Traffic

Chapter 10

Jack led Elena to her room. She was not shaking anymore. Though she denied it stubbornly, he knew that she had a strong phobia for guns. She thanked him still ashamed, kissed him on the cheek, and went in her room.

Jack smiled at the innocent caress; he turned around and went back to the living room. He had many things to think of. He turned the TV on, poured a new cup of hot chocolate, and sat on the triple sofa.

He sipped the chocolate and closed his eyes. Elena confused him more each time. One side of her was imposing, proud, and talk-back. This was the side of her that he had the chance to compete against. Her other side was sweet, innocent, and disturbed. This side of her suffered for animals, cried at an emotional painting, and feared guns.

She was all that and his uncles' goddaughter. He got on his feet and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He searched in the web for information about the accident. The pictures were very explicit; they showed the corpses of Mr. and Mrs. Reaser and a footnote read:

The Reaser daughter is still alive, since she wasn't traveling on the plane. She lives in Manhattan.

"That's so far away..." he whispered.

He couldn't avoid thinking that if her parents were alive, he wouldn't have met her. He felt like a jerk for thinking such a thing; he understood her pain more than anyone.

But Elena was so different. She was not like any other woman he had met in his 28 years of living. He wanted her madly, he wanted to protect her, and he wanted to kill any men that dared touch her.

He swallowed hard and accepted this. He liked Elena, but what he had admitted was beyond. He tried to shove aside those thoughts and went in the kitchen. Elena was probably resting from her fright, and though he wanted to see her, he didn't dare bother her.

Towards noon he had to go to the office. Karen called him and asked him to attend an important meeting in behalf of Alejandro. He would've said no, but Karen would've killed him.

He informed Lisa about it and went in his room to change clothes. He went out of his room dressed in a suit and tie, and he glanced at Elena's door. Should he tell her that he would be out the rest of the day? Should he ask her to come with him?

After a moment of hesitation, he knocked on the door. Elena opened it after some seconds.

"How are you feeling?" she asked smiling.

"I'm better" she assured and looked at him in surprise, "You look fancy."

"Thank you..." he whispered, "I wanted to tell you that I must spend the rest of the day at the office. Alejandro's secretary called me, and she only calls when it's an emergency."

"Oh" she said surprised at him leaving, "So will I see you at dinner?"

"Yes..." he said nervously, "I was thinking that if you want to, you could come with me."

"Really?" she smiled.

"Only if you want to" he said excited, "It won't be much fun; I have meetings to attend and things like that, but you can tour around the office."

"Of course I'd like to go with you" she smiled at him, "I just have to change."

"Fine! I'll meet you downstairs in ten minutes?" he asked happily.

"Ten minutes" she said and closed the door.

Jack went down the stairs. He looked funny with his foolish smile on. He couldn't believe that Elena said yes. He would definitely enjoy the visit with that beautiful woman beside him.

Elena ran to the closet and took out a purple dress that ended above her knees, black pantyhose, and black pumps. She put her hair in a high knot, brushed her bangs, put on matching make-up, and clipped silver earrings.

She took a black handbag and put on a white overcoat.

She left the room and ran downstairs. Jack was waiting for her on the sofa. He smiled at her; he was surprised.

"You're the first woman I know to be ready in ten minutes" he looked at her from head to toe, "You look amazing. I think you will be harassed by the employees."

She blushed. Was that a compliment? She smiled from the confidence that flooded her. Jack announced to Lisa that they were leaving. She came to them; she looked angry.

"I can't believe you'll leave me alone" she complained.

"You know I must go if Karen calls" he reminded her.

"You have to go, but why are you taking Elena?" she demanded to know, "I wanted to get to know her better. I wanted her to help me with dinner."

"I'll help when we come back" she promised; she felt guilty, "I really want to know the Bailey enterprise."

"Fine" she accepted, "But come back soon. I don't like being alone in this big house."

"You got Harold" he smiled at the scene she was making. He took Elena's hand and said goodbye to Lisa with a cheeky smile, "I'll see you in some hours."

