His Brother's Wife

by Mia Ford

  “Me, too,” I said, biting into a strip of bacon. “At least you didn’t go home with that creepy guy at the bar last night.”

  “Oh, my God.” She laughed. “Mr. Plaid-Shirt-and-Matching-Socks? My drunk goggles were on high alert last night. I am positive I would have come out of his apartment this morning as a brand new lampshade. That dude was crazy weird. I wouldn’t have cared if you lived in New Jersey, I was determined to get to your house and not to his.”

  “I do have to say he was persistent.” I laughed.

  “Yeah,” she scoffed. “Looking for his next victim to show his comic book figurine collection to.”

  “You could have been the next cosplay girl at the Star Trek convention,” I replied.

  “God, could you imagine me in that scenario?” She laughed loudly. “I would totally have been wasted, stumbling across the stage in purple body makeup and fake ears.”

  “It would have been amazing.” I giggled.

  “Ahh, yes, so much for lost chances,” she said sarcastically.

  We talked at length about the evening, the crazy dude at the bar, and the kiss that she apparently didn’t miss, even though she had been completely wasted. We touched a little more on Jason before we both made our way back to the beds in my room and the spare room and collapsed. She fell asleep almost instantly, but I laid there awake thinking about Jason and what Mona had said to me. I knew she was right, but it was so hard to admit since it felt so good to have him wrapped up in my life. At first, I’d thought it was just the familiarity of the family, having him around just like I did when I’d been married to Jordan. As things progressed, I knew that wasn’t true. I knew it was more than that, and life seemed totally different when he and I were with each other. When we were alone, I didn’t even think of him as a Banks. I thought of him as Jason, the incredibly sweet man who I couldn’t keep my hands off of. After the initial attraction had been satiated with hot sex, then had come the rush of emotions I hadn’t expected at all. I hadn’t even imagined I could fall for him in any way, shape, or form.

  I turned over and looked at my phone as it began to ring, smiling at Jason’s number popping up on the screen. I cleared my throat and pressed the button, excited to hear from him. I tried to keep Mona’s words present in my mind as I answered.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he said, obviously wide awake.

  “Hey there,” I said sleepily.

  “I won’t keep you long,” he said. “I know you guys are probably hung over, but I wanted to see if you wanted to go to dinner at my parent's house tomorrow evening.”

  “Oh,” I said, Mona’s words echoing through my head. “I think that may be too much too soon.”

  “Okay,” he said with hesitation. “No problem. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “All right,” I replied, getting the impression he might be upset with me turning him down.

  We got off the phone, and I laid there, thinking about my choice. I tried texting him a couple of times, feeling bad about possibly hurting his feelings, but he didn’t answer me back. As soon as Mona had gotten up, I raced out to talk to her. She listened carefully as I explained what happened, telling her I thought she was right about everything, and I was trying to take it slowly. She smiled at me and rubbed my back, trying to make me feel better.

  “All I have to say, sweetie, like I said before, is you just need to be careful,” she whispered.

  She was right. I had gotten so wrapped up in the romance of it all that I couldn’t help but want to jump headfirst into everything. I needed to slow down and take my time, even if it affected us. Still, knowing that I had possibly hurt his feelings left me feeling slightly off. Being careful was proving to be much harder than it seemed.

  Chapter 15

  Jason

  It was Monday, and I was sitting at my desk staring at my computer screen. Work was the last place I wanted to be that day, but I really didn’t have any choice. I needed to be functioning and awake, ready to take on the challenges of the day. Instead, I was sitting there thinking about Friday night, Saturday morning, and Tiffany. Everything had seemed so perfect, and after that kiss, I’d thought for sure she would be ready to come out to the family that we were together. After she told me it was all too much too soon, I had sunk down into my thoughts and hadn’t even texted her back yet. There were several times I picked up my phone and stared at the messages, knowing I didn’t want to leave her hanging, but my pride was hurt, and I couldn’t seem to gather my thoughts well enough to get the words out. I probably wrote out ten different messages over the course of two days and never sent any of them. I was hurt and worried at the same time, something that was more than a bit confusing.

