Burning Desire

Chapter 8

Friday afternoon was a whirlwind of emotions. I was desperately trying to come up with the absolute best article I'd written, along with editing my resume to be spotless.

The New York Times was holding a contest in which the writer they presumed to be the most skilled with the most intriguing story would earn a big feature in the paper on the first of January. They were going to judge the winner by a piece they'd written, along with their journalism experience.

Though I already had a fantastic job at a magazine I loved, and I was in a frenzy over the Featured Story job promotion that was being dangled in front of me like a dog treat, it would be great exposure to have the Times basically advertise my work.

The rules were simple for entering. You didn't have to be a beginner. The contest was open to writers, professional or not, under the age of thirty, who did not work for a major network news corporation or paper. They were looking to showcase new, lesser known talent in the industry.

I intended to enter by the deadline, the following Tuesday.

"If you win this New York Times thing, I think it's a guarantee you're getting that promotion." Selena pointed her pen at me, sitting across from me while I searched through my documents folder for the perfect article.

I hoped she was right, though I certainly wasn't entering the contest just to try to get the promotion. I really wanted that extra exposure to bring new readers to my work.

My mind was spinning with all the things I'd been dealing with throughout the day. Mandy had rejected the piece I wanted to publish next, so I had to pick out something else from my pile of unpublished articles. Nicole had been shamelessly trying to flirt with Alex all morning, and my blood was beginning to boil at the sight of her draping herself over his desk as they talked. I couldn't very well say something to her about it since Alex wasn't mine and I didn't have a right to be jealous, but boy was I.

Jesse had texted me around noon confirming our date on the Hudson. Selena had mentioned that red dress she'd tried to get me to wear to dinner with Alex at least twelve times. She was convinced it was the perfect outfit for the occasion, and though I hated the thought of freezing my ass off in a dress again, I went ahead and agreed with her.

Once six o'clock rolled around, I was anxiously awaiting Jesse's arrival, impatiently standing in the kitchen in my red dress and black leather boots. They may not have really gone together, but paired with a black leather jacket, I thought I could make it work. I hated wearing boots with dresses, but there wasn't a force in the world going to get me in heels again with that weather.

The doorbell rang and the butterflies in my stomach reappeared. I wasn't sure why I was nervous to see him. I'd already been intimate with the man. It seemed a little odd for my nerves to be dancing at the thought of answering the damn door.

I shrugged it off, smiling brightly when I opened the door to see Jesse standing on my porch in black slacks, a white button-up, and his notorious leather jacket. He cleaned up nice. Real nice.

"You look-"

Before I could even finish my sentence, Jesse's hands were on my hips and his lips were on mine in a heated kiss that I instantly melted into. My fingers laced behind his neck, softly tugging at the back of his hair. His teeth grazed my lower lip and I started to feel flushed, the need between my legs growing with every second that we kissed. Judging by the rapidly hardening lump in his pants, he was just as eager to go to bed as I was. If we hadn't been going on a boat ride, I would've insisted on staying in.