Chat Love (21 page)

He gives me his cocky grin and takes the bag from my hand. His hand touching mine causes electricity that makes me want to kiss him again. He pulls back, looking at his hand with confusion; apparently, he felt it too.

He clears his throat. “Thank you for the clean clothes.”

I simply nod my head and look down at my red flats, feeling sad that things are already different than what I’d expected. I begin to think that I should probably turn around, go home, and go back to looking for a man online when I hear him clear his throat again, causing me to look up at him.

His blue eyes are on me, staring intently.

“Would you like to come inside?” he asks, out of the blue. “I was just about to start making dinner, and maybe you could help me. I’m sure the touch of an Italian woman could only improve my cooking.” I bite my lip, trying to conceal my excitement as Jackson continues, “Plus I know Ginger would like to see you. I think she’s missed you already.”

A little while later, I am standing in Jackson’s fancy kitchen, helping him prepare spaghetti, tossed salad, and garlic bread. While we cook, Jackson and I drink red wine, joke, talk, and laugh. I tell him all about my crazy Italian family and he tells me about how his family is just as disappointed that he isn’t married. Meanwhile, Ginger circles our legs, begging to be petted and catching the occasional scrap of food that falls to the floor.

“Then maybe you should stop sleeping around?” I suggest, taking a sip of my wine and watching Jackson take the bread out of the oven.

“But where’s the fun in that?” he asks teasingly as he places the steaming loaf of bread on a plate. “I should ask you why you aren’t married yet, since you seem to be normal, in spite of your constant nagging,” he casts me a lighthearted glance with the last line, making sure that I know he’s joking.

I take the plate with the garlic bread from him and carry it to the table. “I just haven’t met the right man yet,” I answer plainly.

He walks over with the bowl of salad in his hands and asks, “But your little sister has?”

I take a seat at the table and begin filling our plates with food. “Yes, unfortunately for me.” I take a bite of the spaghetti and grin. “You sure are lucky that I decided to come by. I can only imagine what you’d be eating if I weren’t here to help you.”

I see Jackson watching me curiously and I quickly wipe my mouth with my napkin, feeling self-conscious.

“Sweetheart, you know I can cook on my own, right?” he says.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Macaroni and cheese?” I ask, smiling.

He leans in closer to me. “Oh, you don’t even know what I can do with my hands, Lucia.” He gives a sly grin.

The double meaning of his words causes me to choke on my spaghetti. Jackson is behind me in an instant, rubbing my back and trying to help me breathe.

“Calm down, woman,” he says. “You have to chew first,
then
swallow.” He pinches my shoulders lightly and sits back down.

Once I can breathe again, I take a sip of wine. We continue eating in silence while Ginger laps at her own small plate of spaghetti on the floor. My eyes land on Jackson’s lips as they part to accept the forkful of food, and I watch as he licks the sauce from the corner of his mouth. Occasionally, he sighs lightly as he swallows, and it makes me happy to see him enjoying my cooking. Watching him eat is slowly turning me on, and I desperately try to think of a way to revive the conversation. Without thinking, I blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind.

“I haven’t had sex in almost a year,” I say, immediately regretting my words.

Jackson has a hard time swallowing his spaghetti. After a brief coughing fit, he takes a swig of wine and looks at me.

“What?” he asks with a surprised look on his face.

I cover my mouth, trying to take back what I’d said. I cover my face with my hands. “Never mind, I’m sorry. Just forget what I said, OK?”

He ignores me. “Did you just say that you haven’t shagged in a year?”

With my hands still covering my face, I nod sheepishly. “Yeah, something like that. Forget it please; it’s just the wine talking.”

I hear him laugh and I feel his hands gently pulling mine away from my face. His eyes show amusement and he gives me a suggestive grin.

“Are you trying to hint at something, Lucia?” His eyebrows wiggle playfully and he laughs again.

I pull away from him. “No, I wasn’t trying to do anything like that. I just wanted to make conversation.”

Jackson laughs louder when he sees me blushing. After he calms down, he looks at me and says, “Lucia, you definitely intrigue me.” Then, as though nothing had happened, he goes back to eating his dinner and changes the subject. To say the least, I’m relieved.

