Madeline’s smile broadened when she glanced up from the table in the corner of the Middle Eastern restaurant shortly before noon and saw James heading in her direction. It all but disappeared when she realized Jake was with him.
“I … well … this is a surprise,” Madeline said, forcing a smile for Jake’s benefit. “Are you having car trouble?”
James shook his head as he sat across from Madeline, making sure Jake was the one who would have to sit next to her. He knew what Madeline was trying to do and he refused to let her get under his skin. “Nope.”
“But … I thought it was just going to be the two of us,” Madeline said.
“I guess you were wrong,” James shot back, grabbing a menu from the center of the table. “What’s good here?”
“Ally and I have eaten here before,” Jake said. “Everything they have is good.”
“Mandy loves Middle Eastern food,” James said. “We had some the other day, but I should get two entrees to take home. She’s bringing Thai for dinner, but I plan on putting her through a workout and she might need a midnight snack.”
“She likes that spicy vegetable and rice dish,” Jake said. He knew James was playing a game, and while he often thought it was gauche to talk about sex in public, he didn’t blame James for making things clear and taking the conversation to an uncomfortable place right off the bat.
“She does like that dish,” James said, focusing on the menu. “You should get something for Ally, too.”
“I promised Ally Olive Garden tonight,” Jake replied. “That always puts her in a good mood, which puts me in a good mood.”
“Don’t make me thump you.”
“Am I missing something?” Madeline asked, tapping her perfectly manicured fingernails on the tabletop. “Why are both of you here?”
James plastered a confused look on his face. “You said you had something important to talk with me about regarding the computer system at the spa. Jake is the one in charge of the job, so I thought it fitting he be here for the meeting. Is there something wrong with that?”
“Of course not,” Madeline said. “I … um … was under the impression it would be just the two of us today. I guess I was mistaken.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” James said, his tone purposely breezy. “I’m getting the beef kebab.”
“Me, too,” Jake said. “I love beef.”
“Don’t say that in front of Ally,” James warned. “I said it in front of Mandy and now she won’t let me forget it. I think that’s why she made the suggestion with the chickens.”
“I think she made that suggestion to mess with you,” Jake clarified. “She enjoys messing with you.”
“I enjoy it, too,” James said.
“Is that what this is about?” Madeline asked, her patience wearing thin. “Are you afraid to be alone with me because your wife wouldn’t like it?”
“Why would my wife care?” James asked, feigning innocence.
“Well, she’s obviously insecure,” Madeline said. “That has to be the explanation.”
“Mandy has nothing to be insecure about,” James argued. “She knows I love her more than anything so I’m not sure why she would be upset about the three of us having lunch together.”
“It was supposed to be the two of us until you invited Jake in an effort to protect your wife’s delicate feelings,” Madeline snapped.
“I don’t think that’s true,” James said. “You sent me a text that you needed to talk about security and Jake is the head of your security team so I brought him. There was never any mention about it being the two of us. I wouldn’t have agreed to come if that was the case.”
Madeline pursed her lips as she scanned the restaurant. “I know what you’re doing.”
“That’s good,” James said. “I know what you’re doing, too. Now we’re on even footing.”
Jake ran his tongue over his teeth as he leaned back in his chair and enjoyed the show. It was only going to get better once Ally put her part of the plan in motion. Of course, James was in the dark about that. What he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him.
“Jake, do you mind if James and I have a moment alone?” Madeline asked, her voice positively dripping with sugary sweetness.
“I’m good here,” Jake said, rolling his neck until it cracked.
“But … .” Madeline was frustrated.
“Hey, Madeline, there’s no way Jake is leaving this table without me,” James said. “I know you’re hoping to get a photo of us having lunch together – and you’re hoping it looks cozy enough to use as ammunition – but it’s not going to happen.”
Madeline balked. “What are you talking about?”
