The next morning Danny performed his ritual of showering with his pajamas on. As cold rivulets of water ran down his body, he searched for the usual euphoria. A cloud hung over him and her name was Marnie. Last night he'd slept, while restless thoughts of Marnie tumbling out of the limo haunted him. Thank God he'd distracted her from opening the door and hurting herself. Taking her out had been a huge mistake. The therapist had warned him about her fragile state. Just what he needed, another brick of guilt on his back. He was still reeling from the last one.
Danny welcomed the thick scent of coffee that greeted him when he entered the kitchen. He poured himself a cup from the fresh pot. He took a sip, relishing the hint of toffee nut syrup. Marnie must be awake. She always added a special flavor to his coffee, each one shockingly better than the next.
“Morning.” Jessica bounced into the room, full of sunshine and a good night's sleep.
Danny sighed. He wished he could get a good night's sleep.
She wore a halter top with a pair of shorts. It'd be nice to return to bed with her, sans shorts, but the Jess he knew was gone. He hadn't realized how much he liked her until she showed up with Lem. Even then he secretly harbored a hope they weren't really over.
“What's for breakfast?” Lem entered the room, hair tousled in odd directions as if he'd just woken up. But Danny knew different. This was Lem's groomed look.
Jessica opened the fridge, her rump swaying in front of them. Danny took another gulp of coffee.
“Eggs, bacon, and toast,” Jessica said.
Lem scratched his head. “No more hummus, huh? He turned to Danny. “Any good Vegan places around here?”
Danny raised an eyebrow. Fortunately, Marnie entered the kitchen. She occasionally dabbled in that health junk.
“Here.” He handed Marnie a crisp hundred dollar bill from his wallet. “Would you mind taking Lem for something to eat while you're out? He's starving.”
“I'm craving some Vegan pizza.” Lem rose from the barstool. “Babe, you want to come?”
“No, but bring me back a slice.” Jessica cracked a few eggs into a bowl.
Silence ensued after Marnie and Lem left. Danny stole a few quick glances at Jessica, but her eyes remained glued to the bowl. He decided it was best to follow suit and left the room.
“How did it go last night?” Her voice stopped him in the hallway.
He returned to the kitchen, taking a seat at the breakfast bar.
“It was the quickest party I've ever been to. We left after the first hour.”
“Why?” Her green eyes glanced suspiciously over at him.
Beautiful green pools. How come he'd never taken the time to tell her that? Well, now it was too late, his conscience snapped.
“She burst into tears. It wasn't the right time for her to go out.”
“Danny, what the hell happened in Chicago?”
“If she didn't tell you, I don't think it's my place to say. But don't you ever sit there and try to make me feel guilty about not taking her somewhere.”
“Alright. Jeez.” The pan hissed as she poured the eggs into the cast‐iron skillet.
“I'm trying hard to be cool, but I can't believe you showed up with him.”
“Oh.” Jessica turned the fire off and joined him at the bar.
“I always had respect for you. I've never thrown another woman in your face, but obviously I was wrong about what we had.”
Jessica's face crumpled in defeat. “Did we have something?”
“What? Of course we did. We were always there for each other.”
She balked. “I never knew you felt this way.”
“I never took the time to tell you. There's no point in talking about it now.” He ran a hand through his hair. Why is she making me talk about it now? His throat was threatening to close up.
“Oh, Danny, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.” She planted a chaste kiss on his lips.
“Jess,” he moaned hesitantly. A question about what they were doing hung in the air.
She stood, pulling her shirt off and unzipping her shorts, erasing all attempts to gloss over the moment like it was a misunderstanding.
Danny took her into his arms and kissed her tenderly. He needed it to be soft this time. He wanted to savor every inch of her skin. As he took her mouth in his, he thought of Marnie. How broken and lonely she'd looked on the beach. Her usual sassiness vacant. She'd grabbed his shirt and a part of him hadn't wanted to let her go.
Jessica pulled out of his embrace. She smiled seductively as she bent over the kitchen table. Her ass tempted him to take her from behind, but he wanted something much more tender than they'd ever shared before. He turned her around, kissing her again. Willing all thoughts of Marnie to leave him.
Her legs surrounded him, urging him to join with her. He placed feather light kisses across her breast. Jessica sighed in obvious frustration. He smelled her heavenly scent, but it wasn't right. He wanted that damn soap and water fragrance.
Danny glanced up, enraptured by the passion in Jessica's eyes. He placed a hand on her hip and filled her until she held all of him. He waited for joy to cover him as he watched her thrash in ecstasy, but he was numb. Hard for her, yet there was an emptiness he couldn't shake, no matter how fast he filled her.
Their moans filled the kitchen.
“Marn—” he stopped mid-scream. His blood ran cold as Jessica's smile fell. “Jess.” He placed kisses on her lips and the tip of her nose.
She pushed him back. “Do you love me?”
Oh God. “I care deeply about you.”
She crumpled like he'd stabbed her then scurried away from him.
“You bastard,” she whispered.
They sat frozen by his callousness. The chime of the elevator spurred them to action. He picked her top off the floor, scrambling to stretch it over her head. His thoughts swirled around him in an ordered fashion. Marnie couldn't see them like this. Why hadn't they gone to his room? He should've planned better. This wasn't a plan, his conscience snapped him out of the swirl.
“Really?” Lem said.
Lem and Marnie framed the doorway.
“I'm sorry, I forgot the ticket,” Marnie said. Anguish spread across her face.
Danny quickly released his hold on Jessica and she pulled down her top and pulled her shorts up. If they had waited a few more minutes, Lem wouldn't have known anything.
“This doesn't mean anything,” Jessica said, pointing at Danny.
Lem rolled his eyes and tossed the pizza box on the table. “I'm out of here.”
She turned to Danny. A look of horror marred her features. “I gave up a good man for you.”
Before he could stammer out an apology, Jessica pushed him out of the way. She ran out of the room, begging Lem for forgiveness.
“Danny!” She screeched from the guest bedroom. “Tell him it didn't mean anything.”
“Yeah, bitch! Call his name some more,” Lem said.
Danny rolled his eyes as he zipped his pants up. Marnie sat on a barstool, digging her nails into the leather. She jumped when he laid a hand on her shoulder.
“Whatever happens, I still need my clothes for tonight.”
“Oh. Right.” She hopped off and dashed out of the room.
Danny and Jackson entered the penthouse at 2 a.m. He stumbled to his bedroom, barely managing to land on the bed. He kicked his shoes off and leaned back, rubbing his temples. Today was a terrible day. He was nominated for three awards and hadn't won any of them. To make matters worse, Lem and Jess's shouting match still rang in his ears. His head was pounding, but fortunately one good thing had happened to him today. He'd run into Nia, and she'd hit him with four bottles of her vitamins this time.
At this point he didn't give a damn if he was getting addicted, he needed them. His life was just too fucked up at the moment to deal without a little assistance. He sat up and leaned over his nightstand. He'd do a few lines to kill the headache and then he'd go to sleep.