"Yeah, so?"
"Well, you told me not to ever call you that."
"Yeah, but she's not you."
I wasn't quite sure what that meant, but I didn't dare assume anything. If he were anyone else, I might think this was a gesture of friendship or maybe something more.
But this was Jaden Bishop. And for the most part, we hadn't been friendly. Besides, he was still my employer.
Stalling, I picked up my sandwich and took a little nibble. It was amazingly good. Still, it was no pastrami.
I looked up and gave his sandwich a longing look as he took his first bite. But then, our eyes met, and I felt a little flutter deep in my stomach. In the end, it wasn't the sandwich that made my mouth water. It was him.
Damn it.
Chapter 22
Back at the apartment, Cassidy was saying, "So Stuart got that truck from Jaden? You're kidding."
"I wish." I gave a shaky laugh. "Or maybe I don't wish. Actually, I don't know what to think." I shoved a nervous hand through my hair. "He's the most confusing person I've ever met."
She frowned. "Stuart?"
"No. Jaden. I mean, most of the time he's a total jerk, but then, I see hints of something more. Like with the whole truck thing, it was actually pretty nice."
"Jaden Bishop? Nice?" She laughed. "You're kidding, right?"
Was I? I gave it some thought. He was definitely a smart-ass. And he'd scared the crap out of Stuart. But in reality, I'd never seen Jaden do anything cruel, unless I counted him giving me such a hard time when I'd first shown up on his doorstep.
And even then, he'd been annoying more than anything.
Plus, unlike Stuart, he hadn't called the police.
When I explained all of this to Cassidy, she said, "But I don't get it, why would Jaden call the police?"
"You know, for that whole scene at the house."
She bit her lip. "Oh. Yeah, there is that."
Cassidy still didn't know about the incident with the sandwich, and I had no plans to tell her. The way I saw it, she'd been embarrassed by me more than enough already.
She asked, "But what about the license plate? How did Jaden explain that?"
"He didn't, but I think I figured it out." As she listened, I told her my theory – that they'd simply transferred the plates from Stuart's old truck to Stuart's new truck.
"But wait," Cassidy said, "so what kind of plates are on your truck?"
"Technically, it's not my truck," I reminded her. "It's Jaden's."
"Oh, you know what I mean."
I did. So I went on to tell her that when I actually looked, I discovered that the truck I was currently driving was now sporting Florida license plates.
Looking perplexed, Cassidy glanced in the general direction of the driveway. "Really? I didn't notice."
"Yeah. Me neither until I checked. I mean, it's not like I spend a lot of time looking at the back bumper."
"So when did he switch them?" she asked.
"I don't know."
"Maybe that security guy did it."
I shrugged. "Maybe."
"You don't know?"
I shook my head. "I was going to ask, but…" I sighed. "It just got all weird and awkward. Like get this, I try to thank Jaden for the whole truck thing, and what does he say? He tells me that he did it for himself, and not for me."
"Were those his exact words?"
"More or less," I said. "And after that, I didn't want to talk about it."
"Why not?"
"Because it was embarrassing."
Little did Cassidy know, it was even more embarrassing when I started having all those warm, fuzzy thoughts. It didn't even make sense. After all, it's not like I liked him or anything.
"Anyway," I continued, "we spent the rest of lunch talking about my job."
Cassidy snickered. "As in blowjobs under the desk?"
I glared at her. "I already told you, it's not funny."
"Yes, it is."
When I'd first told her the story, I'd thought she was going to die laughing, especially when I told her what Jaden had really meant by "something extra."
Not only was this extra task perfectly respectable, it wasn't even that complicated – or so I thought at the time.
But the sad truth was, it was a lot harder than it sounded, especially the next afternoon, when I had to do it for the very first time.
Chapter 23
In the executive suite, the twenty-something redhead was glaring down at me. "I know he's in there."
I crossed my arms. "No, he's not."
She gave a little stomp of her foot. "He is, too!"
Just like the waitress from yesterday, the redhead was tall and statuesque. Was it just a Florida thing? I mean, I fully realized that I wasn't tall, but I'd never felt quite so short until now.
Of course, it didn't help that she was wearing heels at least three inches tall.
I straightened to my fullest height, not that it did much good. "If you'd like to leave your name," I said, "I'll make sure that he gets the message."
Even as I said it, I wondered who this chick was and why she'd been trying to barge into Jaden's office – until I'd thrown myself in her path, that is.
Inside the building, we all wore badges – well, except for Jax and Jaden. But she wore no badge, and already I'd tried several times – unsuccessfully – to get her name.
Towering over me, she gave a little huff. "And just so you know, you're in my seat."
What seat? I glanced around. I wasn't even sitting. I was standing outside Jaden's office door, blocking her from barging in.
I felt my gaze narrow. "What was that? A short joke? Because I've heard better."
She looked at me like I was crazy. "What are you getting at?"
"I'm not sitting. I'm standing. So if that's a joke, it's totally nonsensical."
She gave a snort of derision. "I'm not here to 'joke' with you. I'm here to see Jaden."
