Jess and Odette - First Meeting

They soon stood in front of a black and orange decorated hole in the wall which advertised itself as a chicken and fries eatery.

"So just before we go in, I'm going to have to warn you - the food doesn't look like much, but the flavor is outstanding, so just trust me on this," he suggested, realizing that probably asking this woman to trust a half-stranger on something like that was a long shot, but he'd stopped worrying so much. It was her choice.

Some minutes later the two settled at the bar table by the front window, lucky to get a table at all, but despite the constant flow of people in and out of the place, it was the most quiet corner. Jess ordered a sloppy hot chicken burger, and Odette a honey buffalo chicken burger, a somewhat safer choice.

He looked at her amusedly, as she tried to eat the burger without getting the sauce all over her face, wiping the corners of her mouth after every bite.

"It's good," she mumbled between bites, licking her lips clean.

"I'm glad you like it," Jess replied.

"So... as far as I've gathered you were the bad boy who needed to be moved to Rory's hometown to get your act together," Odette described her take on the conversation that had been cut short earlier.

"I guess that's true," he mused, finishing his bite.

"Did it work? Or did you take the trouble with you?" Odette inquired. She was genuinely interested in fact, having recently thought about parenting aspects - what her parents had done, or not done, and about what she'd heard others did in difficult situations with their kids. But on top of that, she always did have a thing for bad boys, and she was just simply curious.

"In some ways. I shook the bad crowd, but that didn't really mean I stopped being trouble. I'm sure Rory's mom would agree thatI was definitely not the boyfriend a mother would like to have around her teenage daughter," he smirked, adding unsurely, "you did know that we used to go out back in high school, right?"

He didn't really want to mention that his school attendance hadn't exactly been admirable back then. He'd graduated night school a few years later though, he'd even gotten a vocational degree in printing. But he'd never really felt like missing the college part was something that bothered him or had stopped him from doing what he liked.

"Yeah, she told me briefly," she replied. She'd assumed, but close enough.

"What did she tell you?" Jess inquired, beginning to worry whether it was about crap he pulled. He wasn't proud of how he'd treated Rory back then.

"Nothing much really," Odette shrugged. "But what do you think she would've said?" she turned the question around on him - evidently there were bits he was somewhat reluctant to share.

Jess chuckled slightly at that question, eating another bite while he thought about what to say. "Well I did sort of cause her breakup from her previous boyfriend at the time, and ended up fighting the guy at one point - you know, hot and heavy teenage stuff," Jess described with a chuckle. "But I guess what I can say is that I sucked at communicating back then, so the end was pretty much inevitable," Jess added, having accepted his flaws.

"And now?" she inquired, as she gulped down the last of her water.

"Well I don't fight anymore, and I guess I am a little more capable with words, though I still prefer paper," Jess replied laughingly.

"I should really look up some of your stuff. What's your last name?" she asked.

"Mariano", Jess replied. "They're a little dark, I'm not sure if that's something you'd be into," he added.

"So you think I'm just some sheltered society-bound, 'only reads romance novels' type of girl?" Odette replied a little defensively, but not too seriously.

Jessed raised his hands apologetically. "Hey, sorry, it's not like I know a lot about you. You're great at asking all the questions here," he smirked.

"Fine, you ask, but just so you know I mostly read mysteries and thrillers," Odette replied.

"Alright," he sighed, after swallowing his last bite and wiping his mouth. "So why are you pretending to be Mrs. Huntzberger? What's in it for you?" he asked the most burning question in his mind. She was too good looking, too intelligent, even too pleasant to not have better options than being the beard for Logan Huntzberger.

"I have my reasons," Odette replied briefly, knowing that he was asking for a more in-depth explanation. "I'm not sure we know each other well enough to go into all the details, but I can assure you it has nothing to do with money," she explained. To her it seemed the most logical thing people might assume as her reason to do something like that, and having people, well Jess, as he was pretty much the only one who knew about the arrangement who wasn't in on the whole story like for example Colin and Finn were, that assumption, that he might think that of her, made her a little self conscious, feel cheap even. She was too proud to marry anyone just for the money and she wanted to make sure Jess knew that.

