Waiting for Jo (4 page)

It’s actually kind of funny to see Harley get
so worked up. Most people wouldn’t guess that such a sweet looking,
103-pound girl could be so feisty. Whenever she gets like this and
“tells me how it is,” I think of Shakespeare's line: Though she be
but little, she is fierce. It’s just one of the many things that I
love about her.

“Actually, James and I met up the night that
Will spilled the wine on me. That’s why I was at the Alcove.”

“Holy shit! Are you serious? What did he
want?”

I frown. “He didn’t want what I was hoping he
wanted.”

Harley listens intently as I recount to her
details of our meeting.

“Whoa,” Harley says. “Are you going to take
the job?”

“My heart is saying YES! But I totally
realize that this could be a disaster waiting to happen. On the one
hand, I feel like this could be my opportunity to get close to him
again. On the other hand, I could end up having my heart broken
again and find myself having to look for another job.”

“Take the job,” says Harley,
matter-of-factly. “He wouldn’t ask you to come work for him if he
didn’t still have feelings for you.”

“He did act really jealous at the Alcove
during our meeting. He thought that Will was checking me out. I got
annoyed with him, but it did give me hope. It made me feel like he
still cares.”

“Well, you should definitely take the job
then. This could be your last opportunity with him. If it works out
and you two get back together, then great. If not, well you’re no
worse off than you are now. You’re talented and smart and you can
always find another job.”

I’m silent for a few moments as I think about
it. Harley has a good point. There are a number of pros to taking
the job, more money, more interesting work, more time with James,
and the possible cons aren’t so serious that I couldn’t recover
from them. And if I don’t take the job and miss out on this
opportunity to be with James, I could end up regretting it. I think
I know what I’m going to do, but I might take one more night to
sleep on it.

Harley and I move to the kitchen and cook a
delicious, eclectic dinner. I make pork pasties and she makes bul
gogi and sticky rice. We spend the rest of the evening drinking
margaritas and laughing. I feel happy. I’m hopeful that things can
work out with James, and spending time with Harley has made me
forget my other problems.

Chapter 5

I find myself wide awake at 2:15 a.m. My mind
is occupied with thoughts of James, and I let myself do something
that I haven’t done in months -- I purposely recall the memory of
the first night that he and I spent together. The whole evening had
been almost perfect. It was an unusually cold evening for October,
so we had the back patio of the Alcove to ourselves. James had the
foresight to bring firewood to burn in the large brick fireplace
situated in the corner. We bundled up in hats and gloves, and I
wrapped myself in a chenille blanket. James told funny stories
about his huge, eccentric family, and I told him about all of the
crazy things my best friend Harley has done throughout the years.
We sat out there laughing and drinking for hours. At that time, I
never would have guessed that he was going to break up with me in a
matter of months.

That night, James asked me to come home with
him, and I happily said yes.

“Very impressive!” I said as we entered the
doors of his downtown loft building. The lobby had an open layout
with 18’ high ceilings with exposed ductwork and original wood
beams throughout.

“Thanks. This building used to house a hat
manufacturing company called Magic Hat. The company went out of
business in the late 60’s and a developer came in a few years ago
and turned the place into lofts,” he said as he took my hand and
guided me toward the elevators.

We passed by a large, brick wall adorned with
some interesting artwork. James noticed me appreciating the art as
we walked by and stopped.

“These are all originals done by local
artists. See, there’s an Ernie Trova.” James pointed to a small
lithograph with the outline of a man, repeated over and over again,
with each outline overlapping the one before it to resemble a
nautilus shell. “And that’s an original done by cartoonist Mike
Peters,” he said, pointing to sketch of Grimm the dog.

I admired the sketch for a moment.

“C’mon, babe” he said, taking my hand again.
“Wait ‘til you see my place!”

James’ loft was even more impressive than the
lobby. The beams and exposed brick and ductwork matched that of the
lobby, and mixed beautifully with the high end, modern Dacor
appliances and grayish-blue, soapstone countertops in the kitchen.
It was a whole lot nicer than my tiny two-bedroom, one bath
bungalow in South City.

