Drake's Rock Read online

  Theresa laughed, shaking her head. “Oh, Jess. Too much to drink last night?”

  “Apparently so,” Jessie answered ruefully. She sighed. “I should just stop this shit and grow up.”

  “What you should do is just start dating her officially and end the games,” Theresa said wisely. “You two have been messing around for two years. Just break down and do it. You deserve to be happy, Jess.”

  “What makes you think I’d be happy with Alex?” Jessie asked, genuinely interested in Theresa’s answer.

  Theresa shrugged. “I don’t know. Alex is nice, she has a great job, and she’s hot as Hell. She’s totally into you. What more do you want?”

  “I don’t know,” Jessie groaned and dropped her head into her hands. Leaning back in her chair, she said, “How can I be this old and not know what I want in life?”

  “Maybe you do know, but you just haven’t found it yet,” Theresa said charitably. “Lots of people never figure out what they want.”

  “I know, I just…” she stopped talking when she looked up and saw Susan, the HR manager walking toward them.

  “Hello, ladies,” Susan Langston said, as she entered the shared office. “I’d like to introduce you both to your new intern.” She turned on her two inch heels and ushered someone else into the office. “Ladies, I’d like you both to meet…”

  Upon noticing the redhead entering the office behind Susan, Jessie stood up and came from around her desk. Ignoring Susan completely, she extended her hand, and said, “Stephanie Winters. I’m very pleased to meet you.”

  Susan’s brow rose in surprise. “You know Ms. Winters, Jessie?”

  Never taking her eyes off the redhead, mesmerized, she said, “No. But I’m…familiar with her work.” To Stephanie Winters, she said, “I really enjoyed your last movie.”

  Stephanie blushed, turning her face a pleasant shade of pink. “Thank you, Ms…?”

  “Drake. Jessie Drake,” Jessie said, her face coloring slightly as well.

  “Well…since you all seem to be getting along so well,” Susan huffed slightly. “I’ll just be going. If you have any questions, Ms. Winters, please feel free to call me.”

  “Thank you, Susan, I will,” Stephanie said in answer, turning her attention to the HR manager and smiling in thanks.

  Theresa, who had also stood up when the two women entered the office, stepped over and introduced herself as well. “Hi, since Jessie here seems to have forgotten her manners, my name’s Theresa. I’m Jessie’s paralegal, so anything you need, if she can’t help you, I will.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Theresa,” Stephanie said, shaking the blondes’ hand as well.

  Pulling herself out of the sudden trance she seemed to be in, Jessie said, “Yeah, sorry. Theresa here actually runs the office. If it weren’t for her, nothing would ever get done around here.” Seemingly rooted to the spot, she finally managed to force herself to move. Attempting to cover up the fact that she was stunned to see her favorite actress standing in her office, she said, “If you’d like to have a seat over here, we’ll get started right away. I have an appointment with a client at 1:30 today, to take a deposition. So, we’ll start by going over that case this morning.”

  Two hours later, they’d managed to get through all the paperwork they’d need for the deposition. Jessie had finally gotten rid of her headache, and she was pleasantly surprised to find that Stephanie Winters had caught on like a pro. Apparently, she was a quick study, which pleased Jessie to no end. Not only that, but the actress seemed to be genuinely kind and unspoiled, as well. For some reason, she was insanely happy to find that out. Maybe this wasn’t going to be such a chore, after all.

  * * * *

  By the time they’d finished work for the day, Jessie was feeling exhausted. Playing until two in the morning and then getting home at the ungodly hour of whatever, had really worn her out. Not to mention the fact that she’d nursed a hangover all day. All she really wanted to do was go home and fall into bed. She felt like she could sleep for the next three days straight. Still, she had to take Stephanie back to her hotel and make sure that she had a decent dinner, as well. Sighing to herself, she grabbed her gym bag and her briefcase.