Jess sensed her tense up at the question, and her bringing up the question of money made him feel a little bad as he really hadn't thought that far along.

"Hey, I'm not judging," he replied apologetically. "You don't have to tell me, I was just curious why someone...," he began, hesitating a little whether this was in fact the moment to make a compliment. "Let me just rephrase that," he began again, not wanting to express the assumption that was forming of her in his head but to rather focus on the facts and impressions he'd gotten from her. "You seem successful, you're clearly gorgeous, you can keep up an intelligent conversation and you don't seem pompous or wacky," he listed, adding the last adjective somewhat jokingly. "It's just not something that a mere mortal, like myself, from humble beginnings, fully grasps, you know," he added, hoping she didn't take offence.

Odette folded the napkin she had been holding into a tiny triangle, before glancing back up at him. Truthfully it had been a while since she'd had the pleasure of being out with a guy who she hadn't been either set up with or who would genuinely give her a compliment without being after some association with her family or the family money. She felt almost anonymous with him, and realized that he was in fact the only person who knew at least to some extent of their arrangement with Logan, even if not all the details, and seemed to accept it.

"Let's just say that there are controlling parents, and then there are controlling parents," she opened up. "And thank you," she added, humbly, but with a sweet smile.

"You're welcome," he exhaled, stood and cleared up their table to the bin.

They strolled back along the same streets that had brought them there, Odette glancing at her phone, having gotten a status update on Rory.

"They're running a few tests but it seems Rory will be fine," Odett said, noting the time. It was still just barely 9 PM, and the prospect of just going home, alone, didn't seem all that appealing to her.

"Good," Jess replied. "Do you want to go get a drink or something?" he asked, feeling not quite ready for the evening to end.

She gave it a moment of thought, continuing to walk.

"Listen, Jess...you're a good looking, intelligent and interesting guy, but I have to be honest with you. As much as I've enjoyed our non-date or whatever this has turned out to be, it's not really in my plans to date anyone right now," Odette said, feeling like if she just said 'yes' he might get the wrong idea. She wanted to say something more, but she wasn't sure how to approach the subject. She wanted something, but she didn't want the strings.

"That's fine," Jess shrugged. Perhaps he'd read her wrong, maybe he was in fact not classy enough for her, maybe she was just doing the minimum that was expected - making sure the dinner guest was fed.

"I just...," Odette began, still searching for words. "I've decided that my main goal, in the next year or so, is to have a baby. And I'm ready to do that on my own, and seeing anyone isn't really in my plans. It just complicates things," she added with one breath.

"What, like an insemination or something?" he inquired, having really not expected to hear that.

"That's right. I already tried it once, without success. And don't get me wrong, I have no intention of taking advantage of you or some other random guy off the street to make that happen. I do find you attractive, I'll be honest. But apparently, as I've been told, the reason behind the failure could be that my body is exhibiting stress symptoms and it isn't too difficult to figure out why thanks to recent events...," she added, recalling that Jess really didn't know about any last minute holiday and wedding anxiety she'd been through. Shira had been driving her crazy the entire month before the wedding, and her visit to her own parents with Logan in January had been even worse, the question of Logan's and her babies popping up from every other relative, and then, on top of everything Logan deciding to switch her great plan of escape to marrying Rory instead. She wasn't mad, she understood, but she was disappointed and without a real plan how to make her disappearance happen without any legal support from the Huntzberger name. She felt stuck, waiting helplessly for the ball to drop.

"So if you feel like you would like to go out for a few drinks and see if we can have a great evening together, relax, without reading too much into it, I'd welcome the idea," Odette added confidently.

"You mean, you want me to get you off?" he asked, raising his eyebrow sceptically. Despite the fact that she told him that this wasn't about taking advantage of the guy, he couldn't help but to feel a little bit like a boytoy in this suggestion. But there was something about that boldness in her that he liked, making his crooked mouth smirk back at her.

