Challenge Accepted Ch. 03

I get to Jenny's a little early, and my stomach is in knots while standing in front of her building. Why the hell am I nervous? I can't decide if I should wait a few minutes or go up to her apartment and be early. My stomach churns with anxious nervousness.

Jenny made a dream come true when she said that she'd spend the weekend with me. My heart leaps when I think about spending the next twenty-four hours with her. My plan is to spoil her like a queen so she will never forget our time together.

Looking at my watch again, I decide to just go for it. After climbing two flights of stairs, I'm standing in front of her door. I'm about to knock when it opens. It's Jenny's roommate, Carole, and she's startled.

"Oh hey...can I help you?" she asks.

"Uhh...yeah...I'm here to see Jenny?"

"She's busy right now. Can I give her a message?"

"Uhm...sure. Tell her Josh is here?"

"Sure."

Carole shuts the door. I'm in a quandary. Do I walk away, call Jenny, or knock again? Removing my phone from my back pocket, I pull up my contact list to find her name when the door reopens. It's Jenny, and she has a towel wrapped around her. She opens the door wide and invites me in. I have one foot in the doorway when Carole bumps into me as she rushes out the door.

"Eh...sorry," I apologize.

Carole keeps walking without looking back or saying a word. Strange.

"I told you she was odd," Jenny says. "Come on in...I'm almost ready."

I hand Jenny her dress and shoes, and she asks me to follow her. Her apartment is small. From the front room, I can see the kitchen, dining area, and on the other side of a small hall, a bathroom. Following Jenny down the hallway, we enter her room. There are bunk beds, two closets, and two dressers. It's evident that she shares the room. Sitting in a chair, I'm mesmerized by her movements. She's graceful, sleek, and so very sexy! Especially having that towel wrapped around her and her hair pulled up into a bun. Blonde tendrils fall onto her bare shoulders. I want to scoop her up, lay her on her bed, and kiss her hard. Jenny drops her towel, and my breath catches. Fuck! She is a goddess. Turning around, Jenny walks over to me, naked, and straddles my lap.

"I've been thinking about you," she says quietly.

"Uhgghg..."

"What's wrong, cat got your tongue?"

Jenny buries her fingers in my hair and pulls me into her for a kiss. I'm breathless. Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her in tight against me. Her smooth skin against my palms gives me goosebumps. I want her so bad that I can't think straight. Our kiss is long, deep, and intimate. It's as if our souls merge, and we are one being. There's no denying I love her. There's no way I can tell her either...she'll run away screaming.

Jenny pulls away from me and smiles as she looks into my soul with her seductive green eyes.

"God, I want you so bad!" I say, trying to catch my breath.

"You have no idea how bad I want you too. Having your hard cock press against me drives me crazy. Do you think we have enough time?"

Looking at my watch, I quickly calculate how long it will take to get to the hotel, settle in, and get to the stadium.

"I wish, but I don't think so." My answer is depressing.

"Bummer." Jenny leans down and presses her lips against mine. Our mouths open, and our tongues glide against each other. My heart beats faster and harder than if I was running a mile-long race. Fuck, I want her!

Jenny crawls off my lap, walks over to her dresser, and pulls out some clothes. It takes every ounce of willpower I have not to get up and take her in my arms. Surprisingly, it takes her only a few minutes to dress. She's wearing a tan blouse and tight blue jeans. After slipping on her heels, she bends over to close her suitcase.

"You may want to wear some tennis shoes or something for tonight," I tell her. She is outrageously hot in her heels, but they won't be comfortable at the game.

She opens her bag, throws her heels in there, and pulls out a pair of tennis shoes. Once she's ready to go, I grab her things, and she follows me out to my car. My car. I don't really like this one, but it does the job. I'd much rather drive my 488 Spider...it's a lot more fun. After placing Jenny's things in the trunk, I open the door for her. She holds out her hand so I can help her into the car. Wow! I haven't had a girl do that in a very long time. I walk around to the other side, get settled into the driver's seat, and pull away.

There has only been small-talk so far. We're almost to the freeway, and my right hand feels uncomfortable wherever I put it. I want to hold her hand, but I don't know if we're at that point in our relationship. Taking a deep breath, I slide my hand over and rest it on her leg. Without looking at me, she places her hand on top of mine and gives it a squeeze. My heart jumps, and it feels like my entire being smiles.

