Falling From Disgrace (4 page)

She moved to his front door but Jack spoke out to stop her from leaving.

“Hey, wait a minute,” he said.  “Can I at least have your number?”      

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he got in reply.

“Why not?”

“Look, Jack,” Adrianna scoffed, “you’re a nice guy but let’s just call a spade a spade.  We both know this was a one night stand and you don’t have to pretend anything for my sake.  Really, it’s okay.”

Adrianna stood there awkwardly while Jack looked at her with total befuddlement.

“You are without a doubt the strangest woman I’ve ever met,” he admitted to her.  “I’m not pretending anything, Ade; I’d like to see you again.”

“Why?” she asked him, genuine confusion evident on her face.

“Why not?”

Adrianna pursed her lips and rolled her eyes to the ceiling.  “Because I’m not the type of girl you want to get involved with, okay?”

“Don’t you think I should decide that?” he countered.

“No.”

“Give me your number.”

“No!”

He moved towards her, stalking like a jungle cat, a sly grin creeping up on his features. Adrianna took the time to admire his physique once more and the way his skin was still glistening with sweat from their activity. 

“Adrianna,” he whispered when there was just a sliver of space between them.  Adrianna’s hand came up to rest on his abdominal muscles but she didn’t push him away.  He leaned down to continue in her ear.  “Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that as much as I did.  I’d like to do it again and I know you would, too.  Give me your number so I can call you.  Let me take you out, get to know you more, and then bring you back to my bed again.” 

Adrianna shivered as his warm breath tickled her ear and when he ran one finger down the side of her neck she almost caved.  Almost.

“No,” she told him.

Jack was determined though and he moved his lips from her ear to kiss her once again.  It was that same deep, sensuous kiss he gave her when they first got back to his apartment and Adrianna was defenseless against it.  She surrendered to it, leaning her body into his and sighing at the way his tongue moved against hers.  While she contemplated going back to his room for one more round before she went home, she didn’t notice that Jack was secretly using one hand to dig through her purse at her side.  He continued to kiss her until his fingers closed around the object he was searching for.

Quickly, before Adrianna could realize what he was doing, Jack pulled away from her and used her cell phone to dial his number.  When she figured out his plan, she reached out to snatch her phone away from him but Jack held it high over his head and hit the call button.

“Give me my phone, Jack!” Adrianna demanded, but it was too late.  She could hear his phone ringing from somewhere in his bedroom.

With a satisfied grin, Jack hit the end button and then held it out for Adrianna to retrieve.

“There,” he boasted.  “Now I have your number.”

Adrianna scowled as she put her phone away.  “You’re impossible.”

“I’m clever,” he retorted. 

With another shake of her head and exasperated sound, Adrianna turned to leave but Jack stopped her again.

“It’s after three a.m., how are you getting home?” he asked.

“I’ll walk.  It isn’t far.”

“Are you crazy?  You think I’m going to let you walk home at this hour by yourself?  I have a car, let me get dressed and I’ll drive you.”

Without waiting for an answer Jack took her hand and led her back into his room.  He wasn’t going to risk her taking off while he went to find clothes and he was pretty sure she’d do that given the chance.  While he dressed, Adrianna stood with her arms crossed, looking annoyed.  Jack wondered what her deal was.  He didn’t think she was trying to pretend to be the chick that was cool with casual hook-ups just to appeal to a man and then get all clingy the next day.  He was good at reading people and he was sure Adrianna wasn’t one to play games like that.  But what could it be?  Burned by a previous boyfriend?  Troubled past?  Whatever the case was, he really did like her and he was going to find out why she didn’t think she was the type he’d want to see again.

“Ready?” he asked when he was back in his bar uniform of black Dickies and a black t-shirt.

“You really don’t have to do this,” Adrianna said as she followed him out of the apartment.  They made their way back down to the street and then Jack took her hand to cross over to the parking garage where his car was housed.

“I know I don’t have to do this,” he replied.  “I’m not trying to put up a front here and pretend to be a gentleman.  Yeah, I slept with you after we just met but I am a good guy.  I’d like to have the chance to show you that.”

They found his car and Adrianna was surprised to see that it was a new Challenger. Granite grey, it was sleek and sexy.  Not that he was driving a Bentley or anything but still, it wasn’t a bad ride for a bartender.

“Nice car,” Adrianna told him as he opened the passenger side door for her. 

“Thanks.  Just bought her a week ago.”

Adrianna gave Jack directions to her apartment building and then sat quietly, contemplating why Jack was interested in seeing her again.  He did seem like a genuinely nice guy and that was just more of a reason why she couldn’t see him.  He didn’t need to be involved with someone like her.  Thinking that, she grew depressed and suddenly yearned to reach into her purse for her pills.  Maybe she should take one in front of him now just to show him she was flawed and scare him away.  She didn’t have the guts to do that though.

When the car pulled up in front of her building Jack got out, surprising her further, to open her door.  He even held out his hand to help her out of the seat.

