Chapter Twenty

 

“So we’re barely inside of her hotel room, hardly had time to lock the door behind us, when this wildcat is dropping to her knees and unzipping me right then and there. And let me tell you dudes, if giving head was an Olympic sport - but like, at an adults only Olympics - this chick would hands down win the fucking gold medal. No, make that the gold, the silver, and the bronze. Deep throated me without gagging once. Now that takes some real talent. And I’m guessing a lot of practice. But, hey, you know me. It’s not like I ask any of them for references or anything. But that incredible blow job was just a warm-up. I’m damned lucky I can walk today after the workout that wildcat gave me. There’s a reason I like redheads so much.”

Jordan tried to summon up even a smidgen of interest in the bawdy tale Finn was relating - in ever increasing detail - about his hook-up last night. But Finn might as well have been reading Bible verses to him for as little as it aroused him or even piqued his interest. He stared off into space, eventually blocking out everything Finn was saying, and retreating yet again into his own self-induced state of misery.

It had been like this ever since Aubrey had fled back to San Diego, ever since that awful night at the charity ball when she’d discovered his deception. It was over two weeks now since she’d left, and he was growing more and more despondent every day that things were well and truly over between them. In all that time there hadn’t been a single word from her - no phone calls, text messages, emails, nothing. He’d promised to give her time, to let her get over her anger and shock and hurt feelings, but he naively hadn’t expected it to go on quite this long. The temptation was growing stronger with each passing hour to just pick up his damned phone and text her, begging her to answer him, pleading with her for forgiveness, and to give him a chance to explain.

But he’d continued to hold back, wanting more than anything to respect her wishes and give her the space she needed. Now, however, he was really and truly afraid that Aubrey meant to end it for good - that she had no intention of either returning to San Francisco or giving him the time of day ever again.

Finn and Max had tried to be as supportive as they could, badgering him into going out for lunch or drinks or dinner, but Finn was too self-absorbed, too much of a egotist, to be of much help, while cool as a cucumber Max didn’t have the foggiest idea of how to actually express empathy. They were at present having a quick lunch before going to a baseball game where Finn had managed to snag front row seats behind third base. Jordan had never felt less like attending a sporting event in his life, while Max would probably read over financial reports the whole time, leaving Finn as the only one actually enjoying himself. But Jordan was only going along in an effort to stop his friends from their constant nagging and lecturing, telling him to snap out of it and rejoin the living.

“Are you even listening to me, Jordan? Have you heard a fucking word I’ve said the last ten minutes? Because you look like you’ve just had a partial lobotomy. In fact, I think that’s drool running down the side of your mouth.”

Jordan scowled, and would have flipped Finn off had it not been for the two young boys and their father seated at the table to his right. “Fuck off, Finn,” he retorted instead. “And I really don’t want to hear another blow by blow account - no pun intended - of your latest bangfest. Frankly, it’s making me a little nauseated to hear so many details about your escapades. If you can’t keep it in your pants, at least keep it to yourself.”

Max smirked. “I concur. You should try and maintain a little mystery about yourself, Finn. I understand women find that sort of thing irresistible.”

Finn gave Max a look of disbelief. “And how would you know anything about what women like, Max the Monk? When was the last time you even went out on a date, much less got your rocks off?”

Max shrugged, beginning to scroll through his phone. “Some of us don’t feel the constant need to brag about our latest exploits, Finn. Those of us who are actually secure in our masculinity. But this isn’t about you for once, Finn, difficult as that might be to believe. We’re supposed to be cheering Jordan up, remember?”

“Hey, what the hell do you think I’ve been trying to do for the past half hour?” exclaimed Finn. “Usually Doctor Dreamy here is all ears when I tell you guys about my most recent - uh, what did you call it, Max? Oh, yeah. Exploits. But since Jordan’s been acting like he wants to join the same monastery you’ve committed yourself to, I guess I should keep my mouth shut.”

Max gazed heavenward. “We should all be so lucky. But you might be on the right track, Finn. Though instead of having to listen to you bragging about your latest conquest, perhaps Jordan should try to find one of his own. I might have a few names and numbers I can share with you, Jordan.”