“You have an amazing place here.” I said,
still taking in all of the details.

“Thanks,” said James as he headed toward the
kitchen. “Have a seat. I’ll get you something to drink. Is red wine
good?”

I made my way over to the large micro-suede
sofa.

“That sounds perfect.”

James pulled a bottle of wine out of his
large wine fridge and poured us both a glass before joining me on
the sofa.

He set the glasses down on his coffee table.
“Jo, I really enjoyed spending time with you tonight. You are so
easy to talk to. And you’re funny and sweet.”

I looked down at the floor out of
embarrassment. “Thanks, James. I feel the same way about you.”

“You know what else?” he said, as he put his
hand on the side of my neck and stroked my cheek with his thumb.
“You are incredibly beautiful.” And then he leaned in to kiss me.
It was a soft, sweet, sensual kiss. And at that moment, I fell in
love with him. It wasn’t our first kiss, but I have no doubt that
I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.

His lips moved to my neck, and he trailed
lovely, little kisses from my collarbone to my earlobe. I felt my
entire body tingle as his mouth moved back to mine, and he kissed
me deeply, sliding his tongue along mine slowly. I reached my hand
up to the back of his neck and pulled him closer to me. James’ left
hand made its way up the front of my shirt, and he massaged my
breasts gently over my bra, causing me to moan slightly. I could
feel myself getting warm and moist and all I could think of was
James taking me to bed.

He stood up from the sofa, and I could see
the excitement bulging from his pants.

“We should head to the bedroom,” he said. He
grabbed my hand and pulled me up to my feet.

James’ bedroom, and especially his bed, were
impressive. The walnut, sleigh frame looked as though it weighed a
ton, and the mattress was covered in luxurious bedding that was
probably from some expensive home decor store.

I stood with my back to the bed. James took
me in his arms and pulled me close. I could feel his hardness
against me. We began kissing again, as I ran my fingers through his
thick, dark hair. Every part of me wanted him at that moment, and I
felt as if I would explode if he didn’t take me. Then, without
warning, James grabbed onto the hem of my dress and swiftly pulled
it over my head exposing my black, lacy bra and thong.

His hands explored my breasts. “I’ve been
waiting so long for this,” he said.

“So have I,” I said in a breathy voice.

James’ lips moved once again to my collarbone
while he deftly unhooked my bra with his right hand. He pulled it
off and let it fall to the hardwood floor. He then took a step back
to admire my topless form. My first instinct was to cover myself
with my hands, but when I noticed how much James was enjoying the
view, I decided not to.

“Every part of you is beautiful,” he
said.

I could feel my cheeks blush a bit. “Thank
you,” I said. I looked at him coyly. “Now it’s your turn.”

James promptly took his shirt off, followed
by his pants. He had well-defined shoulders and arms, and his chest
was nicely built with just the right amount of hair. I could lay my
head on that chest forever. He moved closer to me once more and put
his arm around my lower back. He continued moving us both toward
the bed as he kissed me again, allowing his tongue to go deep into
my mouth.

He gave me a slight push, and I fell
backwards onto the down comforter. “Let me help you with these,” he
said, hooking his fingers into the sides of my panties. I could see
a slight grin on his face as he pulled my panties completely off
and threw them on the floor next to my bra. He then removed his
boxer briefs.

James lowered himself onto the bed and
positioned himself between my legs. I couldn’t help but move my
pelvis up to meet his. Every nerve ending in my body was stimulated
as I thought about his large erection entering me.

“Well, you’re eager, aren’t you?” he asked,
obviously pleased by the fact that I wanted him so badly. “Let’s
slow down.”

“Let’s not,” I said. I wrapped my legs around
his lower back in an attempt to pull him closer to me.

James managed to free himself from my legs
and position himself next to me. He lowered a hand to my warm spot
and gently massaged me. I couldn’t stop myself from moving my body
in response. He then slid his middle finger inside of me while he
continued to rub me with his palm.