James pointed toward the strange man skulking in the shadows by the bar. “He’s been watching us since we walked in,” he said. “You exchanged a look and shrug when you realized Jake was with me. Whatever your plan was, it went up in smoke because you can’t get a photo to use against my wife.”
“I am insulted by the insinuation!”
“No, you’re not,” James countered. “Madeline, you seem to forget that I’m used to your machinations. I had to get a restraining order because you lost it when I broke up with you. I’m not an idiot.”
“Apparently you are an idiot if you had a restraining order against her and still took a job from her knowing she was crazy,” Jake pointed out, causing James to scowl. “I’m just saying … you’re stupid sometimes.”
“Thank you, Jake.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“This isn’t going to work,” Madeline said, her voice growing shrill. “I know exactly what you’re doing and I’m not going to stand for it. You know darned well you still have feelings for me. You might want to pretend you don’t so that … horrible thing … you married doesn’t get upset. I know you still have feelings for me, though.”
“The only feeling I have for you is pity,” James shot back. “Actually, that’s not true. I also feel regret.”
Madeline’s expression was murderous. “Do you think you’re going to be happy with … that woman … for the rest of your life?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” James was unperturbed by Madeline’s obvious unraveling. In truth, he was hopeful she would storm out and relieve him of his security duty at her spa.
“What happened to you?” Madeline asked. “You used to be larger than life. You used to be strong. You used to be sexy. Now you’re … whipped.”
“I can live with that,” James said. “As long as my wife is the one doing the whipping, I’m perfectly fine with it.”
“Oh, you say the sweetest things, baby,” Mandy said, popping up from the shadows and placing a hand on James’ shoulder.
James cringed at her appearance. He was convinced Madeline arranged it so she would show up and misunderstand and now he was left grasping for an explanation that wouldn’t set her off. “Baby, I have it under control. I promise.”
“I know,” Mandy said, squeezing his shoulder. “Jake called Ally and told her what was going on.”
“And I called Mandy,” Ally said, grinning as she leaned over Madeline’s shoulder. “And we decided to take care of this problem on our own.”
James shot a dark look in Jake’s direction. “You called my wife?”
“Technically I called your sister,” Jake clarified. “She called Mandy.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re too nice of a guy and you were worried about hurting Mandy,” Jake answered. “I knew Mandy wouldn’t want that. I thought you were underestimating Madeline’s plan, and I wanted to make sure every angle was covered.”
“And you did that by inviting my wife and sister to claw Madeline’s eyes out?”
Jake shrugged. “I wanted your bases covered. Fire me if you don’t like it.”
“Don’t you even think about firing him,” Ally threatened, extending a finger in James’ direction. “He did the right thing. You were way out of your depth on this one.”
&
nbsp; James shifted a helpless look in Mandy’s direction. “I brought Jake. I saw the photographer in the corner. I had it under control. I wouldn’t have let her hurt you.”
“I know,” Mandy said. “Jake is right, though. You’re too nice of a guy sometimes. Madeline was going to get what she wanted no matter what. Jake did the right thing. I don’t want you hurt in this, and I worry I put too much pressure on you this morning.”
“No. The pressure you put on me in the shower was nice.”
Mandy smirked. “It’s going to be okay.”
James shook his head as she repeated his own words back to him. “I’m supposed to take care of you.”
“I thought the deal with marriage is that we were supposed to take care of each other,” Mandy countered. “Those are the vows I remember exchanging.”
“Oh, this is so sweet I want to puke,” Madeline said.
“Well, there’s a filthy toilet in the bathroom that I would love to dunk your head in, so maybe we can both get what we want,” Ally suggested, causing Jake to snicker.
“I know why you’re here,” Madeline said, crossing her arms over her chest and locking gazes with Mandy. “You’re worried that I’m going to steal your husband.”
“You can’t steal someone from someone else,” Mandy argued. “James is mine, but he’s not a possession that can be stolen. We belong to each other. I’m not particularly worried about you because I know that James loves me and would never leave me.”