"You make it sound so cheap," Odette replied with an undertone of disappointment, but it did sound like the typical male thing to ask, simplifying the idea to its essence. "But essentially, yes," she admitted, deciding to take it with humor instead. There wasn't a note of embarrassment or hesitance in her tone, but she just hid them well. Begging was something she'd never done before, not that this was quite that, but while the pretence with Logan was still ongoing, she couldn't just ask anyone to do this or land some random guy from the bar. It needed to be someone in on the secret, someone trustworthy, someone who wouldn't just go exposing her affairs to the press for a few grand that might reach her family through the yellow pages - and as far as she knew - Logan and Rory trusted Jess. So she didn't really have a lot of prospects.

"Huh," Jess reacted with a slightly elevated pitch, continuing to ponder. If the woman had just made a move on him, he would've gladly complied, but talking about it, so coldly, was killing the mood for him. He was the guy to whom the thrill of the chase was part of the foreplay. He didn't like having sex just because he'd swiped right on an app or made a business transcation.

They continued to walk down the street in silence for a while.

"So you want to go get that drink?" he asked a few moments later, giving his answer. The woman was beautiful, she was definitely the most interesting and promising outlook he had for the evening, but they needed to let loose, let it happen and not force it like a business deal of some sort.

They settled into the far end of a random, half-decent bar, at the corner booth, along with gin-martini for her and scotch for him, while they talked books and 'worst dates ever', the latter proving to be a good ice breaker.

She was physical, definitely knowing what she was doing - smiling, sitting up close, biting her lip just a little, playing with her hair, holding onto his forearm as they laughed, the toe of her boot brushing against his shin; and he certainly didn't hold back either, his knee pressing against her, his hand finding a comfortable position on her thigh, moving slowly upwards.

A couple of drinks in, Odette had him lean towards her, with the beckoning of her finger, to whisper in his ear, "je veux t'embrasser," realizing she was really playing into the stereotype. But did it really matter if it worked?

His French was a little patchy but not nonexistent, he desperately wished he could recall how one said 'Oh, do you now?', but the hot air against his ear made his mind go blank and the sound sent a slight shiver down his body. His fingers lifted up her chin and allowed the tension to carry as his lips approached hers, before kissing her hungrily.

She hadn't expected the kiss to affect her the way that it did, to feel it in her gut, and the rush of endorphins along with it, lifting the expectations of this evening so much higher than they'd been.

Neither of them really paid much attention to how they got back to the house, just a few blocks away. The climb up the stairs was a bit of a struggle, their derailing kisses making the path all the way up to the third floor a long one. As the door of her room slammed shut, Odette pushed him against it for another deep kiss, her fingers intertwining with his, as if to delay whatever he wanted to do with them.

She made a gesture with her hand, telling him to wait, as she moved over to her bed seductively, deciding to give him a little bit of a show. Only the small lamp on the dresser was lit, illuminating the room just enough to make out the way her hips moved as she walked, how her arms curved as she removed her blouse, how she demonstratively removed her boots and slid down her pants, tilting her hips back and forth.

Jess really didn't need more of an invite, the distance between them disappearing as his hands slid across her skin facing her back, the first touch causing her to let out a gasp of anticipation. He pushed aside her hair and kissed her neck, his stubble slightly tickling her, as she leaned up against him, arching her back and feeling his fully dressed body on her nearly naked one.

Jess' fingertips traced the curves of her shoulder down her arms, then down her waist onto her hips, as she raised her arms allowing them to fondle his hair, enjoying each sensation.

As Odette finally turned, to unbutton his dark dress-shirt, exposing his lean muscles, her palms enjoyed the firmness underneath. He continued kissing her while she undid his pants, without looking, allowing them to drop to the floor with a thump.

The corner of her mouth rose, as he pulled her flush against him, her abdomen feeling hollow momentarily at the sensation of his undoubtedly aroused member between them. She was just about to turn again, usually preferring positions that took her from the rear when his kiss, along with his firm grasp, pulled her back, leaving her almost melting in his arms due to his assertiveness.

