Caught Looking (Hot-Lanta Series)

by Quinn, Meghan

  Jane caved in and told Molly all about last night before Molly had the chance to dig her claws into Jane. She told Molly how she could not stop crying or open up to Brady, even though she wanted to so badly. Molly played the dutiful best friend and just sat and listened to Jane ramble on about her night with Brady and every mistake she made.

  Jane thought back about when Brady made the comment ‘you can’t always trust those trash magazines’. The comment sent a sharp stab of guilt through her stomach. He was right. She did judge him from what she read off the newsstands not what came out of his mouth. But, he still wanted to get to know her and date her.

  Brady Matthews said he wanted to date her, little old Jane Bradley. Could she handle it though? When someone dates Brady Matthews they pretty much date the entire world at the same time. She would be on the face of every magazine in due time. How would that fair for her business and her self-esteem? She didn’t think she was strong enough to handle the lies and scandals the magazines might claim as true.

  Molly gave Jane a hug and said, “Its ok Jane, I know it has to be hard but how great is it that Brady Matthews, starting first baseman, wants to date you? He is the hottest ticket in town and you just landed him.”

  “Yea, but I don’t think I can face him again, I’m so embarrassed from what happened. Who’s to say he is even going to want to see me? That might have been all talk last night just so he could be the good guy and walk out of here unscarred.”

  Molly shook her head. “He said he promised. Stop second guessing him and start trying to trust him. If you like him at all, you need to start to find trust or you might as well start adopting cats because you are going to end up as an old maid with that attitude.”

  Jane leaned against the wall. “Molly, you out of anyone knows how unstable I am right now, George really mind-fucked me. I don’t know if I can handle such a ‘high profile’ relationship. I’m just starting to remember my old self.”

  Molly tossed a donut in her direction. Jane caught it and took a big bite. Glad she went running just to end up putting the calories back on with the donut in her hand, but Lord was it good.

  Molly replied, “Jane you’re never going to know if you are ready for a relationship until you try. You have to get your feet wet. I know you were hurt and you lost yourself when dating George but you are slowly coming back to us and shedding that ‘Stepford’ wife persona. Maybe Brady is what you need. Maybe he will actually help you find yourself again.”

  Jane was about to say something when her doorbell rang. It was probably Mr. Mendez wanting to complain about how Molly parked in one of his parking spaces again. Molly didn’t care for the man and tested him every time she came over. It made for a great living environment for Jane. She opened the door and came face to face with a huge bouquet of flowers. The poor delivery man asked for Jane and shoved the flowers in her direction. “Enjoy Ms. Bradley.”

  “Oooooo!!” Molly Squealed. “I wonder who those are from?”

  Jane shook her head as Molly wagged eye brows. Jane picked out the card from the bouquet. She had never seen so many beautiful flowers before. The vase was full of pink and purple hydrangeas accompanied by a few filler flowers. The bouquet must have cost at least a couple hundred of dollars. She hated that she was gushing with joy and bombarded with giddiness from the beautiful delivery. She was acting like a teenager in love. The card read,

  Jane,

  I hope this brightens up your morning. I look forward to talking to you later today. In the meantime there are two appointments at Salon de la Rose waiting for you and Molly at noon. Go relax and have some fun.

  Brady

  “Shut up!” Molly said ripping the card away from Jane. “De La Rose? Is he kidding? I have been dying to go there but a teacher’s salary does not exactly scream luxury. Ooo, girl this boy has it bad for you!”

  “I feel terrible taking advantage of his money, we shouldn’t go. I don’t want him to think I’m going to date him for his money and the perks that come with it,” Jane replied.

  “Are you serious right now? We are going, stop being a crazy cock head right now, go take a shower and let’s get our asses moving! You are not blowing my one chance of a five star massage because for some reason you have a guilty conscience. The guy likes you and wants to treat you to something nice so pull your head out of your crack and get moving,” Molly said slapping Jane’s ass.

  ***

  Brady got the delivery confirmation from the flower delivery service, letting him know the flowers he picked out specifically for Jane were now in her possession. He hoped the arrangement wasn’t too much. He just wanted Jane to feel special. He wanted her to feel pampered. She deserved it. She was treated in an appalling manner by her moronic ex-fiancé so Brady needed to show her how not all guys were dickheads. He wanted to show her what it was like to be treated the way she deserved; like a goddess.

  Last night was interesting to say the least. His heart broke for her every time he saw her crying. She must have been embarrassed as hell. No one wants to cry on a first date. Even when she was crying she still looked beautiful, it brought out that innocence he liked so much about her. He liked everything about her. It touched his heart that she showed interest in Randy and Special Olympics. That was a big part of his life Laney never wanted anything to do with. The evil bitch never asked how his events went or even about Randy and the special connection he and Brady had. Jane was refreshing, she was real, she wasn’t out to start drama and score publicity to boost her career, like Laney.

  Around noon Brady pulled out his phone and sent a text message to Jane, just to make sure she went to the salon. Knowing her she would feel terrible and not go because she didn’t want to take advantage of his kindness. He only hoped Molly didn’t give two shits about that and made her go which was his main reason for inviting Jane’s best friend.

