Chapter 23

Jesse

At last, the day was over, and Jesse heaved a grateful sigh as she began to collect her things from her desk and pack them up in her bag. She shut down her work computer and eagerly shoved her chair back under the desk. She then headed straight for Mark’s office, eager to tell him about the phone call she had just received from Hal Roberts.

By the time she made it to Mark’s office, he had finished gathering up his things as well. He greeted her with a smile as she appeared in the doorway.

“Hey,” he said pleasantly. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Jesse said, nodding eagerly, and Mark raised his brow at her.

“You seem to be in a hurry,” he remarked, looking her body up and down as he took several steps toward the door. “You got a date tonight or something?”

Jesse said nothing and looked up at her friend with a sly smile.

“What?” Mark’s jaw dropped. “You do!”

“Shush!” Jesse cried frantically, looking around them to make sure nobody had taken notice of Mark’s exclamation.

Mark glanced back at her in exasperation and excitement, and Jesse returned his look pleadingly, urging him to contain himself.

“Look, I’ll tell you all about it once we get outside.” Jesse studied the crowd of journalists knowingly, that were even now swirling around them.

“Oh, okay.” Mark nodded and quickly shut the door behind him. “Let’s go.”

Jesse led the way through the building and down the elevator to the first floor. She could tell that Mark was nearly bursting from eagerness to hear what she had to say, and she was every bit as eager to tell him. When they finally made it all the way out the office, Mark immediately turned to her.

“What happened? When did it happen? Who is it?” He immediately assaulted her with his questions.

“Calm down.” Jesse laughed, though she was bursting with excitement herself. “Well, I’m afraid you might not be too happy about it.”

Mark looked puzzled.

“Why not?” Mark asked, looking a little more suspicious.

“Well …” Jesse sighed, trying to find the best way to summarize the phone call she had received. “I was sitting at my desk working on the article, and I got a phone call. From Hal.”

As Jesse had expected, Mark’s expression dropped.

“Hear me out …” Jesse held up her hands as they walked. “He called and asked if I was free tonight.”

“Really?” Mark asked, his expression returning to one of interest and surprise.

“Yeah,” Jesse confirmed, her own excitement intensifying as well.

“Well, what did you say?” Mark asked, growing ever more insistent.

Jesse laughed lightly. “Hmmm … I really didn’t know what to say at first. But eventually … I agreed.”

“Yeah?” Mark nodded excitedly. “So where are you guys going?”

Jesse blinked and thought for a moment, but she couldn’t recall if he had said where they would be going or not.

“I can’t remember,” Jesse said as she thought. “Actually, I’m not sure that he ever did say where we would be going.”

“Hmmm,” Mark grunted and frowned.

“Well,” Jesse hurried to calm her friend. “We won’t be alone. He said we’d be out with a few of his friends. And it’s not a date, exactly. He said it was an event or something.”

“Sure he did.” Mark rolled his eyes.

“Come on, why do you say that?” Jesse asked. She hated that Mark could not seem to share in her happiness.

“I don’t know.” Mark sighed, and his expression softened. “You seem really excited, and that’s great. It’s just …”

Mark trailed off, and Jesse waited for him to finish, but he didn’t seem like he was going to.

“Well?” she pressed, feeling more and more anxious with each passing second.

“I don’t know.” Mark shook his head and ran a hand over his face. “I just don’t trust him.”

“Why?” Jesse asked.

“I’m not sure …” Mark’s brow furrowed. “Something about this guy just doesn’t seem to add up to me.”

“Well,” Jesse said with a sigh. “It’s just a date.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Mark nodded. “And I’m really excited for you! So I really do hope you have a good time.”

“I really hope so too,” Jesse said, her excitement undiminished in spite of Mark’s trepidations. “And don’t worry, I’ll have my phone on me the whole time so that I can call you if I ever feel like I need to get out of there.”

“Good,” Mark said. And I can bring Tony over if we need to rough anybody up.”

