A/N: I've received lots of reviews from readers upset with the seeming J/S-ship of the story and have threatened to stop reading, but please don't leave. Stick it out a few more chapters and those of you who are M/S fans will be rewarded. For those of you who are J/S fans, sorry, but I'm surprised that you've stuck with me this long. Also, thank you for all of the wonderful reviews, I don't take the time each chapter to thank my readers, but I really appreciate your support and praise.
Chapter 23 – A Lonely Weekend
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Thursday night during dinner with Jack, Samantha reviewed the week. Dinner with Jack every night, don't know if that equates to taking things slowly, but she wouldn't change it for anything. Like usual, dinner ended and Jack took Samantha home. Although he continually promised to drop her off at the door of the building he always managed to make it inside her apartment for a short romp on the couch. She had held firm though and the couch was as far as he had made it.
After pushing him away for the night, Samantha made a decision, "Jack, I know that we are taking it 'slow' in kind of a fast way and I think that I've made you wait long enough. We've slipped back into our old relationship so well that I think we can zip to a 'fast' relationship starting with tomorrow night's dinner." Boy what a weird statement, to be announcing when she will allow Jack to have sex with her. But all week it had been like a joke. Him trying to get farther each night and her backing him off, after all it's not like it would be their first time.
Jack continued in a joking manner, "Oh, tomorrow night, what if I don't feel like it tomorrow?"
That made Samantha laugh, "Jack you always feel like it when I'm your partner."
"OK, I have already decided where we'll go to dinner then," Jack informed her.
"Oh, where?" she asked.
"McDonald's, they have the fasted drive-thru. I figure you can eat in the car and I can get you back here by 7:10. It leaves more time for the fun stuff." Jack smiled at his joke.
Samantha threw a pillow at him and declared that she wanted a real dinner, maybe even a seven course meal.
So Jack left and both were anticipating the following evening like teenagers. Samantha could hardly sleep all night.
Friday morning at work, Samantha and Jack kept stealing glances at each other and laughing whenever they thought about what would occur that night. How many adults planned when they were going to have sex, it seemed ridiculous to them both. However, Jack called Samantha into his office that afternoon. His face was somber and he closed the door and the blinds on the window. Samantha actually got excited, a little clandestine make-out session at work she thought. But Jack's words told her that the planned rendezvous would have to wait.
"Sam, I just talked to Maria on the phone. She already filed for divorce, last week in fact and we are trying to work out everything as quickly as possible. That includes custody of Hanna and Kate and as part of our agreement from last week I forgot that I get the kids this weekend, starting right after work tonight. Sorry, but our planned romance will have to wait." Jack looked more disappointed than apologetic revealing how much he was looking forward to tonight.
Samantha smiled and caused Jack to frown. He didn't know why she would be smiling at this news. She told him, "I guess we are destined to take things slower. Although I can't say I'm not happy to hear that your divorce is already in the works."
"Yeah, Maria, didn't waste any time in filing, I got the papers on Monday and reviewed them with my lawyer on Tuesday. The basic stuff you know." Jack didn't want to go into the details with Samantha, he just wanted his marriage to be over so that he could move on.
"OK, I guess I'll see you on Monday then, how about dinner and a little sleepover?" Samantha offered.
"Sounds wonderful. Or you could hang out with me and the girls." As soon as Jack said it he realized it was a horrible idea, but Samantha knew this too.
Samantha responded, "Jack, you don't want me around yet. The girls, at least Hannah, are old enough to know what the 'other woman' is and you don't need that at this time in you marriage, uh, your divorce."
Jack nodded, "You're right, everything is so confusing right now."
"But it will all get figured out, we have the rest of our lives, right?" Samantha reassured him.
"Right." With that Samantha got up to leave his office, she had a whole weekend to fill up now that her plans had been spoiled. She mused to herself that, in the past, plans with Jack had always been cancelled at the last minute and she had thought that that part of their relationship would have ended along with Jack's marriage.
