two.”
“Yeah, I remember. Why are you in such an
all-fired hurry to get rid of me?”
“I’m not in a hurry…I did offer you a
drink,” she reminded him, lifting her chin.
“True,” Jack told her as he pulled on her
wrist, turning her to face him. His hands lifted to catch her upper arms. “But
usually when two people almost make love then some conversation is called for.
I think we should talk about this tonight.”
“Uhm, normally I would defer to your
greater experience with situations like this. But I figured you’d want to get
back with your friends and have a good time.” It wasn’t easy, but Andy
kept the tears from breaking forth and choking her words. She was torn, but
still felt obligated to point out the barriers between them.
“They are our friends, damn it! I
don’t want to argue over this, Andy.” He released her arms. “I wanted us to
talk, sweetheart. I really didn’t plan on any of this happening.”
Andy wasn’t sure if he was saying sleeping
with her…not that there’d been any sleeping involved as of yet, but the fact he
considered sleeping with her the furthest thing from his mind when they started
could mean something. Was he thinking this had been a mistake? Undoubtedly, he
regretted his impetuous behavior.
“You don’t need to apologize, Jack.”
“Apologize! Of course, I’m not going to say
I’m sorry. I have no reason to apologize. Maybe it’s you who feels a need to do
so,” he shot back.
Andy felt her chin drop in surprise. “What?
Do you regret what happened?”
“I didn’t say that, Andy. Look, all I
wanted to do was get the chance to talk with you in private. But having you
prance up those stairs, wiggling your cute ass and then showing me your bed, I
made the natural assumption you wanted to have sex.”
Andy was hurt and angry. Pushing away the
pain, she let the anger bubble up. The heartache she’d deal with later. “If I
wanted to have sex, I would say so. I was merely being friendly, considering
the way you’d glommed onto me from the moment you saw me.”
A second later, she saw the fire blaze up
in Jack’s eyes. The stiffening of his body followed the glare darkening his
face. She bit her lower lip and knew she shouldn’t have used the word
“glommed”. It sounded as if he was something nasty she’d discovered on her
shoe. He turned away and stomped several steps towards the door. She saw his
shoulders lift and fall and she guessed he took some deep breaths. Reluctantly,
she acknowledged she should have taken a few seconds to calm herself before
she’d answered.
It had not been an accurate description. He
had been polite and attentive from the first moment. Not once had he done
anything she had not wanted…even longed for, so why had she accused him? Her
heart told her to speak up and tell him what she desired…him.
Jack turned and nodded his head once. “I’ll
go for now, Andy. We can talk at breakfast.” He walked to the double doors.
Opening one side, he stopped in the doorway. “Don’t forget to lock up, even
though you’re in the high-rent district. I’ll stand out here until I hear the
bolt click.”
Andy stared at the closed doors. Feeling as
if she carried the world on her shoulders, she crossed to the entryway. For a
moment, she leaned against the heavy doors, pressing her cheek to cool wood.
Nothing was going as she’d fantasized and hoped for in her daydreams. Lifting
her hand, she slowly turned the latch for the deadbolt. She listened closely,
knowing she couldn’t really hear Jack walking away. Only silence both inside
and out.
Then she remembered the peephole. Quickly,
she rose on tiptoe, looking through the tiny magnifying glass. She could see
Jack had reached the elevators and was pressing the button. If only this was
one of her books, she could be the heroine who threw open the double doors and
ran down the hall, crying out her lover’s name. He’d turn, see her and open his
arms. Pressing against him,
“Yeah, I remember. Why are you in such an
all-fired hurry to get rid of me?”
“I’m not in a hurry…I did offer you a
drink,” she reminded him, lifting her chin.
“True,” Jack told her as he pulled on her
wrist, turning her to face him. His hands lifted to catch her upper arms. “But
usually when two people almost make love then some conversation is called for.
I think we should talk about this tonight.”
“Uhm, normally I would defer to your
greater experience with situations like this. But I figured you’d want to get
back with your friends and have a good time.” It wasn’t easy, but Andy
kept the tears from breaking forth and choking her words. She was torn, but
still felt obligated to point out the barriers between them.
“They are our friends, damn it! I
don’t want to argue over this, Andy.” He released her arms. “I wanted us to
talk, sweetheart. I really didn’t plan on any of this happening.”
Andy wasn’t sure if he was saying sleeping
with her…not that there’d been any sleeping involved as of yet, but the fact he
considered sleeping with her the furthest thing from his mind when they started
could mean something. Was he thinking this had been a mistake? Undoubtedly, he
regretted his impetuous behavior.
“You don’t need to apologize, Jack.”
“Apologize! Of course, I’m not going to say
I’m sorry. I have no reason to apologize. Maybe it’s you who feels a need to do
so,” he shot back.
Andy felt her chin drop in surprise. “What?
Do you regret what happened?”
“I didn’t say that, Andy. Look, all I
wanted to do was get the chance to talk with you in private. But having you
prance up those stairs, wiggling your cute ass and then showing me your bed, I
made the natural assumption you wanted to have sex.”
Andy was hurt and angry. Pushing away the
pain, she let the anger bubble up. The heartache she’d deal with later. “If I
wanted to have sex, I would say so. I was merely being friendly, considering
the way you’d glommed onto me from the moment you saw me.”
A second later, she saw the fire blaze up
in Jack’s eyes. The stiffening of his body followed the glare darkening his
face. She bit her lower lip and knew she shouldn’t have used the word
“glommed”. It sounded as if he was something nasty she’d discovered on her
shoe. He turned away and stomped several steps towards the door. She saw his
shoulders lift and fall and she guessed he took some deep breaths. Reluctantly,
she acknowledged she should have taken a few seconds to calm herself before
she’d answered.
It had not been an accurate description. He
had been polite and attentive from the first moment. Not once had he done
anything she had not wanted…even longed for, so why had she accused him? Her
heart told her to speak up and tell him what she desired…him.
Jack turned and nodded his head once. “I’ll
go for now, Andy. We can talk at breakfast.” He walked to the double doors.
Opening one side, he stopped in the doorway. “Don’t forget to lock up, even
though you’re in the high-rent district. I’ll stand out here until I hear the
bolt click.”
Andy stared at the closed doors. Feeling as
if she carried the world on her shoulders, she crossed to the entryway. For a
moment, she leaned against the heavy doors, pressing her cheek to cool wood.
Nothing was going as she’d fantasized and hoped for in her daydreams. Lifting
her hand, she slowly turned the latch for the deadbolt. She listened closely,
knowing she couldn’t really hear Jack walking away. Only silence both inside
and out.
Then she remembered the peephole. Quickly,
she rose on tiptoe, looking through the tiny magnifying glass. She could see
Jack had reached the elevators and was pressing the button. If only this was
one of her books, she could be the heroine who threw open the double doors and
ran down the hall, crying out her lover’s name. He’d turn, see her and open his
arms. Pressing against him,
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