Troubled Paradise (Gray Tower Book 2)

by J. M. Brister

  “Hello again,” Knowles said in a heavy Caribbean accent. “Katherina was just telling me about her time on Faraway Cay.”

  Jack’s eyes flicked to Kat’s arms. Knowles had his hand resting on her forearm in what was probably just a friendly gesture—or maybe not. Regardless, Jack was ready to haul Kat away from here.

  “That’s great,” Jack muttered.

  He sat down the drinks on a nearby table and grabbed Kat by the arm and began pulling her away.

  “If you’ll excuse me, Peter, I need to talk to my girlfriend,” he said sharply.

  “What are you doing?” She whispered to him as he led her out of the dining space.

  “Taking you back to the room,” he growled.

  “Why?” She demanded, but he didn’t answer.

  When they got to the suite, Jack slammed the door and turned to her.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Kat demanded. “Why are you manhandling me?”

  “Because that guy was all over you, and you were eating it up,” he stated.

  “You mean Peter? Are you serious right now?”

  “Dead serious. You’re supposed to be my girlfriend, and Peter was making a move on my girl.”

  “Fake girlfriend,” she reminded him.

  “It didn’t feel that fake last night or this afternoon,” he retorted.

  Kat’s face grew red, though he wasn’t sure if it was from anger or embarrassment.

  “Don’t fling that in my face,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

  Damn it. Why did he always make her cry?

  “We all know that when we get back, everything will go back to the way it was. I’ll go back to looking normal, and you won’t be interested in the unattractive IT girl again.”

  Jack stared at her, not believing what she had just said. Unattractive? Was she serious?

  “What the hell are you talking about?” He asked, stalking over to her.

  Her eyes widened, and she took a step back.

  “You don’t find me attractive. You just like Alex’s version of me.”

  Jack grabbed her by the arm and hauled her against him. His lips met hers as he kissed her fiercely.

  When their kiss broke, he looked down at her and murmured, “Oh, Kat. Let me tell you how many ways you’re wrong.”

  Chapter 11

  Kat felt frazzled and confused as Jack practically pulled her into her bathroom. She was even more confused when he ordered her to put her glasses on. When she reminded him that she needed to take her contacts out, he insisted she did that. As she clumsily popped out the contacts and reached for her glasses, she couldn’t help but notice that Jack was peeling off his clothes.

  She wasn’t even sure what she felt right now. Were they going to have sex again? She wouldn’t object, even though she knew it was a pleasure that she soon wouldn’t have. But then, she remembered what he has said out in the main room.

  Oh, Kat. Let me tell you how many ways you’re wrong.

  Once Jack was naked, he started unzipping the back of her dress. It fell to the floor, and she stood there in just her underwear and her black-rimmed glasses, feeling awkward.

  Kat stared at Jack who was gloriously naked, penis erect and raring to go. Her heart did a flip every time she saw his cock, remembering that he had been inside her. She wasn’t the expert on penis measuring, but she was pretty darned sure that he was well-endowed.

  Jack was behind her and slowly peeled off her panties. They fell to the floor and pooled at her feet.

  Kat stood in front of the bathroom mirror and sink. Jack towered behind her. Grabbing her hips, he nudged her legs farther open and bent her over the bathroom counter. He took a finger into her and then two, testing her readiness, before guiding his cock into her wet folds.

  She let out a moan as he began to pump into her. With the angle they were at, his cock penetrated her deeply. New sensations crept through her womb, and she began to get lost in his methodical rhythm.

  Kat set her head down on the counter and closed her eyes, enjoying Jack’s deep and intense thrusts. At some points, she felt that she could barely breathe. He penetrated right to her womb.

  Suddenly, Jack grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up so that she was staring back in the mirror. He held himself all the way inside her so that the head of his cock was planted squarely at the bottom of her womb.