“Ahhhh. You are so wet. Does this feel good?”
I responded with a low moan. James smiled. “I guess that’s a
yes.”

James then repositioned himself on top of me,
between my legs. I could feel him against my thigh and then
suddenly, he was inside of me. I gasped almost imperceptibly at the
surprise. He slowly sunk his fullness into me so that I could feel
every inch of him. It might have been the most pleasure I had ever
felt in my life.

He continued moving in and out of me, and I
responded by wrapping my legs around him once more and pulling him
in deeper. We made love for what felt like hours and finally, I let
myself go. My body seemed to implode, and I convulsed slightly with
pleasure. James picked up his pace and shortly thereafter he let
out a long, deep groan, filling me with warmth.

James fell down to his elbows and took in a
deep breath before brushing a lock of hair off of my damp forehead
and kissing it.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too,” I said.

James laid down next to me. I rested my head
on his chest, and quickly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The memory of that night, the first time
James said that he loved me, is one that I’ll never forget. If I
want to go back to that, if I ever want to recapture what he and I
had, I better accept the job. It’s a risk, but it’s one that I’m
ready to take. Even if everything falls apart, at least I will be
able to look back on this time in my life and not ask “what
if?”

I grab my phone from my night stand and text
James immediately.

Me: I’d like to take the job. When would you
like me to start?

James Parker: Monday. I need help ASAP.

Me: OK. I’ll give notice tomorrow.

James Parker: Great. I’m glad you’re coming
aboard.

I’m surprised that James responded so quickly
considering it’s the middle of the night. I hope I didn’t wake him.
Maybe he’s up late working. Or what if he’s up because he’s
spending time with another woman? The thought brings on those
familiar feelings of rejection. Why do I do this to myself?

I hear Malcolm whimper and it brings me back
to reality. I reach down the side of my bed and pet him on the
head. He responds by touching his wet nose to my hand and then
licking it.

“Hey, sweet baby,” I say. “Why don’t you come
up here with Mama?” I pat the bed letting him know it’s ok to come
lay with me. He jumps up and lays his head on my chest and looks at
me with his big brown eyes.

My mind finally starts to relax, and I can
feel myself drifting off to sleep when I hear the text alert go off
on my phone. Who is texting me in the middle of the night? I grab
the phone from my night stand. The notification says “unknown” and
my pulse quickens. Who else would be texting me as unknown at 2:30
in the morning but the creep who’s been sending me the notes?

My hands shake as I tap in my passcode. The
text appears on my screen and my fear is realized when I read the
message.

Unknown: I wonder if you’re thinking about me
as you lie awake in your bed.

Now my heart is practically beating out of my
chest. It beats so hard that I can hear it in my ears. The taste of
pennies fills my mouth. Is he watching me? He must be if he knows
I’m lying awake in bed. What should I do? I stay in bed for several
minutes frozen with fear. Did I check my locks before I went to
bed? How did this creep get my phone number?

I finally muster the courage the get up. I
check the lock on my bedroom window. It’s secure. I then make sure
that the curtains are fully drawn so that it would be impossible to
see inside. I lock my bedroom door and grab the aluminum softball
bat that I keep under my bed. Malcolm watches me with concern on
his face - he can sense that something is wrong.

“Don’t worry, sweetie, everything’s okay,” I
say as I pet his head. I climb back into bed with the bat on one
side of me and Malcolm on the other, and I call the only person
that I feel comfortable calling at this hour.

Chapter 6

After several seconds on the phone, I’m
relieved when the ringing on the other end stops. I then hear the
unmistakable sounds of a person coming out of a deep sleep.

“Ahem...hello,” says a husky voice that I
don’t immediately recognize.

“Scotty?” I say. “Is that you?”

“No…Sorry. It’s Will.”

“Oh.” Why is Will answering Scotty’s
phone?

“Scott and I had some drinks in my apartment
after work and, let’s just say, he might have had a few too many.
He’s pretty much passed out. His phone ringing woke me up, and I
saw that it was you, so I answered it.” Will clears his throat
again. “Anyway, is everything okay?”