Death and Deceit (5 page)

Liz looked on, not entirely amused.
“You two know each other?”

Kent drew back a chair and sat while Jessie explained to Liz. “We don’t. But
we’ve met, rather harshly.” She giggled.

Liz fidgeted on her chair, her face drawn down in a suspicious curl.

“We collided,” Kent said, looking over at Liz but not noticing her uneasiness. “I
was going in a store and she was coming out.” He then turned his eyes on Jessie again. “I never did get in that store. I forgot what I was doing there.”

Jessie laughed again, nervously.

Somewhat relieved, Liz began her flirtation again with Kent. But all her eye
batting and hand touching couldn’t jar him. He was absolutely enthralled by Jessie. He laid his hand over hers and she didn’t draw back. “Meeting twice in one day must mean something,” he said, gazing into her eyes.

“You think it’s fate?” Jessie questioned.

“It’s gotta be,” he said. Then he seemed to realize where he was and he pulled
back and looked at Liz. “I’ve left my lunch guest and she’s a client,” he said. Then turning back to Jessie he asked, “Could we have lunch here tomorrow?”

Jessie replied quickly. “Okay. I’ll meet you here.”

He touched her hand again lightly and rose from the table. Halfway across the
room he turned around and smiled at her.

“What the hell was that?” Liz griped. “That was
my
boyfriend.” She stared darts
into Jessie’s eyes.

Jessie pulled back from her and looked sheepish. “I’m sorry, Liz. I shouldn’t
have. I’ll tell him I can’t. I don’t know what came over me. I almost didn’t notice you were at the table.”

“I could see that. You two acted like you were the only people on the planet.
What’s going on?”

Jessie lifted her coffee cup and sipped lightly, while Liz dabbed at her saucer with
a napkin cleaning up the mess she’d made when she’d first noticed Kent.

“I said I was sorry. I had no right to accept. You’re my friend. I won’t let a guy come between us...even if he
is—”

“I’ll tell you what he is. He’s a major flirt. Don’t tell me that’s a client.” Liz’s
eyes burned into the face of the long-haired redhead who was casually smiling at Kent,
batting eyelashes that could be seen clear across the room.

Jessie turned to stare at the pair. At that precise moment Kent gazed around
at her. Their eyes locked and she went speechless. Then suddenly gaining strength she faced Liz. “You only had one date, didn’t you? That hardly qualifies him as a boyfriend.”

Liz looked hurt. “Are you saying you want to date him?”

“I’m saying, Liz, that he asked me to lunch right in front of you. What does that
tell you?”

“That he’s free game? You’re right. He obviously doesn’t consider
himself my boyfriend.”

Jessie didn’t wish to hurt Liz, and normally she would never have dated someone
who Liz liked. But, something was different with Kent. When he laid those eyes on her she couldn’t think straight. And she wanted more. She wanted lunch with him. She wanted to be near him. The feeling he created inside of her was just too powerful to resist. She had to take a chance on losing Liz’s friendship, because she couldn’t take a chance on not seeing Kent again.

Jessie tried to compromise. “It’s only lunch, Liz. Probably next time he’ll ask
you again. Maybe that’s the kind of play-the-field- guy he is.” Jessie tried to make Liz feel better, but in doing so she made herself doubt Kent, and she hoped with all her heart that what she was saying about him wasn’t the truth.

“You’re probably right. Does he think we’re twits? He’s not fooling me...that’s
no client.”

Jessie eyed the beautiful redhead sharing a laugh with Kent. Her heart went cold,
but she turned a warm smile on Liz and her faltering voice replied, “Doesn’t look like a client relationship to me either.”

“I saw her with him yesterday too.” Liz raised her coffee cup. “May the best woman win,” she said clicking cups with Jessie.

“No hard feelings then?” Jessie asked.

Liz smiled. “Of course not.” But inside Liz was seething. Jessie wasn’t getting
this guy without a fight, not if she could do anything to encourage him her way.
Just as two lunch specials arrived at their table, Liz pushed back her chair and rose. “I’ll get the check for mine,” she said. “But I can’t stay. I’ve too much work waiting for me.”

“You want take out then?” The waitress asked.

“That’s fine,” Liz said dropping a tip by her plate.

Jessie glared at her. “Liz, we just got here.”

“
You
just got here. I’ve been waiting for fifteen minutes for you. Sorry, gotta
run. See you later.”

Liz stood at the counter drumming her fingers, while she watched the waitress put her meal in a brown paper sack.

Jessie turned back to her plate in confusion. What in the world was Liz’s problem
anyway? She never worried about being late before. She had to be upset over Kent. Well, that would explain things. Poor Liz. But what was a girl supposed to do? Deny her heart for a friend? She watched Liz leave the restaurant and felt guilty.

“So, you’re alone.”

Jessie turned back and gazed at Kent.
He grinned. “My...client left. May I join you?”

Jessie noticed he looked a little sheepish too. She motioned for him to sit. “Liz
is mad at me.”

Kent edged into a chair opposite her. “Oh?”

“Don’t act surprised. You dated her didn’t you?” Jessie couldn’t believe she was
being so bold with someone she’d just met, and someone so important to her, for whatever reason she was yet trying to figure out.

“I did,” he said, seriously. “But only once. One lunch, one dinner.”

“And, one kiss?”

He grinned. “You share.”

“She’s my best girlfriend. We don’t keep secrets.”

The grin grew. “Okay. There was a kiss.”

“And, you left her hanging.”

Kent laughed out loud, then he saw that Jessie was serious. He grew serious too.
“Jessie, I hardly know you. But I want to be honest. I like Liz and we had a good
time. But I also like you and I want to see you again.”

