Chapter Four
The top secret details about the celebrity dinner event arrived while Cait was still in the shower. Jenna signed for the envelope and slipped her thumb under the LunarCon seal the moment the door closed behind the uniformed messenger. On a nebula background it read:
LunarCon invites
Miss Jenna Long & Guest
To
A Night Among The Stars
At: Observe
Dress: Black Tie
Cocktails: 7pm
Dinner: 8.30pm
You will be collected from your hotel lobby at 6.30pm.
Please be punctual.
Note: LunarCon would like to remind you,
for the comfort of all attendees,
there are to be no photographs or autograph requests.
No invitation, no admittance.
We hope you enjoy your evening.
“Dinner’s at Observe.” Jenna looked up from the invite when Cait returned to the main room, wearing a towel turban over her hair, and a hotel bathrobe.
“That’s the best restaurant in town. It’s at the top of the Natashi building.”
“Nothing but the best for a night among the stars.”
Cait accepted the card Jenna held out to her. “I’d expect nothing less.”
“Adam Chase wouldn’t either.” Jenna smiled at Cait’s blush, headed into the bathroom to put on her makeup, and tried not to let the sting of missed opportunities cut too deep.
They were waiting at the hotel’s valet-parking station when a sleek black town car with tinted windows pulled up to the curb.
“I could get used to this.” Cait murmured as she sat, before lifting her legs in and sliding across the leather seat to make room for Jenna.
Jenna thanked the valet as he closed the door after her, and smiled at the luxurious amount of leg room. “I imagine the going back to normal afterwards is the hard part.”
Cait hummed in agreement; pink-painted nails fidgeting with the skirt of her black lace fifties-style dress.
The drive through downtown Melbourne on a Saturday night wowed the senses. Everywhere you looked there were bright lights, and people intent on having a good time. It wasn’t hard for Cait and Jenna to feel like royalty, separated from the reveling commoners by their luxury coach.
When they pulled to a stop and the door opened, they were met by a midnight-blue carpet runner flanked by blue-velvet ropes on silver posts, which led to a twelve-foot-high iron and glass door. Fairy lights draped artfully around the two potted topiaries and glinted off the silver trim of the doorman’s blue livery.
“Holy shit.” Cait whispered, hand clutched tight to their invitation.
“Breathe.” Jenna whispered back, taking her own advice as they stepped forward together.
The doorman accepted their invitation with a smile and a Ladies, as he pushed a button concealed in the door’s framework. It swung open to reveal an elevator constructed of the same iron and glass. There were no buttons to push and the elevator began its climb barely a moment after Jenna and Cait stepped inside.
“Holy shit.” Cait gasped and grabbed for the handrail for balance.
“You can say that again.” Jenna said, from where she too gripped the rail.
Cait grinned. “Holy shit.”
Jenna laughed; the nervous tension easing as they came to a stop.
The doors slid back to reveal another midnight-blue carpet and identical towering door.
“Welcome to Observe. It’s a pleasure to have you with us tonight.”
“Thank you.” Jenna murmured, all wide-eyed and distracted as she handed the Maître d’ her coat, and crossed the threshold into wonderland.
Observe was unlike any restaurant Jenna’d ever seen, let alone dined in. It appeared to occupy the entire expanse of the building’s top floor. But where any other restaurant would’ve had a roof, Observe was enclosed by an iron and glass dome to rival the pyramid outside the Louvre in Paris. The owners had taken their business’s name to heart, allowing their clientele to not only observe the city lights, and skyscape, but the workings of the central kitchen as well. Round tables spilled out in a spiral to fill the space like the skirts of a twirling ball gown. Warm light reflected off white cloth, silverware, and crystal, creating an atmosphere of sophisticated elegance.
Jenna couldn’t breathe. Whereas Cait, who’d been as nervous as a cat around a lawn sprinkler while they got ready, was in her element. They weren’t the only civilians in the room, but there was no way to distinguish celebrities from their fans. Everywhere she looked, handsome men in tuxedos mingled with beautiful women in designer gowns.
“Holy shit.” She’d been an idiot to think she could get away with wearing her emerald silk a second time. The new diamante earrings and matching cuff were the only upgrades she’d permitted herself after paying for her flights.
