10 A Change of Heart?

We sat in complete silence for 15 minutes as Jordan navigated his way through the city traffic.

I let my coat rest on my lap to cover the exposed skin on my legs and my hands rested over it, my fingers entwined and nervously shifting.

I peaked a glance at Jordan while he kept his eyes focused on the road ahead. His left hand was gripping the steering while and the other one rested on the gear-head. The sleeve of his shirt was rolled up neatly around his elbow and his blazer rested on the back seat.

"Can I ask you something?" I finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Mhm," he nodded.

"What's this about?"

Jordan's eyebrows squeezed together. "What do you mean?"

"This dinner," I said. "Why are we going out tonight?"

A smirk formed on his lips. "Don't you think it's awfully late to be asking that? You're already in a car with me and you don't even know why."

However apprehensive I was feeling on the inside, I couldn't let it be shown by my demeanor.

"Why did you ask me out?" I asked again but a bit more firmly this time.

Instead of answering Jordan made a swift left turn towards the road that led up to the city limits.

"Why did we just exit the city? Where are we going?" I focused on the dark road ahead as my heart thudded against my ribcage. Suddenly my mouth felt dry. I was parched.

I licked at my lips nervously.

"Relax. I'm not going to kidnap you," Jordan chortled.

"I don't think any kidnapper would let that be known to his victim beforehand," I said.

"You should not forget that you got in my car willingly."

I ignored— what I assumed was his attempt to get a reaction out of me— and repeated my question. "Where are we going, Mr. Parker?"

"Somewhere special," he looked at me with his patented smirk plastered on his face.

"That doesn't make me feel better at all."

"Let me ask you one thing, Rose, why did you come with me when you didn't understand what was going on?"

He shifted the gear.

"I... I thought—" I cleared my throat, "I thought this was a work-related thing."

"Well, you thought wrong."

I frowned. "Then what is this about? Is it a... Is it a date?" I asked wistfully, but instantly admonished myself for feeling that way.

No matter what fantasy Maddy had concocted in her head and by extension, in mine, I couldn't let it cloud my judgment of reality.

"It is whatever you want it to be," Jordan winked.

What is that supposed to mean?

"And I am supposed to trust you just like that?" I asked.

"Rose, if you hadn't trusted me that much you wouldn't have gotten into a car with me in the first place. After spending the last week in your company, I think I know how cautious you like to be. You overthink everything."

I blinked blankly at him.

I hated that he knew even that much about me. I tried my best to not let my inner thoughts be known to people. I had stopped letting people get the best of my vulnerability long ago but it surprised me, as well as made me angry, to know that Jordan Parker had paid attention to me like that.

Did I let my defences fall whilst with him?

"Will you at least tell me where we are going?" I turned my eyes towards the dark and seemingly endless road in front of me.

"I just told you."

"That was awfully vague, don't you think?"

"Just let it go, Rose," he said. "Sit still."

I huffed and looked the other way. 'Sit still' what was I? His pet? I wasn't going to just sit still.

"Why the dress?" I turned to face him.

Jordan glanced at me for a brief second, "I saw it and thought of you," and moved his attention back to the road.

"How about you refrain from thinking about me at all?" I thanked my stars for the dark lighting inside the car. I didn't want Jordan to see how flushed I felt at that comment.

I reprimanded myself internally for feeling that way.

"Not when you turn up looking like that, I can't." I felt his eyes study me.

My heart did backflip and I felt the blood rush up to my ears.

"You told me to wear this," I gathered a response.

"Hmm. So, are you saying you'll do anything I ask you to?" I could hear the grin in his voice even though my eyes were fixed on the road ahead to keep myself composed.

The way that he looked at me from time to time with that annoying smug spread across his handsome face, I was afraid I would combust under his stare.

I licked at my dry lips, the lip-gloss seemed to have gotten dissolved in my mouth. "I said n-nothing of the sort. You are being cryptic and it doesn't bode well for your image."

"I don't care for it," he said.

"Of course you don't," I mumbled and looked outside the moving car.

Jordan slowed down as we entered a lane that was heavily decorated with deep green bushes and tall trees on either side. Several lamp-posts illuminated the area at every few steps as we neared a huge iron gate.

He stopped the car right in front of it and lowered the window on his side. He extended an arm out and pressed on a button at a pole adjacent to the gate.

"James, it's me. Open up," he spoke into the speaker.

The very next moment I observed a movement from the corner of my eye and turned towards the front. The big iron gates slid open to the side and gave way for Jordan to drive through.

As he drove through the gates we entered a huge courtyard. Greenery surrounded us as far as the eye could go, but I felt my eyes on the edge of their sockets when they landed on the huge mansion facing that courtyard.

"Wow," I breathed. I had never seen a house that big outside of a screen. "What is this place?"

"My home," he said casually and stopped the car right outside the steps which led to the entrance.

A short, old man approached Jordan's side. "Master Parker," he smiled warmly. "Good to see you again."

Jordan got out of the car and embraced the old man with a hug. He stood outside as he talked to the man for a few minutes.

Why did he bring me to his house?

My brain started stirring again as I thought about all the possible reasons that he could have to bring me here. Each thought I had only made me more uneasy and skeptical about getting in the car with Jordan Parker in the first place.

*This is on you, Sky. If you die tonight, it is on you.* I thought to myself.

I took a deep breath and got out of the car and wrapped my coat around my shoulders. There was a chill in the air tonight. Or maybe it was my body's reaction to all that was happening. I couldn't tell anymore.

Jordan approached me from the other side. "You know I would have opened that door for you."

"Your chivalry was untimely," I retorted.

"Shall we?" He turned around and started to walk towards the stairs that led up to the front door.

"Wait!" I reached for his arm.

Jordan's eyes zeroed in on where my fingers touched his arm. I retracted my hand as a jolt of current emanated from the point of contact of our skin.

He turned around and looked at me intently, hands in pockets.

"Mr. Parker... you must understand how this feels to me. You've been vague about everything until now and I'm sorry but before you tell me more about this evening and this dress," I gestured at the piece of clothing on me, "I will not go anywhere," I met his stare with assertiveness.

I can't walk into the dragon's lair unarmed and this is as far as I can allow myself to comply with him without knowing all the facts. For all I know he could entrap me as soon as I walk in through those doors and keep me captive in his basement.

"I would prefer if you call me Jordan. Mr. Parker is what people call my father," he said.

"And I would prefer you drop me back home since you refuse to tell me why I'm here," I gave him a hard look.

He snickered. "See. Overly cautious. I guessed it right, didn't I?"

I gritted my teeth together and glared at him.

"I thought it was about time we did. We've been spending a lot of time in each other's company and I thought we should get more comfortable with each other," he said sounding almost genuine.

It didn't feel right.

"I don't believe it," I crossed my arms across my chest.

He sighed. "I was made aware of how I wasn't being fair to you and I wanted to make up for it. This is the least that I could do."

"You've been nothing but rude to me the entire week and now this?"

"Oh, excuse me for not liking you the second you planted your palm on my face," he snapped.

"You were being an asshole! And it's not like you changed your behavior after that!"

"Doesn't this count for something?" he questioned. "I asked you out to dinner and you came. Now here we are. Shall we proceed? I'm pretty famished," he raised his brows in anticipation.

I stared at him for a few moments.

Could this arrogant man be telling the truth? Did he really have a change of heart?

'Just let loose. You have nothing to lose here.' Maddy's words echoed in my head.

"Okay," I finally said and Jordan led the way in.