by Jo Iles
Jessie contemplated taking a few longer blinks to see if that would revive her tired eyes a little. Just a couple of cheeky, unnoticeable longer blinks might give her a boost for another half an hour or so. It turned out that longer blinks were not the way to go and were in no way a substitute for a real power nap. Jessie’s elongated blinks merely made matters worse and exacerbated her increasing state of fatigue.
When the coffees arrived, everyone else took delicate sips, whilst Jessie practically inhaled her espresso. Right, that’s it, Jessie told herself. You cannot fall asleep in front of these people. You’re likely to snore and even more likely to drool, so you’d best go to bed now.
Jessie vacated her chair and crouched down between Sonia and Charlie. Sonia clocked her instantly, but it took Charlie a few seconds to realise there was a third someone crowding his little private party. One whiff of Charlie’s breath and Jessie could tell he was slightly intoxicated. Probably from the wine, but from the goo-goo eyes he was making at Sonia, he could quite possibly be drunk on her as well.
‘Hi guys, sorry to interrupt,’ Jessie began, feeling the espresso flood her with a much-needed wave of alertness. ‘I’m really struggling with the time difference and my body is longing for some sleep. Do you mind terribly if I settle up and call it a night?’
‘Of course not, you poor thing. You go and get some rest, and I’m sorry you got stuck with Rowena. She can be a bit of a bore sometimes,’ Sonia said sincerely. Jessie smiled, not having anything nice to say about Rowena to contradict Sonia, so she replied with a simple thank-you.
‘Oh and don’t worry about settling up. I’m sure Charlie will cover it,’ Sonia said, giving Jessie a conspiratorial wink. Charlie looked up with a lost look on his face. Perhaps he’d been made sluggish by the travelling.
‘Thanks Charlie, that’s very kind of you,’ Jessie said quickly, and decided she’d be better off shooting pronto. Charlie’s countenance started to change into a frown as he finally realised what was happening and that his wallet was being affected. Either that or he was sad to see Jessie leaving. Thanks Sonia, Jessie thought, mentally giving the woman a high five as she made for the lift.
Chapter 39
Why hadn’t she called him? She hadn’t even bothered to text him that she’d landed safely. Zip, nada, nothing. Tom was feeling anxious. He’d been rerunning his inept farewell speech through his mind, and each time it sounded worse to his own ears. Maybe Jessie had figured out that he liked her and now didn’t want to make contact. Tom reran the scene at the airport and remembered Jessie’s confused look when he told her to figure out who she wanted to be with. No, she definitely hadn’t got his true meaning, Tom reassured himself. He’d been far too bloody cryptic for that.
So why wasn’t she calling him? Maybe she was holed up in the hotel with Charlie having too much of a great time to even remember to send him a quick text, Tom thought bitterly. Or maybe she’d gotten herself into some unimaginable trouble. She wasn’t exactly a seasoned traveller. But she was highly intelligent and not likely to get herself into any major scrapes. Not on her first day anyway.
Tom was so assured in his everyday world and business life that the knots he was feeling in his stomach were quite alien to him. He didn’t like it one bit. Perhaps he was a control freak, but he wanted to know what Jessie was doing and who she was doing it with. And he really hoped she wasn’t doing anything with Charlie. God, what had he been thinking, encouraging her to go on this trip? He’d felt threatened by Jack’s presence in her life, and so thought it had been a great idea to push her into the arms of Charlie, who Tom was convinced wasn’t interested in Jessie and never would be. But what if he was wrong? What if Charlie suddenly realised what had been under his nose all the time and they came back to England as an item? What would Tom do then?
Tom groaned as he threw himself face down on his sofa and willed himself to stop second-guessing and hypothesising this rubbish. Tom spent his whole life making decisions based on facts, so he forced himself to do so now. He was not a fiction writer, and he figured if he was, he’d make a pretty crappy one if those were the only viable scenarios he could come up with.
Chapter 40
Once back at the hotel, Jessie couldn’t bloody sleep. That blasted espresso. Oh well, at least she’d gotten away from Sonia’s chums who’d all been so self-absorbed in their own magical little worlds that not one of them, other than Sonia, had bothered to ask her a single question all night.
