Starstruck (3 page)

The main course arrived and the aroma made her mouth water
in anticipation. She was eager to delve into the chicken breast, her knife and
fork at the ready as she slowly raised her eyes to his, waiting for him to dig
into his own plate.

He tenderly touched her hand and lowered her fork to her
plate, picked up the crystal pitcher of ice water and refilled their glasses.
“Drink some water to help cleanse your palate, then like before take a sip of
wine before you try the chicken. The Beaujolais has a bit of a bite to it, not
sweet like the Muscat.”

As if telepathic, the wine waiter returned, this time
offering the bottle straight to Jesse. With a friendly smile and a sharp click
of his heels, he was off again.

Jesse tilted another clean wineglass and poured a generous
amount before handing it to Sam. After pouring another for himself, he picked
up his utensils and they hungrily devoured half of their plates, pausing only
long enough to sip wine between every few mouthfuls.

She savored each bite, relished the flavors storming her
taste buds. Every so often a soft pleasurable moan passed her lips as she
swallowed. She placed the last bite of chicken into her mouth before laying her
fork on the plate with a satisfied grin, leaning back in her chair, contently
rubbing her belly. She laughed when he arched an eyebrow, his lips slowly turning
up in that wicked grin she now found herself craving.

“I enjoyed dinner. Thank you.” She picked up her wineglass.

“Yes…I could tell.”

Laughter filled his eyes as he looked to his left for their
waiter.

Seconds later, the efficient round man was once again
standing at attention beside Jesse’s chair. “Yes, Mr. Maurello, what can I get
for you?”

Jesse tilted his torso to the edge of the table and kept his
voice low when he spoke.

“Yes sir, certainly.” The waiter trotted off toward the
maître d’ with an extra boost in his step.

“What was that about?”

“I asked him to check with your new
friend
at the bar
if there’s been word on our flight yet. I want to enjoy the rest of this fine
bottle of wine and the fine woman who agreed to share it with me.”

“Would you like me to leave before she gets back?” She
chuckled, quickly searching the room.

When Sam met his eyes once more, all humor had dissolved
from his features. He stared at her as if peering through her tough outer shell
to the real Samantha Raven underneath. And he appeared to like what he had
found, licking his lips with a smile that said he wanted to eat her for
dessert.

Their portly waiter came back through the heavy dining room
doors and hurried to their table. He addressed Jesse with a nod and cleared his
throat. “I’m sorry to inform you, sir, but all flights have been cancelled
until tomorrow. The weather has worsened, I’m afraid.” He winced slightly and
fidgeted with the bottom of his black vest as if ashamed to be the bearer of
bad news.

“Okay, thank you,” Jesse said without batting an eye. “Can’t
argue with Mother Nature, can we? Would you please bring our dessert in about
fifteen minutes? We can take our time now. Thanks again.” He slipped a
one-hundred pound note into the waiter’s hand.

All the worry left the little guy’s face when he looked down
at the money. His smile threatened to take over, but he quickly cleared his
throat and straightened his shoulders. “As you wish, sir. Thank you.” He
hurried off once again, vanishing behind the doors that led to the kitchen.

“So, where were we?” Jesse asked.

She opened her mouth to speak.

“Oh that’s right,” he said, “back to your questions from
earlier. I believe your second question was whether I thought mixing drinks
with our meal was wise?” He grabbed the bottle of Beaujolais and shared the
small amount left in the bottle between their glasses.

Surprise swirled a giddy circle in her stomach. She’d
forgotten about her earlier comments and was impressed he’d remembered.

A man who actually listens!

“Well I must admit, I was skeptical at the start, but I feel
fine at the moment. The truth will be told tomorrow morning, I guess, if I wake
up with a headache or not.”

“Well if you do, don’t worry. I know the perfect remedy. The
boys in the band swear by my hangover concoction.”

This was the first reference Jesse had made about what he
did for a living. She hadn’t really thought about how famous he was while they
spoke over dinner. He didn’t seem pretentious like she would’ve expected a man
of his status to be.

Why is he talking as if we’ll still be together in the
morning? Does he think I’ll just jump straight into bed with him like a…a
starry-eyed groupie? Fat chance!

