Was that why? Because he had plans of a different sort?
Cassidy concluded by saying, "It was kind of a masked mugging, except they didn't really mug him, because they didn't steal anything."
My mind was still whirling. "Well, that's unfortunate."
"Oh, so you wanted him robbed?"
"Definitely." I thought of all the harm that could've come to my friend. "And roughed up, too."
Cassidy gave me a look. "Well, he is in the hospital, remember?"
Good.
I smiled. Maybe it was an evil smile, but I didn't care. Crazy or not, I was glad they'd done it. Absently, I said, "Oh yeah. I almost forgot."
In truth, I hadn't forgotten anything. Mostly, I was irritated that I hadn't thought of it myself. I despised Cassidy's mom. And I despised her so-called boyfriend even more – not that I'd ever met the guy.
But I didn't need to meet him to know that he'd surely bring my friend to harm if he ever had the chance.
Cassidy gave a shaky laugh. "Well, aren't you blood-thirsty."
Yes. I was. And with good reason. "Hey, he had it coming," I said. "But back to Jax, did he say why they did it?"
She winced. "He said he didn't want that guy near me."
I gave a slow, approving nod. "Good."
A few minutes later, sitting in our living room, she offered up more details. Apparently, on Friday night, the night before Cassidy was scheduled to pick up her things, Jax had driven by her mom's place to check it out in advance.
While there, he'd discovered by chance that Dominic was planning another sales pitch to recruit Cassidy. And Cassidy's mom, the selfish creature that she was, was doing nothing to discourage him.
Now, in the safety of our living room, Cassidy was saying, "But it's so strange. I mean, why would Jax do that?"
It was no mystery to me. "I'll tell you why." I smiled. "He's crazy." I meant it in the best possible way. My own heart ached just a little as I added, "Love makes you do crazy things."
Afterward, Cassidy went on to tell me that the two brothers had gotten together and decided to have an anonymous talk with Dominic before he could have a talk with her.
"Apparently," Cassidy was saying, "the talk didn't go too terrific, because it ended with Dominic in the bushes."
And in the hospital.
By now, I was half-surprised that Dominic hadn't ended up in the morgue.
Better luck next time.
Cassidy's story haunted me all night. I kept thinking about that stupid mask. I wasn't even sure whether Jaden had left it on my desk before that little adventure or afterward.
And why had he left it for me at all?
I saw no silly joke behind it. All I saw was a serious effort to protect someone that Jax cared for.
And Jaden had helped him.
That meant something.
I was under no illusion that he'd done it for me, or even for Cassidy. But he had done it for his brother.
I was glad. And thankful. And now, more confused than ever.
On Monday, I woke hours before dawn and lay there in the darkness for the longest time, feeling like I hadn't slept at all. Finally, when I couldn't stand it another moment, I got up and got ready for work.
When I pulled into the parking garage, the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. This was a good thing, I reminded myself, because it would give me some time to calm my nerves before anyone else came in.
But as it turned out, I hadn't come in nearly early enough, because when I walked into my office, someone was already there.
It was Jaden.
And unless I was mistaken, he'd been lying in wait.
For me.
Chapter 58
Yes, it was an ambush, plain and simple.
From the open doorway to my office, I stopped to stare at the sight of Jaden in my chair. He was leaned back with both feet propped up on my desk and his hands clasped behind his head.
I hadn't yet turned on my office light, and I squinted through the shadows. Everything about this was so strange. He wasn't even dressed for work.
Rather, he was wearing ratty jeans and a black T-shirt with some logo that I didn't recognize.
So far, he'd said nothing, and neither had I. As our gazes locked, I felt something stir in my heart. Dread? Or something else?
I waited for him to speak, and when he didn't, I finally blurted out, "What are you doing here?"
His voice was flat. "I own the building."
As if I needed the reminder. "I know, but what are you doing in my office?"
He gave me a look. "What do you think?"
"I don't know what to think."
"Yes, you do."
I made a sound of annoyance. "You know, I really hate it when you do that."
"Do what?"
"Act like you know what I'm thinking."
"It's no act," he said. "You know damn well why I’m here."
"Oh yeah? And why's that?"
"Because you didn't answer your phone."
"Well, so what?" I said. "I was off the clock. In case you forgot, you're not the boss of me everywhere."
His gaze darkened. "That's what you think? That this is about your fucking job?"
"Isn't it?"
His voice grew quiet. "You know it's not."
"Oh, really?" I said. "Then what is it about?"
"Us."
At that one single word, something twisted in my heart. But I knew all too well what he meant. "Us" meant sneaking around where no one could see. It meant secret smiles, but no public displays of affection. It meant hiding out from his family and keeping secrets from friends.
It meant no attachment whatsoever.
There was only one problem. I'd gotten attached.
Stupid me.
I forced a laugh. "Oh come on Jaden, there is no us." A long sigh escaped my lips. "Yeah, I mean, it was fun and all, but it couldn't go on forever, right?"
He was quiet for a long moment before saying, "Why not?"
"Is that a serious question?"
"I dunno," he said. "Give me a serious answer, and I'll let you know."