  Leading Stephanie down to the parking garage, she threw her bags in the back of the Xterra and waited while Stephanie pulled on her seatbelt. Once they were both situated, she pulled out of the parking garage.

  “So, which hotel are you staying at?” she asked the redhead, attempting to make small talk.

  “The Hilton, downtown,” Stephanie answered quietly.

  “The Hilton?” Jessie asked in surprise. “That’s a nice place,” she said conversationally.

  Stephanie nodded in agreement. “It is. Mr. Mason really went overboard, though. He didn’t need to.”

  “What do you mean, overboard?” Jessie asked curiously.

  “He reserved one of the apartment suites for me,” Stephanie said almost shyly. “It’s really too big for just one person. It seems almost a shame to waste all that space on just me.”

  Jessie felt her eyebrows rise toward her hairline in surprise. That certainly wasn’t the answer she’d expected from the actress. “It’s a nice room though, right?”

  Afraid she’d offended the brunette, Stephanie hurried to say, “Oh, yes. It’s a very nice room. I just meant that he didn’t need to do so much.”

  “Mmm,” Jessie said noncommittally. Accepting that she was no good at small talk, Jessie changed the subject. “So, what would you like for dinner tonight?”

  “Oh, you don’t have to do that, Jessie. I’m okay with getting dinner on my own,” Stephanie hurried to say. “I wouldn’t want to take up any more of your time.”

  Frowning, Jessie hadn’t meant to make the redhead feel bad about going out to dinner, or anything. Attempting to put her at ease, she said, “You’re not taking up my time, Stephanie. Actually, I’d be honored if you’d join me for dinner tonight.”

  “You mean that, Jessie?” Stephanie asked, looking over at the brunette. “You’re not just saying that to make me feel good?”

  Jessie shook her head. “No, I’m not just saying it and yes, I really do mean it. Please, eat dinner with me tonight?”

  Giving in, and glad to have someone to talk to, Stephanie nodded and said, “Okay then, I’d love to join you for dinner. And, since you asked, any place you’d like to go is fine with me. I’m not picky.”

  “Great, I know this wonderful Chinese place,” Jessie said, smiling. Turning left at the next traffic light, she headed for Wild Panda.

  Ten minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot. “Wow, it looks really crowded tonight,” she commented as she parked the car. “Jing must be doing the cooking tonight.”

  “I take it that’s a good thing?” Stephanie asked as she got out of the car and followed Jessie into the restaurant.

  “Oh, it’s a really good thing,” Jessie assured her. “Jing’s the owner and main chef. The place is always hoppin’ when he’s cooking.”

  “Jessie!” they were greeted by a small Chinese woman, who smiled hugely as she saw Jessie come through the door. Coming around from behind the podium, she hugged the taller brunette. “I’m so glad to see you tonight,” she said with a slightly thick accent, releasing her.

  Jessie hugged her back and smiled broadly. “It’s great to see you too, Bao Yu. Think you could squeeze us in? You look pretty crowded this evening.”

  Bao Yu slapped her playfully on the shoulder. “I always have table for you, Jessie,” she said. Grabbing two menus from behind the podium, she motioned for them to follow her. “Jing’s cooking tonight, so anything you get will be wonderful,” she said as she led them to a secluded table toward the back of the room. Jessie looked over at Stephanie and winked at her when her suspicions about Jing cooking were confirmed.

  As Jessie and Stephanie took their seats, Bao Yu set the menus in front of them. “You’ll be having wine tonight, Jessie?” she asked.

  Jessie nodd
ed. “Yes, thank you Bao Yu.”

  The older woman smiled and nodded. “I’ll bring your favorite for you and your friend,” she said as she left the table.

  Completely surprised by the way Jessie had been received by the Chinese woman; Stephanie leaned forward and asked quietly, “So, do you come here a lot?”

  Jessie shrugged. “Not a whole lot, no. But Bao Yu and Jing are friends. We’ve known each other for a long time.”