  Brady: Hey beautiful, I hope you are at the salon being pampered right now

  Jane: I am. You can thank Molly for that. Thank you Brady, this is really too much, I feel bad, like I am taking advantage of you.

  Brady: I knew you would feel that way, that’s why I invited that feisty friend of yours to go with you.

  Jane: This is Molly – You are fabulous Brady Matthews, thank you!

  Brady chuckled to himself. Leave it to Molly to be straight forward with him. He was glad she convinced Jane to go. He took a risk by setting up the appointments. Jane could have taken offense to his gesture because it might have seemed like he was throwing money around but in reality he just wanted to give Jane a relaxing day.

  Brady: Well you girls have fun and I will talk to you later tonight.

  Jane: Thank you Brady, you are so sweet. Can’t wait to talk later.

  Well, well, well was Jane finally starting to give in and let her guard down? It seemed like she was and with Molly’s help. It looked like the outer shell of ice surrounding Jane was going to finally start melting away. This was going to be interesting.

  ***

  After Jane’s massage, manicure and pedicure she thought she died and went to heaven. An afternoon at the spa was exactly what she needed. Molly left straight from the salon because she said the massage made her horny and she wanted to try some new things on Luke. That girl never stopped when it came to her man but Jane admired her friend for her insatiable appetite. Jane used to be out-going just like Molly and wished she could find that inner strength again. She had been so suppressed by George she would really have to go digging for the old Jane.

  Jane took a shower, put on some shorts and a tank top, her typical night time wear, and was about to pop a TV dinner into the microwave when her doorbell rang. It was another delivery man, this time with a bag of what looked like food.

  “Oh I’m sorry sir, I think you have the wrong apartment, I didn’t order any food.”

  “Are you Jane Bradley?” The man asked.

  “Yes,” Jane said confused.

  “Then this food is for you.”

  “Oh,
ok,” Jane fumbled with the bag as she tried to get her purse. “Let me just get you a tip…”

  “No need to ma’am, I’ve been paid plenty. Thank you and have a good night.”

  Jane took the food and sighed, mmm Chinese. She loved Chinese. Who would order Chinese for her? One guess came to mind and he most likely had gorgeous green eyes. Her phone started ringing. Gee can’t a girl relax for a second she thought as she grabbed her phone and looked at the caller ID. Brady.

  “Hey there.” Jane answered.

  “Hey there beautiful, I’m assuming you got your Chinese.”

  “I knew this was your doing. How did you know I love Chinese food?”

  “I have my sources.” Brady said conspicuously.

  “Michael?”

  “Yea that guy is clutch when it comes to impressing the girl you’re after. How was your day?”

  Jane blushed. Woo, he was too much to handle. “My day was great, thanks to you. Seriously Brady, you didn’t have to do all this. I was such a nutcase last night, I don’t deserve this.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong doll, you very much deserve this kind of treatment.”

  “Well, thank you. And thank you for taking care of me last night, you were a real gentlemen.”

  Brady chuckled in the phone. “I can promise you this, my head was not thinking gentlemanly thoughts.”

  “Oh really?” Jane teased. “What kind of thoughts were you having?” Jane realized Brady was easy to talk to on the phone so she started to relax and feel friskier. Luckily, he was not awkward on the phone at all. Whenever she talked to George it was all business, never ‘How was your day?’

  She pulled some Chinese out and put it on a plate, took up a seat on her couch and planted her phone on her ear. She felt like she was in middle school again talking to her childhood crush on the phone. Her heart was fluttering and she felt like giggling every two seconds. She needed to at least try to act her age.

  “Yes, it took every ounce of power in my body not to crawl into bed with you and hold you until you fell asleep. I also thought about ripping that dress off of you and having my way.”

  “Those are two thoughts on different sides of the spectrum Mr. Matthews. Do you want to know something?” Jane asked.

  “I like where this is going, of course.”

  “I so desperately wanted you to stay last night and hold me.” Jane winced when she heard it come out of her mouth, but Brady was being so honest with her, she thought she should try doing the same. She just didn’t want to come off as desperate and clingy. Although she looked deranged and crazy last night she guessed desperate and clingy was a step up.

  “Oh doll, why did you tell me that? Now I feel like the biggest tool in the world. I should have recognized the fact that you wanted me there. I was just trying to be a gentleman. I knew if I stayed, I would not have trusted myself to keep my hands off of you.”

  “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, Brady. I’m sorry. I just thought I would be honest and as long as I’m being honest, I don’t think I would have kicked you out of the bed if your hands started to wonder last night.”

  Brady groaned in the phone. “You’re killing me Jane. Do you know that I dreamed of you in that navy dress all last night? I couldn’t get the image of you out of my head.”

  “Which image, pre-dinner or post walk? There’s a big difference.” She chuckled to try to keep the mood light and airy.

  Brady instead got serious. “Both images, they were both real and both you. I enjoyed seeing you let your guard down. Ever since I met you, you’ve had a wall up and I’ve been trying to break through it. Last night I got a sneak peak and I liked what I saw.”

