Reclaiming His Wife

CHAPTER FIVE - OLD FRIENDS

The first three hours of the flight had been magical for Jessica.

She and Mark had spent it making out like two young teenagers enjoying puppy love. The only time they'd come up for air was when Maggie had discreetly interrupted to offer them refreshments which they had fed to each other.

To Jessica, it felt as if they had just gotten married and were on their way to their honeymoon. For a moment she forgot her reasons for wanting a divorce, her reasons for walking away. She had almost convinced herself that Mark had feelings for her that could possibly grow into love and that they could make a go at trying again at the whole marriage thing.

That was until Veronica entered the cabin.

Jessica and Mark were snuggled together enjoying each other's company and just reminiscing about their grad school days when the P.A interrupted.

"Eh em," Veronica cleared her throat. "Sorry to interrupt boss, but we need to go over the schematics of the new resort plans for The Bahamas if we want to hit the ground running."

To say Jessica was shocked to see Veronica on the plane was an understatement.

That she had the nerve to interrupt what was shaping up to be a very intimate moment between Mark and her, made Jessica pissed.

She wasn't pissed at Veronica. No, her anger was directed inward. She had let her guard down and had allowed a few kisses to muddle her brain. Veronica's arrival served as a much-needed wake-up call. She'd lost herself for a moment and had undone all of her hard work in moving on from Mark.

She needed to buckle down on her decision.

Mark was incapable of prioritizing her over his work. Not to mention his affair with Veronica which apparently he was rubbing in her face by having the P.A on the flight with them. He may think he wanted their marriage to work, but she knew better.

Untangling herself from Mark's arms, she eagerly awaited his next words.

"That's ok Veronica. I don't know what I'd do without you keeping me on track. Give me a few minutes. I'll join you in the conference room shortly."

Smugly Veronica looked at Jessica before turning on her six-inch red heels which complimented her off-white power suit and walked out the door.

"Jess, I need to finalize these plans. I've cleared my calendar for the next month to spend time with you in Guyana. But there are some projects I had to bring with me."

"No need to explain. You didn't reach billionaire status by slacking off," Jessica replied stiffly.

"Great," leaning to kiss her, Mark continued "I'm glad you understand. I'll see you when we are about to disembark."

Turning her face at the last minute so his kiss landed on her cheek instead of her lips Jessica said, "no need to bother."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just letting you know, what happened earlier between us doesn't change anything."

Stunned by her remarks, Mark questioned, "what doesn't matter?"

"Us...the make-out session earlier," shrugging, Jessica stated "doesn't change anything. I still want a divorce. When we land in Guyana you will be free to run your billion-dollar business and I will be reinventing me. As of now, I consider us separated."

"Where is this coming from? I thought we were on the same page...that we wanted the same things. What were the past three hours, if you still plan on going through with the divorce?"

"You don't need to understand my motivation," she snapped. "You just need to accept my decision."

Getting up from her seat, Jessica said, "if you'll excuse me, I have to visit the washroom."

"Jess, this conversation isn't over. We will discuss this further when we land".

"If believing that will make you feel better, then go ahead."

*******

The rest of the flight and subsequent journey to one of the few five-star hotels in the country's capital city of Georgetown was done in strained silence. The only person who appeared to be enjoying themselves was Veronica.

Her stunning good looks and snow-white complexion gave her an air of exoticness which drew a lot of attention and admiration. While the country boasted of having six ethnic groups including caucasians, they were in the minority. So Veronica stood out a lot.

Jessica ignored everything and everyone and made her way towards the hotel.

The doorman greeted her as she entered the hotel from under the stone-arch leading off the driveway. She smiled and walked through the wide lobby dotted with tables and chairs. Being August, which was one of the peak periods in the country for travellers, it was noisy at this time of the evening with a lot of guests ambling about. A young couple sat staring lovingly into each other's eyes. Other couples and groups of people could be seen heading towards the restaurant area to enjoy a meal.