Elena couldn't say a thing. Jack dragged her to the entrance and to the garage. She looked at her hand clasped in his and smiled. The electric shock ran down his body; Jack's touch caused it, and it was a nice feeling.

"Don't let her defeat you with her tactics" he warned with a smile, "She's an expert in making people feel guilty."

"What?" she asked surprised, "You mean that scene was fictitious?"

"As fake as the color on her hair" he joked, "But that's the way she is."

"I can't believe it" she said smiling.

"You'll get used to it, don't worry" he looked at her joyfully, "We'll go in my car."

He pointed at a Ferrari 250 GTO on the bottom. Elena admired the beautiful machine.

"Nice car" she smiled at him.

"I'm proud of it" he boasted, "My dad bought it after I was born. He was working on it, and when he died Alejandro and me finished the work. We did it pretty well."

"I like the color" she said caressing the shiny red hood.

They got in the car; Jack asked her to fasten her seatbelt, since he liked to ride fast. Elena smiled nervously and secured her belt. In the street she was looking at the landscape. She wanted to know the city.

"Your family's company is a building company?" she asked after some minutes.

"How did you know?"

"The planes on Alejandro's office suggested it" she smiled.

Jack broke in laughter; he nodded at her and accelerated. Elena tense up at the speed. It was clear that Jack liked it, and she didn't blame him. After all, he was driving one of the fastest cars in the world. When they reached their destination, Jack turned to look at her.

"Listen, it's probable that when my co-workers see you, they'll think you're my..." he hesitated.

"Your girlfriend?" she helped him.

"Yes" he confessed, "They've never seen me with a woman at the office, but I will keep you out of this. I'll introduce you as my uncles' goddaughter. It doesn't matter if they believe me or not.

"Don't worry. I know how to handle that sort of people" she smiled to reassure him.

Jack felt more relaxed and got out of the car. He opened her car and took her hand to help her out. She thanked him and walked beside him to the entrance; it was very cold. The door slid open automatically; inside, the temperature was warmer. She silently thanked for this and walked next to Jack.

People greeted them smiling. Though, they first looked at her surprised, but didn't ask anything. It was somewhat uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry" he whispered, "I told you they are not very discrete."

"It's ok" she smiled.

Jack led her to the elevator and sighed when the doors closed.

"It was harder than I thought it would be. And you haven't met Karen" he said closing his eyes.

Elena squeezed his hand and smiled.

"Is Karen Alejandro's assistant?"

"Yes. But she is more like a friend; also for me" he said smiling, "She sometimes behaves like a mother. She's is somewhat intrusive."

Elena was about to say something but the elevator doors opened.

"It's show time" he heard Jack say before they went out.

They had the same scene of people greeting them and looking at her in shameless surprise. They reached the bottom of the corridor and entered an office that announced CEO: Alejandro Bailey. Karen was in there.

"Good morning" he greeted loudly.

The woman turned to see him.

"You're finally here" she scolded him, "Have you any idea of what... Oh, you brought a girl."

She went near them so quickly that Elena felt nervous. Why was it so strange that Jack had female company?

"Hello" she offered her hand, "It's very nice to meet you. I'm Karen, personal assistant and secretary for Alejandro."

Elena shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Elena Reaser" she gave a shy smile, "I'm Alejandro and Thomas Bailey's goddaughter."

"Goddaughter?" she repeated confused.

"My uncles brought her home the day before yesterday. She's living with us" he explained feeling a bit annoyed.

"Really?" she stared at her, "Alejandro didn't say anything about it."

"He didn't" he remembered, "Elena just lost her parents, and they were friend with my uncles."

"Oh darling, I'm sorry" she hugged her, "I apologize for being so straightforward. Please forgive my aggression."

Elena tried to remain silent. She looked at Jack hoping for help.

"Never mind" she managed to say.

"Karen" he called her, "Could you accompany Elena while I'm in the meeting?"

