by Iles, Jo
And as if that prospect wasn’t bad enough, to top it all off, now Jessie didn’t want to live with him. Jack would ordinarily have written off her sudden mood change to the Sonia pregnancy shock, but then she’d confessed to having not enjoyed living him over the past week. Well, it hadn’t been a bed of roses for Jack either, now he came to think about it. He’d been sick and he’d barely seen Jessie once she’d started work. She’d made it clear that work was her priority, and would probably be even more so since her latest job revelation. She would be doing her utmost to prove herself at her bloody bank, and he would be relegated down her list of priorities.
He hadn’t even answered her when she’d asked him if he wanted to see other people. He’d said it to be cruel in the heat of the moment to cause her pain. Jack didn’t want to see other people, and he most certainly didn’t want Jessie to.
‘It was just a fight,’ Jack muttered to himself as images danced across the screen in front of him. When she came home they could talk things through properly and get things back on track.
Maybe even someday they’d laugh about it. They’d both been in shock over the whole baby thing and had said things they didn’t mean and no doubt now regretted. ‘Just a fight,’ he continually muttered to the empty apartment. They were just blowing off steam and now needed some time apart to calm down. And then all would be well.
Jack forced his woes with Jessie aside, assuring himself that whatever damage had been done could be fixed when she got back. Whilst his personal life seemed to have taken a nose dive, his professional life was thankfully—and rather surprisingly—heading in a positive direction. He actually had something to do with his life and a direction in which to head. The previous evening, the one which had resulted in his god-awful hangover, had been a rather fruitful catch up with Irish Greg.
Greg had relocated to Hong Kong several years earlier and had set up a number of successful bars and restaurants in the city, and Jack had gone to see Greg with a view to gleaning information from him about the industry in Hong Kong. But he had come away with a hell of a lot more. Jack had heard through the grapevine that Greg had been looking for a business partner to share some of the workload of the day-to-day running of his growing empire, but he didn’t think that Greg would be interested in him after one meeting.
Yet they’d found they had a lot in common personally, and so they agreed to work together on one project to see if they could work together professionally before committing to a more formal business partnership. The project in question was for Jack to oversee the refurbishment and relaunch of one of Greg’s bars—one which wasn’t performing as well as it should have. This was going to serve as a prototype: a test for Jack to see if he liked working with Greg, as well as to discover if he had the necessary skills to make it in the food and beverage industry. And just like that, in the blink of an eye, Jack had a new direction. Greg had been more than happy to celebrate their fledgling business arrangement until the wee small hours. Hence the hangover.
To distract himself from dwelling on his questionable relationship status with Jessie—and the whopping great magazine-shaped elephant in the room—Jack pulled out his laptop and set about researching and planning what he wanted to achieve with his bar project. It was the first time since he’d departed Shanghai that he had something constructive to do with his time. And the more he thought about it, the more exciting a prospect it was to him. He couldn’t necessarily control the situation with Jessie, and he most certainly couldn’t control anything when it came to Sonia. But a bar refurbishment could be controlled. And now all he wanted to do was get stuck in and make something happen.
Chapter 23
Jessie had completed a hurried few hours of flat-hunting in somewhat of a trance when Tom called. He sounded all bright and breezy, without a care in the world. Typical Tom.
‘So the question I’ve been dying to ask you since I woke up twenty minutes ago is, what were Princess Bossypants’ tippy-toes like? Please tell me you went.’
‘Her name is Rachel,’ Jessie replied, unable to stop a slow smile from spreading across her lips. Tom had a way of making things seem all right.
‘So what were Princess Rachel’s tippy-toes like? Were they all gnarly from wearing all those ridiculously expensive designer shoes? I bet her feet were a ruined wreck.’
‘They were fine,’ Jessie said, suddenly sounding tired.
‘You sound cheesed off. What’s up?’ Tom asked.
‘Nothing much.’
‘Jessie,’ Tom pushed.