“That’s what I told Liz. That you were a person who plays the field.” She couldn’t believe she was being so blunt. It was like someone had given her a truth serum and she couldn’t stop making her point.

Kent wanted to laugh again, but he didn’t dare. Jessie was really serious looking.
He wondered how he could redeem himself. He decided he had to be totally honest too. He’d play her game and hope it worked. He shook his head. “I’m not like that at all. If I’d never met you today, I’d probably have asked Liz out again. But I hardly saw her at the table. My eyes were only for you.”

Jessie dropped the fork with a piece of fish still stuck in the tines. She rose, fumbling with her purse strap.

“Wait!” He clasped her hand and looked up at her. A little-boy grin was all over
his face, and he looked like he was about to ask permission for something important. “Would it be possible for us to have dinner together rather than to wait for another whole day for lunch time? Like maybe seven?”

With his words hanging in the air, Jessie could have sworn that every word was
musical. He wanted to see her tonight, so much more romantic than lunch, and so much nearer in time. She was breathless. “I’d love to,” she whispered. “I live on Willow...242. Apartment 403.” She slipped her hand from his and waltzed dreamily out the door, barely remembering the journey from the restaurant to the health club. She was no longer earthbound. That day Jessie became a pro at her job. She must have, because she went through the movements in all three afternoon classes and never once took her mind off Kent.

****

At home she dazedly punched the elevator buttons and it wasn’t until she shut herself inside her apartment that she shouted, “Yes! I think I’m in love.” Then she fell apart.

Trembling and shaking she took a shower, then wondered how to make her short, uninteresting hair look sexy. She brushed it, gelled it, pulled on it. The end result
was not what she’d had it mind. It was just impossible she decided, slipping a tiny black dress over her head. She wore pearls her dad and mom had given her on her sixteenth birthday. At that time she had wondered what she’d ever do with them. By six- thirty she was ready and sitting on the sofa, hoping her hands wouldn’t sweat and her hair wouldn’t droop too much. Having long hair had never been a problem, she’d had it all her life and had been
happy with it. If it hadn’t been for Mike she probably would still have it. Were men really worth all the worry anyway?

The door buzzer startled her and she jumped from the sofa. She’d never in her life
gone through anything such as this. Her relationship with Mike had started out easy, just sort of friendly. It had given her time to be ready when love started to grow. After Mike there had been others, but Jessie was reluctant to give her heart so easily the next time, until Kent appeared.

The buzzer again. Jessie had frozen in the centre of the room but the buzzer got
her going. She let him in and he bent, kissing her hand with a smooth caress of his lips.
Her heart fluttered and she swallowed dryly. What a beautiful man. His blond hair cut
short in back but longer in front, was now parted neatly off centre.

“Hi,” he said releasing her hand. “Am I late?” This afternoon she’d just looked short and cute, but tonight her clear skin and fine bone structure looked three-dimensional
against the body-moulding black dress. And the provocative spikes in her auburn hair gave her a sleek and complicated look. Her wide brown eyes that had earlier held a touch of apprehension had now turned sexy with lashes that went on forever.

“No, you’re actually early.” Jessie smiled widely and fumbled with her wrap. He quickly helped her drape it around her shoulders, and they took the elevator to the main
floor.

The dining room at the Royal Palace was small but had a high ceiling. Paintings
in gilded frames lined the walls displayed against a soft, blue patterned wall covering. A large, fieldstone fireplace was centred in the far wall. In the heat of the night it looked forlorn and empty, like a house when all the occupants are away.

Kent pulled out one of the captain’s chairs for Jessie, while a waiter in a stiff, white suit with a red bow tie hovered over the table. “Drink?” he asked.

Jessie looked at the waiter. He was of average stature but his wrists and hands
were larger than normal for his size, making the wine bottle he carried look dwarfed. His smile was hesitant and she wondered if he was new.

“A white wine for me,” she said.

Kent seated himself across from her. “The same for me.” He smiled at her as if
he agreed whole heartedly with her choice of drink.

“This is one of the finest restaurants in town,” she said to him, as he watched her with adoring eyes.

“You approve then?” he asked, smoothing down his tie in a nervous gesture.

“You have good taste, Kent.”

“Yes, I’m with
you
aren’t I?”

Jessie blushed. “I’m nothing special.”

“You’re blushing. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so corny. I’m nervous though. I’m twenty-eight years old and I feel like this is my first date.”

Jessie gaped at him. “You too?”

Two gold-rimmed dinner plates arrived, scrumptiously arranged with a salmon
dish they’d both agreed on, and the waiter fussed around, pouring wine for testing. Kent approved the choice and the waiter left. He raised his glass. “To a wonderful evening,” he said.

Jessie drank to that, sipping her wine with caution. She didn’t want to overdue it
and get silly, not on her first date with Kent.

Later, when the dinner was finished, Kent pushed aside his plate and leaned his chin on his hands. In the discreetly lit dining room his eyes seemed to smoulder as he
watched her. Jessie dropped her napkin on her plate and shifted uncomfortably in Kent’s steadied gaze. She breathed a sigh of relief when the waiter interrupted the moment by wondering if they preferred coffee and dessert now.

“Just coffee for me,” she said, and Kent nodded his agreement.

Jessie glanced around the nearly deserted room. They were practically alone to
enjoy their coffee in solitude. Their table seemed to form a little island, so private she found the intimacy almost agitating.

Then Kent asked her to dance. And while they danced the room seemed to fill
up again with diners and dancers. And the evening took on a glow that was everything
she’d hoped for. She relaxed in his arms and her earlier trepidation floated away. Not once did Jessie think of Liz. Not while they enjoyed their dinner, not while they danced, with him holding her against him, and certainly not when he took her home and gave her the passionate kiss that she’d earlier dreamed about in the restaurant at lunch time.