"Uhm...so...Jenny," I start out hesitantly, "You know I like you, and you've said that you like me--"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, I was wondering," this is going to sound stupid, but I have to know, "can I say that you're my girlfriend?"

Jenny turns and looks at me with the biggest smile I've ever seen. "Only if I can say that you're my boyfriend."

Yeah, baby! I'm so excited; it's hard to stay calm. "Absolutely!" I say emphatically. I turn my hand over and interlace my fingers into hers and squeeze gently. I'm so happy at the moment; nothing else in the world matters to me.

"Josh," Jenny says hesitantly, "there's something I need to tell you. I wasn't going to, but I need you to know...so in case I blurt it out, it won't shock you."

"Sure, Jenny. You can tell me anything."

"Yeah...maybe...but this is big. Scary big. I've only said this to one other person, and it didn't go over well. So you don't need to respond, but I need you to know."

"What is it? It's okay. Really, you can literally tell me anything."

My heart pounds in my chest, and my breathing quickens. What the hell is so big that she's afraid but compelled at the same time? I'm scared of what she's going to say and try to brace myself for the bad news.

"Josh...," there's a long pause, "I'm falling in love with you. At first, I thought it was just infatuation, but it's not. You're kind, loving, gentle, and strong. You're the type of man I've always dreamt about."

She loves me? Shit! This is great news, not bad news. My insides are warm, and I want to stop the car and jump around. I'm unbelievably excited by this revelation. Fuck! Wait! What did Esther tell her about me? Is she just saying this because she wants my money? Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I take a deep breath and calm myself. I've had to deal with this before; I can deal with it now.

"Jenny, what did Esther tell you about me?

"Esther? Nothing really, just that you can be kind of shy and that you're a really nice guy. She's right, you know...."

"Nothing else?"

"Not really. After the first time you asked me out and didn't call me back, she told me to give you a chance." Jenny grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. Tears are running down her cheeks.

My heart melts. She's for real! I look at her again and smile.

"I'm sorry...I had to know," I say, trying to reassure her. "If it helps any, I'm in love with you too. This is all moving really fast, though. I didn't want to tell you so soon because I didn't want to scare you away. Jenny...I love you!"

"You love me?" she shouts? Jenny throws her arms around my neck and kisses me. The shock causes me to swerve, but I straighten the wheel before going into another lane.

"Trying to drive here...."

"Oh, sorry! I'm just really excited to hear you say that. It's such a relief. I don't have to hold back my feelings now."

Retaking Jenny's hand, I squeeze it and hold her tight. She puts her other hand on top of mine and holds on like she's afraid to let go.

We're almost to the hotel, and I need to prepare my new girlfriend...no...my love...for what she's about to witness. "Jenny," I say hesitantly, "I know we're new to this and just getting to know each other, but I need you to do me a favor."

"Uhm, okay. What is it?"

"You're probably going to see and hear things this weekend that will take some explanation. I'm a fairly private person, and so far, only two people at school know me really well...my brother and Esther. You'll be the third person. I need you to keep what you see and hear to yourself. Discussing it with Esther is fine, but I don't want my private life to become public knowledge at school."

"Shit! You're not married, are you?" Jenny asks. The shock in her voice is disturbing, and she lets go of my hand.

Fuck! I've screwed up. How am I going to recover from this? "No. NO! It's nothing like that. Please, just trust me. I'll explain anything and everything to you. It's nothing bad, I swear, it's not."

Pulling in front of the hotel, the valet approaches as I get out of the car. A second valet opens the door for Jenny and helps her out.

"Mr. Bearran?"

"Hi, Jimmy. Will you please take our bags inside and park the car?"

"Of course, sir. Of course."

I pull a wad of bills out of my pocket, peel off a couple and hand them to Jimmy. "Make sure you give one of those to Brad," I tell him.

"Sure thing, Mr. Bearran."

Walking around to the other side of the car, I take Jenny's hand and lead her inside.

"Mr. Bearran? Sir?" she shockingly asks. "You know these people? Why do they call you Mr. Bearran?"

"Yes, I know them. But, first, let's check in, and then I'll explain."

The second we approach the counter, the attendant walks over. Her name is Sarah.

"Mr. Bearran! How are you? It's been a while. How's school? How's your family?" Sarah asks rapidly.

