Jess was carefully checking Rick's face for any bruises, her mind couldn't phantom what Shaun had done earlier that night. She was applying a cold compress to minimize any possible contusion. She touched his face gently.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
His eyes remained tantalizing as he smiled sweetly for her. "This is nothing compared to the torture you are doing to me now." he teased while he was pointing at his injury. Her face suddenly blushed.
He pinched her cheek and kissed it. "You look so adorable when you blush".
"Rick, stop it" she complained without a hint of conviction. She then cleared her throat. "Are you going to press charges?" she dared ask.
He momentarily paused and stared at her. "Do you want me to do that?" he asked back.
Jess took Rick's hand and let him hold the ice pack she had secured for him earlier. His gaze followed her as she walked towards the kitchen area.
"Do you want some tea?" She called out. Rick replied yes while he was sitting on her apartment couch comfortably. He patiently waited for Jess to come back.
When she returned, she was holding two cups of chamomile tea and placed it carefully on the table. "Here you go" she stated.
He placed the packs on the side and sipped the drink she served. "Do you want me to press charges?" He asked again.
Jess was looking at Rick trying to read his mind.
"I wasn't the one who got punched but maybe you can talk it out first, both of you are big names in the industry. This scandal might be damaging." She verbalized.
"Are you trying to defend him and his career?" he asked with a hint of irritation in his tone.
Jess was unsure how he would end up in that conclusion, she was thinking about Rick's reputation too. The punch was an outcome, if the media knew what prompted such violence, her name would have surfaced, and more complicated things could have happened especially to Rick.
"This is not about Shaun at all" she defended herself.
He remained silent as he tried to assess his temper.
She shakes her head. "Rick, what do you think this is? What do you think of us?" She decided to ask, she wanted clarification from him. She's been living in a bubble for weeks now and her fragile heart can't take it anymore. His subtle jealousy makes her hope that there's more to this and hoping can be very dangerous.
His face was solemn as his eyes just stared at Jess, she was holding her breath, it could go either way, this was just an act of flirtation, or it could be deeper than that.
"What do you think of this that we have Jess?" He asked her instead.
She dropped her gaze. She battled if she wanted to be vulnerable in front of him, can she bear the humiliation if it turned out, it was all in her mind? She puffed some air. "You make me confused Rick and you make me hope, but I don't know where we should draw the line. You never verbalized your intention." Who am I to you? She thought as she tried to suppress the words. "I don't even know what you like, what's your favorite food, what your interests are. Where's your family" she stated.
For a snap, Jess saw panic in his eyes but readily masked it when he extended his arms and pulled her to him. "So, you want to know me, is that right?" he softly asked as his fingers played her bare neck.
She closed her eyes tightly; she was yet again drunk by his temptation. "Yes..." she answered.
He moved his face closer to her as his bodily heat radiated against her. He smiled. "You can just ask Jess. Ask me anything you want to know." He replied with a coarseness of his voice adding to her thrill.
Her eyes fluttered, this seemed like a battle of seduction as his hands continued to assault her bare shoulders leaving a trail of tingling sensation along the way.
"What sports do you play?" She asked as a loud gasp escaped when his warm hands went inside her shirt and caressed her back.
He bent down and kissed the hollow between her neck. "Soccer..." he replied.
She was trying to catch her breath when she asked again. "What do you do for fun?".
Rick moved his kisses to her cheek this time and answered. "Swimming and banging the drums..."
Jess smiled imagining Rick on his trunks. She swallowed. "What do you like the most?" She uttered softly. Her eyes were half closed as her words came out.
Jess then felt his soft lips touch hers as she slowly parted her mouth to kiss Rick too. How many times have they done this? She can't even count anymore but she still feels excited when they get cozy with each other.
"You" he uttered. He pecks another kiss on her lips.
"Wait, what's that?" Jess asked as she slowly pushed Rick a bit.
He winked. "You, you Jess Lynn is the one I like the most in the world..." he clarified.
Crimson red painted her cheeks realizing his words. She shouldn't be grinning like crazy, but she is. So, she's right all along, relief dawned on her face, and gone are the days of doubts and questions of self-worth.
He halted his actions and with sincerity, he gazes upon her. "I wouldn't be spending time and making love with you if I was just fooling around Jess. I like you... and I want you. You make me feel things too, subjecting me to this absurd jealousy is just insane. I want to poke Shaun's eyes the way he gazes at you. It's upsetting." He opened it.
Her eyes widened; she wasn't ready to hear his confession. When it all got settled and his words sank in, she smirked and proactively clung to Rick and kissed him.
