The memories came rushing back in while I stood rooted to the ground, the good memories mostly tainted with the bad ones, the traumas that had sent me running and desperately wanting to start afresh. I closed my eyes shut, my eyelids fluttered with the previous night’s dream – his hands sinking into my flesh and pulling me closer to him in that forbidden embrace.
Why am I thinking about that? Jessica focus!
This is your chance for a big promotion!
When I opened my eyes to their confused and expectant stare, my head went blank because Parrish had still not taken his eyes off me. I could see it in his eyes – the shock was slowly morphing to confusion and annoyance.
“My first point is – social media and – ” the words were unwilling to flow out of my mouth and I couldn’t take it anymore not with my head flowing with the memories that I’d rather stay forgotten so I dashed out of the room to catch my breath. My vision blurred as I leaned with my hands on the white painted walls, my chest heaving up and down from my breathlessness and the next thing the people began trooping out of the conference room and Janine rushed to me immediately, her hands going around my shoulders.
“Jessica? What’s going on?” she asked me, I could only hear the concern in her voice as I could barely see her but I could feel them watching me. My face heated from embarrassment – what the hell was I doing? Haven’t I moved on from Parrish, or had his absence in my life made me push everything to the back of my head but seeing him now brought everything back to the surface.
No.
It was the unexpectedness of it all – the shock – the memories and most importantly the sultry dream that still clouded my senses – because what are the bloody odds?
“Jessica breathe –” Cara's voice echoed in my head
God! Was I being dramatic? I wasn’t the type to have a flair for the dramatics – oh damn you Parrish Holmes!
“Jessica Peters!” I heard his voice, stronger and firmer than the soothing voice I remembered, the voice that whispered both dirty and sweet nothings to my ear in the dark, either entangled in the rumpled sheets of my small college dorm or pressed up against a corner in the club in our wild attempt to be carefree and daring.
I looked up, ignoring the eyes of others that stared but decided to focus on me as he walked up to where I stood still trying to catch my breath, my heart pounding loudly behind my chest.
“What was that?” he asked, his eyes drilled into mine but without the compassion I remembered, it was a distant stare that held an authority to it. I stayed silent, trying to find my words before he spoke up again.
“You messed it up.” he moved closer to me that I could almost smell his cologne and it was different, well what was I expecting? He was wearing thousand dollar suit of course he smelled different. I wondered what was going through his mind, did he think I was different? Was he having the same thoughts that I was having? Was he dreaming about me the way I was? Oh who was I kidding, looking at his eyes, those were not the eyes of someone having sex dreams about their college past.
“You just messed up a big deal from the biggest investors in the whole of California, so I’m going to ask again, what was that?”
I stared dumbfounded at him. I mean I did mess it up, but I expected him to understand. My face kept burning with embarrassment that I suddenly wished for the ground to swallow me.
“I – I – ” I still struggled to find my words.
“You – you – you what? You can’t speak, are you dumb?” he fired at me and my mouth fell open as I felt sudden tears burn my eyes but I willed them not to fall. I wasn’t going to cry especially not in front of my ex boyfriend who was now in fact my boss. What kind of sick game is the universe playing with me because I am in fact not a willing participant.
Parrish had ran his hands through his hair in frustration before turning back to me “I give you two weeks to get those investors seated back here and you bag the deal or you’re fired” there was a finality to his tone that showed he meant before he turned around to face the rest of his employees.
“The same goes to all of you, you mess a deal up and you’re fired, no second chances. Maybe it’s time I move to California and change things around here.” he said and I paused.
Move where?
To California?
Why would he do that?
I moved away from the New York to get away from the my life that revolved around me and now he was moving here.
Oh you gotta be kidding me!
Parrish's POVI had no intentions to move to California, it was supposed to be a quick business trip to meet with the investors because the deal had been bagged already and the Powerpoint presentation from lady called Jessica Peters was just a formality.
Jessica Peters.