  I knew it was probably hurtful to her that I had bailed like that. I had worked so hard to protect her from getting hurt that I felt terrible about blowing her off, but I needed time to think about everything. I guess I had gotten ahead of myself in my thoughts with us and my family. I ended up not even going to dinner, telling everyone that I wasn’t feeling well. When Tiffany said she didn’t want to go with me, I couldn’t help feeling rejected, having tried so hard to make her feel comfortable and loved. It crossed my mind that it could have something to do with Jordan and how he’d picked up a girl at the bar that night. She hadn’t responded in any way and had even told me about her revelation about their relationship, but I couldn’t help thinking maybe her lack of reaction had been my wishful thinking. I never thought I would be in a relationship with a girl where I was worried she could be thinking about my brother. I was starting to understand how tricky something like this could be. It wasn’t just about how other people viewed our relationship. It was also about how we viewed each other in the situation. As much as I didn’t want to find out she was thinking about Jordan, she probably, equally, didn’t want me to worry about it. I hadn’t really given a lot of thought about how all of this could affect us on the inside. Not everything was peaches and roses in this situation, and eventually, we would have to face that head-on.

  However, even if she had denied my invitation because of Jordan, I couldn’t really be mad about it. It was really wishful thinking, hoping that I could stepped into the picture and, all of a sudden, she no longer cared that she had just been brutally dumped. I guess it was hard for me to understand how any of that felt. After all, I was coming in with a fresh viewpoint, a fresh heart, and no hard feelings toward anyone. Well, at least not the kind of feelings that would hinder me from being in a relationship with someone. The last thing I wanted to do was push her further than she was ready to go or end up the rebound guy. If she did have leftover feelings for Jordan, which was completely possible because she’d thought she was in love and had been married to the guy, even if it was only for a short time, then we would handle those feelings as we went. I had to be open to the understanding that, as much as her revelation sounded great, it may have been a combination of her wanting to move on and the excitement of our relationship just getting started. I would need to understand that part of our lives and be able to handle it without taking it personally or assuming it was in any way showing of her lack of feelings for me. It was such a tricky situation, and I also didn’t think about how I needed to put Jordan’s feelings into the mix either. After seeing his lonely face at the bar, I had felt my first real tinge of guilt. Yes, it was quickly extinguished when Tiffany walked into the room, but that didn’t take away from the fact it was there for at least a moment. He had to be feeling something, and as much as I wanted to paint him as the evil guy, I knew my brother wasn’t a complete asshole. He put up a façade to make people think he didn’t care at all, but beneath the surface, I knew there was more going on in his head than any of really understood.

  I sighed and got up from my desk to grab a cup of coffee. Luckily, the office was quiet since my father had investor meetings all day and almost everyone was on call for him. I was left to man my station and get some work done. Work, however, was the last thing on my mind, and I had paced the hallways
at least five times since everyone had gone to the meetings. My brother would be back soon to take a break. He hated those meetings even more than my father and would use any excuse to nab a few minutes away. As I fixed my coffee, I glanced over at Tiffany’s dark office, wondering if she would ever actually come back to work. It was going to get interesting once she did. How the hell would that dynamic actually work? I guess either we would be faking it while at work, or everyone would know and hopefully all the kinks would be worked out. Either way, I hoped she came back soon, for both personal and professional reasons. She really did keep the office on its toes, and without her here, things were lagging behind. I knew my father saw it, especially with the temp having a hard time filling her shoes and taking three times as long to get the files together. Tiffany had spoiled the company with her determination and dedication, and that would be a really hard thing to find a replacement for.

