Jessie Slaymaker's Non-Existent Love Life (The Jessie Slaymaker Series) (16 page)

‘Trying to get rid of me already,’ Jessie jested as she failed to stifle a yawn. ‘Actually I did feel so tired earlier and then my espresso seem to perk me up a bit. Maybe its starting to wear off,’ she finished, slightly slurring her speech.

‘I think you should get some rest. If I know my brother, he’ll have you working a full day tomorrow,’ Jack said knowingly.

‘Okay, boss,’ Jessie replied sleepily, the fight to stay awake starting to ebb from her.

‘Sweet dreams, gorgeous. Thanks for the call.’

‘No problem, bye,’ she said, shutting her laptop a second later. Two seconds after that, her head hit the pillow and she fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of Tom, Charlie, Jack and her, all living together on a spaceship. Sweet dreams indeed!

Chapter 43

Jack couldn’t stop a wry smile from crinkling his eyes and appearing on his lips. Jessie had been fishing for information on Sonia. He could hear it in her voice, if not her words exactly. Plus, he knew he hadn’t helped her curiosity by neither denying nor confirming any entanglement with Sonia. Jack had liked Jessie’s roundabout questioning, though. An ex-girlfriend had once just asked him straight out if he’d slept with Sonia, two minutes after meeting his friend and with Sonia still in earshot. At least Jessie had the sense to know he was pursuing her, and she was just curious. There was something about Sonia which ignited the green-eyed monster in women. Even in Jessie, Jack thought, his smile growing wider as he imagined Jessie curled up in a big hotel bed looking all tired and cute.

Pursuing her? Was that what he was doing? He had no one else on the cards. He hadn’t even seen another woman aside from Jessie since he’d returned to England. He hadn’t even considered it. Perhaps he was losing his touch. In China, there had been no shortage of women. As Jack paced around his brother’s flat, he realised: he didn’t want just any woman anymore. He really wanted to, and was intrigued to, find out how things would pan out with Jessie.

Jack contemplated the idea of settling down with his most recent girlfriend back in Shanghai. He couldn’t picture it. Simple as that. Regina had been too high-maintenance, always wanting something from him, whether it be gifts, time, or taking her to extravagant parties. Looking back on it now, Jack had always been playing the role of a playboy entrepreneur, acting how he thought someone like him
should
act in China, and dating whom he thought he
should
be dating. Basically, acting more like a younger, suaver Charlie. Although he knew it was early days with Jessie, he’d felt from the beginning that he could be himself with her. She hadn’t demanded expensive presents or endless compliments to get her into bed. In fact she hadn’t needed much persuasion at all in that department, he thought, his eyes crinkling again in a remembering smile.

Jack asked himself if he could envisage growing old with Jessie and then shook himself. He didn’t want to think about growing old, but he could see himself being with Jessie for a fair old stint and not just a short-term fling. He only hoped she was in a similar frame of mind, and wasn’t still quite so intoxicated with Charlie.

Jack didn’t want to compete with Charlie, not after what had happened last time, but he knew in the pit of his stomach that Jessie and Charlie together made no sense. Deep down he wanted his brother to be happy. Jack just knew he wouldn’t be happy with Jessie. Not in the long run anyway.

That was it. He would just have to prove to Jessie that he, Jack, was the better man, and get her to pick him before Charlie got caught up in the middle and decided to stick his oar in any deeper than he already had. He wouldn’t put it past Charlie to throw some serious spanners into the mix if he found out how Jack felt about Jessie before they’d figured things out for themselves. Jack was glad Jessie had been keen to keep their little tryst under wraps for the time being. He hoped this was still the case. Charlie could be a vindictive, ruthless bastard if he saw an opportunity to get even with someone. Especially if he felt he’d been wronged. Maybe a grand gesture was in order, Jack mused.

Chapter 44

The next day Jessie was waiting for Charlie in the hotel lobby, ready for the office. She still felt tired, but was much less groggy than she’d been the previous evening. Thank goodness she was starting to feel more human, because she was nervous enough as it was. Jessie was used to the day-in-day-out routine of her work life in England. Being in Hong Kong was a whole other kettle of fish though, and she was anxious about the work. What if she couldn’t do the work? What if everyone around her was on a completely different intellectual planet compared to her?