"Fine, Sarah. Thank you--school's fine. I'm graduating in a few weeks. The family is good. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing good, thanks. Do you want your usual?"

"Yes, please." Then, putting my arm around Jenny, I introduce her, "Sarah, this is my girlfriend, Jenny, uh...Ms. Seagle."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Seagle. If you need anything while you're here, just ask." Then, sliding over to the computer, she says, "I'll have you set up in no time, sir."

Sarah's fingers click away on the keyboard until she finds what she's looking for and then prints out a few sheets of paper. She calls a bellhop over and asks him to take the luggage to our room. I peel a bill off and discreetly slip it to the bellhop.

"Just leave everything in our room, George. We'll be up later."

"Yes, sir."

Sarah hands me my key and smiles.

"Sarah, tell your family I said hi," I say quietly. "Have a great evening." Sarah nods and goes about her business.

Jenny looks bewildered. Putting my arm around her, I try to calm her as best as I can. "How about we grab something to eat, and I'll answer any questions you have?"

"Uhmm, yeah. Sure."

After we walk into the elevator, the doors close, and Jenny starts firing questions at me, "What the hell is going on? How do all these people know you? Who are you?"

I take Jenny in my arms and notice how stiff she is. I kiss her, but she isn't as warm as usual. I can understand that she's in shock, but I didn't think she'd take it like this.

The elevator doors open, we walk into the restaurant, and are greeted immediately, "Mr. Bearran, nice to see you. Your table is ready."

"Thank you, Sam." I discreetly tip him as well.

We're led to our table and sit down. "What are you in the mood for, Jenny?"

"How about some answers? Everyone here knows you! Do you come here often? Is this where you bring girls to impress them?"

"No, Jenny. It's not like that. In fact, I haven't been here since the semester started."

"Then what the--"

Jenny is interrupted by the waiter. I don't know him, but if he works here, he knows what he's doing. "What can I start you out with this evening," he says politely.

Getting his name from his tag, I answer, "Hi Sean, we're in kind of a hurry here. Could we please have a couple of grilled chicken salads and some white wine? You choose the wine; it's fine."

"Yes, sir. I'll be right back with your dinner."

"Josh...what the hell is going on?"

"It's okay, Jenny, breathe. It's okay. One question at a time."

"Who are you?"

"You know who I am. I'm Josh Bearran. I'm the same guy you've known for the past couple of months."

"How do all these people know you?"

"They work for me. Well, to be more accurate, the hotel staff works for me, not the restaurant staff."

"They work for...what? They work for you?"

"Yes. I uhmmm...well...I own the hotel."

"You OWN the hotel? What? I thought you were a college student and were getting ready to take over the family business."

"I am a college student, just like you--"

"Not like me!"

"Okay...sure. I am a college student, though, and I am graduating at the same time you are."

"So, you're...," Jenny lowers her voice before continuing, "rich?"

"You could say that."

"But you don't act like any of the rich guys I've ever met."

"Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment. My parents raised me carefully."

"Nooooo...you can't be rich! I hate rich guys!"

"I hope not."

Jenny leans back in her chair. Her body language tells me that she feels defeated. The waiter brings us our food, and I start eating. Jenny picks up her glass of wine and downs it in a single gulp. She only picks at her food. Looking at my watch, we have an hour before the game starts.

"Do you want anything before we leave for the game?" I ask.

"Want anything? I want to go back to the Josh before we got here. I want the Josh that's sweet, loving, caring, and smart."

"Jenny, I'm the same person I was before we walked in here. I haven't changed. I'll have to argue the part about being smart, though. I don't think I was smart to spring this on you like this."

"So, you want to hide from me? What are you hiding, Josh?"

"I'm not hiding from you, Jenny. Quite the opposite. I'm exposing myself to you. I trust you. I don't let just anyone know this side of me. The only reason Esther does is because we grew up in the same area and went to the same schools. There's no hiding from anyone there."

"So, Esther is rich too?"

"You'll have to discuss that with her," I say gently. "Do you want to forget the game and just go back to our room? Do you want me to take you home? What do you want? Just tell me, please."

"Josh, I'm completely confused. I'm shocked. I don't know what I want."

"Why don't we go to the game, and you can absorb all of this while we're there. If you want me to take you home afterward, I will. If you want to stay at the hotel with me, we'll do that. Whatever you want, Jenny, we'll do it."

