Jessie looked at the ground, then moved her gaze down the street in the direction of the bus stop while remaining silent. Her lack of a comment spoke volumes to John.
“It's okay. I know you have your pride, and I like that.” He shifted from one foot to the other like a nervous school boy. “The thing is, Jessie, I couldn't stand by and watch you lose your job over Kimberly, so I hope you didn't mind me intervening. I'm sorry it took me so long, but I needed some time to decide if I should even enter your life again.”
“I suppose I should thank you for stepping in,” she responded without looking up at him. “I needed the job.”
“And I need to see you.” His confident air had returned. “Please. Just for dinner.”
“John, this is a mistake. Wasn't it enough that those lies were told about us? You want people to start thinking it's true?” Jessie replied indignantly.
“It doesn't matter anymore. You obviously haven't kept up with this week's gossip, have you?” he asked.
“I guess I was a little on the busy side,” Jessie shot back sarcastically. John had been off making money hand over fist while she was struggling just to keep a roof over her head.
“Well, my fears about Kimberly were confirmed. She was caught on camera in a very compromising position with her press agent, of all people,” John said with a sigh.
“You're kidding me?” Jessie brightened. “So while she's accusing you of being a cheat—”
“Exactly,” he interrupted her. “Cheating is what she's been doing to me, and I'm sure this wasn't the first time. But I knew it was over for us,” John confessed. “It has been for some time. We were only kidding ourselves. It's just that she wanted me to look like the bad guy because of what she stood to lose in the divorce.”
“I see.” Jessie took a few steps back from John, who had managed to inch his way so close that she could feel his warm breath on her face and smell the striking aroma of his aftershave. “John,” she began.
“Yes?”
“Look at me. Look at how I live. I'm not an actress. I'm not a supermodel. There might be a slight attraction between us for sure, but I'm not stupid. I'd just be a novelty for you. A struggling black girl who you'd get tired of within weeks, if not days. Then it would be back to dating celebrities and models. I’m all set with that,” Jessie said, adding a small laugh to help stifle the hurt she was feeling inside. “You may like me now, but when the reality of my life, my world, sets in? You'd be done with me in a second.”
“Why do you sell yourself so short? Apart from being stunningly attractive, I can see you not only have brains and guts, but you've also got ambition and drive. All the things I admire in a woman,” John persisted.
“Stunningly attractive? Oh, please. I've seen the women you date. They're gorgeous. And how do I know this isn't a lot of bullshit to get me into bed?” Jessie asked dubiously.
“I'm not asking you to go to bed with me, I'm asking you to dinner. We talk. We eat. That's it.” John held up his open palms to signify he didn't want to trick her and had nothing up his sleeves. She stood looking at him and deliberating for a long while before taking in a deep breath and exhaling with a smile.
“You got it, then,” she playfully conceded in defeat. “Dinner. That would be nice. I'm off tomorrow night if that works for you.”
John, who looked to have been holding his breath while Jessie made her decision, let out a laugh. “That's amazing. Thank you, Jessie. I'll choose the place if that's all right, and I'll have my car pick you up at seven?”
“Fine — now that you know where I live,” she said in jest, her broad grin putting John at ease.
“I look forward to it,” he answered excitedly, his eyes looking even more blue in the afternoon sun.
Jessica Drew, a girl from the slums who was already defying the odds by putting herself through college, had somehow managed to snag a date with a charming billionaire. She didn’t know what to make of the situation, but couldn’t wait to see John Harwood again. Things were definitely getting interesting.
******