Jessie Slaymaker's Non-Existent Love Life (The Jessie Slaymaker Series) by Jo Iles Page A

toolbox of spanners in the works,’ he concluded, taking a sip of his own drink.
    Jessie huffed, and fiddled with the stem on her wine glass. With a sulk on her face, she fought the urge to toss a piece of garlic bread at him.
    ‘He didn’t exactly say it’d be just the two of us—but he didn’t say there’d be two extras, either,’ Jessie conceded glumly, taking another big swig of her wine. ‘It would have been nice to have been kept in the loop as to his actual plans, don’t you think?’
    ‘Come on, cheer up. You have the distinguished pleasure of my company for dinner. Again.’
    ‘I know. Sorry. Thank you again for last weekend. And I’m sorry about chucking you out so unceremoniously,’ Jessie stammered, unable to look Jack in the eye. ‘Does Nadia really have a great chest?’ Jessie asked, afraid to hear the honest answer.
    ‘Oh no you don’t. I didn’t say that and you know it. I said she had a great big chest. Not a great chest. I would say it’s not a patch on yours, though,’ he said, leaning forward and giving her a cheeky smile and the barest hint of a wink. Jessie mirrored him and leaned in close enough that he could smell the alcohol on her breath. She opened her eyes fully and really looked at him for the first time since she’d arrived. Jack felt their potential kiss hanging in the air, and willed her to follow through and satisfy both their urges.
    ‘You’re lovely,’ she said, paying him an honest compliment for the first time.
    ‘And you look like sex on a stick. Looking at you makes me want to fuck your brains out.’
    ‘How charming,’ she said, smiling her seductive smile as she downed the rest of her drink.
    ‘Sorry, I meant to say you looked gorgeous. But hey, slow down on the booze, Jessie. You’ll be under the table before the food arrives. I have plans for you later if you haven’t been whisked off your feet by Loverboy.’ There was a slight edge of bitterness in his voice. He watched her lick her lips. He hoped she was thinking about what he had in mind for her, rather than about being carried off into the sunset by Charlie.
    Jack clocked Jessie’s eyes as they flicked to the door where Charlie and Nadia were stumbling back in, all touches and tickles, and laughing at some private joke.
    ‘Don’t worry. I’ll help you,’ Jack said, giving Jessie a quick wink. Jessie looked quizzically at Jack for a brief second before offering up her best smile to him as Charlie and Nadia seated themselves back at the table.

Chapter 29
    Jessie silently willed herself to remain calm and serene. That was her motto, and ‘calm and serene’ would be the part she played tonight. Or tried to, at least. However, as the food began to arrive, Jessie found it hard to keep a conversation going with Charlie. Jessie was sat next to Charlie and Jack sat opposite her, with Nadia positioned diagonally across from her and therefore opposite Charlie. Ordinarily, Jessie would have been pleased-as-punch to be sat next to Charlie. However, Charlie appeared to have been hypnotised by Nadia’s ample double Ds, and he had very little to say to either his brother or Jessie.
    Dammit, Jessie thought to herself. What was the point of her getting her legs out when they’d been trumped by Nadia’s chest? Dinner was all about focusing on the top half; of course Charlie wouldn’t have noticed her bloody legs, Jessie thought, berating herself. Loath as she was to admit it, Nadia had got it right. Charlie could hardly tear his eyes away from her tits.
    But aside from the correct wardrobe choice, that was about all that Nadia was doing right. Her conversation came across as dimwitted and just plain ignorant. All she was interested in was discussing whether it was possible for Jack to get her some knock-off handbags and shoes from China for her and her pals. Plus, she seemed to be consistently confusing Shanghai with Sydney, which appeared to irk Jack no end. The woman was no geographer, that was for sure.