Fall into my Heart (The Subzero Series, #1) (6 page)

“I
have no idea.”

“Ugh.
Well you’re loads of help. I guess you can say it’s not true.”

“Well
is it?”

“No
not at all, but if he was making a ton of money I would let people think it
was. Since you don’t know then I don’t want my name tied in with someone who
could possibly be mediocre.”

Geez,
she’s about as unbelievable as he is. It’s a wonder these two never worked out.

“Are
we done?” She asked and then, before I could respond, she hung up the phone.

I
called both tabloids back and gave the generic statement of “Julissa and Kyle,
while they are close, personal friends, are not romantically involved.”

When
I got home from work, there was a bouquet of stargazer lilies propped up
against my door. Attached to the lilies was a hand written note that said.....

Can’t wait until tomorrow night – Jack  

Alright,
amethyst strapless dress it is.

––––––––

I
woke up Wednesday morning feeling so excited. It was the day of my big “still
not quite sure if it’s a date” date with Jack. My outfit was all ready for tonight;
I just had to somehow manage to make it through work. I brushed my hair and
fixed my makeup before putting on caramel colored dress pants, a pink cashmere
sweater and heels that matched the color of my pants.

I
didn’t think it was possible for anyone to be more excited about tonight than I
was, until I saw Jocalyn. She looked like she was going to burst when I walked
off of the elevator.

“OH
MY GOD! Oh my god! Oh my god! Yay! Are you excited? I’m excited! I can’t wait
to hear all about it!” Jocalyn said in two breaths.

Jonathan
walked out of his office.

“Jocalyn,
what is all the racket about?” Jonathan asked, holding one hand up to his
forehead.

“Chloe
has a date!” She said.

“Do
you?” Jonathan asked me.

“Sort
of.” I replied.

“Well
congratulations and good luck. Jocalyn do try to contain your excitement over a
date that is not yours.”

“Sorry
Jonathan.” She said as he walked back into his office.

Jocalyn
and I smiled at each other before I headed into my own office. I tried to
search for upcoming events to book my clients for to generate good publicity,
but I couldn’t concentrate on a single thing. After reading the same sentence
for the sixth time, I decided I needed to get out of my office. I walked down
the hall and knocked on Jonathan’s door.

“Come
in.” He said without looking up.

“Hey
Jonathan, would you mind if I skipped lunch and left early?” I asked him.

“Got
to get ready for the big date?” He asked.

“Yeah.
To tell you the truth I haven’t been on a first date in 3 years. I feel like an
excited nervous wreck and I don’t even know if this is a date.” I said. That
was probably more information than he needed, but I needed to say it to someone
and he asked......sort of.

“Sure
go ahead. Lord knows I can barely deal with Jocalyn. I certainly don’t need two
of you driving me up the wall.” He said with a grin.

I
smiled. “Thanks Jonathan.”

The
rest of the day seemed to drag on and on, between me not being able to
concentrate and Jocalyn updating me every fifteen minutes on how much time I
had until my date.  My phone remained surprisingly quiet. Either the boys were
behaving themselves or they simply weren’t getting caught by anyone.

As
soon as I got home I took a nice relaxing bubble bath. I would have loved to
have brought a glass of wine in with me, but since I didn’t eat much I knew it
would go straight to my head. That was certainly the last impression I wanted
to make on him tonight. Nobody wants to be the stumbling drunk girl before the
evening starts.

After
I got out of the tub, I slathered on cherry blossom body lotion and spritzed on
matching body spray. I used my flat iron to flip out my hair and began to
freshen up my makeup. I wish I knew how to do the smoky eye look they always
show you how to do in magazines. I tried to do it once and I looked completely
ridiculous. I guess I don’t understand how to blend and smudge because it
looked like I had taken a big black crayon and drew huge black rings around my
eyes.  

I
started to feel giddy with excitement as I slipped into my amethyst dress. I
was checking myself out in my bedroom mirror when I heard the doorbell ring. I
took a couple deep breaths before opening up the door.

“Wow.....you
look.....you look amazing.” Jack said staring at me.

I
could feel myself start to blush a little bit

“Thank
you. You look pretty great yourself.” I said a little bit shyly.

