by Jo Iles
‘I’m good, thanks. You?’ replied Nadia.
‘I’m fine, thank you. Are you here for dinner or drinks?’ Jessie asked politely, aware that she sounded like the hostess, but unsure of what else to say.
‘Dinner, silly,’ Nadia said as she pushed past Jessie and headed across the restaurant to a man seated at a table. The man stood up and kissed her. Jessie felt her chin hit the floor. The man doing the kissing was Charlie. Her Charlie. What the fuck?
Jessie proceeded to shove past the actual hostess and speed-march her way over to Charlie. She arrived there like a black thunderstorm, staring at them, unable to speak.
‘There you are, Jessie. Are you alright?’ Charlie asked. Even he’d noticed the thundercloud standing there. There was an awkward silence, and then Charlie stepped up and continued.
‘Jessie, you obviously know Nadia,’ he said, giving Nadia’s bottom a pinch, which she giggled at like a naughty school girl. ‘And I think you’ve already met my brother Jack.’
Jack stood up then, and Jessie nearly fainted with shock. He’d deliberately chosen a seat with his back to the door so she wouldn’t have seen him properly until she got close enough.
She tried to compose herself and extended her hand. She hoped nobody would notice it trembling.
‘Nice to seen you again,’ she croaked out.
‘Hello Jessie,’ Jack said formally as he stood and shook her hand gently. She felt a flicker of a spark as he touched her, and she darted her eyes away from his in embarrassment.
‘Let’s not stand on ceremony, I’m starving,’ Nadia declared.
They ordered some drinks and Jessie excused herself to go to the bathroom. She stood looking at herself for a couple of moments in the mirror, feeling hugely embarrassed. She’d obviously grabbed the total wrong end of the stick when Charlie had asked her to dinner. She had crazily assumed it would just be the two of them. Jessie hoped her performance out there hadn’t made it too obvious that she had been totally bewildered to see Nadia and Jack there. Especially during the part where Charlie was kissing and pinching Nadia. She feared her facial expressions had told the whole room exactly what she’d really been thinking.
‘Calm and serene,’ she muttered to herself. She looked critically at herself in the mirror. She thought she looked alright. She obviously wasn’t twenty-five anymore, but her face had character and her body was in good shape. Tom would never have let her go out dressed as she was if she didn’t look decent. Nadia, on the other hand, was all peaches and cream in her pastel pink floaty dress and softer, prettier makeup. Jessie looked more like a footballer’s wife, while Nadia was girly and youthful.
‘Should have gone with the first-date look rather than the scary funeral getup,’ Jessie muttered again. Men don’t want a strong woman. Well, judging by the way Charlie had been eyeing Nadia up so far, Charlie didn’t want a strong woman, anyway. He just wanted a piece of meat, she thought to herself. Jessie forced herself to hold her head up and push her shoulders back as she braved the restaurant again, and walked slowly back to the table.
Chapter 28
Jack couldn’t help himself. She was mesmerising. Granted, her conversation skills didn’t seem totally up to scratch so far this evening, but she looked amazing. He studied her closely as she walked back from the bathroom, and was unable to take his eyes off her.
‘Let me guess, you scared the other two off already,’ she said, commenting on the empty state of their table.
‘Cigarette break for Nadia I’m afraid, and Charlie went to keep her company,’ Jack replied, rolling his eyes.
‘That old chestnut,’ Jessie said bitterly, rolling her own eyes. She took a big gulp of her wine which had thankfully already arrived.
‘Let me guess. You thought you were having dinner here this evening with Charlie. Just the two of you,’ he said, emphasizing the just. ‘You’ve probably been planning tonight for half a lifetime. What you’ll say, what you’ll wear… And now, Nadia and her great big chest have thrown a toolbox of spanners in the works,’ he concluded, taking a sip of his own drink.
Jessie huffed, and fiddled with the stem on her wine glass. With a sulk on her face, she fought the urge to toss a piece of garlic bread at him.
‘He didn’t exactly say it’d be just the two of us—but he didn’t say there’d be two extras, either,’ Jessie conceded glumly, taking another big swig of her wine. ‘It would have been nice to have been kept in the loop as to his actual plans, don’t you think?’