  “I want you to look at yourself,” he told her. “I want you to see how fucking beautiful you are. You don’t need any of the shit Alex did to you either. I wanted you the first time I saw you a Gray Tower. You’re perfect. Don’t ever forget that.”

  Tears started to fall down Kat’s cheeks. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Not only that, but Jack had been attracted to her when they had first met? This realization made her heady. How could she had misread things so much? Or, was Jack that good at hiding his attraction to her? Maybe it was a little bit of both?

  He began thrusting again, one hand reaching around to play with her clit. His hips bounced and slapped against her ass erotically. Between the deep penetration and stimulation from his hand, she was so close to release.

  “Do you know how much I’ve wanted to fuck you with those ridiculous glasses on?” He asked in her ear. “You’re a beautiful, naughty little nerd. Do you know that?”

  His dirty talk sent her over the edge. Her climax exploded in wave after wave of pleasure, and it wasn’t long after that Jack stiffened and released into her. He slumped down against her, both exhausted physically—and probably emotionally as well.

  Despite a feeling of tiredness, Kat realized that things had drastically changed between her and Jack, even more so when they had first had sex.

  They made their way back to her bed and crawled in naked. Jack held her for a while, and she spent the time listening to his heart thud heavily in his chest.

  Time passed, and finally, Jack spoke up.

  “We’re going to work on your self-esteem when we get back stateside. No one as beautiful as you should ever feel unattractive. Ever.”

  Kat sighed.

  There was a lot more than Jack realized. She had years of internalized issues that went farther back than her stint at Gray Tower.

  “I know,” she said wistfully. “It’s just hard when your best friend is a glamor queen and you’re the nerdy one who prefers hoodies and sweatpants.”

  Jack shook his head and said, “Why do you care so much about the way Alex looks? That doesn’t affect you, and it shouldn’t, anyhow.”

  “I know,” Kat said, feeling guilty for even bring it up. “I’ve known Alex for so long, but sometimes it’s hard not to be jealous. We were both straight-A students in high school but had radically different interests. A part of me wishes that I could be more like her, but most of me doesn’t. I’m my own person, and that’s a good thing.

  “I do have to admit, though, that she gets so much more attention from guys than I do. It’s hard not to be a little jealous when she’s got her own workplace rule not to bother her.”

  Jack looked at her and said, “Oh.”

  “Oh, what?”

  He grinned and said, “I may have told all of the guys in the IT department to stay away from you, or I’d beat the hell out of them. Something like that, anyhow.”

  “What?” She exclaimed, sitting up and slapping him playfully on his bare chest. “When did that happen?”

  “Oh, since the first week that you started. There was some chatter from some of the guys, and I guess I didn’t want anyone to have you.”

  Kat tried to process this information. She apparently had her own unofficial Jack-directed policy of her own. Yay! That was exciting, right? Then, she realized that she had missed out on a year of dating because of Jack.

  “So, what you’re saying is that you scared the heck out of all the IT guys, and then proceeded to ignore me for almost a year? Nice, Jack. That was really great of you.”

  “Now that you say it like that, I look like an ass. I
t wasn’t my intention to alienate you from love.”

  “Then, why did you do it?”

  “I just couldn’t stand the thought of someone else touching you.”

  Kat’s chest fluttered a little bit. She got excited when Jack acted all possessive of her.

  “But you didn’t want to touch me either,” she reminded him.

  “I didn’t say that. I just was a bit…conflicted.”

  Kat frowned and asked, “Conflicted how?”

  Jack hesitated and then said, “I suppose that I didn’t want to complicate a work relationship. Gray Tower can be stressful enough as it is without adding a romance to it.”

  That seemed like a plausible explanation, though she could feel that he was holding something back. Instead of pressing, she decided to change the subject.

  “For a moment, there I thought that you were drunk when you dragged me to the room,” she told him.

  Jack laughed and said, “Trust me, beautiful, you’d know it if I was drunk.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I had a problem with alcohol before I joined Gray Tower. I choose not to drink today for personal reasons.”