Jordan glanced at Max’s phone in disgust. “First of all, I happen to know that any numbers you’re thinking of sharing are at least five years old, and that the names on your very short list have probably all gotten married or moved away by now. Second, and more importantly, the last thing I want to do is even think of becoming involved with another woman right now.”

Finn shook his head. “Who said you had to get involved with her? What’s the matter with your usual “wham, bam, and thank you, ma’am” attitude? Or has lovergirl ruined all of that for you?”

“I wouldn’t use the word ruined,” retorted Jordan. “But being with Aubrey all those weeks has definitely changed my attitude towards relationships. I’m done with banging a different woman three or four nights a week, having meaningless sex, and trying to act like I’m still a horny twenty-one year old college student. I want something more. I want - her.”

Finn had a disgusted look on his cocky face. “So in other words the answer is yes - she has ruined you. God, what the hell happened to you over there in Maui, Jordan? You left here the same happy-go-lucky, fun-loving manwhore I’ve known since we were freshmen at Stanford, and you come back some sappy, lovestruck fool with a conscience. And in case I wasn’t clear about it, you are no fun at all. Between you and Max I’m not sure I’ve ever been this depressed. And I’ll tell you now,” he cautioned, waggling a finger at Jordan. “If I see even one single tear in your eye because of that chick, I am officially disowning you as a friend. You’re a disgrace to bachelors all over the world, Jordan.”

This time Jordan did flip him the bird, though he made sure that no one else in the vicinity could see.

“Leave him alone, Finn,” admonished Max. “Just because the longest relationship you’ve ever had is with a tube of hair gel doesn’t mean everyone has to abide by your questionable standards. And mark my words, Finley. One of these days the same thing is going to happen to you. You’re going to meet a woman who’s going to knock you on your arrogant ass, and she’s going to make you forget any other women exist. And if there’s truly a God she’ll kick you to the curb and walk all over you before leaving you in her dust.”

Finn sneered derisively at Max. “So now in addition to being a monk, you’re also some sort of philosopher? Or worse, a psychic? And what in hell qualifies you to be giving relationship advice anyway, Max? Where do you get off telling me that some woman’s going to knock me on my ass someday?”

“Because it happened to me, and I never saw it coming,” replied Max somberly. “And I made a holy mess of it, destroyed it beyond repair. And granted, I have serious doubts that you’ll ever see the light, Finn, but I don’t think it’s too late for Jordan to have hope. That is, if he really does care about Aubrey as he claims to.”

“You know I do,” grumbled Jordan. “And the only reason I haven’t been acting like a stalker and calling and texting her every few minutes is because she asked me not to. And I’m trying to be considerate for once in my life, to respect her wishes and give her some time to figure things out. But I’m getting real close to the end of my rope here at the same time, and find myself caught between a rock and a hard place.”

Finn elbowed Jordan in the ribs, a goofy grin on his face. “Betcha I know what place hasn’t been too hard lately. And, speaking of rocks, that’s your real problem, Jordan. For so many years now you’ve been used to having sex almost every day of the week. The real reason you’re depressed is because your body isn’t used to abstaining this long. Use it or lose it as the old saying goes.”

“That’s an old wives tale,” snapped Jordan irritably. “And it’s only been a couple of weeks, for Christ’s sake. I know that sounds like a couple of decades to you, Finn, but some of us have at least a little more willpower. Now, listen up, both of you. I know you mean well, and that you’re trying your best to boost my spirits - though God knows your methods really need some work. But I don’t need a babysitter, or a shrink. And I definitely don’t need a pimp.”

Max looked chastised, Finn pissed off, and Jordan just wished he’d never agreed to this pointless lunch and baseball game. All he really wanted to do was just be alone with his misery and regret, and to try and figure out how he could begin to make things right between him and Aubrey again. The problem was he wasn’t even sure where she was right now. He assumed she was still staying with her parents in San Diego, but he also remembered that she was supposed to have a follow-up interview at the Gregson headquarters here in town. He hoped that their fragile, anything but certain relationship status wouldn’t keep Aubrey from going to that interview.

As they finished up lunch and walked the two short blocks to the stadium, Jordan wondered if he could somehow muster up the courage to call Ian over the next day or so. It would gall him a little to have to actually apologize to that arrogant bastard after some of the harsh, untrue things he’d said, but Jordan didn’t want to jeopardize Aubrey’s chances of getting a job. He’d do anything for her, he realized, even swallow his pride and kowtow to Ian if necessary. Now all he had to do was work up the nerve to dial Ian’s number, and mentally prepare himself for the stern tongue lashing he’d have to endure prior to asking for another favor.

