Forbidden Secrets (Completed ✅)

Twenty One

Jordan glared at Evelyn irritably "What the fuck are you rambling on about ?"
"You keep it with you all the time" Evelyn hissed.
"Well if you have to know, my mother gave it to me" Jordan replied snidely.

She opened her mouth to ask a question but was stopped by the door bell ringing.

"Sorry, Chad's waiting" Jordan mumbled pushing past her
"Bye" she spoke with no real emotion in her voice.
Evelyn hadn't offered nor had she stopped him for any form of affection.
Their relationship definitely changed . Jordan felt nothing.
He didn't even give a return bye as he made his way down to the front entry way. Glancing back briefly as he and Chad walked across the lawn to the car. Sometimes he wondered why Jordan even bothered pretending.
#
The plane landed with a thud as Steph's stomach jolted. She shook her head.
Man was she ever going to get used to that.
The stewardess's voice boomed over the intercom
"Good Evening ladies and gentlemen it is my pleasure to welcome you to Boston's Logan airport. The local time is 8:45 pm. We would like to thank you for flying American Airlines . We hope you enjoy your stay in historic Boston"

Steph inhaled deeply to steady herself again. Two weeks passed since she seen Jordan. Steph was ecstatic to get off the plane. Thankful she didn't have any bags to claim she heaved her packed full carry on out of the overhead compartment. Walking off of the plane , into the terminal Steph was full of nervous energy as she almost ran to the passenger pick up area absently dragging the carry on behind her. She couldn't hold back the utter disappointment that flooded her body when she saw Bubba standing there looking around for her. She walked up behind him lightly tapping him on the shoulder.
"Excuse me sir, do you have a spare cigarette" she asked smiling
He laughed at her "Sorry mam I am fresh out" he said as he gathered her into a choking bear hug. "J's sorry that he didn't come pick you up himself he had um well family issues I guess you could say" Bubba explained uncomfortably
"No problem" Steph told him masking her disappointment and initial twinge of jealousy.
Bubba led her to a black SUV in the vast airport parking lot. She couldn't help but smile as he valiantly opened the door for her and walked around to drop her bag in the back.
"So is this your first time in Boston?" He asked conversationally as he steered the SUV out of the lot
"Yeah" Steph replied looking around anxiously to take in all of the scenery.
After a minute or so of silence Bubba sighed "I am looking forward to the show" he said as they entered the downtown part of the city "It will be so great to see all of the guys in one place again" he finished with a longing in his voice that made her smile.
"Yeah I know, I am so looking forward to meeting all of them finally" Steph replied absently as she watched the buildings steadily climb as she looked out the window. They fell into silence as they rode to the hotel. Bubba finally turned on the radio just for the noise. When they pulled up in front of the Sheraton hotel she couldn't hold back the shocked gasp.
"Um, you guys got a motel six around here, because on the money he's paying me I know I can't afford this joint" Steph mumbled stepping out of the SUV
"Girlie you are crazy, will you stop that" Bubba said as he brought the bags around to the curb.
"Let me get your bag for you Ms . Dumont" The bellman said as he hurried out the door and over to where they stood. When he bent down to get the bag she sent Bubba a shocked look.
"Jordan gave them a heads up about you coming" Bubba murmured to her under his breath, "so just play along"
"Right this way" The doorman said as he opened the door for them.
They followed the bell man across the massive lobby and she looked around in wonder. Everything seemed to shine. The entrance way held a brilliant crystal laden chandelier that twinkled in the extravagant soft lighting. The people patronizing the elegant lounge eyed her curiously as she followed the bellman to the elevators with Bubba in tow. When they paused to wait for the elevators he heard his cell phone buzz in his pocket.
"Yeah" he spoke into his phone just as the elevator dinged it arrival. "I 've got her, we're at the hotel, we just got here" he paused "ok sure," he looked at his watch "I think we can make it by 10:30" another pause "well we will see you there then" and he clicked the phone off.
She turned to look at him. Why did he have to stand behind her like that, it was so creepy.
