Chapter Eight
The weekend finally arrived, and Aliannah was delighted to have a nice, peaceful sleep-in without Michelle waking her screaming. She had not heard from Ivan since he returned to Russia. The news had reported a second rig explosion belonging to I.K Oil; this would delay Ivan’s return while he sorted out his business. The gossip chains spread rumours of external sabotage; this could be a very strong possibility, as Ivan Kozlov had many enemies both industrially and personally back in Russia. However, these same gossip chains had not acknowledged how dangerous oil mining is; these could be real accidents since raw oil is so flammable. It was a miracle that no one died in either explosion. This just fuelled the rumours of foul play further. It was as if someone had deliberately caused an explosion in such a way as not to leave any fatalities.
Aliannah was really enjoying talking with Jasper, getting to know him more each passing day, and the reprieve from Ivan was elevating. She even agreed to meet Jasper tonight for dinner.
“Oooh, two dates in one week? He must be ever the charmer Ali!” Michelle teased. Aliannah stood in front of her mirror, trying to decide what to wear tonight. She was to meet Jasper at the top of the Empire State Building for dinner.
The location was her pick this time. It was a restaurant she was familiar with; this helped ease her nerves. She settled on an emerald green backless dress paired with gold heels with straps wrapped around her legs up to her knees. Elegant but sexy, that’s exactly the vibe Aliannah was going for. She decided for a change to leave her hair in loose, bouncy curls cascading down her back. Aliannah felt good. She was confident, and she had every right to be.
A cool welcome breeze hit her as she stepped out of the elevator to the roof terrace of the Empire State Building. She took a deep breath as she walked across to where Jasper stood at the bar. Tonight, he wore a black shirt rolled with his sleeves rolled back paired with black slacks, and his hair was gelled up a little. A sultry vibe just emanated right off him; he had all the women in the bar goggling at him.
“Aliannah… Wow! You look beautiful. What would you like to drink?” A blush warmed her cheeks as she requested a vodka lemon from the bartender. They made their way to the heated seating area that had a spectacular view of the city. While this venue was high-class and elegant, it did not carry the same pretence as some of those upper society restaurants near the museum. Relaxed luxury is how Aliannah thought of this place.
A nod of Jasper's head signalled the waitress to come over with the menus. They would dine out here on the terrace. The clear night sky and the last of the summer warmth were perfect. Jasper ordered the steak, and Aliannah ordered the pesto chicken pasta.
*PING*
Aliannah took her phone out of her purse. She bunched her eyebrows together in confusion as she read the message.
“Is everything ok?” Jasper enquired.
“Yes, it's all good! It is just Michelle letting me know her plans got cancelled, so she will be staying home tonight.” Aliannah lied. It was not a bad lie, as it set the tone for the night that Jasper would not be going home with her, but it is not good to conceal the truth either.
Enjoy your meal, but he better keep his hands off – I
Ivan was in Russia. How could he possibly know she was out tonight? There was no way he was here. Sure, he was on the news live this afternoon with another press conference for the explosions. There is no way on God’s green earth he would have been there and flown back here on time. He must have his men watching her for him. Aliannah did not like this one bit. He was not her husband. He was not her boyfriend. He had no claim over her at all. She looked around her. She did not see anyone suspicious, but with Ivan’s wealth and connections, he could have paid anyone to be discreet and watch her.
The food was incredible. Jasper and Aliannah both sat back so full, fit to burst. The conversation was easy with him. Aliannah found there to be no awkward silences at all. They spoke about his work and friends and her love of travel and adventure. Jasper said he had never been to France and he would love to visit one day. It was on his bucket list to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Aliannah thought it to be a bit silly that a person of Jasper's wealth had never been to Paris. Certainly, with a click of his fingers, he could charter a jet to take him whenever he wanted.
“I want to share the experience with someone special,” Jasper smiled as he answered when Aliannah asked why he had never gone before. It was reasonable to take this answer as truth, and so she did. She needed to learn to trust men again. She would trust again but slowly and at her own pace.
They decided to go for a walk in the cool night air to chat some more. Aliannah regretted wearing her heels. It was not long before they began to ache. This outfit was not made for a romantic stroll. It was made for sitting pretty or getting drunk. She was doing neither of those tonight.
“Jasper, as much as I am enjoying our date, believe me, I am. I cannot walk any further, or my feet will fall off. These are not long-walk shoes”, she laughed as she gestured towards her feet. She cringed as she realised how visible the marks from the lace-up of the heels had dug into her skin. Aliannah made a mental note not to wear these shoes again for a very long time, if ever again. Jasper spotted a bench up ahead and suggested they go there so Aliannah could rest her feet. She only agreed because the bench was within viewing distance.
They sat there for another hour, talking about movies and characters. A comfortable silence fell upon them. Jasper noticed Aliannah looking up.
“What are you looking at?” he asked with intrigue.
“The stars, I love how they sparkle. It is rare to see them with New York weather and lights so bright. They bring me such joy when they can be seen” Aliannah leaned back on the bench and smiled as she continued to look up. Jasper sat back and put his arm loosely around her shoulders. Aliannah snuggled in. They sat in silence happily for another 10 minutes before the sky clouded over and the heavens chucked rain down on them. They ran to the nearest doorway for shelter while they ordered cabs and waited for them. They lived on opposite sides of the park, so it did not make sense for them to ride home together.
Jasper cancelled his ride when Aliannah’s arrived first. He insisted on accompanying her to her building. “A lady should not be out and about alone so late at night. The gentleman in me will not accept your refusal, Aliannah. I won’t get out of the car if you don’t want but I will watch that you enter your building safely,” Aliannah reluctantly agreed to this. How could she refuse such a gentleman’s offer?
Jasper had to get out at Aliannah’s building in order to let her out of the cab. Aliannah thanked him for the evening and was about to run to the building to get out of the rain when Jasper grabbed her by the hand and pulled her towards him.
“I have been dying to do this all night” He tilted her chin up and kissed her. Aliannah’s mind went blank. Their first kiss in the pouring rain! Notebook moment! All she would need now is the foot pop from Princess Diaries, and her zing would be complete. Foot popping in these heels was not going to happen, so she would have to settle for the Notebook moment. She kissed him back before running into her building from the rain.
She greeted Harry as she passed by his desk in the lobby and went straight for the elevator up to the apartment. By the time she got to her front door, her shoes were already off and in her hands. She could not believe Jasper had kissed her.