"And," Jax continued, "Morgan working here…" He shook his head. "Let's just say it wasn't good."
I knew exactly what he meant. Even when she stopped by, she went out of her way to distract both brothers regardless of what else was going on.
I considered everything Jax had told me. "So, let me get this straight," I said. "Are you telling me that you hired me for the job, because you thought I could handle your brother?"
Handle?
His brother?
At this unfortunate phrasing, I felt color rise to my cheeks. Oh, I'd handled him alright, in more ways than one.
More quietly now, Jax said, "You're good for him, you know."
"I am?"
"Yeah. You are." He gave me the ghost of a smile. "And I hope you stay on."
I bit my lip. "So you're saying you don’t want me to quit?"
"Yeah. I am." He gave me a penetrating look. "But I'm not talking about the job." And with that, he turned away, leaving me staring after him.
What did he mean by that?
Did he know about me and Jaden?
But of course he did.
Jax wasn't stupid. And unlike Cassidy, he saw me and Jaden together all the time. Apparently, all of those secret smiles weren't so secret after all.
Our conversation haunted me all day. There was a lot that we hadn't discussed – such as the situation with our rent or my recent run-in with Luna and Darla.
But those were things I needed to discuss with Jaden first. I just didn't know if I'd be discussing them on the phone or when I joined him in Hawaii – assuming that the trip still happened.
By four o'clock, the odds of this were looking decidedly grim because like a total idiot, I mentioned far too much when Jaden called in for his messages.
Chapter 69
On the phone, Jaden asked, "What are you saying?"
I sighed. "I don't know what I'm saying. It's just that I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn’t be working for you."
"Why not?"
"Oh come on. You know why." Even though my office door was shut, I lowered my voice. "We don’t have a purely professional relationship."
"Yeah? So?"
"So, I think people are noticing."
"Good," he said.
"No. It's not good."
My conversation with Jax had only confirmed what I'd been trying to deny. Apparently, Jaden and I weren't nearly as subtle as we thought.
Maybe that was the reason no one ever talked to me.
Then again, the cold shoulder had begun on my very first day, long before Jaden and I even liked each other.
On the phone, he was saying, "It's been eight weeks."
"What?"
"Eight weeks," he repeated. "That's how long you've been putting me off."
I knew what he meant. A couple of months ago, he'd told me that we were taking our relationship public. In response, I'd practically begged him to give it more time.
At work, things were awkward enough already. And the sad thing was, Jaden never saw it. Whenever I was with him, everyone was just terrific. They not only spoke to me, but occasionally smiled, too.
But when it was just me on my own, well, let's just say my reception was frosty at best.
I'd had plenty of jobs over the years, and I'd never experienced anything like this. Lately, it had been weighing on me more and more.
To Jaden, I replied, "Well of course you wouldn't mind. There's no downside for you."
"Meaning?"
"Well no one's gonna hassle you about it."
"Wanna bet?"
I frowned in confusion. "So someone's hassling you?"
"Yeah," he said. "And I'm talking to her."
"Oh, stop it. I'm not hassling you. I’m just letting you know how I feel."
"Yeah. And I'm letting you know that you're full of it.
"I am not," I said. "I just don't know if we should be doing both."
"Both what?"
"I mean sleeping together and working together." Desperately, I tried to think. "Remember way back, you offered me a transfer?"
"Yeah. So?"
Reluctantly, I said, "So maybe it's something we should consider."
"Or maybe," he said, "you should stop giving two shits about what other people think."
I wanted to scream. This was just like him. "That's easy for you to say. You're the boss."
"Of you?" He gave a low scoff. "That'll be the day."
"I didn't mean of me. I meant of everyone else."
"If they don't like it, fuck 'em."
I tried again. "But what about Darla?"
"What about her?"
"Well, you can't be so blasé about that."
"I already told you," he said, "we'll work it out. She's family. It's different."
"I know, but…" I hesitated. "Don't you think it would be better if I didn't work here?"
"I'm thinking plenty," he said, "but that's not it."
"Okaaaaay. So what are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking, you need to get over it."
I felt my jaw clench. "Get over it?"
"Yeah," he said. "Get over it."
Now, I couldn’t help but scoff. "Thanks for your understanding."
"You're welcome."
I made a sound of annoyance. "I wasn't serious."
"Good."
"What?"
"Good," he repeated, "because you're not quitting."
Through gritted teeth, I said, "I meant, I wasn't serious about thanking you."
"Yeah? Too late now."
Normally, I'd find this amusing. But between the rent thing and what Luna had told me, I realized that things weren't nearly as simple as he made it sound.
I still hadn't told him about Luna's visit, but there was a very good reason for that. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wasn't a conversation for over the phone.
Cripes, maybe I should've waited for this conversation, too. But in all honesty, I'd figured we'd be able to discuss it like reasonable adults.
Apparently, I'd figured wrong. "You're impossible. You know that, right?"
"Yeah. And you love it."
"I don’t love it now."
"Eh, you'll love it when you get here."
Here. Meaning Hawaii. That was another issue.