Tired and disillusioned, Jessica checked into her room, took a bath and proceeded to sleep her troubles away.

The next day, dressed in white shorts, a lime green tank top and flip flops, Jessica made her way to the hotel's casual eatery off the lobby. She sighed as she scooped scrambled eggs and bacon onto a plate from the buffet. Foregoing the country's popular 'salt fish and bake' breakfast special, she grabbed a fruit salad bowl and made a cup of coffee before finding a table to sit and eat. Her mood hadn't improved much from the day before and she hoped doing some people watching would cheer her up.

She had no definite plans but knew she'd want to go to the Ancient County of Berbice sooner rather than later.

Jessica had no idea what Mark had been up to last night or what his plans for the duration of his stay were. But frankly, she didn't care. He'd checked into the room next door to hers and she hadn't heard from him since. He was probably on some conference call at this very minute. Figures. As much as he despised his father for being a workaholic and never really ever spending any time with the family, Mark was practically a carbon copy of the man. But she wasn't going to be the one to tell him that.

Deliberately turning her attention away from thoughts of Mark, Jessica considered the possibility of staying another two days at the hotel before she went on her way. During which time, perhaps she'd meet someone and go on a date.

Munching on her breakfast, she slowly perused the other diners. There were several people eating alone as she was, but no one stood out to her.

Couldn’t there have been one attractive man in sight this morning?

Was it too much to ask that she'd find a date right at the hotel?

Laughing at herself and how pathetic she sounded, Jessica returned her attention to her meal.

After a while, she lifted her head once more and was surprised to see the familiar faces of two of her secondary school classmates - Erica Persaud and Dewayne Bruce. They had both come out of the kitchen area and were walking through the room.

Dewayne was tall, dark and handsome. He'd played basketball in school and had athletic physic. Looking at him now in a white t-shirt that emphasized his impressive six-pack abs and a pair of blue jeans that defined his massive muscular thighs, Jessica noted that the years had been exceedingly kind to him.

She’d had a major crush on him in school and he'd asked her out at least a month for the five years they'd spent in school. But being shy and an introvert, she'd turned him down every time. Dewayne was hot, popular and extroverted. She'd figured they wouldn't work out in the long run.

Maybe this was a sign from the universe, telling her she'd have another chance with her former crush. Things had changed. She wasn't the same person she was in secondary school. If he was single and interested, she'd see where things led.

Erica saw her first and blinked in surprise as they came over to her table.

“Jessica, what are you doing here and eating breakfast by yourself? When did you get back into the country?”

Jessica liked Erica, she was beautiful, confident and popular. Back in school, she'd treated everyone the same. In the third form, they'd worked on a class assignment together and Erica had helped her prepare for the oral presentation. Since then, Erica had always made it her mission to be friendly to Jessica and include her in other after school extra-curricular activities.

Standing to hug the vivacious Indo-Guyanese woman, Jessica said "I flew in yesterday, checked into the hotel and that's pretty much it.”

Erica smiled. “Okay. It's good to see you after so long. We need to hang out and catch up.”

Before she could respond, there was a throat cleared.

"So um, I don't get a reunion hug as well?"

Jessica let her eyes slide to the man beside Erica and stepped into his embrace. “Good morning, Dewayne. It's good to see you.”

The chocolate eye candy smiled, squeezed her tightly and held on a little longer than was appropriate.

“If I weren't seeing it with my own two eyes I wouldn't believe it's possible."

"Believe what?"

"That you've gotten more beautiful with the passing of time. You're gorgeous Jessica."

Blushing, Jessica accepted the compliment with a smile then added, “Where are my manners? Would you like to join me for breakfast? Erica, you, too, of course.”

As if she was sensing chemistry between the two, Erica glanced from one to the other and went to speak, but Dewayne got in before her. “I would love to, but I can’t, I’m afraid, Jessie,” he said. “I'm an Adventure Tour Guide and I have a group of people waiting on me. I'm taking them to our famous Kaieteur Falls. But how about we catch up when I get back? It’s Saturday and my night off. If you’re free I’d love to take you to dinner.”