“Breathe.” Cait gripped Jenna’s elbow and steered her to the nearest window where a few others looked out at the view. “Do you think we can see the hotel from up here?”
Jenna hummed in answer, though she wasn’t listening, her attention stolen by the ink and eggplant of the star-spangled night sky above. The cocktail evening LunarCon had put on in Wellington was small potatoes compared to this.
“I always liked you in that dress.” The husky drawl of his voice close to her ear made Jenna whirl. Eyes wide and mouth an oh of surprise as her skin prickled and her heart pounded in her chest. If she’d been holding a drink, it would’ve sloshed all down the front of his James Bond-esque tuxedo.
Jacob Starr with a wet tailor-made shirt clinging to his edible abs…
Jenna squeezed her thighs against the deep throb of heat the image stirred low in her belly, and pressed a palm to her chest.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”
His wolfish grin belied his words, and she laughed.
“You’re really not.”
How was it possible for her to be both nervous, and yet completely at ease in this man’s company?
“No, I’m not.”
She felt the weight of his gaze on the swell of her breasts, and hoped the low lighting hid the rush of color heating her cheeks.
“I didn’t know you’d be here.”
It was a lame opener. Yet she shouldn’t be expected to think straight. Not with Mr Sexy-Bed-Hair-and-Evening-Stubble smelling so damn good, and standing so close. A minute shift in either of their postures and they’d be touching. But the same rule applied here, as it had in Wellington. No attendee-guest fraternization.
Jenna gave an inward sigh and turned her eyes upon the stars overhead as if they held the answers to every question she could ever think to ask.
If Jacob was here, then he was here as a celebrity guest – despite his name being absent from all the information pamphlets. It didn’t seem like much, but getting caught meant banishment from all future LunarCon events. If it got out, and anything to do with Jacob Starr had a habit of making headlines in even the smallest newspaper circulation, not to mention the entirety of the internet, she’d likely lose her job. The Ministry of Education tended to frown upon its teachers getting caught in sensationalized sex scandals, because it called into question what they were teaching the developing minds of tomorrow. Then there was the havoc it’d wreak on Jacob’s professional reputation. Admittedly, an affair with a fan wasn’t the worst thing any of Hollywood’s golden boys had been caught doing, but she’d never destroyed a reputation or brought down someone’s career, and she wasn’t about to start now.
He was as much off-limits as he’d always been, more so since there was a significant other – Sally, who didn’t like to be kept waiting. Jenna’s eyes darted around the room in an attempt to pick her out in the crowd, but since she had no idea what the woman looked like it was a pointless exercise. Better to enjoy the few precious moments in Jacob’s company and savor every detail for perfect recall later.
“He called, said I should get my ass to Melbourne.” Jacob gestured over her shoulder and she turned to see Adam Chase in full sexy-action-hero mode, center of attention among a cluster of women which included Cait.
She looked up at him, amused. “You always do what you’re told?”
“Depends who’s doing the telling.” He winked and gestured with his chin toward the bar. “Can I get you a drink?”
Jenna nodded and allowed him to escort her; one large palm warm and confident on the small of her back while he signaled the bartender with the other.
♥♥♥
Jenna lost track of Cait until it came time to sit down to dinner. Cait pulled out the chair next to her and placed her drink on the table before taking her seat. She gave a happy sigh and grinned.
“Having a good night?” Jenna asked, though the answer was obvious by her friend’s demeanor.
Jacob leaned across the empty chair next to him to speak to Adam, who’d brought three adoring fans with him. With the addition of a man who took the seat beside Cait, the table was at capacity, except for the one remaining chair next to Jacob.
Jenna’s evening lost a little of its sparkle when she realized it must be Sally’s. Distracted by the cocktails and witty repartee, she’d allowed herself the faintest glimmer of hope. Jacob had been the perfect gentleman, listening to her attempts at interesting conversation and offering clever banter in return. A few fans joined them, asked their questions while trying not to gush too obviously. Jacob smiled and charmed them before they moved on. It hadn’t been hard to imagine he was there for her and her alone.
When their entrée of comfrey salmon and micro-herb salad was served, and the place setting still remained vacant, Jenna had to know. She nodded to the empty chair. “Will your girlfriend be joining us?”
