Her gaze moved to the door. The most worrying thing about him wasn’t this, although it came close, but the fact that try as she might, she couldn’t find anything wrong with him. No one was perfect. No one she’d ever met was near perfect. So what was his flaw? Did he hide behind his research? Was he commitment phobic? Did his relationships really end because they weren’t meant to be, or did he change when he fell in love?

It was something to think about. Not that it mattered all that much, because there was no way in hell she was going to get involved with him, but still. It was a puzzle. Perhaps, if it were another time in her life, she’d want to get to the bottom of it. As it was, she’d better keep a clear head. Sex was sex. Even great sex. Not one thing more.

She sat up, looked at the torn Victoria’s Secret panties bunched around one leg. Pulling them free, she tossed them into the wastebasket as she went to the closet and got her robe. It was late. She’d better get to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

DAN RAN HIS HAND through his hair, anxious to get back to Jessica, whether it was for talk or something more personal, although the discussion so far had certainly piqued his interest. He couldn’t get over what had just happened. Jesus, it was the most intense encounter he could ever remember. Maybe it was the extended days of foreplay, but he doubted it. Something was happening between them, although he wasn’t about to try to define it. What was needed here was further investigation. Some hands-on research. His favorite kind. He hadn’t lied when he said this was a good thing. With Jessica, the exploration into her psyche, her sexuality, her modus operandi, would certainly be illuminating. Revelatory. Fascinating. He couldn’t wait to dig in, and not simply with questions about her fantasy life, but her motivations, her perspective on the male of the species, the why and wherefore of her very being.

To know someone that well would, he felt sure, be life-changing. He’d known some women pretty well, Tamara and Kathleen to be sure, and yet neither of them had spurred this level of interest. By some wild fluke of fate, he’d been given access to someone who not only stirred him intellectually, but emotionally and physically as well. It was like discovering Tutankhamen, a perfect, untouched cache of incalculable worth, ready to be examined piece by piece, treasure by treasure.

He crossed the dark living room, his pace quickening as he neared the bedroom. Only, when he got to the door, he saw the empty bed. A flash of blue caught his eye and he turned to find Jessica standing by the closet, her kimono belted tightly at her waist, her arms crossed over her chest. The vibrant open woman he’d left on the bed had disappeared, replaced by someone he didn’t know. Closed, reticent, distant. What in hell had happened in those few minutes he’d been away?

She smiled, but there was no pleasure in her eyes, only wariness.

“What’s going on?”

“I saw what time it was. I’m not going to have many nights where I can get a good night’s sleep, so I’d better take advantage of it.”

Even her voice sounded unfamiliar. He felt naked and vulnerable standing in front of her, so he went to the pile of his clothes he’d so mindlessly tossed at the edge of the bed. He pulled on his pants before he turned to her, using the time to put together his thoughts, pushing his anger back so he could try to understand this strange twist.

When he faced her again, it dawned on him that she’d felt the same astonishment he had, and this was her way of dealing with it. Of course.

“What’s that look?” she asked.

“Nothing. I’m thinking you’re right. That you should get your rest.”

Her shoulders relaxed. “Not that I didn’t enjoy-”

“I know. Me, too. You’re amazing. But the priority is the campaign, and I’m here to help. So why don’t you go do whatever voodoo you do in the bathroom, and we’ll call it a night.”

“Oh, okay.” Her smile wavered, and for a moment he thought she was back, but then she straightened, avoided his gaze. “Thanks.”

“No sweat.”

She walked past him, not too closely. And then she was gone.

More disappointed than he cared to admit, he got his shirt, shoes, socks and headed for the living room. His gaze moved to the closed bathroom door. He tossed his clothes to the floor beside the couch and threw the pillows on top of them. He yanked the bed out so roughly the whole couch moved, but he didn’t give a damn.

Okay, he’d let her off the hook. She was scared. He got it. His mother would be proud. So why was he so pissed off?

He’d been cheated. Even though he saw the reason, saw the fear in Jessica’s body language, it didn’t matter. He’d been happier than he could remember just ten minutes ago, excited as a kid with a brand-new bike.

Which had just been taken away.

He got undressed again, waited a moment to see if she would come out of the bathroom, and maybe…But the clock kept ticking, and soon he wasn’t particularly interested in whether she came out or not.

He crawled under the sheets and beat his pillow into submission. He heard the bathroom door open, saw the light behind his eyelids dim as she flipped the switch, heard the soft footpads as she crossed the carpet to her bedroom. Even though she tried to keep it quiet, he could hear the click of her door as she shut him out.

Sleep didn’t come for a long, long time.

DIFFERENCES

In arguments a woman has the last word. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband. A husband doesn’t worry about the future until he gets a wife.

A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the garbage, answer the phone and read a book. A man will get dressed up for weddings and funerals.

Source: Orton, Joe “Men and Women Compared”

http://www.orton.demon.co.uk/ff/

JESSICA STARED at the ceiling, more precisely at the dark area above her bed. For all her protests that she needed a good night’s sleep, she certainly wasn’t getting one. The last time she’d looked at the clock, it had been two-fifteen. She kept closing her eyes, doing relaxation exercises, but her thoughts kept returning to Dan and how she’d left things.

She could tell he was angry. Not that she blamed him. Talk about doing a one-eighty. The poor guy hadn’t had a lick of warning. On the other hand, it was probably best that she’d nipped their little boink-fest in the bud. It didn’t feel best, but that’s only because it had been such a long time since she’d made love. So long, in fact, that she’d forgotten how much she liked it. If she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn making love with Dan was a whole different experience than anything she’d done before, but that was silly. The conversation at dinner, the suite, the atmosphere, all had conspired to transform the night into something magical. And face it, she really did like Dan. He was a terrific guy, and had it been a different time in her life…

Blah, blah, blah. She turned over and punched her pillow. It didn’t help. Even she couldn’t believe her own excuses. She liked the guy. She’d loved making love with him. She wanted more. Was it really possible to have Dan and her career? Could she have missed something along the way that would indicate she’d been all wrong?

She tried to think of one person, one woman who’d had a satisfying love life in combination with a powerhouse career. Nothing off the top of her head, and when she finally did think of someone, an ad exec she’d met at a Woman in Marketing meeting, she remembered Estelle and her significant other lived in separate cities, her in New York, him in Los Angeles. Maybe that was the key-distance. Maybe she could set that up with Dan. If not actual distance, perhaps they could make a deal not to see each other but once every few months.