  “Oh, I see,” Stephanie said, falling into silence as she perused the menu.

  A moment later, Bao Yu returned with a bottle of wine set in an ice filled cooler and two glasses. Stephanie was stunned when she caught sight of the label: Dal Forno Romano, 2002. Blinking rapidly to make sure she’d read the label correctly, she said, “Jessie, this is too much.”

  “What’s too much?” the brunette asked with a slight grin on her face, swirling the wine in her glass appreciatively before bringing it up to her nose to check the bouquet. Nodding her head to indicate that it was fine, she watched out of the corner of her eye as Bao Yu tipped her head and left them to look over the menu.

  “This wine...it’s got to be expensive. You don’t have to do this for me, you know,” Stephanie said, feeling somewhat like…well, she wasn’t exactly sure what she was feeling right now.

  Setting her wine glass down, Jessie leaned in and spoke quietly to the redhead, hoping to make her feel comfortable. She didn’t want the actress to think she was trying to treat her like a fan would, by attempting to show off. “Stephanie, I’m not doing anything special by bringing you here. It’s my favorite restaurant. I always get the same kind of wine if they have it when I’m here. I swear I’m not trying to impress you or anything. I just felt like sharing this place with you. That’s all.”

  Eyeing the other woman warily, Stephanie said, “Are you sure, Jessie? You don’t need to treat me special or anything just because I’m, well…because I’m…” words failed her and she trailed off, unable to finish what she was trying to say.

  Jessie smiled at her, noting that the lighting in the room was setting off the gorgeous green of Stephanie’s eyes, as she did. She also noticed that her hair wasn’t just red, but more auburn. Still, ‘red' was a fitting description. “Because you’re a celebrity?” Jessie finished the sentence for her. At Stephanie’s nod, she laughed slightly and shook her head. “I would never do that, Stephanie. I’ll tell you what…I promise that I’ll treat you just like any other person for the entire time you’re here. And, I won’t allow anyone else to treat you differently, either. Deal?”

  Stephanie’s face lit up with a huge grin. Even though she’d only known the brunette for approximately eight hours, she felt like she could trust her. Nodding her agreement, she said, “It’s a deal. Thank you, Jessie, for not treating me with kid gloves. You have no idea how irritating it is to be treated like you’re not a regular person sometimes.”

  “Oh, I think I can imagine,” Jessie said, smiling enigmatically as she took a drink of her wine.

  Stephanie eyed her again, wondering what she meant by the comment, but decided to ignore it, rather than ask. Instead, she steered the conversation toward other, safer topics and they spent the rest of dinner talking about everything from their favorite movies to music.

  By the time they arrived back at the hotel, Stephanie was exhausted. They’d spent nearly three hours at the restaurant, just talking. As Jessie pulled up to the front entrance and parked the car, she asked, “Would you like me to walk you up, Stephanie?”

  “Oh no, but thank you,” Stephanie said, shaking her head. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” she said, as she exited the car.

  Just to make sure she got into the building safely, Jessie watched as she walked toward the front door, when suddenly, Stephanie turned around and came back to the car. Poking her head in the open passenger window, she said, “I just wanted to say thanks for dinner, Jessie. I had a great time this evening.”

  Jessie smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, Stephanie. Have a good night and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Sure thing,” the redhead said as she turned and walked into the lobby of the hotel.

  Sure that Stephanie was safe inside the hotel, Jessie sighed. Throwing the car into drive, she pulled out of the parking lot and headed for home. She was exhausted and more than ready for bed.

  Chapter 3

  Stephanie let herself into the apartment suite and shut the door behind her. Leaning her back against it, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was exhausted. Dinner had lasted longer than she’d expected, but she’d had a good time with Jessie, so the time spent was all right by her. Besides, getting to know the brunette outside of work couldn’t be a bad thing, could it? After all, they were going to be spending a lot of time together over the next few weeks.

