MEGA-AX1 The Inferno (7 page)

They walked back to the front of the car and got inside. Brian was relieved that the windows had been accented with privacy tint; there was no way the paparazzi would ever know he was inside.

Jessie smiled, “I work hard and I must say I deserve a hot ride.”

“You’re right, you do. I probably can’t afford to buy you a car, but I can buy you dinner as a thank you for helping me out today. What do you like? Thai, Italian, Mexican…?”

“How about a burger?”

Brian put his hands over his chest. “A burger—a woman after my own heart.”

Jessie whipped her car around to the Burger Joint. It was one of her favorite places. She knew the owner and called ahead. It had underground parking so paparazzi wouldn’t be an issue.

When they arrived the owner met them at the door. He was a short, bald, and burly man “Jessie! It’s been awhile but so good to see you and Mr. Wright—I’m a huge fan of yours.”

She kissed him on the cheek. “It’s good to see you, too, Mr. Charleston.”

Brian smiled and shook his hand. They walked into the restaurant through the kitchen. Mr. Charleston placed them at a private table where any intrusions would be minimal.

Jessie and Brian were having a great time at dinner. Conversation was easy and the laughter was plentiful.

A young woman made her way to their table. “Excuse me…are you Brian Wright?”

Brian looked up at the young woman and smiled, “Yes I am.”

“Oh…my…gosh! I’d love to get a picture with you for my birthday—if that’s okay?” The young woman turned to Jessie and thrust her camera into her hands.

Brian hoped Jessie wouldn’t get upset about the fan invading their personal space. A lot of women did, but he couldn’t control this type of thing.

Jessie was not bothered at all by the fan. She took the camera from her and played photographer for a few pictures.

Mr. Charleston magically appeared, “Is everything okay here?”

Brian answered, “I’m fine but I’d love it if Jessie would join us in this picture.”

“Oh no. I do much better behind the camera than in front of it.”

Mr. Charleston took the camera from Jessie and pushed her into the picture. Brian was sandwiched between both ladies.

After the pictures were taken, the young woman squealed and thanked Brian but dismissed Jessie as if she were invisible.

“I’m sorry about that.”

“For what?”

“For the intrusion. She didn’t even thank you for taking the pictures.”

“You can’t be responsible for other people’s actions. It’s fine really.”

Brian was impressed with how Jessie handled that situation. He’d been with other women in similar circumstances, and the responses were usually polar opposite of Jessie’s.

“So, how did you meet Téa?”

“She was actually a referral for a position in my company. Some people just hit it off and when we met we just clicked. I think it’s important to keep people around you who can keep you honest. Téa is nothing if not honest.”

Brian was nodding in agreement. “Yes, but that is hard to find. It’s one of the things I cherish the most—honesty and being able to trust someone. That’s why my circle is so small. I’ve lost patience trying to figure people out.”

“Unfortunately, I’m the same way. It’s hard, but once I let you into my space, I’m very protective of the relationship. I’m sure it’s much harder for you being so high profile.”

“Don’t get me wrong…I love being Brian Wright and all the perks that go along with it. But, even after all of these years, it can still be overwhelming. It’s not often I have the opportunity to sit in a restaurant like Burger Joint and feel—normal.”

Jessie smiled, “I’m glad I was able to be a part of the ‘normal experience’.”

Jessie and Brian couldn’t believe they’d been at the Burger Joint for several hours. Before they knew it, Mr. Charleston was closing up.

“We’d better get out of here. I still need to find a place to stay for tonight. My flight doesn’t leave until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow.”

Jessie cocked her head to the side, “Is that your way of asking if you can sleep on
my
sofa this time?”

“What….your sofa? I was hoping I could sleep in your bed.”

“What?”

Brian laughed, “Wait…that came out wrong. I meant sleep in one of your guest bedrooms, but I’ll do a sofa.”

*****

Later that night, Jessie and Brian were sitting on her sofa drinking wine and getting to know one another even more. Brian couldn’t believe how beautiful and down to earth Jessie was. Most of the women he knew were either beautiful
or
down to earth but rarely both.

“Michael’s been different ever since he met Téa.”

“Yeah, Téa too.”

“It’s hard to be on the same page but it seems like they are. I’ve often wondered why it’s so hard to make a connection with someone.”

Jessie rolled her eyes, “Brian, I’ve read your rap sheet since the first time we met. You’ve been connected with half the women in Hollywood. I find it hard to believe you can’t find
someone
. Like most men…I think you’re enjoying being single too much. Why would you want to settle down with one, when you can have some—if not all—the women you want.”

“I’m not going to lie. I do enjoy being single. But, honestly, finding the right one is too much work. You never really know people’s motives, and I’m so skeptical that it’s hard to get close to someone.”

Brian finally asked the question he’d wanted to know all night, “So what about you? Is there someone special?”

There was a wistful note in Jessie’s voice. “No. I can’t say there is. I just don’t have the time.”

Brian didn’t know if it was the wine or not, but when Jessie put her glass to her lips he wondered how they would taste. Jessie froze because she thought she saw a glimpse of something in Brian’s eyes, but it was gone before she could be sure.

Brian broke eye contact first. “It’s late…you have work tomorrow, and I should let you go to bed.”

Jessie showed Brian to his room.

“It’s not some swanky hotel, but this room is better than my couch.”

Brian walked inside, “And private. I’m grateful for that. So, if I haven’t already…thanks for entertaining me tonight on such short notice.”

“No thanks necessary. You actually helped me.”

“How?”

“Had you not called I probably would have ended up working tonight—instead I had some fun for a change.”

