Lovestruck (16 page)

"Whoa there, girl. What happened to having one drink and then you leaving to go to your study cave?" Tonya asked as she poured the last of the beer into her glass.

"We're out anyway. I'll go get more." She got up to go get another round when Mike stopped her by taking the pitcher from her.

"Let me get this one."

Both Jenny and Tonya looked at each other, amused.

Tonya placed her hand on Mike's shoulder. "Listen buddy. James is not interested in you. You gotta get over this crush you have on him. It's been going on for
way
too long."

Mike gave the girls a pout. "I can still talk to the guy. Anyway, he doesn't look too happy at the moment. I don't like that slick guy sitting at the bar. He rubs me the wrong way."

Jenny and Tonya looked over at James. He frowned at something the Wall Street guy said, but then turned away to take another patron's order.

Tonya picked up her beer and took a sip. "That dude is so not his type. Jamie would never go for a button up stiff neck like him. Look at the guy, chatting him up.

Probably thinks if he makes nice, he'll get some free booze. You know my brother. He's just being friendly. Now either give me the pitcher or I'm going to bop you over the head with it. You stay put and figure out why Jenny is so moody."

Tonya grabbed the empty pitcher from Mike and walked up to the bar where James was pouring some beers.

Mike watched Tonya as she joked with her brother. Their laughter could be heard across the room. Mike banged the back of his head against the wooden booth. "I do need help, and I need to get laid. I've never been this horny before. Why won't he screw me?"

Jenny rubbed her fingers on the surface of the table. "I'm not moody, it's just . . .

do you know Jeffery is an asshole?"

"Like that's anything new. He keeps asking me out."

"Before I left, he said to tell you he has the book you wanted to borrow from him."

Mike grunted. "He would just love me to have something of his. I've never asked him for any book. He overheard me talking to Patrick the handyman about how I wanted to see the Andy Warhol exhibit down in the East Village. Jeffrey appears like a vampire from the shadows and says how he has an autobiography I can borrow from him. Maybe we can even go to the exhibit together. Gag me." Mike moved his finger in and out of mouth.

Jenny bumped her shoulder against his." Maybe you should go out with him once. Then he'll stop bothering you."

"Um, no, my naïve girlfriend. If I do, Jeffery will be all over me like white on rice.

The next thing he'll want to do is go to gay clubs where it will give him the perfect excuse to stick his tongue down my throat or suck me off."

"Michael! That's just too—ugh." Jenny made a face and Mike laughed.

"Anyway, enough about me. Why are you so down and what's it got to do with Bane? Did he say something to upset you before you left work?"

"Let's just say I found out something that could ruin all our lives." Jenny looked down at the table again as her heart pounded. She wanted to tell Mike and Tonya her situation with Barbara but didn't want them to feel sorry for her or think she was so inexperienced, like Mike thought, for having an intimate relationship with their boss.

"Ruin our lives? Now I have to—" Mike began but stopped when Tonya came back with another pitcher of beer and a shot for Jenny.

"Here we go. I also got you a shot of rumple mints, compliments of the house."

She slid into the booth and poured herself a beer.

"Thanks, Tonya." Jenny wrinkled her nose. "Couldn't you've asked for vodka or tequila instead? Rumple mints is such a girly drink and won't go down well with beer."

"Please. You're one-hundred-percent girly, and after that shot, you won't want to drink anything else. I'm keeping your best interest at heart, seeing as I'm such a good friend and all." Tonya patted her unkempt hair.

Jenny took in her friend's bedraggled appearance, her bloodshot eyes, and wondered if Tonya had trouble sleeping at night because of the separation. She hated to add to her friend's burdens by dropping the bomb that all their jobs were in jeopardy.

"Bottoms up." She saluted with her glass in the air and took a deep gulp. She wheezed and grabbed Mike's beer, taking a long sip. "This is so nasty." She burped and patted her stomach.

Mike shook his head and took his beer back. He sipped and stared across the room. Jenny and Tonya shared a look again and Jenny poured her own beer chaser.

"Now that Tonya's back, you can tell us how our lives are going to be ruined,"

Mike said as he continued to watch the bar.