Jessie hoped her outfit would hit the mark in the office and give her the confidence boost she needed. As silly as it sounded, she felt much better about herself and her abilities if she was dressed appropriately—reference the previous evening. For the office she had opted for her signature black pencil skirt and a bright red fitted shirt. Her black patent heels were high by her standards, but by Hong Kong standards they were probably a little grannyish. Jessie made a mental note to go shoe shopping if she got some free time, to see if she was able to walk in some of the stilts she’d seen paraded around the city.

Jessie spied Charlie exiting the lift. He spotted her too, and made an immediate beeline for her. She could tell instantly by his face, which was reminiscent of a thundercloud, that he was in a foul mood and was most definitely not a happy bunny this morning. Perhaps Sonia had told him to sling his hook. Jack had said she couldn’t stand Charlie.

‘What the hell was that stunt you pulled last night?’ Charlie fumed as he frog-marched Jessie by the elbow towards the waiting shuttle bus.

‘Good morning, Charlie,’ Jessie said, trying her best to sound assertive despite the shock she felt at both his greeting and his less-than-gentlemanly manhandling of her. ‘I’m sorry, you’ve lost me. What stunt did I pull?’ she asked, stopping still in her tracks.

‘Do you know how rude you were?’ Charlie replied with another question rather than enlightening her.

Jessie considered his question for a moment. Had she been rude at dinner? Despite having felt so tired, she
really
didn’t think she had. Jessie knew she had her flaws, but she felt confident that rudeness wasn’t one of them.

‘I’m sorry if you feel that way Charlie, but I wasn’t rude to anyone last night. I came back early because I could hardly keep my eyes open,’ she said, doing her best to rack her brains for the cause of Charlie’s venom.

‘That and the rest,’ Charlie virtually spat. ‘You sat there practically a mute all night. You didn’t even make an effort. Plus, I could see you giving dirty looks to Sonia all night. She saw as well.’

Jessie was stunned. People always commented on her social skills and talent at talking to anybody. Granted, she’d been a bit deflated on account of the long day, but she had still chatted away to Rowena about her horses, and had fielded polite questions to the Hong Kong food thief whose name she couldn’t remember. And as for the
dirty looks
, she didn’t have a clue what Charlie was banging on about.

‘You’re talking out your arse, Charlie. Would you care to know all about Rowena’s family estate and the names of her fifteen horses? I’m pretty sure I could give you an accurate rundown. Or perhaps Mr Chan’s latest business dealings with the New Land Development Company would be more of interest to you? I know where he’s having lunch today if you’re interested?’ Jessie asked sarcastically, staring him down, refusing point blank to get on the bus.

Charlie looked taken aback. He stared at Jessie, then gave his head a slight shake.

‘I’m going to work,’ he said abruptly, and got on the bus.

What could Jessie do? She couldn’t exactly go back to her room and stew. She was here to do a job, even if she wanted to give her boss a black eye. It would have been a grander gesture to shun Charlie and take a cab. But she didn’t know where the office was. So she got on the bus.

They rode the fifteen minutes into the CBD sitting next to each other but in utter silence. The more Jessie thought about what Charlie had said, the more angry she felt about his words and also how he had said them. She’d been nothing but affable and agreeable on this trip, and he’d just been a vindictive bastard towards her for no apparent reason. If that was the real Charlie, then she wasn’t interested in knowing him. Every now and then she could hear him release an audible sigh. Jessie felt even more annoyed with him. Even his breathing patterns were getting on her nerves now.

Jessie and Charlie barely spoke two words to each other that morning. Charlie was whisked off to meetings and Jessie put her professional hat on and got stuck into the project to which she’d been assigned. She was to head up the resident Hong Kong research team, pulling and analysing data on China’s shadow banking sector and the potential implications of some reforms from the Chinese government that everyone thought were imminent.

Jessie’s earlier nerves evaporated as she buried her head in work. She liked what she was doing and her temporary little team had seemed to respond well to her suggestions and delegation. She was relieved that she hadn’t been out of her depth once so far, and her outfit choice seemed to be working its magic—on everyone aside from Charlie, who was doing his best to avoid eye contact as he moved from meeting to meeting.

When one of the girls in her team offered to take her for lunch, Jessie jumped at the chance. Although she wasn’t really one to hold grudges, she didn’t fancy having a silent and awkward lunch with Charlie. Her new colleague was called Nancy and she took her to a local dim sum restaurant, hidden down a maze of side streets. The hygiene of the establishment was slightly questionable, but the food was good. Jessie very much doubted Charlie would be going anywhere similar, given his choice of swanky dinner venue the night before.

