He gets to his feet and shakes his head when I attempt to get to mine. “Just stay there. I know my way out.” Then he gives me a look of concern. “Are you good? I can always stay if you need me to.” He raises his hand and points behind him. Years ago, that was our unspoken sign for “I’ve got your back.” It’s something we still randomly do after all these years and neither of us has ever forgotten it. As much as he loves his wife and kids, I know he’d give his life for me as I would for him.
“I’m fine, Pete.” We share a brief hug, and I feel strangely forlorn when the quiet surrounds me once more. Shaking it off, I manage to stumble to the bathroom, and then make it to my bed. As the room spins around me, I think of her—why is it fucking always her?
7
Liza
“I swear I could sit here and look at hot daddy all day.” Rose sighs as she stares at Lee. I’m grinding my teeth and fighting the urge to do something crazy like pull her hair for gawking at my man when she suddenly switches her attention to me. I can tell by the smirk that settles over her face that she’s picked up on my jealousy and is amused by it. “Remind me again why you’re not all over that.” She shakes her head as if I’ve gravely disappointed her.
“Remind me again why you’re lusting after Lee when you’re engaged to Max,” I snap.
Lia laughs softly before bumping her friend on the shoulder with her fist. “I guess she told you, Perv. Haven’t we discussed how creepy it is that you’re constantly ogling my father?”
Rose rolls her eyes before pointing at the object of her obsession. “Give me a break. Your daddy looks like freaking Brad Pitt—only hotter. It might be weird for you to notice it, Lia, but I’m betting you haven’t missed it, Liza—am I right?”
The anger drains out of me, and I find myself giggling and no doubt blushing. Yep, guilty as charged. “It would be a little hard to miss it,” I admit. “And he’s way more attractive than Brad Pitt.”
“You’re damn right he is.” Rose nods. “Can you even imagine how he’d be in bed?” She fans herself quickly. “I get chest pains thinking about it.”
Lia makes a gagging noise, and I put a hand on her arm in sympathy. I remember what a surprise it had been for all of us to find out Lee had a grown daughter. I had watched him closely, wondering what he’d do. After the initial understandably shock, he threw enormous effort into being there for Lia. Some men would have turned a blind eye and believed it wasn’t worth the bother, but not Lee Jacks. The love I’ve seen in his eyes toward his daughter has not only impressed me but also has, at times, almost made me jealous. My dad has known about me since birth, but I’ve never seen the pride and affection in his eyes that Lee has toward Lia. Buying the company that they now run together was just one of many things he’s initiated to connect with her. He’s so very proud of the beautiful, intelligent woman before me. His eyes light up when he talks about her. In a strange way, it’s given me hope to know that he is capable of that type of love. Before I can comment, Lee walks up and raises a brow in inquiry when we all look at him with varying degrees of guilt. He drops a kiss on Lia’s forehead before asking, “Have I missed something important?”
“God, no.” Lia shudders. “Trust me, it’s nothing you want me to repeat.”
He shrugs, giving her an affectionate smile. “If you say so. How’s Lara? I was hoping you’d bring her with you this morning.”
Lia beams at her father as they discuss her daughter. “She’s teething, so she would have probably raised holy hell during the meeting. You know you’re always welcome to stop by, though, Dad. She loves seeing you.”
I see Lee swallow audibly when Lia calls him Dad—and he’s not alone. I’m battling a lump in my throat as well. I couldn’t be happier that he’s no longer on the sidelines while his brother has a family. I realize that it was a choice he made, but life has a funny way of changing all that when you least expect it. “I’ll drop in soon, honey,” he promises. He shoots me a wary look before adding, “If everyone is ready, let’s get started. I have a lunch meeting after this.”