‘I don’t know where to start, Tom,’ Jessie sighed. ‘First off, I’ve just signed up for a poky little flat that I can only just afford thanks to my recent demotion. Then there’s the small matter that Sonia Shum is pregnant. You remember her, don’t you? Jack’s ex. Oh yes, and there’s a very big chance that he’s the daddy.’
‘Shit,’ Tom exclaimed after a brief pause.
‘Yes. Shit indeed.’
‘It’s only been a few hours since we were texting. How can this much have happened in such a short space of time?’ Tom asked rationally.
‘Don’t know,’ Jessie said sulkily.
‘How’s Jack taking the news?’ Tom enquired.
‘Don’t know that either, really,’ Jessie said, continuing to sound sulky.
‘Why? Did you guys have a fight?’
‘Kind of,’ Jessie began. ‘It’s more like we broke up.’
‘You’re kidding me, right,’ Tom said, exasperated. ‘I didn’t let him have you and whisk you a million miles away just for you two to call it quits as soon as you got there. What happened?’
‘I got in a bit of a tizz over Sonia being pregnant and Jack being the father. And rightly so, I think. But then I kind of suggested that maybe it wasn’t the best time for us to live together, and then he took that to mean that I wanted to see other people,’ Jessie rambled. Once she’d started recalling recent events, the words spewed easily.
‘You corrected him, though?’
‘Of course I did,’ Jessie said firmly. ‘I don’t want to see other people. I asked him if he did, and he just said nothing. His silence spoke volumes, though. I really think it’s over, Tom,’ Jessie said sadly.
‘Sounds to me like you’ve had a tiff, Jessie. I know neither of you are really that experienced with serious relationships, and I’m not exactly qualified to dish out advice given my track record either, but it doesn’t sound as bad as all that,’ Tom said, trying to be helpful.
‘You didn’t see him. He was so cold. Unemotional.’
‘Be fair to the guy. You’d just delivered him the shock of a lifetime, and then you go and tell him you don’t want to live with him. You do know he’s feeling rejected, don’t you?’
‘I guess. But so am I. I mean, what if he is the father and he ends up getting back with Sonia? And we have had a bad week. We’ve both been thoroughly miserable,’ Jessie said, conscious that she was whinging.
‘Do you want to break up?’ Tom asked bluntly.
‘No,’ Jessie said quickly.
‘You sure about that? Because you sound like you’re finding plenty of reasons to not be together,’ he pointed out.
‘I want to be with him. I just want it to be like it was before,’ Jessie said slowly.
‘I’m your friend and I’m allowed to say this, which means you’re not allowed to stop talking to me. Understand?’
‘Understood. What is it?’ Jessie asked.
‘I don’t mean to lecture you, but I don’t think you’ve been very realistic. When you were together with Jack here in England, it was all fancy dates, minimal work, and the added excitement of planning your move. Now you’re there and reality has set in. People go to work. People get sick. People get tired and grouchy and depressed. Even Jack and you,’ he finished.
‘And sometimes ex-girlfriends turn out to be pregnant,’ Jessie added.
‘Exactly. Life isn’t always easy. But it’s not supposed to be. Now, go home and fix things with J
ack,’ Tom advised gently.
‘What am I supposed to say?’ Jessie said, verging on whinging again.
‘Support him. This can’t be easy for him either. Then explain to him that you’d just like a bit of your own space while you’re adjusting to your new life, if that’s what you really want. I’m sure he’ll understand if you just talk to him and articulate your reasoning properly. He’s a good guy, Jessie. I wouldn’t have let you go so far with anyone else.’
‘How come you’re always right?’ Jessie sighed. She had to concede, Tom was talking a lot of sense.
‘It’s a talent, I know. He’s probably moping back at your place as we speak, feeling sorry for himself.’
‘Probably,’ Jessie agreed, as she recalled how he’d been down in the dumps pretty much all week.
‘Let me know how you get on,’ Tom said. ‘I’d better go—you’ve made me late,’ he added good-naturedly.
‘Thanks, Tom,’ Jessie said, ending the call.
