More Nights With Kate (Jack Ryker) (2 page)

“I’m glad both of you are okay with things, but Jack left
because he didn’t think that it was in my best interest in the long run. 
I want to build my dream business and raise a family.  He claimed that
he’s not interested in either of those things anymore.  Apparently that’s
why he thought that I should date you,” I replied smirking at Brandon.

“Yeah, I was actually embarrassed for him yesterday.  I
didn’t know what to say.  It was like… alright, Dad, I’ll look after your
girlfriend for you or whatever.”

We all needed the laugh that followed Brandon’s
comment.  The expression on his face was priceless.  None of us had
any idea what was going to happen next, but at least it seemed like our
business relationship would be all right regardless of how things played out.

“I don’t know about you two, but I’m ready to get busy
building a business,” Brandon declared once our laughter had again transformed
into awkward silence.

Jayne and I both agreed as she called the receptionist to
have her send the manufacturing director, Brenda Dickson, back to the
conference room.  Once Brenda joined us, we all settled in and began
working though each phase of the plant retooling.  Noon arrived quickly
and with no lunch in sight, we all agreed that Kristen and her organizational
skills would be sadly missed. 

“If she were still here, we would be eating already,” Jayne
said while scrolling through delivery options on her phone.  “What are you
guys hungry for?”

“Chicken Kebab’s, Lobster bites, and Crab cakes” Brandon
replied.  Jayne and I immediately knew that he wanted to go to Jack’s old
haunt.

I couldn’t get myself to even look in the direction of the
St. Regis, so I told the three of them to go ahead without me and excused
myself from the meeting.  “I’ll grab a quick sandwich downstairs and meet
you guys back here at 1:30,” I told them as I made my way to the door.

It was a good thing that Brenda went with the other two
because tears were streaming down my face by the time I reached the
restroom.  I took a deep breath as I looked in the mirror and tried to
collect myself. 
Everything is just fine.  It will all work out
for the best.
  I tried in vain to reassure myself and keep moving
forward, despite the growing pit in my stomach. 
I’m just hungry.

12:58pm @ The Modern

Jack

A familiar smile spread across Kristen’s lips as I entered the restaurant and
spotted her.  Judging by her expression, it seemed as if it had been far
longer than 21 hours since we had last seen one another.

“I know that this might sound strange, but I already miss
working with you,” she confided as we settled in and began to glance over the
menus.

“We’ve been together a long time.  It will definitely
take some time to adjust,” I conceded.

I could tell she had more to say, but she held her tongue
and reluctantly turned back to the menu.  Our conversation turned to what
each of us was craving for lunch, but I knew that there was something else on
her mind.

“You mentioned wrapping up some loose ends in your message
last night,” I said after the waiter took our order.

“Yes, it seemed easier than telling you that I needed to see
you,” she responded, reaching for my hand.

“I understand this is a big change for you.  Work has
been the focal point of your life and I’m sure it’s going to take some time to
figure out what comes next,” I assured her.

“Do you remember when Coleman and I broke up?”

Coleman was Kristen’s longtime boyfriend.  The poor son
of a bitch was even more uptight than she was.  I could still picture him
standing in his black double-breasted suit, with a matching bowtie and his
hands clasped in front of him.  He had the same pose and facial expression
whether you saw him at a funeral or the annual Christmas party.

“Yes, was that two years ago?” 

“A little over three actually,” she corrected while shifting
nervously in her chair.

I gently squeezed her hand and waited patiently for her to
share her thoughts.

“Coleman always said that the reason I didn’t want to get
married… was because I was in love with you,” she finally confided.

“Really… was that true?”

“At the time, I really thought that it was simply because he
wasn’t the one.  But shortly after Eva was killed, I realized that no one
could’ve been the one.  No one could ever compare to you Jack.  You
were always the one,” she confessed with pleading eyes.

“So all of these years of working together, you’ve been
secretly in love with me?  Why would you do that to yourself?” 

“I don’t know… I justified it by telling myself that at
least I was spending my days with you,” she replied running her fingers along
the top of my hand.  “You weren’t dating anyone, so I was just waiting to
see a sign of life.  Then you met Kate and overnight you turned into a
sex-crazed teenager.  I was caught off guard to say the least.”

“I hope you realize how important you’ve been to me,
Kristen.  I consider you to be a lifelong friend, not just a personal
assistant.”

“I know.  I was just hoping our relationship could
become more than that.  After you left yesterday, I felt as if I had lost
my reason for living.”

“That’s a little extreme. After more than 20 years of
working together on a daily basis, I can understand why you would feel that
way.  It obviously hasn’t sunk in yet that after the corporate buyout
yesterday you’re a multi-millionaire.  You probably can’t imagine how much
your life will open up and change over the next few years.  For now,
though, how about I keep you on as my personal assistant?” 