‘Come on, cheer up. You have the distinguished pleasure of my company for dinner. Again.’
‘I know. Sorry. Thank you again for last weekend. And I’m sorry about chucking you out so unceremoniously,’ Jessie stammered, unable to look Jack in the eye. ‘Does Nadia really have a great chest?’ Jessie asked, afraid to hear the honest answer.
‘Oh no you don’t. I didn’t say that and you know it. I said she had a great big chest. Not a great chest. I would say it’s not a patch on yours, though,’ he said, leaning forward and giving her a cheeky smile and the barest hint of a wink. Jessie mirrored him and leaned in close enough that he could smell the alcohol on her breath. She opened her eyes fully and really looked at him for the first time since she’d arrived. Jack felt their potential kiss hanging in the air, and willed her to follow through and satisfy both their urges.
‘You’re lovely,’ she said, paying him an honest compliment for the first time.
‘And you look like sex on a stick. Looking at you makes me want to fuck your brains out.’
‘How charming,’ she said, smiling her seductive smile as she downed the rest of her drink.
‘Sorry, I meant to say you looked gorgeous. But hey, slow down on the booze, Jessie. You’ll be under the table before the food arrives. I have plans for you later if you haven’t been whisked off your feet by Loverboy.’ There was a slight edge of bitterness in his voice. He watched her lick her lips. He hoped she was thinking about what he had in mind for her, rather than about being carried off into the sunset by Charlie.
Jack clocked Jessie’s eyes as they flicked to the door where Charlie and Nadia were stumbling back in, all touches and tickles, and laughing at some private joke.
‘Don’t worry. I’ll help you,’ Jack said, giving Jessie a quick wink. Jessie looked quizzically at Jack for a brief second before offering up her best smile to him as Charlie and Nadia seated themselves back at the table.
Chapter 29
Jessie silently willed herself to remain calm and serene. That was her motto, and ‘calm and serene’ would be the part she played tonight. Or tried to, at least. However, as the food began to arrive, Jessie found it hard to keep a conversation going with Charlie. Jessie was sat next to Charlie and Jack sat opposite her, with Nadia positioned diagonally across from her and therefore opposite Charlie. Ordinarily, Jessie would have been pleased-as-punch to be sat next to Charlie. However, Charlie appeared to have been hypnotised by Nadia’s ample double Ds, and he had very little to say to either his brother or Jessie.
Dammit, Jessie thought to herself. What was the point of her getting her legs out when they’d been trumped by Nadia’s chest? Dinner was all about focusing on the top half; of course Charlie wouldn’t have noticed her bloody legs, Jessie thought, berating herself. Loath as she was to admit it, Nadia had got it right. Charlie could hardly tear his eyes away from her tits.
But aside from the correct wardrobe choice, that was about all that Nadia was doing right. Her conversation came across as dimwitted and just plain ignorant. All she was interested in was discussing whether it was possible for Jack to get her some knock-off handbags and shoes from China for her and her pals. Plus, she seemed to be consistently confusing Shanghai with Sydney, which appeared to irk Jack no end. The woman was no geographer, that was for sure. She came across as two-dimensional and superficial on more than one occasion.
‘Tell me Nadia, and please do correct me if I’m wrong, but I could have sworn you said you were married,’ Jessie aske
d as innocently as she could manage. She felt bad for dropping Nadia in it, but then again, not bad enough.
‘We’re separated,’ Nadia said, looking down at her plate.
‘Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,’ Jessie said with mock concern. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Charlie’s face. She tried not to smile as his expression contorted into an ugly mixture of disgust and surprise.
‘I’m sorry Charlie, I thought you must have known,’ Jessie said, turning to him and gently touching his arm with genuine concern this time. She felt Jack’s eyes boring into her and she returned her hand to the safety of her wine glass.
‘I was going to tell you,’ Nadia rushed out, giving Jessie a glare. ‘I’ve been unhappy for so long and we’ve been apart for nearly six months now,’ she finished, with more looking down and looking sorry for herself.