I was so confused, I could hardly think. "What?"
"You need me to repeat it?"
"Yeah, actually I do, because I have no idea what you're getting at."
"Alright," he said. "I'll make the question simple." His mouth tightened. "What happened?"
"What do you mean what happened?"
"Last Monday, things were good. This Monday, you're saying we're done. So I'll ask it again." His gaze bored into mine. "What. Happened?"
"Nothing 'happened,'" I said. "I just realized that we'd run our course, that's all." I gave him a faint smile. "I mean, come on, aren't you a little tired of sneaking around?"
"Yeah. I am."
"So, you see what I mean, right?"
"No." He pulled his feet from my desk and stood. "What I see is someone who got what she said she wanted, and now…" He looked away and muttered, "Shit."
Oh yeah. I'd gotten what I'd wanted alright. Unfortunately, it had been too good for my own sanity.
I recalled that very first night. To think, I'd only slept with him in the first place because I'd been oh-so sure that I could simply get him out of my system.
Now, months later, I was so addicted, I needed to go cold turkey or risk losing my mind.
And my heart.
Unfortunately, he was still my boss, unless I was willing to quit. I turned and glanced toward the suite's main door. I could walk out. But then what?
From behind my desk, Jaden said, "If you think you're leaving, forget it."
I turned and gave him an irritated look. "Oh, really?"
"Yeah. Really."
I made a sound of frustration. "I don't even know what you're saying."
"Yeah, you do."
"Oh, stop it," I said. "Are you saying you don't want me to quit?"
"No."
My stomach sank. So he did want me to quit? Probably, it was for the bes
t, and yet, the whole thing stunk to high heaven.
But then he continued. "What I’m saying is that you can't quit. I won't let you."
"What?"
His voice hardened. "If you're worried I can't keep my dick in my pants, I can."
I stiffened. "Good."
"But you're not leaving."
"Why not?"
"Because that wasn't part of the deal."
"There was no deal," I said.
"Wrong. That first night, you told me we'd keep it separate. Matter of fact, you insisted on it." His jaw clenched. "Or, are you gonna tell me now that you don't remember?"
I did remember. I remembered a lot of things. And it wasn't only the sex. I glanced away and mumbled, "I remember."
"Good," he said. "Because I'm not having you quit on my account."
And with that, he stepped aside and made a grand, sweeping gesture toward my chair. "It's all yours." And with that, he strode past me, leaving me alone in the darkened office.
And where did he go?
I had no idea.
Rather than returning to his own office, he left the suite entirely. I didn't see him for the rest of the day, even though his schedule had been packed with appointments – appointments that I canceled one by one as the day dragged on.
When he returned Tuesday morning, everything was different. I never saw the hint of a smile – not to me, and not to anyone else either.
I tried not to flatter myself that he missed me just as much as I missed him. And even on the off chance that he did miss me, all I had to do was remind myself that he "didn't do relationships."
Still, the rest of that week was pure hell.
Jaden and I were obnoxiously polite to each other – more polite than we'd ever been.
And I hated it.
I missed the banter. And the teasing. And the feel of his arms. And the taste of his lips. And the feel of his body moving against mine.
I even missed that stupid car-racing game that we sometimes played on Saturday afternoons. I missed the sandwiches and even the jokes about my so-called addiction.
Still, I plodded along, trying my best to pretend that everything was fine as the week dragged on. By Friday afternoon, I was utterly exhausted.
On the upside, I had two Jaden-free days ahead of me. Maybe I could regroup and get a fresh start.
That didn't happen.
And why?
It was because all weekend long, his name kept popping up again and again. And like some kind of crazy addict, I couldn’t seem to get enough.
Chapter 59
Cassidy was laughing. "So then, he torches the car, right there in the warehouse."
She was talking about something Jaden had done on the night she'd first met both brothers. Apparently, Cassidy hadn't personally seen the car go up in flames, but Jax had told her all about it during this past weekend – a weekend filled with sex and fun.
For Cassidy and Jax, that is.
According to Cassidy, there'd been plenty of both.
I was glad for her, and him, too. It was nice to see them happy, even if I wasn't feeling quite so happy myself.
For me, it had been a weekend filled with longing and humiliation – longing because I was missing Jaden like crazy and humiliation because I fully realized the stupidity of missing him at all.
Somehow, he'd burrowed under my skin and claimed a spot dangerously close to my heart.
How did that happen?
Hell if I knew.
Trying to sound casual, I asked, "So, this weekend, was Jaden around?"
"Yeah. For like five minutes." She made a face. "And he was in the worst mood, even more than usual."
I could so relate. "Really?"
She nodded. "Oh yeah. And he takes one look at me and says, 'Screw this, I'm outta here.' And then, we didn't see him all weekend. Honestly, I think he left town."
"Do you know where he went?"
With a little scoff, she replied, "Probably somewhere with Morgan."
My stomach sank. "Seriously?"
"Sure, if she had any say in the matter."
So it was a joke? I tried to smile and failed miserably. Morgan had been chasing him forever. Had she finally caught him?
On the sofa, Cassidy was saying, "Here's something that'll make you laugh."