Jessie booted up her laptop and Skyped Tom’s mobile to fill him in on all the gory dinner details.
‘So when are you coming home?’ Tom asked, once she’d finished regaling him on the tedium of the dinner.
‘I’ve only just arrived, you wally, and I think it was you who said I should enjoy myself out here. I just need to get the work done and hopefully I’ll have some free time to do some touristy things. And honestly, I don’t fancy any more socialising if tonight’s company is indicative of what goes on out here,’ Jessie sighed in exasperation. ‘Charlie seemed to be enjoying himself though,’ Jessie added, knowing he wasn’t Tom’s favourite person.
‘Ahh, Charlie. How is the old Chuckster?’ Tom asked carefully.
‘Ummm… well, I think,’ Jessie stuttered.
‘Spit it out, Jessie girl,’ Tom encouraged gently.
‘Promise you won’t tell me you told me so,’ Jessie asked quietly.
‘Okay,’ Tom replied.
‘Oh, Tom. I seriously think I’m going off the guy. He’s doing things. Little petty things which make me feel the size of an ant, and I’m finding it really hard to make excuses for him. I keep telling myself to give him the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes I don’t even think he likes me.’
‘Halle-fucking-lujah! Jessie Slaymaker is finally starting to see the light. Charlie is a creep and you’re better off with someone else—’ Tom cut off abruptly, obviously stopping himself from saying anything more.
‘So…’ he continued matter-of-factly, ‘you should come home and work for me.’
‘Since when did you need an economic researcher?’ Jessie laughed, dismissing Tom’s suggestion as a joke. ‘I’m starting to agree with you about Charlie though. He’s been a bit weird, and just when I thought he was into me and about to kiss me, he dumps me totally and only has eyes for this Sonia woman. Seriously Tom, he was so obvious, it was sickening.’
‘I can believe it,’ Tom said, and Jessie knew he was smiling by his tone.
‘Put it this way. I think I’ll be sightseeing around Hong Kong on my lonesomeness. And to be honest, I never thought I’d say this, but I don’t really care.’
‘That’s my Jessie girl,’ Tom replied happily.
Jessie genuinely felt that after what she’d seen of Charlie so far on their trip, she was definitely starting to kick the Charlie habit once and for all.
Chapter 41
Why hadn’t she called? He hadn’t even gotten a text from her. What game was she playing now?, Jack wondered to himself. He knew Jessie and he weren’t exactly in an exclusive relationship or anything, but he had expected a smidgen of communication on her part, even if she had said she’d contact him when she got back. He’d spent the best part of the day wondering where she was and what she was doing—and who she was hopefully not doing it with.
Jack didn’t trust his brother. And he certainly didn’t trust him when it came to a beautiful woman like Jessie. Especially as Charlie suspected Jack liked her. The competitiveness that had existed between them when they’d been growing up didn’t seem to have diminished in the time that Jack had been away.
Jack’s mobile buzzed. He scrambled to read the message, in a manner most unlike his normal cool, calm, and collected self.
Are you free? It was a text from Jessie.
Yes, Jack replied instantly, without any thought of playing it cool. He wanted to speak to this woman and he wasn’t in the mood for any of his usual playing-hard-to-get games.
Cool, will call you in a sec fr
om Skype. Save a few $$$, came her quick response.
Chapter 42
Jessie wasn’t sure why she’d texted him. Something inside her really wanted to talk to him. Hear his voice. Plus, the nosey cow inside her wanted to find out if he’d ever had shenanigans with the beautiful Sonia Shum.
‘Hello,’ Jack answered tentatively after the second ring. Jessie felt cautious, listening to his breathing, hoping he still sounded the same and that they still had the same ease with talking to each other.
‘Hey, how’s it going?’ she replied shyly. It wasn’t like her to make the first move, and she wasn’t sure she’d done the right thing.
‘Good, thanks. You know me, busy busy busy,’ Jack joked, instantly putting himself and her at ease.
‘Glad to hear you’re not wasting your life not knowing what to do with yourself then,’ Jessie joked back.