Charlie seemed to consider what she’d said as they all sat in silence waiting for his response. After a tense pause, he took Nadia’s hand in his.
‘Everyone has the right to be happy,’ he said to her sincerely.
Jessie couldn’t believe it. Where was the ruthless, objective man from the office who hated deception and refused to suffer fools gladly? Apparently he hadn’t come to dinner tonight. Jessie stifled the urge to roll her eyes again and concentrated hard on Jack. Time for her to think about other things. Charlie was lost to her, so she may as well enjoy the gorgeous man who had been sitting right in front of her all along.
She smiled at Jack over her wine glass and slowly nudged his leg with her foot. He flicked his eyes in her direction and they shared an intimate look. Even Charlie seemed to clock it, as a look of confusion clouded his features.
Somehow, without her noticing it, Jack had managed to steer the conversation onto a more intellectually simulating subject than whether Cheryl Cole was better then Britney.
‘So what do you think about Hong Kong’s position in relation to Singapore and China?’ Jack asked Nadia seriously after she’d been quiet for a while.
‘Umm, I hear Hong Kong’s very good for shopping,’ Nadia said, laughing at her lame attempt at answering Jack’s question. Unfortunately she was just not up to the brainiac capabilities of Charlie, Jack, and Jessie. A fact made glaringly obvious by Jack’s somewhat unnecessarily testing question, which had shown Nadia well and truly up.
‘Jessie, what do you think?’ Jack prodded. Jessie could see he’d set Nadia up to look dumb, and her to look bright.
‘I think Hong Kong is doing okay for the time being; but if we take a long-term perspective on things, it’s facing a barrage of competition as the finance sector develops full throttle in Shanghai. Factor in Singapore’s control of Southeast Asia, and trade relations with the Middle East, and Hong Kong is in danger of losing what it regards as its premier status in Asia. I’ve never been to Hong Kong, but from what I understand, the place revolves around finance and tourism. Manufacturing has gone, and finance will most likely diminish over the coming decades—particularly as China’s monetary controls loosen—so that leaves tourism. And I don’t know if the territory has enough pull to increase tourist numbers as finance reduces.’
Charlie’s face seemed to light up.
‘Looks and brains,’ he said, looking surprised, as though noticing Jessie for the first time that evening.
‘Yes, Charlie. We do indeed exist,’ Jessie said, smiling as she finished off some calamari. Jack and Jessie caught each other’s eye, prompting a spontaneous knowing smile from them both. The exchange was once again observed by Charlie.
‘Is there something going on between you two?’ Charlie asked in a carefully neutral tone. Jessie looked at Jack and Jack looked back at Jessie, neither of them wanting to say anything. Nadia also had her ears pricked up after her moment of humiliation, and was waiting expectantly.
‘Nothing’s going on,’ Jack sighed. ‘Jessie’s too good for a reprobate like me,’ he joked, looking at anyone and anything other than Jessie. There was an awkward silence while everyone finished poking around at the remaining food on their plates.
‘Think I’ll head out for a quick ciggy,’ Nadia piped up. ‘You coming, Charlie?’ Charlie pulled a face like it was something he’d rather not do, but his good manners won out in the end and he accompanied Nadia out of the restaurant. She was his date, after all.
Chapter 30
Jack felt gutted. When Charlie had asked if there was something going on between Jessie and him, he’d so wanted Jessie to own up and say something. Anything. For her to tell him they’d seen each other a couple of times. Some sort of acknowledgement that he wasn’t totally insane for chasing after this woman. That he had a chance with her. He’d wanted her to shine this evening. For Charlie to see her for the smart, intelligent, and sexy woman she was. Jack had fulfilled his mission, yet he felt unfulfilled and sad that she hadn’t given even the barest hint publicly that she liked him.
She sat across from him and was alternating between drinking her wine and wringing her hands.
‘What’s up?’ Jack asked bluntly. ‘I thought you’d be happy that I denied all our recent shenanigans.’ An edge of bitterness crept into his voice.
‘Do you think Charlie suspects?’ Jessie asked tentatively. Not what Jack wanted to hear.
‘I doubt it,’ Jack said, not hiding his bitterness now. She gave him a closed-mouth smile and finally met his eyes with hers.