I didn’t think it’d be her, the same girl I had spent all my college years being in love with and having the wildest times of my life. I thought it’d be someone else, a random girl with the same name but it was her – the same Jessica Peters. Oh what were the freaking odds? Flowing chestnut hair and those emerald green eyes staring back at me and I felt the familiar stab in my chest – the same one I felt anytime she crossed my mind, anytime I remembered how bad things ended and the overwhelming guilt that consumed me and I knew that the moment I saw her, this was going to be more than a business trip – I was in fact here to stay.
First thing I needed to do was to assert my dominance in this place, I couldn’t show any type of weakness even with Jessica standing before with wide eyes and a shocked expression while I threatened to fire her.
I was curious now, what had she been up to? What was she thinking? Was she seeing someone else? I needed to know all these facts and in that moment I was indeed sure I wasn’t moving back to NYC so I pulled out my phone and called my manager.
“I need a two bedroom house in California.” I said.
I was here to stay – because of Jessica Peters.
Because I was curious.
Jessica's POVI felt the anger radiate through my entire body, visibly shaking and rocking with a vexation I didn’t know I could possess.“I give you two weeks to bag this deal, or you’re fired.” the words echoed in my head repeatedly in his voice as I stormed out of the office and a collapsed on a bench, my heart still pounding behind my chest. Parrish had changed so much, his voice, his aura, his body – he was so different than the Parrish I remembered and it picked at my curiosity.“Look at you, burning for me.”“How badly do you want me?”“Oh Jessica!”I closed my eyes as images of the dream still flashed across my mind, unwilling to go away but a constant reminder of an unquenched desire that still fluttered in my belly - a desire that had been festering for years since I moved away to California, a desire that I knew Parrish was the only one who could sate.Oh – I was in deep trouble, I thought as I felt the conflictions rise within me. How was I supposed to focus with Parrish
Before I could say anything else, Parrish had slammed his car door and drove speedily away and I released a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. I focused on Nathan trying to hold his stare with the same intensity as I had with Parrish just a few moments ago, to ease off the tension that had slowly built but I still felt the slight tremble of my fingers and I placed then on Nathan’s shoulder to steady myself.“How was the presentation honey, I’m sure you wowed them.” Nathan said now, thrusting the bouquet of red roses in my hands.I hated red roses but I took them from Nathan still and I pouted, “No I flunked the deal.”Nathan paused, “Oh dear, what happened?”“Well the CEO walked in who turns out to be my ex boyfriend and I froze and couldn’t speak anymore, and yes I had a sex dream about him last night which I wanted to continue with you but you’re so in love with your job so yes that’s that.”There was no way in hell I was going to say that to Nathan and still keep my relati
The first time I met Parrish was in my second year of college. The campus had been buzzing for weels before that night—exams were over and it was time to let loose, and summer break was close enough to taste. Sophie had been buzzing with a certain energy that she could only expel at the club, Sophie loved to party and by extension she pulled me into the mix and her energy was contagious and i was high already off her excitement.That night, e dressed to turn heads—short skirts, glitter shimmering on our skin, and heels higher than our self esteem. By the time we reached the club, the music was already shaking the streets, merging with the laughter of people prepped for the same wild night. Sweaty bodies, the air clouded with smoke, intoxicating us already before we even had the chance to gulp down a shot.“This is fucking crazy!” Sophie's voice barely cut through the blaring music, but I grinned and nodded, too electrified to care about anything else. She yanked me close and poured a
He grabbed my thighs, leaving his fingerprints imprinted on my creamy flesh and pulling me in an atmosphere of longing and desire that I have craved for so long. The air was thick, every breath I drew held a promise of wildness and uninhibited freedom. The lights in the club danced above me, and I felt the intoxication wash over me and not from the alcohol alone but his electrifying touch on my body – sharp and tingling, seeping into my veins and igniting a fire within me that burned bright and unruly.We were at the corner in the club where the lights were the dimmest and his hands roamed my body as I pulled him in for another electrifying kiss that set my soul on fire. He licked my lips and slowly his teeth grazed them before moving to the succulent part of my neck, that soft spot that sent me over the rails. A soft moan escaped my lips as I tugged on his hair holding him closer to me because I didn’t want to him to be apart from me. He grabbed my ass, his hands now reaching to heat