"Of course" her eyes glistened, "Leave it to me."

"Please, just show her around the place. Don't make her more uncomfortable than she already is" he grimaced.

"You offend me" she folded her arms.

"And please, don't start rumors about her identity or her relationship with my family" he stared at her, "Could you?"

"Of course, darling" she smiled and took Elena's hand, "You go and solve this crisis; I will take your girl on a tour."

Jack groaned at this and waved Elena goodbye.

He didn't see her again until the sun went down. It was 6 in the afternoon. He didn't even talk to her at supper time; Karen took her to a restaurant with a dozen of his colleagues.

He called her, but they only talked for some minutes before Karen told him that she was busy and that he had to go back to work and finally hung up. He cursed the controlling woman and told himself that he would talk to her in a moment. He tried to concentrate on the last meeting with some contractors from Spain, and after half an hour he could free from pressure.

He looked for Karen in the office; some co-workers told her that she and the beautiful brunette were on the first floor. Frowning, he went to the elevator; he wanted to go home. He had a tough day.

He went out of the elevator and searched for the women; he heard Karen laugh coming from the design department and walked towards it. He opened the door and looked at the people there; they were sitting at one of the tables drinking coffee and laughing at something.

He looked at Elena; she was having fun. He thought he would find her scared or stressed, and he was glad to see her so relaxed.

"Oh, Jack, you're finally here" Karen smiled at him, "We were talking about you."

"Really?" he asked, though he wasn't surprised.

"Yes" Elena replied, "Now I understand why everybody looked at me as if I was some weird bug."

Jack felt a knot in his throat.

"I didn't know you were engaged" she smiled at the information, "To a Russian girl. How exotic."

"Karen..." Jack gave her a furious glance.

"Oh, relax! That was so long ago" she remembered, "Though we will never forget the scene she made back then."

"I can't believe she burst in yelling that she was pregnant and you denied acknowledging your parenthood" Elena had an amused smile on.

"The worst part was that they believed her" he hissed, "Karen even slapped me."

"Did I?" she faked innocence, "It must've been the heat of the moment. I apologized for it long time ago."

Jack folded his arms and counted to ten. He was really upset.

"Guys, it was very nice to meet, but I have to go now" she got on her feet, "I promised Lisa I would go back early to help with dinner."

"Oh come on, stay some more! We're going to a bar later" the chief of the department asked smiling.

"Some other time" she put on her overcoat, "I promise I'll come back."

"If Jack doesn't bring you, I'll go and take you out of his house" she warned.

Elena nodded and said goodbye to all of them; Karen hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek. The others also hugged her, and Jack became more furious. When they came out of the building, Elena felt guilty. She had laughed at the stories they told her in front of Jack. He was walking silently; he pressed the alarm button and opened a door for Elena.

"Thank you" she whispered and got in.

Jack didn't reply; he went around the car to his door and got in quickly. He fastened his belt and stared at Elena waiting for her to look back. When she looked at him, the tension in the car felt horrible. She didn't know what to apologize for first.

"I'm sorry" she said finally, "I shouldn't have laughed at you."

He didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on the road.

"Jack, are you very angry?" she asked nervously.

He didn't reply for some moments. He sighed loudly and looked at her sideways.

"I'm not angry at you" he said finally, "It's Karen who I want to kill."

"She's very fond of you" she said without really planning it, "She cared for your happiness."

"She shouldn't have told you about Ivanka" he frowned, "That's something I don't want to remember."

"Was it that rough?" she asked, again without really filtering what she was saying.

"You must know the story" he winced, "As well as the reason why everybody was looking at you."

"Yes, I know" she said in a steady voice, "I didn't imagine it was because of that woman."

"It was the first time they saw a girl in the office claiming to be my fiancée" he sighed, "It was five years ago, but it seems like they haven't forgotten any details."

"I can't believe she deceived you with a pregnancy."

"I never believed her" he winced, "We never had s*x in the first place, so it was impossible that she was pregnant. And I she was, it wasn't my fault."

