But I know that Matt’s intentions go beyond the purely professional. I can feel it in the way his eyes burn a hole into me as I go through the documents. I try to ignore him because Matt and I are not friends. We can never be. And, even if Jackson wasn’t in the picture, being more than friends with Matt is entirely out of the question at this point after all that has happened between us.
“I know you feel me watching you,” he says leaning over his desk, getting closer to me.
I’m hesitant to look up at him.
“Hailey – you know that I want you.”
I bring my eyes to his. I see his hunger there. But I really don’t want to engage. “Matt – stop it,” I say tersely.
“C’mon – you really wanna be with that security guard? Please!”
I roll my eyes at him. “I don’t want to get into this with you. Let’s just keep it professional.”
He laughs. “You and me, Hailey? We’re more than professional. We’ve gone far beyond that. It’s personal. It’s sexual.”
“No – it’s sexual harassment. And you need to stop.” I stand to my feet.
Matt’s eyebrows jump in surprise. “So, you’re saying that you don’t want to take this further with me?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” I fold my arms tightly across my chest.
He leans back in his chair and chuckles bitterly. “Wow! Little security guard’s really got his claws into you, huh?”
“This isn’t about him. It’s about you. I’ve heard about you. I know that you try to sleep with all the interns. I saw you fucking your secretary with my own two eyes. You’re not the type of person I’m attracted to. Sorry.”
He’s pissed now. “Y’know what? I think you should leave.”
“I think I should,” I say gathering the documents and tossing them onto his desk.
Just as I reach for the doorknob, I hear him mumble under his breath. “Fat bitch.”
Chapter 17
“He’s an awful person, Hailey Bear. Just awful,” Kimberly says angrily into the phone. “You should sue him. That’s what you should do. You should sue him.”
“It’s not that simple, Kimmy,” I try to rationalize. “It’s not all black and white.”
“Oh really?” she growls. “Explain it to me, then.”
I knew that calling her was a bad idea. Kimberly’s always been super-protective of me. Ever since her family moved into the house across the street from mine when we were seven years old.
“I don’t want to make things complicated at my job by making a big deal over Matt’s behavior,” I say as I throw my head back into my soft pillows and stare up at the ceiling feeling overwhelmingly frustrated. “I’m an intern. That’s all I am. What if they fire me?”
“I’m sure it’s illegal for them to fire you if you’re being sexually harassed by one of your co-workers.”
I laugh. “Matteo Moretti isn’t just a ‘co-worker’. He’s the founder’s son. He’s untouchable.”
“What an asshole!” she mumbles under her breath. She’s fuming. “It kills me to see how he’s taking advantage of your vulnerable situation.”
Our conversation is interrupted by rattling at the front door. I glance up just as the door swings open.
Jackson’s home.
I can’t beat back the small smile creeping across my lips. He comes around and suddenly, life feels better.
“Kimmy – I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you. I’ve gotta go.” I don’t wait for her answer before I hang up. I rush over to greet him at the door.
“Hey, how was your day?” I ask as I throw my arms around his neck. I push my face into the cold leather of his jacket. It’s another one of those freezing January nights here in New York City. I’m glad he’s home because now I just want to crawl into bed with him and snuggle up against the chill lingering in my apartment tonight.
He hugs me briefly before shrugging out of my embrace. “Fine,” he says simply before edging past me and into the kitchen.
Despite his frigid welcome, I follow close on his heels and watch as he rests a large brown paper bag on the counter. He opens it up and pulls out a sandwich wrapped in aluminum foil. He hands it to me without even looking my way.
“It’s grilled pepper and spinach. I hope that’s okay for you.” I nod silently. He pulls out the sandwich for himself before crumpling up the brown paper bag into a ball and tossing it into the garbage.
Something’s wrong. I just know it.
“Are you okay?” I ask as a rest my sandwich down on the kitchen table and fold my arms tightly across my chest, suddenly feeling much colder then I did before he walked in.
He just shrugs. “I’m having a damn hard time finding a job,” he says with undertones of irritation in his voice.
I know that job-hunting all day must’ve been exhausting for him especially since the weather was so unpleasant. Although I’d been planning to make love to him the minute he walked through the door, I can already see that that is not likely to happen tonight. He wants his space.
He leans against the counter and finishes off his sandwich in a few hasty bites. “I’ve got that meeting with the investor, that Spencer Harrison guy, in the morning so I’m gonna turn in now,” he announces simply. He places the soft kiss on my forehead as he walks out of the kitchen and down the hall.
And just when I thought that the night couldn’t suck any worse, he strolls right past my bedroom and walks straight into Ruthie’s old room, quietly shutting the door behind him.
I guess I’m sleeping alone tonight.
Chapter 18
I spent most of the night staring up at the ceiling. Sleep didn’t come find me until the wee hours of the morning. The sound of Jackson waking up to use the shower registered distantly, at best. When I glanced at the clock, it said 5:47 AM.