Bubba chuckled as Steph cocked an eyebrow at him in question.
"Dinner" he said simply "Have you eaten?"
"Nope, not unless they count the most unlimited amount bags of airline peanuts in this world as a meal" Steph smirked
The bellman chuckled under his breath and shot them an apologetic glance for his obvious eavesdropping. They stepped off the elevator and allowed him to lead them down to a suite of rooms.
He opened the door for them as her breath caught at the sight of the massive room. It was bigger than her house. She walked in and absently ran her hand down the polished marble bar of the kitchenette as she took everything in.
"Thank you" she overheard the exiting doorman say as he closed the door.
Relaxed now, she threw out her legs and sunk into the comfy couch. Bubba gave her a laugh as she sighed deeply with her eyes closed. He knocked her feet off the coffee table as he passed by.
"No rest for the weary chickie, we have to be at dinner in thirty minutes" he said with an absent glance at his watch.
"What!? I can't go like this?" Steph demanded gesturing at her yoga pants .
He laughed shaking his head "no I think not, it's an upscale restaurant"
She blew her hair out of her eyes "Ok I guess I will have to beautify myself quickly then" she said as she heaved herself out of the deep folds of the couch.
She dragged her carry on into the bedroom Bubba pointed to and jumped with excitement at the open suitcase laying across the bed. Steph picked up one of Jordan's surprisingly neatly folded tee shirts and brought it to his face. She drank in the smell of him and her stomach did a flip. Were they supposed to be sharing a room? She looked around confused. If they were in Boston why was he staying in a hotel? That didn't make any sense and a bolt of guilt quickly pierced her empty stomach.
"Family troubles" she muttered to herself as she threw her carry on beside his on the bed. She pulled out her tailored black pants and a low cut black top laden with silver beads. She rescued her hair from flatness and frizz with a quick blast of her hair dryer and a few corrective swipes of her trusty curling iron. She spent the extra minutes carefully applying her make-up opting for dark eye shadow and glossy lip stick. Putting on her jewelry she absently thought of her long ago lost necklace. She couldn't figure out where in the hell she had lost that silver S she loved so much. She slipped into her standard black heels and stepped back into the living room area. Bubba raised his eyebrows in shocked approval.
"What" she said holding out her arms and looking down at herself in horror.
"Absolutely nothing" he said with a laugh "You went from couch potato to smoking hot in what?" he consulted his watch "Less than 20 minutes"
She laughed "I guess I should take that as a compliment"
He walked over and took her by the arm "Come on girlie let's go shock some men"
"Men?" she said with a confused look "Just who are we dining with?"
"Chad and Jordan why?" he asked with a laugh as they stepped into the hall way
"You give those guys way more credit than they deserve" Steph scoffed as she pressed the button for the elevator. They made their way outside just as the valet was bringing the SUV around. Bubba opened her door for her prior to getting in the driver's seat . She grinned at Bubba as he slid under the wheel beside her.
"Is this what they call the five star treatment?" she asked as he pulled away
"Yeah I guess" he said with a grin
"Damn in Philly we just call it manners" she laughed
"Well I ain't no chauffer Ms. Daisy" Bubba chuckled.
She laughed as she stared out the window at the cities lights. Bubba pulled up at the restaurant and the valet exchanged his keys with a claim ticket. As he came around the car he motioned for Stephi to stay put. He got to her side and opened the door for her.
"Ma'am" he said with a nod and a surprised laugh as she got out.
"Ass" Stephi teased as she stepped out laughing.
She walked into the restaurant and the over made up hostess greeted her with rehearsed cheeriness.
"Do you have a reservation?" she asked Stephi as she eyed Bubba curiously
"Zimmerman" Bubba said over her shoulder.
"The rest of your party hasn't arrived yet so you are welcome to wait in the bar area for them" she said too cheerfully as she motioned over to the highly polished and low lit bar.
"Sure, thanks" Stephi said with a big smile as she followed her gesture.
She hopped up on a stool and immediately lit up a cigarette.
"Oh god that's nice" she said exhaling extravagantly.