James’ heart swelled at the words. “I think we should go home and have sex.”
Mandy rolled her eyes. “I have to go back to work.”
“Come on, wife! That was the one thing I’ve been waiting to hear from you since I did the terrible thing.”
“What terrible thing?” Madeline asked, leaning forward.
“Don’t worry about it,” James snapped. “Come on, Mandy. You can’t deny me this.”
Mandy opened her mouth to argue, and then snapped it shut. “Why don’t you come to work with me this afternoon? There’s going to be a lot of breaks because the lawyers are going to be jockeying with motions. I don’t even have to be in the courtroom for some of it.”
“Sold,” James said, hopping up from the table and tossing his keys in Jake’s direction. “You can take my Explorer back to the office. I’ll ride home with Mandy.”
Jake rolled his eyes. “You two are really sick.”
“Wait a second!” Madeline slapped her hand down on the table. “You can’t just walk away. We have a business relationship.”
“Our business relationship is done,” Jake said. “I finished installing everything this morning and then I contracted with another local security team to take over monitoring. If you have a problem with them, it’s on you. Our business is finished and I will send out an invoice this afternoon.”
Madeline was flabbergasted. “But you said it would take a few more days.”
“I was highly motivated,” Jake said. “I worked hard and got a little help from a Hardy brother.”
James smirked as he slung his arm over Mandy’s shoulders. “Grady?”
“He went out of his way to get the equipment after leaving your house yesterday,” Jake confirmed. “He was in a good mood, even though he said he was horrified because he saw Mandy’s butt.”
“Grady saw your butt?” Ally asked, making a face. “You didn’t tell me that.”
“I wasn’t sure,” Mandy said. “It was dark.”
“Well, we’ll pay him back,” Ally said. “I’ve been thinking about sneaking in his house and putting a bald cap on him so when he wakes up he’ll think all of his gorgeous hair is gone.”
“I’m not doing that after he did so much for me,” Mandy said. “Have you seen the new guesthouse?”
“I have,” Ally said. “I’m glad you finally have, too.”
“Let’s go, wife,” James said, tugging on Mandy’s hand. “If we hurry we can get hot dogs at the stand in front of the courthouse and lock ourselves in your office for a half-hour before you have to go in for the afternoon session.”
“Fine,” Mandy said. “At least they’re real beef hot dogs. I know how you love your beef.”
“See,” James said, exchanging an amused look with Jake.
“Wait … this isn’t over,” Madeline said.
“It is over,” Mandy shot back, leaning over the table and fixing Madeline with a harsh look. “With your background, you can’t afford for the cops to be called when you’re trespassing. If you show up at our house, we’re calling the cops. If you show up at my place of business, I’m calling the cops.”
“If you show up at my place of business, I’m calling the cops,” James added. “You can’t afford a second restraining order, and we happen to know a few judges if it becomes an issue.”
“You’re going to be sorry you did this,” Madeline threatened. “You do not want to mess with me.”
“No, I definitely don’t want to mess with you,” James agreed. “Come on, baby. Let’s celebrate.”
“Don’t go near my husband,” Mandy said, wagging a warning finger. “I’m not going to put up with it. You caught me at a bad time and I was off my game, but I will not sit back and watch you play games with my family. This is over.”
“This is pretty far from over,” Madeline seethed.
“I still want to dunk your head in the toilet,” Ally said. “We can do that before it’s officially over if you want.”
“Oh, I love you, angel,” Jake said, his shoulders shaking. “Sit down and I’ll buy you lunch.”
12
Twelve
“That was fun,” James said thirty minutes later, tugging his hand through his hair as he studied his reflection in the mirror behind Mandy’s desk. “How many times do you think we can repeat that during your breaks?”
Mandy wanted to be annoyed with James’ swagger, but she couldn’t muster the energy as she smoothed her skirt down. “There’s nothing on the back of my skirt, right? You were very … enthusiastic … and I don’t want anyone to know what we were doing.”