Jessica could have kissed him, but she managed to restrain herself. If going out with Dewayne didn't distract her from Mark and help her move on, she didn't know what would. Besides, at the very least she'd get to catch up with an old friend and have some fun in the process, right?

Thinking of Mark must have made him appear. He was at this moment striding through the lobby with a scowl on his face, heading for the exit. Her heart jumped in her throat when he glanced over toward them and saw her in the eatery. He changed direction and advanced toward her.

She turned back to Dwayne, waiting a few moments more for Mark to get closer. “Dinner tonight?” she said, raising her voice just a little. “Yes, I’d like that very much, Dewayne.”

He grinned at her. “Great. How about I pick you up at seven-thirty?”

“Perfect.”

Mark was almost at the table.

Hugging her one last time and giving her a kiss on her cheek, Dewayne said, "I can't believe I found you again after all this time. I'd d better go see to my clients now or I'll never leave."

Dewayne inclined his head to Mark as he passed by. “Good morning.”

Mark ignored him, then stopped at the table and practically glared down at Jessica.

“You didn’t wait for me and you didn't inform your bodyguards you were leaving your room.”

She reminded herself of how her soon to be ex-husband liked to be in control and tried to keep her temper in check. She didn't want to make a scene.

“I wasn't aware I had to report my movements nor am I aware of any agreement to wait on you,” she said, mindful of Erica’s speculative gaze.

Mark must have been, too. He darted an irritated look at the woman, then away, jerking his head at Dewayne’s retreating back.

“Who was that guy and why was he touching you?”

Was he jealous already? She felt a thrill of excitement but before she could answer, Erica said, “Dewayne’s an old school mate of ours and he's taking Jessica out to dinner tonight. I'm Erica, by the way. And you are?”

Mark blinked in shock, but he recovered quickly, his blue eyes narrowing in on Jessica. “You can’t be f*****g serious. You are not going out on a date with that man!”

“I’m sorry, Mark, but you don't own me and I’m entitled to do whatever the hell I want. So stop making a scene.”

He shook his head. “This is f*****g unbelievable. Its like I'm caught in the twilight zone. This seriously can't be my life right now."

Jessica’s stomach started to churn. For all that she had wanted him jealous and she wanted to make a point…for all that she wanted to move on from her broken marriage of convenience, she hadn’t expected he would be quite so volatile about it. She didn't want to hurt him. She just wanted to protect herself.

Her chin angled up at him. “This doesn't have to be your life. All you have to do is sign the bloody papers and walk away,” she pointed out smoothly, suddenly wanting to throttle him.

His mouth tightened. “Listen—”

“Sir,” Erica’s voice cut across him soothingly. “As the manager of this hotel I will have to ask you to keep your voice down. You are beginning to disturb the other patrons. If necessary, I can have one of the staff assist you with—”

“Mind your own business,” he snapped, making both Jessica and Erica gasp.

He grimaced, a pulse beating in his cheekbone.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Then he looked at Jessica. “I will talk to you later, after I've calmed down. Please take the bodyguards with you if you are leaving the hotel,” he said, then twisted on his heels and stormed off.

“Oh, my God, that was terrible, Jessica,” Erica muttered. “Who was he and why did he look like he was moments away from murdering Dewayne? But more importantly, does he have a brother? He is hottt!"

They stood for a moment watching Mark storm out the hotel, before they took seats at Jessica's table.

Jessica sighed. “That was Mark - my soon to be ex-husband. As of two days ago I asked for a divorce. He seems to be having difficulties processing my request."

“Wow,” Erica stated with wide eyes. “Jessica, I can't believe you're married to him and that you want a divorce. And what's up with needing bodyguards? Is he in the mob or something? What’s going on?”

Jessica was unsure how much she should confide in the other woman. When it came down to it, Erica was a friend. Still, they hadn't been in contact with each other for some time.

