MEGA-AX1 The Inferno (6 page)

Chapter 8

Brian was in the kitchen making breakfast when Michael came down, fresh from taking a shower.

“How is it that you roped me into making breakfast when I should be upstairs sleeping?”

Michael went over by the stove and grabbed a sausage. “Oh…I don’t know…maybe guilt? If I remember correctly you made me wait outside in the car for almost twenty-four hours when you were dating that red-headed actress. You’d mentioned something about you’d only be gone a few minutes.”

Brian turned around with the spatula in his hands. “I think this pretty much means we are even.”

“Almost, I still need you to keep Jessie occupied. Then, we’ll be even. If it were up to her, they would have been gone last night and definitely on the road right now.”

“She sounds like a smart girl.”

Michael tossed the last piece of his sausage in his mouth. “Well, they’ll be down any minute so keep making them flapjacks.”

“By the looks of those ladies, I’m surprised they even eat flapjacks.”

“You should know better than anybody not to judge a book by its cover.” Michael took a look around the kitchen. “The party planners did a really good job of cleaning this place up last night.”

“Yeah, you better be glad they did because if they hadn’t, you would be taking two lovely ladies out to breakfast whether I owed you or not.”

Just as Brian was finishing making the scrambled eggs, Téa and Jessie walked into the kitchen. It was a beautiful eat-in with restaurant-style appliances. The sunlight was beaming through the skylights and the patio window opened onto a large deck that sat over what looked like a man-made pond.

The view was soothing, but Jessie was starving. She hadn’t really eaten anything since late-afternoon yesterday. All she could think about was having some of that fresh fruit and those pancakes.

Téa and Jessie had changed their clothes. Téa was wearing fitted jeans and a t-shirt while Jessie was wearing fitted jeans and a sweatshirt. Jessie also hid her hair underneath a baseball cap. Her face was free of all makeup. She was as beautiful without makeup as she was with it. Téa on the other hand wasn’t wearing a lot of makeup but did have on a little bit. Brian was impressed that Jessie hadn’t tried to impress him. If anything, she looked as if she didn’t want to be bothered. The two ladies couldn’t be more different if they tried.

Jessie sat on the stool next to the island. “Thank you for making breakfast. It seems your brother has a way of making you do things you probably didn’t want to do just as Téa does with me.”

Brian smiled at her, and for the first time it seemed genuine. “No problem. Almost anything for the ones you love right?”

Téa picked up a sausage from the dish just like Michael had earlier. “Hellooo! We’re standing right here.”

Brian finished the eggs and put them out on the island with the rest of the food. “Breakfast is ready.”

Everyone engaged in chitchat as they made their plates and sat around the island. Brian was actually very witty. Jessie found it easy to talk with him.

Brian wanted to get to know Téa a little better, too. Michael seemed to be genuinely interested in her, and they had both had enough of the opportunists. “Téa, Michael hasn’t told me very much about you. What do you do?”

Téa took a sip of her orange juice before answering. She knew this was somewhat of an interview. “You could say I’m somewhat of a geek. I work for Jessie playing around with computers and stuff.”

Brian turned to Jessie, “You own your own business? What kind is it?”

Jessie put down her fork, “I own a Network and Security Management company called Ramses.”

Michael was thinking the same thing as Brian, “I’ve never heard of Ramses. Where is that based out of?”

“We are based out of Phoenix. I actually live in Phoenix. Most of our clients are referral only unless you know some of our clients you probably wouldn’t have heard of us.”

“So, is this like home security or something?”

Jessie smiled coyly, “Or something.”

“So, if I wanted to hire you for a new home security system, could you help me out? The paparazzi are out of control.”

“Sure, I could give you some recommendations.”

Michael and Téa were engrossed in their own conversation. They finished their breakfast and decided to take an early morning walk.

Jessie picked up her plate to put it into the sink, “Brian breakfast was really good. Thanks again. I can be a real bear before breakfast.”

“Yeah, me too. I’m just glad you ate it. Most women are so concerned with their figure that they forget how to enjoy their food.”

“Well, I can’t say that I eat like this all the time. Fitness is very important to me, but I do enjoy good food.”

“So how long have you known Téa?”

“Are we still in the interview process or are you actually interested?”

“Maybe both. Would you like to go out on the patio? It looks beautiful.”

Brian and Jessie walked out onto the patio. There was a little bit of a chill in the air but it had the makings of a truly beautiful day.

“My brother seems to be really taken with Téa. Naturally, I’m a little concerned. They’ve known each other for all of twenty-four hours maybe.”

“What, you don’t believe in love at first sight?”

“Not at all.”

“Neither do I, actually. Look, Téa is a wonderful person. I’ve known her for more than eight years. Of course I’m biased because I love her like a little sister. She has great instincts and believe me, we’re typically so busy with work that we rarely have time to hang out like this. As a matter of fact, the next couple of days will be like a vacation to us.”

“Well, I hope you don’t think I’m being too forward. It’s just that in my position I can’t be too careful.”

“No, you can’t.”

Brian was relieved that she didn’t seem to be phased by his celebrity. It was also nice to have a conversation with a woman without any pressure or expectations. He could understand why Téa and Jessie were best friends. They seemed to be equals, but where Téa was all fire Jessie seemed to be just cool enough to keep things calm. It didn’t feel as though she would rattle easy.

Brian threw some bread crumbs out to the doves on his pond. “So Téa told you?”

“How did you know that I didn’t know who you were?”

Brian laughed out loud and flashed that smile, “I can read people within two seconds of meeting them. I knew immediately that you didn’t know who I was. Just like I knew immediately that she did. It was hard to believe that you didn’t know but honestly pretty refreshing.”

