Chance Encounters (7 page)

They sat on a bench and Emma found herself watching Jacob
with complete fascination. He looked over at her and flipped one of his long,
wavy tresses out of his face. “So, ducky, tell me about you. You are headed to
New York. What takes you there?”

Emma poked at her Italian ice with her spoon but didn’t eat
it. She hesitated.

“A new job. Well … actually I am from upper state NY to
begin with. I moved away to go to college and I ended up settling in
California. Now, I guess my roots are calling me home. It’s a really boring
story.”

He ran a finger under her chin. “Something tells me there is
nothing boring about you, Emma Reed.”

“You are the one who has had all the adventures, not me.
Your life is unbelievable.”

He smiled gently at her. “That’s what life is all about,
Emma. It’s all one big adventure. How you choose to live it is up to you. I
don’t like to live by other people’s standards. I live by my own. I don’t hurt
anyone, and in turn I don’t get hurt. I meet some incredible people along the
way, and sometimes some of them are unforgettable.”

She had a distinct feeling he was referring to her. “Well,
Emma Gemma, I hope by the time this journey is through, you will remember me,
as I will definitely remember you.”

She didn’t want to think about this part of the journey
ending. She wanted to just be here, doing exactly what they were doing.

The stars illuminated the night sky. Emma realized that she
had always been so busy that she never took the time to view them the way she
was then and there. Jacob pointed out different constellations. “Over there is
the Big Dipper. Did you know the Big Dipper is only a small part of a larger
constellation called Big Bear in Ursa Major?”

Emma didn’t know anything about the night sky accept that
they were stars. “When is your birthday, Emma?” he asked her gently.

“September 23
^rd
,” she answered.

He looked around for a bit. “Ah, there it is. See over there
the stars that sort of resemble a kite with a string underneath?”

Emma concentrated hard. It all looked the same to her. Jacob
stood behind her, lifting her arm to the sky. He directed her hand toward the
direction of the stars he was talking about. Emma couldn’t concentrate on the
stars. At that moment all she could concentrate on was Jacob sitting close
enough to her back that she could feel his breath tickling down her neck. Her
heart jumped wildly in her chest.

Jacob felt her tense up, so he leaned in closer, stroking
the length of her arm to the side of her body until his arm rested on her hip.

He continued on with his lesson, “The star cluster that
looks like a kite is Libra, your birth sign. Libra lies between Scorpio and
Virgo. Once, long ago, the area occupied by Libra was seen as encompassing the
claws of the scorpion Scorpius. The constellation of Libra is sometimes
perceived as the Scales of Justice. This leads to an association with the
constellation of Virgo, who has been identified with Astraea, or Dike, the
Goddess of Justice. She is the goddess who judges the souls of men after their
death by weighing them in her balance.”

Emma lowered her arm until it rested on top of Jacob’s hand.
“How do you know all of this?”

“Oh, I pick things up here and there, but mostly just from
sleeping underneath them.” Emma stood in place, too afraid to move from where
she was sitting.

“Come on, ducky. Let’s continue our journey.” Grabbing her
hand, he pulled her to her feet and through the park, back onto the sidewalk.

They stopped in front of the Hilton Hotel. Emma stopped
short. “Um, Jacob, don’t get me wrong, but where are we going?”

He let out a howling laugh. “Darling, I wouldn’t need a
hotel room to do what I want to do with you. I am a free spirit.”

Emma didn’t move. He laughed at how serious she was. “There
is a nice little bar in here, and I happen to know the bartender. Come on,
world class martinis.”

Emma let out the breath she had been holding. What was she
so nervous about? She shook her head and followed him inside.

They walked up to the bar and sat down. “Well hello, weary
traveler. I heard a rumor you were in town. How long are you in visiting for?”
the pretty bartender with vibrant red hair asked Jacob. Emma wondered how well
the two of them actually knew each other. She felt silly for wondering such
things. Jacob owed her nothing. They barely knew each other, although she felt
like she knew him completely. They weren’t a couple. He was just someone who
was being kind to her in her times of trouble. The pretty red head poured two
orange martinis and placed them in front of Emma and Jacob. “On the house,
guys. Enjoy!” She winked at Jacob and moved on to her next customer.

Jacob picked up his glass and held it in front of him. “I
feel we should make a toast.”