If so, it would be a welcome relief. "Oh, really?"
"Yeah, last Saturday, when I stopped by their house, Morgan was there, waiting on their porch."
Already, I wasn't laughing. "For Jaden?"
"Oh yeah. And you should've seen her, too." Cassidy lowered her voice. "Her shirt was so small, her boob literally popped out."
I bit my lip. "But she was wearing a bra, right?"
"Not hardly," Cassidy said. "Really, she was wearing next to nothing. And you wanna know why?"
I was almost afraid to ask. "Why?"
"Because…" Cassidy laughed. "…she said that Jaden likes 'em slutty."
Of course he did. He'd told me so himself, along with his oh-so-smart reason. He didn't want to get attached.
Well, goodie for him.
As Cassidy talked, I couldn't help but recall that I'd seen Morgan nearly naked, too, waiting for Jaden in his office.
But had Jaden seen her? I wanted to kick myself for not asking.
Cassidy said, "And you should've seen her when Jaden got home."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. She practically sprints off the porch and throws herself into his arms."
I didn't have to see it. I could imagine it just fine. And like an idiot, I didn't like it one bit.
But what had I expected? Even when we had been seeing each other, we'd never insisted on exclusivity.
And yet, we had been exclusive. Of this, I was nearly certain – if nothing else, because we spent so much time together. Plus, during that particular timeframe, he'd received nearly no phone calls from other girls, at least not at the office.
My heart clenched. From now on, they'd probably be calling all the time.
But surprisingly, they didn't – except for one girl, who began calling at least once a week.
And apparently, she wasn't giving up.
Chapter 60
Sitting at my desk, I gripped the phone far too tightly for my own good. Trying to smile, I said, "No. He's not available. Can I take a message?"
On the other end of the line, she asked, "How about Jax? Is he there?"
By now, the routine was all too familiar, and I wondered why on Earth she kept calling in spite of the fact that both brothers were obviously avoiding her.
"I'm sorry," I said. "Jax is out of town."
This was true. He and Cassidy were on a weeklong vacation somewhere in the Bahamas. Even his assistant was on vacation, which meant – unfortunately – that it was just me and Darla in the office.
Oh yeah. And Jaden.
But I didn't want to think about him.
And why? It was because I'd thought about him all last night, and the night before that, and so on.
Now, other than business interactions, we almost never spoke. It was the strangest thing, because he seemed like a totally different person, devoid of any real emotion.
I could so relate.
And yet, I couldn't make myself regret the decision to end it when I did. After all, just like I'd told him, it had to end sometime, right?
On the phone, the caller was saying, "Well, just tell him that I called, okay?"
By now, I no longer needed to ask her name. It was Luna. She never gave a last name or told me why she was calling. The one time I'd asked, all she'd said was, "It's a family thing. Jaden knows what it's about."
By now, I was half convinced that he had a secret love child somewhere. I was dying to know more, but had no idea where to begin. Already, I'd asked Cassidy if the name Luna meant anything to her, but she had no idea either.
I'd even asked Morgan in a roundabout way, and all she'd said was, "Oh her? Trust me, you don't want to know."
She was
wrong. I did want to know, even if it was really none of my business.
When I hung up the phone, I jotted down the message and added it to the stack. As I did, I wondered whether or not she was calling his cell phone, too. Did she even have the number?
Unable to stop myself, I took the stack of messages and crossed the hallway that separated my office from Jaden's. From the open doorway, I said, "I've got your messages."
He looked up and said, "Yeah, so?"
"So, do you want them?"
He eyed them with zero enthusiasm. "If I wanted them, I'd ask."
I paused. Ever since our breakup – or whatever it was – he'd been polite to a fault. Either those days were over, or he was in a seriously rotten mood.
Either way, I was determined to keep it professional. "Right. I know, but you haven't asked in like two days." I lifted my hand and gave the messages a little wave. "And they're sort of piling up here."
"So?"
"So, you really don't want them?"
His eyes were dark and hollow. They looked eerily similar to my own eyes whenever I looked in the mirror. But where mine were hollow from tossing and turning in my empty bed, his were probably hollow from tossing and turning with someone else, or a series of someone else's, assuming that he'd returned to his old habits.
I never saw these other girls, but I wasn't so naive to think that he'd suddenly become celibate. I mean, this was Jaden Bishop we were talking about.
From behind me, an older female voice said, "He already told you, he doesn't want them, so why don't you scuttle back to your own desk?"
Shit.
It was Darla.
I turned to her and said through gritted teeth, "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," she said. "Quit bothering him."
"I'm not bothering him," I shot back. "I'm doing my job."
I hated this. Whenever Darla filled in for Karen, she did everything she could to make my work-life miserable.
And yet, this was the first time she'd hassled me in front of Jaden.
Now, she gave a snort of derision. "Your job? That's what you call it? Prancing in here like he needs your attention?"
Prancing? Seriously?
I made a scoffing sound. "I wasn't trying to give him 'attention.'" Again, I lifted the small papers in my hands. "I was trying to give him these."
One Bad Idea: A Billionaire Loathing-to-Love Romance Page 25