“Let me see,” James said, moving behind her and cupping her rear. “It’s perfect.”
“Ha, ha,” Mandy intoned. “Please check.”
“It’s fine, baby,” James said. “You look perfectly put together. No one will ever suspect what we were doing for the last fifteen minutes.”
Mandy couldn’t help but return James’ broad smile. Her shoulders felt lighter, as if the weight of the world had been dragging her down and was now suddenly absent. “I’m glad Madeline is out of our lives. Does that make me sound petty?”
“Why would that make you sound petty?”
“She’s … sad,” Mandy said. “She’s desperate for someone to love her. I think she’s been holding a torch for you for a very long time. I know how it feels to love you and not have you return the feelings. I can’t help but feel a little sorry for her.”
James snorted. “Baby, that’s not even remotely the same thing,” he argued. “You were fourteen and pining after an eighteen-year-old idiot. Madeline was in her twenties and knew I would never have feelings for her. Those are not the same situations at all.”
“I’m sure in her head Madeline knew you didn’t love her,” Mandy said. “I’m also sure that in her heart she hoped she could change things.”
“That’s not my fault.”
“I didn’t say it was your fault,” Mandy clarified. “I just understand what it’s like to pine for you.”
“Oh, so cute,” James said, wrapping his arms around Mandy’s waist and burying his face in her hair. “Baby, I want to thank you for what you said at the restaurant. You gave me everything I ever wanted today.”
“I meant it,” Mandy said. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it before. I didn’t realize how much you needed to hear it.”
“I needed to hear it when you meant it,” James said. “I didn’t want you to say it if you didn’t mean it. Ever since I left you that first night, I’
ve regretted hurting you more than you can ever understand. I’m not big on taking things back because I think things work out how they’re meant to, but I would take that back.”
“I know.” Mandy hoisted herself up on her toes and offered James a soft kiss. “I know you would never leave me. I know you love me.”
“Good,” James said. “I’m not sure about a lot in this life, but I am sure of that.”
“I love you.”
“I love you more, baby.”
They exchanged another kiss and then Mandy ruefully glanced at the clock. “I have to go to the courtroom. Are you sure you’re not going to be bored?”
James shrugged. “It’s a trial for a notorious money launderer and murderer and I’ll have you to look at. How could I possibly be bored?” James opened the door and immediately took a step back when he saw Heidi standing on the other side. “Hello.”
Heidi’s smile was mischievous. “Hello.”
“You know, don’t you?” Mandy was mortified.
“Oh, everyone knows,” Heidi said, a wide grin splitting her round face. “Linda from the law library saw you two scamper in here and slam the door shut. James had ‘imminent sex’ written all over his face.”
“Well, the best-laid plans,” Mandy muttered.
“Baby, I’m sorry,” James said. He wasn’t sorry about the sex, but he knew his wife was diligent about her professionalism. “I … .”
Mandy cut him off. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not like everyone didn’t know we were having tons of sex. It’s a running joke in the registrar’s office on the main floor. They claim they can tell by the way I walk how much sex we’ve had the night before.”
“I look good in that scenario, right?”
Mandy rolled her eyes. “Unfortunately you always look good. That’s how I got in this mess in the first place.”
THE afternoon session was tenser than Mandy expected and the prosecutor Eric Donovan faced off with the defense attorney Russ Thorpe so many times Mandy worried they would come to blows.
Despite her promise to James, she had to remain in the courtroom because every argument Donovan and Thorpe engaged in was so persnickety they couldn’t agree to anything behind closed doors.
If James was bothered by his plans evaporating, he didn’t show it. He seemed intrigued by the legal maneuverings and he spent the entire afternoon listening to ridiculous arguments and happily chatting with the security guard between monotonous speeches.
Deadly Rivalry (Hardy Brothers Security Book 17) Page 9