"As if my life could get any worse." Tonya lamented and looked down into her glass.

"I know I shouldn't tell anybody, but I overheard a conversation between Jeffery and his friend—"

"Shit! Jeffery has friends?" Mike asked, shocked.

Tonya giggled.

"Yup. His friend is willing to help him find another job."

"Why is this a bad thing? We should be celebrating." Tonya tapped her glass with Mike's.

"If only that was the main reason. What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this booth. I don't want it to get around the hotel in case I'm wrong. And I hope I am." Jenny leaned in closer and looked around.

Both Mike and Tonya leaned forward. "This must be good if you don't want the twenty odd people around us to overhear." Mike commented as he looked over at James again.

Jenny grabbed his chin and turned his face back toward hers. "Can you keep your lust under control for one moment and pay attention to me?'

Mike nodded and moved his face away. "Okay. Calm down. Maybe you need to call your mate at school for another lesbo love fest."

Tonya gasped. "You finally got some action? With who? Is that why you want us to be all hush-hush? Did it suck? Is that why you're cranky because you didn't get your rocks off?"

"Jesus Christ, guys. This isn't about me getting laid. It's about our jobs." Jenny gritted her teeth to keep from yelling.

"What about our jobs?" Tonya asked, unconcerned as she poured more beer into her glass.

"If you two can stop your chattering for a moment I'll tell you. I picked up Jeffery's phone and heard him talking to his friend on another line. The reason Barb—

The Barracuda
—is suddenly so involved in the St. Jennings and has scheduled these employee meetings is because she has a limited amount of time to make a decision about the future of the hotel. She either closes the place down, sells it off to some rich guy, or she fires some of the staff."

Both Mike and Tonya looked at each other "Bull shit." They said in unison Jenny waved her hands in the air. "Hello? I'm not making this up. I heard it straight from the horse's mouth. Or should I say, the jackass's mouth."

"Jen, don't jump to conclusions. The rumor about Jennings selling the hotel has been around for a long time. The St. Jennings has been in her family for years. She isn't going to hand it over just to put more money in her pocket." Mike explained.

Jenny pushed away her glass. "But why would Jeffery tell his friend, and also look for a new job? He's got it made where he is."

"Because he wants to make himself sound good. If he's such a good employee, why isn't he working in the ivory towers with her highness?" Tonya asked.

"Why do you call her that? She isn't too bad," Jenny said before she could stop herself.

"Excuse me. You never had a problem before . . . wait just a minute. I smell something different in the air." Tonya sniffed to prove her point. "I don't think Mike is the only one here with a crush on someone. Could it be, Miss Caffey, you have a crush on a certain someone also?"

Jenny lowered her chin to hide the blush rising. She bit her lip.

"Aha! I knew it. You have a thing for
The Barracuda
!" Tonya sounded pleased with herself.

"It's nothing," Jenny mumbled, not meeting her friend's eyes.

"It's okay, babe. Welcome to the world of unrequited love. It's a bitch." Mike picked up his glass to hit it against Jenny's, but she crossed her arms.

"It's not a crush." Jenny tapped her foot. She wanted to tell Mike and Tonya about her and Barbara but held back.

"Jenny, it's okay. For a while I was worried because you didn't show an interest in anybody. You don't drool over any famous actresses or rock stars. It's good to know you yearn for someone like we all do." Tonya placed her hand on her forehead and pretended to swoon.

"Feeling this way sucks. And now that we may be out of jobs, I just don't know anymore. I'm so confused." Jenny dropped her hands into her lap.

Mike put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed. "Don't worry. I'm not worried. Tonya isn't. The one who has the least to worry about is you. Even if they closed the hotel, Jennings wouldn't let you go. You're a valued employee."

"Here, here." Tonya let out a tipsy burp.

"What if I told you Barb— Jennings offered me a job as her assistant?"

"I would say congratulations, and when do you start?" Mike finished off the rest of his beer.

"Yeah, me too." Tonya hiccupped and poured herself another beer.

"I don't know. It just seems a bit fishy with her offering me a job and then hearing this talk about the hotel closing. Maybe I should ask her?"