Jesse laughed. Mark and Tony did do a good job of staying in shape, and Tony especially. She had little doubt that the two of them could easily take on Hal and win. Jesse highly doubted, though, that they could take out Hal’s bodyguard, Adam.

“Well, hopefully, it won’t come to that,” Jesse said, and her feelings were genuine.

“I hope the same.” Mark sighed. “Just be careful, okay? Don’t do anything crazy or stupid, alright?”

“Okay, I won’t,” Jesse said with a laugh and looped her arm through Mark’s as they walked.

Soon, the two friends arrived at their respective apartments, and they both began to unlock their doors.

“Let me know before you head out,” Mark said, looking over at her. “I want to see how you look.”

“Okay,” Jesse agreed. “He said it wasn’t a formal occasion or anything, so don’t expect some kind of evening gown.”

“Oh, okay,” Mark said with a smirk. “I’ll be sure to keep my expectations nice and low.”

Jesse laughed, and the two friends went into their homes. Jesse put her bag down and sighed thoughtfully as she wandered over to her closet and started to think about how she was going to fix her hair. It was already five-thirty and Hal had said that he would be there by seven, so she wouldn’t have a very long time to get herself ready.

Jesse decided to consider what dress she wanted to wear while doing her hair and freshening her makeup. She applied a little more of the cosmetic products than she usually did, really working to highlight the contours of her face so that she would really look nice, without looking over the top. She selected a bold shade of lipstick to really stand out as well. She studied herself in the mirror and smiled at her much more striking appearance.

Then, she did her hair. She considered putting it up but figured that would take more of her time than she was willing to invest. Besides, she had just worn her hair up for their outing yesterday, and she decided she would do well trying something different. She opted for a half style, clipping some of her hair up and leaving the rest to hang down her back. She used her curling iron to apply some gentle curls to her already wavy hair. Jesse once again checked her mirror when she had finished her work, and she was pleased with her appearance.

Jesse finally recognized that she could stall no longer, and she moved over to her closet. Fortunately, it did not take her long to decide on a dress. She had a very simple, and yet elegant dress of deep maroon, and she knew it would be perfect for the evening and would go well with her shade of lipstick.

Pulling the dress out of her closet, she laid it on her bed. Before she could put it on, though, she knew she had to select a different pair of underwear. She knew that if she didn’t change what she had on, her bra straps would show, as well as her panty lines. So, she moved over to her dresser and selected a black strapless bra, as well as a black thong.

She wasted little time in putting on her underwear, and then she slid the dress on, struggling a little to pull up the zipper in the back, but other than that not taking up much time. She looked at herself in the mirror once more and made several adjustments to the dress, smoothing out the bunched up fabric and the faint wrinkles.

Jesse took a deep breath and could not ignore the excitement that was bubbling up in her stomach. She glanced over at one of her clocks and felt another surge of excitement as she read six forty-five.

Jesse sauntered about her house and collected a few items to put in her clutch, including her phone, some lipstick in case she needed to refresh it, and her debit card, just in case she needed to call a cab and get out of her situation. She was excited about her evening, but she wasn’t stupid, and she was not about to put herself in a situation that she knew she couldn’t get out of.

Once she had collected the things she needed, she gathered up her keys and stepped out of her apartment, taking care to lock the door behind her. She then stepped over to Mark’s door and knocked on it, wringing her hands as she waited for him to come out.

It did not take long before Mark, along with Tony behind him, were stepping out of their apartment, eagerly looking over her apartment.

“Wow, Jesse,” Tony said, his tone always very polite and respectful. “You look stunning.”

“Absolutely.” Mark nodded and circled around Jesse, who could only stand and blush as her friends looked her over thoroughly.

“Thanks, guys,” she said.

“So where are you going?” Tony asked with a faint smile.

“I’m actually not sure,” Jesse admitted, and she felt slightly nervous as Tony’s smile faded.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he asked, raising one of his dark eyebrows at her.