Jessie was glad she was getting to see some of the real Hong Kong, and she drank in the sights and sounds around her. It was her first experience braving the lunchtime slow-moving crowds of the city and she was struck by the fact that everyone seemed to go for lunch in groups and eat out in a restaurant. Some places had long queues of young professionals in business attire stretching down the street, all of them chatting away or playing on their mobile phones at a million miles an hour. In England, Jessie always grabbed a quick sandwich and ate it back at her desk, barely taking her eyes off her computer screen or a report she was reading.

Back at the office and Jessie had just sat down again when she felt a gentle tap on the shoulder. She turned to see Charlie standing there. Funny, she hadn’t heard him breathing.

‘Can I have a quick word with you?’ he asked quietly, looking furtively around the open-plan office space.

‘Sure,’ Jessie replied, and walked as elegantly as she could towards the empty pantry area.

‘I thought we could go in a meeting room…’ Charlie began before a stern look from Jessie stopped him. ‘Or this is fine I guess,’ he conceded.

‘You wanted a word?’ Jessie said firmly, turning to look him squarely in the eye and folding her arms across her chest.

Charlie paused, looking at Jessie as though seeing her for the first time. She had never been so short with him before as she had been today. Jessie stood patiently, waiting for him to speak, not letting her strong body language waver.

‘Yes, about earlier,’ Charlie began, then stopped. Jessie said nothing to fill the gap. ‘You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?’ he smiled, running a hand through his hair. Jessie didn’t say a word.

‘Look, I may have been a bit out of order having a go at you the way I did this morning. I wanted to say I’m sorry.’

‘A bit?’ Jessie repeated.

‘Okay, well a lot. I don’t want to blame the jetlag but I’m going to anyway. I spoke to Sonia today and to apologise for your behaviour last night, but she put me right, much the same way you did this morning. I guess I saw things in a different light compared to everyone else. Apparently Rowena and Mr Chan thought you were delightful company and Sonia was impressed also. Jessie, I’m sorry. Can we be friends again?’

‘Yes, I suppose,’ Jessie replied, unable to stop herself from smiling at the compliment about her being delightful company. ‘Do you want a tea?’ she asked as she started to make herself one.

‘Nah, I’m good thanks. Glad we’re back to normal though,’ Charlie said as he disappeared out of the pantry.

Jessie shook her head as she brewed her tea. She wondered what Tom would have to say about Charlie’s recent behaviour towards her. She doubted he’d be too impressed, and it would serve as yet another black mark on Charlie’s already blackened card.

‘Oh, and Jessie,’ came Charlie’s voice as he stuck his head back around the pantry. ‘Sonia’s such a joker. You owe me a few bucks to cover dinner last night. Fifteen hundred should just about cover it,’ he said matter-of-factly before disappearing again.

Jessie narrowed her eyes at the space where Charlie’s head had been seconds ago and huffed. Fifteen hundred bucks for a dinner she’d hardly eaten thanks to Mr I’ll-Help-Myself-To-Your-Food, aka Mr Chan or whatever his name was. Jessie wondered if the fact that Charlie had got lumbered with her share of the bill was the root cause of his insulting behaviour. She hoped jetlag had had something to do with his lack of perception, but the more she thought about it, given his reaction to that original taxi fare from the airport, the more she thought that he was miffed over the money. No, no, her generous Tom would not be impressed at all.

Chapter 45

The next couple of days flew by in a blur for Jessie. She engrossed herself in the project at hand and took every opportunity to learn as much as possible about Hong Kong from her team, in the hope that she would get some free time at the end of her stay. Nancy had become her regular lunch partner, and she quizzed her continually about the best sights to visit and most authentic places to go for food. Jessie found herself sucked into the Hong Kong hectic lifestyle of working late, staying up later, and tottering around constantly in her high heels. The flat shoes she’d brought with her hadn’t seen the light of day since that fateful dinner on her first night. The only anomaly in her routine was that while the local staff all rolled into the bank around nine in the morning (or thereabouts), Jessie couldn’t quite reconcile herself to taking a full hour for lunch and so found herself turning up soon after eight each day, only to be welcomed by the cleaning crew and zero reception staff.