His hands traced her chest, taking the simple nude colored bralette she had been wearing, with just bits of lace at her cups, along as they moved downwards. Her breasts were not huge, just large enough to be covered by his entire palm. He rolled her nipples between his thumb and index finger, making her bite her lip.

Odette stroked his arms, while his knee invaded the space between her thighs, pressing up against her sex unyieldingly as he murmured, "Lay down."

She hadn't been paid this much attention to in years, usually settling for a quickie. Yet he took his time, leaving a trail of kisses along her chest, abs and thighs towards her center. She hadn't been planning this, having worn a simple seamless thong that didn't quite match the bra that she'd been wearing. Despite her self-consciousness that she tried to hide, he wasn't bothered by any of that, in fact he hardly noticed, having other things to focus on.

His tongue tasted her and she let out a weak moan, her back arching off the bed. His stubble felt rough at the insides on her thighs. He kissed her clit, suckign on it while his fingers teased her clean shaven labia. Much sooner than he'd anticipated, he ensured her first orgasm, having not even put a finger in her yet. She was so wet, it sure was tempting. If it was the stress release she wanted, she was going to get it, and more.

Jess pulled himself up on top of her, leaning on his elbows, her hips and abdomen still very much aware of his firmness. He kissed her again, the taste of her still on his lips.

"Now you lay back," she whispered.

As he complied, she climbed to straddle him, scooting down his boxers and reaching towards her nightstand in search of a condom. While she foraged through her drawer, he allowed his fingers to stroke her slit some more, almost making her lose track of what she was doing. Finally a purple Durex wrapper in hand, she returned, moving her hips along his fingers without a gram of shame in her. It was quite a sight already, but his firm shaft demanded attention too, almost aching as she touched it with her thigh.

She ripped the wrapper open and rolled the contents onto him, appreciating his thickness. She carefully lowered herself on top of him, allowing him to savor it, as his hands held onto her thighs, his fingers digging into her skin as she sank down. Damn, felt good.

Odette began to move more rapidly. She played with her breasts, showing him how rough she liked it. His hand soon took over, allowing her one hand to feel his contracting abs that pushed upwards into her, while leaning on her other, so she could tilt a little more down towards him, so she'd get more friction.

She read him well, seeing him throw his head back, his lips opening slightly as he was coming close, squeezing her muscles around him tightly and getting a wicked grin in return.

Instead of erupting right then and there, he pulled himself up to sit, his hands on her hips and around her waist steadying her, changing the pace. Not allowing her to keep humping, he controlled her movements now, lifting and lowering her mostly himself. The sensation of being guided that way, did something to her mentally, allowing to forget herself in the sensations rather than the physical motions.

The clenching that alerted her second release made him thrust upwards faster, so she came in long trembling runs, the sight of her getting lost in her euphoria finishing him off with a loud groan.

At that memory, the motion of Odette turning her side, next to him, exposing her delicate chest to him again, he was awakened once again, an hour having passed in the blink of an eye since he last peeked around the room. Despite the sight in front of him, he forced himself out of the warmth. A few minutes later he was ready to go, contemplating whether he should leave his number.

She'd assured him she wasn't looking for strings, but somehow just ditching the place felt disrespectful, so he looked over her desk that was visible thanks to the street lights shining in through the window, in search of a piece of paper and a pen.

Her desk was not exactly tidy, containing her laptop, a copy of the Financial Times, an old coffee cup, some make-up items and a number of uni pins. Not finding any other spare pieces of paper, he wrote his name and number along with a "I had a great time," on the corner of the newspaper and placed it onto the bedside table. He almost felt like he should wake her and say something, a goodbye, or simply state that he was leaving but she slept serenely and he didn't dare to disturb her.

He snuck out, heading down the stairs, holding his breath as the stairs squeaked. As he reached the ground floor he noticed a light on in the kitchen and Rory's familiar shadow observing him. Rory waved wordlessly at him. Despite the slightly awkward walk of shame, he was genuinely curious to whether she was okay, the accident last night having caused the interesting chain of events that had ended in his current presence.