Jessie felt better having spoken to him. She prided herself on her ability to interpret facts rationally, and yet she seemed to be completely lacking in this skill when it came to her own life. Thank goodness she still had a friend like Tom who could help her see the wood for the trees. If she thought about things rationally, things with Jack were not so very dismal. So what if Sonia was pregnant? Jack had chosen to be with her, not Sonia. He’d moved to Hong Kong to be with her. That should have been enough to show Jessie that he was committed in this thing with her for the long haul. As she hurried back to patch things up with Jack, she felt embarrassed by her overdramatic and insecure display and vowed to take a more measured, realistic approach from now on.
Chapter 24
Jessie couldn’t get her key in the lock quick enough. Now that she knew she wanted to make things right with Jack, she didn’t want to waste any more time. She burst through the door, dumping her bag, and hurried towards him. His laptop was on the coffee table and he looked up from his slightly hunched sitting position in surprise.
‘I’m sorry,’ Jessie whispered as she gently pushed him back on the sofa. She slid into his lap and rested her head on his chest and inhaled his familiar scent.
‘So am I,’ Jack said into her hair as he wrapped his arms around her. It was the first time in a week that they’d had any meaningful physical contact. Jessie had missed his affection. She looked up at him and saw genuine emotion in his eyes. Tom had been right. Jack had probably felt totally rejected by her. She kissed him gently, to try and wash away her guilt at being the cause of his upset. When she pulled away, she saw something different in his eyes. Hunger. He looked at her with a raw need, which was enough to squash any suspicion that Jack would ever get back together with Sonia. Child or no child. Jessie had never felt so sure that he wanted her as she did in that moment.
Half a second later, he was devouring her with his mouth, like his life depended on it. For Jessie, it was as though he was kissing better an entire week of frustration and disappointment. It was hard and passionate, each of them giving and receiving equally. Jessie then took control and moved from Jack’s lap to sitting astride him on the sofa. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her to continue kissing away the remnants of their unsatisfying week. Jack’s hands held her waist, heating her skin through her cotton top. This was much more like it, Jessie thought contentedly to herself as Jack pulled her top up over her head, giving her a wolfish grin. She helped him wriggle out of his own t-shirt, and her breath caught at his beautiful body. There were still patches of his chickenpox rash, but it didn’t detract from the visible panes of hard muscles. Unable to stop herself from touching, even if she’d tried, Jessie traced the different contours of his body with her fingertips.
‘That tickles,’ he said in a low voice before he pulled her to him and they got back to the business of kissing and tasting each other senseless. The kissing was still just as hot, only now with the addition of their hands touching and caressing each other’s skin. Jessie could feel his growing excitement pushing through his jeans and against her. It sent ripples of anticipation through her knowing that he was turned on. She couldn’t imagine ever getting sick of this man and how he made her feel. It wasn’t just the amazing sex, it was the connection they had with each other. Both physical and emotional.
Jack eventually paused and pulled back slightly. She could see he was admiring her body as he fixated on her chest. He traced the swell of her breasts gently as she reached behind her and unclasped her bra. Every touch set Jessie on fire as seemingly dormant nerve endings suddenly became alive and hypersensitive under Jack’s expert fingers.
He continued to fondle her before he homed in on her nipples, massaging them between his thumb and forefingers. Then he slowly leaned forward, threatening to put her peaked nipple in his mouth. But just before he did, he stopped and looked up into Jessie’s eyes. That was too much. He was just teasing her now. Jessie clutched his head to her chest and pushed herself into his mouth. He quit teasing, and obligingly began to suck. Jessie writhed on him, feeling all her most sensitive erogenous zones stimulated. She could tell she wasn’t the only one stimulated as she felt him harden further, clearly seeking some more freedom.
As if he could read her mind, Jack suddenly flipped her over so she was lying on the couch. He shimmied her out of her shorts and underwear and slid out of his own clothes. He stood there for a moment, completely naked, looking down at her, considering his next move. Jessie looked up at him and realised how lucky she was. He was utterly gorgeous, both with and without his clothes on.