“No he is not in the mob. He is a billionaire business man so the bodyguards come with the territory. We got married just after grad school, but I feel like we want different things out of life. Hence the divorce.”

“What! You got married to a freaking billionaire?” Erica cried. “I'm finding it hard to wrap my mind around that, much less the fact you want to leave him with all his billions. I'd probably be done for anything he wanted with all that money.”

"Over the past three years, I've learnt money isn't everything."

Erica reached across the table and squeezed Jessica’s hand. “I know honey. I'm just processing and teasing. I know you didn't care about material things back in school and I can't see that has changed much with the years. So what are you going to do? That man does not look like he knows the meaning of the words no. He will not make it easy for you to get your divorce.”

“He will just have to accept my decision. It’s time for me to make a change and that start with going out with Dewayne tonight.”

Erica gave her a penetrating look. “Are you sure separating is what you want? From what little I saw, you both care very deeply for each other.” She paused. “Maybe you can try counselling if you haven't already, Jessica.”

"No, there is no love lost between us. Our marriage was a business arrangement."

There was another pause, then, “I see.”

Jessica realized she may have said too much. The other woman probably saw more than she should.

All at once, Erica gave a disarming smile. “You know what I do when I’m feeling down? I go shopping. How about I take you into town after lunch and we buy you a new dress for tonight and do some catching up of our own?”

Jessica knew Erica was trying to make her feel better. “It’s a lovely thought, but I hate shopping.”

Erica waved that aside. “That's because you've never went shopping with me,” she teased, looking beautiful and happy but still slightly concerned. “I'll prove to you there is nothing better than retail therapy.” She winked. “You'll have every man who sees you tonight drooling.”

Jessica appreciated it and she tried to smile but couldn’t. “Erica, it’s not a good idea.” Despite being angry with Mark, she realized she’d probably pushed him a bit too much already today by accepting what was basically a date with another man. Did she really want to give him a heart attack by wearing whatever Erica would pick out for her?

“You want to look good on your first night out back in Guyana, don’t you?”

Jessica thought about why she’d accepted the invitation to dinner with Dewayne in the first place. This was partly about making Mark jealous, but more about stepping out of her comfort zone and reinventing herself. She couldn’t chicken out at the first challenge.

She nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“Then its settled. We'll go shopping.”

“Okay then, Erica. I’m in your hands. I have nothing to lose.”

“Good! I’ll come by your room after lunch.” Erica got to her feet. “I’d better go and check on the staff and ensure the hotel is running smoothly.” She smiled and headed back the way she’d come.

*****

After lunch Mark’s bad mood increased as his bodyguards reported they were accompanying Jessica and her friend on an outing. They were going shopping, for Christ’s sake! For a dress for Jessica’s date tonight! Like he would let that f*****g date happen.

He couldn't fathom Jessica. She was all over the place, he decided, leaning back in the leather chair at the desk in his hotel room. He’d woken up thinking they’d go have breakfast together and clear up whatever misunderstanding that was causing her to act out of character.

And then it had all gone wrong. First, she hadn't answered when he'd knocked on her door and her bodyguards couldn't account for her whereabouts. He been momentarily worried for her safety. Afterall, this was the first time she'd returned to the country in five years.

Then he’d found her accepting a date with that man.

Old class mate my ass. He'd seen the way he was looking at Jessica, like he wanted to eat her for breakfast.

Jessica had seemed a bit flustered. As if she was welcoming his advances.

What the hell was going on here? She suddenly seemed a different person. It was like she’d decided to be a completely new woman.

What had got into her? Was she upset they were interrupted on the flight? He hadn't missed the tension between her and Veronica. Did she think he was sleeping with his P.A? If so, was this some sort of pay back?

Thoughts of Jessica in bed with another man were suddenly abhorrent to him. He couldn’t let her do it. He knew her and he knew she’d regret it.

And surely if she was going to make love to anyone, then she could damn well choose her HUSBAND.