“Well, I don’t see why it would be dangerous,” Jesse said, stammering slightly as she tried to justify her adventure to her protective friend. “It’s an event, really, not exactly a date.”

“Sure it is,” Mark interjected, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms as he leaned back against the wall to peer down at Jesse.

“Guys, I’ll be fine,” Jesse said with a smile. “And besides, if anything goes wrong, I have my phone, so I could always just give you guys a call. And I also have a debit card with me in case I need a cab.”

Mark let out a soft grunt and shook his head, but at least Tony seemed to warm up with that new information.

“Well,” Tony said with a sigh as he raised a hand to scratch the back of his neck. “I guess you have this pretty well planned out.”

“Yeah,” Jesse nodded. “I mean come on, I don’t look that naïve, do I?”

“It’s not you that we’re worried about,” Mark huffed and began to pace back and forth. “It’s Mr. Bigshot Hal Roberts.”

Jesse let out a laugh at his behavior, and he scowled at her.

“Relax,” Jesse urged him. “I’m not going to let him get the best of me just because he’s rich and famous.”

“Sure,” Mark grumbled, seeming unconvinced.

“He may have riches and acclaim,” Jesse said, moving closer to her worried friend to wrap an arm about his waist and still his erratic motions. “But I definitely have brains. Probably a lot more than him.”

“Probably a lot more than most people,” Tony interjected with a smile.

“Well, be that as it may,” Mark snapped, “be extra careful. Smart people can still get taken advantage of in questionable situations.”

Tony gave a knowing nod of agreement, and Jesse sighed, offering them both a soft, comforting smile.

“I promise I’ll be careful,” Jesse said, reaching to take hold of Mark’s hands. “And I will call you both if anything goes wrong.”

Mark looked at her suspiciously for a long moment, but at length, he sighed, and all his irritation was replaced by pure concern. He dropped her hands and pulled her close in a tight hug that made it nearly impossible for Jesse to breathe.

“Try to have a good time,” Mark said softly. “We’ll be here, worrying about you.”

“Don’t worry guys,” Jesse looked between them as Tony wrapped his arm around Mark’s waist and pulled him tight to his side. “I won’t let anything bad happen to me, okay?”

“Okay,” Mark finally said, though his brows were still meeting in a frown.

Jesse sighed, shook her head, and then looked down at her small watch to check the time. Her stomach lurched as she read six fifty-five on the face of the clock, and she looked excitedly between her friends.

“Well,” she said, her voice tight with her slight anxiety. “It’s about that time. Here goes nothing!”

“Please be careful,” Mark said as she headed down the hallway.

“Have a good time!” Tony urged her.

Jesse watched as the men went back into their home as she waited for the elevator. The elevator came, and Jesse stepped into the sliding doors. Once inside, she took a deep breath, and her heart began to pound in her chest as she began to get nervous about her upcoming evening.

She reminded herself to be at least a little professional. After all, he had said this was an event. He probably just needed a plus one, and he knew that she would likely say yes. That thought slightly saddened her, and she didn’t want to be his backup plan. But what more could she really expect? She was just a small time journalist for a tabloid magazine, and he was a big time celebrity. She really should be grateful just to be going anywhere at all.

Jesse straightened up and tried to appear more dignified and less like an overeager school girl. The elevator finally settled, and the doors began to slide open to let her out.

No sooner had the elevator doors opened than Jesse saw Hal in the lobby waiting for her, leaning against the door.

Jesse could have sworn that her heart stopped.

He was dressed in a tan suit that, of course, fit him perfectly, with a pair of black shoes and matching belt, with a white shirt and no tie. It was the perfect mix of dressy and casual. His dark hair was slightly less polished and perfect than usual, and it curled slightly rather than lying against his head. He shot her one of his dazzling smiles as he moved closer and closer to her, and she felt her heart pounding in her chest.

No matter what happened that night, Jesse knew that it was going to be very interesting.