months."

  "Wake up, Caylen. You dated a girl for two months and never had sex with her. A complete stranger comes back into your life and you're scared to see her because you can't stop yourself from sleeping with her."

  "You make it sound so simple."

  "It is simple!"

  Caylen finished her beer. "Maybe for you."

  "I'd call her and see what happens. Just be careful."

  "Maybe. I feel like taking a vacation to escape the craziness."

  "When and where are we going?"

  "Probably sometime next year." Caylen laughed. "I'm entirely too busy right now."

  "Yeah, me too, but, the thought was nice."

  Ten

  It had been close to a month since Tanner walked into Caylen's office. Caylen pushed that thought aside as she stepped into her uncle's office shutting the door. He was sitting behind the desk staring at his laptop screen.

  "We have the Annual Santa Barbara Counsel of Business Conference next Friday night," He said without looking up from the computer.

  "I saw it on my calendar." She wanted to opt out, but the city p
ut on a large conference for the major businesses in the community every year. Since you had to be invited by the city to attend, it was considered an honor to go to the event. Caylen could care less about schmoozing with the other businesses in the city, but she'd attended every year since she had become VP.

  Herb Jarrett closed the screen he was engrossed in and sat back in his chair to get a good look at his niece. Her blue eyes looking back at him seemed paler as he chewed on the corner of his mustache.

  "What's bothering you, kiddo?" He sounded like he did when she was six and used to bounce her on his knee when she'd go visit her aunt and uncle with her mom and dad.

  Caylen let out a sigh. "Nothing, Uncle Herb, I'm just tired." She wasn't lying; she hadn't slept much in the past few weeks.

  "You look just like your dad when you don't tell the whole truth. He carried his stress lines the same way you do and I could read right through him, so spit it out." He grinned.

  "Life is complicated, Uncle Herb. Dad knew it, you know it, and I'm just now figuring it out." She smiled.

  "Well, in that case, I'll let you off the hook for now. How's your mom?"

  "Good. I never see her anymore, but she loves to travel. She and Aunt Cindy are seeing the world. Or at least that's what they call it."

  Herb laughed. "She always was a hard one to keep tied down."

  "No kidding, I don't know how dad did it. The woman never slows down. I guess she wasn't this bad when he was alive. Maybe he was the reason she stayed on the ground."

  "I can picture her and Cindy traipsing all over the world." He laughed and shook his head.

  "Yeah, they have definitely surpassed me in the flyer miles department. I think they've built up enough for a couple of free flights, not to mention hotel points. You know they went to Europe not long ago."

  "Yeah."

  "They're in Alaska right now and I think they are going to Hawaii in a month or two."

  "Viv and I did an Alaskan cruise once. That state is amazing."

  "I've always wanted to go there. Hell, I wouldn't mind Hawaii either. Aunt Cindy told me Mom's talking about China or Japan as the next ‘big' trip."

  "Must be nice to have all of that free time."

  "No shit." Caylen shook her head.

  "You have mountains of vacation time you know."

  "Yes, but show me dates when I can take it. My schedule changes from week to week."

  "Mine too. Viv is on me about taking some vacation time too. She claims I haven't taken her anywhere in three years and her suitcase is getting antsy."

  Caylen laughed. "Ship her off with Mom and Aunt Cindy."

  "Hey! That's a good idea. You might be onto something kid!" His face lit up.

  "Just don't tell them where you got the idea," she said.

  ~

  Caylen sat on her couch watching TV and drinking a glass of whiskey while checking the email on her laptop. She saw the monthly Alumni letter from UCSB, her alma matter, so she clicked on it first. They announced the posting of the women's basketball schedule as well as a few other sports.

  She always tried to make it to a few of the games every season. She scrolled the list of home games, purchasing tickets to the weekend games that she knew she could attend, before closing the link and finishing the rest of her emails. Her mother sent pictures of her and Aunt Cindy in Alaska. Caylen had to laugh at a few of them as she scrolled through. She swished the last of the contents in her glass before swallowing.

  Minutes later, she closed the laptop and poured herself another drink before stepping out to the private walkway leading down to the sandy beach. It had been weeks since she last walked on the beach at night. She considered this her time. The only time she was able to let her mind free and just listen to the waves crash against the shore as the stars twinkled and the full moon lit up the darkness of the night. The sand was cool between her toes and the glass of bourbon on the rocks was sweating in her hand. Her hair was too short for the wind to blow around, but the sea breeze tickled her skin. She continued to slowly sip the golden liquid and walk along without a care in the world.

  For those few minutes, Caylen freed her mind and let her senses peak to their highest potential. The small t-shirt and short shorts that she was wearing were no match for the cool night air. Maybe she would actually get some sleep tonight, more than three or four hours was all she was hoping for. She missed the tranquility of dreamless sleep. It wasn't that she was unhappy or even stressed over the day to day challenges of her job. Caylen had one thing or rather one person on her mind.