‘Ahh, someone’s been talking to Charlie about yours truly. I thought my ears had been burning.’
‘Hardly. Charlie’s barely spoken to me much, to be honest. He sat as far away from me as possible on the plane and he spent all of dinner in this fancy restaurant—where I was woefully underdressed incidentally—flirting with some woman called Sonia. I only know you’re not sure what to do with yourself because I overheard them talking,’ Jessie explained, trying not to whinge, but failing.
‘Didn’t you know it’s rude to eavesdrop?’ Jack scolded her good-naturedly.
‘So sue me,’ Jessie replied, taking a swig of water.
‘Where did Charlie take you for dinner?’ Jack asked.
‘Oh some mega-posh place at the top of a tower beginning with an ‘S’, with a massive terrace, I can’t remember the name,’ Jessie replied, failing to hide the annoyance in her voice.
‘Ahh, I know it. Honestly, what the hell is Charlie doing taking you to that pretentious place? I mean, you could fit in there easily if you wanted,’ he continued, backtracking slightly, ‘but it’s full of wannabes and boring businessmen… and women.’
‘Well I can tell you, I didn’t fit in there, and to be honest I’m not sure I really want to,’ Jessie responded sulkily.
‘You’ve met Sonia then?’ Jack asked slowly. ‘What did you think of her?’
‘Oh, she was very nice compared to the rest of them. The epitome of chic sophistication. A very classy broad,’ Jessie replied, trying her utmost not to sound jealous.
‘That she is,’ was all Jack responded, giving nothing away. Jessie was desperate to ask him how well he knew the fabulous Sonia and if there was any history there. But she held her tongue and instead tried a different tack.
‘Sonia said she was an old family friend of yours. I guess your paths must have crossed frequently when you lived in Asia?’ Jessie asked, hoping her words weren’t too transparent.
‘Yes, that’s right. Her father went to boarding school with my father, and yes our paths did cross from time to time when I lived in China. But not as often as you might think, unfortunately. Sonia is a very close friend and is probably one of only a handful of people who know me really well. I’m glad you liked her,’ Jack concluded.
Jessie’s sleep-deprived mind wasn’t too sure what to make of Jack’s diatribe on the fair Sonia Shum. He liked and respected her a lot, that much was clear. But was that as a friend? Or something more? What had Jessie really expected him to say though? That he had been madly in love with her in his youth? Or that he still was? Jessie felt surprised by the strength of emotion she felt thinking about Jack being in love with Sonia. Upon reflection, she was also surprised by how little she’d felt for Charlie when he had been in full flirtation mode with Sonia.
‘Well, Charlie clearly liked her,’ Jessie began, picking up the conversation again. ‘From the way he was acting tonight, I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to make Sonia the next Mrs Davenport,’ she added, conscious that she was overexaggerating things just a tad.
Jack laughed. ‘You must be joking! Sonia can’t stand Charlie. Trust me Jessie, there’s no chance of Sonia falling for him.’
Now why was that, Jacky boy? Was it because Sonia had perhaps already fallen for you and was awaiting your return? Jessie snapped herself to attention, suddenly aware that she had been over-analysing this whole saga into a crummy romance novel. She felt uncomfortable about where this conversation was going. Don’t come across as jealous, Jessie commanded herself.
‘Oh well, I’ll keep you posted on any romantic developments on that front,’ Jessie said, forcing herself to sound lighthearted, despite feeling anxious to bring the Sonia topic to a close.
‘How are you feeling? You must be needing some sleep?’ Jack asked, offering a welcome change of subject.
‘Trying to get rid of me already,’ Jessie jested as she failed to stifle a yawn. ‘Actually I did feel so tired earlier and then my espresso seem to perk me up a bit. Maybe its starting to wear off,’ she finished, slightly slurring her speech.
‘I think you should get some rest. If I know my brother, he’ll have you working a full day tomorrow,’ Jack said knowingly.
‘Okay, boss,’ Jessie replied sleepily, the fight to stay awake starting to ebb from her.
‘Sweet dreams, gorgeous. Thanks for the call.’
