Chapter 5

Jason

My palms were sweating so bad I was having a hard time gripping the leather steering wheel. It had to be no more than sixty degrees outside, but I had the air conditioning on full blast, trying to get ahead of sweaty armpits before they took over. I looked down at my shirt at least five times, making sure I was wearing something nice, but not too fancy. I wanted her to feel comfortable with the real me, not the super suited business man I was during the day. It’s not like she hasn’t seen me in worse but it was the first time I would get to be alone with her, and I wanted her to be impressed. This girl had me all sorts of tied up in knots.

As I rounded the corner and pulled up in front of her apartment complex, my nerves really started to run wild. Should I go up and get her? Should I call her and tell her I am here? This wasn’t technically a date nor did I want her to think that is what I was trying to pull, but on the other hand, I didn’t want to seem too aloof. Why was this so damn difficult?! Just as I was about to get out of the car and take the middle road, having the front desk clerk call up to her, she came walking out of the front door, pulling her long pea coat closed over her short strappy dress. Her hair blew wildly around her as the wind washed across the face of the building. I’m pretty sure when she looked at me my mouth was hanging wide open, and she laughed out loud.

She got closer to me, and I walked around to her side, opening the door as she approached. Jana looked at me with those gorgeous eyes and perfectly powdered cheeks and raised her eyebrow. She was so damn sexy.

“What, no company car tonight?” She was used to me showing up in the chauffeured town car from work.

“Nah, not company business,” I said helping her inside.

“And the trips to the bar on 6th was company time?”

“Well, it was that or I drive this thing drunk,” I said shrugging my shoulders. “I think I made a better decision in that instance.”

“Agreed,” she said as I closed the door and skirted around the car to the driver’s seat.

“Before we head out, I just want to apologize one more time for how I behaved the other night,” I said, turning toward Jana.

“You already apologized, it’s water under the bridge,” she replied waving her hand at me.

“I just figured it warranted an in-person apology,” I chuckled.

“And I appreciate it,” she said smiling kindly.

The drive there was quiet, and I tried to keep my eyes on the road and not on her long legs crossed in the passenger seat. She stared out the window, watching the buildings pass by, probably wondering where we were going. I pulled up to the valet in front of Hailey’s, an upscale casual dining spot Ryan had told me about months ago. He liked to bring Megan here because the food was good, the service was great, and it was quiet. I wanted a bit of privacy so I could have Jana’s full attention.

She smiled as I opened her door and tended to the valet. We went inside, and the hostess showed us to a small table along the wall. As Jana pulled her coat from her shoulders, my heart started to race. She was wearing the dark blue dress she wore the first time we went out, well out further than my bed. She looked absolutely amazing, and I couldn’t help but gawk. If she noticed she didn’t give on to it, so I picked my chin up from the floor and sat across the table from her. We ordered a bottle of wine and some salads and watched as the waitress walked away. It felt a little awkward at first, but I knew I couldn’t let that go on.

“So,” I said breaking the silence. “Their big day is coming up if we can ever get through all of these parties.”

“Ugh, I know,” she said rolling her eyes. “There’s one on Saturday at Ryan’s parent’s house. It’s like the most drawn out engagement I have ever seen.”

“Well, that just means free champagne and more cake,” I replied scrunching my nose at the last part of it. “So, tell me about being a Best Man, I am completely lost.”

“Okay, so you are pretty much Ryan’s bitch,” she started, chuckling to herself. “You have to plan the Bachelor Party, make sure he is where he needs to be during the rehearsal and before the wedding, you have to hold the rings until the ceremony when they are given to the ring bearer, and you have to escort me back down the aisle of the church when the ceremony is over.”

“Wow,” I said feeling like I should be taking notes.

“Oh, and you have to make a speech,” she continued.

“Oh, man. I have to make a toast. I completely forgot about that part,” I replied, already feeling nervous about talking in front of all of those people. “I’m definitely going to have to take advantage of the free champagne beforehand.”

“I’ll be right there with you; I have to make a toast too,” she replied, taking a long swig of her wine. “I hate public speaking.”

“Well, we’ll share a bottle,” I replied raising my glass.

“Or three,” she laughed. “Oh, about the Bachelor Party…”

“Megan would rather there not be disgusting hookers or strippers,” I said cutting her off.

“Well, yes that too,” she replied. “But try not to get Ryan too wasted. The next day is the rehearsal, and we want him on his toes.”

“One thing about Ryan is, he doesn’t really fall to peer pressure too easily,” I replied remembering Ryan to always be the responsible party.

“I know, but I wouldn’t be a good Maid of Honor without putting it out there,” she replied, looking up as the waitress arrived with our salads.

By the time we were done giving our order and starting to eat, the subject had changed to work, and we laughed at each other as we complained about our jobs. The conversation was normal and good, and I realized just how much I actually missed having Jana in my life. She was sarcastic but sweet and had a way about her that made you want to keep her out all night talking and joking. Not to mention that she looked incredibly sexy under the lights and every once in a while she would lean forward, forcing my eyes to stare down at her heaving breasts.

“You know,” she said, pulling my eyes back to her face. “This was a lot nicer than I actually thought it would be.”

“Uh, thanks?” I wasn’t quite sure how to take that, so I shrugged my shoulders and laughed.

“That sounded rude. What I meant to say was that I had a really nice time,” she said, folding her napkin and setting it on her empty plate.

“Me, too,” I smiled.

I took my time driving back to her apartment, going a long way around the city. I know she noticed but she didn’t seem to care. The sparkling of the city lights reflecting off the windows created shadows that danced across her body. She was relaxed, a change from when she had first gotten into the car. When we arrived at her building, I parked and got out, walking to her side and holding the door open. We strolled closely to the door of the apartment. She stopped and stared at me, a look on her face as if she were thinking about something.

“I have a bottle of wine from the other night,” she said, looking down at her purse, clutched in her hands. “It was a gift from Megan for accepting the duty of Maid of Honor.”

“Wow, all I got was a lecture,” I said trying to lighten the mood.

“You want to come up and have a drink before you head home?” She looked timid, and part of me didn’t want to ruin this perfect night, but the other part of me didn’t want to leave her side.

“Sure,” I said smiling. “Let me go park the car in the garage, and I’ll meet you in the lobby, okay?”

She nodded her head and smiled, relieved at how easy I made that. I moved the car into the parking garage attached to her building and got out, feeling a little nervous. I guess I should have had more than one glass of wine to calm myself down, but I knew I was driving her home. As I walked toward the doors of the complex, I could see her standing inside under the fluorescent lighting. She was looking around nervously, tapping her hands against her legs. Part of me hoped this wouldn’t stop at one drink.