Bubba laughed at her contentment "you shouldn't do that you know it's bad for you" he said faking concern.
"Yeah but you know what they say" she shrugged "you gotta die of something" she finished with a flick of ash in the crystal dish.
The bartender sat their drinks in front of them as Steph fished out another cigarette as Bubba shook his head. She was about to light it when someone reached over taking it out of her mouth.
"Hey" she hissed jerking around
Jordan stood there shit grinning at her. She blinked ad her stomach clinched like it always did when she saw him. Steph looked him up and down trying her best to mask her intake of breath. He was dressed in a suit damn he was looking good.
"You ok" Jordan asked chuckling.
"Yeah I was just wondering how many ways I could hurt you for taking my cigarette" Steph smirked
"Ok, ok, no violence" he said handing it back to her. He stepped around her to shake Bubba's hand and Chad stepped up.
"Stephi" he said with a polite nod
"Hey to you to" she said with a pat at his shoulder.
He nodded at the bartender who sat a drink down in front of him.
"Was your flight okay? Chad asked making conversation
"Same as always" she replied with a sigh
"How's Jamestown these days" Chad asked as Steph realized he was trying his best to make small talk with her. Their last conversation had ended badly. Steph guessed Chad assumed she was still pissed at him.
"It's pretty much the same too" She replied shrugging.
"Well Boston's glad to have you" Jordan whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her. Her insides tightened as he held on to her. Chad smirked at their playfulness . She was really still pissed at them both. Jordan didn't know that she had heard what he screamed at Chad when those pictures came out. The hostess walked up and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Jordan as she shot Stephi a nasty glare.
"Your table's ready" she said through obvious forced composure
"Thanks" Chad replied as he and Bubba followed her over with Jordan and Stephi following closely behind
"What the hell was that look about?" Jordan asked quietly as he pulled her chair out for her.
"Me" Stephi replied with a devious grin
"What about you pisses her off" Jordan asked completely bewildered
"The fact that I am with you guys" Stephi replied still smiling.
Jordan just shook his head as they looked over their menus.
They ate and drank the night away. Well mostly drank. The alcohol was doing strange things to her just like it always did when Jordan was around. They were finding excuses to touch each other while making all kinds of suggestive comments that elicited groans and laughs from Bubba and Chad. The alcohol finally getting to her she excused herself to the restroom and almost fell over when she got up. Jordan reached out grabbing Steph's arm to steady her.
"You ok" he asked smiling
"Yeah" Steph replied staring back into his big brown eyes . Jordan rubbed her arm and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Steph stepped into him. She could see it in his eyes. It was always there.
"The bathrooms that way" Chad smirked pointing in their direction
"Oh thanks" Stephi mumbled still looking into Jordan's eyes.
Turnin Steph had to concentrate to keep from stumbling. She pushed into the restroom stumbling directly over to the sink. She took a cool towel wiping it over her face.
"What in the hell am I doing" she asked her reflection in the mirror.
That had become the mantra of her life. Steph didn't know what she was doing or where she was going. She knew she shouldn't be here, shouldn't be doing this. This was just torture. She didn't realize how long she had been standing there when there was a knock at the door.
"You ok sweetie" she heard Bubba say
"Yeah I'm fine" she assured him straightening her shirt as she crossed to the door.
"I just needed to compose myself after all that wine" she said with a smile.
"Well we are heading out so let's go" he said linking arms with her as they walked out. She leaned out the window of the hotel room looking around at the lights of the city. The alcohol from dinner still made her head foggy and she was hoping the chill in the air might clear it. Steph walked over to the CD player and put in one of her favorite CD's. Back at the window she watched the trickle of cars make their way through the city. The moon was full and low in the sky as Steph could see its milky white reflection in the building across the street. She heard the bedroom door open and resisted the urge to turn around. A sharp breeze blew through the window and sent a chill through her. She shivered instinctively. She felt a suit jacket ease over her shoulders as his scent burned in her nose. She pulled the jacket around her still resisting the urge to turn around.
"You'll get sick standing there like that you know" she heard him say quietly near her ear.