  When I got back to my desk, I saw that I had received a new email from HR talking about the upcoming cocktail party the company was putting on. It was on Thursday, scheduled in celebration of the quarter ending, an impressively successful quarter. It was going to be a formal event in one of the large hotels in the city. Everyone from the office, the investors, and several of our biggest clients would be invited. There would be booze, food, dancing, and a lot of friendly conversation. I really wasn’t looking forward to it because I often spent most of the years past events explaining why I hadn’t brought a date. I was getting tired of the jokes made about it being past time for me to get on the marriage train. Obviously, marriage wasn’t a foolproof plan to happiness, and even Jordan, who had gotten married, wouldn’t make it to the cocktail party with a wife on his arm. No doubt that he would at least come with a date, though. He was smart enough to know that taking some girl with him was less of a headache than listening to the clients joke about your lack of matrimonial support.

  I sighed and tapped my finger on the button, knowing I would have to RSVP before my father caught wind that I hadn’t. Immediately, I thought about Tiffany and wondered if she already had plans to go to it. I took a deep breath and fished my phone out of my pocket and dialed Tiffany’s number. I hoped she wasn’t too angry at me for not returning her text messages. I was being a little bit sensitive about everything, and I knew I shouldn’t have been. To my surprise, she picked up on the first ring, her voice sounding relieved and settled. I guess I had affected her more than I thought I would. I started to feel bad about it.

  “Hey,” I said with a sorrowful tone.

  “Hey,” she replied with a happy voice.

  “I want to apologize for getting upset about you not wanting to eat with my parents,” I said. “It was really insensitive of me to not think it might be a little strange and maybe too much.”

  “It’s okay,” she sighed. “I’m sorry I was so blunt and short about it.”

  “You weren’t,” I replied. “I was just being sensitive. I blame the booze and lack of sleep.”

  “I can accept that,” she laughed. “So, what’s up?”

  “I wanted to see if you wanted to go the cocktail party for the end of the quarter?”

  “Of course,” she said. “I’m already signed up to go.”

  “Am I going to fight your date?”

  “No,” she laughed. “I am going solo with the hope there is a hot man waiting for me there. Preferably named Jason.”

  “That’s pretty specific.” I chuckled.

  “Yeah, you know me.” she giggled. “I like to plan out everything perfectly.”

  “I don’t blame you,” I replied, walking around the office. “Okay, well then, I will see you there.”

  “Absolutely,” she said before hanging up.

  I clicked the phone off and stood staring out the window, clutching the phone to my chest. I was relieved she wasn’t upset with me, but at the same time, I still wondered what was going on in her head. Was she really okay with my apology? Had she said no to dinner because of the speed things were going or was it because of Jordan? Speaking of Jordan, my attention turned quickly as I heard him clear his throat behind me in the doorway. I turned quickly and smiled, wondering how long he had been standing there.

  “So, is the new girl coming to meet us at the cocktail party?”

  “I hope so,” I replied, thinking about Tiffany’s sweet face.

  “Good,” he said suspiciously. “I can’t wait to meet the girl that has taken my brother’s attention from everything.”

  I smiled nervously as he tapped the doorframe and walked from the room, looking me in the eye as he passed into the hallway. Fear dropped into the pit of my stomach wondering why he was acting so strange. Was it possible he knew what was going on but just wanted to confront it head on? The last thing we needed was for Jordan to lose it at the cocktail party. Not only would he embarrass the company, but he would put Tiffany through even more crap than she had already been through with him. On the other hand, the sooner he knew, the sooner he could start to work it out in his head. If Tiffany truly felt she and Jordan had not been meant for each other, then somewhere deep down, he had to have felt that, too. But knowing my brother, he was not looking deep down inside. Instead, he was looking only surface deep where anger and jealousy were mounting.

  I had always looked forward to the cocktail parties, mostly because I could remember going to them as a child and dancing the night away with my mother. My father had always turned these events into fun outings for the family, and he didn’t stop just because we had grown up. Now, I was going to get to share that with Tiffany, even if no one else knew about us. Sure, she had been to them before with Jordan, but he’d always left her sitting alone at the bar while he went perusing through the crowd, trying to make a name for himself. This time, she would be there with me, and I wanted her to have a blast.

