The Girl He Used to Know(31)
“Oh. Okay. Well, thanks for that. It hasn’t been all bad.”
“It hasn’t?” It had sounded pretty bad.
“No.”
“Okay. Do you think we’ve talked enough?”
Jonathan laughed. “Yes.”
He kissed me then, and it was different from before, but in a good way. Our good-night kiss at the door had been shorter, but these kisses were longer, and each one seemed to melt into the next. He did, in fact, taste a little like Pep O Mint Life Savers, and his kisses weren’t sloppy or too rough. He took frequent enough breaks that I didn’t feel like I was suffocating, and he was careful not to crush me with his body. Jonathan slipped his arm under my head, and his palm rested on my hip, but other than those two contact points, he did not try to touch me.
“Are you still going to class?” I asked.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Uh, because I’d rather keep doing this.”
“Me too!”
Jonathan let out a short laugh, but I wasn’t trying to be funny. He kissed me again and I could study his face because his eyes were closed. His eyelashes were as long as mine, but it was the angles and planes of his face that intrigued me. Such perfect symmetry and balance. I extended the tip of my index finger toward his smooth unblemished skin and lightly traced his cheek. He opened his eyes a little, and I had to go back to looking at his nose. But it was straight and perfectly proportioned so I didn’t mind at all. “I’m tired too,” he said. “Let’s take a nap.”
“Okay,” I whispered. How strange it felt to want to fall asleep next to someone. Normally it would bother me to have someone in my bed, because I had a very specific way I liked to sleep, which didn’t include another person sharing the space. But I wanted Jonathan to stay, and it gave me a special kind of thrill to realize he wanted to fall asleep with me. It seemed even more intimate than the kissing. More grown-up, somehow. Janice often had someone sharing her bed, but this was yet another first for me. I reveled in the sensations washing over me and tried not to dwell on how much I’d miss them if he were to decide I wasn’t worth the trouble.
It would be a real shame if that happened, because Jonathan made me feel comfortable and safe in a way that no one else had ever bothered to, not that many had tried.
17
Jonathan
CHICAGO
AUGUST 2001
Annika looks incredible when she opens the door. My department is celebrating the addition of a new client and, more specifically, the client’s very large investment portfolio. We will spare no expense to welcome them, and tonight’s event includes a cocktail hour followed by a formal sit-down dinner in the party room of a trendy, overpriced restaurant. It’s the kind of event where not having a plus-one would seem out of place. As a star player on the team, I’m expected to look the part at all times, and though no one has ever said it outright, a beautiful woman on my arm is certainly part of the persona. I tried to come up with a good reason why I shouldn’t bring Annika, but I couldn’t.
The burgundy dress she’s wearing stops just above her knees, showing the perfect amount of leg, but the sleeves are long and covered by some kind of lace overlay. It is the ideal attire for a corporate dinner party. Annika has the kind of body that isn’t overtly noticeable. Her breasts never feel like they’re in your face, but they make you wonder what they look like under her clothes. Her legs are only slightly longer than average, but they’re toned. She is the most perfectly proportioned woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing naked, and has the softest skin I’ve ever run my hands across. Tonight, she looks both sexy and conservative, and I look forward to introducing her to my fellow team members. I’d brought two other women to work functions after Liz and I split up. They were attractive, but they were also smart and successful. Unfortunately, I hadn’t felt a spark with either one of them.
I hadn’t felt much of anything at all.
In the cab on the way over, I give Annika the rundown on who I’ll be introducing her to.
“Bradford is my boss. I know someone who went to college with him back when he was just Brad. He’s married to the company but also has an actual wife who I gather spends most of her time raising their children alone. He’s very tall.” Brad seemed to enjoy having conversations where he was standing but his employees were seated and he could tower over them even more. “He works more hours than everyone, and he never passes up the opportunity to let us know it. He also doesn’t understand why this would bother anyone.”
We walk into the restaurant, and I lead Annika toward a pair of open French doors where my teammates are gathering, drinks in hand. Brad is standing alone just inside the room.
I watch as he notices Annika. She’s wearing her hair up, which draws my attention to her neck. I want to kiss it. Actually, I want to suck it the way I used to in that old, lumpy bed in my college apartment. Maybe Brad does, too, because he’s looking at the exposed skin a little longer than he should. It’s subtle, but I’ve seen him do it a hundred times with my coworkers’ wives and girlfriends. Brad knows that no man who reports to him will ever call him on it, which is why he’ll never stop doing it. It bothers me to see him do it to Annika, and because of it my greeting is clipped and my handshake short and perfunctory. If Brad notices, he doesn’t show it.