 

***

 

As luck would have it - probably bad luck the way his life had been going lately - Jordan didn’t have to summon up the courage to call Ian on the phone - because the two men wound up running into each other the following morning at the gym. Jordan had somewhat intentionally been avoiding the place, not ready for a confrontation with Ian just yet, but also because he’d been too gloomy and depressed to exercise.

Last night, however, he’d made the decision that he wasn’t going to just sit around and mope for even one more day. It had been over two weeks now since Aubrey had blown up at him at the charity ball, and fled San Francisco the next morning. And while he’d promised to give her space and time to think things through, Jordan’s patience was wearing thin by now. After arriving home from the baseball game - an outing that neither he, Finn, nor Max had really enjoyed, especially since the Giants had gotten trounced, losing by seven runs - Jordan had forced himself to snap out of the funk he’d been in and take some definitive actions when it came to getting Aubrey back.

He would start, he’d decided, by manning up and calling Ian, both to offer up a grudging apology and then to plead his case for Aubrey and the job opportunity that he hoped was still available. Next, he would find out, one way or another, exactly where the love of his life was taking up residence at the moment, and send her the biggest, most lavish bouquet of flowers she’d ever received. No, he’d corrected. Aubrey wasn’t impressed with big, lavish, over the top displays. He would send her a dozen yellow roses, her favorite, with a simple note that read something like “Haven’t stopped thinking of you for even one second. I love you more than words can express and hope that you’ll be ready to talk to me soon.”

Next, Jordan had figured, he would start an all-out campaign to win her back - sending her sweet, romantic texts and emails, leaving voice mails begging for her forgiveness, ordering her a dozen yellow roses a day plus other little gifts she might like that weren’t overly extravagant. And he wasn’t prepared to stop until she either agreed to talk to him or took out a restraining order against him.

He’d felt a hundred times better after deciding on his course of action and resolving to stick to it. For the first time since Aubrey had stormed out of his life, he’d actually had a decent night’s sleep and had woken up this bright and sunny Sunday morning with a whole new outlook on life. And that had included dragging his lazy ass to the gym for the first time in more than two weeks, only to stop short upon entering the locker room and seeing Ian already there.

Jordan cleared his throat, trying not to let the other man’s scowling expression intimidate him. “Hey, Ian. Funny running into you here. Uh, not because you’re not here almost every day of the week while I usually come up with every excuse in the book not to work out. No, it’s because - well, I was actually going to give you a call tomorrow. You know. To apologize and stuff and see how - well, how everything was going.”

Ian was unsmiling as he gave Jordan a rather scathing look. “I see. Well, fortunately you can do that in person now, I suppose, instead of having to work up the nerve to do so over the phone.”

Jordan smiled wryly. “Is my fear that obvious? You have to admit that you were awfully terrifying the last time we saw each other. “Not,” he added hastily, “that you didn’t have every right to be pissed off at me. But I would like the chance to apologize, Ian, and to explain a few things. And to ask a favor. For - for Aubrey, that is.”

Ian shrugged. “If you’re referring to her job interview with the company, that’s not something you should be concerned with. I would never hold your very unwise actions against her. And, yes, I suppose we should talk. We could have coffee or breakfast after our workouts. I’ll let Tessa know I’ll be a little later than planned. Given what a soft heart she has where you’re concerned, I’m sure she’ll be pleased that we’re talking again.”

Jordan resisted the urge to heave a huge sigh of relief, not wanting Ian to see just how anxious he was. “That would be great, Ian. I’ll just meet you back here whenever you’re finished with your workout.”

Ian gave a short nod, then walked toward the locker room exit. “Right, then. See you in two hours.”

“Two hours!” gaped Jordan, but found he was talking to himself since Ian had already left the room. He shook his head in mingled amazement and revulsion, wondering what the hell he was going to do with himself for two hours, given that his normal workout lasted a scant hour. And that was on a good day, when he wasn’t nursing a hangover and was feeling ambitious. Ian, on the other hand, was famous, almost legendary, around the gym for his intense, rather brutal workouts.