Then Jack padded off to the bedroom, leaving Jessie in a heightened state of arousal and desperately waiting. The only bonus of the pause was that she got to check out his cute backside. When he returned, he’d already threaded on a condom and was poised, standing over her again. But neither of them were known for their patience, and it wasn’t long before he plunged into her, making her gasp.
It didn’t last particularly long. And it wasn’t the most sensual time between them. But it was passionate and made them both breathless. It was exactly what they’d both needed. A physical release of the pent-up tension of the past week.
‘It just keeps on getting better and better with you,’ he said, smiling at her with a hazy, post-romping-about-on-the-sofa look in his eye. He pulled the throw off the back of the couch and draped it over their tangle of torsos and limbs.
‘How’s your head?’ Jessie asked, remembering Jack probably still had a headache, considering he’d been out most of the night.
‘Still there, but not so bad. It’s amazing what sex with you can do for a hangover, Miss Slaymaker,’ he said flirtatiously as he leaned back into the sofa, his bare chest exposed.
‘Why thank you, Mr Davenport. It was pretty awesome, wasn’t it? Hey, these are looking better,’ she said as she scooched onto her stomach and examined the rash on his chest more closely.
‘About bloody time. Listen Jess, I’m sorry I’ve been a grump all week. I’ve just been a bit lost and feeling out of control with what to do with my life since we got here,’ Jack said honestly, laying his predicament out on the table.
‘It’s a big change for both of us. We just need to communicate a bit better from now on,’ Jessie said as she played with the light spattering of Jack’s chest hair. ‘And of course, I would also prescribe a plethora of sex, just to make sure we keep things on an even keel, you know,’ she added, with a glint in her eye.
‘I’m game,’ Jack replied instantly, giving her a grin.
‘So, in this light of enhanced communication, I have to ask. What are you going to do about Sonia?’ Jessie attempted to sound lighthearted, like she was asking him what he wanted for Christmas. But Jack’s eyes immediately flared at her, an undercurrent of anger igniting at her bringing up this touchy subject.
‘Don’t get mad with me,’ Jessie soothed as she placed a palm on his chest. ‘We need to talk about this.’ Jessie was proud of herself for being so adult about the
whole thing. It was official: Jessie Slaymaker could act like a grown-up when it came to her own love life. Who’d have thought it?
‘Nothing,’ Jack replied.
‘What do you mean, nothing?’ Jessie asked, pushing herself up slightly to look at him carefully.
‘I’m going to do nothing,’ Jack said, looking her square in the eye. Although Jessie could act the adult, clearly Jack could not.
‘I’m just asking you to talk to her. Find out what’s going on. Is that too much to ask?’ Jessie asked in a reasonable voice. She stood up awkwardly, disentangling herself none too gently, shoving Jack in various sensitive spots with her knees and elbows.
‘Actually it is too much to ask. I think we’re just going to have to agree to disagree on this. I have no interest in contacting Sonia. End of story,’ Jack said with finality.
‘But what if you’re the father?’ Jessie said, exasperated with him. She dug around for her t-shirt, clutching it to her, feeling over-exposed.
‘Yeah? And what if I am the father? Then what do we do? I’ve told you I want nothing to do with her, so that equates to wanting no part in the upbringing of that child. Can’t you see that?’
‘But what—’
‘No buts, Jessie,’ Jack said, firmly interrupting her. He leaned over and grabbed the remote control from the coffee table and turned on the TV. He gazed at the black screen, ignoring Jessie whilst he waited for the picture to appear.
‘Maybe you can live not knowing, but I’m afraid I can’t live with this grenade hanging over our heads,’ Jessie said quietly, looking at him sadly.
‘Fine,’ he said petulantly, not even looking up from his blasted TV. The television seemed to be his crutch of choice these days.
Jessie huffed and picked up the rest of her clothes. She stomped off to the bedroom, hoping her disagreement was coming across loud and clear, despite her state of undress.