Jessie’s stomach did a little flip again. “Well, I’m normally pretty quick on my feet but I’m exhausted. I’ve had about seven hours sleep in the last seventy-two hours so I’m not as alert as I usually am.”

When Téa and Michael came back from their walk, there weren’t going to be any more excuses. They were leaving. Jessie was tired and needed to get her bearings.

“Me too. I haven’t been asleep in the last eighteen hours. If I ever make it to my bed, I don’t know if I’ll wake up in this lifetime.”

Brian’s cell phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the number. “Excuse me. I’ve got to take this call.”

“Hey, sweetheart. Michael planned the party. I’m sure it was a mistake that you weren’t invited.”

Jessie turned and looked out over the pond trying to give Brian a little privacy. She was a little disappointed that he was possibly seeing someone.

“Look…I’m in the middle of something right now, can I call you back? Ok…You too.” Brian disconnected the call. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s no problem. Girlfriend?”

“Not really.”

Jessie looked at him a little skeptically. He was off limits and that was fine. She didn’t have time for anything other than a friendship anyway.

“So, you said you could help me with my home security. Does that offer still stand?”

“Sure.”

“Great, I can show you around the house and property until Michael and Téa get back from their walk.”

They spent the next hour or so walking around his property and inside the house until Téa and Michael finally returned. Michael and Téa reluctantly said their goodbyes but made plans to get together later on in the evening. Finally, Jessie and Téa were on the road to go home.

Chapter 9

One month later….

It was only 7:00 p.m. and Jessie was already home in her pajamas, lounging on her couch and watching TV. As she flipped through the channels with one hand and ate popcorn with the other, she wondered,
Why the hell am I paying for all of these channels when I’m never home to watch them and when I am, there’s nothing on?
Her cell phone buzzed. Jessie reached over to the coffee table to pick it up. She didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello?”

“Hey Jessie, I thought I was going to get your voicemail.”

“Brian?”

“Sorry...I should have said that first. Yes, it’s me. I’m here in Phoenix. I had an unexpected layover and I don’t know a soul here. When I called Michael to let him know I wouldn’t be in LA tomorrow, Téa was in the background suggesting I call you to see if you could help me out.”

Jessie immediately sat up on the couch and—even though Brian couldn’t see her—ran her fingers through her hair.

“Umm…yeah sure. What do you need?”

“The paparazzi got wind that I’m in town and they’ve swarmed the airport. I’m currently in the
high-profile
client waiting room. I don’t have any security with me because they managed to make the connecting flight somehow. Can you believe that?” Brian was laughing out of the sheer irony of the situation. “Is there any way I could hire you to come get me and take me to an undisclosed location?”

Jessie laughed out loud, “An undisclosed location? You sound like you need presidential-level security.”

Brian sighed deeply. “Unfortunately, sometimes I do. It gets pretty intense out here with all the fans and flashing lights. It’s hard to see anything.”

“Forgive me for making fun of your situation. Of course, I’m not that far from the airport. I can be there in about twenty minutes.”

“Thanks. I’ll give them your information so that you can pick me up from the underground parking lot. Thanks again, Jessie.”

After they disconnected their call, Jessie rushed into her bedroom to change her clothes, grabbed her keys, and headed out the door.

*****

Jessie arrived at the airport in exactly twenty minutes. She’d called him on the way there to give him a description of her car along with the license plate number so he could pass that information on to airport security. As soon as she pulled her car up to the curb, Brian came out of the building.

It was no wonder that Brian was a movie star. He just oozed confidence and the man was nothing short of gorgeous. She had hoped that he wasn’t as handsome as she remembered—but he was, and even more so. Thank god she had tinted windows; she could study Brian without him ever knowing. As she analyzed him from head to toe, she bit her lip as she noticed how his jeans hugged him in all the right places. They weren’t too tight or too baggy. In fact, they fit him to perfection. He had paired them with a black cotton V-neck shirt which showcased his broad chest and strong arms. And he sported a pair of black aviator glasses to top it all off. Was it even possible for someone to be this sexy? As he got closer to the car, Jessie tried to pull herself together. The car was already cool from the air conditioning, but she needed to turn it up just a bit more to help chill the heat rising from her core.

Once Jessie felt a little more in control, she hopped out of the car to open the trunk as Brian met her at the back of the car and embraced her in a friendly hug. Not only was he sexy as hell but he smelled delicious. Jessie had to get a grip on herself.

She didn’t trust her voice so she cleared her throat before she spoke. “Where are all of your things?”

Jessie wasn’t the only one who needed to regain composure. When Brian saw Jessie get out of the car, he had to catch his breath. She made a gray jersey maxi dress, with thigh-high side slits, and sneakers look sexy as hell. Every time she took a step he got a really good peak of those legs. They were long, toned, and silky smooth. Brian was glad his glasses obscured his line of vision. He’d better focus on something else quick.

“This is it—just me and the carryon.”

Jessie was impressed. So far, he didn’t seem to have any prima donna type of tendencies.

Brian whistled low as he admired Jessie’s car. It was a black, luxury sports car with black Italian leather seats. He couldn’t place the make and model, but it was obviously very expensive.

“What kind of car is this?”

“It’s a
COMMAND
Model M.”

Brian looked perplexed, “I’ve never heard of that.”

“It’s a custom made car from one of my clients.”

“Damn…You’ve made me terrified to look at your invoice.”

Jessie flashed Brian a smile that tilted him on his axis. “If you’re nice, I might give you a discount.”