I must have just fallen back to sleep because the next thing I remember is hearing a woman’s shrill scream coming from down the hall. I leap out of bed wearing nothing but an old University of Texas t-shirt. The door to Ruthie’s old room is open. Jackson stands in the doorway trying hastily to wrap a towel around his naked body. Apologies flow out of his mouth. Ruthie is in the corner, waving a huge umbrella around menacingly with the terrified look on her face.
“Ruthie, what the hell you doing here?” I ask as stunned to see her as she is to see the naked man standing between us.
“Who the hell is he?” Ruthie asks pointing the umbrella in Jackson’s direction.
“This is Jackson, my new roommate.” I feel a ball of guilt immediately lodge itself in my throat as the words slide out of my mouth. I throw a quick look at Jackson. He’s staring at me with a cocked eyebrow.
He’s more than my roommate and we both know it. He’s the man who’d taken my shaking body to four exquisite orgasms two nights ago. The man who’d woken up early to make me a breakfast of chia pudding and fresh fruits yesterday morning. The man who’d told me he loves me just as he slipped out the front door early yesterday to hit the pavement, looking for a part-time job.
“Actually, Jackson’s my boyfriend,” I admit, my lips curving into a bashful smile.
The bewildered look on Ruthie’s face transforms into one of amusement. “He’s the ‘mystery man’?” she asks with a soft giggle.
Jackson glances over at me with a laugh of his own. “I’m the ‘mystery man’?” He asks. I feel a blush coursing over my cheeks.
Ruthie saves me from the awkwardness that has settled in the room. “I’m Ruthie – Hailey’s ex roommate.” She stretches out her hand with a big grin.
Jackson mirrors her smile as he shakes her hand. “Sorry I scared you there.”
“Well, that’s all Hailey’s fault. If she hadn’t been so secretive about you, I wouldn’t have been scared shitless when you walked in on me.” She shoots a faux-angry
look my way. “You almost got the poor guy killed,” she jokes waving the umbrella around in the air.
“What the hell are you doing here anywa
y?” I ask shifting all my weight to one leg and folding my arms across my chest.
“I think I forgot my favorite sneakers here. Were going to the gym this evening, remember?”
“You should have called me I would have brought them to work for you.”
I guard my privacy fiercely. Although I love every minute that I spend with Jackson I wanted to keep him a secret, all to myself. I feel violated now that Ruthie has discovered us on her own.
“Sorry. I guess I didn’t want you to forget.” Ruthie offers a poor excuse.
“Anyway, it was lovely to meet you, Ruthie, but if you ladies will excuse me I have a meeting to get to so I better get dressed.”
Ruthie glances at the navy blue business suit laid out on the bed before she makes her way to the door. “It was great to meet you too. And sorry to interrupt,” she says with a small giggle.
I roll my eyes at her as she walks by she glances back at Jackson who’s now facing away from us as he tends to getting ready. “Wow!” she mouths at me after she takes in his broad shoulders and sculpted back.
“I’ll see you at the office, Ruthie,” I say as I push her towards the front door.
Chapter 19
“Now don’t get me wrong,” Ruthie says playfully tapping Madison on the shoulder, “I adore your brother and I’m a happily married woman but even I could appreciate an ass like that.”
Madison leans back in the booth and laughs as she brings the straw in her smoothie to her mouth. “Hailey, Hailey, Hailey – woman of many secrets. Why did you keep Jackson hidden? You’re always so secretive about your love life.”
I feel a hot blush coloring my cheeks as I take a small sip of my mango-strawberry smoothie. Hopefully, my friends chalk up my red cheeks to the fact that we just spent an hour and a half at a kick-ass muay tai class. If Madison knew half the things that happened in my bed – especially the fact that I had a torrid affair with her older brother – I’m not sure how she’d feel about me. She would probably never trust me again.
“So, when do I get to meet Jackson?” Madison asks with a playful nudge to my shoulder.
I tap my fingers nervously against the tempered glass of the circular bistro-style tabletop between us. “You’ll meet him soon enough, I guess. He and I are trying to take it slow. I don’t want to complicate things by introducing him to all my friends.”
Ruthie tosses back her head and laughs. “Are you serious? The guy moved in with you. It seems like you two are moving pretty fast if you ask me.”
Madison laughs, too. “I’ll tell you what – I can get us a few pairs of tickets to Bliss, this new show that’s opening up on Broadway. Domenic’s brother, Frankie, has a minor role. We’ll make it a triple date. You and Jackson, me and Domenic, Ruthie and Michael. It’ll be fun!”
I sigh in frustration. These girls refuse to let this go. “I’ll talk to him about it, okay? Is that a good enough answer for you?”
Madison flashes a satisfied grin. “That’s a good enough answer for me.”