Emma picked up her glass. “Okay! What to?”

He grinned at her. “To fate, to chance encounters, to
tonight.” Their glasses clinked together and they both took a sip. Emma could
feel the burn of the alcohol as it slid down her throat. Before she knew it,
she had downed the entire glass.

The bartender came back over and smiled at her. “It’s good,
isn’t it?” She mixed up two more, slid them across the counter, and walked
away. Emma could feel the alcohol working its magic; she was beginning to
loosen up. She always thought she was a fun person, but sadly she was learning
tonight that she really wasn’t.

Her thoughts wandered off to Matt. Had she pushed him away?
Was she so predictable that he was bored with her? Did she not know how to have
fun anymore? Jacob snapped her out of her thoughts by handing her a third
martini. She let out a loud burst of laughter when she looked at the glass.
People comment that she tended to laugh like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman when
Richard Gear snapped the jewelry box closed on her hands and she burst out
laughing. Emma finished her second glass and picked up the third one.

“Well, kind sir, if I didn’t know better I’d swear you were
trying to get me drunk.”

He reached over and tucked a hair behind her ear as he
leaned in. “Is it working?”

She burst out laughing again.

Placing her glass down, she grabbed hold of Jacob’s hand and
pulled him out of his seat.

“Where are you taking me, ducky? We can’t … you know, here.”

She smiled and giggled. “I want to dance. Will you dance
with me, Jacob?”

Someone close by made a snide remark. “This isn’t the type
of place for dancing. You people should just go to another bar.” Jacob didn’t
like to be told what to do, so he grabbed Emma and pulled her to him, twirling
her around as the music played. Her head was spinning, but she felt so free,
uninhibited. The person who voiced his complaint to them about the dancing went
and fetched the manager, who in turn was headed in their direction. Jacob
grabbed Emma’s hand and yelled across the lounge to his friend behind the bar,
before they took off running out the door.

They ran down the sidewalk and around to the next block.
They were both laughing and trying to catch their breath when Jacob pulled Emma
to him. He wrapped one arm around her back while he cupped her face in his
hand. He leaned down and gently but passionately kissed her. She gave in to
him. She felt fireworks going off. Her entire body tingled. She reacted to the
slightest touch from him. He pulled away first, to look at her face. Emma
remained in place, unable to catch her breath. He trailed his fingers along the
side of her face. “You are absolutely beautiful, Emma.”

A light shone in their eyes. They both looked over and Emma
covered her eyes. “All right you two, get moving. This isn’t a hotel you know.”

Emma was completely embarrassed. She was never the kind to
give public displays of affection, but something about Jacob made her forget
all of that. Jacob bowed down. “Ay, ay, captain.”

The officer only shook his head. “Come on, go before I drag
you in for disorderly conduct.”

Emma slowly walked past the officer and nodded. Jacob ran up
behind her and wrapped his arm around her. “So you want to go swimming?”

Emma looked at him in surprise. “Swimming, where?”

He winked and grabbed her hand. He dragged her down an alley
to the back of a building. She realized they were behind the Hilton, and pulled
him backwards.

“Jacob, please tell me we are not going to break into a
hotel pool.”

He winked and pulled open the back employee door. “Trust me,
Emma. Just learn to trust, and have some fun.”

She knew he was completely right, so she followed him. He
led her down a long corridor and up a flight of stairs, until the smell of
chlorine permeated the air. Jacob closed the door behind them and bolted it
shut from the inside. “It’s after nine p.m. Most of the staff are gone for the
night, and the pool is closed so we should be in the clear until the morning.”

She shook her head. “Is this what you do? You sneak into
places after closing and leave before they open?”

He only shrugged his shoulders as he pulled his shirt over
his head and threw it to a nearby lounge chair. Emma placed her small travel
bag on the chair. “I don’t have a bathing suit.” She realized it sounded
ridiculous even as she said it. Jacob stripped off his pants and stood there in
his boxer shorts. Emma stared at him. He couldn’t be any different from Matt,
who was average height with a very athletic build. Jacob was over six feet tall
and thin, fit, very lean. Emma shook her head again. “You want me to strip to
my underwear?”

