Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 29029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
“I know. This is a wonderful thing you’re doing, Max. Thank you.”
“Yeah, that’s me.” I wipe at my brow to ease the perspiration. Damn, it’s hot in here. “Totally altruistic. After all, I’ll get nothing out of making love to a beautiful woman.”
She takes a sip of her drink, dropping her gaze. “It won’t exactly be making love.”
Ouch! Quick and painful.
Well, at least I know where she stands.
I down the rest of my bourbon and rise. “Let’s go to the bedroom. We may as well get started.”
She drops her jaw.
“That’s what you want, isn’t it? You want me to have sex with you. Because you trust me.”
“I suppose so. May I finish my bourbon first?”
Guilt and regret sink into me like a knife. What the hell am I doing? I sink back onto the couch. “God, Jenna. I’m sorry.”
She lightly touches my shoulder. “You’re not being any different than anyone else is. No one knows how to treat me, how to react to me. And I can’t tell you to treat me the same way you would have seven years ago, because you’re not the same person you were seven years ago. And neither am I.”
She’s right, of course. What she doesn’t realize is that my hastiness has nothing to do with anything except my own bitterness that this evening is about sex and not about love.
And I love her.
If I wasn’t sure at eighteen, I’m sure as hell certain now.
All it took was one look at her. I love her, scars and all.
“Tell you what.” I grab her hand. It seems so small in mine. “Let’s finish our drinks. Ask me whatever questions you want about what went on in my life since you were”—I clear my throat—“kidnapped.”
Her facial features stiffen.
“Jen…”
“No. It’s okay. It’s what I asked you to do, and you did it.”
“The last thing I want is to make you uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t. I mean, you did, but I’m honestly more uncomfortable when people try to soften the words, you know? I have to own what happened. That’s the only way that it won’t control my life.”
“All right. And I’ll try to deal with the fact that the words may cause you discomfort.”
“Would you believe me if I say it’s gotten a lot better?”
“Of course I’d believe you. I know how strong you are. You always have been.”
She looks down at her lap. “My strength was certainly tested. In many ways it has gotten better. But in some ways, it hasn’t.”
I’m not exactly sure what she means by that, but I’m not going to ask her to elaborate. “What do you want to know? About life for me during the last seven years?”
“Everything.”
“That narrows it down.” I lift my glass. It’s empty. “I went to Ohio State, played soccer. Got a good education. Graduated in the top ten percent of my class.”
“I’d expect no less.”
“Then I got an MBA, which was paid for by my employer, and I’ve been with them since. I make a great living for a single guy.”
“What exactly do you do?”
“I’m a lead on the marketing team. I specialize in print ads. I don’t do any social media or television. Nothing online. Purely magazines and newspapers. Print ads are still huge even though a lot of things have moved online.”
“So much has changed in the last eight years.” She sighs and takes a drink. “How did you meet Mimi?”
“Online, actually. I wasn’t looking for anything serious. Just a companion to take to business functions. She seemed to be looking for the same. So we hooked up for a few coffee dates, and we hit it off. Things kind of mushroomed from there.”
“Why did you break up, Max?”
I sigh, and then I stand. Time for another drink. This time I pour myself only one finger. It won’t do to get inebriated and then be unable to perform. If this is the one time I can have Jenna, I’m going to make it great for both of us.
I return to the couch and sit.
“Are you going to answer me?”
Right. Her question.
“Like I said. Turned out we wanted different things.”
“Did she end it? Or did you?”
“It was mutual.”
The lie tastes bitter in my mouth, but I can’t lay the truth on Jenna. Not yet. She’s been through too much. Having her best friend profess his unrequited undying love isn’t what she needs right now.
And frankly, I’m not ready to confess anyway. I’m not sure I could take the rejection.
“Before we go any further,” she says, “there’s something I feel I need to tell you.”
“Of course. Anything.”
“This time—with you. It will be my first.”
I stop my jaw from dropping onto the coffee table. This is great news. It means she wasn’t raped on that island.
“You mean…”
“What I mean is”—she clears her throat, takes a sip of bourbon—“it will be the first time with…consent.”