She didn't respond just shrugged. She sighed and leaned over the sill again. "It's just so beautiful" she hummed almost dreamily as she took in the site again.
"Yeah it is" she heard from her side
She looked around to see Jordan staring at her as he propped against the open window.
"Excuse me?" she asked leaning in to face him
"The city that is" he recovered gesturing out the window
"Oh" she said looking away from him and back into the bedroom. She walked over to her suitcase.
"I wasn't sure where to put this" she said nervously fidgeting with her folded shirt
"There is fine" he said walking over "I'm bunking on the couch" he added without being asked
"Oh" she said again as she re folded the shirt she had traveled in and laid it back in her suitcase. She took off his jacket and had to force herself not to smell it. She smiled as she had to repress the laugh when she thought about how freakish that was.
"Listen" Jordan murmured at her back quietly as he put his hands on her shoulders. He sighed as if trying to find the right words.
She turned around with a laugh "Ok stop" she said holding her hand up. The quick motion had cause her alcohol heavy head to spin and he grabbed her shoulders again to keep her standing. "Oh sorry" she giggled "You will just have to stop right now if you are even thinking about confessing your love again cause I don't really have the time at the moment" she finished with another light giggle
"What?" he asked hastily as he quickly jerked his hands away from her.
"Yeah you will just have to resist taking advantage of me because I am not really in the mood" she said walking over to the dresser. She was trying to keep up the light playful mood they had at dinner and she knew it would get them into trouble.
"Not in the mood are you" he said slyly as his initial shock wore off. He wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Yeah that's right" she shot him a cool look over her shoulder.
"Oh well I guess it's just TV for me tonight" Jordan teased squeezing her to him.
They stood there for another moment just staring at each other in the mirror. Jordan sighed as he leaned in to kiss her neck softly. Steph felt her insides tighten as she eased around to face him. The alcohol had severely lowered her defenses and she could feel herself moving in the entirely wrong direction. He smiled at her and she rubbed her hand on his face. Everything inside her was screaming to stop. She knew that this was the wrong thing to do at the moment but before she could stop herself she raised up on her toes and kissed him softly on the lips. He pulled her to him kissing her back tenderly as her insides burned. She pulled away from him quickly.
"Jordan " she whispered breathlessly emotional as she pushed away toward the bed
"Can't ?" he said heatedly
"No" she said with a violent wave of her hand at where they were just standing
"Wait, Wait just a damn minute" Jordan said throwing his hands in the air "We just did that so why are you telling me that we can't" he said with his hands on his hips. He stood there looking at her. He could see it on her face, the confusion, the desire and the hurt. Jordan stalked over to her gently rubbing her arms. "We have done that before, so what's so wrong with it?" . This maybe the time when they finally have the conversation that was so desperately needed.
Steph sobbed as she pushed away from him. She couldn't do this, she couldn't let her emotions take over. They both had obligations and responsibilities. It was time she stood up for them. Her anger at him flared. He knew what was so wrong and she was furious at his play for ignorance. It wasn't just her responsibilities that were between them it was his too.
"This" she said as she yanked off her rings and threw it at him "This is what so fucking wrong with it and not to mention" she said almost throwing her suitcase off the bed "That I work for you, I fucking work for you or have you forgotten that" she said with heat to her voice
"Yeah, I forgot" Jordan snapped bitterly
"And this" Jordan spat as he picked up her rings off the floor "that was your choice I didn't force you to do a damn thing" he reminded her as he laid them on the dresser
"Well maybe I can't just put off my sacred vows as easily as you do" Steph spat back at him as she walked over to snatch the rings back up.
Jordan stared at her with a mix of fury and longing as he stood there. The silence stretched and she thought she could feel the air pressing around them. She reflexively stepped back as he approached her. He leaned in to her ear.
"They aren't sacred if they didn't mean anything when you made them" Jordan whispered as Steph stood stock still.
"That's not my problem" she hissed at him through clenched teeth
"No I didn't say it was" he add nonchalantly as he walked quickly out of the room closing the door