"You go ahead and do that. I would love to see you, a poor college student and employee of
The Barracuda,
go up and ask her what's going on. She'd laugh and tell you to mind your own business. Don't forget, Jenny, we are very much peons in her eyes.

Don't let your feelings for her cloud your judgment. Until you become her assistant, keep the questions very basic, like how much of a raise you're getting." Mike explained and gulped down more beer.

She could see arguing was useless since Mike and Tonya were close to drunk.

They didn't seem to understand, and unless she came out and said she was involved with Barbara, they wouldn't care one way or the other. She would keep her mouth shut and have one more beer before she hit the road. Perhaps if she had a good night's sleep, everything would be better in the morning.

The next morning didn't bring any new epiphanies for Jenny. As she went through her classes, she kept her mind off work and her situation with Barbara. She still hadn't returned Barbara's first message. When Barbara called her a second time, she turned off her cell. She knew Barbara didn't like being ignored, and by not returning her calls, she'd soon become frustrated. Jenny didn't have to be at work until Tuesday and if it came down to it, she'd confront Barbara then.

Jenny worried Professor Jennings would talk to her after class. She wouldn't be surprised to learn Barbara had spoken to him about their relationship. But when he released the class for the day, he didn't single her out and she breathed a sigh of relief and made her way to her train where she would go home and try to keep her mind off things.

But the urge to check her phone became overwhelming. When she got off at her stop and made her way down her street, she checked to see if she had any new missed calls.

"Jennifer!" A voice rang out from behind her. One she had come to recognize all too well.

"I knew something was up when you didn't return any of my calls after I left a third message. I decided to take time out of my busy day and see why you're ignoring me." Barbara leaned against her Porsche with her arms crossed.

Jenny's heart jumped up into her throat. She'd walked right by the car without even noticing it. And she also thought she would have more time before they talked.

She walked over to Barbara as she put her phone back into her bag. Barbara looked very well put together and professional in her dark gray suit and matching heels. She wore sunglasses to block the glare from the setting sun.

"You didn't have to put yourself out on my account. I've been busy."

Barbara pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head and moved away from the car. "What's the matter, Jennifer? I thought we made plans to see each other tonight.

Don't you realize what lengths it took for me to come here?"

"Yeah, I bet it's such a difficulty." Jenny looked around to see if anyone she knew lurked nearby. "I'm surprised you want to be seen with me in the daylight. Isn't your M.O. to work under the cloak of darkness?"

Barbara grabbed Jenny by the arm. "What the hell is wrong with you? Did something happen?"

Jenny noted the concern in Barbara's eyes. She longed to kiss her, but that wouldn't change what she knew. She could pretend to be a bitch and walk away from or come out and tell her what was on her mind.

"I've learned an interesting piece of news."

"Okay, so what's the deal?"

Jenny glanced up at her apartment. "Do you want to come up where we can talk or do you have a more important meeting to zoom off to?"

"Jennifer . . . ." Barbara moved in closer until they stood nose to nose.

Jenny stepped back. She needed to stay calm and not lose her cool. Wouldn't do to make a scene—or start making out—on a public street.

"Let's go up." Jenny said in a kinder voice. Acting like a bitch wasn't going to get her anywhere.

Barbara gave Jenny a strained smile and squeezed her arm. "I would love to. But, what about Mike?"

"You don't have to worry about him. He's at work." Jenny couldn't keep the defensive tone out of her voice. Keeping their relationship on the down-low had grown tiresome already.

"Jennifer." Barbara admonished and reached out to grab her arm again, but Jenny turned away and walked up the front steps, expecting Barbara to follow her.

Barbara locked her car. Jenny looked over her shoulder and caught Barbara staring at her ass. "Stop that. Let's go inside."

Even when we're having a fight, she still has sex on her mind. She's incorrigible.
Jenny stomped up the stairs, unlocked the door and walked into her apartment. She left the door opened for Barbara, put her bag on a chair in the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

Barbara took in her surroundings. Jennifer's apartment was exactly what she'd expected: very homey, even with the mismatched furniture that looked like it came from Ikea or a rummage sale.