Jenny sits up straighter and takes a sip of her water. I reach across the table to take her hand, but she isn't interested, so I pull it back and put it in my lap.

"Okay," she sighs, "I promised that I'd spend the weekend with you. So let's go to the room, freshen up, and then go to the game."

Standing up, I reach to take her hand, but again, she doesn't want it. Lifting herself out of her chair, she stands and looks into my eyes. Even though I know she's upset, my heart melts when our eyes connect. I'm hopelessly in love. I'm not so sure about her. One thing is clear, she isn't after my money.

We walk into the elevator, slip the key into the slot, and we go up. The door opens to my private suite. Jenny Gasps. There's a basket of fruit on the table, and the firepit is alive with licks of orange and blue tendrils.

"Woww...this is incredible! I've never been in a hotel room like this before."

"This is my apartment. I haven't been here in a while, though, because school has kept me pretty busy."

"How many girls have you brought up here?"

"One. Her name is Jenny," I say, trying to be funny. It doesn't work. "Honestly, I really don't like others knowing about my private life. But you're special to me, and I want to share my life with you. I'm sorry if it's too much, and I'm really, really sorry that I didn't prepare you for this."

Jenny sits on the couch and looks around. "So, Josh. How rich are you?"

"Does it matter?"

"No, I guess not. I'm just curious, that's all. Can you buy anyone and get them to do whatever you want?"

"I've never tried. Uhmmm, let me back up...I will never try. I'm not like that, Jenny. You know me. I'm the same guy that you said you loved."

"I don't know, Josh. I thought you were honest."

"I try to be as honest as I can...I mean, I don't deliberately mislead people to get what I want."

"If you were honest, then why don't you want others to know about this."

"Because I wouldn't get treated for who I am. I'd always get treated special, and I don't like that. People would see me for my money, not for who I am. Jenny, I'm just a guy, just a regular guy."

"You're a guy, alright. I don't think you're a regular guy, though. You're a guy with money."

"That's true. But look, if I wasn't honest...I wouldn't have brought you here. I would have hidden it all from you. I don't want to hide anything from you."

Jenny sits up and looks at the clock. "Where's the bathroom? I need to freshen up before we leave."

"It's through the bedroom on the left."

Jenny gets up and walks towards the bathroom. I stay where I am, wondering if I've made the biggest mistake of my life. A few minutes later, she comes back ready to go. We get in the elevator and ride it down to the main lobby. Jenny doesn't want to hold hands, and she seems to be keeping her distance from me.

I walk to the front desk to get my car keys. "Sarah, may I please have the keys to my blue car?"

"Of course, Mr. Bearran." She looks at Jenny and then at me. "Ms. Seagle, is everything okay?" she asks.

"Yes, just fine. Thank you, Sarah."

Sarah hands me the keys, and we walk into the garage. I have a private parking area where I keep my cars. I miss driving them. After unlocking the Maserati, the scissor doors slide up. I walk Jenny to the passenger side and shut the door before walking around to the driver's side and getting in. Closing the door, I start the car, and we drive away.

"This is your car?"

"These are all my cars," I say and then point to my college car. "See...there's the one we came in."

"Why don't we take that one to the game instead of a fancy one."

"I don't really like driving that car, Jenny. I only have it for practical purposes."

"So...are you trying to impress me again?"

"Jenny, none of this is to impress you. This is me. This is who I am. This is my life."

"This isn't the Josh I knew at school."

"Yes, Jenny, it is. I don't have any of this stuff at school because it's not practical, and I don't want to worry about people seeing me for who they think I am and not who I actually am. This is me. I'm the same at home, at school, and here. I may not drive the same type of car at school or show off my wealth there, but trust me, all of this doesn't change who I am. None of this is to impress you. I would not have let you into my world if I didn't trust you and want to be with you. If you honestly love me, then you'll see that I'm the same guy I've always been."

Jenny is quiet all the way to the stadium. I long for the happiness and joy we had before Jenny found out about my secret life. I long to hold her hand, to kiss her soft lips, to have her in my arms. I'm afraid I've screwed up and lost her now. We're a little late for the game, and when we walk into our private suite, my mom and dad are standing there watching the game. Shit! I don't need this now! They turn and look at us.

"JOSH! Honey! We didn't know you were coming here tonight," my mom says as she scurries over and gives me a hug. Dad walks over and gives me a handshake and then pulls me in for a hug.