Several hours later, they sat on the couch looking over the papers she had first showed him. She wanted him to understand the project and her goals fully. She also was very open to suggestions and any ideas for improvement. Adam astounded her, easily understanding her diagrams, figures and costs. She was impressed how well he easily he comprehended everything she was showing him and found herself relaxing and opening up more and more with him.
Adam on the other hand was utterly perplexed by her and decided it had a lot to do with her looks and the way she had acted up until now. He was having a hard time believing anyone her age could put this all together. She might have the money, but this project took time and experience and every time he took a quick glance at her, what he saw just didn't fit with what she was planning. He finally had to force himself not to think on those lines and just actually enjoy working on something worth while with someone he was growing to care for. He also reminded himself that he needed to get a hold of his boss as soon as he had a chance.
"I know there's a lot of work here," she said practically reading his mind, "but I think it can be done within a year. That is if we find the right people for the job."
"And that's one of the hardest things to do," he hadn't looked at her until after he made the comment or he would have seen her smirk.
"Yes, it probably will be, after all, look how long it took me to find the right person for my bodyguard, bouncer and babysitter job." She could only hold a straight face for a minute before laughing. "I'm sorry Adam, I couldn't help myself, you just made it so easy."
"Obviously, but how do you know I'm the right one anyway? Huh, have an answer for that miss smarty pants?"
He all but tackled her, letting the papers fly into the air when the two of them collided and landed on the floor. He had only intended to tickle her a bit, but now he was finding it hard to get a grip even on her arm. Her squirming and giggling had her moving all over. He finally got hold of her ankle and held her while he regained his composure sitting back on the couch.
"Hey, that's not fair, you're stronger than I am," she finally said trying to catch her breath. She managed to sit up, but remained on the floor shaking her ankle trying to free it from his grasp.
"Exactly my point," Adam stated, grinning, lucky to have gotten this opportunity. He could almost see the thoughts spinning above her head and for a few moments, thought he was about to be canned.
"If Gerald or anyone gets a hold of me, yes I'm an easy target, but aren't we all in some way or another? Besides, what makes you think I'm going to get close enough for him to actually touch me?" She kept looking back and forth between her foot and him, completely disregarding his meaning. "Besides, isn't that why I have you?" she laughed until he finally released her. Jesse picked herself back up with a little help from his extended hand and planted her butt back on the couch. "If you spend as much time and energy on my project as you spend on trying to show me how compromised I might be by Gerald, then you are the right man for the job." She waited for his response but only got a dark stare from him. "And just to refresh your memory, you once told me you weren't as serious as Mark. Have you changed that cause it sure...."
"Hush!" he stated before kissing her long and hard.
Neither had heard the a door open but when their kiss broke, they were both startled by Marks presence. He was in his shorts, a towel over his shoulder with his arms folded in front of them. Seeing the expression on his face and the way he shook his head back and forth had them both laughing.
"Guess I don't have to ask if I'm interrupting. So much for continuing the party! Maybe you should have said private party on Sunday." Mark started to turn to leave when she quickly was up and at his side.
"Oh come on Mark, we were only having a little fun. And you really are way too serious sometimes." she said knowing they had hurt his feelings, then suddenly wondered how he had gotten in. "Wasn't someone at the front door letting you know to go to Richards house until this evening?"
"I'm use to those tricks, I came around back. And look, you're patio door is wide open. I bet you're electric bill is high." He was beaming.
"So, that doesn't give you the right to just walk in here," she quickly lashed back, her mood having changed rapidly.
"She has you there Mark," Adam said, getting up to collect all the papers on the floor, easing the tension that was building in the room. Something about Mark's attitude had him on edge. He wasn't sure it was the lack of disrespect for her privacy Mark showed or for the simple fact he had gotten over on her.
"Come on," Mark said, now looking at them innocently. "A weekend party, like the other ones, wasn't that the invitation?"
"Sorry guy," Adam said quickly before Jesse could respond. "She needed some rest and we needed some uh privacy, you know what I mean." He dropped the folder of papers on the table and put his arm around her. Jesse was glowing, actually enjoying how Adam had took control.
"Sorry, I should have known. I'll just be on my way, maybe find me a naked woman," he chuckled, but stopped at the front entrance. "Oh, in case I don't see you later, I won't be around for a few days, I leave late tonight. And Adam, Talley will be at the house with her new found friend, you just might plan on staying here awhile." He left not waiting for a response.
"Thanks, I just might do that," Adam called after him. He waited until he was sure Mark was gone before he approached Jesse. "How well do you know Mark?"
"I don't know, seems like a long time. I met him sometime after I started seeing Reese...You're not thinking...no Mark would never hurt me. He's become more of a friend to me than he is to Reese lately," she studied Adam.
"Seems to me, with Mark, that's already three men against one little..."
"Fuck you Adam!" Jesse jerked away from him and walked off.
"Hey wait," he called after her, surprised by her sudden change. "I was kidding, Mark is my friend. He might have a few screws loose, but he is my friend." Adam was doing his best to make light of his seemingly playful act, confused by her harsh reaction.
He followed her outside to the pool. Jesse was ignoring him and skimmed the surface of the pool from its leaves and several discarded undergarments. The silence between them was extremely unsettling, especially for Adam. He had no experience in dealing with her sudden mood change and it dawned on him he might be the one who needed to open his eyes. After all, he really didn't know her, any more than he knew Gerald, probably even less. Here he was coming off like a big hero when in fact he was the outsider. He had only been around about a year. Damn, he thought to himself, this was going to be much more difficult than he figured.
"Before we go any further, let's get something straight," Jesse had quit cleaning the pool and now was only several steps away from Adam. "Mark is my friend, I didn't say I trusted him, but I do like having fun with him. And considering there are already soooo many people on my enemy list, I really don't want to add any more. But to ease your mind, Mark is too uh, smart, to get involved in any business dealings where Gerald and Reese are involved in, or in mine for that matter."
"You mean too afraid, don't you?"
"Alright afraid, do you blame him?" Jesse walked on past him picking up wet towels along the way. "You've only been around a short time Adam, you don't know these people like I do. And don't go looking so surprised. I checked up on you long before you did on me. Although you got more information on me than I did on you. Why is that I wonder? Doesn't matter really. You aren't wanted by the law and not very well known around here," she said now having moved within an inch or so of his body then added sweetly, "and you are rather cute."
"Are you going somewhere with this conversation or are you just trying to distract me as usual?" he asked, actually letting her know he was on to her games.
"I knew as soon as Mark told me who you were and I did some checking that you were the one person that could help me. If Mark is an enemy, you'll find out when we start working more closely. That is if you decide to work with me. I've given you a run down on the plans and the players, it's up to you. But if you're waiting for me to sugar coat it and say its going to be easy, no one gets hurt and all that crap then say no now. You could get yourself killed same as me. I need your dedication, not your protection."
To say Adam was floored by her honesty was an understatement. Having thought he had the upper hand, he hadn't been prepared for her candor. The puzzled expression on his face made Jesse grin. She had realized quickly after Mark's interruption that she had to be honest with him, at least about work.