Brian flashed that million dollar smile “Then, I’m glad I called.”

“Me too.”

Jessie turned to leave and closed the door behind her.

After she left the room, Brian couldn’t help but think Jessie was something special. She was ridiculously gorgeous, smart, and funny. She was easy to talk to and more than anything, he appreciated the fact that she did not possess any drama queen or diva-like tendencies.

Later that night while lying in bed, Jessie found it hard to sleep. She couldn’t help thinking about Brian being over in the next room. It was obvious that he was a sexy man, but more than that, he seemed to be a genuinely nice person.

For a moment, it was nice to let her imagination run wild. It was obvious he enjoyed being single, and Jessie’s life had no room for romance; however, that didn’t stop Brian from creeping into Jessie’s dreams.

The following morning Brian caught his flight, but his presence lingered on for days.

*****

Two days later the picture they’d taken at the restaurant was plastered all over the tabloids. And since the picture captured one of Brian’s tender glances at Jessie, everyone wondered,
Who was the mystery woman?

Chapter 10

Jessie’s office building was a sight to behold. It stood twenty-three floors high and no matter which way anyone turned, you couldn’t help but see the beautiful downtown city of Phoenix. Though, for security reasons, the building was made of special glass so no one could see the inside of the building from the outside.

Jessie was coming from a meeting with Tony and Jake. They handled all of the recruiting and new recruit training. Jake had given Jessie portfolios for a couple of people he thought she might be interested in bringing on as part of the team. As she walked back into her office, her phone began ringing. Lisa, her administrative assistant, was at lunch so Jessie ran over to answer it.

“Jessica Ramsey.”

“You sound out of breath. You’re going to have to kick those workouts up a notch. Where is Lisa anyway?”

Jessie held the phone between her ear and her shoulder while she put the portfolios and other items on her desk.

“Lisa’s at lunch. Hold on, let me put this piece in my ear. There, that’s better. I’m not out of breath, just rushing to get the phone. I’m expecting a call from a client soon. What’s up?”

“When is the next time you’re flying out here? Michael and Brian are inviting a few friends over on Saturday, plus I have something I really want to tell you and I don’t want to do it over the phone.”

“Michael and Brian always have something going on. I was just out there a few weeks ago.”

“Come on, you’ve really got to come out for this one. It’s our one-year dating anniversary.”

Jessie sat down at her desk and opened up a portfolio, “Wow…Has it really been that long since you guys started dating?”

“I know it’s hard to believe but yes. We’ve been dating for a whole year tomorrow, but we’ll celebrate it on Saturday. You know what I find even harder to believe? That you and Brian never hooked up especially after seeing those pictures of you guys in the tabloids. It’s obvious something is there.”

Jessie rolled her neck and shoulders. “Why is that so surprising? He’s a great guy but I’m too busy to date and Brian has zero interest in me or dating seriously. We get along just fine hanging out. No expectations and no pressure. It’s satisfying to just hang out with you guys when I come into town.”

“Brian definitely likes the ladies. But, it does look like he’s starting to slow down a little bit. He’s been dating this girl, Brigitte Cameron for the last couple of months. I think she’s his co-star from his last film. I think he might really be in to her.”

Her gut clenched, but Jessie made sure to hide that in her voice, “Really?”

Jessie and Brian had become really good friends. When Jessie wasn’t flying out to see them on weekends, she spoke to him on the phone several times a week. He’d even made it out to Phoenix a few times to visit. They’d become so close that they shared almost everything with each other. Brian even shared stories about the women he’d been dating, so it felt a little strange that he hadn’t mentioned Brigitte. If she were really honest with herself, Jessie was a little hurt.

“Really? Is that all you’ve got to say?”

Exasperated Jessie took a deep breath, “What should I be saying Téa? If he’s found someone, then I hope things work out.”

“That’s it,
‘I hope things work out.’
Well, I’m mad about it. You two are perfect for each other, but you’re both just too stubborn to realize it. We have such a great time together! I mean Brigitte’s nice, but I don’t like her for Brian. Jessie I want all of us to get married and have some Wright babies.”

That felt like a punch in the gut for Jessie, “I want that for you but, I’ve been there and done that. Marriage and babies are not in my future.”

Téa didn’t want to bring up those memories. Even after almost nine years, she could still hear the pain in Jessie’s voice.

“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to say that. I know you can’t replace one family with another. I just want you to meet a wonderful guy…someone to share your life with, and I think Brian is it.”

In some ways Jessie thought that was pretty ironic. Both she and Téa lived a whole other life that Brian and Michael had no idea about. “Téa there is just so much going on here that I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it this weekend.”

“Then, I guess I’ll just have to tell you over the phone. Michael and I got engaged last night. We were going to celebrate it Saturday with a barbecue, but we’ll have to put it off until you can come down.”

“Oh my goodness, Téa! Why didn’t you tell me that first? Congratulations. I’m really happy for you.” Jessie was genuinely happy for Téa. The stars seemed to align for her and Michael. They were perfect for each other. But, if they were getting married at some point, Téa was going to have to tell him about MEGA-AX1.

Aside from that, how was having babies going to fit into the equation? Téa was her best analyst. Well, it was something they were just going to have to work out if and when it happened.

“Are you sure you can’t come out this weekend?”

“I really wish I could, but it’s just too crazy right now. I’ll try to get out there as soon as I can, I promise.”

Chapter 11

It had taken over a week before Jessie could fly down to Naples. There was so much going on at MEGA-HQ that made it hard to get away. She was a little tired but excited to see her friends. The taxi pulled up in front of Brian’s house where Téa was waiting for her at the door.