Elena nodded. It was incredible that women like that existed. She noticed that he didn't want to continue, so she remained silent. She leaned back as Jack sped up. They were in the house five minutes later.

She got out of the car before Jack could open her door for her and went in the house. He cursed and followed her without trying to stop her. He didn't want to look annoyed, but he couldn't conceal his hate for that evil Russian woman. She made him live hell, and he didn't deserve it.

After dinner, Elena went to her room. She thanked Lisa for the delicious dinner, kissed her cheek, and said good night. She barely looked at Jack.

"Karen told him about the Russian girl, didn't she?" she suggested.

Jack nodded. She didn't ask more; she just hugged him.

"You must learn to let go the bad times" he kissed his cheek, "Focus on the good times, and on the time that is yet to come."

"Thank you Lisa" he smiled. He felt better, but he still wanted to talk to Elena.

La smiled delightedly and went in the kitchen. He went to the living room, sat on the sofa, turned the TV on, and watched a show that wasn't amusing him. He felt bad for his reaction in the car. Elena wasn't to blame; he wanted to take her despite the risk of having Karen near her. She crossed the line, though; now everybody would be gossiping about the girl he took there, and even if she introduced herself as his uncles' goddaughter, the fact that she mentioned they were living together was enough to ignited rumors.

He shook his head and rubbed his temples. He saw the hour; it was 9:15, still too early to go to bed. He wanted to talk to her, but he didn't know how.

"Jack" Lisa went near him, "I made hot chocolate. Do you want some?"

He leapt to his feet excitedly; it was the perfect excuse!

"Sure" he took the cup, "Do you want me to take some to Elena?"

"Don't worry, I just brought her a cup, dear" she smiled.

Jack stood still seeing his chance evaporate.

"Oh" his head hung down. He sipped his steamy drink slowly.

Lisa watched him holding a laugh; he was so obvious that she couldn't help teasing him.

"Oh, I'm so silly!" she lied, "I forgot marshmallows."

Jack livened up again; he gave her a hopeful look.

"I could take them for you..." he said quietly.

"Of course" she smiled, "I'll go get them."

Jack nodded excitedly. This was his chance; he just wanted to see her one more time. Lisa came back with a plate full of tiny marshmallows and offered it to him; Jack took it and ran upstairs. He didn't seem to care about Lisa watching him. She sighed; memories of old times flooded her. She knew that soon there would be a wedding.

Jack reached to her door; he had been longing to knock it since dinner was over, but he just pushed it silently. The lights were off; only a lamp lighted the place. Elena was lying on the bed. He gulped.

"Can I come in?" he asked feeling excitement.

She smiled at him and sat on the bed.

"Sure" she yawned, "What is it?"

"Lisa forgot to give you marshmallows" he showed the plate. Elena seemed to be in a better mood.

"Thank you. I was about to go and get some" she stood up.

Jack shut the door when he entered. Elena took her cup and went near him.

"Were you trying to sleep?"

"No, I just felt like leaning back and read something to go with hot chocolate."

Jack filled her cup with marshmallows.

"Can I join you?" he dared asking.

She stared at him for some seconds.

"Of course, if you want to" she turned around, "Will you read the same book as me?"

Jack smiled. Was she joking?

"I don't feel like reading" he confessed.

If he told her what he really felt like doing, Elena would kick him out of her room.

"So you will stay here doing nothing?" she frowned.

"I just want to sit in a quiet place. I won't interrupt" he assured.

Elena tried not to laugh; he was so obvious. Though, she owed it to him.

"All right."

She sat on her bed, took a book, and started reading; the lamp leaked light exactly where she was sitting. Jack stood still. Should he sit on the bed with her? Really? He smiled. His eyes surveyed the outfit she was wearing; it was a two pieces pajama, all black silk. The pants were ample, and the blouse had straps and a light cleavage.

Elena looked at him.

"What are you waiting for?"