Jenna swallowed hard. As luck would have it, she’d asked into a conversational lull and everyone at the table ceased eating to stare.
Adam quirked a brow and divided his gaze between an embarrassed Jenna and a confused Jacob. “Dude, when’d you score a girlfriend?”
“You got me.” Jacob said without taking his eyes from Jenna’s. He took a long pull from his beer, a dot of froth caught at the corner of his mouth. He licked it away before leaning close. “What made you think I’ve got a girlfriend?”
Jenna fidgeted with the cloth napkin in her lap, her cheeks flaming under his intense scrutiny.
“Rick, at the airport. He said Sally didn’t like to be kept waiting, and you rushed off. I just assumed…” She trailed off. It sounded ridiculous when she said it aloud.
Jacob grinned at her, the tension easing from both his expression and his broad shoulders. “Sally Coulson, host of Good Morning Melbourne. I was late for a live interview.”
Jenna felt warm all over; the hard knot lodged in her chest loosened and allowed her to breathe deep for the first time since dinner began.
“So no girlfriend then?” Cait leaned around Jenna to grin at Jacob.
“No girlfriend.” He grinned back.
“Well, that’s good news, isn’t it?” Cait elbow-tapped her before turning her attention back to the man on her left.
Jenna focused on her plate, the desire to look up and meet Jacob’s eyes at war with the prickly rush of embarrassment surging in her veins.
“Did you really think I’d be flirting with you, if I had a girlfriend?” His tone was part teasing, part admonishment. She glanced up, breath caught in her throat with the realization of how close he was. “Since Wellington, there’s only been you, Jenna.”
The way her name sounded on his lips, the way he stretched the n’s as if they were warm caramel, made her grateful she was seated.
She didn’t notice when the main of slow-braised beef cheek on parsnip puree with red-wine jus replaced her barely-touched entrée, too absorbed in all the wondrous possibilities a relationship with Jacob Starr brought with it. He’d been the main attraction in her thoughts and her fantasies, as well as her regrets, for the past eighteen months; since she’d left Wellington without at least attempting to slip him her phone number.
But they came from different worlds, lived on different continents. She was an elementary school teacher, and he was an action star of blockbuster movies. Eighty-percent of the world knew his name.
“Jenna?” Her name was a hot puff of air on her neck as he leaned closer still. “I can hear you thinking from here. Was it okay for me to say that?”
It was strange to hear him so unsure when he usually projected a strength and confidence in his every word and action which in turn put those around him at ease. She swallowed; her throat dry as she glanced at her dinner companions, who’d returned their attention to their meals, and nodded. “Wellington’s got a lot to answer for.”
“Damn right.” He chuckled; a deep, free, sound that hummed in her bones. “And in case you’re wondering, I’m Adam’s guest not LunarCon’s.”
She gasped and leaned in, hand over her mouth as if sharing a secret. “So no…umm…”
“No stupid rules or dire consequences to worry about?” Jacob inclined his head toward hers. “No. And nothing to stand in our way either.”
Jenna’s heart beat faster than she ever thought possible as she looked up into eyes so dark and warm and hopeful, she wanted to fall into them and never find her way out again.
♥♥♥
All that remained of the short-crust chocolate-silk tart was a few crumbs, when Jenna felt the weight of a large masculine hand cover hers where it lay in her lap. She turned her wrist so their palms pressed together and Jacob twined their fingers; thumb grazing along hers.
Oh, how she wished they could get out of there and go somewhere, anywhere, as long as it was just the two of them. Alone.
“When this is over…”
“Yes.”
He laughed. “You haven’t heard my offer.”
“Doesn’t matter.” She gazed up at him through her lashes with every feminine wile she possessed, and felt him squeeze her hand. “Long as I’m with you.”
“I like your thinking.”
She could’ve sworn his voice dropped two full octaves.
Jacob sent Adam a signal, or at least Jenna assumed he had, because Adam drew the table’s attention with the beginnings of an epic tale of how he’d been filming a scene involving explosives and the daring rescue of an alien priestess.
Jacob was helping her into her coat out in the foyer before Jenna realized she hadn’t told Cait where she was going.