"I like this upfront version of you too..." A light chuckle registered in Jess and Rick followed.
Rick then embraced her fully on the couch and cradled her softly in his arms.
When suddenly, Jess asked. "So, about Shaun?"
He pouted his lips and Jess laughed at how adorable he was. "I'll let it go, I almost punched him too when I saw him touch you in the cafe a few days passed."
Jess remembered that encounter vividly. "How did you know we were there?" she asked curiously.
"I put a tracker on your phone just in case." He answered nonchalantly.
Jess was horrified.
Rick laughed out loud when he saw her reaction. "Do you honestly believe I'll do that?" He tapped her head and pinched her cheek again. "The security saw both of you, when Alexander told me you left, I asked the personnel in the mezzanine if they saw a glimpse of you and they did. So, I trailed the path in the direction where you went." He explained.
Jess nodded trying to believe his story, the tapping of her phone was still a possibility though. She laughed.
"I have a question for you too," Rick asked.
Her humor ceased abruptly when her attention went back to Rick.
"What am I to you, Jess Lynn?" He blurted.
Jess realizes Rick is way braver than she is. She looked him straight in the eye and moved her face closer as she rubbed their nose together.
What a sweet gesture!
She then pursed her lips and said, "You have to make a guess, Rick Reed" and then she laughed.
Both crackled up as Rick caught her bluff and tickled her. She ran fast towards the bedroom intending to hide from him, but Rick caught her and crashed on top of her bed.
Rick then said, "You have been naughty lately Jess, it's time we punished you with the delicate art of pleasures." He whispered and with one final look Jess swallowed hard anticipating his next move.
*******************************************
Jess woke up distracted by her phone; someone called her. She slowly opened her eyes and took the phone from her bedside.
"Hello?" She answered.
The next words she heard sent all her sleepiness away. She was listening intently as she took note of his instructions.
She nodded and momentarily stared at the blank screen even after the conversation ended. It was the agency she hired to find her father. Jess is not sure if Adam Logan is the real thing; she practically assumes that based on how his gestures were portrayed in the photo, hearing progress on the investigation makes her feel excited. The call was just confirmation that they now have a lead on what happened to him. She checked her clock; she had about an hour to prepare and meet with the detective. She hurriedly got up and went to the shower. She can't wait to hear the details of their search. She silently prayed that the information could get her closer to knowing her doubts.
She entered the coffee shop and was greeted by a welcoming and pleasant atmosphere. She was amazed at how comfortable the interior looks like, she mentally took note of the place and had to share this with Rick some other time. She scanned the place and saw a man waving at the corner of the shop. She headed in that direction and smiled.
"Good morning, Miss Lynn," the detective said.
She smiled back and shook his hand. "Thank you for meeting me." She replied.
"Of course, I am glad to be of help." He stated.
Jess sat right across from the private investigator as he handed her a folder. She readily took it and pulled the contents out. She saw a bunch of documents about Adam Logan then she raised her eyes back to the man sitting in front of her as she waited for him to explain it better.
"Adam Logan died 23 years ago." He started narrating off the gate. Jess felt a tiny ache in her chest hearing the news. That wasn't what she expected at all.
"What happened to him?" she softly asked.
"It was a murder case..." he added which made Jess gasp. "According to the police report, he got stabbed by his partner or girlfriend after a heated argument broke."
"What, what happened to his girlfriend?" she curiously asked.
"She died too after she killed Adam, she took her own life right after."
Jess wonders if the detective just narrated a scene in one of the thriller movies. The tragedy that surrounds the final hour of Adam's life is unbearable to Phantom. Her blood abruptly drained from her face.
"Are you alright Miss Lynn?" he asked as his eyes showed concern.
She nodded unable to find her voice. "Do you, do you have a photo of the woman who killed Adam?" she asked unsure of her intention.
The detective scanned the documents and pulled a portrait of a woman.
Jess studied her features carefully, she looked stunning, she projected boldness and confidence in that picture, she had a mischievous smile and a clever aura, but she was stunning, nonetheless.
"What's her name?" she asked out of nowhere.
The detective paused and stared at Jess. She was confused by his reaction. "You don't know her?" He asked.
She shakes her head now. "She was a singer, a popular one if I may say. Her name was Iris Adrian"
She paused and thought if the name rang a bell, but it did not tickle anything in her memory. She pursed her lips as reality hit her. Hopes of meeting her possible father have ended. She has no idea what caused all this twisted devastation to happen. Her mother, Adam and Iris, could there be more that she needed to know? Is she ready to know more? Does she even want to?
Jess exhaled loudly.