I bit my lip. "Can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"About the Hawaii thing, am I coming as your assistant, or…?" I waited for him to fill in the blank. And when he didn't, I added, "Well, you know."
"No. I don't."
I felt my fingers clench around the phone. Jaden was not stupid, so why wasn't he reading between the lines? Did he want me to spell it out?
When he said nothing else, I tried again. "I just mean, is this trip something that I'd be coming on either way? Or are you just bringing me because there's something going on between us?"
"Does it matter?"
"Yes. It does, actually."
"Why?"
"Well, maybe I don't want you paying me for that."
He gave a hard scoff. "That?"
Again, I lowered my voice. "You know."
He paused for a long moment before saying, "You think I'm paying to fuck you?"
Heat flooded my face. "God, do you have to be so crude?"
"Yeah. I do. And you wanna know why?"
"Why?"
"Because that's what you were getting at. And it's bullshit."
"It is not 'bullshit,'" I said. "It's a valid concern."
"Not to me."
I felt like we were going around in circles. "Of course it's not to you. You're the one paying."
This was true in more ways than one. Not only was he paying me on the job, he was also subsidizing my rent and paying for my vehicle. Until now, I hadn't given it much thought. But of course, I'd only learned about the rent situation yesterday.
Was that the tipping point?
Abruptly, he said, "What is it?"
"What's what?"
"What's eating you?"
I made a sound of frustration. "I've been trying to explain, but you're not listening."
"So try again."
I was losing my patience. "Maybe you should try again."
"What are you getting at?"
"I'm just saying, I've explained it already, but you're refusing to understand."
"Alright," he said. "Let me cut to the chase. Are you coming or not?"
I swallowed. "Do you mean to Hawaii?"
If he'd asked me that question even ten minutes ago, the answer would've been a quick and easy yes. But now, I wasn't so sure. This conversation hadn't gone anything like I'd hoped.
When he made no reply, I asked, "Do you want me to?"
"Just answer the question."
"Why should I?" I said. "You didn’t answer mine." For his benefit, I repeated it. "Do you want me to come?"
"If I didn’t, I wouldn't've invited you."
As far as a reply, it wasn't warm and fuzzy. Cripes, it wasn't even welcoming. I murmured, "Then the answer is…I guess I don’t know."
His voice grew flat and cold. "You don't know."
"No. I don't."
"Yeah? Well, tell me when you do." And with that, he hung up. Afterward, I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at the receiver.
What had just happened?
I wasn't quite sure.
But whatever it was, I didn't like it.
Chapter 70
The next two days were horribly tense. At least twice a day, Jaden called in for his messages. And, at least twice a day, I gave them to him with only minimal commentary. At the end of every call, he'd ask me the same maddening question. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"
I knew what he wanted me to say – that I wasn't quitting and that I'd be there in Hawaii as originally planned.
But there were things that I wanted him to say, too – that he understood my concerns and that the trip to Hawaii was nothing in the big scheme of things. But the way he was acting, like it was some do-or-die thing, well, it made me feel a little strange.
After all, he'd practically admitted that it wasn't truly a work trip. And if he only wanted me there for my company, then why wasn't he being more understanding about it?
On top of that, he wasn't even calling me at night, in spite of the fact that we usually talked all the time, even when he was out of town.
By the time Wednesday afternoon rolled around, I was feeling seriously stressed about the whole thing. Supposedly, my flight left at six o'clock tomorrow, which meant that I was running out of time to make an official decision.
On top of that, I hadn't even packed, mostly because I wasn't sure whether or not I'd be going.
As the afternoon dragged on, I kept glancing at my phone – meaning my work phone, where Jaden would be calling in for his messages. Normally, he called by four o'clock, but already, it was nearly five.
Still, I waited.
Five o'clock came and went.
No call.
Finally, at six, I began gathering my things to leave for the day.
Whether Jaden realized it or not, the last two days had only confirmed what I'd been thinking all week.
I couldn’t continue to work here.
Everything was so twisted up with my own personal feelings that I was having a hard time acting remotely professional. I couldn’t help but recall how I'd acted when Luna had shown up out of the blue.
I'd almost lost it.
Was that how a normal employee behaved?
No. It wasn't.
I was just heading out of my office when I heard the phone ringing at my desk. I dropped my stuff and practically sprinted to pick it up.
It was Jaden.
Thank God.
But then, he skipped the whole message thing entirely and went straight to the point. "Time's up."
I frowned. "What?"
"The flight leaves tomorrow. Are you gonna be on it or not?"
I felt my jaw clench. "Well, hello to you, too."
In a tight voice, he said, "Hello. Now answer the question."
Even for Jaden, this was so unacceptable. I said, "And what if the answer's no? What then?"
His only reply was a muttered curse.
I said, "Oh, that's nice."
"If you want nice," he said, "you've got the wrong guy."
I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to think. It was true that part of the reason I loved him was that he wasn't Mister Softie, but did he have to rub my nose in it?
I heard myself say, "Or maybe you have the wrong girl."
"What?"
