Fall into my Heart (The Subzero Series, #1) (5 page)

After
playing a couple of songs, Noah announced that the band was going to take a
short break. I caught Jack’s eye again and he motioned to the side of the stage
with his head.

“Oh
he wants to talk to you. Hurry up, let’s go then!” Jocalyn said grabbing my
arm.

We
were on our way over to the right side of the stage when I felt someone jab
their finger hard into my shoulder.

“What
the hell.” I yelled out. Jocalyn turned around, her green eyes widening. Suddenly,
I had a sinking feeling as to who was behind me. Cautiously, I turned around
until I was face to face with the queen bee herself, Julissa Patton.

“I
thought you weren’t coming.” Julissa said sharply. She glanced at Jocalyn. “Oh
look and you’re babysitting, how sweet.”

Jocalyn
leaned in then and whispered “Jack’s on his way over.”

Julissa
looked up over my shoulder and smiled. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pull
but you will do exactly what I ask you to do, exactly when I ask you. Is that
understood?”

“Julissa,
I really don’t think,” I started to say but she held up a finger to my mouth,
which I took as a signal to stop talking.

“Hey
Chloe, I’m glad you came.” Jack shouted over the noise of the crowd as he
stopped in front of me.

Julissa
looked at me. “Introduce.” She said.

I
stared at her like she was crazy and Jack stared at me with a slightly puzzled
look on his face.

“Now
Chloe.....really where ARE your manners?” Julissa asked.

I
shook my head and couldn’t believe I was about ready to give in to this witch.

“Um...Jack
Riley this is Julissa Patton. Julissa Patton, Jack Riley.” I said. I tried to
sound somewhat like I didn’t care about what I was doing, but judging by the
look on Jocalyn’s face, I don’t think I quite pulled it off.

“Uh.....Nice
to meet you.” Jack said barely glancing at her.

“Jack,
how about you and I go get a drink and get to know one another.” Julissa
purred.

“Uh...sorry,
but I have to be getting back to the stage.” He said

“Maybe
some other time then.” She said.

“Uh
yeah, maybe.” He said glancing at her again.

Jack
looked back to me and leaned in. “Wait for me after the show?”

I
nodded before he turned and walked away.

Julissa
looked at me and took a step closer so that our noses where practically
touching. “You will make this happen. Is that clear?”

I
wanted to tell her off, but I wanted her to go away even more. I knew the only
way that would happen is if I just told her what she wanted to hear.

“Whatever
you say Julissa.” I said sweetly.

Jocalyn
and I looked at each other and shook our heads as Julissa and her friends
walked out. I glanced back at the stage and Jack was looking at me with a confused
look on his face.

I
looked back at Jocalyn. “I think I’m ready for another drink” I said.

By
the time the bands set ended at 11:00, Jocalyn and I had each had two more
drinks. We were sitting at the bar, still laughing about our run in with
Julissa, when the guys from the band walked up. Jocalyn nearly fell off her
chair as she jumped up to meet them.

“Oh
my god! Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god!” Jocalyn exclaimed. All four of them
had amused looks on their faces. “I’m Jocalyn, you’re biggest fan. Wow! This is
SO the best day of my life! I’m Chloe’s.....Chloe’s.”

“My
friend, she’s my friend.” I finished for her.

Jocalyn
looked over at me and smiled.

“Well
it’s nice to meet you Jocalyn. Sorry I can’t stay, but I have to get the
instruments home before they disappear like last time. It’s nice to see you
again Chloe.” Dean said.

I
smiled at him, “Yeah you too.”

“He’s
my ride, but nice to meet you.” Noah said.

Dex
walked over to us just as Noah and Dean turned to leave.

“Hey
Jocalyn, you need a ride home?” Dex asked.

She
looked at me. “Will you be okay?”

“Yeah,
I’ll see you Monday.” I said.

As
she was walking away, I heard her say to Dex “Oh my gosh! I have so much to
tell you!” I almost felt bad for the guy. He’s never gonna get a chance to
participate in any sort of a conversation with her tonight.

“Alright
dude, I’m out.” Tyler said to Jack. He looked at me and winked. “Goodnight my
love.”

“Goodnight.”
I laughed as he turned to walk away.

Jack
and I stared at each other, our lips turning up in matching shy smiles. After a
minute or two he broke the silence.

“How
are you getting home?” He asked.

“I
got here by subway but if I get there and it isn’t running anymore for the
night I can call for a cab.” I said.

He
shook his head. “No you’re not. Not by yourself at this time of the night. I’ve
got my truck. I’ll give you a ride.”