The butterflies recommenced flight in her stomach as he took
a long, seductive sip from his wineglass, his eyes never leaving hers. She
picked up her own glass and did the same.

“And from memory, your last question was…if I was trying to
get you drunk?”

The lump in her throat didn’t let her last gulp of wine pass
readily. His eyes twinkled with mischief and a smile rose to his lips when she
shifted uneasily in her seat.

“Sam…please don’t think me egotistical, but I’ve never had
to get a woman drunk to get her into my bed. Quite the opposite in fact,” he
whispered.

With perfect timing, their waiter came bustling out of the
kitchen doors, carrying their dessert on a silver tray with two small glasses
of deep-red Port.

“The Port is for after,” Jesse said, scooping some peach and
ice cream into his mouth.

“I’m more worried about where I’ll be sleeping tonight. We’d
better finish up fast otherwise there won’t be any hotel rooms left.” She
looked down at her watch. It was already 8:22 p.m.

He put his spoon down, reached into the front pocket of his
jeans and pulled out his phone. His thumb flew over the screen before he
brought the small cell to his ear. “Hi, Katherine, it’s Jesse. Is my room still
vacant? My flight’s been cancelled and it looks like you’re stuck with me for
another night.”

Sam fumbled through her bag and withdrew her own phone. She
slid open the keypad, about to call directory assistance, when Jesse snatched
the cell out of her hands, snapped it shut and placed it next to his arm on the
table. Sam didn’t know whether to be angered by his behavior or not.

He shook his head and smiled at her. “It is? Thanks, babe.
Ah, also…is it possible to book a second suite for a friend?” He tapped his
fingers gently on the table to an unknown beat. “Yes, that will be fine. I’ll
see you soon. Thanks, Kath.” He returned his phone to his pocket before picking
up his spoon to finish dessert. He passed her phone back across the table. “All
sorted. You have a place to sleep tonight.”

“You didn’t have to do that. I could’ve found my own
accommodations.”

“It’s no problem. The good people at the Marriott look after
me pretty well and the airport hotel will be fully booked by now. It’s always
the first to go when flights are grounded. Trust me, the amount of traveling I
do it pays to have connections in hotels.” He pushed his bowl aside and leaned
back in his chair just as the waiter returned to clear the table.

“Will there be anything else this evening, sir?” The older
gentleman expertly balanced the dinnerware on one arm.

Jesse fixed his eyes on her. “Just the check, thanks.”

She fidgeted with the napkin on her lap. “Well, I guess the
only thing that leaves me to do is call my secretary and let her know I won’t
be arriving in New York as expected. She’ll have to reorganize things, I
suppose. You know, this couldn’t have happened at a worse time.” She picked up
the tiny glass in front of her to sample the Port. It was rich and sweet,
lacing a trail of heat down her throat.

“What do you do for a living, Sam? At first I presumed you
to be a model, but not many models I know carry a laptop. I doubt many of them
would know how to turn one on, to be honest.” He leaned forward, propping his
elbows on the table.

“A model…
hardly,
” she said with a short laugh. “No, I
work for a graphic design company in Sydney. Unfortunately, several times a
year I have to travel. Some clients still like to do business the old-fashioned
way and insist on face-to-face meetings even though everything can be handled
just as well electronically. It’s a pain in the arse, really, but my boss won’t
let anyone else stand in his place, so here I am.” She sighed.

“That’s a compliment, though, isn’t it? You must be good at
what you do.” He reached across the table and held her free hand in his. She
didn’t pull away and he smiled. “So…you don’t like traveling?”

She was shocked at how natural it seemed to hold his hand.
“It’s not the traveling itself I mind so much, it’s the time constraints once I
land. If everything wasn’t so rushed I might be able to actually enjoy the
scenery once in a while. You know, I’ve spent the last seven days in London and
haven’t seen anything outside conference rooms, restaurants, ballrooms and
Heathrow Airport.”

Even though the tips of his fingers were rough with
calluses, the rest of his hand was soft and warm. She especially liked the
spark his caresses sent through her body. She couldn’t remember
ever
feeling so ignited when Tom touched her hand, even when they first started
dating.