That
was an understatement. Jack didn’t look pretty great, he looked downright
amazing! He traded his khaki chords and t-shirt that he normally wears for a
pair of black chino pants and a gray button down dress shirt with the top
button undone. If I was a cartoon character, I’d be saying “Hummina hummina
hummina” while my eyes popped out of my head and drool ran down my face. On
second thought maybe it’s better, and more attractive, that I’m not.

“You
can come in. I just have to grab my jacket and purse.” I said opening up the
door wider.

“And
put on shoes.” Jack added.

I
looked down at my bare feet and was glad that I get pedicures regularly.

“Right,
that too.”

Jack
walked into the living room as I ran into the bedroom to slip my feet into
black heels. When I came back out, he was standing at the balcony door looking
outside.

“Are
you ready?” I asked as put on a black crop jacket.

“I
am.” He said as he followed me out the door.

As
we walked to Jack’s truck, I realized that when I picked out my outfit I didn’t
take into account that I needed a launch pad to get into the truck. I was
plotting my course of action when Jack pulled a step stool out of the back of
the truck.

“Cute!”
I laughed.

“Just
thinking ahead.” He smiled.

We
made awkward small talk on the way to the restaurant and I silently prayed the
conversation would start to pick up. It would be a shame if he turned out to be
a bore considering how good looking he was, though I didn’t actually think
there was a boring thing about him.

“Good
evening. Just two?” The hostess asked as we walked through the heavy oak wood
and glass doors.

“Yes
please.” I said.

“Follow
me.”

We
followed her into a room that was decorated with dimly lit sconces and sat down
at a table that was romantically set with soft cadet blue linens, white lace
overlays and two long taper candles in crystal candleholders. There were a few
other couples seated near us, but it was pretty cozy and intimate.

“Welcome
to Basil. Can I start you with some drinks?” The waitress asked, speaking more
to Jack than me.

“Could
I have some sweet tea?” I asked.

“Make
that two.” Jack said.

“Certainly.
I’ll be right back to take your order.”

I
was still trying to figure out what exactly this was. We were both dressed up,
which says date, but we haven’t said much to each other, which I think shows
that this was more of a friendly gesture. I had to think of a slick, nonchalant
way of finding out.

I
looked over at Jack, who was perusing the menu, and was silently praying for a
sign that this was in fact a date, when all of the sudden I heard myself blurt
out “Is this a date?”

Ok.....well that was neither slick nor was it nonchalant.

Jack
looked up and flashed a crooked smile. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Is
this......um, is this a date?” I repeated. I wished I could have pretended I said
something else, but we both know what I had just asked him.

“Well
I thought it was, but I guess you tell me,” Jack looked at me, his blue eyes
sparkling with curiosity.

“Well
I wasn’t really sure if you meant for this to be a date or if you were just
being nice because I’m new and don’t really know anyone here.”

“Chloe,
if I was just being nice to you, we’d both be in jeans, in my flat, with a
pizza and a couple pints of beer.” Jack smiled and my heart melted.

That
made sense really. Why hadn’t I thought of that? I mean, who asks someone to go
to a fancy Italian restaurant just to be nice? Plus he did get dressed up. I
felt silly for asking him. If he didn’t think I was ridiculous before, he
certainly must now!

The
waitress came over then with our drinks. “Ready to order?”

“I’ll
have the lobster ravioli.” I said.

“And
you?” She said looking at Jack. I wasn’t positive, but I swear she was batting
her eyelashes at him.

“I’ll
have the shrimp scampi with a side of meatballs.”

She
stared at Jack for a minute before walking away.

“So
are you going to that Christmas charity thing?” Jack asked.

“Yeah,
how did you know about that?” I asked.

“Joanie
set us up to go; you know good publicity and what not. She said it will show
everyone we are more than just a couple of jackasses.” He said.

“Ouch,
that’s pretty rough.” I said. I mean I kind of agree with Joanie but I didn’t
think I would have had the guts – or the heart – to actually come out and say
that.

Jack
shrugged. “Tyler gets excited sometimes and Dean likes to play pranks. There
may have been a hotel room or two that wasn’t exactly left in its original
state.”

“Yeah
that doesn’t surprise me. I mean no offense, but I have gotten some pretty off
the wall calls about you guys.”

That’s it Chloe. You’ve already questioned his
intentions, why not insult the way he and his friends behave?

“Do
you have a date?” Jack asked.