“Are
you sure?”

“Chloe
we live in the same building. It’s not like I am going out of my way or
anything.”

“Right.....Thanks.”

Of
course he was just being nice offering a ride just like any neighbor would do
right? I felt kind of silly thinking that maybe there would be another reason
as to why he wanted to give me a ride home. Then I remembered we were supposed
to have a professional relationship. But don’t some celebrities end up marrying
their publicists or managers? Not that I am a that I am trying to marry him or
anything but.....okay so now my thoughts are rambling. I attempted to casually
slide off of the barstool but all of the martinis I drank went straight to my
head and I ended up doing some sort of full body spasm where my feet got
tangled up and my arms flailed around. Not my most shining moment.

“Whoa,
are you alright there?” Jack asked without even attempting to hide the huge
grin on his face as he took ahold of my arm to steady me.

“Yeah
I think I’m good.” I said as I tried my hardest to look anywhere but at him.  

“Alright,
well let’s get you home shall we?”

Jack
placed his hand in the small of my back and led me out the door. The whole time
we were walking to his truck, the only thing I could think about was how close
his hand was to my butt and how it was a shame there was no way I could move
that would cause said hand to end up on my butt.

As
Jack opened the passenger’s side door to his shiny black truck, I realized there
was no way I was easily going to get in there and I started laughing.

“What’s
so funny?” He looked confused and probably thought I was crazy.

“Um,
yeah.....you wouldn’t happen to have a ladder would you?” I asked pointing to his
truck.

Jack
started laughing as he realized what I meant.

“You
could always take a running start and jump in.” He joked.

“No
somehow I’d miss and end up under the truck.” I laughed.

“You
know although I don’t know you very well, I’d have to agree with you. Want some
help?” He asked with a smile.

“That
would be great thanks.” I said.

I
grabbed the door handle with my right hand and the door frame with my left. I
put my right foot on the floor of the truck as Jack put his hands on my waist
and hoisted me up. I was suddenly extremely aware that I was in a very short skirt
and was glad I wore cute underwear. You know, just in case I accidently flashed
him. After I was settled in my seat, Jack climbed up into his side of the truck
and we started home.

“So
I have to ask you, what’s up with your friend?” Jack asked.

“Oh
Jocalyn? Nothing she just gets super excited, very easily.” I said.

“No
I mean your other friend, the actress.”

“Oh
god no, she’s not my friend, she’s just a pain in the ass, “I said before I had
a chance to think, “I’m sorry, I meant she’s one of my clients.”

“No
I think you were right the first time. She seemed awfully demanding. So, what
did she want you to run out and get her an expensive bottle of champagne so she
could toast to herself and all of her wonderfulness or perhaps a golden
commode?”

“Actually
she wanted me to get her a date with you.” I looked over at him to gage his
reaction.

He
looked amused. “So were you going to?”

“Do
you want me to?”

“Uhhh
no sorry not interested. Stuck up actresses really aren’t my type.” He said.

“I’ll
remember that.”

“Be
sure you do.”

I
wasn’t really sure how to respond to that. There was a part of me that wanted
to jump up and down and yell out “Oh thank god!” but I thought that might
seemed a tad overexcited and eager and maybe a bit of a turn off.

“Can
I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”
He replied somewhat cautiously.

“What’s
this nonsense about Dean and Noah breaking barstools and someone’s leg by doing
flips off of a bar?” I turned slightly in my seat to look at him but he kept his
eyes on the road in front of him, although the corners of his mouth turned up
into a grin.

“The
barstool was knocked over, but it didn’t break. As for the leg......well everyone
told that guy to stand back.”

“Any
chance you could tell me what possessed them to do flips off the bar in the
first place?” I asked.

“So
what brought you to London?” Jack asked changing the subject.

I
hesitated before answering. I hated this question because I wasn’t sure if I
wanted to tell anyone the whole story, let alone Jack. I mean, I haven’t known
him that long. I wasn’t sure what he thought of me, but I knew I didn’t want it
to include baggage of any kind. I decided to opt for the shortened, drama free
version.

“Well
I was at a point in my life where I was ready for a change and my company had
an opening here so.....” I said.

“How
do you like it so far?” He asked.

“So
far I think I made a good decision. I mean I miss my family, especially my
sister Abby and my best friend Noelle, but I don’t regret the decision I made
to come here. Anyway I kind of like it here.”