‘Guess you’d better pace yourself,’ Jordan muttered beneath his breath as he slowly made his way out to the cardio room.

Ninety minutes later, though, he was fried, having jogged on the treadmill, all but destroyed his calf muscles on the Stairmaster, lifted weights until his arms and shoulders felt like Jell-O, and did a series of sit-ups on the slant board until he feared he’d throw up if he tried even one more. Meanwhile, thought Jordan in disgust, Ian was likely still going strong, probably swimming an endless number of laps in the pool, or hefting insanely heavy weights, or pummeling some unsuspecting opponent in the boxing ring unless he’d had to settle for the punching bag this morning. Jordan shuddered, making sure he was nowhere near the boxing room just in case Ian decided to recruit him as a sparring partner.

Instead, he passed the next thirty minutes by soaking in the hot tub, regretting that there wasn’t enough time to get a much needed massage, then taking an extra long shower. Jordan had just finished getting dressed when Ian walked back inside the locker room, though even after a grueling two hour workout he’d barely broken a sweat.

“Are you even human?” grunted Jordan as the other man began to strip. “There was a rumor going around for awhile that you were actually part Cyborg. How can you have just finished working out for two hours and still look like you’re ready for more?”

Ian shrugged carelessly. “Practice,” was all he said in response as he made his way toward the showers.

Less than ten minutes later Ian had showered and dressed with an effortless efficiency, leaving Jordan to wonder somewhat sardonically if he went through all aspects of his daily life with the same sort of smooth precision. The one exception, thought Jordan smugly, would likely be in the bedroom. Tessa was definitely not a woman to be squeezed into your schedule, or fitted in between appointments. She was the sort of woman a man could lose himself in, could linger over for hours and hours, and keep locked up in his room for days at a time.

Exactly like Aubrey, thought Jordan longingly. And there had, in fact, been more than a few times in their short-lived relationship when they’d barely left the bedroom all day. When he’d feared that no matter how many times he made love to her that he would never feel sated, would always need more. And now that he’d been separated from her for more than two weeks, the longing he felt to hold her in his arms was becoming a physical ache, and he was more determined than ever to do whatever it took to win her back. Including choking down a meal under Ian Gregson’s fearsome regard.

As Jordan held the door open for Ian to pass as they left the gym, Ian gave him a wry, rather reluctant smile.

“No need to look so worried, Jordan,” he drawled. “I’ve already taken all of my aggressions out this morning on the punching bag.”

Jordan felt himself beginning to relax a bit, taking it as a good sign that Ian could actually crack a joke - something he didn’t do very often. “Good. Not that I’d blame you for taking a few swings at me. Nothing I don’t deserve.”

Ian shrugged. “I suppose that’s up for debate, isn’t it? Now, where should we eat? What about Sweet Maple? It’s just around the corner and shouldn’t be too crowded quite yet.”

Jordan grimaced and shook his head. “Uh, not there, if you don’t mind. Not that the food isn’t great, it’s just - well, I might have dated one of the wait staff there a few months ago. And while there’s a chance she might not work there any longer she did have the weekend breakfast shift as I recall.”

Ian shook his head in chagrin. “I see. And I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Very well, then. The Grove it is. Unless, of course, another of your former dates works there.”

“The Grove will be fine,” replied Jordan rather meekly.

It was less than a half mile walk to the restaurant, and fortunately no wait for a table. Ian ordered a predictably healthy meal of poached eggs on avocado toast and tea, while Jordan, who wasn’t particularly in the mood to worry about things like cholesterol or fat grams this morning, selected eggs Benedict served with hash browns and coffee.

While they were waiting for their food to be served, Jordan hesitantly began what he knew was going to be both an awkward and unpleasant conversation.

“So,” he mumbled. “I, uh, suppose I should start off by apologizing to you, Ian. I’ve already told Tessa all of this, but I don’t know how much she passed on to you of our conversation over lunch a couple of weeks ago.”

