Love at your service

Chapter 5



\"Jess, Jess sweetheart, wake up! We\'re home!\"



Rita slowly shook Jess\' shoulder and it took Jess some time to open her eyes.

She raised her head and felt a pain shoot through her neck and shoulders. The Jeep was parked in front of her apartment building and it was already dark. She had been asleep for the entire ride and now her muscles were protesting after sitting in the same position for so long.



\"O no, Rita, have I been asleep the whole time? Why didn\'t you wake me? I am so sorry, what a boring ride it must have been for you?\" She felt ashamed that she had been asleep, after her friend had been so kind to come and pick her up.



\"It\'s not a problem Jess, so don\'t worry about it! You obviously needed the sleep! And at least it means that I will have your full attention now, so you can tell me all about Las Vegas\".



Rita gave her a big smile and winked. Jess recognized the look in Rita\'s eyes straight away and realized that she wouldn\'t take no for an answer. If Rita was out to find out what she wanted to know, she was like a pitbull terrier that wouldn\'t let go. When she looked at her watch though, she saw that it was 1 am already.



\"Look at the time, Rita, it\'s so late. You\'d better get home, or George will start wondering what\'s keeping you. You know what, I\'ll come by tomorrow morning and we can talk about my trip then. And then I\'ll get to see Luke and Jake as well. Deal?\"



\"You\'re right. Ok, I\'ll leave you then and I\'ll see you tomorrow\".



They kissed each other good night and Rita got back in the car, while Jess walked up to her apartment. Pew, that would give her some time before she would have to tell Rita about Vegas. She was her best friend, but Jess wasn\'t sure whether to tell her about Ben.



When she entered her apartment, she picked up the mail and checked her voicemail for any messages. Nothing interesting in the mail and no messages. Well at least it meant that Jason had finally given up calling her and leaving nasty messages.

Still feeling tired, she decided to go straight to bed. She put her suitcase on the bedroom floor; she would unpack tomorrow. She took off her clothes and shoes, slipped into the oversized t-shirt that she always slept in and went to the tiny bathroom to brush her teeth and comb her hair. After that she went to the living room to get her book, but then decided against it. She didn\'t need to read to be able to fall asleep. She was still exhausted from last night! And with her thoughts back with Ben, she fell asleep immediately, a smile around her mouth.



Of course she dreamt of him as well, reliving in detail the wonderful night they had spent together. Only in her dreams, he didn\'t have to leave the next morning. So when she woke up from her vivid dream, she was surprised to find herself lying in her own bed, alone. O,how was she ever going to forget about him! She quickly got out of bed and took a shower. When she was finished she changed into her favorite pair of jeans and a sleeveless pink blouse. She put her hair up in a ponytail and set to unpacking her suitcase. The beautiful dress was another reminder of her night with Ben, but she hung it in her closet and closed the door without giving it another thought. That would be the only way to get him out of her mind!



It was a beautiful day and after she finished her tea and toast, she got out her bike, to ride the few blocks to Rita\'s house. On the way she stopped at the supermarket to get some food for that evening. She didn\'t have to work until the next evening. Having the Saturday off was a rarity and she would enjoy every minute of it.

She arrived at Rita\'s and placed her bike against the garage. She could hear Rita and the boys in the backyard, playing and laughing. When Rita had been pregnant, they had bought this lovely house with a huge backyard where the children could play. She walked around to the back. The boys were lying on a blanket in the garden, playing with their toys.



\"Hello, handsome little boys\", Jess said, while she leaned over them. \"They are growing so fast Rita, it\'s only been a week since I last saw them! But look at Luke, he\'s already trying to turn to his stomach\".



Rita glowed like the proud mother that she was.



\"I know, they seem to change a little every day! So, did you sleep well? Can I get you some coffee?\"



\"Hmm, I\'d love some\".



While Rita was in the kitchen, Jess played with the boys, holding toys over their heads so they could grab them.

When Rita returned, they took a seat on the grass, next to Luke and Jake.