“I would like that Jack.  You don’t even have to pay
me,” she replied with a warm, but subtle smile.

Kristen really is a beautiful woman with her long black
hair, cool blue eyes, and nicely toned body.  We get along great,
too.  But I don’t think that I could ever make the transition from being
her friend and business associate, to a more personal relationship. 
That’s just not something that can be forced.  She knows that Kate and I
are both uncertain about our future.  That’s why she chose this moment to
tell me how she really feels.

“I will always love you, Kristen, and I probably wouldn’t
have survived the last few years without you.  To be perfectly honest, I
would’ve been lost without you as my personal assistant.  In fact, I have
been thinking about spending some time in Greece next month.  Would you
mind helping me with coordinating a few things?”

“You know I’ve always wanted to go to Greece, so I’ll be
happy to do some research for you,” she responded with a renewed sense of
purpose.

“Maybe you can join us for a week or two while we’re there.”

“Who will be there?”

“I’m not sure at this point, but it will be the crew and me
at the very least.”

She obviously wanted to know whether or not Kate was going
to be there, but at that point it was anyone’s guess.  Kate hadn’t been
overly receptive to my call the night before, so I obviously had to smooth
things over in person.  I chuckled to myself as I thought about the fact
that I had flown to Puerto Rico and back in less than 24 hours.  Escaping
the city seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but hastily leaving Kate
behind was a tragic misstep. 

Part of me didn’t want to talk to Jayne about her, part of
me was worried about my health, and another part was horrified about keeping up
with someone less than half my age. 
I truly meant what I wrote in that
letter.  I don’t want her have any regrets later in life.  On the
other hand, Kate is such a little cutie that I’m sure she would make a great
cougar one day. 
Turning my attention back to Kristen, it struck me
that she still hadn’t yet come to the realization that she was in a very
enviable position.  She was so focused on the fact that she was alone at
age 47, that she completely overlooked the fact that she was an attractive,
healthy, and financially independent woman.

“You are right about one thing,” I told her.  “I went
from basically being dead, to feeling like a hormone crazed teenager almost
overnight.  We are at an age where we can either act like we did in our
30s or we can act like we’re getting old.  It’s a conscious choice.” 

“So you simply changed your mind and decided to be young?”
She snickered.

“I decided just to live again and not really think about my
age.  After Eva’s death, I got so depressed and my health deteriorated so
quickly that it made me feel like I was seventy years old.  I began to
have several drinks each night, hoping it would help me sleep.  However,
every night I would wake up in a cold sweat and have a hell of a time getting
back to sleep.  In the morning when my alarm went off, I would have to
peel myself out of bed and struggle through another day of being tired. 
Living like that makes you feel really old.”

“That pattern changed when you met Kate?”

“It did.  Honestly, I was so worn out by the time we
went to sleep that I never woke up until the next morning.  After the
first few days, I started feeling like I was 35 again.”

“You actually look that young too,” Kristen replied with a
lustful smirk.  “Don’t ever go back to the long hair and goatee.  You
are much sexier clean shaven.”

“Alright, thanks for the fashion tip.”

As we finished our lunch, I left Kristen with one last
thought.

“Take some time and find yourself.  Go to a spa or
something and just get pampered, reflect on where you want your life to go from
here.  Relax for God sake; you can do anything you want with the rest of
your life.”

“You know that I have a hard time relaxing.  I always
feel like there is something I need to accomplish.”

“At this moment, the only thing you need to accomplish is
figuring out how to feel young again.”

“That sounds good, but my youngest nephew is 30 and he’s
getting married next weekend.  I think that’s another factor that has me
feeling old and depressed.  Now at family functions, I’ll be the only
single one in the bunch.  Chronically single Kristen, as my mother would
say.”

“Where are they getting married?”

“In Poughkeepsie, that’s where his fiancée is from.”

“That’s perfect.  I want you to go home and pack your
bags.  A car will be by to pick you up at 6:30.”

“6:30 tonight? Where am I going?” Kristen squealed with a
girlish laugh.

“You are going to turn this wedding into a nice
getaway.  A good friend of mine owns a beautiful spa up on Shawangunk
Ridge.  It’s only about fifteen miles from Poughkeepsie.  I’m going
to tell him to give you the royal treatment and I want you to stay there until
you feel better.”

“Wow, thank you.  The saddest part is that I have no
excuse not to go.  I literally have no other plans until the day before
the wedding.”

“Now you do.  Go home and get packed.”

“I will.  Thanks again, Jack.  I’ll get back to
you on planning for Greece.”

