Bent not Broken (208 page)

I snap my computer closed, and Jake looks over. When he notes the expression on my face, he stands up. “What’s wrong, baby?” he asks.

I walk over to the door and start pulling my coat on.

“Evie!” he says, sounding confused and frantic. “What happened? Why are you leaving?”

“That woman in your hotel room was Gwen, wasn’t it, Jake?”

“What?” he furrows his brow. “No. Of course it wasn’t. Do you think I would invite Gwen to my hotel room for drinks after the way she treated you?”

“Well, I wasn’t exactly thinking you brought her to your hotel room for
drinks
, Jake. All I know is that you sure did look cozy whispering in her ear in the pictures from the benefit you were at Tuesday night.”

He looks confused for a minute and then he runs his hand through his hair saying, “Evie, that was a company benefit. Gwen was there with her father. She tried to talk to me several times and I wouldn’t have much to do with her. When she cornered me in front of a photographer, I leaned in and told her she was lucky that I wasn’t the type to want to air my dislike for someone on film. She laughed as if I was joking, which I wasn’t. That was that. I didn’t talk to her again all evening.”

I stare at him, my jacket half on and half off. I take a deep breath. “I want to believe you, Jake, I just… I don’t want to… “

“Evie, listen, God, if you only knew… “ He trails off, laughing a humorless laugh.

“If I only knew what?”

“If you only knew how ridiculous it is for you to think that I would ever betray you, much less with Gwen. Really, if you could get inside my brain, you’d be laughing, too.”

“Jake – “

“Please, just trust me, please don’t go.”

I look at him closely to judge his sincerity and I sense that he’s telling the truth. So I let him lead me away from his foyer area, taking off my coat and throwing it back on the bench near his door, following Jake and following my heart once again. But hoping deep inside, that that doesn’t make me a fool.

CHAPTER 20

I work another catering job on Thursday, returning home late. I’m exhausted as I crawl into bed but the money is good, and I appreciate the feeling of safety being ahead financially brings.

On Friday, Jake asks me to stay with him and when I walk into his condo at seven thirty, having been dropped off by a co-worker since Jake had an errand to run, he scoops me up and kisses me and says, “I’m running a bath for you so you can get a second wind because I’m taking you out dancing tonight.”

“Dancing?” I sputter. “I don’t know how to dance.”

“Yes you do. You just don’t know it. Have you ever been to a nightclub?”

“No, I’ve been to bars, but – “

“It’s not right that a twenty-two year old girl has never been out dancing. I want to be the first to take you. I want to have as many firsts with you as possible.” He grins at me.

“You do realize that I have to work tomorrow, right?”

“I won’t have you out too late.”

“Hmmm… Okay, well then there’s only one flaw in your plan. I have nothing to wear to a nightclub.”

He grins a sneaky grin. “Go look on the bed.”

“Jake,” I put my hands on my hips, “you don’t need to buy me clothes.”

“Indulge me, Evie. I bought you one dress and some shoes. It means something to me to do that. Please accept it.”

I raise an eyebrow at him but head toward the bedroom to check it out anyway. What in the world would Jake pick out for me to wear to a nightclub?

I walk in his room and lying on the bed is a one shoulder, sexy little peacock blue number, with an edgy black belted waist and a pair of stiletto black heels that Nicole would drool over. I finger the silky material and I have to admit, I love it all.

I turn around and Jake is leaning casually in the doorway, one hip resting on the frame, arms crossed, and a small smile on his face.

I smile. “I love it. Thank you. Did you really pick this out?”

He grins. “Well, I had some help from a saleswoman at Saks. But I did give her the color scheme I wanted, and I looked at the clothes you left here for your size.”

“Peacock blue, huh?” I raise an eyebrow.

He shrugs. “I like the color. Just don’t ask me to take you anywhere near the zoo.”

I laugh and then kiss him quickly, before I head to the bathroom to peel off my dirty work clothes. Jake runs me a bath and then heads to the kitchen to throw together a quick dinner for me since he’s already eaten.

I soak in the lavender scented bubble bath Jake bought for me, turning on the jets to high. After about twenty minutes, my body and my mind feel rejuvenated, and I pull myself out of the cooling water and start getting ready.