Ian leaned back in his chair and took a leisurely sip of his tea. From the rather arrogant, almost smug look on his face, it was obvious he wasn’t about to make this easy for Jordan. “She told me everything, of course,” he replied calmly. “There’s nothing Tessa and I keep from each other. So, yes. I understand your reasons for not telling the two of us about Aubrey, about keeping it a secret for as long as you did. But while I might understand your reasons I certainly don’t agree with them, Jordan. It would have been much better for all of us if you’d just told Aubrey the truth from the beginning, and then found a way to break the news to Tessa and me.”

“Yeah, I get that,” sighed Jordan. “Though I didn’t exactly lie to Aubrey. More like a lie of omission than anything.”

“Splitting hairs there a bit, Jordan?” asked Ian admonishingly. “Or simply trying to justify your ill-advised actions?”

“The latter, I guess,” acknowledged Jordan reluctantly. “But I was intending to tell all of you sooner than later. I suppose I just wanted a little more time with Aubrey, to make sure that she really cared about me. That she loved me as much as I loved her.”

“Hmm.” Ian set his mug down. “So you really are in love with her then. Though is it truly Aubrey you profess to love or simply a substitute for my wife?”

Jordan winced. “I never imagined myself in love with Tessa,” he protested. “It was - well, I don’t know what it was like exactly. I’m a little too old to be having crushes on girls, so I guess a more accurate term would be infatuation. Tessa was so different from all of the other women I’d dated over the years, something I’m sure you’re well aware of. Shy, a little naïve, certainly not a practiced flirt, and she didn’t seem to have an aggressive bone in her body. She was sweet and kind and actually blushed when I teased her. And I can’t tell you the last time a woman did that in my presence. She was - well, a breath of fresh air, I suppose, and she intrigued me. Captivated me. And I’ve never been as envious of anyone in my life as I was of you, Ian. Especially when I saw the two of you together and realized how much you cared for each other, how connected you were. I’d never even come close to having someone love me the way Tessa so obviously loved you, had never felt even the tiniest sort of connection with a woman, and definitely not the sort you two shared.” He paused for a moment before admitting, “And I wanted that sort of relationship for myself, hard as it is to believe. Maybe I thought that having a woman like Tessa would make that happen.”

Ian was silent as their food was served, and didn’t speak for several minutes afterwards as they began to eat. And when he finally broke the silence, Jordan was startled at his words.

“I can’t really blame you, can I?” asked Ian, the corners of his mouth quirking up into a half-smile. “How can I blame any man who’s attracted to someone as beautiful and as special as my wife? Of course, I’d never tolerate anyone doing more than admiring her from afar, or even flirting with her a bit as you persist in doing. Though there were a few times I was tempted to punch you in the nose when I thought you were taking it a bit too far.”

Jordan didn’t bother to suppress a shudder. “Hey, that’s just who I am, Ian,” he joked weakly. “Flirting is second nature to me, always has been. And I never, ever took it too far, at least in my opinion. I always respected the fact that Tessa was your woman, and that she was crazy in love with you. Even if she’d ever given me the slightest hint that she was attracted to me, I still would never have crossed that line. But she never did, as I’m sure you’re well aware. What the two of you have is something so special I can’t even put words to it. It’s like some grand, epic love story that would have been made into a movie back in the fifties, the kind of love that poets write about and all that stuff. God, look at me, would you? Getting all mushy and sentimental. If Finn heard me now, he’d deny ever having known me.”

Ian did smile this time, and his hazel eyes twinkled in amusement. “It is rather hard to believe, I’ll admit. And you’re right about the way it is between Tessa and me. One of the reasons I never took you to task for flirting with her was because I trusted her so completely, knew that she’d never even think of flirting back, much less going beyond that point. Though I did entertain the thought of persuading her to change doctors, in order to keep her as far away from you as possible. But I didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable, especially because for some reason she actually likes you.”

Jordan chuckled. “I told you before, she’s very kindhearted. And if we’re talking about making someone feel uncomfortable, don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’ve accompanied Tessa to every single appointment she’s ever had with me.”

Ian shrugged nonchalantly. “Don’t take that one so personally, Jordan. Frankly, there’s no way in hell any man is ever going to put his hands on my wife outside of my presence, no matter how clinical it might be.”

Jordan felt himself starting to relax, this dreaded meeting with Ian actually going far better than he had feared. Enough so that he felt emboldened to ask for that favor now.

