“Your best friend and his brother? Small world.”
“Isn’t it?” she agreed. “I’m lucky he’s helping me out because I’d be in a real bind otherwise.” She clapped her hands together. “Shall we get to work?”
The guys grabbed the equipment they needed for the fire-fighting exercise and Bridget breathed a sigh of relief. That’s all she had to do. Admit to parts and make it seem like no big deal. Most wouldn’t be interested enough after that to question it.
She hoped.
* * *
After training, she headed for the breakroom to get a drink.
“Bridge, I hear Tanya eloped,” Trish said.
“Yeah. Tanya’s always been the spontaneous type. She only met Hal when we went out dancing a few weeks ago.”
“I wish I’d been able to go with you, but I had a family thing. So who is he? What’s he like?” She filled her mug with hot water as she asked.
“Turns out he’s Jack’s brother.”
“Wow. So is it true he’s living with you?”
“Temporarily,” Bridget said. “We were both left hanging when Hal and Tanya wanted to move in together.”
“You’re lucky you already knew him.”
Bridget shrugged. “It’s kind of awkward, him being my boss and all, but it was the practical solution.”
“He’s a bit of a hottie,” Trish said. “It could be worse.”
Bridget smiled. “I suppose so.”
It wasn’t so bad. There were no sly remarks, no insinuations – yet. She wasn’t naive enough to think they wouldn’t come, but she’d take it one day at a time.
* * *
“You almost ready?” Jack called as he put his overnight bag for the team-building session by the front door.
“Yes,” Bridget said coming out of her bedroom. “You want to car-pool?”
Jack raised an eyebrow. “You sure?” It was bound to raise questions and she’d been so adamant about secrecy.
“Pretty much everyone knows you’re living with me,” she said.
Jack frowned. “You think Ken said something?”
She snorted. “I know Ken said something. Several people asked me about it yesterday. Didn’t anyone ask you?”
“No.” He hadn’t noticed any speculative looks either, but he’d been in the manager’s meeting all afternoon. Perhaps news was slow to travel to upper management. “Are you all right about it?” She was awfully calm.
She nodded. “I told them about Hal and Tanya. They think we’re doing each other a favor. I didn’t say anything about our relationship. Like you said, it’s none of their business.”
“Tell me if anyone gives you a hard time.”
She kissed his cheek. “I can fight my own battles.”
A little ray of hope shone through him. Maybe she was coming to realize it wasn’t so bad, that people wouldn’t question her motives. Then they could admit they were in a relationship.
Jack followed her into the kitchen where she was making up two travel mugs of coffee. “Is one of those for me?”
“If you behave.”
He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “What if I’m really bad?” he whispered in her ear.
She turned, pressing further against him. “I’m hoping you will be.”
Her kiss was possessive, hot, and heat seared through him. He gripped her butt and lifted her up onto the kitchen cabinet, opening her legs so he could move between them. Her hands dug into his hair and pulled, sending lust straight to his groin. He had to have her. He unbuttoned her shorts, and slid down the zipper.
“Jack,” she said, her voice breathless. “Do we have time for this?”
“Yes.” He’d damn well make time for it. He tugged on the shorts and she lifted her butt so he could slide them off. He moved his hand between her legs as she fumbled with his pants. She was so wet. He teased her clitoris and slid a finger into her.
She groaned and flung her head back. “Jack, please.”
He wanted to make her come. He wanted to drive her crazy until she was begging for him. Moving his fingers, he set up a rhythm. Her breath came in gasps as he used one hand to free himself of his pants. She clenched and he knew she was near. He captured her mouth and kissed her as her orgasm rocked through her.
“Jack!”
As her waves began to settle, he lifted her up and thrust into her.
“Yes.”
She was so incredibly wet. He moved inside her, feeling her muscles begin to clench again. “Come for me again, sweetheart.”
She opened her eyes, looked directly at him and grinned. “Make me.”
His heart flipped over in his chest and he was lost. This beautiful, sensual woman was all he ever wanted, or would ever need. “Challenge accepted.”
This time, when she came, he did too.
* * *
After Jack was sure his legs would support him, he turned away and cleaned up, pulling up his pants.
Bridget sat on the benchtop, her hands behind her, her head tilted back, looking incredibly sexy and satisfied.
“If you stay like that, we may never make the team-building session,” he said.
“It’d be worth it.”
His practical Bridget was considering playing hooky. He grinned, smugness squeezing his chest. He tucked his hand behind her head and drew it up so he could kiss her. “I’ll finish the coffee.”
She huffed out a breath. “All right.” She shuffled off the cabinet, picked up her shorts, and walked out of the kitchen, her bottom peeking out from under her shirt.
He felt himself stir again and turned his attention to the coffee maker. As tempting as it was to stay here, he could hardly miss his own team-building session.
But what was he going to do about her? About the way he felt? He didn’t want to hide their relationship anymore. He wanted to proclaim it to everyone who was willing to listen.
He loved Bridget Flanagan.
He fastened the lids on to the mugs and carried them down the hallway. Bridget came out of her room, now fully dressed.