After dinner, we are sitting on his couch, finishing off what’s left of our bottle of wine. Ginger has placed her head in my lap and I am stroking her fur lightly. We’ve somehow gotten back on the topic of my sex life, and Jackson is trying his best to figure out how I’ve been able to survive for so long without having sex. Leave it to a man-whore to ask that kind of question.

“I just want to wait, that’s all,” I explain.

“Wait for what? You’re not a virgin, are you?” he asks, leaning back and cocking his head to the side.

I chuckle. “No, definitely not.” Jackson’s eyebrows rise with joking judgment. I quickly add, “But I’m also not you. I’m definitely choosier when it comes to who I’ll sleep with.” He laughs and takes a sip of his wine. I continue, “I just don’t want a relationship to be only about sex; I’d like a little more than that.”

“More?” he asks, curious as to what I mean.

“Yeah, more. I want sex, but I don’t want things to be purely physical; I want emotion, too. I want to feel loved by the person I am with, rather than just feeling like they only love my body.”

Jackson nods his head, taking in what I’m saying. “And you’re willing to wait for as long as it takes? Even if it takes another year?”

I think about his question and nod. “Yeah, I think I am. I know that the guy will be worth it.”

Jackson’s eyes soften and he moves a piece of hair behind my ear. “You’re definitely not like any other woman I’ve met.” He leans in closer and kisses my exposed shoulder. Soon his lips have moved to my neck, and they quickly work their way up to find my lips. We spend the rest of the evening making out like teenagers, and I enjoy every minute of it.

I walk into work the next morning with a smile on my face, still thinking about last night. I feel energized and triumphant and take a seat at my desk, ready to be productive. As I’m answering e-mails, Skyler walks up to my desk with a curious look on her face.

“What is going on with you? You’re just full of sunshine today.”

I shrug my shoulders. “I’m just happy, that’s all. Why can’t I just be happy today?”

“Because we have that bitch of an actress Hayden Stewart on the show today, that’s why,” she replies. She continues to stare at me for a minute while I keep working. Then, she makes the connection. “Jackson,” she states.

“Jackson?” I ask, trying to pretend I have no idea what she’s talking about.

“Don’t you try to lie to me, Lucia; I saw both of you come in here today grinning as if it’s Christmas morning. I know what you’ve been up to!”

I quickly try to distract her with questions. “What do you mean? Did Jackson say something to you?”

“I always knew that the two of you would get together; I told you that there was sexual tension there. So, what happened?” she says, ignoring my questions.

I bite my lip, not wanting to give too much away. “Well, we cooked dinner at his place last night, and drank some wine afterward.”

She leans against the wall and asks excitedly, “And?”

“And we kissed.”

“Again?” I nod my head and she asks, “What about Chat Love, then?”

“I’ve decided to take a break from the site for a while,” I reply.

She groans. “Lu, you can’t just give up already. You’ll find your Dave, I promise.”

I mumble, “But what if Jackson is my Dave?”

Skyler looks at me skeptically, raising an eyebrow. “Jackson Foster as a serious boyfriend? I don’t know, Lu.”

“But just the other night, you said—”

She cuts me off, “Look, you know I love Jackson and that I think he’s a great guy, but I just don’t want you to get hurt.” She looks around to make sure no one is listening. “I heard he had sex with Caitlin.”

All of my happiness disappears in an instant.

Seeing the hurt on my face, Skyler quickly adds, “I mean, that could have been aone-time thing, or even a rumor. It’s obvious that he likes you, now.”

I hiss out, “As in he’s moved on to me, now?” I’m offended, and growing more upset by the second.

“No, that’s not what I meant at all. Lu, you know I just want you to be happy.”

Not wanting to talk about it anymore, I make up an excuse to leave. “I have to go check on Hayden now, so I’ll see you later.” I walk past her, furious. If Jackson thinks that I am just going to settle for being another piece of ass, he is sorely mistaken; Lucia Fabbo is not any man’s toy. I walk to the studio and spot a clean-shaven Jackson talking to Caitlin, which only serves to make me angrier.

“Hi, Lucia, you look very pretty today.” I turn around and see Patrick giving me a big smile. He continues, “I like your dress.”

I look down at my dress, suddenly having trouble remembering what I’m wearing, even though this morning I took my time getting ready, trying to look good for Jackson. I mumble my thanks to Patrick and cast another glance at Jackson, watching Caitlin bend over to reveal ample cleavage.