Jack
pulled into a parking space in front of our building and walked around to open
the door for me. He grabbed my hand to help me down and I couldn’t help but notice
how warm his hands were. I tried my hardest to get down as gracefully as I
could, but even with someone’s help, I knew that was just wishful thinking.
Just as my left foot hit the ground, the rest of my body decided it couldn’t
wait to get down and I stumbled forward. I probably would have taken Jack down
with me, but luckily he has quick reflexes and he braced himself to catch me.

“You
are a piece of work.” He said with an amused voice.

“Hey
everyone has something that they are good at. I happen to be the master of
clumsiness.” I said with mock annoyance.

“Well
I’m not gonna argue with that!” He laughed.

We
walked up to the building in silence. Jack held the door open for me and we
headed to the elevator. When we reached our doors, we both turned towards each
other and began to talk at the same time.

“Go
ahead.” I said smiling at him.

“Ladies
first.” He replied.

“I
just wanted to say you guys were really good tonight. I had a lot of fun.” I
said.

“Well
I just wanted to say that I’m really glad you came tonight.” Jack said.

“I
am too.”

We
stared at each other for a moment. I didn’t want to leave him and I got the
feeling he felt the same way.

“Well.....I
guess I’ll see you later?” He asked.

I
nodded and we both turned to go into our apartments.

––––––––

A
s
soon as I got to work Monday morning, I tossed my stuff into my office and ran
over to Jocalyn’s desk. She was barely able to sit still and I was sure she had
been waiting for me to come in.

“So,
what happened with you and Dex after you left Saturday night?” I asked her.

Jocalyn
started giggling. “Well we went back to my place and he left this morning. We’ll
just leave it at that! What happened after I left?”

“Nothing
really, Jack gave me a ride home, but that’s about it.”

“Oh
my god! No way! Are you dating? Did he give you a good snogging?”

“Snogging?”

“You
know, kiss, make out, what have you.”

“No.”

“To
which question?”

“Both.”

She
seemed deep in thought for a minute.

“I
bet you will though and then we could double date! Oh my gosh! How much fun
would that be?”

“Tons.”
I tried to picture the four of us on a double date. I felt like we would have
to go somewhere where talking was not necessary since I was ninety percent sure
Jocalyn would dominate any and all conversation. It’s not her fault. She’s just
chatty and excited. Like an overly caffeinated cheerleader.

At
that moment, Jonathan’s office door opened up. He stepped out and started
walking our way. I almost turned to run into my office, since I wasn’t supposed
to be hanging out at Jocalyn’s desk chatting. Then I remembered Jonathan was
laid back and most likely didn’t care what I did as long as my work was getting
done.

“Good
morning ladies. Staff meeting Chloe. Five minutes. Conference room C.” He said
without even stopping.

I
raised my eyebrows at Jocalyn before heading to my office to grab a notebook
and a pen. I settled into a seat between Wes and Skylar. We sat there and
chatted about our weekends for a few minutes while we waited for Jonathan to
come in.

“Okay
everyone. Just a few things real quick,” Jonathan said, “First off we were
invited to attend a Charity Christmas Ball the second weekend of December. This
is a plus one invite.”

Wes
leaned in front of me, looking at Skylar.

“Wanna
go?” He whispered.

She
nodded her head.

Jonathan
moved onto his next topic but I wasn’t really paying attention. I had already
started daydreaming about what I was going to wear to the ball. Satin was nice,
but I really loved chiffon. Should I do floor length or knee length? I have to
think of a color too, but not red or green. It’s kind of cliché to wear red or
green to a Christmas event. Blue’s a good color. I started to picture myself in
a blue ball gown, with an overlay of silver shimmer and a full, poofy skirt.
Then I realized I was picturing myself as Cinderella and -

“Uh
Chloe.....you okay?”

Wes
and Skylar were staring at me with matching looks of amused confusion on their
faces. I looked around and realized that the room had nearly cleared out. How
long had I been daydreaming?

“Yeah
fine, sorry I got sidetracked.” I said.

I
had four messages waiting on my desk for me when I got back to my office. Two
were from tabloids wanting to know if it was true that Julissa and Kyle were
getting back together. One was from Marleigh Tomkins saying that she heard the
guy from the other night now had two broken legs and had been hit by broken
barstool debris in a very unfortunate area. I was surprised to hear Jack’s
voice on the fourth message. The sound of his smooth British accent made my
heart rate accelerate.

“Good
Morning Chloe, Jack here. I was wondering if you were free to hang out
Wednesday. We could get some dinner. You pick the place, anywhere you want.”

I
decided to call Jack first before trying to deal with Julissa or any tabloids. I
punched the number into my desk phone and Jack answered on the second ring.

