I stopped by Celeste's desk Friday evening after I was done for the day. We hadn't been able to meet up for lunch during the week since I had been so busy so we had decided to grab a drink after work tonight.
"Ready?" I asked as Celeste looked up and smiled at my approach. "Let's go before I'm sucked back into my office. I'm making myself not work late tonight since I haven't gotten out of the office before ten most nights this week."
"Let me just run to the ladies room."
I perched on Celeste's desk while she hurried to the restroom, smiling when I saw a picture of Richard, her husband, prominently displayed. Celeste had reverted right back to complaining about her husband, but I didn't doubt that she still loved him as much as ever.
"Emma, it's good to see you."
I looked up at the deep voice and saw Drew Stephens stepping out of his office. I had only interacted with him a few times at Mass Comm since he traveled so much, but he had always been gracious and kind. I had always been in a little awe of him. He was powerfully built with black hair and grey eyes, his blunt features rough and masculine. Yet he was still attractive with an energy radiating from him that was more raw than polished. His expensive suit barely seemed to contain the powerful man who looked like he would be more at ease with physical labor than an office setting. However, he was brilliant at what he did and I wasn't surprised that he was a vice president at Forrester.
"Hi, Drew, it's good to see you again," I replied, straightening as I took Drew's outstretched hand in mine. Despite being about forty now, Drew didn't look much different from when we had both been at Mass Comm.
"Celeste mentioned that you were working at Forrester now. Let me know if you ever need anything." Drew's smile was genuine and his hand was warm and firm in mine. I felt a little jolt when we touched, realizing that I was acutely aware of him as a man. I laughed to cover up my awkwardness.
"Thanks, Drew. I have a feeling I'll be taking you up on that offer."
"Anytime." Drew continued smiling as he gazed at me and I became aware that his hand was still grasping mine. I pulled away gently, relieved when his hand released mine. I felt confused, not sure if I was misreading his look of interest.
"Do you need anything before I leave for the day?" Celeste asked, startling me. I hadn't heard her walking up behind me.
Drew shook his head. "No, have a great weekend." He turned back to me, now looking just merely friendly. "You too, Emma."
He walked past us down the hall and I watched silently as Celeste grabbed her purse and shut down her computer. "Let's go."
Celeste and I went to a lounge around the corner from the office and settled into a table, ordering drinks. Celeste ordered a fruity cocktail with an umbrella and I settled for my usual vodka tonic.
"How was your first week? You got lucky with Marie. She's one of the assistants that actually knows what she's doing at Forrester."
"It's been really good," I said, taking a sip of my drink. "Good, but busy. And you're right, Marie is a gem. I really lucked out with her. At this point, she's teaching me more than I'm teaching her."
Celeste was easy to spend time with, making me laugh often and loudly. She regaled me of tales about her family and I felt the stress of the work week melting away. Even though she probed into my love life, there wasn't much to tell. She knew that I had gone through a bad break-up with Jackson five years ago, but luckily, she had never realized that the man I had been involved with was Jackson Reynard, movie star. I didn't think she could handle the excitement of it so I never disclosed it to her.
I was curious about what my old boss, Janet, was up to and Celeste informed me that she was now a partner at an advertising agency. I was happy to hear that she was doing well, holding no ill regard towards her. She didn't have much of a choice when I ruined her presentation, although to this day I still didn't understood how the fiasco had happened.
The one drink turned into several before the night was over. By the time I stepped out of the cab in front of my building, I was feeling buzzed and happy.
"Hi, Harry," I called out as I passed my doorman.
"Good evening, Ms. Mills," he replied, nodding.
"Emma. Remember, it's Emma," I said with a wave of my hand.
"Have a good night, Emma," he rephrased with a smile.
It was a relief to kick off my heels once I got inside my apartment. I was about to change when I heard my apartment phone ring, the shrill rhythm of the rings signaling that it was Harry. I frowned as I answered it, wondering what he could want since I had just passed him.
"Harry?"
"Emma, you have a guest. Jack Reynolds."
I froze, knowing full well that Jack Reynolds must be Jackson. I had no idea how Jackson knew where I lived and I had no desire to see him, but I didn't know if I had the courage to turn him away.
"Emma, should I send him up?"
I scrambled for a reply, but before I could answer, I heard Jackson's voice.
"I don't want to make a scene down here, Emma, but I will if I have to. And I don't care who takes pictures while I do it, so you'd best let me up."
"Emma?" It was Harry again, and he sounded concerned, clearly having heard Jackson. "I can send him away. Don't worry if you don't want to let him up. I'll take care of it."
I released the breath I had been holding, anxiety making my happy buzz vanish. I felt stone cold sober. The last thing I wanted was more coverage about Jackson Reynard's mystery woman, and I wasn't willing to call his bluff about making a scene.
"It's okay, Harry. He's just an old friend that I got into an argument with. You can let him up."
I paced my living room nervously as I waited for Jackson's arrival, trying to steady my pulse as I told myself that I could handle this. I was glad that I was still in my work clothes. I felt much less vulnerable than if I had been in a pair of shorts and t-shirt, my usual outfit when I was at home. I couldn't help but check my appearance in the mirror. My cheeks were flushed with alcohol and anticipation and I smoothed my hair, not wanting to examine why I wanted to look my best in front of Jackson.
I jumped when my doorbell rang and waited a beat before I walked over to answer it. When I opened my door, my insides clenched. Even though Jackson was wearing a baseball cap low on his head with jeans and a worn t-shirt, it wasn't enough to mask his dazzling good looks.
"Are we going to just stand here like this all night?"
His sardonic words jolted me out of my reverie and I narrowed my eyes. "What are you doing here? How do you know where I live?"