Patrick gets my attention again. “I wanted to talk to you about the list of questions that Hayden said we could ask. Is this girl serious?” he asks. “She’s barely twenty years old and already acting like a diva! Where does she get off thinking that she’s so special? Doesn’t she realize that after all of these crappy movies come out her career will be over?” I tune out the rest of Patrick’s rant while continuing to watch Jackson and Caitlin talking. Every time she touches him, my heart stings.

“So what do you think?” Patrick asks.

I turn back to Patrick and see him flashing his white smile.
Shit,
I think,
I have no idea what he’s asking.
Wanting to avoid trouble, I simply answer, “Sure, sounds good.”

“Great! I’ll see you tonight at seven at the 21 Club.” Patrick turns and walks away in the direction of the set.

I hear Jackson’s irritatingly sexy voice say, “Well that was nice of Patrick, inviting you to the dinner tonight.”

I turn around and see him smiling at me. He touches his clean-shaven jaw and winks. Last night, after we’d had our make-out session, I confessed to him that his beard irritated me. Apparently, he’d taken my comment to heart.

I hiss at him, “You must be upset that Caitlin isn’t invited.”

He looks at me, confused. “Why would I be upset about that?”

I snap back, “Because if she’s not there, you won’t have any cleavage to stare at.”

He rolls his eyes. “Whatever. Shouldn’t you get back to prepping Hayden Stewart?” He turns and walks away from me.

That’s it,
I think to myself.
Tonight, it’s on.

As I approach our table at the 21 Club with Skyler in tow, I look around, taking in my surroundings. The place is fancy, and from what I’ve heard, tonight’s dinner is extremely important due to some announcement Patrick needs to make. Our table is located in a private room that heavily resembles a wine cellar.

Jackson stands up when he sees us and pulls out two chairs in an unusual display of chivalry. Skyler quickly sits between Patrick and a man I know to be the president of the network, leaving me to sit between Patrick and Jackson. I mumble my thanks and look around the table. Seated next to the president are the network’s publicist and vice president, and surrounding them is a collection of producers and executives. Apparently this announcement is going to be big.

After we’ve all ordered our drinks, Patrick stands up with a big smile on his face. He raises his glass, tapping it lightly with a fork. Instead of trying to build suspense, Patrick simply jumps right into making his announcement.

“I would just like to congratulate everybody here, because our ratings have been going up steadily and we’ve been getting more positive feedback with each passing day. We couldn’t have gotten to where we are now without the help of every person at this table, and we’ve just signed a contract granting us three more years on the air.” He raises his glass higher. “To three more years,” he says with a smile on his face.

We all raise our glasses and repeat in unison, “Three more years.”

During dinner, I can feel Jackson occasionally rubbing my leg with his, and I make a point to try and keep my legs crossed.

After Patrick finishes his fourth glass of wine, he leans in close to me and whispers, “You are a very beautiful woman, Lucia. I hope that you know that. Any man would be lucky to be with you.” He puts his hand on my knee. “I know I would be.”

I standup abruptly, accidentally knocking over my wine glass. “I’m sorry,” I say as I mop up the spill with my napkin, “I need to go to the bathroom.”

I see both Skyler and Jackson’s eyes look at me with expressions of worry. I rush to the bathroom, wanting to avoid both of them.

After taking a moment to calm myself down in the bathroom, I open the door and see Jackson waiting for me.

“I thought Skyler would come,” I say coolly.

“Trust me, she wanted to, but I convinced her to let me come and check on you.” He takes a step closer to me. “I saw what Patrick did just now, and I wanted to knock out a few of his shiny, white teeth for making you feel so uncomfortable.”

I wave my hand in dismissal. “He’s just been drinking; it’s fine.”

Jackson argues, “I don’t care whether he’s been drinking or not, it still doesn’t give him the right to put his hands on you.”

Trying to avoid causing a scene, I reply, “Jackson, thank you for checking on me. I’m fine, OK?”

I try to move past him but he continues to block my exit. “What happened today at work?” he asks suddenly. I shrug my shoulders and look down at my boots. He lifts my chin up with two fingers and looks me in the eyes. “Lucia?”