He handed her one of the mugs. “Ready to go?”
She nodded, taking a sip. “Do you want to take my car or yours?”
“We’ll take mine.”
He grabbed both of their tote bags in one hand and carried them to the car while Bridget locked up. It was only a short distance to the location of their team-building session but the Houston traffic always ensured it took twice as long as expected. He’d forgotten that about the city, but luckily Bridget had convinced him to leave early. Though their dalliance had them a little behind schedule.
Not that he was complaining.
* * *
When they arrived at the complex, Jeremy and Ken were the only ones who had got there before them.
Jack left Bridget with them while he went to find the facilitator and see to the sleeping arrangements. By the time he returned, the rest of his team had arrived. He introduced the facilitator.
“First task today is a scavenger hunt,” the facilitator said. “Clues are made up of general knowledge as well as some questions specific to your roles. This isn’t a race and you’ll have to work together in order to solve many of the puzzles.”
Jack hoped starting off with a little bit of fun would engender some team spirit and enthusiasm. Dirk and Trish, two of the safety advisors, looked like they’d missed their morning coffee.
He split the teams so there were people from each section in each one.
They worked methodically through the puzzles. Jack stepped back to see who would take the lead in his team. He wasn’t surprised when Jeremy took charge. He let him go, occasionally offering suggestions and making sure everyone had their say.
Dirk wasn’t at all interested in taking part. “This is a waste of time,” he complained. “It’s got nothing to do with safety.”
Jack smiled at him. “This allows us to bond as a team. I think we could all do with a break from the plant and a bit of fun.”
Dirk grunted. At the next puzzle he went off on his own, refusing to listen to the advice of the others in the team who thought the clue was somewhere else.
Jack made a mental note. Dirk was not a team player and wasn’t willing to consider that others might be right. He’d have to talk to him about it when they got back to work.
The scavenger hunt finished at midday and they gathered in the dining room for lunch and to swap stories.
Jack took Bridget aside. “How did your team go?”
“Fantastically. Ken was a little too enthusiastic and I had to ask him to give some of the others a chance to offer suggestions, but when they realized they’d be listened to, they all took part.”
“Great. We’ll split into different groups this afternoon for the next exercise.”
He joined one of the tables while Bridget joined the other. It was for the best they didn’t fraternize too much now that people knew they were living together.
Chapter 15
Bridget took a seat between Jeremy and Ken.
“What was that about?” Ken asked, motioning to where she and Jack had been speaking.
“Jack wanted to know how our team went.”
“Oh, I thought he might be asking what’s for dinner tomorrow night.” Ken laughed, thinking himself the funniest guy on the planet.
Bridget froze. Curious questions she could handle, but not an insinuation that she couldn’t separate her home life from her work life. From there it was a slippery slope to being charged incompetent.
She glared at Ken. “This is a team-building exercise, and as Jack’s second-in-command it’s my duty to report how you went.”
“Why would he ask Bridget about dinner?” one of the trainers asked.
Bridget closed her eyes briefly. Somebody wasn’t up to date with the latest gossip.
“They’re living together,” Ken explained, with a grin.
Bridget suppressed her growing temper. If she let it go it might be misconstrued. She took a deep breath and explained the situation. Maybe she should have recorded it so she could just play it back without having to repeat herself over and over.
“That’s gotta suck, living with your boss,” the trainer said.
She shrugged. “Better than going broke.”
“Isn’t your sister, Carolina Flanagan?” Ken didn’t know when to give up.
“Yes.”
“Wouldn’t she help you out?”
“Sure, but I’m not one to go running to my family at the first hint of trouble. I can sort it out on my own, which I did with Jack.”
Jeremy nodded. “I can understand that. My parents would throw it in my face,” he said. “This steak is pretty good.”
Relieved with the change of topic, Bridget took a bite of hers. “It is.”
She didn’t know what Ken’s game was. Was he just stirring and didn’t know how much was too much, or had he seen them holding hands at the cinema and wanted to prove their relationship was something more?
Either way, Bridget didn’t like it.
* * *
The next exercise after lunch was a brain teaser, followed by an obstacle course.
Ken was struggling to crawl under wire that was stretched at about knee height above the ground. Bridget crawled next to him, shouting words of encouragement. He was dripping sweat by the time he finished but he let out a holler and pumped his arms in the air. Bridget high-fived him and then checked the rest of the team were ready to move on.
She was missing someone. “Where’s Dirk?”
“He went on ahead,” Sally said. “Got tired of waiting.”
Dirk was the only guy in the department who’d ever given her any real trouble when she was acting safety manager. He’d thought he deserved the job, not her. Bridget scowled and scanned the course ahead of them. Dirk was swinging on a bar over a pit of mud. The next obstacle after that was a huge wooden wall that she doubted he would make over on his own. They’d probably catch up with him there.
Sure enough, after they had all cleared the mud pit, Dirk was sitting with his back against the wall waiting for them.
“Need a hand?” Bridget asked him.