I fight the urge to laugh as Lee reluctantly pulls out a chair at the conference room table for me before taking the one next to it. Since the whole fiasco in his office yesterday, he’s been treating me like a ticking bomb he expects to go off at any second. I’d love nothing more than to jerk his chain, but I’m not sure how he’d react if I were to crawl onto the table and start stripping. He certainly lost it over the coffee spill. I’ve worked for him long enough to understand how he is about order, but he freaked out a little more than I expected. Not that it would stop me from doing it again—but still, watching him struggle for control was as fascinating as it was scary. I set my phone in front of me and push the recorder application on it. “Boy, do I love this sucker,” I say enthusiastically as I point at my iPhone.
“Liza, you’re supposed to be taking notes instead of texting,” he says in disbelief as he stares at the neon-pink case with the black zebra stripes across it.
I shake my head. “Nah, that’s old school and a complete waste of my time. You see, this baby can be used like you would a cassette recorder.” I point at the image of a cassette tape on the screen. “Plus, I don’t have to listen to any of this because I can do that later. And I can send the recording to you as well if a question arises.”
His mouth moves in a way that’s comical, but no words come out. Finally, he pinches the bridge of his nose in the way that he always does when he’s frustrated. I can just imagine him counting to three in his head as he struggles for control. “Taking notes is your job. I realize it’s asking a lot, but surely, you could focus in on the meeting for an hour.”
“Sure”—I nod— “but what I’m trying to tell you is that it’s not necessary.” I give him a bright smile and turn away from his glare only to lock gazes with an amused Rose.
“I totally underestimated you,” she murmurs. “It’s not exactly the route I would have picked, but you’ve certainly got his attention.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mouth back, then ruin the denial by winking.
“If he doesn’t kill you first, this might just work.” She wiggles her brows. “Let’s do lunch soon so we can make some plans.”
The meeting is called to order, and despite what I told Lee, I follow every word as usual. Although when he looks my way, I pretend to be studying my nails. At one point, I even draw a tic-tac-toe board on a nearby legal pad and put a big X in the middle square before sliding it in front of him. He freezes for a moment before shocking the hell out of me by putting an O in a nearby box. We finish that game—and three more—and I admire the fact that he never misses a beat again—following along with the meeting while beating me in every single game. It’s a sad commentary on my romantic life that this is one of the coolest things to ever happen to me. I would have never believed Lee capable of participating in something so silly. If I wasn’t already in love with the man, I would be now. I take a sip of water just as he passes the notepad back to me and then begin to choke when I read what he’s written below the game board. “I want to lay you out on this table, bury my face between your legs, and lick your pussy—right fucking now. Circle Yes or No.” Rose thumps me on the back, craning her neck to see what I’ve hastily put my hand over. “Are you okay?” Lee whispers in my ear, sounding vastly amused at my dilemma.
“I’m fine,” I hiss back. He begins to pull back, no doubt thinking he’s won this round. I reach out and grab his tie, halting his progress. His eyes widen in surprise as I mouth one word: yes. Then it hits me that the room has gone quiet. Please don’t let them be looking at me. Naturally my inner plea has fallen on deaf ears because when I glance around, everyone is focused on the interaction between us. This is why you don’t mess around with the boss. I’m considering crawling under the table when Lee tugs his tie from my hold and asks Lia for some figures as if nothing unusual has occurred. I sag back in my chair in relief only to feel his hand squeeze my knee briefly.
And this round belongs to him. I might have pushed his buttons yesterday, but Lee has changed the game today, and he knows it. My body is still throbbing from his naughty words, and I’m honestly hoping he means them. What would it be like to be so sexually overpowered by a man like Lee? To be devoured? I’m not brave enough to fall onto his desk with my legs spread to see if he follows through, though. But I’m thinking about it…
Then the meeting is over and Rose pulls me aside as we get to our feet. “Whatever you’re thinking, I say go for it. You two were obviously doing some type of dirty note play, and trust me, he was into it. I’ve never seen Lee be anything other than professional during these things, but you had him acting like a horny college boy.”
“He wasn’t rattled at all,” I say. “He picked right up where he left off, which is kind of insulting.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Rose smirks. “He’d already asked Lia for those exact figures once. And that’s not a mistake he’s ever made before.”
