No Time

Chapter 20

After meeting multiple people who were actually quite pleasant, I made my way back to the bar where I was immediately cornered by Benjamin.

"I'll take two shots as well please," I told the bartender as he handed me my fourth martini.

"Still a drinker I see," Benjamin commented, leaning on the bar smugly.

"This is actually the first time I've had more that two drinks in a while," I mumbled before downing the two shots and picking up a fifth martini.

"I'm impressed, considering how much of a drinker you were in college."

"And who's fault was that?" I snarled.

"What did I have to do with anything?" he asked innocently.

"You almost ruined my life Benjamin, I was sixteen and naive, you preyed on me for what? Because you wanted a toy that was young and fresh?" I accused. "Well news flash, I moved on from your games a long time ago, I suggest you do the same."

"Oh Clara," he said, making me flinch by reaching up to stroke my cheek. "I can't believe you're still so naive as to think that you're out from under my thumb."

With that he walked off again leaving me to down another martini and two more shots.

"I think you've had enough," I heard Jasper say as he walked up to join me at the bar.

"You're not my dad," I replied with a roll of my eyes.

"Yes, but I am someone who relatively cares for you, and I say that it's time for you to go home."

"No you're here to make business connections, you need to stay," I argued.

"Clara," he said softly putting both hands on my shoulders so I would look up at him. "I've talked to nearly everyone in this room already, I'm taking you home and there's nothing you can do to change my mind."

"What about Alex?" I asked.

"He's off talking up some girl," he explained. "I think its best to leave him here for a bit."

"Okay," I whispered to which he responded by wrapping an arm around me and heading straight for the exit.

We got a couple of odd glances, but luckily no one stopped us as we went out the way we came in.

"Shit," Jasper swore ripping off his jacket to cover me up while he held me close to him.

I soon found out why he went out of his way to make sure no one could see my face when I heard the paparazzi going insane asking him questions about why he was leaving so early and why he was covering me up.

"God I hate those guys," he huffed once we were safely inside the limousine.

"Mhm," I hummed, surprising Jasper by resting my head on his shoulder and closing my eyes.

"Funny how nights at gala's always end up like this for us," he chuckled.

"Benjamin shouldn't have been there," I mumbled.

"His father was the one who hosted the gala," Jasper explained like that somehow made everything alright.

"He's such an ass," I sobbed. "He made me drink, he made me drink so much."

"I saw," he simply replied.

"No I mean before," I whined. "When I was at Juilliard, he would convince me to drink and then keep drinking, because that's the only way he could get me to sleep with him, and I never pressed charges because who would believe a girl who told the guy yes, even if she was under the influence."

I could feel Jasper tense up beside me as I talked, but he never said anything else on the topic, instead he simply wrapped his arm around me and rested his chin on the top of my head. Which was the exact kind of comforting gesture I needed at that time.

When we got to the house Jasper gave me Advil and made me drink two bottles of water which went right through me.

After that he took me to my room and was about to leave when I stopped him.

"Wait," I called out timidly. "I don't want to be alone."

"Clara," he said so softly that I could hardly hear the hesitation in his voice. "I have to do stuff for work now."

"Can I just sit with you?"

"But you need to sleep in a bed," he argued.

"I'll be fine," I assured him.

He let out a long breath of air before finally coming to a decision.

"This is only going to be a one time thing," he started. "But I suppose you can stay in my room tonight."

"Yay! Thank you, thank you!" I squealed running into my bathroom to get all my makeup off my face and change into pajamas.

"Alright, lets go" he sighed, leading me to the door at the very end of the hallway on the left.

I immediately made my way to the bed and made myself comfortable by pulling all the blankets over me while Jasper disappeared to get changed.

When he emerged in grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt he immediately sat down in a chair next to the bed and pulled out his laptop.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he replied.

"I mean why aren't you sitting in your bed?"

"Because you're in it," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No it's your bed you have to be in it too," I stated moving over so he had plenty of room.

"You're going to keep telling me to lie down till I do right?"

"Of course I am."

He let out a sigh and gave in, crawling into bed next to me.

I immediately scooted closer to him so I could see his computer and grabbed a pillow to cuddle while I watched him work.

"You're oddly interested in my work," he commented, giving me a sideways glance.

"Cause you're cute when you're focused," I mumbled in my half asleep state.

"You must be really tired if that stuff is coming out of your mouth," Jasper chuckled.

"Yea I should probably sleep," I giggled.

"Yes Princess, you should," he agreed just as we heard a crash from down the hall.

"Alex must be back with a girl he picked up," Jasper observed.

"Should go to sleep before they get too loud," I suggested.

"You're right," he sighed placing his laptop on the nightstand and making himself comfortable before turning off the lights.

"Night Jasper," I mumbled, snuggling into the sheets.

"Goodnight Princess."