“Thanks for taking me home,” Adrianna said quietly when they reached the door to her apartment.

“Thanks for letting me take you home,” he answered.  He leaned down to kiss her, gently this time, with closed lips.  “I’ll call you soon.”

Chapter 4

S
everal times over the next week, Adrianna’s phone rang with calls from Jack.  She rejected every one of them.  She was sad about it, she was, but after thinking hard about the possibility of getting close to someone she decided it was a horrible idea. Even if Jack wasn’t disgusted by her life of doing nothing and living alone, he was bound to find out about her habit and she was sure he’d cut and run at that.  What guy wanted to deal with a girl who was depressed, isolated, and addicted to painkillers?  She was moody, withdrawn, and sullen most of the time and Jack, who could probably have any girl he wanted, would not put up with that shit for long.  She didn’t want to run the risk of getting attached to him, only to have him take off when he learned that side of her.  No, it was best not to see Jack again.

After more than a week of rejecting his calls, Adrianna was sure he’d give up.  She wasn’t worth the hassle, surely Jack would realize that.  A few more days went by and when she didn’t receive any more calls she was both relieved and disappointed.  It was for the best, though.

On a Tuesday evening, Adrianna was sitting on the floor of her living room, painting her toenails.  She had had a good day, having slept a full five hours straight the night before and had woken up in minimal pain.  She spent the morning in the laundry room and then spoke with her mother.

Adrianna’s parents were still hoping their daughter would return to school to get her degree in medicine and her mother told her that every chance she got.  Not wanting to argue, Adrianna told her what she always did.

“Soon, Mom.  I’m not ready just yet.”

“How’s work, honey?” her mother asked her.  Adrianna spent the last two years lying to her parents, telling them she had a job working as a medical assistant in a pediatrician’s office.  She didn’t like lying to them but it was important that they believe she was living a normal life.  The more normal it seemed, the fewer questions they asked. 

“It’s fine,” she said casually.  “I’m hoping to take vacation next month so I can come home for a visit.”

“Oh really, sweetie?  That would be wonderful!”

Adrianna felt badly about getting her mother’s hopes up like that but it was something she had to do to keep up with the facade.  In reality she had no intention of going home until she really had to at Christmastime, still six months away.  She couldn’t stand visiting her hometown where she was bound to bump into someone she knew from high school.  They would either pretend not to see her out of discomfort or look at her with such pity she would want to throw up.

After hanging up with her mother, she decided to get out for the day.  It was a rare occasion when she wouldn’t feel like keeping herself holed up in her apartment and so she took advantage of it.  She went out for lunch, did some grocery shopping, stopped in the library for a bit, and then bought a few new bottles of nail polish at the drugstore around the corner. 

She was polishing her toes in a color called Koala Pink, remembering how she and Rachel both went through a pink phase when they were twelve.  Their rooms, clothes, shoes, accessories, and even pencils they bought for school all had to be some rosy color. 

“Remember when we washed all of our white socks with my mom’s red blouse on purpose?”  Adrianna said out loud to her late best friend.  “You said they were the color of cotton candy and then put one in your mouth to see if it tasted like it.  You were such a nut, Rae.”                                                                                                                    

Adrianna liked days like that, when she was able to reminisce about her friend without having a meltdown.  Those days were few and far between. 

She sat thinking about her best friend and where they would be right now if they hadn’t been in the accident while she waited for her toes to dry.  They’d be finishing up with med school, probably sharing an apartment together and applying for residencies.  Maybe they would be planning Rachel’s wedding to Jason.

With a heavy sigh, Adrianna lifted herself from her carpet not wanting to dwell and spoil her good day.  After she placed the bottle of nail polish in her bathroom cabinet she heard a knock on her door.  Her jaw dropped when she saw through her peephole that it was Jack.

Pulling away from the door quickly she waited silently for him to go away after knocking again.  Then her cell, which was sitting on her sofa, rang.

“I know you’re in there, I can hear your phone ringing through the door!”

Damn, he really was clever, wasn’t he?

Pulling her hair down from the ponytail it was in, Adrianna fluffed her bangs and looked down at her wardrobe.  A pair of black yoga pants and a Kermit the Frog t-shirt wasn’t the most flattering thing she owned but it would have to do.

“Why are you so persistent?” she demanded when she opened the door.

“Why are you so stubborn?” Jack countered.  He looked good.  He was wearing a pair of well-worn blue jeans and a white button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.  His dark hair was styled neatly on top of his head and he stared at her with a gleam in those striking, blue eyes.

“Do you wear contacts?” Adrianna asked by way of changing the subject.

“No.  Can I come in?”

Adrianna dropped her gaze to the bag Jack was holding in his hand.  “What’s that?”

“Chinese food,” he said simply, as if it was totally ordinary for him to show up at her door with dinner after she had avoided his calls for more than a week.  She wanted to tell him no but she was hungry and Chinese sounded amazing.