"I'm sorry" he started moving slowly.

His body was on fire; the slightest idea of sitting next to her on her bed made his libido go crazy.

"You can seat next to me" she pointed at the other side of the bed, "in case you want to read."

Yeah, read.

He nodded, but he really didn't know what to think. He sat on the bed and sat beside her. Elena was concentrated on her book, not looking at him. Jack breathed slowly, trying to calm his rapid heartbeat. He was very nervous and didn't know what to say. Why did he promise to be quiet? He was an i***t.

He looked at Elena; she was absorbed in the novel.

This is all I need...he told himself smiling.

This is all he wanted to do from the beginning: look at her, contemplate her fascinating face. Minutes went by; Elena read amazingly fast. The clock indicated 11:05 pm, and she was almost finishing the book.

When she finished, she closed the book and sighed.

"What a good story" she said smiling.

Jack stared at her, engraving every feature of her beautiful face on his mind.

"You're a fast reader" he said with a dry throat, "I'm very slow."

"It took years of practice" she yawned, "I've always enjoyed reading. I learnt it from my parents as a child."

A new image came to her; the same little girl was lonely in a public library, crying and hugging a book with all her might.

"It was the same for me" he said and smiled at the memory, "My mom used to read me stories before bedtime."

Elena closed her eyes, and the image vanished.

"I used to wait for my dad to come back from work; he read a story for me, and I could sleep tight" she smiled.

"Me too, except that my mom was the one that red for me more often" he smiled, "And I couldn't enjoy it as many years as you."

Elena winced and decided to not mention the topic again.

***

Alejandro heard his brother opening the door of his room; he didn't turn the light on. They didn't need to talk; he didn't feel like talking.

"I know you're awake" he said.

Alejandro hissed a curse. Why did he come back? He needed to rest.

"What do you want?" he asked annoyed.

"Did you know that there's a strippers bar a few blocks away?" he heard him asking; he was drunk.

"No, I didn't" he decided to play the game.

There was only one thing worse than meeting him angry, and it was meeting him drunk.

"When you get better, I'll take you there" he promised with a grin in the darkness.

"I'll be glad" he sighed, "I see you had fun."

"Of course, there's no better s*x than slut s*x" he hiccupped and roared in laughter, "They do anything for money."

Alejandro sighed deeply; he knew that when Thomas left a club in such a state, somebody had died. He concealed such death with money. Possibly that happened this night. He felt sad for the poor girl that was picked by him.

Just like Elena, he remembered closing his eyes.

It was just like it. Elena became his target ever since he looked at her. He glanced at Thomas; he was asleep. He relaxed a bit and tried to sleep. The thoughts in his head made him feel guilty; they both picked the girl. He didn't mind ruining Elena Wood's life.

"I know I'll never be forgiven for what I'm doing to your son..." he whispered to the darkness.

He closed his eyes and remembered the time when everything was different; his big brother was alive, Claudia and he were good friends.

***

Jack watched as Elena devoured another book; it was 12:30 am and she seemed to be about to faint.

"You need to sleep" he scolded her and took the book from her, "You'll continue tomorrow."

"No, just some more pages" she asked yawning.

Jack smiled at her reaction; now he understood how she ended up buried under an army of books in the library.

"It's late" he insisted, "Have some sleep. I'll give you the book tomorrow morning" he promised.

Elena pouted; she was not a child. How many times did she have to repeat it?

"Stop treating me like a child" she folded her arms.

"I'll do as soon as you stop behaving like one."

"I have nothing to do, and you're also awake."

"You're right, but I'm older, darling" he smiled.

"In that case, I'll have to ask you to leave my room, Mr. Bailey" she was annoyed.

Jack looked at her in surprise. Did she get angry? He frowned feeling offended—hurt. She promised not to call him Mr. Why did she do it again?

"I'm sorry I bothered you" he got on his feet, "I guess that brats always want to stay awake late."

He walked to the door cursing himself; he didn't mean to say that. But he had no other option. She was clearly stating that she didn't want his company. Elena's tightened her lips; she had broken her promise.