‘No problem, bye,’ she said, shutting her laptop a second later. Two seconds after that, her head hit the pillow and she fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of Tom, Charlie, Jack and her, all living together on a spaceship. Sweet dreams indeed!
Chapter 43
Jack couldn’t stop a wry smile from crinkling his eyes and appearing on his lips. Jessie had been fishing for information on Sonia. He could hear it in her voice, if not her words exactly. Plus, he knew he hadn’t helped her curiosity by neither denying nor confirming any entanglement with Sonia. Jack had liked Jessie’s roundabout questioning, though. An ex-girlfriend had once just asked him straight out if he’d slept with Sonia, two minutes after meeting his friend and with Sonia still in earshot. At least Jessie had the sense to know he was pursuing her, and she was just curious. There was something about Sonia which ignited the green-eyed monster in women. Even in Jessie, Jack thought, his smile growing wider as he imagined Jessie curled up in a big hotel bed looking all tired and cute.
Pursuing her? Was that what he was doing? He had no one else on the cards. He hadn’t even seen another woman aside from Jessie since he’d returned to England. He hadn’t even considered it. Perhaps he was losing his touch. In China, there had been no shortage of women. As Jack paced around his brother’s flat, he realised: he didn’t want just any woman anymore. He really wanted to, and was intrigued to, find out how things would pan out with Jessie.
Jack contemplated the idea of settling down with his most recent girlfriend back in Shanghai. He couldn’t picture it. Simple as that. Regina had been too high-maintenance, always wanting something from him, whether it be gifts, time, or taking her to extravagant parties. Looking back on it now, Jack had always been playing the role of a playboy entrepreneur, acting how he thought someone like him should act in China, and dating whom he thought he should be dating. Basically, acting more like a younger, suaver Charlie. Although he knew it was early days with Jessie, he’d felt from the beginning that he could be himself with her. She hadn’t demanded expensive presents or endless compliments to get her into bed. In fact she hadn’t needed much persuasion at all in that department, he thought, his eyes crinkling again in a remembering smile.
Jack asked himself if he could envisage growing old with Jessie and then shook himself. He didn’t want to think about growing old, but he could see himself being with Jessie for a fair old stint and not just a short-term fling. He only hoped she was in a similar frame of mind, and wasn’t still quite so intoxicated with Charlie.
Jack didn’t want to compete with Charlie, not after what had happened last time, but he knew in the pit of his stomach that Jessie and Charlie together made no sense. Deep down he wanted his brother to be happy. Jack just knew he wouldn’t be happy with Jessie. Not in t
he long run anyway.
That was it. He would just have to prove to Jessie that he, Jack, was the better man, and get her to pick him before Charlie got caught up in the middle and decided to stick his oar in any deeper than he already had. He wouldn’t put it past Charlie to throw some serious spanners into the mix if he found out how Jack felt about Jessie before they’d figured things out for themselves. Jack was glad Jessie had been keen to keep their little tryst under wraps for the time being. He hoped this was still the case. Charlie could be a vindictive, ruthless bastard if he saw an opportunity to get even with someone. Especially if he felt he’d been wronged. Maybe a grand gesture was in order, Jack mused.
Chapter 44
The next day Jessie was waiting for Charlie in the hotel lobby, ready for the office. She still felt tired, but was much less groggy than she’d been the previous evening. Thank goodness she was starting to feel more human, because she was nervous enough as it was. Jessie was used to the day-in-day-out routine of her work life in England. Being in Hong Kong was a whole other kettle of fish though, and she was anxious about the work. What if she couldn’t do the work? What if everyone around her was on a completely different intellectual planet compared to her?
Jessie hoped her outfit would hit the mark in the office and give her the confidence boost she needed. As silly as it sounded, she felt much better about herself and her abilities if she was dressed appropriately—reference the previous evening. For the office she had opted for her signature black pencil skirt and a bright red fitted shirt. Her black patent heels were high by her standards, but by Hong Kong standards they were probably a little grannyish. Jessie made a mental note to go shoe shopping if she got some free time, to see if she was able to walk in some of the stilts she’d seen paraded around the city.