"I'm just saying, it cuts both ways."
"Alright. If that's the way you want it."
I made a sound of frustration. "No. It's not the way I want it. Haven't you been listening?"
"I've heard plenty."
His attitude was beyond infuriating. It was like talking to a brick wall. "Alright," I said, "here's something you haven't heard. Do you know that no one here ever talks to me?"
He paused. "What?"
"Yeah. That's right. Oh sure, they're perfectly lovely whenever I'm with you. But when I’m on my own? Cripes, they might as well spit on me." My voice rose. "Haven't you noticed that I have no friends? That no one except Morgan ever stops by my office to pass the time? That I'm not invited to any party for cake or whatever?"
Sounding genuinely surprised, he said, "What are you talking about?"
"Well, like for Tessa's baby shower, the one they held in the break room – only one person on the whole floor wasn't invited." At the memory, my voice grew very quiet. "Me."
Jaden was silent for a long moment. And then, more gently now, he said, "Come on. You couldn’t've been the only one."
"I was too," I replied. "Name one other person who wasn't invited."
He gave a low scoff. "Me."
I felt like screaming. "Was that a joke? You do know they only invited women, right?"
In a way, it was a real shame they'd done it that way. If they'd invited guys, too, I definitely would've been invited, if only because I'd be at Jaden's side.
They'd never snub him.
As the silence stretched out between us, a horrible thought occurred to me. Maybe that was the reason they'd had an all-girls shower in the first place, so they wouldn't need to include me at all.
Oh, crap.
It probably was.
On the phone, Jaden said something that I didn't quite catch, probably because somewhere along the line, I'd stopped listening. Absently, I murmured, "What?"
His voice softened. "Allie, just get on the flight, okay?"
It was the closest he'd come to actually asking me. Unfortunately, I was too far gone to care. "No."
"What?"
"No," I repeated. "And you know what else?" Before he could respond, I'd already said it. "I quit." And with that, I hung up.
Chapter 71
I didn't know what I was expecting, but utter silence wasn't it.
Yes, I realized that I'd been the one to hang up, but stupidly, I'd been thinking that he'd at least call later on, if only to ask if I was serious about quitting.
And the answer to that question?
Yes. I was.
I had to.
Unfortunately, this meant that now, I'd need to find another job.
But that wasn't the thing that had me crying into my pillow. It was the idea that Jaden and I might be finished. In spite of everything that I'd believed and felt for last few months, maybe it was just a work fling.
I mean, it wasn't a fling for me. But everything about this past week had served as a grim reminder that Jaden held all the cards. He was my boss. And my lover. And, aside from Cassidy, my very best friend.
Now, I didn't know if he remained any of these things.
At least a hundred times that night, I debated calling him to ask. But each time, I stopped myself at the recollection that I'd already tried repeatedly to tell him how I felt. And he simply hadn't cared.
It was b
eyond heartbreaking.
Now, I wasn't sure what to do, even about work. Sure, I'd already quit, but it was standard practice to give at least a two-week notice. Should I keep working until the two weeks were up? Or stop showing up immediately?
In the end, I decided that I'd keeping working at least until Jaden returned, at which point, we could discuss some sort of transition – assuming that we'd be talking at all.
The next morning, I slouched into the office bleary eyed and somber. Maybe it was something in the air, because a definite gloom had settled over Cassidy and Jax, too.
Over the last few days, she'd been nearly as grim and quiet as I'd felt. Meanwhile, in the office, Jax wasn't looking much better. I didn’t know what exactly was going on, and I didn't dare ask – because I was pretty sure that if I did, I'd only end up crying about Jaden.
And I definitely didn't want to do that – at least not where anyone could see.
The day dragged on with no call from Jaden whatsoever, not even to get his messages. Then again, I reminded myself, he probably didn't even realize that I was at my desk.
I tried to think. If he stuck to his original schedule, he wouldn't be returning for at least a week. It felt like forever.
All day long, I kept glancing at my office clock. If it weren't for those arguments, I'd be leaving for Hawaii at six. Now, I was going nowhere fast.
I hadn't even mentioned to Cassidy that the trip was off, mostly because she obviously had troubles of her own. But she'd discover the change soon enough when she returned from work to find me not in Hawaii, but rather, sulking on the sofa.
Or my bed.
Or wherever.
A sad sigh escaped my lips. If only I'd kept my mouth shut until Jaden and I could talk in person, maybe things would've turned out differently.
Then again, restraint had never been my strong suit.
At five o'clock, I gathered up my things and began the lonely walk to my truck.
It's not that the building was empty. In fact, it was bustling with people leaving for the day. But it was lonely for me as everyone I passed avoided making even basic eye-contact.
Fine.
They could snub me all they wanted. And in two weeks – or maybe less – they could forget me entirely, because I wouldn't be around.
So I did what I always did. I kept my chin up and eyes straight ahead – trudging down the hall outside the executive suite, standing silently on the elevator, and finally, crossing the main lobby on the ground floor.
One Bad Idea: A Billionaire Loathing-to-Love Romance Page 29