Jack opened the door with the book in one hand.

"Good night" he said before leaving.

Elena groaned angrily at herself. Why did she do that? She was definitely a spoiled brat. She leaned back on her bed and closed her eyes; she needed to apologize. She got on her feet and went to the door. What if he didn't forgive her?

Jack stood on the corridor waiting; he knew that the argument had been exaggerated and absurd. He hoped that Elena thought the same. After some minutes he sighed, went to his room, and closed the door after him.

He tossed the book on the bed. He was so frustrated; why was he so protective with her? She obviously disliked it. He knew, so why did he keep on doing it?

"I'm an i***t" he said.

He wasn't trying to convince himself; he knew he was.

He heard a soft knock on the door; he rushed to open it with goose bumps. Elena was on the threshold looking down; her cheeks were blushed, her lips tightened.

"Elena" he said totally enthralled.

She looked at him straight in the eyes and determined to apologize.

"'I'm sorry, Jack" he heard her, "I promised I wouldn't call you Mr." she frowned, "I won't do it again, even if I'm angry at you. I promise."

Jack smiled at her words. He caressed her cheek; she was so nice, so innocent. Now he understood; it was clear in his head, and he felt assured enough to accept it. He was in love with her.

Elena blushed wildly at his touch; she apologized again and turned around to rush into her room.

"Good night," she said before closing the door.

Jack stood still looking at the threshold. His face had changed in a subtle way; a slight and sweet smile was on his lips, his eyes were contagiously peaceful. He was as happy as he had ever been. He sighed and went in his room followed by a tide of floating hearts.

After some hours of holding Elena's book while lying on the bed, he was begging that the door was unlocked. He turned the knob slowly; he was relieved when he could open it. He entered silently; it was dark.

He saw Elena sleeping on her bed; he looked at her for a moment. He was definitely in love. He smiled enjoying the feeling. He put the book on the bedside table and leaned towards her face.

"I'm sorry too" he whispered.

He caressed her cheek and got close to her lips. Slowly, without waking her up, he kissed her. She mumbled some nonsense afterward. Jack left the room feeling new and intoxicating emotions. He entered his room decided to turn Elena into the protagonist of his dreams.

***

Elena woke up when she felt the sun coming through the window; she stretched lazily and opened her eyes. The room was dimly lit; she sat on the bed and put slid her slippers on. She smiled as she remembered a revealing dream she had, and her cheeks blushed. In this dream, Jack entered her room and kissed her. It was impossible; it was probably the projection of the novel and a half she read before sleeping.

She touched her lips with a hand; a sensation ran down her spine. If it was a dream, why did it feel so real?

"I like him more than I thought" she stated out loud.

After the information she received about him from the entire work team at the office, she was sure that she felt strongly for Jack.

She got on her feet; her gaze fell on the book on the bedside table. She took and sat back in surprise; it was the book that Jack took in the night! What was it doing in her bedroom?

Oh... she had a shameful thought, he came in to give it back.

She got on her feet again and tossed the book on the bed; if that had happened, she would discuss it with him. She rushed to the shower; breakfast would be waiting for her downstairs, as well as the man that—she was sure—had kissed her.

***

Jack opened his eyes and saw everything under different light; the sunlight was brighter, the alarm clock that he loathed was now like an angelic choir.

The world was beautiful at his eyes. He got on his feet smiling. There was something more exciting about his feelings for Elena, and it was that they had the house for themselves and there was a bet involved. He took a quick shower and put on jeans and a gray t-shirt. He went downstairs whistling a song he liked. Lisa looked at him when he went in the living room.

"Good morning" she greeting him and surveyed his expression.

"Good morning, dear Lisa" he smiled, lost in his world.

"Jack, is something wrong?"

"No, my universe is fine" he was smiling so widely it was creepy, "Is Elena still sleeping?"