\"Well come on Jess, tell me all about the interview. Do we have something to celebrate?\"



\"You\'re impossible\". Rita could always make her laugh.

\"Unfortunately, I don\'t know anything yet. They said they would call before the end of next week\".



\"A week? I suppose you will be biting your nails all week. But now tell me, what was your hotel like? Did you enjoy it?\"



\"O, did I ever, it was a great hotel, 5 stars and they had booked a suite for me. I almost felt like royalty!\"



\"Pretty impressive, so what did you do that evening on your own. Did you meet with the contact person that evening?\"



Jess took a hold of Jake and put him on her lap, giving herself some time to think. Typically Rita, going straight for the kill! As if she knew something had happened!



\"No, I was on my own. Todd Levinson, the future GM, arrived the next morning and I was supposed to meet the owner, Mr. Carter, but I never saw him. So, I spent a great evening pampering myself with a lovely bath and dinner for one\".



She felt a slight blush covering her cheeks telling this lie to Rita.

Rita in turn looked at her long ad inquisitively. Jess quickly took a sip from her coffee, but since she swallowed it too soon, she ended up coughing. Rita handed her a tissue, frowning.



\"Right, and how did the interview go then?\"



To her surprise, Rita didn\'t ask any further, so she relaxed a little. There was no way that she was going to tell her about Ben. She would call her stupid, letting herself go like that with a total stranger! It sure wasn\'t something that she would expect Jess to do.



\"In my opinion it went really well. Mr. Levinson was very kind and we agreed on many things. It also depends on the other candidates though. I mean, they are preferably looking for somebody that has experience in Vegas and that\'s obviously not my forte. But he also emphasized that they were looking for someone who\'s very service and guest oriented with strong leadership skills. I have always thought those to be my strong points, so let\'s hope I

have been able to convince him of that\".



Saying this, she realized again how much she wanted this job, this new start!



\"In the very unlikely case that he hasn\'t, just tell him to give me a call and I will be happy to explain it to him!\"



Jess smiled at her friend\'s support. Even though she would hate to see her go, Rita would support her decision one hundred percent.



\"Thank you, Rita\".



She put Jake back onto the blanket and finished her coffee.



\"Ok, no more talking shop, now it\'s time to give me all the juicy details!\".



Rita gave her a big smile. Jess was caught by surprise. She had thought that Rita had accepted her story.



\"What ever do you mean\", was all that she could utter.



\"Come on Jess, it\'s me you\'re talking to! I can tell by your face and the blushes earlier on, that you are hiding something from me! There\'s something different about you, a certain glow or something, I don\'t know!\"



\"I went for a job interview, that\'s all!\"



Nervously, she was ticking with her fingers against her coffee mug. My goodness, was she such a bad liar!



\"Ok, Jess, if you say so. If you don\'t want to tell me, that\'s fine. I am sure that you will tell me whenever you\'re ready.\"



Rita finished her coffee and got up.

Jess looked at her and she felt terribly guilty. How could she lie to Rita?



\"Rita, wait! There is something that I want to talk to you about. Please sit down again and I will tell you\".



Rita sat back on the grass and looked at Jess curiously.



\"Last night in Las Vegas, I didn\'t quite spend it alone. Actually you won\'t believe what happened to me! I met this really attractive man under the strangest circumstances! We happened to get booked into the same suite and he turned up when I was having a bath. O Rita, you should have seen him. He was absolutely gorgeous!\"



Even thinking about him again, made her knees go weak.



\"He turned up while you were having a bath. Wow, Jess, what did you do?\"



\"Well, I got dressed, he looked the other way of course and we talked. It turned out that there had been a mix-up with our suites. So we laughed about it and then he invited me for dinner. So we went for dinner at the hotel and we had a great evening, that\'s all!\"



\"Jess! It\'s me you\'re talking too! You are the worst liar, what happened then?\"



\"You don\'t want to know, believe me!\"



Rita looked at her, her eyes wide open.

