by Lexy Timms
“It’s fine.” She didn’t miss the relief that showed in his face when she agreed. “Just let me grab my purse and then you can drive me back to the hotel.” She would need to shower and pack, however, part of her was more than eager at the opportunity to run away from him and avoid dealing with what had happened in the truck cab.
“Mark’s on his way back here. So I can’t leave.” He checked his Rolex watch. “I’ve called you a taxi. It should be here any minute.” As if on cue, a horn beeped outside the house. “That must be it.”
“You’ll be all right, with the funeral and everything?” She closed her eyes. Why should she even care?
“I’ll be fine. Thanks.” He moved to the side to let her head downstairs. “Thanks again for coming. It was greatly appreciated.”
“Glad I could be here for you.” She brushed past him and pressed her lips tight together. The lump in her throat killed but she refused to let any tears fall. At least, not until she was back home in her own bed.
She was furious at Alex for basically tossing her out the door. However, she couldn’t argue because she was frantically running away as well.
Chapter 14
Jamie arrived back at her apartment below Alex’s house late into the night. Exhausted, she crawled into bed with her clothes on and made sure to set her alarm so she would wake up on time. She needed to get off the emotional rollercoaster she had been on.
Too tired to even think anymore, she fell asleep and decided to deal with life in the morning. Alex, her family, the shambles of her personal life, could all wait. Nothing was going to change in the night so worrying wouldn’t fix anything. Sleep would.
The morning didn’t bring any added comfort but she did feel better. She dressed and headed into the office early. Ready to tackle work and lose herself in it.
If Alex needed her, it would only be work related from now on.
She scoffed. How many times had she told herself that already?
Gina came in and told her the investor was in Alex’s office.
She nodded and grabbed her file on the table. “Thanks, Gina.” She headed into Alex’s office and looked up in surprise. “Nicholas?”
“Hey, Jamie,” Nicholas said, just as surprised as she was. “What’re you doing here?”
“Alex—Mr. Reid asked me to speak with an investor who wasn’t sure he was interested in the project. I was just going over the file.” She glanced down again. “I didn’t realize it was you.”
He harrumphed. “Where’s Alex?”
“In…” She hesitated, unsure if she should mention Alex’s father. “Mr. Reid’s away. He asked me to talk to you. What’s going on?”
He grinned at her as she walked around and leaned against the edge of Alex’s large desk. “I’m having second thoughts… on my second thoughts now.”
She smiled. “Talk to me.”
“Over lunch?” He glanced around. “Things not working out between you and Mr. Reid?”
She felt her cheeks burn but she ignored it. “I told you Nicholas, I work for Mr. Reid. That’s it.”
He smiled. “A beautiful woman like you, and Alex hasn’t put the moves on you? That seems impossible.”
Jamie stared at him, wondering if he knew. She doubted Alex would say anything. Maybe it was obvious on her. She held his gaze, refusing to give away anything.
“Damn! You must be really good at your job for him not to risk losing you.”
Jamie chose to ignore his comment. “I thought you wanted to talk about the investment, not Mr. Reid’s, or my, personal business.” She kept her voice pleasant but there was no mistaking her tone.
Nicholas tugged at his earlobe. “My apologies. I didn’t mean—”
“How about we talk about why you are having second thoughts. Why the hesitation to invest the money?”
The conversation continued and Jamie kept it completely professional. Nicholas commented on her knowledge and apologized again and again for his comment about Alex and her. As they wrapped up, he tried again, “Jamie, I want to apologize again for my earlier comment. It was completely unprofessional and I am not the jealous type. I don’t know why I said what I said and I hope you can forget it or let it go.”
“It’s on the verge of sexual harassment, Nicholas.” She took a moment to gloat when his eyes grew big.
“I know. I know. It was stupid. I didn’t mean it against you. Alex just has a history…”
She raised her eyebrows and he stopped. “I’m going to give you a ‘by’ on this one Nicholas. One time only. You keep your name on the contract and when the deal makes you a few extra million, you remember I gave you a second chance.” She wasn’t sure why she was saying it, but she was using his mistake as a means to force him to not break his contract. Business at this level was lethal and by any means necessary she figured.
Nicholas chuckled and handed her a check. “You got it. But not because of what I said to cover my ass, but because you’re one smart businesswo—person. Alex is an idiot, but I’m not complaining.” He shook her hand. “The dinner offer still stands, if you’re interested in talking business or ever decide you want to look at running your own company one day. I can make that happen.” He smiled and headed out of the office whistling.
Alex flew back to New York a week after his father’s funeral. He looked exhausted and it didn’t seem to take much to tick him off, but he also seemed lighter now, as if a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He asked Jamie to schedule plans to see Mark for dinner in New York in about a month, and to book a few days off over the fourth of July weekend to head back home. He told her nothing else, kept it professional, and Jamie decided she needed to do the same. Her heart disagreed but she tried her best to ignore it.