"It seems like it" she said stepping away from him, "As I see you obeyed your uncles' rule, you can go and call her" she looked at the clock on the wall.

"It's 8:00 am, I'll let her sleep some more," he said carelessly.

Lisa gasped; what happened to Jack?

He walked in the living room and played a classic music CD; he sat on the sofa. The piano melody told her that he was feeling really happy; she decided to stop asking questions and enjoy the show.

Jack closed his eyes and remembered the feeling of Elena's lips, soft and sensible. He didn't regret it; he wanted to kiss her since he met her.

Now he was waiting patiently for her; he already knew what he would command her to do, and he expected her to obey all of them.

***

At the office, Eric was reviewing the information obtained by the murdered spy. He was trying to find a way to infiltrate. He believed that all the employees were bribed. The only option was to play is one of them. His fake documents would protect him. He would complete the mission by himself, and this time there wouldn't be errors.

He called his subordinate by the intercom and ordered him to call the FBI agent that was helping them. The man went in the office minutes later, and Eric shared his idea.

"It's risky" he said, "You'll need to be brilliant to fool them."

"That won't be a problem" he snarled confidently, "Just take care of my documentation. I'll do the rest."

"It's dangerous, Eric. You could die like the other guy."

"That's not your business" he was losing patience, "I'm not like that coward kid. If I find one single clue, I'll kill them right there, right then" he hissed and got on his feet.

The man gulped nervously, nodded lightly, and left the room. Eric smiled; the FBI agents were a bunch of ass-licker cowards. They followed their leaders around like a group of retarded and all of the guys in the police station were alike.

***

She went downstairs in a long-sleeved yellow dress and beige boots; she couldn't stop touching her lips. She was sure she had felt his touch; the book on the bedside table made it more confusing. Had it really happened?

She smiled freely; she reached the hall and heard the music Jack had played. She went in the living room slowly; she was drowning in nervousness, looking for the right words to talk to him.

She reached the sofa and found him lying with eyes closed. His hands were waving at the rhythm of Bach. She took a breath.

"Good morning, Jack" she greeted.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. He smiled and got on his feet.

"Good morning, Elena" he stopped the music, "I was about to call you."

"It's very early to be awake, especially since it is Saturday" she smiled, "But I couldn't sleep very well."

"I'm sorry" he frowned, "I slept marvelously."

"I'm glad" she whispered.

She remembered the dream and the kiss, and she blushed.

"Is Lisa in the kitchen?" she asked nervously.

"Yes, she's making breakfast. Are you hungry?"

"A bit" she didn't know what else to say.

Jack looked at her; she was beautiful in the short yellow dress. He was thankful that it didn't have a cleavage, so he could survey her without going crazy.

"Go say hello" he encouraged her, "She was asking for you."

"Of course I will" she turned around and rushed out of there.

Jack breathed to calm himself down. The image of those lips he had kissed affected him more than he expected. His entire body shivered. He poured himself a whiskey. He needed all the help he could have.

Elena went in the kitchen feeling hot; she sighed and tried to look calm.

"Good morning" he greeted.

Lisa was chopping vegetables on a wooden board.

"Good morning, Elena" she smiled, "Do you want to help? I'm making a meat and potatoes stew."

"Sure, I love stew" she rubbed her hands and went near her.

"Put on an apron, wash your hands and we'll cook breakfast."

She nodded. She needed something to distract her from her weird thoughts. When she was ready, she started cooking.

***

At 6:00 am, the doctor that would carry the surgery went in. Alejandro greeted him eagerly; he wanted to get well so he could go back to Karen.

"How do you feel?" the surgeon asked while studying his record.

"Painful, but fine" he smiled, "At what time is the surgery scheduled?"

"In five minutes" he announced smiling, "They will take you right away and I'll meet you when we're ready. You'll be unconscious, though" he joked.

"Where is Thomas?" he asked at seeing the empty couch.

"Your brother is at the cafeteria having breakfast. Don't worry; you're in good hands."

"Thank you" he leaned back feeling more relaxed.