“You bring egg rolls?” she asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

“Of course.”

Adrianna stepped to the side and opened the door wider to let him in.  With a satisfied grin Jack stepped into her apartment and kicked the door closed with the heel of his brown leather shoe.

“Why didn’t you take my calls?” he asked, shifting their dinner to cradle the bag in his arms.

“I was out of town.” 

“Oh?  Where?”

Adrianna looked down at her toes
. 
“Australia.”

Jack laughed.  “Australia, huh?  How are things down under?”

Adrianna slinked away towards her kitchen with Jack right on her heels, ignoring his question. While he deposited the bag of food on her counter he watched as she reached into a cupboard to retrieve plates.  It been just over a week since he had seen her last but he had forgotten how beautiful she was.  He unashamedly checked out her ass as she stretched on her toes to reach two glasses from the same cabinet.  When she turned towards him, balancing the dishes and cups in her hands, he got a look at those luscious lips of hers and he felt himself get hard.  Not able to help himself, he leaned forward and kissed her, loudly, on the mouth.

“Sorry,” he said when he pulled away, noticing her shocked expression.  “I couldn’t help myself.”

Adrianna shook herself out of the kiss-induced stupor he put her in and then sat at her kitchen table.

“Nice place you have,” Jack complimented as he unpacked cartons of shrimp lo mien, sweet and sour pork, and steamed dumplings.  “Though it doesn’t look like the place a trust fund baby would have.”

Adrianna smirked and told him, “I’m not a trust fund baby.”

“So you don’t go to school, you don’t work, and you aren’t a trust fund baby.  Then how do you afford an apartment in the better part of the city, huh?”

Adrianna looked at him seriously like she was about to share a deep, dark secret.  Jack leaned in intently and she whispered, “I’m an arms dealer.”

Jack sat back in his chair, his brows high on his forehead.  “An arms dealer?  That’s tough in a city like Chicago.”

“Well,” Adrianna shrugged, “you aren’t the only who’s clever.”

She left Jack laughing at the table while she went to retrieve silverware.

Jack shot question after question at her while they ate, not at all deterred by her hesitance to share.

“Your parents still married?”

“Yup.”

“Brothers or sisters?”

“Nope.”

“I’ve got one sister; she’s older than me and lives in Wisconsin.  You graduate high school?”

“Of course.”

Jack gave her a snarky look.  “Don’t say it like that, I didn’t.”

“You didn’t?” Adrianna asked, not trying to hide her surprise. 

“Nope.  I got my GED when I was sixteen.  School wasn’t the right place for me.”

“Why not?” she asked him.

“I always struggled.  I have ADD and I could never sit through a class without getting into trouble.  My parents got tired of getting calls from the principal so when I told them what I wanted to do they agreed.  Best thing I ever did.” 

Adrianna shifted in her chair and Jack noticed it was the third time she had done that since they sat down.   “Do I make you nervous?” he questioned.

“No, why?”

“You just can’t seem to sit still.”

Damn, why did he have to be so observant?  She could tell him she suffered from a bad back and leave it at that but instead she smirked and said, “I guess I have a little ADD, too.”

While Jack took a sip of his soda she turned the conversation back to him.   “So you got your GED and have been bartending ever since?”

“I don’t just bartend, I run a business,” Jack said.

“What business?”

“Loki’s.”

“You run Loki’s?”

“I own Loki’s.”

It was Adrianna’s turn to look snarky.  “Now who isn’t the forthcoming one?”

“Hey, you never asked.  But yes, I opened the bar about two months ago.  It’s going well.  Despite a shitty economy, people will always need a place to drink.”

Adrianna’s expression conveyed that she was impressed.  “How old are you?”

“Thirty-two,” Jack answered.

“No way!”  Adrianna exclaimed.  She had guessed he was her age, maybe a year older.

Without a word and while chewing his food, Jack reached into his wallet and handed her his license.  Sure enough, his birthday confirmed that he had turned thirty-two in February.  Adrianna’s eyes roamed over his ID gathering more information.

“Jonathan Henry Lokinski?” she smiled.

“I’m a junior so my parents called me Jack,” he smiled back at her.

“Lokinski.  I can see where Loki’s comes from now,” Adrianna said.

“In ninth grade English we read about Norse mythology.  When Loki came up my friends noticed the comparison to my last name.  Being that he was the god of mischief and my tendency to always get into trouble, the name stuck.”

“That’s cute.”

Adrianna felt herself warming up to Jack and actually liking him.  The feeling didn’t bother her though, not that day.  She was comfortable and the thought of getting closer to him was starting to appeal to her.  Maybe a relationship could work.  Lord knows she was tired of being alone all the time.

Jack finally felt as if Adrianna was being more open with him.  Even if she wasn’t talking about herself, she was at least talking now, without him having to prompt her with questions.  Still, there was a lot he wanted to know.

“So what did you do after you graduated high school?” he asked.

“I went to Northwestern,” she divulged.