Jennifer returned to Jonathan's apartment. He was still at the office, so she went and took a bubble bath and then put on some comfy clothes and began to piece her article together.
She decided to make it a 3-part series: before the murder, after the murder, and the trial and verdict.
She was busy typing when Jonathan got back, and didn't even hear him come in.
"Hey gorgeous".
"Hey handsome! When did you get back?"
"Just now".
He came and sat by her and kissed her a few times.
"How did your interview go?"
"Good, I suppose. It was strange. I felt so comfortable with them, but then I would have these moments where I would remember that I was in the room with someone accused and charged of murder".
"You look like you made it through unscathed".
"Yes, I did. And I hate to break it to you, but we are going to have to come back here in a couple weeks. He's going to trial and I need to cover it".
"That's not a problem. We can absolutely do that".
She saved her work and closed her laptop and then put it on the table, before snuggling up to him.
"So, how were things at the office?"
"A little more complex than I imagined. I was called there because the system was down. But as it turns out, it had been turned off. So, when we got there, we did a sweep and discovered someone has been stealing equipment and replacing it with lookalike shells, so we actually managed to catch the guy in the act. He is fired, and is now a tenant of the NYPD".
"Wow."
"And now, I get to spend all afternoon and evening with you, which is a hundred times better".
He leaned in to give her a kiss when she suddenly sat up.
"That's it!"
"What's it?"
"Ok, this is going to seem weird. But hear me out".
"Ok".
"So, the story I'm doing is on Carter Soren. He's a real estate agent here in New York, and he's charged with murdering his mistress. His wife approached me to do the story, and I talked to him today at length. He maintains that he was home all night. But I think one or the both of them left the house that night and committed the murder. And the reason I think that is because the door was quiet".
"The door was quiet?"
"Yeah. Elizabeth made a point to give me a tour of their home and show me how the door chirps when you open it and how loud the garage door is. But we were walking by the front door and wouldn't have heard it open 5 feet away, and we were in the living room and didn't hear that door open either. I think they have the option to turn the chirp off when they want to".
"Probably. Do you think he's guilty?"
"I'm not sure. He has a very plain tone and he wasn't desperate to convince me that he was innocent, which you would think he would be since I am writing the article on him that the jurors will no doubt see. I definitely think he left the house that night, but I can't say if he killed her or not. His fingerprints were found at her house, but they'd been having an affair for 8 months, so it would make sense that he had been there before".
"So what are you going to do?"
"Well, I am going to write the article, and then I'm going to call one of my sorority sisters who runs a paper here in the city and see if she'll run it. And then, when his trial starts, I'll come cover it and print the next part".
"Sounds like you have a plan".
"I think so".
"Ok, so you and I have some getting ready to do".
"Getting ready? For what?"
"For the first of many "Jonathan surprises Jennifer night".
She chuckled.
"I love it. Now, what exactly am I getting ready for?"
"Dinner, for starters. Dress up, and I will too. And then we'll take it from there".
She kissed him and went to get ready.
She decided to go with a more daring than usual hairstyle, and straightened it and sprayed it up a bit. She put on a black spaghetti strap dress with just a hint of shimmer, and some black stiletto heels. She sprayed on the perfume that he loved and made sure her makeup was absolutely perfect.
"Darling? Are you ready?"
"Almost."
She came into the bedroom and found him on the bed, putting on his shoes.
"My gosh you look absolutely fantastic!"
"Thank you".
She checked his tie and then kissed him.
They headed out soon after, and had a short ride to an upscale restaurant that Jonathan remembered Jennifer saying was her favorite.
He got out and then helped her out.
"You remembered".
She kissed him and then they walked in, hand in hand.
They had a very intimate table in the corner, with candles and flowers in the center.
After they placed their orders, they went to dance.
Jennifer threw her arms around his neck and stared into his eyes as they danced, happier than they had ever been.
"This was a great idea, Mr. Hart".
"I'm glad you are a fan, Miss Edwards".
"I am always a fan of what you plan for us, darling".
They danced for a few songs and then headed to their table.
After a very romantic dinner, they got to-go boxes for the leftovers and for their dessert and headed out.
Jennifer stayed in the car, while Jonathan ran their to-go boxes inside and up to the apartment.
He was back in a flash and they headed to the next place.
They ended up at a pub listening to live music, which Jennifer most definitely enjoyed.
They listened to two sets and then called it a night.
As they headed back to the penthouse, Jonathan tried his best to seduce Jennifer in the back of the car.
"Darling….we are almost home."
"I know…that's what makes it so exciting".
"Darling…."
"You never told me what the secret motivator was last night".
He was kissing her neck and pulling her close.
She stifled a chuckle.
"I can see it's working again tonight".
They pulled up to the penthouse and got out.
He grabbed her hand as they walked in and headed to the elevator.
He was hoping they would have the elevator by themselves but at the last minute, a few people joined them.
They moved to the back and let everyone else have the front. The elevator ride seemed like it was taking forever but they finally made it to the top.
They came inside and turned on a lamp, and set their stuff down.
"Darling, I'll-"
Jonathan grabbed Jennifer's face and kissed her until she could feel her pulse racing.
"-meet you in the bedroom in a few minutes. Can you get us both some water?"
She gave him a few kisses.
"Mmmmhmmmm".
He quickly locked up and got them both some water and then turned out the lamp and came to the bedroom.
Jennifer was in the bathroom slipping out of her dress and into a nightgown.
Jennifer climbed into bed and pulled the covers back for Jonathan while he took his suit off and changed into some pajamas.
She turned on the news and was watching coverage of the Carter Soren case when he came to bed.
"Is that the guy you interviewed today?"