Some nurses came in and transferred him to another stretcher; then they rolled him to the operating room. He closed his eyes and let anesthetic numb him. When he woke up, he would be healed and closer to meeting the person he longed to meet.

***

By 8:30, the stew was ready. Elena went to the living room to call Jack. They went to the kitchen, and the three o them set the table.

"I don't want to boast," Lisa said, "But Elena is an excellent cook."

"I'm not as good as you" she smiled flattered.

"Did your mother teach you how to cook?"

"Yes. It was one of the things we enjoyed doing together."

"Well, let's start" Jack poured wine and lifted his glass, "A toast."

The women mimicked him. It was the first meal cooked by Elena, and he was eager to try it.

"When are your uncles coming back?" she asked.

"I don't know. Thomas only said 'in a few days.'"

"Oh..." her lips tightened.

They ate silently. Jack was devouring his meal, barely chewing it. Knowing that Elena was such a good cook made her more desirable than all deep cleavages she had worn.

"Jack, you'll choke" Lisa scolded him with a smile, "You must chew it, otherwise you'll get cramps."

"I don't mind" he said with a mouthful, "This is really good."

"Did you like it?" she asked blushing.

Jack looked at her, his mouth still full, nodded like a fool and continued eating. Elena smiled delighted.

"I want more" he went to the plate

"Have as much as you want" Lisa gave up.

Jack helped himself another spoonful. He didn't want this meal to end.

"You don't have to rush. Elena can cook it again, right dear?" she looked at her.

"Sure. Just let me know" she whispered nervously.

Jack nodded. He planned that to be his first order. The week started that day, and he wanted to settle the deal.

When they finished breakfast, Lisa left them. She conserved some of the stew for Alejandro. Jack drank his wine staring at Elena.

She was avoiding his eyes. She only needed to remember her dream to make her blood go up her cheeks.

"Elena, I owe you an apology" he got on his feet, "I don't know what came over me last night."

"You don't need to" she was even more nervous.

"Yes I do. You apologized, and I didn't" he lied and remembered the kiss.

"Well, you already did. Forget about it" she got on her feet. She felt her blood boiling.

"Are you all right?" he asked worried, "Your face is very red."

Her eyes opened wide; she wanted to leave. She was so embarrassed.

"I'm fine" she lied and got away from him.

She went to the living room, and he chased her. She sat down and tried to calm down.

"I want to talk to you" he sat beside her.

"About what?" she said in a low voice.

"About the bet..." he whispered and waited for her reaction.

She gasped; she had forgotten.

"I..." she tried to say; her throat was dry.

"You don't have to worry. It was silly and childish. I'm sure that if you had won, you wouldn't take it seriously" he threw the hook.

He waited patiently for his plan to work. Elena felt guilty. If she had won, she would've taken it very seriously. Did that make her a bad person?

"A deal is a deal" she said, swallowing her pride.

Jack tried not to smile. She had bitten the hook.

"Then you'll have to do anything I order for a week"

Shit.

"That was the deal" she accepted and raised her chin.

Jack enjoyed her bravery; she was determined.

"Fine" he smiled, "That means you won't argue. You will just obey."

"I know."

"Even if it's something you don't want to do, you'll do it."

"I know. That's fair enough."

"Even if it involves running naked around the back yard, you'll do it, right?"

Really?

"I always fulfill my promises."

Jack frowned. He didn't like that. That meant that if he asked for a kiss, she would kiss him just because she lost the bet, and not because she really wanted to

He felt miserable, especially because Elena thought him capable of asking her such a thing.

"Do you really think I'd do that?" he frowned.

"I don't know. It's a bet" she folded her arms.

"Stop saying that" he winced, "I'm not that type of person. I'd never ask you to do something like that."

"Thank you" she whispered and stared at him, "So what is your first order?"

He smiled. He went to the TV and took the remote; he had a perfect idea to start. He pressed play and music poured out. He reached for her.

"Dance with me" he asked smiling.