  Opening her eyes, she sighed and kicked off her heels. Pushing off from the door, she bent over and picked the shoes up, heading for the bedroom. Tossing the shoes next to the bed, she unzipped her skirt and let it fall to the floor. As she stepped out of it, she unbuttoned her blouse and took it off as well, tossing it over the back of the chair to her right. Kicking the skirt onto the chair, she headed for the bathroom to get ready for bed.

  Within ten minutes, she had washed up, brushed her teeth, and pulled on her favorite t-shirt to sleep in. Falling onto the bed, she reached over and grabbed her cell phone to check her messages. She sighed, as she saw that her agent had already called her three times. Shaking her head, she sent a text telling the woman that she’d call her in a couple of days. Then, finding no other messages, she set the phone back on the bedside table and relaxed back into the pillows.

  Reaching over, she grabbed the notebook she’d been using to take notes in, and opened it up to page one. Before she could go to sleep, she needed to go over everything and be prepared for tomorrow. Jessie had been kind and helpful, and had gone over things at a rate that had allowed her to take notes and ask questions. She still had a feeling however, that Jessie would have very little patience for someone who didn’t catch on quickly. And, for reasons she didn’t want to think about, she didn’t really want to annoy the woman.

  As she went over her notes, her mind began to wander back over the events of the day, eventually turning to Jessie Drake. Jessie…she was a mystery. When they’d met that morning, she’d almost groaned out loud when she saw the way Jessie’s eyes lit up when she walked into the office. Then, she noted the way the brunette seemed to shut her emotions off almost immediately. And yet, she had been nice to her without falling all over herself. That in itself was a relief. Stephanie had grown so used to people fawning over her, that it was almost odd that Jessie didn’t. She knew the woman was a fan before she’d even said anything. Still, she was glad she hadn’t acted like a star struck fool. It made her feel good when Jessie promised over dinner that she wouldn’t treat her special. Nor would she allow anyone else to do so either. As far as Jessie was concerned, Stephanie was just like anyone else, and Stephanie couldn’t help but like that.

  Closing her eyes, she could see Jessie in her mind. Standing within an inch of her own height, with long dark hair and tanned skin that looked like she spent a lot of time outside, she was slim and athletic. And…totally, completely, hot! Stephanie groaned. Why did Jessie have to be so good looking? Why couldn’t she be just some ‘Plain Jane’ type that came a dime a dozen? Damn! She had no idea how she was going to manage to sit next to her for the next six to eight weeks and concentrate.

  Shaking her head, she opened her eyes. Why was she even thinking like this? Logically, she knew that Jessie was probably only being nice to her because it was her job. Still, Stephanie liked her; even though she did seem somewhat emotionally closed off. When Jessie shook her hand that morning, she’d felt something. She couldn’t describe it. It was like a quick flash of…recognition? Like there was some kind of charge between the two of them. Then, Theresa had introduced herself, and the moment was over.

  Still, any time sh
e dared to glance over at the brunette throughout the day, she had that same feeling. Like there was something there, just beneath the surface. Jessie however, remained cool and aloof. All business.

  Stephanie rolled her eyes at herself and snorted. Good God! What was she thinking? Jessie was someone she could be interested in; as friends, if nothing else. And the woman probably didn’t want anything to do with her. She probably already had a boyfriend, husband, or…something.

  On the other hand, Jessie certainly didn’t have to take her to dinner, let alone to such a nice restaurant. She would have been perfectly happy ordering room service. But, it was nice to have someone to talk to and spend time with.

  Groaning at the direction her thoughts had taken, Stephanie mentally berated herself. She had absolutely no intentions of getting involved with anyone here in Ohio! Especially since she’d only be here for a few weeks. The last time that had happened, albeit years ago, it had turned out to be a huge mess. And, she most definitely wasn’t into having a one night stand with anyone, let alone someone she had to work with every day for the next few weeks. No matter how good they smelled, how gorgeous they were, or how blue their eyes. It just wasn’t worth all the trouble.