Chapter 20
When I get home, I’m darn exhausted. After muay tai class and smoothies with the girls, all I want to do is crash. Every muscles aches. I jump into the shower for a quick rinse-down.
Just as I’m sliding into my robe, I hear the front door open.
“Jackson?” I call out, sticking my head out of the bathroom door.
“Hey, Cowgirl!” he responds. I can hear him kicking off his boots.
I hurry to towel off my hair and slide my slippers onto my feet before stepping out of the bathroom. Jackson greets me in the hallway with a passionate kiss. He literally sweeps me off of my feet, tipping me backwards and sliding his warm lips over mine. He kisses me until my cheeks are flushed and wetness begins to flow from between my thighs.
“Wow! What’s gotten into you?” I ask, slicking my wet hair away from my face as I tip my head back to look up into his face.
“Harrison’s gonna invest in my company!” His green eyes are beaming.
“Ohmygod! Jackson, that’s amazing!” I leap into his arms and squeeze him with all my might. He laughs heartily.
I grip him by the hand and try to lead him to the couch. “Come! Sit! I want all the details!”
He pulls me back into his arms. “Are you kidding me? We’re going out to celebrate. Go! Get dressed.” He kisses me on the tip of the nose.
“We’re going to celebrate?” I parrot his words back to him as a smile spreads across my face. Suddenly, I’m not so tired anymore.
“Yes – put on your nicest dress and those sexy red high heels that I like and let’s go somewhere for dinner.”
His enthusiasm is contagious. I can’t help but get excited. “That sounds like an awesome idea. I’ll go get ready!”
Chapter 21
I groan with reckless abandon as his warm hands slide down my naked back. His lips make a light trail down the side of my neck. His kiss is soft but the wild pace of his breathing tells me that he’s forcing himself to be tame.
I drape my arms around his neck and pull him closer. I want every inch of my skin to be touching his. Hot and sweaty despite the chilly air wafting through the room.
“I want you,” I murmur desperately into the air. He grunts into my skin in response and it’s all I need to know he feels exactly the same. He holds me tighter, making my skin prickle with awareness of his firm chest and sculpted arms enveloping me.
He nudges me into the bed and I fall effortlessly into the soft comforter. I’m light-headed. High off of the scent of his body and the intensity of his desire.
“Hailey.” The way he whispers my name makes me arch my back off of the bed. In this moment, all I want is to feel him inside of me, letting his actions speak the emotions that words could never truly tell.
In the dimness of my bedroom, I can barely make out his beautiful features but the way he’s touching me shows me just how intense his desire for me is. I feel his hands move between my legs. He strokes me lightly, causing me to shudder all over. I moan deep and long, wanting him to know the exact effect that his touch has on me.
I feel the spongy tip of his erection nudging at my entrance. Warm juices gush out of me. Still, somewhere in the back of my mind, it registers that we’re being careless.
“Condom…” I whisper into the air.
Jackson continues to lay kisses on my skin, pushing me further and further past the point of logic. “Hailey…”
I hear the question he’s asking me silently. He wants to know what it would take to get me to give my body to him, skin-to-skin, with no barriers. I want desperately to feel him raw, but shouldn’t I be the responsible one?
He buries his face into the humid flesh of my neck as he continues to glide the head of his cock against my most sensitive parts. I feel like my body has been ignited. Common sense quickly flies out the door.
My legs fall wide open, I arch my back and I welcome his warm flesh into the depths of my body.
Chapter 22
I kick off my slushy boots at the front door and pad into the kitchen. I find Jackson sitting at the table, typing away furiously on his smartphone.
“Hey,” I say softly as I pull out a chair and sit next to him.
“Hey,” he says without ripping his eyes away from the screen of his phone. His shoulders are tense and his forehead is wrinkled.
“Is everything okay?” I ask as I run my hand down his arm. The muscles flex lightly under my touch and just like that, I know that I’ve still got him. He always responds helplessly to my touch.
He tosses the phone on the table and looks at me. I offer him a small smile and his expression softens just a bit. He pushes a deep sigh past his lips. “Andy – my partner – he just called me. Apparently, one of the investors I pitched our idea to – he’s developing his own app, based entirely on our idea. He’s stealing our fucking idea!”
My hands leap to my chest as the revelation registers in my mind. “Ohmygod, Jackson – that’s terrible!”
Jack
son jerks his head from left to right and his spine cracks loudly. I can see the anxiety in his eyes. The project that he’s worked so hard on for years is about to be taken to market by someone else.
“He can’t do that!” I declare firmly, pounding my fist into the table. “Your NDA prevents him from doing that…right? Wait…you did make him sign an NDA…right?”
Jackson glances over at me. Confusion replaces the fury that has been sitting on his face. “NDA? What the hell is that?”
Moments with Hailey - The Esquire Girls Series - Hailey's Story (Books 1, 2, 3 & 4) - Box Set (featuring Tender Moments , a brand-new Valentine's Day novelette) Page 11