Chapter 261 - Let's talk (1)

JoAnna put on a light yellow A-line short sleeved dress and fixed her hair into a neat ponytail. She was not sure where they are going, but this dress should be appropriate for almost any type of setting. Dress covered up Jeff's teeth marks on her shoulder, but the hickey on her neck could not be covered unless she put a turtleneck... and outside is too warm for a turtleneck. She sighed while looking at a now purple patch which was obviously a hickey.

As much as Jeff enjoyed looking at the mark he made on her neck, she was not happy about it. But there was nothing she can do now. Jeff already agreed not to make such marks going forward, and JoAnna does not see the point on scolding him more about it.

...

In the underground garage she observed that Jeff has a separate area with at least four cars, all of them luxury ones. She wondered why does he need so many cars. Can he drive more than one at a time? She asked him about it, and he responded that here at the penthouse he has six cars handy and others are in a separate parking.

'How can he be so rich?', JoAnna did her best not to look flabbergasted, and stopped asking questions.

So far, she didn't think much about who he is and about his background. She fell in love, he made her feel safe, it felt right to be with him, and she followed her heart. She knows that he is CEO of White corp. and that company is bigger than Orion Enterprise, but she is not sure how much bigger… or anything else about it, actually.

She observed that he came from Fairfield to Seattle in a rental car when they met last time and he stayed in her apartment for some time; and previous night they took a cab from Sarah and Aiden to hospital on their way to dinner and then, eventually, to his penthouse. That is why she was surprised to see that he has so many luxury vehicles 'handy'.

She has yet to understand who Jeffrey White is, what power he possesses, and what all he has.

JoAnna had to admit that she was impressed when they drove from the underground garage in a black Maybach S 650.

After about half an hour ride, they reached a Japanese restaurant with a great view of the Pacific Ocean. JoAnna observed that the restaurant is located right on the sandy beach. Very romantic... but one odd thing she noticed right away is that there were no other patrons, and all the staff lined up just to greet them.

The idea flashed in her mind. "Did you book the whole place?", she whispered.

"Mhm..." Jeff confirmed. "I'm not sharing you with anyone." The truth is that he wanted them to have privacy. And that includes from reporters as well. There are many who try to sneak photos of him all the time and now that JoAnna is with him, it would be quite a news. He does not want to worry her, so he decided not to mention this. In order to provide them with privacy he got the whole place booked and his security arrived ahead of time. They are trained to be around and to follow him inconspicuously.

JoAnna sighed... 'It's lovely... But unnecessary, it's only lunch!'

Jeff told the waiter to bring out all chef's specials and drinks that are paired with those dishes, without even looking at the menu. The staff silently served them and retreated as soon as their presence was not needed.

JoAnna felt uncomfortable... and it didn't help that Jeff just stared at her. She could not hold it in anymore. "Do you need to make this so over the top? Don't get me wrong, the place and the food look lovely, but it's empty and staff that sneaks around is unsettling. I can't even make myself eat."

His face fell. "Do you want to go somewhere else?"

JoAnna felt that she said too much and was too rough. "Forget it... let's eat now... it's a waste of good food if we leave... next time I will pick the place." She grabbed a tuna sushi with her chopsticks and stuffed it in her mouth. 'Crap... now I feel bad. He wanted to impress me, and I ruined it with my mouth with no filter.'

JoAnna looked at Jeff and her guilt was increasing. Seeing his dejected expression, JoAnna felt like she is suffocating. She kept her chopsticks down and walked to Jeff not sure how to fix the mood. She sat in his lap and hugged him.

"Jeff, if we are going to make this work, we need to talk." JoAnna spoke softly. "I'm an ordinary girl... and all this is overwhelming. It might be OK for anniversary, or some special occasion, but for an everyday lunch, it's too much." She lifted his head and looked into his eyes. "Are you listening?"

He pulled her in embrace and his chin rested on her shoulder. For a minute, the only noise was sound of waves crashing on the sandy beach.

"I want to give you the world." JoAnna heard him say.

"Are you sure that your statement has the same meaning for both of us?"

He straightened his back and looked at her. JoAnna could see that he was surprised by her words. She ran her fingers through his hair. "This is why I said that we need to talk."

"I'm not sure how that works." Jeff looked troubled.

JoAnna shrugged. "To be honest, me neither... but we can start by getting to know each other better. You can share with me what you are comfortable with, I will do the same, and we take it from there. What do you think?"

"Sounds good."

"One rule: no lies. If I ask you something and you don't want to talk about it, tell me that you don't want to talk about it. Don't lie to me." This was one thing JoAnna didn't want to compromise on. If the relationship is going to work, there should be no lies.

"I expect you will do the same?" Jeff wanted confirmation.

"Of course." JoAnna assured him.

Jeff nodded in agreement and they kissed. JoAnna felt a relief as the heavy mood vanished.