“I’m sure he’ll turn up.”
Marla gave Dan a big smile, then headed off for the kitchen. Jessica turned to find Donald Trump at the door with his latest girlfriend. She settled in for a long hour of greetings, aware the whole time that Dan was close by.
When the bulk of the crowd had arrived, Dan led Jessica away from the door into the heart of the party. The music, an eclectic mix by one of the most popular deejays in the city, was just loud enough to make conversation difficult. Drinks and food flowed at the hands of the ever attentive staff, and everyone seemed to be having a hell of a good time. He hoped to make that true for Jessica.
She’d handled the introductions like a pro, but when he touched her he could feel the tension in her muscles. Owen had come by briefly, pretty much ignoring Dan, but the crowd had been such that he had to leave Jessica be. Now that they were out in the open, so to speak, Dan felt sure Owen would make his move.
They were in the middle of the dance floor, Madonna singing a techno-song with a strong beat. Dan grabbed Jessica’s hand and spun her around to face him. “Let’s dance,” he shouted.
She shook her head no, and tried to turn away but he stopped her.
“Come on, one dance. It’ll do you good.”
She closed the distance between them and he bent at the waist so his ear was near her mouth. “I don’t know how.”
“Ah,” he said. “Then I’ll wait for a slow song.”
“Dan, I have work to do.”
“What work would that be? Everything’s going great.”
“I need to make sure it continues.”
“It will. Look around.”
She did, with a slow arc, turning around until she’d seen the whole room.
“See? These people know how to party.”
She nodded, but seemed captivated by something in a dark corner. He followed her gaze to find Marla standing with Shawn Foote. The two were huddled close as Shawn talked to her.
“Is something wrong?”
Jessica shook her head. “No, it’s fine. It’s just that Marla has a-”
He lost the tail end of her sentence. “What?”
She stood on tiptoe and cupped her mouth. “Marla has a huge crush on him. I’m proud of her.”
“Ah. Good for her.”
The song ended and another fast number took its place. “Is there somewhere quiet around here?”
“The only place I know of is the bathroom.”
“No good.”
“Oh,” she said. “There’s the roof.”
“Perfect. Where’s the door.”
She pointed toward the kitchen. “At the back, to your left.”
He laughed. “You’re coming with me.”
“No, I can’t.”
“You can.” He grabbed her hand and led her through the press of bodies. It took a while, but they got past the dance floor. He’d even managed to snag a glass of champagne on the way.
The kitchen bustled with activity, but Dan didn’t let her stop to investigate. He just kept leading her toward the door. When they reached the exit, Jessica put on the breaks. “Dan, I can’t.”
“Five minutes. We’ll get some air, have a drink. Then we’ll come on back and get as serious as you want.”
“That’s not the point,” she said, clearly not ready to give in. But just then Owen McCabe saved the day. He was on the far side of the room, but he’d spotted them. His voice, calling out Jessica’s name, was barely audible over the din.
“Uh-oh,” Dan said. “Owen, six o’clock.”
“Damn.”
“Come on, before he gets any closer.”
She let him pull her out the door, onto the metal steps leading to the roof.
They were in Midtown, on East Fifty-third between Lexington and Park, and when they’d climbed the two flights of stairs, they walked into a night filled with magic.
They weren’t high enough up to have an unobstructed view, but what they did see was incredible. The Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, lights blazing, made incredible exclamation points on either side. They were just high enough that the noise from the street was more of a whisper than a roar.
“There,” he said. “Isn’t this better?”
“Still, I should be-”
“You should be right here.” He handed her the champagne. “Drink,” he said. “Breathe. Relax. If nothing else, we need to make Owen wonder what we’re doing.”
She looked at the bubbly Dom Perignon, then back at him. “Okay. Five minutes.”
“Is that all? Boy, you don’t have very high expectations, do you?”
She seemed puzzled for a second, then she snorted in a very ladylike way. “You think Owen thinks we’re out here having sex?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Oh, that’s just silly.”
Now it was his turn to be skeptical. “You don’t think that’s the first thing he’d do if he had the chance?”
She paused. “Owen? Yes, you’re probably right.”
He stepped closer to her, touched her arm. “You don’t think it’s the first thing any man in that room would do if they had the chance?”
“Oh, please.”
He pulled her close so he could feel her against him. “Do you have any idea how desirable you are?”
“Owen isn’t here now.”
“And for that, I’m truly grateful.”
She finally met his gaze. He didn’t hide his thoughts at all. And when he saw her touch her upper lip with the tip of her tongue, he bent down for the kiss that had beckoned all evening.
He wrapped her in his arms, not willing to chance her getting away, but from her response, the move was probably unnecessary. She opened her mouth just enough for him to fully taste her, to linger in that wet heat. She moaned, and he pressed against her, letting her feel what she did to him. Her little gasp told him he’d succeeded.
“I’ve wanted to do this since you walked out of the bedroom tonight,” he whispered.
She responded with her lips, bringing him down again as she teased him with her tongue. His whole body tensed with the feel of her, with the electricity coursing through him. His hand moved slowly over the bare flesh of her back, the softness enough to drive him over the edge.
When he felt her fingers grappling at his back, he was the one to moan. He wallowed in her taste, moving his mouth to get her from every angle, to touch her completely and thoroughly, to possess her.
Pulling her tighter, closer, the party disappeared, the rest of Manhattan faded away, until all that existed were the two of them.
He rubbed against her, hard and anxious, letting her know that all she had to do was say the word-
“Jessica.”
Owen’s voice stopped them cold. She jerked back, pulling away as if she’d been burned.
“Hey there, Owen,” Dan said, disliking the man more and more.
“Jessica,” he said again, ignoring Dan. “I was looking everywhere for you.”
“I was just taking a little break,” she said. “Is there a problem?”
“ET wants an interview, and I thought you should get out there.”
“I thought they wanted to talk to Sheree and Shawn.”
“They do, but I think we need to have a presence.”
“Okay, sure. I’ll be right down.”