“You’re welcome, and Greece will wait until next week. 
Go have fun.”

As we got up from the table, Kristen looked at me with a
reflective look in her eyes.  There still seemed to be more that she wanted
to say, but her conservative nature must have held her back.  Not wanting
to hear anymore, I took her in my arms and gave her a warm hug.

“Go get packed, relax and have some fun,” I repeated. 
“We’ll talk next week.”

“Alright, boss,” she replied, giving me a peck on the cheek.

As Kristen walked away, I was relieved that everything
seemed all right.  She looked back over her shoulder as she exited the
restaurant.  I waved and we exchanged smiles.    Kristen
really needed to go find herself instead of spending another moment fixated on
the idea of being with me.  After the past 24 hours, there was no doubt in
my mind that the only woman I wanted in my life was Kate.  I felt a sudden
uneasiness in my gut as I thought about what I was going to say to her. 
I
guess I’ll start by saying I’m sorry… again.

~~~

Kate

After a productive morning, I found myself struggling to
remain focused on business.  The fact that Jack was reconsidering the
viability our relationship after talking to Jayne made me angry. 
Was
his initial hesitation really about my future or was it more about preserving
his image, especially in the eyes of his daughter?
  I thought back to
how he acted so distant when we had dinner with Brandon, and how he kept referring
to me as a business associate when introducing me to colleagues.  The more
I thought about it, the angrier I became. 
It wasn’t really about me.

“Are you alright?” Brandon asked with a look of concern on
his face.

“Yes, I’m alright.  I’m just feeling a little nauseous
for some reason.  Would you guys mind if we took a break?”

“Actually, we’ve covered a lot of ground today,” Brenda
chimed in.  “Let’s pick up right here tomorrow morning.  Does nine
o’clock work for everyone?”

“Perfect,” replied Jayne.

“It’s almost happy hour, where should we go?” Brandon added
looking at his watch and raising his eyebrows.

“You guys can take Brenda out, I’m going to have to pass,” I
said, “I’m not feeling well.”

“I’m out, too.  I have a bridal shop appointment at
5:30 and I need to finish a few things first,” Jayne replied.

“Well, Brandon, it looks like it’s you and me.  I have
nothing going on until nine tomorrow morning,” Brenda said, tossing her notes
into her handbag.

“You two stay out of trouble,” Jayne said teasingly on her
way out the door.

As their voices faded off into the distance, my thoughts
turned back to the call from Jack.  I tried to recall his exact words, but
only remembered generalities. 
I’m sure he got back to the ship and
realized it wasn’t going to be the same without me.  The only other female
onboard was Carla, who was a skilled massage therapist, but didn’t appear to be
Jack’s type.  I can’t imagine a guy like Jack would have much trouble
meeting women, though - good looking and worth a couple billion dollars. 
Regardless of the reasons behind his prior hesitations, am I really prepared to
walk away?
  In reality, my head hadn’t stopped spinning since the day
we first met. 
I just need some time alone to think…

Somehow I knew that Jack was back in the building a full
minute before smelling his cologne, hearing his voice, or feeling his
touch.  Something deep inside of me must have picked up on his energy, as
I suddenly felt as if he were there.  Glancing around the empty room, I
blamed my overactive imagination and pushed my face into my hands. 
I’m
a conflicted mess,
I thought, as hot tears nestled in between my
fingers.  His presence grew stronger and I even thought that I smelled his
familiar cologne. 
I’m completely losing it.

“I’m so sorry, Kate,” Jack whispered as he placed his hands
on my shoulders.

I was so choked up that I kept my face buried and my
shoulders began to shake as all of the emotions of the past few days continued
to flow out of me in the form of tears
.  I don’t want him to see me
like this, so weak and vulnerable. 
The fact that he had returned so
quickly was almost as disturbing as how quickly he had departed. 
Seeing
Jack was the last thing that I expected today.  It’s more than I can
handle right now.

Jack

Witnessing Kate’s reaction to my touch was more than a
little disheartening.  Never before had my mere presence caused a woman to
break down and sob. 
I definitely fucked this up.

Not really knowing what to say, I simply caressed her
shoulders as she continued to cry.  Her shoulders shook repeatedly as she
seemed to be releasing everything that had been bottled up inside. 

After a couple of very long minutes she finally said, “I’m
sorry I’m such a mess.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about.  I’m the one who’s
been acting like a complete jackass.  That’s why I’m here to ask for your
forgiveness.”

Again, there was no reply, only continued sobbing.

“Come here,” I said turning her chair.  I raised her to
her feet and wrapped my arms around her.  “I’m so sorry I’ve done this to
you.  I don’t know what else to say.”

As Kate began to quiet down, I once again whispered how
sorry I was for leaving so abruptly.  Drawing in the sweet smell of her