The incident in the truck was never brought up, and the awkwardness between her and Alex was less apparent as the days progressed. In private, they addressed each other casually and were cordial. Jamie hated that she couldn’t dismiss the feeling of longing she felt for him. No one made her feel as good as he did. Ever.
“Are you all right?” Gina asked Jamie after work one day.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I am.” Jamie smiled at her weakly. “Sorry, I spaced out for a second. What were you saying?”
Gina shook her head. “You’ve been spaced out for way more than a second. You’ve hardly touched your drink.”
Jamie looked at the margarita on the bar top and realized that while Gina had already drank most of hers, Jamie had only taken a few sips.
“What’s going on?” Gina’s brow furrowed. “Is this about your sister’s wedding? Christine and your mother keep calling the front desk and I just take the message and then toss it in the bin.” She grinned, and then grew serious and tilted her head as she stared at Jamie. “Did something happen with Alex in Philadelphia? You’ve seemed off ever since you guys got back.”
“We’re not supposed to address our boss by his first name,” Jamie said automatically.
Gina rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. It’s after work, we’re at a bar, not the office, and I’m not talking about our boss. I’m talking about the man you have had sizzling sexual tension with ever since you started working there.”
Jamie flushed. “I wouldn’t say anything was sizzling between the two of us.”
“Then you are fooling yourself. And so is Alex.” She polished off her drink and looked around the bar.
“Look, even if there was anything between us, he’s my boss. I love my job too much to risk anything.” She held her hand up to stop Gina. “Nothing happened between us. And no, nothing is bothering me.”
“You’re delusional if you think there’s nothing between the two of you.”
Jamie sighed. “It’s not Alex, okay? Things are actually fine between us. It’s my sister’s wedding that I’m worried about.” She did feel guilty about the wedding and had spoken to her mother. She promised her mother that she would be there and wouldn’t cause a scene. “I don’t want to go. But at the same time, she’
s my sister, you know?”
Gina nodded sympathetically. “Normally, I’d say you should go because it’s good to have a relationship with family. But in your case, I don’t know. Your family has done nothing to support you—hell, they have even tried to sabotage you—so why should you support them? You have a tough decision. I do think you have to go if you want to continue having a relationship with them, though. Show them you are better than what they think you are.”
Jamie could imagine her life without her family. They would no longer make her feel bad about her body. Christine couldn’t insult her anymore, and she would no longer have to see Stephen. She wouldn’t have to constantly witness her mother favoring Christine over her or her father favoring work over her. But she would miss other times as well. The times she and Christine used to gossip about boys and watch romantic comedies. Trying a new recipe with her mother, only for them to realize halfway through that they forgot a really important step and had to start all over again. Attending Broadway plays with her dad. Things had gotten really messed up with the wedding and the conflict about Stephen, but it hadn’t always been that bad. At least, she didn’t think so. “I don’t know,” she said finally. She sighed. Hiding wasn’t going to fix anything. Nor was not talking to her family. Look what that had done to Alex’s. “It’s so complicated.”
Gina nodded. “Family always is,” she said and grabbed Jamie’s drink to take a sip. “Except your family’s more complicated than most.”
Chapter 15
Jamie was still thinking about her family situation when she got home. To try and clear her head, she changed into her swimsuit and dove into the water. She swam a few laps in the cooler water and then turned onto her back to float and stared a few moments at the last colors of the sky as the sun sunk low. She closed her eyes while she gently steered herself in the water. She let the thoughts drift through her mind, not even trying to sort them. She had no idea what she was going to do yet and she was too tired to even try and sort everything out. Instead, she just needed to relax.
“Careful. You might swim into the wall.”
Jamie’s eyes flew open to see Alex standing at the pool’s edge. He was also in his swimsuit, and awkwardly holding a towel. Alex standing there reminded her of the sex dream she had a while back. She blushed and flipped over to tread water. “Thanks,” she murmured. “I didn’t know you were going to use the pool.” She moved toward the edge.
He smiled back, though it looked slightly forced. Since his return things had been strained outside of work. They tended to avoid each other at the house unless it was business related. “You don’t have to leave. It’s fine.”
“You sure?” She hesitated, not sure what to do. If she left it would look like she was running away, and if she stayed, she’d have to talk.
He put the towel on the back of one of the deck chairs and dove in. Perfect dive, no splash, excellent entry. He gasped when his head popped up. “That’s cold,” he said.
Jamie giggled. It was like eighty degrees, not that cold. “Just move around a little bit. You’ll be fine.”