  Shock ran through Kat as she tried to process what he had just said. She had no idea about Jack’s past, and the thought of alcoholism brought back painful memories that she tried to push away.

  This was a development that she hadn’t expected. Now, what was she going to do about it? Jack was so under control she had no idea that he had had a problem. She should be open about it, right?

  Tell him, she thought. Let him know. He’ll understand.

  Instead, she pushed the thoughts and all the anxiety that went with them away. She wasn’t mentally or emotionally ready to talk about any of that, especially with Jack.

  “Is everything alright?” Jack asked after she hadn’t responded.

  “Yes, sorry,” she said quickly. “I just got lost in my thoughts for a moment.”

  “Anything I should know about?”

  “No. I’m just tired. Perhaps I need to get some sleep?”

  Jack kissed her on her forehead and said, “Sure. I’ll finish working on the security plan while you get some rest.”

  “Okay,” she said, relieved that he was dropping the issue.

  When he left, she breathed a deep sigh and attempted to push painful and unwanted thoughts from her mind.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Sasha Parker stepped off the dock of Faraway Cay and looked around. It was late evening. The sun had already set, and the only light was now the moon, stars, and the habitation on the island—Orson Carr’s ridiculous mansion. He didn’t know that she was already here. Her timetable had moved up a bit, and so she had arrived with no warning. She hauled her bag on one shoulder and began walking down the path to the main house.

  It was only a few moments later that a figure came trotting to her from the opposite direction. She smiled when she recognized the man. It was Carr. Apparently, she had warranted the main man himself.

  “Miss Parker!” Carr greeted her in a hurried breath. “I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.”

  “My apologies, Mr. Carr. My schedule got moved up, and I didn’t think you’d mind.”

  “No! Not at all, and please, call me Orson.”

  She gave him one of her dazzling smiles and said, “Only if you call me Sasha.”

  “I can certainly do that,” Carr said gesturing to the mansion. “Care to walk and talk?”

  They strode down the path, a cool ocean breeze blowing through palm trees. Sasha was barely paying attention, though. She was on a mission.

  “I’d like to get you settled in your room, and then we can talk business tomorrow,” Carr said. “Eclipse has come highly recommended. I hope that we can work together closely in the future.”

  “Business now, and I’m sure I can find a room to crash in,” she told him.

  “Oh, okay. Well, I do have to tell you that I haven’t gotten a quote from Gray Tower yet. In fact, I have a representative here right now.”

  Ah, yes, Sasha thought. Gray Tower, Inc: the thorn in my side.

  Both Eclipse and Gray Tower offered similar services, though Eclipse took a different angle on jobs. They got shit done—whatever it took. Having a Gray Tower employee here would be annoying, but nothing that she couldn’t handle. Hopefully, Eclipse would undercut whatever the other company was offering.

  “I understand that,” she told him. “But I like to hit the ground running when I’m on a job, so the sooner we start, the better.”

  “Wonderful!” He exclaimed. “I like your attitude.”

  Sasha smiled as they made their way into the house. This was going to be a very interesting mission—for that she was certain.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Miles Bryant sat on the couch of his Gray Tower apartment, trying to relax. He had worked too late to go back to his actual home, so he had decided to crash at the apartment he used from time to time when things got hectic.

  The TV was on, but he wasn’t paying much attention to it. He was tired, yet too wired to try and sleep. Miles hated when he was like this. It was a common feeling lately. Gray Tower was doing wonderfully, but his personal life was in shambles. Well, he’d have to have a personal life first before it could be ruined.

  His cellphone lit up on the coffee table. He looked to see a text message pop up. What gave him pause was the people who had sent the message. It was a person that hadn’t contacted him in a long, long time—his wife.