  Chapter 16

  Tiffany

  My dress was sparkly and daring, unlike the extremely conservative dresses I had worn in the past. This year, I chose a short, black dress with a sparkling black lace overlay that showed not only cleavage but gave the illusion of an open back. My hair was wild and curly, tossed to the side and left to spiral down over my shoulders. I had done my makeup in a dark, sultry style with deep eyeliner, smoky eyeshadow, and a bright red lipstick to set off the entire ensemble. I’d encased my legs in silky, barely there thigh-highs and donned my black, six-inch heels, the ones that made my legs appear even longer. I wore a long over coat over my dress, and I couldn’t help but smirk as everyone stared when I took the coat off and checked it. In front of me, I clutched my small purse in my hands but tried not to fidget, wanting to look as calm and collected as possible. This was the first one of these I was coming to without a date since I had dated Jordan for pretty much my entire career at the company. It was nerve-racking, mostly because I knew what these people were whispering behind my back. I was the woman scorned, tossed to the side, and now, I was back, with a little sexy black dress. If it weren’t me they were gawking at, it would be almost comical.

  “Tiffany,” Lily called, waving and grabbing John by the hand. They maneuvered over to me, and Lily immediately hugged me. “John said he had seen you. You look absolutely amazing. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m okay.” I smiled. “Getting back on my feet. I feel better every day.”

  “I’m so glad.” She took me by the hands. “I’m sorry my son is such a jerk. We miss you so much.”

  “Awe, I miss you guys, too,” I sighed.

  “You need to start coming back to Sunday dinners,” she said. “Even if I have to kick Jordan out of them.”

  I laughed. “I wouldn’t ever expect you to do that. I think we are starting to come to a better place, so hopefully, one day soon, he will feel comfortable enough to have me around for them.”

  “Hey there,” Jason said, walking up in his black tuxedo. He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “It’s good to see you again. You look wonderful.”

  I blushed, looking down at how deli
cious he looked in his outfit. All I could think about was ripping his clothes off and doing him right here in the middle of the floor. I could feel the heat between my legs growing deeper and deeper, and it was excruciatingly hard for me to smile and play it off like I hadn’t just seen him last week fucking me from behind while I screamed out in ecstasy. But, knowing Lily was right there and everyone was watching, I smiled politely and thank him for the compliment, trying to turn my attention back to Mr. and Mrs. Banks. As they greeted other guests, I watched, standing next to Jason still, feeling the pull to be closer and closer to him. I moved to the left, my arm brushing his, and I could feel the electricity surging through my body. I hadn’t wanted someone that much in ages. This was proving to be a bit more difficult than I had thought it was going to be. Thankfully. they had an open bar at this event. Just as I was about to turn for a glass of champagne, Jordan walked in the room. He was arrogant as ever with his always-charming smile and walk that screamed superiority. I just wanted to punch him in the chin. Trailing behind him was the redhead we had seen leaving the bar with him, but this time, she was a bit more clothed, though not by much. She seemed timid and overwhelmed by the number of people who flocked in Jordan’s direction, and I immediately remembered the first time I had been in her shoes, though I think I handled it with a bit more class and without see-through stripper heels.

  I spent several hours mingling around the event, talking to different employees, meanwhile looking up across the room to catch Jason’s lustful gaze. Every time I saw him and our eyes met, I felt like the only girl in the entire room and was immediately flushed. There was even one moment where the person I was talking to asked if I was feeling alright since my cheeks turned red so fast. I laughed and excused myself to the bar to grab another drink. I didn’t want to be completely wasted but getting through these events on a normal basis was already nerve-racking. Add in my secret love affair, my ex-husband, and his slutty date, and I needed more than a glass of champagne. I ordered a glass of wine and a shot of tequila from the bartender and smiled as he handed me salt and a lime. I licked the salt off my hand, took the shot, and bit down on the lime, looking up as Jordan walked in front of me. I choked a bit and pulled the lime from my mouth, placing it on the napkin and sliding it toward the bartender.