Chapter 8

Chicago, late 2010

Jess pulled the cake out of the fridge and set it on the counter. It would be ready by the time they got home from dinner. She walked to the hallway, picked up her purse, a card that she slipped into the purse, and her car keys.

As she drove to Ignoz, she wondered if he would accompany her back to her place. She was trying to give Hank space and time to grieve over losing his wife nine months earlier, but he didn't seem to be grieving. He had jumped back into work the day after the funeral, and seemed to be going full throttle since then. She pulled into a parking space, put it into gear, and checked everything in her rearview mirror. She didn't like the color of the lipstick she was wearing, but it matched her dress. And it would be gone the first time she wiped her mouth.

Voight waited in the lobby, wondering what was taking Jess so long. She didn't seem to be much of a primper, or a woman that fussed over her hair until it was supposedly perfect. When he checked his watch, he realized that it was still ten minutes before the appointed arrival time. She was probably enroute, he told himself. He heard the door open, and he glanced toward it. He smiled.

Jess had just walked through the door. He couldn't tell what she was wearing under her coat, but he could see bare legs, so it had to be a dress. He smiled when he realized she had dressed up for him. "Hi," she greeted as she walked over to him.

"Hi yourself. You look beautiful."

"You haven't even seen my dress yet. How can you say that?" she challenged.

"I saw your legs. That was enough for me."

"Flatterer," she said as she linked her arm in his before leaning over and giving his cheek a kiss. "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you," he said.

This year, his birthday would be bittersweet. It was his first birthday without Linda, but it was also another birthday with Jess. He had always insisted that birthdays were just another day, but Jess always took the time out to make it special for him. She always had a fabulous dinner cooked, and always cake and ice cream after. This year, things were different. She didn't cook. She wanted to take him out. While he would have preferred the usual dinner at her apartment, he wasn't going to fight her on going out for dinner. If it was what she wanted to do, it was fine with him. He had made a lot of mistakes with Linda during their marriage. He wasn't going to start with Jess.

Voight unlocked the apartment door and stepped aside so Jess could enter first. She did and immediately lifted up a leg to take off her shoe. She repeated the process with her other foot and glanced up at him.

"What?" she asked.

'Nothing. I just find it odd that for as much as you women complain about shoes, you sure seem to have plenty of them."

"We love shoes. We just hate to wear them," Jess explained. "Come… you have presents to open."

"You got me presents?" he asked.

"Of course I did."

He walked over to the couch and sat down. She opened the door to the spare room and brought out a box and a gift bag. She joined him on the couch and handed him the gift bag. He took it, and pushed the paper aside. He lifted the gift from the bag. His eyes grew wide and he looked at her, totally confused. "Jess, are you sure this is for me?" he asked, eying the flimsy silky material. "I guess I'm just not getting it."

"That's only part of the present…. The real present is me… wearing that," she said.

A slow smile started over Voight's face. "I'm getting you for my birthday?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"Damn," he smirked. "I've never been that lucky before. How soon do I get the other half of my present?"

"In a few minutes." She handed him the box. "I know you'll like this one."

He set the negligee aside and took the box from her. Whatever was in it was heavy. He unwrapped the paper and stared down at the box. "Oh my God, Jess… this is too much. You shouldn't have."

"I wanted to," she said quietly.

He opened the box. Nestled beneath the paper and protective sheets was a brand new Glock. He took it out, taking his time to check it over. It was the perfect gun. Only Jess would think enough of him to buy him one. "Thank you," he said as he slid over to kiss her cheek. As he was moving, she turned her head so his lips caught her on the mouth. Voight kissed her hungrily. He has waited eleven years for this moment, and he wasn't going to let it pass. Obviously, something was changing between them. He dared to hope the negligee had been Jess' way of letting him know she wanted a romantic relationship with him. "You're playing with fire, Girl," he whispered in her ear.

"Maybe. Maybe not," she said as she picked up the negligee and headed for the bathroom.