Samantha busied herself around her apartment and decided that, since she hadn't told Martin that she had moved out of his apartment, that she'd go check on things at his place. She picked up the pile of mail that had accumulated during the week and let herself into his apartment. It was unchanged and she still felt a stab of guilt rise within her as she crossed the threshold.
As she placed the mail on the counter she noticed that he had several messages. She didn't want to invade his privacy, but thought that they might be important so she pressed the play button. Martin's voice came over the phone, "Samantha, you there? Don't worry about picking up the phone, I want you to feel at home. Samantha? ... OK, so maybe you really aren't there. I'll try to call again later." The second message was from Martin also, "Hey Samantha, just wanted to check in and make sure you're okay. Give me a call on my work cell, I'd like to hear from you." The machine told her that he'd left that message on Tuesday. Whoops, it was Saturday and she hadn't called him back, she hoped he wasn't worried about her. The third and fourth messages were unimportant solicitations, the fifth was from his mother telling him to call her. Samantha thought it was strange that his mother would call him at the apartment when he was with her, but she dismissed the thought. The last message was from Martin again. "Samantha, haven't heard from you, I hope everything is okay." The next statement was said in a low voice, almost as if it were to himself, "Maybe I should go back, but I don't know if I can get a flight." Then the voice was back to normal, "I'll call you at work on Monday, if I don't hear from you. Call me." That message was sent this morning. She wondered what he meant by a flight home, she'd figured that he had driven to his mother's, not needed to fly. But she put the thought out of her head and figured out what she'd say to Martin when she called him.
Samantha decided to keep her conversation with Martin light and short. She'd let him know that she moved back home and that's why she hasn't called, nothing more. She'd hope that his mother was doing well and tell him that the team missed him. That would be plenty she thought. She dialed his number and listened, with her breath held, to the ringing of the phone. He didn't answer, his voice came over the phone relaying that he was away, but to leave a message. Samantha hung up before the beep, she didn't know what to say to his voice mail. She thought that she could try him again later or would just wait until he called on Monday and avoid the whole conversation until then.
Martin kept pacing the room. He wanted so much to call Samantha. He had tried to sound cool and detached on the messages he'd left, but she hadn't even tried to call him back at all. What if something else had happened to her, what if one of the other thugs had come after her or if she was just too frightened to leave the couch to answer the phone. But the sensible part of him reassured him that she was fine; that she was an independent woman who wasn't used to and didn't like checking in with anyone, much less someone who she'd obviously hurt emotionally. It had been hell for him to wait since Tuesday to call, but he knew that if he was ever going to get over her that he couldn't call her everyday and couldn't think about her every minute.
Martin's only solace came from believing that it was truly over between Samantha and Jack. As much as he wanted her to be happy he couldn't quite accept that being with Jack would make her happy. He recalled the way that Jack had given up when Samantha told him she was going to stay at Martin's place and how uneasy the two had seemed when left alone together.
Martin gave in and stopped fighting his urge to call Samantha. He thought, "I'll just call and if she doesn't answer I won't leave a message, then she won't think that I'm obsessed." He picked up his cell phone and saw that it was off, he realized that he had forgotten to charge it last night. It was for the best, it gave him the strength he needed to wait for her to call him and he put the phone down and got out of the hotel room.
When Martin left New York he decided to take a trip out of the country to prevent himself from making a quick return and decided upon visiting the Bahamas. He hoped that he could bask in the sun and cavort with the natives to help him forget his feelings for Samantha. However, the plan wasn't working. Every blond he looked at reminded him of her golden tresses and he was reminded of the last day they had spent together. He'd replay the images he'd memorized over and over. Finally, he packed up and traveled to Mexico where there were fewer blond distractions.
Mexico was better he thought as he sipped a margarita. He had left his hotel room and gone to a touristy bar. Sitting alone at the bar made him an attractive target for many single women visiting the country and he forced himself to accept an invitation to eat with a table of beauties in order to stop thinking about Samantha.
TBC