I pull on a black thong and then dress in the outfit Jake bought for me. The dress fits perfectly, although it’s very sexy, clinging to every curve I have. I’m not that big on top, a good b cup, but I have a small waist and long legs and even I can see that this dress flatters me.

I blow dry my hair and curl it in loose waves. I up the drama of my usual makeup with a darker, smokier eye and some nude lip gloss.

When I walk out to the kitchen, Jake turns around and his body stills as his eyes roam over me, filling with heat. “You’re stunning.”

I smile, fidgeting a little. “Thank you. I have a personal shopper who’s well acquainted with my figure.”

He grins at me and places a bowl on the counter. “Pasta Primavera with shrimp,” he says.

I sit down and dig in saying through the first mouthful, “Oh God, this is delicious. Did you make this from scratch?”

“There’s nothing to that dish. Chopping some vegetables and boiling some pasta.”

I don’t buy it. It’s way too delicious. “I’m going to cook for you next. You’ve spoiled me enough already.”

“Get used to it. I like spoiling you.”

Then he takes off the long sleeved, cotton pullover he’s wearing and I freeze as I see that the white t-shirt he’s wearing underneath has a big stamp across the front that says,
World’s Greatest
in bold, black print.

I almost choke on my food, snorting and bringing my napkin up to my mouth so I don’t spew pasta all over him.

“What?” he says innocently.

I point at his shirt. “World’s Greatest
what?
” I ask, trying to rein in my laughter.

“Oh, this?” he asks, pointing to his chest. “It’s all inclusive.
World’s Greatest Guy, World’s Greatest Lover, World’s Greatest Cook
.” He motions to my pasta when he says this last part. “You name it, I’m the greatest.”

“Ah. Well, I do appreciate your confidence. But you know, you’ve left yourself wide open now for your critics to test you.”

“I only care about one critic. And I’m looking forward to being tested. The more testing, the better. Lots of testing would be good.” He winks.

I grin. “You’re completely ridiculous, you do realize that, right?”

He laughs out loud. “Finish up. I’m going to go change while you’re eating and then we’ll get going.”

“You’re not going to wear your
World’s Greatest
shirt to the club?” I yell down the hall.

“You don’t really want me to advertise all over town, do you?” he calls back and I can hear the smile in his voice.

He emerges ten minutes later in a pair of black slacks and a pale gray button down shirt, a black belt and shoes.
Yum
.

****

The downtown nightclub that Jake takes me to is stylish and trendy, with a New York City loft vibe.

We get lucky and snag a table near the bar just as a small group is leaving. Jake pulls out my chair for me and when the cocktail waitress comes over, he orders a water for himself and I order a glass of chardonnay. The waitress doesn’t even look at me. She’s so busy staring at Jake, I wonder if she even heard my order. But five minutes later she’s back with my wine and I can only shake my head.

Jake pulls his chair around so that he’s right next to me and he nuzzles into my neck, flirting and making me laugh as we chat and I sip my wine.

I look around at the beautiful, modern decor and think about how Landon would think this place was hot. He’s always talking about the clubs he’s gone to on trips to New York and L.A. I wonder out loud if he’s been here.

“Why don’t you text him and see if he wants to join us?”

I look at Jake, surprised. “Really?”

“Yeah, I’d love to hang out with your friends.”

I hesitate, but why not? “Okay,” I say pulling out my phone and shooting Landon a quick text.

He texts me back a few minutes later and says he’s just finishing up dinner with a friend but that they’d love to meet us

Forty-five minutes later, I see Landon walk in and I stand up, waving excitedly at him. He rushes over, a dark haired guy trailing right behind him. When he’s almost to our table, he yells, “Fancy Face!” and I rush into his arms yelling, “Hi!” over the hubbub of the club.

He lets me go, saying loudly, “Girl, you look hot!” Then he looks over to Jake who is standing and shakes his hand, saying, “Thanks for inviting us.” Jake smiles and nods at him, saying, “It’s good to officially meet you.”

He pulls the good looking guy behind him to his side and introduces him as Jeff Stoltz. I take him in, thinking he looks really familiar, and when it hits me, the hair color is different but… , “Has anyone ever told you you look – “

“Like Matt Damon?” he finishes, smiling. “Yeah, I’ve heard that once or twice.”

