Burning Desire

Chapter 15

My evening at Jesse's had been one for the books. He'd created an extraordinary meal for us – I'd been right in assuming his cooking would be amazing – and dessert had been an absolute treat. Pun intended. But my favorite part of the night didn't have anything to do with his gourmet cooking skills or the way his tongue made me arch my back afterwards. It was the conversation we'd had in between.

We didn't speak much over dinner, but once we were finished, we dawned some more winter-appropriate clothing and Jesse lead me out to the upstairs balcony where we lounged on a white metal bench together and sipped some more wine.

I curled up next to him with my legs folded under my ass and rested my head against his shoulder. The view from his balcony was pretty impressive. I could almost make out the skyline in the distance with the sun setting behind it in a stunning warm glow. When I started to shiver from the cold, Jesse fetched us a heavy blanket and draped it over our bodies. It didn't take long for the chilly air to force me onto Jesse's lap to keep warm. He didn't seem to mind, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me closer to his chest.

After a few minutes of enjoying the peace and quiet and the view, Jesse brought up what I'd said earlier in the evening about wanting to know more about him. He told me he was an open book and that I could ask anything I wanted; so, of course, I began with the most logical question and asked what his favorite color was. We were in agreement on green being the best.

An hour went by and we'd covered where he'd attended high school and what sport he'd played – football, of course. We'd discussed all his favorite things, from his favorite food – escargot – to his favorite vacation destination – Aruba. He'd been to Aruba six times in four years and the way he talked about how beautiful the island was made me add it to the top of my list of places I wanted to travel to next. I imagined vacationing in Aruba with Jesse; making out in the ocean and having island cocktails and sex on the beach. It sounded perfect. So perfect, in fact, that I almost suggested it until I remembered it was way too soon to even think about taking that big of a step. Still, a girl could dream, right?

As the night went on, I told him about my journey from my freshman year of college to where my career was at now with Satisfaction. We discussed my aspirations, the New York Times contest, and what I hoped to gain from it if I was lucky enough to make the top five. Jesse listened to everything I said, even when I started to ramble. He paid attention to every detail and I really appreciated that. No man I'd been with before had been that interested in what I had to say. Jesse was different, in a good way. Then again, Alex was a great listener, too.

This love triangle wasn't getting any easier.

I also learned that Jesse operated his own business on the side. He wasn't just part owner of his father's restaurants. He explained to me that shortly after Lillian got married a year ago, he'd approached Erica with a business proposal. She'd just graduated with a master's in business administration, and he was looking for someone with a head for business to start up a new company with. They'd spent three months putting plans together and looking for an investor to help them build the business. Ultimately, Jesse's father had forked over a more-than-generous amount and Jesse and Erica opened their own marketing firm in midtown Manhattan. It had been a rocky first month, but once Jesse's father's connections had spread the word about their new endeavor and gotten the company featured in both the New York Post and Times, the pair quickly began earning a revolving door of clients. Together, they conjured up the most effective ways for new businesses to emerge on the scene with a bang, and for established businesses to reinvent themselves to boost sales and attract new customers.

I was impressed, to say the least. It sounded like the two of them had become quite successful in a short amount of time. Jesse, however, said he felt undeserving of the success. He believed their business would not have seen such an influx of clients, had his father not lent a hand.