He grunted and nodded. She made him wait until last, because she was sure he would continue on ahead of them, but afterward Sally kept him with the group by chatting to him.
* * *
By the end of the day, almost everyone was in cheerful spirits and telling Jack how much they’d enjoyed themselves. Bridget was pleased with the way he’d been accepted in to the department. It didn’t matter that he was in charge, that he was their boss, if the team didn’t like him it would be that much more difficult to get things done.
She headed off to the room she was sharing with Sally and Trish.
“Bridget, can I have a word?” Jack called.
“Gotta go,” she said to the other women. “I’ll see you there.”
Walking over to Jack she couldn’t help admiring the way his shirt clung to his muscles.
“Was Dirk giving you trouble?” he asked.
She smiled. “No more than usual. He doesn’t like taking instructions from me.”
Jack frowned.
“He was pretty annoyed when I got the acting safety manager job, instead of him,” Bridget explained. “He’s been at the plant longer and had more experience, but he’s impatient and doesn’t like working with people.”
“So he has no idea how to lead.”
She nodded. “It’s his way or not at all.”
“I’ll speak with him when we get back to work,” Jack said. “Now what was Ken talking about over lunch? I only caught a bit.”
Bridget sighed. “He was trying to be funny, making jokes about us living together. I’m not sure it was meant maliciously.”
“Are you all right?” His voice was low and he reached out and touched her arm.
Bridget stepped away and checked to make sure no one had seen. “I’m fine, Jack. I’ll handle him.”
He was quiet a moment before he said, “OK.”
She gave him a half smile and headed for her room, wishing their relationship didn’t have to be so complicated.
* * *
Inside, Trish lounged on one of the beds, and in the adjoining bathroom the shower was running.
Bridget took out the clothes she wanted to wear to dinner and sat down on her bed. “Today was fun,” she said, hoping for some casual conversation.
“Yeah. We should do things like this more often,” Trish agreed. “It’s nice to get away from the plant every now and then.”
“Have you got many suggestions for our planning session tomorrow?”
“A few. It always comes down to money.”
It did.
“Bridget, can I ask you something personal?” Trish asked.
Bridget tensed and forced herself to relax. “Sure. As long as I don’t have to answer it,” she joked.
“It’s about you and Jack. You mentioned living with him was just a convenience thing. I wanted to check that was true. I didn’t want to step on your toes if I ask Jack out for a drink.”
Bridget was glad she was sitting down. Her face heated and her skin prickled, as she tried to figure out a response. She had not expected that at all. “I can’t say I’d recommend getting involved with your boss.” She was such a hypocrite.
“I met Lionel once at a safety conference. He seemed like a self-absorbed jerk to me.”
Bridget wasn’t surprised Trish knew about the Lionel affair, or about her assessment of Lionel. She didn’t know why she hadn’t seen Lionel for the jerk he was.
“So you’re fine with me asking Jack out?”
No, of course she wasn’t, but she couldn’t say that. “You can ask.”
“Great. He’s damn fine when he’s out of his high-vis gear.”
Bridget didn’t comment.
Sally came out of the bathroom, her hair damp, and wearing a green and white checked summer dress. “I feel so much better.”
&nb
sp; “My turn,” Trish said and grabbed her clothes, disappearing into the bathroom.
Sally waited until the door closed and then said, “So, how awkward is it living with your boss?”
Bridget reminded herself it was natural for their living arrangements to be a hot topic of conversation. She hoped by next week there’d be some other piece of gossip worth talking about.
“It’s OK. We tend to stick to our own space.” She had to remember to tell Jack about that.
“I like him. I can’t imagine he’d be difficult to live with.”
“He’s pretty easygoing.” Bridget wished Trish would get out of the shower so she could escape.
Sally put the clothes she had been wearing in her tote bag. “I can’t believe Tanya just moved out. It’s so inconsiderate. You must have been freaking out.”
“A bit. I guess love affects your judgment.”
“I guess so.” Sally turned around. “What’s planned for tonight?”
“I’m not sure. Jack arranged it all.”
“I hope it’s not karaoke or something.”
“Me too.”
Finally Trish came out of the bathroom and Bridget was able to escape. She hated lying to everyone, hated telling half-truths, but what else could she do?
* * *
Jack hadn’t arranged any activities for after dinner. He wanted to see what everyone would do – who was happy to spend an evening chatting with their colleagues and who wanted to be left alone.
On purpose he positioned himself on the opposite side of the room from Bridget. The temptation to touch her was too much in this casual environment, and he didn’t want to make matters worse by forgetting they were only supposed to be colleagues here.
He talked to Jeremy about the emergency response team, discussed the upcoming competition that allowed them to test their skills against other teams in the area, and listened to Jeremy’s plans to improve them even further. Jeremy reminded him a little of Bridget in his passion for his job. Jack suspected he could let Jeremy have free rein and not have to worry about what he was going to do.
When Jeremy left to get another drink, Trish sat down next to him. “Great day today,” she said. “Thanks for thinking of it.”
Break the Rules (The Flanagan Sisters Book 1) Page 14