“That often, huh?” I laugh and gesture for them to sit, which they do.

As Jeff is ordering drinks, and Jake looks away, Landon catches my eye and fans himself, shooting looks in Jake’s direction. I grin. But I can’t disagree.

We order more drinks and all chat easily. Jake is charming and personable and I’m having a great time.

I have three large glasses of wine in me when Jake stands up, pulling me with him and whispering, “I want you on the dance floor.”

My heart starts beating a little bit faster and I sway slightly, but suddenly, dancing doesn’t seem quite so daunting. I have a sneaking suspicion that the three large glasses of wine I’ve consumed is the reason for this.

I wave to the guys and follow Jake onto the dance floor. A mix of Maroon Five’s “One More Night” is blasting through the speakers, and suddenly, I’m in Jake’s arms and he’s moving against me, and it’s easy to follow his sexy hip movements. I bring my arms up around his neck and we move against each other, and besides having sex with Jake, this is the most erotic thing I’ve ever experienced.

“I should have known you’d be a good dancer,” I whisper into his ear.

He smiles and presses more fully into my body, making me close my eyes and cling more tightly to his neck. Would it be considered déclassé to have an orgasm on the dance floor of a nightclub? I giggle to myself. Okay, maybe I’ve had just a tad
too much
to drink.

The song changes, and I feel a tap on my shoulder and Landon is grinning at me. Jake takes my jaw in his hand and kisses me hard and quick on the mouth, turning me over to Lan. “I’m gonna go use the restroom,” he says. “Take care of her.” Landon nods and then spins me around as I giggle and follow his lead.

“Jeff seems nice, Lan,” I say, spinning back into him.

“He is. I might really like him. I wanted you to hang out with him a little bit so you could give me your impression,” he says, looking a little nervous.

“I like him a lot so far!”

“Good. I think he’s great. And hot. I mean, maybe not as hot as your boy toy, but hot.” He laughs, spinning me again.

“Where’d you meet him?”

“At Starbucks. It was crowded and he asked if he could share my table. We ended up talking for three hours.”

“I love that!” I grin at him, spinning away.

Ten minutes later, just as I’m starting to believe that I might be a truly gifted dancer, or maybe it’s just the wine, I’m not really sure, a big dark haired guy in a tight black t-shirt grabs my hand and tries to pull me into him. I nod no, pointing at Landon, and when Landon sees what’s going on, he grabs my hand and attempts to pull me back. Apparently, this guy isn’t going to take two no’s for an answer though because he tugs me harder, and I go stumbling against his body. There’s a slight struggle as Landon tries to pull me away from him, and the beefy guy in black tries to turn my body so that he can put his massive frame between Landon and me.

Suddenly, the guy who has hold of me is flying backwards, and I catch sight of a livid looking Jake, his hand on the back of the guy’s collar, hauling him to the edge of the floor. Jake says something close to his face, and the guy raises his hands in a mock surrender and goes sauntering away. I stand still, looking at Jake’s angry face. That expression…

Jake watches him leave, his jaw tense, and then returns to me. I feel slightly off balance. It must be the alcohol. I shake it off and smile brightly at Jake. “My hero,” I croon and when Jake looks down into my face, he must see that I’m really tipsy because he shakes his head slightly, smiling now and puts his arms back around me. I grin up at him and we start moving again.

An hour later, I’m sweaty and breathing hard, and I think my feet may need to be put to rest, separate from the rest of my body.

Jeff joined us on the floor a few minutes after Jake hauled the big guy off of me, and we’ve all been having a blast together.

Jake leans forward and says something to Landon and Landon nods, blowing a kiss my way, which I return. I wave at Jeff and he waves back. Then Jake takes my hand and leads me off the dance floor.

I ask him to wait for a second as I use the restroom and then give him a quick kiss as I head inside. After I do my business and freshen up at the mirror, I walk out. I look around, confused. Jake is nowhere in sight. I finally spot him by the door, his face tight as he talks closely to a woman I can’t see completely because her head is turned, and there is someone standing behind her obscuring most of her body. All I can make out is brownish hair that’s pulled up and long, shapely legs. She turns and walks out the door, and he looks toward the restrooms, a nervous expression on his face. He doesn’t see me because I’m already coming toward him, squeezing through a group of people by the bar.