Yes. She was. I knew this because she'd told me like ten times already.
I gave her a no-nonsense look. "And I’m here to tell you that he's not in." I wasn't even lying. It was late afternoon, and I hadn't seen him since early this morning.
She pursed her lips. "You really don't get it, do you?"
"Get what?"
She turned and pointed toward my office. "That's my seat."
"Excuse me?"
"That seat," she repeated, pointing again for emphasis. "It's mine. And your ass is in it."
I peered around her and studied my desk. And then, I looked back to her.
Finally, I realized why her voice sounded so familiar. This had to be Morgan, Jaden's previous assistant, the one who'd been so snippy when I'd been desperate to reach Cassidy.
I considered what I knew. Morgan had been fired, and quite recently, too. I still didn't know the full story, but I did know that she was nothing but trouble. After all, this was the same chick who'd told me that godawful story about Cassidy and the brothers.
Now, I was the one glaring. Would it be unprofessional to tell her exactly what I was thinking?
Probably.
Damn it.
I tried to look on the bright side. Now that I knew what she looked like, maybe I'd get lucky and run into her at the grocery store or something. And then, I could give her a peace of my mind without jeopardizing my job.
But that would have to wait. So instead, I gave her my sweetest smile. "It's not there now."
"What?"
"My ass," I helpfully added. "Since you seemed so concerned and all."
Her eyes narrowed, and her nostrils flared. She moved closer, until she was looming over me like a vulture, looking to pick a carcass clean. "Listen here, chickie," she said. "I don't give two shits about your ass, unless you're talking about moving it the hell out of here."
Well, that degenerated quickly.
Now, with her standing so close, I had to crane my neck to stare up at her. Still, I refused to back down. Still smiling, I gritted
out, "And I don't give 'two shits' who are you are or what you want. He's not in, just like I said."
"Oh, please," she scoffed. "I know how this works. I used to have your job, remember?"
"Yes. I do." I summoned up another smile. "And how'd that go?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm just wondering, how'd you do in the job?"
Her jaw clenched. "You've got a lot of nerve, you know that?"
Yes. I did. But Jaden's instructions had been very clear. My primary responsibility, in addition to the things on that list, was to, as he put it, keep people off his ass – and out of his office.
At the time, it sounded like nothing at all. But now, as I guarded his office door, I was wondering if I deserved a raise.
The funny thing was, I might've been guarding the door for nothing. I mean, it could be locked for all I knew. After all, it's not like I tried the doorknob.
Morgan gave another little huff. "So, are you gonna move or what?"
"Sure," I said. "As soon as you do."
"Excuse me?"
"When you leave, I'll move."
"Oh yeah? Well, I'm not leaving." She threw back her shoulders. "So there."
"So there?" In spite of everything, I almost snickered. "Well, I guess you showed me."
"What, you think it's funny?"
I made no reply even though yes, the situation was pretty ridiculous.
But nearly a half-hour later, I didn't feel like laughing at all.
And why?
It was because she still hadn't left.
Instead, she just stood there, vulturing over me in that predatory way of hers, even as I held my ground – refusing to step aside or look away. By now, my neck was stiff and my spine was twitchy.
If by some mishap, I died at my post, she'd probably feast on my flesh and spit out the bones. She certainly seemed the type.
But what about Jaden?
If he came in and found her picking at my carcass, would he care?
Or join in?
Yes, my mind was wandering, but what else could I do?
She and I hadn't spoken for at least twenty minutes, and I couldn’t help but grudgingly admire her persistence. If she admired mine, she sure as heck wasn't showing it. Mostly, she glowered and huffed, as if hoping to menace me into submission.
Dream on, sister. I had four older brothers. If I wasn't scared of them, I wasn't going to be scared off by the likes of her.
Still, in the back of my mind, I had to wonder, how long this would last. The executive suite was spacious, but secluded, with only the office of Jax and his assistant nearby.
Jax was out of town, and I hadn't yet met his assistant. For I knew, she was out of town, too. This meant that I was on my own – for now, at least.
With Morgan blocking my view, I didn't see Jaden enter the suite. But I did hear him, saying, "What are you doing?"
In unison, Morgan and I turned to look. At the sight of my boss, she practically squealed, "Jaden! Thank God you're here."
Chapter 24
Already, she was bounding toward him, all legs and heels. As for Jaden, he stood and watched with an expression that suggested he wasn't nearly as happy to see her as she was to see him.
With another squeal, she threw her arms around his neck and held on tight, even when he made no move to return the embrace.
Now, she was practically hanging off him, which was quite a feat, considering that with the heels, she was just a few inches shorter than he was.
As she held on for dear life, Jaden repeated his question. "What are you doing?"
Without letting go, Morgan replied, "She's being a pill, that's what. Do you know, I've been here for like two hours? And she totally refused to let me in."
I made a scoffing sound. "Oh, please. It was a half-hour, tops."
Thirty long minutes, not that I was complaining – yet.
Morgan let go of Jaden and whirled to face me. "That's a total lie." She looked back to him and announced, "And she cursed me out, too."