“Really?” My eyes widen in shock because she’s right. Lee doesn’t forget anything. And he’s far too impatient to repeat himself. Of course, if I’d been listening at all, I would have picked up on it myself. Hell, I wouldn’t have noticed if someone had stripped naked and started pole dancing in the corner. I’m beginning to really suck at my job.
I nearly jump out of my skin when a hand settles on my waist. “I’m running late for my next meeting,” Lee murmurs. “I’ll take a cab and leave the car for you.”
“I’m going in that direction, so I’ll drop Liza,” Lia offers. I give her a grateful smile and wait as Lee hugs her goodbye. He glances in my direction, nodding his head before leaving the room at a fast clip. Rose gives me a thumbs-up that has Lia laughing as we walk toward the elevator. She pushes a button for the parking garage, then shakes her head. “I can only imagine what advice Rose was giving you. Do yourself a favor. If she ever suggests going shopping, run for your life. Otherwise, you’ll probably pay a few thousand dollars for something a prostitute would be embarrassed to wear.”
She fills me in on the latest funny stories about Lara, and before I know it, we’re sliding into her Mercedes. “I love your car.” I sigh in pleasure as I run a hand over the soft leather interior. “It’s like the much prettier cousin to my Honda.” I laugh.
Lia rolls her eyes before shaking her head ruefully. “It’s one of the few battles I’ve managed to win with Luc. Throw in my overprotective dad, and I usually don’t stand a chance. Luc wants me to use Sam for everything, but that’s just absurd. At the most, I run a few errands and come to work. Luc spends a lot of his time in the car, and he’s always used it to return calls and prepare for meetings. Now I ask you, who needs the driver and who doesn’t?”
“I see your point. I don’t know your husband that well, but I understand the reasoning behind it. They’re both afraid of something happening to you.” I hesitate, but decide not to add the last part to my sentence.
“You mean again, right?” I nod, before reaching out to briefly touch her arm. “I’m so sorry about that. I realize you didn’t know your father at that time, but I want you to know that he nearly lost it when he found out. He’s usually so calm and controlled—but not then. I had never seen him so enraged. Furious. He was yelling abuse and firing anyone in his path. Pete was the only one able to calm him. If you call it that.”
“I really despise that we all have to live with those memories,” Lia whispers as she stares forward. It’s clear her mind is elsewhere as her hands tighten and release on the wheel. I wonder if she’s even aware that we haven’t left the parking deck yet. “Luc still has nightmares about finding me.” She lets out a laugh completely devoid of humor before adding, “He finally stopped having night terrors about Cassie, and they’re replaced with ones about me. The poor man can’t catch a break.”
“Have you thought about seeing a therapist?” I ask gently, not wanting to offend her. You should probably take your own advice.
She nods. “We do see someone, and it really has helped a lot. It’s going to be a long process, though. If only he hadn’t been the one to find me that day. You have no idea how much I wish I could change that. He’ll get better, I know, but he’ll never get that image completely out of his head.” She finally appears to notice that we haven’t moved, and she visibly relaxes before putting the car into gear. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to be such a downer. It’s just—I don’t really have anyone neutral to talk to about everything. If I bring it up, I feel like everyone is mentally putting me on suicide watch.”
“You can talk to me anytime you need to, Lia. I know I work for your dad, but anything you say will be between us only. I’d never betray your confidence unless it was a life and death matter.”
“Thanks, Liza.” She smiles before adding, “Now what in the world is going on between you and my dad? Dare I hope he’s finally pulled his head from his ass, and you two are seeing each other outside the office?”
It doesn’t occur to me to be embarrassed. Lia has a way of making everyone around her comfortable. Plus, after what she just shared with me, could I do any less? “I don’t have a flipping clue what’s going on,” I answer truthfully. “He’s been acting completely out of character toward me.”