  Candice Bryant hadn’t communicated with him in the past two years. They were estranged but still married. Neither of them believed in divorce, so they sat in a sort of limbo. She had her own life. He had his. Miles just hoped that she was doing better emotionally than he was.

  Miles grabbed his phone and looked at the message.

  Candice: I miss you.

  He could feel his heart going a mile a minute. Miles had dreamt of her sending a message just like this. Now that it had become reality, he wasn’t sure what to do. Finally, he gathered up some strength and decided to text something back to her.

  Miles: I miss you too.

  After another moment, he got a response back.

  Candice: We need to talk.

  Miles: Yes, we do.

  Candice: I’ll be in Virginia in a few days. Do you care if I stop by?

  Miles: You can come by any time. You know that.

  Candice: I know.

  Candice: I’ll message you later then.

  Miles: Okay.

  He heaved a heavy sigh and turned off his phone. Candice was the love of his life, and he had blown it with her. The fact that she even wanted to talk to him was more than he deserved.

  After Jasmine had died, they both had grieved and clung to each other. It had been hard enough to process that their daughter was dead, but Miles had gone off the deep end. After a few years of getting nowhere with the authorities on bringing those responsible to justice, Miles had sold off his first company and formed Gray Tower.

  Candice had been with him every step of the way—up and to the point where she couldn’t take it any longer. She wanted to move on from Jasmine’s death. He became more obsessed with it. She couldn’t handle the constant reminders of her deceased daughter. He spent all his time at Gray Tower.

  They had separated three years ago.

  Miles knew that they could have gotten back together at any point. He’d just have to give up Gray Tower, and he just couldn’t do it right now—not until he put Jasmine’s killers down.

  Chapter 12

  Jack was up early the next day so that he could finish up his security report and send it over to finance to give him a cost estimate. He was in an incredibly good mood, which he knew had one hundred percent to do with Kat. Sure, he was enjoying fucking her senseless—that was a given. However, he had felt that they had connected last night on a deeper level. It was that same feeling that he had experienced when he had rescued her from Brenden.

&nbs
p; It was an odd feeling, one of protectiveness and of concern. Jack wasn’t quite sure what it was, but all he knew was that he wanted more of it.

  The morning passed quickly. Kat got up and went out to relax at the pool. Meanwhile, Jack heard back from finance after he put in a rush on the project and was ready to give Carr the proposal that afternoon.

  All in all, life was going pretty fucking great.

  Eventually, Kat came back around lunch time, and they decided to go to lunch. Carr would probably be there, and Jack could update him on Gray Tower’s proposal. Interestingly, Carr had been absent for the whole morning.

  When Kat came back from the pool, she dressed for lunch, and they walked to the dining room together, hand in hand like a real couple. This, of course, made Jack wonder if they were actually a couple now? He hadn’t thought that far ahead, but he knew that he didn’t want to give this up when they got back.

  Once they walked through the doors of the dining room, Jack took one glance in the room and froze. Sasha Parker stood next to Carr, talking and smiling like she didn’t have a care in the world.

  Oh, what in the hell was she doing here? He thought.

  Sasha looked just the same as she had five years ago. Long, red hair cascaded down her back. Green eyes accented a gorgeous face. Her body was lean but well-muscled. It was a body that he knew intimately.

  Jack also knew that if Sasha was here, then there was going to be trouble. Since she worked for a competitor of Gray Tower, she was good at causing a lot of it.

  “What’s wrong?” Kat asked softly.

  “I’ll fill you in later,” he told her.

  Jack grimaced as he thought about Kat. She was not going to handle it well when she found out that a former lover was here. Kat already had enough self-esteem issues as it was.

  Sasha glanced up at them. At first, she just stared. Then, a slight smile crossed her lips.

  Ah, shit.

  This was going to be a sticky situation. And, why the fuck was she here in the first place? Carr must have decided to bring in a competitor. As far as Jack knew, Sasha still worked for Eclipse. They did similar work to Gray Tower, although their methods were a lot different.