\"Did you sleep with him?\"



Jess felt her face go red and she quickly looked at the boys.

\"Uhum, I guess that would be the technical term for it yes\".



She looked at Rita from under her eyelashes. How would her friend react to this, and especially when she would find out that it was just a one-night thing?



\"You devil! What was it like and when are you seeing him again. And what\'s his name anyway?\" Rita\'s eyes were glittering with interest by now.



\"Well, his name is Ben and it was unbelievable, but we are actually not seeing each other again\".



Rita\'s eyes now opened even wider than before.



\"We both decided that it would be best, since we were both not interested in a relationship right now\".



\"That just doesn\'t sound like you at all, Jess. When you like someone, you really like them!\"



\"You\'re right Rita, but after Jason and hopefully a new job, I thought it would be best not to get involved\". She looked at Rita, waiting for her disapproval.



\"Ok Jess, if that\'s what you want. As long as you\'re not in love with him!\"



As Rita said this, Jess quickly stared down at the ground, her eyes filling with tears.



\"O, you didn\'t, did you? While Rita said this, she put her arm around Jess\' shoulder.

Jess looked up at her and said honestly: \"I don\'t know Rita. All I know is that I can\'t seem to get him out of my mind\".



\"Well, why don\'t you call him and try to find out what you really feel for each other?\'



Jess laughed out loud.

\"I would if I could, but I don\'t even know his last name, let alone his phone number!\"



Rita looked surprised at this new piece of information.

\"My goodness, Jess, he\'s not a wanted man is he? Or worse, married?\"



Smiling again, Jess remembered that he hadn\'t been wearing a wedding band. Also he had mentioned that he was single.



\"Not that I know of, but he mentioned that he wasn\'t interested in a relationship and that he enjoyed the mystery of not knowing each other\".



\"Of course he did Jess! You were an easy prey: a sexual partner for the night and no problems afterwards! How could you have fallen for that\".



\"It wasn\'t like that at all! HE wasn\'t like that at all!\". When she said this, she realized that she had no way of knowing this. She didn\'t really know Ben and now she never would either.



\"Ok, Rita. Can we just drop the subject! I had a great time, but it didn\'t mean anything\"

\"If you say so. Jess, I just don\'t want to see you get hurt!\" Rita looked at her, her face all worried.

\"I know you don\'t, sweetie, but I am a grown woman. I can deal with this.\" As she said this, she hoped that she could convince herself of the same thing!





It was 10 pm Saturday evening, before Ben could leave the office to go to his apartment. He had spent all day on the phone, using the many connections he had in the hospitality industry to find out whether the rumors that his investors had heard about were true. They had learnt that another hotel chain was planning on building a 5-star hotel two blocks away from the location that they were negotiating about. It would mean the end of the whole plan, because he couldn\'t afford a competitor that close in a city like Denver. Las Vegas, yeah, no problem, there was plenty of business for everybody! And he really wanted this hotel in Denver, since it was part of his plan to move the head offices there as well.



The marketing department of Carter hotels had researched the area for a viable market and had found a niche, but not enough to share with any competition. So the investors had gotten nervous and had called this emergency meeting. He had been able to settle their nerves and had promised that he would find out the truth as soon as possible. He had just put down the phone to one of his old friends from college who happened to work for the hotel chain involved. He had done some calling around for Ben and had called back with the happy news that the rumors were false. He had left instructions with James to inform the investors of the good news. Now it was just a matter of time before they would go ahead with the deal.



Earlier today he had also received a phone call from Todd Levinson. The interviews had gone fine and he had made a choice for a candidate. It was the Van Zant candidate from Colorado. Not the most obvious choice, but Todd had explained him that she (not a he, as they had thought) was perfect for the job with the right attitude and an impressive c.v. He had agreed with the choice, since he trusted Todd\'s judgment completely. He was glad enough that they had found somebody on this short notice.