“Look, I know that no matter how often I apologize to you and Tessa it’s probably still going to take some time to smooth everything over,” began Jordan. “But I wanted to ask you, Ian - plead with you if necessary - not to take any of this out on Aubrey. She’s as innocent in all of this as you and Tessa are, and I hope I didn’t screw up any job opportunities for her with your company. I hope - that is, I knew she was supposed to have some sort of follow-up interview, and I wanted to make sure that was still a possibility.”

Ian pushed his plate away, then refilled his mug from the ceramic teapot that had been left on the table. “Not only is it still a possibility, but it’s already happened. Aubrey had her second interview a few days ago, and I believe she’ll be starting with us week after next.”

Jordan was visibly startled at this news. “She - she is? Wow. That - well, that’s great news. I’m really pleased for her. And very grateful to you. Thanks, Ian.”

Ian made a dismissive motion with his hand. “Nothing to thank me for. Aubrey earned the job all on her own. The department manager who hired her was very impressed, and is certain she’ll be a valuable addition to his staff. I take it, then, you haven’t heard anything from her since - well, since the night of the ball?”

“Not a word,” admitted Jordan defeatedly. “I promised I’d leave her alone, and let her figure out what it was she wanted to do from here. But it’s been over two weeks now, and I decided last night that I’m not going to just sit around and do nothing any longer. I’m going to do my damndest to win her back, Ian. But I couldn’t start trying until I spoke with you first, cleared the air, and begged you to still give her a job if that’s what she wanted.”

“Well,” replied Ian with a chuckle that sounded positively evil to Jordan, “not that listening to you beg and grovel doesn’t sound tempting, but I suppose there’s really no need for it any longer. You should save the begging and groveling for when you talk to Aubrey. Though I have a feeling she’s not quite as furious with you as she was at first.”

Jordan didn’t bother to hide his excitement at this announcement. “You - you’ve seen her then? Talked to her? I gave Tessa her contact information, you know, but I have no idea what happened after that.”

“Yes, I’ve seen and talked to her. Frequently, in fact. It’s a little difficult to avoid doing so when someone’s your houseguest after all.” At Jordan’s perplexed look, Ian continued. “Tessa was so anxious to speak with Aubrey face to face that we flew down to San Diego the day after she talked with her on the phone. They had lunch together, and then arranged to meet with the social worker who’d helped coordinate Aubrey’s adoption. The social worker confirmed that the two of them are actually half-sisters. Tessa’s mother evidently found herself pregnant again at some point - little surprise, given how irresponsible she was - but did the right thing by giving Aubrey up for adoption. Tessa’s mother never mentioned a word about it to her, and Aubrey apparently had no desire to learn anything about her biological parents.”

Jordan nodded. “She and I had several discussions about that subject. She always insisted she was so happy with her adoptive family that there just didn’t seem a point in delving into the past. Obviously, her resemblance to Tessa made me suspect there was some connection between them, but I stupidly didn’t share my suspicions with anyone. But it seems like the two of them have figured everything out now. And are getting along, since Aubrey’s staying with you. Is - is that going to be a long term thing?”

“Difficult to say. Tessa, of course, is overjoyed to have her sister staying with us, and Gilly adores her brand new auntie. But since Aubrey seems like the independent type, I’m guessing she’ll want her own place sooner than later. Unless, of course, you can persuade her to move back in with you,” Ian murmured suggestively.

“That’s certainly my ultimate goal,” confirmed Jordan. “Though I have to convince her to speak to me first.”

Ian tapped his chin thoughtfully. “I might have an idea or two about that. Let’s put our heads together, shall we, and see what we can dream up?”

A grin threatened to split Jordan’s face in two. “You’re a good man, Ian. And I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of this, especially when you could be wiping the floor with me right about now.”

In all seriousness, Ian replied, “All was forgiven the moment I saw how happy Tessa was to learn Aubrey was her sister. She’s been so delighted to have Aubrey in her life that I’m finding it very hard to stay angry at you, since you were indirectly responsible for bringing the two of them together. And,” he added with a lift of his brow, “if you manage to convince me that your intentions towards my newfound sister-in-law are honorable, I might be persuaded to help you get your own once in a lifetime love. So don’t screw this up, Jordan, because I’m not the forgiving and forgetting type. And for your sake, you’d better hope Aubrey is.”