“Hello?”
God his voice was sexy.

“Hey
Jack, It’s Chloe.”

“Chloe!
So you free Wednesday?”

“I
am.”

“Great
so where do you want to go?”

“I
don’t really know what’s around here.”

He
laughed. “Right.....Do you like Italian? I know this great place.”

“Italian
is my favorite.”

“Alright
then, how does 6:30 sound?”

“Sounds
perfect.”

“Alright,
I’ll pick you up.” He laughed.

I
smile as I hung up the phone. Glancing down at the other three messages, I decided
they could wait until after lunch. I grabbed a salad and a green tea from the
café and took them back upstairs. Skylar was perched on the edge of Jocalyn’s
desk talking. They stopped and stared at me as I approached them.

“Spill
it.” Skylar said studying my face.

“What?”
I asked innocently.

“Look
at the ridiculous look on her face. I bet it’s about a boy.” Skylar said to
Jocalyn.

“Oh
is it Jack? Am I right? Oh I bet I’m right. I know he called you; I put him
through to your voicemail. ” Jocalyn said proudly.

“Jack?
Jack Riley? Chloe you better sit your butt down and divulge some information.”
Skylar demanded.

I
pulled up a chair and told them about my earlier conversation with Jack.

“So
is it like a date?” Jocalyn asked.

“No
I don’t think so.” I said.

“Wait
so he called and asked you to dinner, you accepted and he’s picking you
up.....explain how this is not a date.” Skylar said.

“Well
for starters he didn’t ask if I want to go out on a date. He asked if I wanted
to hang out and he is barely picking me up. He lives across the hall from me.”
I noted.

“Well
what if it turns out to be a date?” Jocalyn asked.

“Well
that would be fine. I’m pretty sure he’s just being friendly though. He knows I
don’t have many friends here.”

“What
are you going to wear? Are you going to kiss him? I bet he’s a great kisser. I
bet he uses loads of tongue and everything. ” Jocalyn said.

“I
have no idea.....to any of that.” I said.

“Well
we want to hear all about it on Thursday.”

“Alright,
I promise to give you all the dirty details but for now I have to go call the
diva.” I said rolling my eyes.

I
sat down at my desk and dialed Julissa’s number.

“Julissa
Patton’s phone. Willa speaking.” A woman answered; her voice was the perfect
mixture of snob and boredom.

“Hi,
May I speak with Julissa?” I asked.

“No
one talks to Julissa.” She snorted. You would have thought I asked to speak directly
to the Queen or something.

“This
is her publicist, Chloe, and I need to ask her a question.” I said rolling my
eyes.

“I’ll
try to have her return your call. Try to keep in mind she is terribly busy.”

Willa
hung up the phone before I had a chance to say anything else.

I
called Kyle next. I figured I might as well get his side of the story while I
wait for her.

“Yo.”
A man’s voice said.

“Kyle?”
I asked.

“Possibly.....who’s
this?”

“It’s
Chloe Carver.”

His
silence made me wonder if he was quickly trying to remember the name of
whatever random girl he was with last night.

“Your
publicist.” I said with a slightly annoyed and disgusted tone.

“Hey
there  gorgeous! What’s up?”

“You
tell me. I got a call from a couple of tabloids wanting to know if you are with
Julissa Patton.”

“Hah!
She wishes.”

“They
are saying that the two of you were seen together in Maui two weeks ago.”

“Have
you talked to her yet?” He sounded a bit nervous.

“No
I can’t get past her assistant.”

He
snorted. “That figures. Look Chloe, I’m gonna be honest with you. I was in Maui
then, but I wasn’t with Julissa.....I was, uh I was with her...uh...her sister.”

“Oh
god Kyle!” I said pinching the bridge of my nose.

“I
know it sounds bad. No one knows though so you can’t say anything.”

“Don’t
worry. I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks
beautiful. You’re the best.” He said before we disconnected.

By
the time I left work for the day, I still hadn’t heard from Julissa. Not that I
expected to really. She was, as Willa told me,
very
important. I bet she
wasn’t doing anything at all. She was probably just lying about shouting out
demands at people.

As
soon as I got home, I called Abby to tell her about my dinner invitation.

“Oh
do you think it’s a date?” She asked excitedly.

“I
don’t know. Jocalyn and Skylar from work both think it is, but I don’t want him
to think that I think it’s a date if it’s not.”

“Right
but you want him to know you’re interested.”

“So
you see my dilemma.” I sighed.

“What
are you gonna wear?”