  “You are one strange man Brady to like such a mess, but I would like to get to know you better too. I can’t make any promises, but I would like to give it a shot. What are you doing this week? Maybe we can try to have dinner again and without the horny soon to be newlyweds.”

  “Jane Bradley, are you asking me out on a date?”

  “I do believe I am Brady Matthews.”

  Chapter 10

  Molly woke up with an incredibly sore back. Sex on the bar in their apartment proved to be not as easy as she thought. She definitely threw her back out in the middle of her orgasm, which surprisingly heightened the sensations that rolled through her body. What she needed was a nice long hot shower. Luke was out on base doing his PT, physical training so she would not get mauled in the shower, not that she was complaining. She could not get enough of that man.

  When she was in college, both her parents died in an awful car accident. Molly lost all reason to live and take care of herself. She got into some drugs and became a wild child. Jane was the main reason nothing serious happened to Molly. Jane always made sure Molly was taken care of and stepped in as her family. Michael and Jane both treated her like family.

  When Luke came along he changed her life. She finally had something and someone to live for. He became her family, family that she had been missing for years and desperately craved. Jane and Michael acted like family and loved her but she was searching for that unconditional love you get when you find your soul mate. Luke gave her light to the black and dreary life she was living. Luke meant more to her than anything in the world and she could not wait to say her “I do’s”.

  Molly had a meeting with Jane today to go over wedding details. She really just wanted something small. She had a big personality but with her parents no longer around and being an only child she didn’t want to have a big wedding. It only reminded her that she really didn’t have any family. Her only family was Luke, Jane, Albert and Michael. She just wanted something small maybe at the river or in Savannah on the beach. She was actually more interested in the honeymoon and all the naughty things she had planned for her fiancé rather than the actual wedding.

  Molly took a shower, got dressed and headed out to meet Jane. When she got to Jane’s office she noticed Jane was twirling around the room, filing documents, singing to music on her computer and being in an all-around chipper mood.

  “What gives lady? You’re singing, dancing and smiling. What did you do with my depressed best friend?” Molly asked.

  “Hello to you too Molly. Nothing I just happen to have a date with Brady Matthews tonight and I’m looking forward to it.”

  “For fucking real?” Molly exclaimed. “Oh Jane this makes me so happy, finally you are getting out there.”

  Molly was so proud of her friend. Jane really deserved to date a good guy like Brady. Molly questioned Michael the other night on the phone about Brady. Molly had to make sure he was a good egg before she really started encouraging Jane to date him. Michael had nothing but great things to say about Brady so that was a step in the right direction. Michael said Brady was the most well-respected guy on the team and he was a great match for their sensitive friend, Jane.

  “We’re going to a movie in the park tonight and Brady is bringing food so we can have a picnic. I am scared as hell and I don’t know what he sees in me, but I’m going to go for it.”

  Molly let out a squeal of excitement. “He sees one fine piece of ass and an incredibly sweet and hard working girl, you deserve him. Just remember that. You better call me when you get a chance and tell me everything!”

  “Oh I will.” Replied Jane. “Now let’s start planning this wedding. Hey, I was thinking about hiring an assistant to help me out. I’m starting to get more business and can afford some help. What do you think?”

  “Oh Jane, I think that is great. Wow, I’m so proud of you. You have come so far.”

  “Thanks Molly, I really am so excited with the way everything has been going with my business. I hate to admit it but Brady hiring me for that fundraiser gave me a lot of exposure and since then I have been getting two or three calls a day!”

  “Well just tack that on to another reason to like the guy, next to stud muffin and Greek god!”

  Jane just shook her head at her friend. They spent the rest of the afternoon loo
king up different locations in Savannah where they could have a small beach wedding. They picked beige, whites and off whites as the colors. Molly really liked the clean crisp look it offered. Jane teased Molly about having a seashell wedding. Molly just made a gagging reflex with her finger in her mouth and vetoed that idea right away. She wanted simple, classic with a flair of vintage in the mix. It was going to be beautiful and everything both her and Luke wanted which was mainly to be married. She could not wait.

  ***

  Jane had such a great afternoon with Molly. Her wedding was going to be so romantic, just like Molly and Luke. Jane understood Molly’s reasoning for keeping the wedding small and intimate and didn’t blame her. If Jane ever got married she would want the same thing since it would be the complete opposite of what George and his mom were planning. Ok, no more thoughts about George, she chastised herself. She had to focus on Brady now. She would be damned if she had another crying episode like she did last time she was around Brady.

  Jane had just enough time to go home, take a quick shower to rinse her body off and get dressed before Brady arrived to pick her up. Jane picked out a pair of black skinny jeans, a dark floral silk blouse, cardigan, and yellow flats. She kept her hair down because Brady seemed to like touching her hair and it felt damn good when he did it. She applied some light make up to help her eyes stand out a little more and sprayed some perfume all over her body. She was ready for her second official date with Brady Matthews, hopefully this one would be better than the last. Hopefully she had the strength to make it through the night, without crying. Just take one step at a time she kept telling herself. He seemed like a good guy and he seemed genuinely interested in her, it was going to be a great night.