It had been a long week but it had gone well. Cara and Marlena's relationship was back to normal, She and Mark spoke almost daily, and both were looking very forward to their date the coming weekend.
Even work went better than expected. As he promised Jay was always in the wings, happy to answer a question, or provide some guidance. But he never overshadowed Cara; she always felt like she was in control. And although there were clearly some bitter feelings to overcome, she felt that her team was ready to rally around her as they had done for Jay. Cara had always been a team player, and tried hard to convey that although she was now in a supervisory role, they were still all in it together. Jay smiled when he overheard her using his own words. "I look good when you look good!" Cara had caught him watching her and she was happy to give him that nod as an implied thank you.
Before Cara knew it, it was Wednesday and Jay had emailed her with the details for dinner at Jean Georges. Cara was looking forward to going. This was the first time she and Jay had gone out together. Their relationship had always existed within the confines of J&H; Cara was excited to add this new dimension.
Jay swung by at 6:00. Cara was still scrutinizing a spreadsheet, perplexed at why her percentages were off. Jay came by, coat in hand.
"Ready?" he said to her looking at his expensive swiss time piece.
"Jay, would you please take a look at this? I can't seem to find the flaw in the equation. My profits are still off," she said frustrated.
"Cara, your biggest problem is that sometimes you can't see the forest through the trees.," with that Jay leaned over her, brushing lightly against her blouse, and with a few taps adjusted her algorithm and voila! Cara's bottom line appeared in the black.
"You are a magician'!" Cara said reverently. "How do you do it?"
"Cara, you make things too complicated. sometimes the answer is right under that pretty nose of yours!" Jay said smiling. "Come on, if we don't hurry they'll give our reservation away!,
Cara grabbed her jacket and purse. "Give me two minutes, Jay," she asked. "I just need to freshen up."
"Okay, elevator in five," he said.
Cara went quickly to the ladies room. She ran a brush through her glossy hair and applied some lip gloss. She stepped back and checked her look. She had purposely worn one of her more sexy silk blouses, although she knew she was sending mixed signals. What about Jay always brought the flirtatious side of her?
"It's just a business dinner," she said to her reflection, and undid her blouse one button further.
********
Dinner was delicious. Cara allowed Jay to order for her; his French was flawless. She smiled inwardly thinking of Jamison's clumsy attempt at the language.
They went from course to course, one more delicious than the next. Jay had the sommelier recommend wine pairings, and each glass complimented the food perfectly. Cara thought throughout the entire meal, "this is how I want to spend my life. This is who I want to be."
Jay was gracious with her. They laughed about the mistakes she made this past week, and Jay admitted that he himself had been nervous to start as a junior partner. They talked about their accounts, and about their aspirations. The entire time Cara felt like she was talking to herself; she and Jay shared the same ambitions.
By the dessert course, they were satiated, having consumed several courses and the equivalent of two bottles of wine. Cara began to feel the wine relax her.
"Jay, I want to thank you for everything you've done for me these last few weeks. Probably these last few months. Without me even knowing." she began. "It means so much to have you looking out for me," she said earnestly.
Jay looked directly at her with his cool blue eyes and raised his glass. "To us," he said. " The future of Jamison and Hardwick!"
"To us!" she said and they toasted.
As they left he restaurant, Jay got Cara's coat and held it for her. His hands grazed her body and she felt a surge of electricity. What about Mark? A small voice inside her said. She though of him and his troubled life, and felt terrible. How could she still be attracted to Jay?
Jay seemed not to notice. He put his hand in the small of her back and directed her out of the restaurant. "Let me get you a cab," he said as they stood outside the restaurant. It was a clear night, with thousands of stars visible in the night sky.
"I think I 'll walk," Car said. "It's such a beautiful night." she looked up at the sky.
" I thought you were int he70's? That's quite a hike!" Jay said.
"I need to stretch my legs. I 've done a lot of sitting this week," she said.
"Fine, I'll walk with you a bit but then I'm putting you in a cab. I can 't afford my new team leader to get mugged," he said, and threaded his arm through hers.
They walked in silence, enjoying the quiet bustle of the city at night. "Jay, you know I've started seeing Mark," Cara started, out of the blue.
"I know," Jay said quietly.
Cara stopped. Jay turned to face her. He put his hands on either side of her face and kissed her gently. "Good night, Cara," he said. Jay stepped to the curb and wihout another word hailed a cab. He tucked Cara in gently, "See you tomorrow, Cara," and turned to find his own taxi, headed downtown.
"Bye, Jay," she whispered from inside the cab.
**********
Cara lay in bed that night, her mind and body struggling with desire for both Jay and Mark. Restlessly she lay, her body sensitive and her mind racing. She was once again caught between two worlds.