Ben said goodbye to James, urging him to go home himself and then left the office to go to the car park. All day yesterday and today as well, he had been thinking of Jess at the most unexpected of times. During the flight to Denver and later to New York, during his meeting with the investors or even being on the phone! The girl had made some impression! It was a shame that they wouldn\'t meet again, but as he told himself all the time, he didn\'t need a wife! And Jess was definitely \"wife material\".



In the car to his apartment, his phone rang and he answered it.



\"Ben, darling, is that you?\" The voice of Lois Wellman whispered in his ear over the phone. O, no, Lois. She was a close friend to his sister Natalie and they had both decided a long time ago that Lois and Ben would make a great couple together. It didn\'t matter that he didn\'t agree!



\"Yes, Lois, it\'s me. How are you\".



\"I have been so lonely without you sweetheart. Where were you last Thursday? I thought you would be at the Club?\" Her voice sounded accusingly.



Last Thursday, huh, he had spent it in the arms of the enchanting Jess! Oh, there his thoughts went again!



\"Sorry Lois, but I was on business in Las Vegas. I am sure you have enjoyed yourself without me.\"



\"How can you say that, darling\". Lois\' sentences were always enriched with words like sweetheart, darling, love, honey etc. He hated that. But she was a close friend of the family, so he was always nice to her.



”Why don\'t you come over for a drink then, Lois, to make it up. I\'m in the car now, but I\'ll be home in 15 minutes\".

He regretted the offer as soon as he made it, but he could do with some company anyway.



\"Great, I\'ll see you then!\" Lois sounded over the moon, and Ben hoped that she wouldn\'t read too much into this invitation.



hen he arrived home, he took the elevator to his penthouse apartment. It had a great view of the city and it cost him a fortune. But as long as he had to stay in New York, he had to have a place that would give him a feeling of space. He went straight to the kitchen and took a bottle of Chardonnay from the fridge. He poured himself a glass and when he was in his bedroom to change into some jeans and a sweater, the doorbell rang. Lois was quick!



He opened the door and Lois stood there smiling. She was a beautiful brunette with straight hair that fell to her chin. Her skin was very pale and her eyes a light blue. She was wearing a short red dress that fitted her slender frame perfectly. Yes, she was definitely attractive, but for some reason not to him. She had always been his sister\'s friend and nothing more. He had been out on a few dates with her, but it hadn\'t clicked. Lois had thought otherwise, but he had stopped inviting her and she was now always the one asking him out.



She was a nice girl, but just not his type. Lois came from a very wealthy family and had been spoilt rotten by her father. She hadn\'t worked a day in her life and all that she seemed to do was shop, go out for dinner and party. He preferred women that had a little bit more going for them. Besides, he always liked blondes. Again his thoughts drifted to Jess and how he had covered his face in her lovely locks. He could almost smell her...



\"Ben, sweetheart\". Lois leaned over to kiss him on the mouth but he quickly gave her his cheek. She looked disappointed. Maybe he should just tell her outright that he wasn\'t interested. It was obvious that she still had her hopes about him!



\"Hello, Lois. You look lovely this evening. Did you come from a party?\"



\"Yes, I was at the Waldorf when I called you. The Lowensteins were having a party, but it was so boring that I was glad you invited me! You wouldn\'t believe it, but all they could talk about was business!\".



\"Well, it was probably a business get-together\" Ben said dryly.



Lois didn\'t even seem to notice his sarcasm and walked straight to the living-room where she laid down on the red velvet chaise-longue. Ben was sure that she was trying to look seductive, so he turned his back to her and poured her a glass of wine as well.



\"So you were in Las Vegas, huh. You should have told me, so we could have had some fun at the casino together\" Her lips were pouting, which made her look like a little child. It was time that Lois found herself a rich husband that adored her and could afford her!



\"There wouldn\'t have been any time. Like I said, I was in Las Vegas for business!\" Uhuh, a little voice in his head said.