My mouth fell open. "I did not!" In fact, I'd been pretty proud of my self-control. After all, this was no grocery store.
She was glaring again. "You did too. You said, 'ass.'"
"Yeah, because you said it first."
Jaden's voice cut through the noise. "Morgan."
She turned to look. "What?"
"I wasn't talking about her. I was talking about you." He gave her a hard look. "What are you doing here?"
"I came about the job," she said. "You said you'd help me get it back."
I stiffened. What the hell? My gaze darted from her to him. Was that true?
No. It couldn't be.
Already, she'd proven herself a liar. Why should this be any different?
I waited for Jaden to correct what she'd said.
But he didn't. All he told her was, "I said we'd talk about it tonight."
Tonight?
Was there something going on between them? I recalled how angry Jaden had been when he'd learned that Morgan had been fired. Was that because they were an item? I wanted to ask, but really, it was none of my business.
After all, he was my boss, not my boyfriend.
But as far as the other thing – what she'd said about my job – now that did concern me. And yet, I'd die before giving her the satisfaction of asking when she could overhear.
Like an idiot, I was still standing with my back against Jaden's office door. I gave a silent scoff. No need for that now.
With as much dignity as I could muster, I left the door and strode toward my own office. Unlike Jaden's, my office had not only a glass door, but also a big interior window. Together, they gave me a clear view of the executive lobby as well as into Jaden's office – well, when his door was actually open, that is.
Unlike mine, his office was very private.
He and Morgan were still talking in the lobby area. Or, rather, she was talking, but more quietly now, in a low, breathy voice that made it nearly impossible for me to catch what she was saying. But I did hear words like, "so rude" and "totally awful."
Was she talking about me?
Probably.
I shut my office door behind me and reclaimed the seat behind my desk. And then, I turned my attention to the meeting notes that I'd been transcribing until she'd tottered in.
My computer faced the executive lobby, where they were still talking. As I worked, I kept glancing up in their direction. I didn't want to, but I couldn't seem to make myself stop.
From my current vantage point, I saw much more of his face than of hers. His eyes were hard, and his mouth was tight as he listened stiffly to whatever she was telling him.
She was talking louder now, probably because I'd shut my door. I still couldn't decipher what was being said, but her tone and body language – with lots of arm waving and foot-stomping – suggested a whole lot of frustration.
Good.
After all, I knew the feeling.
Deliberately, I returned my attention to my computer and tried like crazy to focus on my actual job. I'd been at it for just a few minutes when she suddenly yelled, "But you're not even listening!"
I looked up just in time to see Jaden stride past her, heading toward his private office. She followed on his heels for like three steps until he turned around and said something too low for me to make out.
Her face fell, and she stopped moving. And then, after exchanging a few more words back and forth, she turned and stomped toward the lobby door. She yanked it open, stepped through the doorway, and then gave the door a good, hard yank.
The way it looked, she'd been trying to slam it. Unfortunately for her, the door had one of those slow-shutting mechanisms, which meant that in spite of a pretty good swing on her part, the door still came to a slow and easy stop.
I almost smiled. How unsatisfying.
For her, that is.
As for Jaden, he stalked back into his office and shut the door behind him.
I watched that door fo
r a long moment, debating what to do next.
Should I barge in and demand to know if he was, in fact, trying to replace me?
Or should I wait and see how it played out?
My goal was to keep this job for at least a year. Today was only my second day.
I wasn't a gambling person, but it wasn't hard to figure out that my odds of keeping the job were a whole lot greater if I kept my head down and mouth shut.
Yes, I decided. That's exactly what I was going to do – nothing. Well, nothing except for my job.
I gave a slow nod.
Yup. That was definitely the way to play it. Nice and cool.
There was only one problem – Jaden.
What he did just a couple of hours later only added to my confusion.
Chapter 25
It was five o'clock, and I was standing in the building's main lobby, staring at my unexpected visitor. With a confused shake of my head, I asked, "What are you doing here?"
He gave me a toothy grin. "You can't guess?"
No. I couldn’t.
My visitor was Bryce Rogers, my old boss. His mane of silver hair was perfectly coiffed, and he was wearing a black business suit, along with a white shirt and black Texas tie.
I glanced around, wondering what I should do. It was the end of the business day, and all around me, employees were filing out, heading toward the main doors.
My visitor gave a hearty chuckle. "What's the matter?" he drawled in that country way of his. "Cat got your tongue?"
Funny, he hadn't been chuckling the last time I'd seen him. Rather, he'd been red-faced and yelling, telling me that if I actually walked out of his office, I shouldn’t bother walking back in, because my ass would be fired.
He hadn't cared that Cassidy was in trouble.
He hadn't cared that I'd worked three weeks straight without a single day off.
He hadn't even cared that I promised to make up the time – for free – if only he'd give me a day off to bring Cassidy back home.
No. All he'd cared about was his dry cleaning. And his correspondence. And the dinner party he'd been planning for the following Thursday.
Bryce was a country music producer who specialized in artists that were up-and-coming – mostly because a shocking number of them were too naïve to realize what a turd he was behind that big ol' smile of his.
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