“So…what brings you to the UK?” she asked before taking
another sip of Port.

“I’ve just finished mixing our new album. I do most of the
song writing at home in the States and generally all the recording as well, but
I like to mix it here. There’s a great bunch of people in London I’ve used for
the last four albums and it’s just turning into habit, I guess. I’m a little
superstitious. Don’t want to mess with a winning formula.”

He drained his Port and licked his lips as he set down his
glass. “I’ve also recently split from a relationship so I kinda used this trip
to get away for a while. I was only here a month ago, but some of the tracks
we’d laid down weren’t quite right so this was a good excuse to come back.”

She couldn’t help smiling. He was on the single scene again.

“Can I ask you a question? That is, if it’s not too
personal,” he said.

The waiter placed a small black leather folder on the table
before hurrying off.

“Fire away. I’ll let you know if I don’t want to answer.”
She sipped the remainder of her drink.

He paused for a moment too long and she couldn’t help
wondering what was going through his mind. He cleared his throat. “The ring you
mailed earlier at the bar…who did you send it to and what did you write on the
note?”

Gulp.
He was watching me the whole time?

“Are you stalking me, Mr. Maurello?”

He cringed, presumably at her use of his last name. “No, it
was just an observation. No need to answer if it makes you uncomfortable.”

She peered deep into his eyes, absently stroking his hand
with her thumb. “No, it’s okay.” She glanced over at the table nearest them.
The couple was preparing to leave, affording them even more privacy. She turned
back to Jesse. Tenderness washed over his face and he waited while she gathered
her thoughts.

“Well, the ring was my engagement ring and I was mailing it
to my now ex-fiancé back home. The note simply said, ‘It’s over. Don’t ask
again’.” He arched a curious eyebrow and she pulled her eyes from his, staring
down at the pale band on her finger where her ring used to be. He reached for
her other hand and her fingers opened automatically, accepting his.

“I was due to be married on November the second, only I
happened to interrupt Tom gettin’ it on with my best friend the night before
our wedding. We were together for just over fifteen years, lived together for
eight. He surprised me, booking me into a fancy hotel for the night so we could
avoid seeing each other before the wedding. He was very traditional when it
suited him. That was his excuse, anyway. But I went back to the house. It
wasn’t so much that I caught him cheating on me…it was who he was cheating
with
that really hurt.”

Jesse gently squeezed her hands. “If you didn’t want to see
each other that night, why did you go back to the house?”

“I had some doubts, I guess. I’m not really sure.”

She didn’t wish to elaborate any further. She didn’t mention
she’d been fast asleep in the Sydney hotel room only to be woken by flashes of
Tom making love to a faceless woman. All she knew was the woman was not her.
Sam had watched it happen, like a home porn movie projected onto the white
hotel room wall. That was her reason for rushing home.

“He must be a very stupid man,” Jesse concluded. “But…one
stupid man’s loss is a smart man’s gain.” He flashed a priceless grin. “I’m
surprised you didn’t throw your ring at him that night…amongst other things.”

“I should have, but I was too furious. I wasn’t thinking
straight, I guess. He’s been begging me ever since to take him back, but I just
can’t do it. I told him I’d think about it while I was away and have a final
answer for him by the time I got back home. But I can’t wait until then. I
decided to just mail the ring to him instead.”

“So…what happened to your best friend? Is she still in one
piece or did the ambulance take her away?”

“Oh I thought about breaking some bones, believe me. But no,
I was speechless. I don’t think I said anything at all. Just closed my bedroom
door and left. The next day I told Tom I wanted him to leave my house and
cancelled the wedding arrangements.
That
part wasn’t fun at all. Then I
went shopping for a new bed. Even though we lived together, the house is mine.
He wanted to buy the place with me, but I could afford it without him and
wanted the independence. Something I could call my own, you know? While all my
friends were out spending their income on clothes and partying, I was saving
for a house. I’m proud I was able to buy it when I was only twenty. Tom
pestered me for two years, wanting to move in, until I finally caved.”