  Tanner Bryce had been the one person that she allowed herself to be with freely. She let her soul soar to new heights with this stranger, this person that barely had to look at her and she was gone, spent, lost in translation over the gentle way they made love to each other as if they'd been together for years.

  Now, this absolutely perfect in every way, shape, or form, stranger was much more than an occurrence in her life. Caylen was scared. She ached deep inside for this woman and that alone scared her to death. She'd never ached for anything in her entire life. But, the thought of getting involved again was absurd. She would rather spend the rest of her life in solitary than go through another bad relationship. Not to mention the extreme magnetism between herself and Tanner. It was mysterious and completely inexplicable.

  ~

  "I'm glad I work for a large corporation where I am a peon," Margo said.

  "You're not a peon, Margo. You bust your ass and hold an executive position with your company." Caylen reminded her.

  "Yes, but we, or rather I, wasn't invited to the Almighty Conference." She raised her voice slightly at the end.

  "Would you like to go in my place?" Caylen suggested.

  "Hell, no. You go kiss the mayor's ass and get drunk with the rich and famous of the city. Once again, I'm glad I'm not going."

  "Suit yourself, I'll deal with a rubber-chicken dinner and free booze all evening. Uncle Herb is my date so it's not like I'll get into any trouble."

  "What time is he picking you up?"

  "Six thirty. The thing starts at seven."

  "Good luck and have fun. Hey, you never know who you'll meet."

  "I've been going to this for a few years now and the same lame ass people are always there," Caylen said, rolling her eyes at the cell phone lying on her bed with the speaker button on as she wiggled into the black jacket of her tailored pants suit. The baby blue colored blouse she was wearing made her eyes look like the color of the sky on a clear summer afternoon.

  "Was that the doorbell?" Margo said.

  "Yeah, gotta go. I'll call you tomorrow. Maybe we can do brunch or something. I'll give you the entire scoop."

  "Have fun."

  Caylen rolled her shoulders back to relax the tension as she hung up the phone. She hated going to events like this. She'd much rather kiss a client's ass in a stale smoky bar.

  ~

  Herbert Jarrett was standing next to his overly priced car, waiting for his niece. Caylen had only been in the car a few times and honestly couldn't say what the make or model was, but she was sure it cost as much or more than the Bentley she had.

  "I figured you'd be in some kind of slinky dress and I'd have to beat them men off of you all night." He grinned.

  Caylen usually did dress up for this occasion, but an actual dress was out of the question and tonight she felt like just being comfortable.

  "What's wrong with a business suit?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

  "Nothing." He smiled, holding the door for her.

  They pulled up at the valet booth a little before seven o'clock and slipped inside without being recognized. They were seated at a round table close to the dance floor with the owner of a large hotel chain and his business partner, along with both of their wives.

  An hour later, the mayor said his speech as they picked around their stale dinners. Caylen was glad to see the catering staff picking up the plates which signaled the band to start up and the bar to fi
nally open. She had a few glasses of wine with dinner and now she craved hard liquor to float her through the rest of the night. Why not? She wasn't driving.

  "What are you drinking?" The young woman behind the bar asked Caylen with a lingering smile.

  "Whiskey on the rocks. Bourbon if you have it."

  "Sounds good. I'll make that two." Herb stepped up next to her.

  Caylen took the time to glance around the room as she sipped the smooth liquor. She almost dropped the glass when she saw Tanner headed straight for her with an ear to ear smile. The man next to her was walking rather close and it appeared as if they were there together. Caylen wanted to puke up her cardboard dinner.

  "Good evening, you're with Jarrett Financial aren't you?" The tall man asked. His black hair looked like it was wet and possibly slicked back. His dark eyes were barely a shade lighter than his hair.

  "Yes, I'm Herbert Jarrett and this is Caylen Jarrett." Herb shook the man's hand first.

  "I'm Kevin Lomberto with Intelitech Communications. We've spoken on the phone."

  "Oh yes, it's nice to put a face with a voice." Herb smiled. "Caylen, this is the company I was telling you about last week."

  "Yes, I remember." She and her uncle decided to update their software and he was in charge of researching companies since she was entirely too busy actually running their company. She knew he was slowly handing the reins over to her. She figured he'd retire in another two or three years so she took every opportunity to handle things on her own. She didn't however, remember him mentioning Intelitech. Shit.

  "This is Tanner Bryce. She's the head of our technical department," he said, leaning closer to Tanner.

  "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Bryce." Herb shook her hand.

  "It's good to see you again, C.J." Tanner stuck her hand out. She was wearing a low cut, black silk dress with spaghetti straps. The panic lights lit up in Caylen's head. Tanner was standing there, smiling at her like she was the only woman in the room and still holding her hand out. Caylen shook the thoughts from her head and returned the handshake.

  "We're old friends," Caylen said to her uncle when he gave her an odd look. "How are you, Tanner?"

  "Good," Tanner said as they shared a secret moment when their skin touched, setting off a tiny bolt of electricity between them.