“I
have no clue. What kind of an outfit is appropriate for a dinner that may or
may not be a date?”

“Hmm,
well you could wear dark colored boot cut jeans, that’s boot cut Chloe, not
flares. I know you like the flared leg, but it’s too casual. Then wear a sexy
top that way if it’s a date you look fantastic, but if it’s not a date, he’ll
wish it was.”

“Okay,”
I said laughing, “Hey listen, I have a Christmas charity ball thing to go to
while you’re here so bring a fancy dress.”

“Awww
you need a date and you thought of me. I don’t know if that’s sweet or
pathetic. You aren’t gonna ask your new boyfriend Jack?”

“He’s
not my boyfriend and besides I’m not leaving you here by yourself after you’ve
traveled so far to come see me.”

“You
don’t have to babysit me.”

“I
know that but I won’t have any fun if I know you’re sitting at my house by
yourself.”

“Alright,
but you’re sure you want to take me and not some hot guy?”

“Positive.”

“Okay,
well I gotta go but I’ll see you in a few weeks!”

I
pressed the end call button on my cell phone and decided to see if I had
anything decent in my closet for my maybe date or if I needed to go shopping
tomorrow night. I bypassed my collection of flared leg jeans, as my sister
instructed me to, and went straight for the boot cuts. I have about eight pairs
of boot cut jeans and I pulled them all out to try on. I couldn’t decide
between two pairs but then I thought about how Abby said to make him wish it
was a date even if it’s not. That thought made my decision easier. I decided to
go with my dark denim boot cut jeans that made my butt look amazing.

I
stood in my closet and stared at my shirts. I tried nearly every single shirt
on and had finally decided on a sleeveless black silk top with a deep V neck,
when I happened to catch something out of the corner of my eye. It was an
amethyst colored, knee length strapless dress that I loved, but had never worn.
Now I was stuck. I still wasn’t sure if this was a date. The dress screamed
date night.....Maybe I should ask Wes for a male opinion.

~*~

When
I got to work the next morning, I dropped my stuff off in my office and went
right over to Wes’ office. Wes and Skylar were sitting close together, talking
quietly. I knocked on the door and they both jumped, quickly moving apart.

“Hey
Chloe, What’s up?”

“I
need a guy’s opinion on something.” I said as I sat down next to Skylar.

“I’m
your man then. What’s going on?”

“What’s
going on is that she has a hot date tomorrow night!” Skylar said, wiggling her
eyebrows.

“Hot
date? Who with?” Wes asked.

“With
Jack Riley and I don’t know if it’s a date or not.” I said.

“How
do you not know if -” Wes started.

I
held up one hand to cut him off. “He asked if I want to hang out and.....well
it’s complicated. Can I just tell you my issue?”

“Sorry
go ahead.” Wes said, folding his hands together on his desk.

“Okay
well I’m not sure how to dress. I have two completely different outfits, one is
very much a date outfit and the other one could really go either way. I don’t
want to wear the date outfit and have him think that I think it’s a date if it’s
not a date, but I don’t want to be underdressed either. Are you following?”

Wes’
eyes got really big and his forehead wrinkled as he raised one of his eyebrows.
I stifled back a laugh upon seeing the horrified look on his face.

“So
glad I’m not a bloody woman,” Wes said shaking his head, “What do these outfits
look like?”

“One
is dark jeans and a silky black low cut shirt and the other is an amethyst
colored strapless dress.”

“Do
you even have to ask? I say definitely the strapless dress.” Wes said without a
second thought.

“Is
that okay even if turns out that Jack invited me out just as friends?”

“Trust
me, he won’t care.”

Wes’
phone buzzed and he pushed the call button. “Yes Jocalyn.”

“Could
you tell Chloe that Julissa Patton is on the phone?”

“Thanks
Jocalyn.” I said as I stood up.

“What
the hell color is amethyst?” I heard Wes ask as I walked out.

“Purple.”
Skylar and I said at the same time.

As
I approached my desk, I took a deep breath before answering my phone.

“Hi
Julissa, how are you?” I asked.

“I
only have a minute since you had me on hold for so bloody long. What
DO
you want?”

I
wished I could reach through the phone and shake her or pop her upside the
head.

“Well
I got a couple phone calls yesterday wanting to know if you were with Kyle
Anderson.”

“And?”

“Well
I thought I’d check in with the both of you before I responded.”

“I
bet he started the rumor.” Julissa said.

“Actually
he told me it’s not true.”

Julissa
thought for a moment.

“How
much money is Kyle making these days?” She asked.