"Yes, it is".
She leaned back against him and he wrapped his arm around her waist.
"So what are they saying?"
"His lawyer came by today and offered him a plea deal from the DA. He rejected it".
"What was the deal?"
"30 years".
"Any physical evidence?"
"Just the fingerprints that could have been placed there at any time in the past month".
"I would have rejected it too."
"Darling, he's facing life in prison if he's convicted!"
"Can we argue about this later?"
He kissed her a few times.
"Who's arguing?"
She kissed him back a few times.
He climbed on top of her as she tried to turn the tv off.
They made mad, passionate love for a couple hours and couldn't get enough of each other.
When they finally had enough and calmed down, they were both ravenous.
"How about our leftovers?"
"Great idea".
He went and heated them up, and brought them back to bed.
"Oh darling, you didn't get me a fork".
"Yes I did. And you'll get it as soon as you tell me what the secret motivator was".
She started laughing.
"Jonathan, this is silly! Just give me the fork".
"You know the deal…"
"Fine. I'll tell you after I have a bite".
He handed her the fork and climbed into bed next to her.
"Ok so there is this stuff that I have, it's like perfume. Except it doesn't really have a scent. It's straight pheromones. So, I dab it on and then I spritz on my regular perfume. And to be honest, I didn't think it would work, but you proved that wrong".
"Oh, it works alright".
She fed him bites of her pasta while he fed her bites of his steak marsala.
After they polished off the leftovers, he took their plates to the sink and then came back to bed.
Jennifer snuggled up to his chest.
"Darling, can we order in bagels and lox tomorrow for breakfast? From Greer's diner?"
"Anything for you".
"Goodnight, I love you".
She gave him several kisses.
"Goodnight, I love you too".
They fell asleep all wrapped up together.
***Several days later***
Jennifer was at the paper very busy. She had been getting non-stop calls from people who wanted to run her article. She said yes to almost all of them, and agreed to send them a copy.
She was about to head to lunch when the phone rang again.
"Hello, this is Jennifer Edwards".
"Hi, my name is Joshua Baker and I work for the San Diego Globe. How are you?"
"I'm fine. How can I help you?"
"Well, I was hoping that you would agree to meet with me. I would like to buy your paper, but I want to explain why I want to buy your paper face to face".
"I am more than willing to have a meeting with you, but I feel I must tell you, this paper is not for sale, and I don't foresee that changing anytime soon".
"Just let me meet with you and make my case".
"Ok, when would you like to meet?"
"How about tomorrow at 4?"
"That's fine. I'll be here".
"Great, I'll see you then".
She hung up, bewildered at all of the sudden interest in her paper.
She was out the door by 6, and headed to Jonathan's.
She had taken to spending several nights a week there, and had even left clothes at his house.
She stopped and picked up a salad for them for dinner, and pulled up at his house right after he arrived.
"Hey beautiful".
"Hey handsome".
She greeted him with a few kisses.
"I picked up a salad for us".
"Great. I picked up some steaks and chicken breasts. I figured we could make some kebabs and grill them".
"You have the best ideas".
"Max called just a bit ago. Vegas is treating him well".
"Wonderful".
She poured them some cocktails and helped him make the kebabs. She stood with him while he grilled them, and they ended up having a nice dinner on the patio.
They did the dishes together and then decided to get comfy and relax for the rest of the night.
They watched a movie and Jennifer gave him a back scratch.
"Darling, this weekend, will you go with me to look at condos?"
"Condos?"
"Yeah, I think I want to buy a condo when my lease in the apartment runs out".
"Sure. But baby, just move in here with me".
"What? I can't do that. This is your space, with Max".
"Jennifer, of course you can move in here with me and Max. He loves you, I love you, you're here most of the time anyways".
"I don't want to be in the way".
"You won't be in the way. I love having you here".
"Are you seriously asking me?"
"Yes, I'm seriously asking you".
He turned around.
"I love you so much, baby. You know that. You make my life and this house so much better by being in it. You can always live with me".
"Thank you."
She kissed him and hugged him for a few moments.
"I have an empty bedroom upstairs with absolutely nothing in it. We can put your furniture up there if you want, and we have more than enough closet space".
"You're the greatest".
She kissed him a few times, and then they headed to bed.
***The Next Day***
Jennifer was at the office, waiting on Joshua Baker to arrive.
Around 2, there was a delivery for her.
It was a huge bouquet of flowers-pink and purple snapdragon, hot pink gladiolus, pink stargazer lilies, and some bright white roses. She gave them a good smell and then dug for the card.
I love you more than anything. Happy 4 months, darling. Love, Jonathan.
She smiled at how sentimental he was and then got back to work.
Joshua arrived around 3:45 and they headed to the conference room.
"So, I did my research. You are a first-time paper owner. I would like to expand my paper into this area, so I am proposing two options: you let me buy your paper, and I'll name you editor and everything will be the same except you will answer to me. We can keep everyone on and will more than likely add to your staff as well. You'll be paid commensurate with the position, your degrees and your experience. Option 2 is I buy your paper outright and everyone gets a severance, that I'll pay for as part of my purchase costs, and they can reapply for their jobs with the new paper".
"Why this one?"
"Your paper is young and successful, and that's just what I'm looking for."
"How much are you willing to spend?"
He wrote a number on a piece of paper and handed it to her.
"With all due respect, this is less than half of what it's worth. Everything you see here is new, and has been meticulously maintained. You aren't even in the ballpark".
"Will you promise me that if you do decide to sell, you will contact me first?"
"Yes, I will".
"Thank you for your time".
They shook hands and he left.
Jennifer headed back to her office and saw a familiar face standing there.
"Pa! What are you doing here?"