He said nothing as he dove into the pool. He came back up
and she got a good look at his face now that his dark, curly hair was slicked
back from the water. He really was very handsome. “Okay sure, underwear or no
underwear, your choice. I’m okay with both, you choose.”

She smiled for what felt like the hundredth time since being
with him. She quickly pulled off her T-shirt and slipped off her shorts. She
placed them on the lounge chair next to his clothes, thanking the heavens that
she had on cute matching lavender bra and panty set. He was floating on his
back, watching her with wandering eyes. She dove into the pool and under the
water. She swam over to Jacob and pulled him under. He, in turn, began the game
of cat and mouse in the pool.

Emma screeched and tried to get out of his way, but Jacob
was a fast swimmer. He caught up with her over by the ladder, and pinned her up
against the side of the pool. He leaned in to kiss her. Her body relaxed and
she wrapped her arms around his neck. Jacob’s hands began to travel up and down
Emma’s body.

The sound of the entry door rattling ruined the moment.
Jacob stopped moving and placed his finger ever so gently over her lips. “Shhh
… there is someone coming, and it’s not me.”

Emma tried to not laugh, but with Jacob that was nearly
impossible. The door shook harder. She could hear someone talk into a
walkie-talkie, stating the door to the pool was jammed from the inside.

“That is our cue, my dear. We should really be going now.
Come on.” He hopped out of the pool and helped Emma up. They rushed to the
lounge chair, grabbed their things, and hurried to the door on the opposite
side of the room.

The door led down a long hallway. He ushered her to the end.
They laughed at the trail of water they were leaving as they made their escape.

Jacob noticed a housekeeping cart sitting in the hallway
with keys dangling from it. He reached over and ripped one of the keys off of
it. Grabbing Emma, he pulled her around the corner to the elevator. “Okay,
here’s the game plan. We throw on our clothes and get in the elevator like we
are staying here.” He looked at the key he was holding. It was engraved with
the number two-seventeen. “We go up to room two-seventeen and hope no one is
staying in the room.”

Emma didn’t think twice. She pushed the elevator button and
smiled to herself as the door opened up for them. They stepped inside and there
was an employee already on board. Jacob and Emma stood soaking wet,
straight-faced, as the employee looked at them curiously. “Ello Govna,” Jacob
said.

The man quickly turned back and stared straight ahead at the
elevator doors. Emma grinned up at Jacob, and he winked back. The door opened
to Emma and Jacob’s floor, and they got out, following the little brass plaque
hanging on the wall that told them which direction to go.

Jacob put the key in the door and opened it. Emma walked in
first and Jacob closed and locked the door, sliding the safety locks into
place. That way they would have enough warning that someone was coming in the
room. Emma dropped her bag on a chair. “Well, I am going to take a steamy
shower and hang up my clothes to dry.”

Jacob raised an eyebrow. “Do you need me to soap up your
back?”

Emma smiled. “I’ll only be a few minutes.” She walked into
the bathroom and purposely left the door open so he could see her through the
bathroom mirror. She stripped off all her clothing one by one, making sure to
do it very slowly and teasingly. She stepped into the hot streaming water. She
washed away the days’ grit and grime, not wanting to think about all the bad
stuff that had happened that day. She wanted to focus on the here and now, with
Jacob, this amazing soul who, in the matter of one afternoon, managed to make
her feel so alive.

She got out of the shower and wrapped one of the plush white
towels around her. She walked out into the hotel room, but Jacob stopped her
with two words, “Don’t move.” He walked up to her until he was standing mere
inches from her. Reaching out, he slowly removed her towel, allowing it to fall
to the ground. He took in the beauty that is Emma. She could see the hungry
look in his eye, and her body tingled with excitement, knowing what was about
to happen. He slowly walked her backward until she reached the edge of the bed.
She crawled on top of the cushy down blanket and looked up at him. He quickly
stripped off his own wet clothing and lowered himself on top of her. His hands
travelled the length of her body, covering every inch. He wanted to memorize
every single freckle she had. Each time he came across one, he’d lay a tender
kiss on them. Angel kisses, he called them. Every time his lips met her skin,
her body quivered with anticipation of what was to come. Jacob made love to her
the way she had read in his journal. It was unlike anything she had ever
experienced in her life, until now. He made her climax one right after the
other until every nerve in her body was electrified.