The Love Of Money - Episode 205
31-07-25 (07:16)
"Okay," Kwan said. "What're you gonna do?"
"I'm handling it," said. "Just make really damn sure the
next one isn't married to a billionaire."
"Thanks, Marcus," he said, staring down the trail in the
direction that Carla had vanished and then starting
down the same path, taking it at a much slower pace.
As he passed, I clapped him on the shoulder and
watched him head back toward the rest of the party
"You've changed," Jessica said.
I turned my attention back to her. "What?"
"You're more decisive than you were."
"I was indecisive before?" I asked.
"You could be. I mean, you often left a lot of the
decisions up to me. Like, where' we went to eat or
what we did."
I held up my phone, and the screen showed Chandler's
text exchange. "This isn't like deciding where' to eat,
Jess."
"That," she said.
"What?"
"That," she nodded toward me. "What you just did. You
never said things like that. Not with that tone."
I still wasn't quite sure what she was getting at and
looked around the trail. I wasn't crazy about doing this
in a place where' anyone could just walk by. As I
scanned the area, I spotted Jon partially hidden from
view by a tree trunk. I wondered how many others
were out there keeping an eye on me or whether they
would realize that I was having a private conversation
and steer people away from the area.
"Come on," I said, leading Jess deeper into the garden
and into one of the small alcoves with a few nice
outdoor chairs that must have cost more than whatever
she paid in rent.
"I didn't mean it as an insult or anything," she said as I
sat in one of the chairs. She sat in the one beside me,
turning it a little so it was slightly facing me. "It's a
good thing, actually. It was kind of hot watching you
take charge like that." She pulled the corner of her
bottom lip between her teeth and chewed on it
absentmindedly as she watched me. "It's good to see
you."
"Thanks" I said. The absence of the returned sentiment
was palpable.
We sat in silence for several prolonged moments, and I
leaned back into the chair, watching her as she looked
around the garden and fidgeted in growing discomfort.
It would have been nearly pitch black had it not been
for the single lamp on a stand behind us, casting long
shadows across her face and highlighting a few of her
features. Her subtle cheekbones looked more prominent
on her oval-shaped face. Her strong chin was a little
stronger, and her Greek nose looked even straighter
and more perfectly proportioned for her face in the
strange combinations of light and shadows.
"So," Jessica said as the uncomfortable moments
became unbearable, "What's the deal with Erin and
Danni?"
"Erin's my assistant," said. "Danni's my realtor. I'm trying
to buy the rest of the building, so she's helping me. Erin
assists me with pretty much everything."
"I see that," Jessica said. It didn't sound accusatory as
much as a confirmation that she'd noticed the type of
relationship we had. "Are you sleeping with them?"
Straight to the point. Jess preferred beating around the
bush and putting off the things she dreaded. I
wondered just how much havoc her anxiety was
playing on her body leading up to her asking this
question.
"Yeah," I said. Seeing how she had confessed to
sleeping with someone while we were in a relationship,
I decided there was no reason to spare her. "I hired Erin
a couple of weeks ago, and we've been sleeping
together since."
"Ah," Jess said, her tone not betraying her feelings. The
shadows obscuring her face helped keep her emotions
a mystery.
"A few days later, she introduced me to Danni. This was
the first house we looked at, and I bought it on the
spot. We ended up having a foursome in the pool."
"Wow," Jess said, her voice a little thicker with emotion.
"Who was the fourth? Another guy?"
"Helen," I said. I considered keeping her out of the
conversation, but she had already told Jess her name
when they briefly spoke on the phone before I left for
Vegas, so it wasn't a secret.
"The lawyer?"
"Yep," I said.
"You've been busy," Jess said, looking at the lamp just
behind us; her chair was turned enough to be at her
four o'clock. As she stared at it, I examined her fully
illuminated face. Her skin was so fair and free of
blemishes that it almost glowed in the lamplight like
the moon; it gave her an angelic quality.
I felt the stirrings of lust and a longing to touch her,
similar to what I'd felt for Natalie, but, unlike with Nat,
there were no feelings of love attached to it. It was
just an attraction to her flawless skin, crimson lips, and
the generous cleavage that boidly proclaimed through
the window in the front of her dress.
"I guess I can't be surprised, though," she said, looking
back down at me. She must have caught me staring at
her displayed cleavage because I saw enough of her
face to make out the effects of a knowing smile.
"Why do you say that?"
"You're a catch," she said.
"Then, why did you cheat on me?"
Jessica didn't answer immediately, but I could see her
back and shoulders stiffen a little under the weight of
the question. Finally, she said, "The distance-"
"The distance wasn't a problem anymore. You were
moving out here in a matter of weeks."
Again, she took her time to formulate a response. "I'm
sorry," she said quietly. "I made a mistake. I realized
that as soon as I got home."
"You sure you didn't realize it when you found out that
I'd inherited billions?"
"I didn't-"
"Don't lie," I cut her off again. "You broke up with him
the day I went live on air with Channel Seven and
called me the next day."
I could see the confusion on her face despite the
lighting. "How would.." Don't forget to leave a Comment 