“I
do actually.” I admitted,

Jack
didn’t respond, instead he just nodded and took a sip of his tea.

I
smiled. “My sister is coming to visit. I didn’t want her to sit at home alone,
so I asked her to go with me.”

Jacks
face brightened up. “Well maybe we could ride together.”

“Sure,
I mean if that’s okay.”

“Of
course.....so I’ll get to meet your sister. Are you excited she’s coming?”

“Extremely,
she’s coming for two weeks and then a week after she leaves I’m going home for
a week for Christmas. I wanted to go home for Thanksgiving too, but I didn’t
feel right asking for time off for both.”

“Thanksgiving,
that’s next week?”

“Yep,
it’s next Thursday. This is my first one away from home.”

“You
should come over and I’ll make you dinner.” Jack offered.

I
smiled. “It’s a date.”

“Good,
glad we clarified that ahead of time.”

“Thank
you for the flowers.” I said as the waitress set down our food.

She
turned to Jack, “Is there anything else I can get for you?”

“No
I think we’re fine.” He said.

She
disappeared and Jack looked at me. His blue eyes sparkled as he flashed me a
wide grin.

“You’re
welcome. I wasn’t sure what kind of flowers you liked and I remembered a
bouquet of lilies that took an unfortunate leap down the stairs.”

I
laughed at the memory of the stairs incident. It was definitely funnier now
then I was when it happened.

“I
like all flowers but lilies are definitely a favorite of mine.”

“Are
you doing anything this weekend?” He asked.

“I’m
going to Barnaby’s Friday night with some people from work. You should come.”

“We
will be in the recording studio all day, but I’ll try.”

While
we ate, we talked about how he got into music and how I got into PR. I told him
about my family and he told me about his, he has one brother who lives in
Manchester with his parents. After we were finished, Jack paid the bill and we
left, forgoing dessert.

As
we walked out of the restaurant, Jack grabbed my hand. He only let go to help
me into the truck, but as soon as he got in, he grabbed my hand again.

As
he was driving, Jack glanced over at me. “I meant to tell you at Stoaked, I
really like your hair like that. It’s kind of punk rock.”

“Thanks,
that was the look I was going for.”

“Well
then look achieved.”

I
was trying to think of something clever to say, but I couldn’t think of
anything. I searched my brain for something, anything, but nothing was jumping out
at me. Maybe I should really start watching the news or something so that I
would have something intelligent to say. I mean guys like that right? They like
smart girls, girls that can bring something to the table and carry a
conversation. Maybe I should start a list of good ideas for topics to talk
about. I didn’t know where I would keep it though. Do you study it before you
go out or jot it down on your hand?

I
didn’t realize that we were home until Jack was opening the car door for me. He
held out his hand to help me down and gripped my hand a little tighter as we
made our way towards our building.

“I
had a lot of fun tonight” I said as we stopped in front of my door.

“Yeah
so did I.” Jack said.

We
stood there, staring at each other. I let my gaze fall from his eyes down to
his full lips. Man he has nice lips. I wanted to kiss him, badly, but I didn’t
want to be the one to make the first move.

“So.....I
guess maybe I’ll see you Friday night?” I asked.

“Yeah,
I’ll try to make it.” Jack said.

Well at least we are both kind of lame!

“Well.....goodnight.”
Jack said as he wrapped his arms around me.

I
closed my eyes and inhaled as he hugged me. Oh my god! He smelled so good! Almost
like sage and musk and manly.

“Goodnight.”
I said as we parted.

I
watched Jack walk to his door. Just as I was turning to unlock my door he
turned around. Jack strode back towards me with a confident look on his face. He
cupped my face in his hands and pressed his warm lips against mine.  My lips
slightly parted and his tongue darted quickly into my mouth. I swear my heart
stopped beating for a minute. Jack broke away and smiled as he bit his lower
lip.

“Goodnight
Chloe.” He said sweetly.

I
was in such a daze that I couldn’t say anything. Before I regained enough sense
to stop myself, I waved to him. I WAVED TO HIM! Who does that? I mean, I did
get a laugh out of him, but seriously could I have been any smoother there? The
guy kisses me, says goodnight in that sexy, panty dropping accent of his and
the only response I can muster up with is to wave at him?  I don’t think I
could be any lamer if I tried.