“I’m sure I won’t.” He gives me another pat on the back, and we step out into the blaring Roman sun. It's the afternoon now, and I’d still like to check on some potential real estate for the better portion of the day. I may have booked our stay for too long with the amount of free time his compliance has provided me. Our agreement should go through by tonight.
Tyrone’s words are always good because he doesn’t bullshit. It’s the reason I prefer to do my dealings with him, and it’s why we’ll maintain protection over him.
* * *
Real estate huntingwas an arduous activity. A bit of a nightmare in the high tourist season. I’m glad I had the chance to find some spots that might be of interest to Neptune Holdings, but it’s a venture I’m not sure Popsa will be willing to take. After I was through with my search for the day, I was ready to get off my feet.
When the sun started to set, I decided it was time to call it and drive back to the hotel just before the last light disappeared over the ocean. We cross the cobblestone floors in the lobby and enter the empty hotel lift, riding straight to the top. I hear booming music slowly growing louder as we reach the penthouse, and I’m immediately confused. As the doors open, the sound bursts through the widening crack. The guards still remain where I left them, but blaring electronic dance music persists at an ear-splitting volume.
“Jessica?” I call as loudly as my lungs can manage. When there’s no response, I go straight to the loft. Before I even finish climbing the stairs, I see her dancing around in her underwear with a tub of ice cream. On TV is a weird ballroom dance show where EDM beats are guiding their waltz-like steps for some reason.
I turn the power off, and the instant silence is a relief. She whips around, shock riddling her face, and then she grins. That sweet, soft smile makes my heart race and my thoughts run wild. I hate this feeling, and I know if I can just have her one more time, it will satiate these annoying thoughts.
“I was bored.” She shovels another bite of ice cream into her mouth, and I suck in my lips.
“I have a few ideas that might get loud, but they don’t involve going deaf.” I step up to the loft and slowly inch towards her.
“I-“ she begins, and I’m already running my fingers up her thigh like no time has passed since our last touch. “I-” I take the ice cream and spoon and set it on the bedside table.
“Wait.” She places her hand firmly on my chest, and I pause inquisitively.
“Sit.” She points to the bed, and I like where this is going until she turns on another light and slides on her pants. When she sits down beside me, I feel as though I’m about to be scolded, but instead, she is silent.
“Did I do something wrong?” She finally breaks, but I’m not any more clear as to what she means.
“What?” I say when she waits for an answer I’m unable to give.
“You said nothing would change with my job… I just… if we keep doing this, I don't see how we can keep our work-life professional. The best thing to do is to stop this before we start.” Her conclusion instantly deflates me because I don't agree with it at all. Quite the opposite, and I think I’m going mad not getting it.
“Surely you’re not suggesting we just stop cold turkey.” I assert, still in disbelief that we are on completely opposite sides of the book. Her brow twitches, and she tilts her head questioningly.
“You think we should have sex until we don’t want to anymore?”
“I think we should just do it one more time.” Her face forms an expression I don't often see her make. She looks at me like she’s confused, but she’s studying my face as though she’s flipping through my thoughts.
“No, I think, no.” She folds her arms over her chest as if this is a brilliant ending to the conversation. I can tell from the way she responds to me that she doesn't want the things she’s saying she does, but we have time to break some more rules. After all, we broke them before. What’s once more?
I nod slowly as she continues to look at me with expectancy.
“What?” I finally break with a laugh and shove my fingers through my hair.
“Promise me.” She holds out her pinky finger.
“Promise you?” I look down at her finger then back to her eyes. “What are we, kindergarteners?”
She just rolls her eyes and inches it closer.
“Come on. How will I know you’ll stick to my approach?”
“My word is my word, Jessica Lee.” I resolve, and she drops her hand, seemingly content with my promise.
The rest of the evening we try to watch another scary movie that I paid extra for, in order that it be in English. I don’t care about the money, but it is funny that she’s already sleeping next to me, lightly snoring, her cheek squished into the pillow. I forget the name of this movie, but I’m definitely not into it at this point because I keep getting distracted every time Ms. Lee moves. Eventually, I turn it off altogether and turn on my side, looking out at the ocean shimmering in the moonlight as my eyes drift shut. I tell myself I’ll head to my room any minute now, but I feel so comfortable here that before I know it, I’ve fallen completely asleep.
When I wakeup in the morning, I’m surprised to see that Jessica has slept the whole night. She must really be jet-lagged. The sunlight is what woke me up before her, so I figure it’s time to call room service. I order a large breakfast with an array of choices, not wanting to disturb her sleep for a specific order.
The food arrives fairly quickly, and one of my guards and I carry the cart up to her. It’s a small gesture to show her that I really will try to stick to what we talked about last night. I take my word seriously, but when the type of desire I have is unquenched, I can't be too certain what rejecting it will do.
I hop back on the bed while I wait for her to wake, watching the ocean in the meantime.
“Did I sleep the whole night?” Jess catches my attention as she squeezes out her question through a stretch. I want to graze my thumb over her warm cheek, but I resist the urge.
“I think so,” I whisper. A smile twitches over her lips, and I hope it’s because she’s proud of my obvious restraint.
“Hungry?” I raise an eyebrow, trying not to think of how lovely I find her sleepy face.
“Mhm.” She mumbles in response. Like a primal instinct, I drop my hand to her stomach and slowly trail down the length of her torso. Just as I reach her waistband, the elevator doors ding from below.
“Hey, boss. You better sign these papers.” The sound of them swishing and stopping on the bar alerts both of us, and she lets out a laugh.
“Shit, you should sleep in your own room if we’re going to make this work.” She frowns, sitting up and scooting past me towards the food. I nod in reluctant agreement and let out a laugh. If she wasn’t here, I might have blown up on Lee for interrupting. But for some reason, having Jess here stopped me, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing, but it intrigues me. Perhaps the rest of my stressful week will also be neutralized to even-keel with her here.