Lia shoots me a quick glance of inquiry while we’re stopped at a red light. “How do you mean? I did notice that whole distracted thing he had going on during the meeting. It’s not like him to lose his train of thought. I’m almost certain he has a filing cabinet for a brain. Everything is always so well organized, and he doesn’t forget anything. So I was a bit surprised when he asked me the same thing twice.”
Before I can think better of it, I blurt out, “We were playing tic-tac-toe.”
Her jaw drops, and her eyes widen in shock. “I know I didn’t hear that right. Because I thought you said my dad was playing a game during a meeting.”
Heck. I’ve gone this far; I may as well confess and hope she won’t spill my secret. “All right, I have to admit that I’ve been intentionally rattling his cage a little. You know, acting out of character to get a reaction.” I tell her about the previous day and smile as she giggles. “So I drew the game board today and then put it in front of him. For a split second, he froze, but then he started playing along—which I still can’t believe.” I don’t add the part about the dirty message. I feel certain she doesn’t want to hear that about her father.
“He might not be able to admit it, but he’s been lost without you. No one was ever good enough. In his defense, he did have a few weird ones, but it wouldn’t have mattered. He would find fault with anyone who wasn’t you.” I see her lips twitch before she adds, “I personally thought he was too hard on the one with the nose ring. She did have on black and white every time I was there, so I can understand him saying she looked like a bull. I tried to point out that cows come in a variety of colors, but he was adamant that she was too distracting. Plus, she accidentally shredded a whole folder of current financial statements and mailed a signed contract to the wrong customer. And he caught her making out with her boyfriend—in his office.”
“What!” I shriek, then lower my voice. “You’ve got to be kidding. She was getting it on in Lee’s office? His pristine sanctuary?”
“Yep, that’s the one. I’d have given anything to see my dad’s face. Can you even imagine?”
I’m laughing so hard that tears are rolling down my cheeks. “Oh my God,” I wheeze. “I bet he called in a Hazmat team to check for bodily fluids. Please tell me they were doing it on his desk. That would be priceless.”
Lia giggles as she too wipes her eyes. “Dad wouldn’t give me any of the details, but according to Kara, who got it from Pete, they were going at it like jackrabbits on his leather couch. I’m willing to bet if you look closely, he has replaced it. There’s no way he’d keep it after that.”
“I should have asked for more money,” I deadpan. “I’m better at my job on my very worst days than all the others
put together.”
“You’re damn right you are, sister,” Lia says readily. “And you’re good for him. He’s… different when you’re near. Not as rigid. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve really come to love my father, but I’m sure you’ve noticed he’s a tad uptight—like a lot. He needs everything around him to be just so. I swear when he comes over to visit, he casually walks around picking up Lara’s toys. I’m not even certain he’s aware of it. I sense it’s more of a reflex than criticism. Heck, you can eat a meal off any surface at his place. It’s that clean. I’m not offended by it, though. Luc even jokes that if things are messy, we should just invite my father over and let him take care of it.” She gives me a stern look of warning when we stop at the next red light. “You’d better never tell him, but Luc has nicknamed him Hoover—after the vacuum cleaner.”
I smile as I reassure her that all her secrets are safe with me. “Do you have any idea why he’s like that?” I ask, curious despite myself. “I know that some people are naturally neat freaks, but there is generally something from their past that causes it.”
Lia shrugs, looking sad for a moment. “I wish I knew. Considering I’ve only had him in my life a few years, I am virtually clueless about his past. I’ve attempted to ask him a few times, but it’s clear he’s not comfortable discussing it. What little I do know mostly came from Kara. From what I gather, they never knew their father, and their mother was a druggie who didn’t take care of them. Dad and Pete left home when they were young and ended up working for Victor Falco. I guess he took Dad under his wing, and when he died, he left everything he had to him.”
“Victor was in the mob, wasn’t he?” I blurt out, then cringe. “I could have worded that better. I’m going strictly on rumors here. Lee has never confirmed that to me.”
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