\"You are working too hard Ben. Natalie keeps saying so as well. You need a life outside of work. A representative wife of course, to keep you happy!\"



\"Lois, as I have told my sister many times before, I love my work and I am not interested in any relationship!\" He took a large sip from his glass of wine and hoped that Lois had gotten the message.



\"That\'s what you think, Ben. But when the right woman comes along, you will change your mind, trust me\".



Trust Lois! He didn\'t trust her as far as he could throw her!



\"How are Natalie and Christopher doing? Is the wedding all arranged?\" He decided that it would be best to change the subject.



His sister was to be married in two weeks, on the same day as the opening of the Carter in Las Vegas. It meant that he would have to miss that. But Natalie was his only sister and he wouldn\'t want to miss her big day.



\"They are doing great! Everything is all set for the wedding. It\'s going to be a wonderful day. I am so jealous of Nat. She\'s got herself a great guy and she\'s marrying him! And here I am, not even engaged!\" There was that pout again.



Christopher Farrell was a young banker and he and Natalie had met on a sailing trip with mutual friends. First, they became friends but Chris had soon fallen in love with his lovely sister and vice versa. Ben and Chris liked each other a lot, and he was glad to welcome him into the family. His sister had always dreamt of meeting mr. Right and starting her own family. Unlike Lois, she did have a job, working as an interior designer. As so, she had worked on some of his hotels. But after their marriage she planned on quitting work and focus on becoming a mother. It had always surprised him that his sweet and serious little sister had befriended Lois. Maybe it was a case of \'opposites attract\'.



When their father died, his sister had been devastated. They had always been very close, but so had their entire family, so they had managed together with their mother, Lily. She had focused on giving her children all of her attention, until she had realized that they did fine on their own. Ben had been 25 and with all the enthusiasm of somebody his age he had worked all hours of the day to make the hotel chain a success, which had paid off. Natalie had been only 19 and at first she had spent days in her room lying on her bed crying. Then Ben and his mother had spoken to her and had been able to convince her that giving up on her own life wasn\'t the way to deal with the death of Stephen Carter. She had picked up her life and went back to college.



Then it had been Lily\'s turn to start enjoying life again. Two years after her husband\'s death she had met her current husband, Mark Ohlsen, at a charity benefit evening. He was also a widower and they had found love the second time around. It had been a comfort for both Ben and Natalie to know that their mother had found someone to spend her life with. Lily Carter was a beautiful woman, that had always put her family before herself and she deserved to be happy more than anyone. She and Mark lived in Florida now and they often came to Colorado to visit Ben or New York to see Natalie and Christopher. Of course they would also be in New York for Nat\'s wedding.



\"Ben, darling, are you asleep?\"



Lois\' voice sounded annoyed and Ben realized that he had been sitting on his couch, his eyes closed, reminiscing about the past. His father\'s sudden death still managed to move him.



“Sorry, Lois. I was actually just daydreaming. I am afraid I am not very good company right now. I am very tired I guess. Would you mind going? We\'ll do dinner some time this week, ok?\"



\"Well, that\'s not very flattering for me, is it? Am I that boring?\"



\"Of course you\'re not. I mean you\'re like family and it\'s always good to see you. I am just tired from the trip to Vegas and then Denver after that. I didn\'t get much sleep either\".



\"Hmm\", Lois didn\'t sound convinced and her eyes had flickered with anger when he had mentioned her being like family!



\"Fine, I am going! I\'m sure I can find somebody to spend my Saturday evening with who will appreciate it!\"



She got up from the chaise-longue and walked over to the door without giving him another look. Then she slammed the door on her way out, making Ben flinch because of an upcoming headache.



Great! Now she was angry with him and his sister would undoubtedly call him in the morning to complain about his rude behavior. All the more reason to just go to bed and finally allow himself that early evening in that he had been promising himself all week! When he finally laid in bed though, he couldn\'t help but think about how nice it would be to hold a certain woman\'s soft and voluptuous body in his arms. In his imagination, the woman had blonde hair and sexy green eyes!