hair and skin instantly ignited my senses.  Feeling her firm, little body
pressed against mine also stoked the already simmering carnal fire. 
There
is nothing I would rather do right now than take her on the conference room
table.  That’s always been a fantasy of mine.  Now is not the time to
be having these lustful thoughts, however.  I may need to cut back a bit
on the testosterone supplements. 

“It’s not so much that you left, but now I’m confused as to
why you left.  You made it pretty clear that you felt our relationship
would hurt me in the long run,” she finally said, wiping away her tears.

“That’s true.”

“Then I don’t understand what Jayne could’ve said to change
your mind.”

Her question caught me off-guard.  I struggled to
quickly come up with an answer.  “It’s not so much that she changed my
mind, but I started to re-evaluate everything after she asked me a simple
question.”

“What was the question?” she asked still sniffling.

“What’s more important than love?”

The question appeared to have the same effect on Kate, as
she looked me directly in the eyes for the first time since my arrival. 

“What was your answer?”

“Nothing, which is the answer she knew that I would give
her.  Ever since she was a little girl, I’ve always told her that nothing
is more important than love.  That’s why she used it against me.”

“I’ve always thought that, too.  The last couple of
days, though, I’ve been thinking that maybe I was just in love with the idea of
you.  Maybe it was a combination of lust and excitement.  Or maybe I
have some serious daddy issues.”

“So you’ve been questioning your feelings for me?”

“Actually, I’ve been searching for ways to convince myself
that I’m not absolutely in love with you.  My life would be much easier if
I was in love with someone closer to my age.  I don’t want to end up like
my mother, or Kristen for that matter.  The thought of being childless and
alone at that age terrifies me.”

“It scares me as well.  I want you to have a fantastic
life, even after I’m gone.  There are no easy solutions, but none of us
truly knows what the future holds.  I never would have guessed that Eva
would die before me.  I always assumed that she would outlive me. 
Your mother married someone her age, but she still ended up alone.  The
future is pretty much a crap shoot.”

“That’s true I guess.”  Her reply was followed by
silent reflection as she wiped away the remaining tears.

“We don’t have to figure it all out right now.  I just
wanted to apologize and take you out for a nice dinner,” I said hoping to move
past this tense situation.

“I definitely have to go home and freshen up before going
anywhere,” she said with a subdued smile.

“You do that and I’ll pick you up at 6:30.”

“Alright.  If you want to kill some time, Brandon and
Brenda just left for cocktails.  You could stop in and say hello.”

“Yeah, I already talked to them downstairs.  I think
that I’ll do that.  Thanks for giving me a second chance,” I replied
giving her another hug.

“Well there‘s still plenty to talk about.  It’s not
like we’ve resolved anything,” she replied in a more defensive tone.

“I know.  I’m just glad you’re open to talking. 
See you at 6:30.”

I gave her a kiss on the forehead and departed before she
had a change of heart.  Our relationship was bound to have more obstacles
than most, but at this point, I was willing to work through them one by
one.  Hopefully, she will be willing to do the same.

Kate

The whirlwind that had consumed my life recently was
returning to full strength.  My mind was in overdrive, trying to process
everything as I entered the elevator and punched the lobby button.  My
heart had been slowly breaking over the past week, culminating with that gut
wrenching letter and his hasty departure.  The text that I sent him
yesterday afternoon had accurately summed up my state of mind:

I’ve loved you since I met you and even though we’ll be
apart,
there will always be a place for you deep inside of my heart.

Those weren’t random words, they were well thought
out.  I loved Jack, but I had already begun to accept the fact that I
would no longer be seeing him on a daily basis.  I knew that I would
always love him, even though anything more than our brief love affair probably
wasn’t in the cards.  No one could ever take away my memories and they
would simply have to be enough.  Just as my mind was beginning to accept
and make sense of the whole crazy situation… boom… he was back. 

As I stepped out of the elevator, my phone buzzed. 
Once again, I had to wonder if there was some strange, magical connection
between the two of us.  It was a text from Jack.

It said:  I’m not a poet, but here goes… 
I’ve
loved you since I met you and hate the thought of being apart, facing the
future without you would shatter my already weakened heart.

Weakened heart?
  Jack had told me that his
doctor appointment had gone well.  That his heart had checked out
fine. 
Maybe he’s referring to it being weakened by Eva’s death.
 
After getting into the car, I simply stared down at his message not knowing how
I should reply.  Finally, I decided just to go with my initial gut
reaction; replying with five little words that had risen from my deepest core.

I couldn’t let that happen.

~~~