‘Thank you for being a gentleman, Jack. I do appreciate it. You have to know I don’t have a clue what I’m doing with you, though. Don’t be offended that I didn’t admit to shagging you to my boss. Some things should remain private. Brother or not. You scramble my brains and I revert to doing what I always do when I’m unsure what to do: I say nothing and I do nothing.’
Jack gave her a half-arsed nod. He kind of got it, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.
‘What are you doing later?’ he asked, changing the subject.
‘Probably going home and washing my hair. You?’ she said, smiling at him.
‘Probably the same,’ he replied, with heavy inference in his voice. The thought of spending more alone time with Jessie helped him to push aside the feeling that he’d been snubbed by her.
Nadia and Charlie returned from their cigarette break and they all mutually decided to skip dessert and call it a night. Whilst they were waiting for the bill, Jack noticed that Charlie looked particularly irritated and impatient. It was like Nadia’s boobs had lost their special magical appeal and he’d finally grown bored of the woman’s banal conversation. What was even worse, as far as Jack was concerned, was that Charlie seemed to have switched his attentions to Jessie instead. Jack noticed Charlie sending several appreciative glances in Jessie’s direction. Oh no you don’t, brother, Jack wanted to shout at Charlie. Jack may not have seen Jessie first, but he was definitely the first to notice her for the beautiful and intelligent woman that she was. And he most certainly didn’t want Charlie sticking his oar in, just when he thought he was making progress.
Chapter 31
Maybe it was Jessie’s imagination, but it seriously felt like she was the filling in a Davenport brother sandwich as they waited outside the restaurant for taxis. Jack seemed very keen to stand as close as humanly possible to her without actually touching her, and Charlie seemed to be doing pretty much the same thing. Poor Nadia was left out somewhere on the side. Not that she seemed to notice, as she chatted happily away to Charlie, who was now coming across as cold and indifferent. Maybe it was because she’d put her jacket on and he was no longer mesmerised by the power of her almighty pair, Jessie mused.
Jessie had overheard Charlie ask for two taxis in the restaurant. They were all adults, and she couldn’t quite understand why they couldn’t have all got in the same cab and save some money. If Charlie went off with Nadia or invited her in, then she could cope with it. She hoped she could, anyway. She felt like telling Charlie that taxis these days were licensed to carry more than two people, but she decided to keep her mouth shut.
>
‘Umm, Nadia, which way are you heading?’ asked Jessie, attempting to include her more.
‘Oh we chatted about that earlier, didn’t we Charlie? I’m about five minutes farther down the road from the boys, heading more towards the common.’
‘Right, well I live past them as well, out towards the dual carriageway. How about you and I share a cab and we can let the boys go off home together to get their beauty sleep?’ Jessie suggested assertively, knowing full well that’s not what Nadia or Jack had in mind. She wasn’t sure if Charlie actually wanted to go off with Nadia or not, but he seemed to nod his head in agreement and mutter something like ‘That makes sense’ under his breath.
In response to Jessie’s suggestion, Nadia began to protest with her little face all forlorn.
‘Charlie, would you, er, like to see me home?’ she asked him tentatively, with lowered eyes. Her intent was plain for the other three to see. Especially when she thrust her chest forward in Charlie’s direction to reveal a hint of her cleavage. The woman knew her charms, all right.
‘Er, okay then,’ Charlie eventually replied, as though he’d had his arm twisted. ‘I’d better make sure you get home safely. Jack can you be a gent and drop Jessie off?’ Charlie added as an over-the-top afterthought. Jessie thought his acting skills were all for show. While Nadia may not be future wife material, she had him on a promise and there was no way he was going home with anyone else.
A taxi pulled up, and Jack graciously gave Charlie and Nadia first dibs on it. Nadia rushed to get in, obviously eager to have Charlie all to herself and to crack on with her flirtation manifesto. Charlie followed her a little more sluggishly before turning around and walking back over towards Jessie and Jack.
‘How would you like to go out next week, Jessie? Just you and me this time,’ Charlie asked as though he knew what the answer was going to be.