He started swimming in a circle around her and Jamie couldn’t help but notice how gorgeous his body was. The water glistened on his skin, reflecting off the last bits of sun and the lights that had slowly come on. It just showed off his muscles even more, making him look like a Greek god. It was impossible not to admire his physique. She had never seen him up close when he was swimming and she had to resist the urge to scrutinize him now. Her stupid dream kept sending images to her brain that were X-rated.
“Aren’t you just going to get cold by standing there?” he asked, smirking.
Jamie flushed, knowing she had been caught. She started swimming, cutting him off before turning onto her back. “Just thinking,” she mumbled, doing a backstroke across the pool. She snuck a glance back at him and was very satisfied to see him studying her in a similar way she had studied him. She turned around at the pool’s end and swam back toward him. “Now look who’s going to get cold.”
He smirked. “Just thinking.” He swam up to her and his smile slowly faded. “Is everything okay? You seemed distracted today during work.”
“Sorry. I’ll try to be more attentive.” Her response was automatic. She refused to discuss her feelings for him.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said and cleared his throat. “I know things have been a bit awkward since… my father’s passing. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”
Jamie sighed. There were pros and cons about being around your boss, and having the hots for him all the time was definitely one of the cons. It was also next to impossible to lie to him. “Just the usual stuff,” she said. “Family stuff.”
He nodded, his face unreadable. He swam away from her and did a few laps. She watched and then held her breath when he stopped and swam back by her. “Have you talked to them lately?”
She shook her head. “Not since my fight with Christine. I’ve been fielding calls from them and they just leave voicemails telling me how horrible I am.” She scoffed. “Yet, somehow, I still miss them.”
“I understand,” he said. “You know I get that.”
She shrugged. “My family’s really not that bad. I mean, I know it’s awkward my ex is marrying my sister, but that’s not the most uncommon thing in the world. It’s just,” she sighed and continued, “complicated.”
He nodded. “I think I know what you mean. I realized things at home were not as bad as they appeared. Stubbornness kind of screwed things up for my family, not just my pig-headedness, all of ours.” He shook his head, droplets of water hit Jamie’s arm and sent a shiver through her. “Are you planning to go to the wedding? That could help with making amends, maybe not the way I suggested to you on the plane…” He hesitated, as if remembering what happened in Philadelphia. He swallowed hard and adverted his eyes.
“I d-don’t know,” Jamie said, pushing past her feelings and making herself keep the conversation focussed on their families, not the two of them. “Part of me wants to go. But at the same time, I’m tired of being taken for granted and mistreated – even if it’s done unintentionally. If I show up, it feels like defeat, I guess. And then they will just continue taking me for granted.”
Alex nodded thoughtfully. “I’m not sure they will. You’ve changed a lot since you started working for me. Not just physically, but you’ve gone and stood in front of a group of snobby, strong-willed investors and held your ground. You’ve proved to me time and time again that you’re an asset to this company. I wouldn’t cross you, nor would I want you working against me.” He grinned. “You’re not ruthless, but you are incredibly smart. You know how to work with people and you know how to not take no for an answer.” He cleared his throat. “Thanks for getting Nick back on board by the way. I appreciate that.”
Jamie smiled. “You’re welcome.” She thought about Nicholas’ job offer and what Alex had just said about not wanting her to work against him. It made her feel good. “I’ll think about the wedding. I can’t avoid them forever. It won’t fix anything.”
“You got that right.”
She realized he must have thought she was insinuating he had done that. She shivered, partially from cold, partially from embarrassment. She began treading water again. But as she started to move her leg cramped and she slipped.
Alex’s arms were around her within moments, crushing her to his chest. Desire spread through her as she was forced to hug him.
“You okay?” he asked hoarsely.
She looked up at him and saw desire light in his eyes right before he crushed it. She tried to get a hold of her own desire as well. “Yeah,” she said, pushing back away from him. “Just slipped.” She forced her legs to start treading water on their own, even though her left calf threatened to cramp again. “Think I’m just getting cold. I’m going to head in.” She moved to the stairs and climbed out, feeling Alex’s eyes follow her every movement. She grabbed her towel and wrapped it tightly around he
r. “Thanks for letting me talk.”
Alex swallowed and nodded. The desire in his eyes and the way his tongue darted across his upper lip tore through her like fire.
She turned and hurried away. While she couldn’t deny the sexual tension, she wished he wouldn’t look at her like that. It made her feel beyond sexy. Something she had never felt empowered with and it made her unable to think about anything except the way it felt when he touched her, slipped inside of her and made her beg him to do it again.
She closed her eyes as she leaned against her door after she stepped inside her apartment. Having him close during the workday was barely manageable, but sleeping under him in his house and being in constant close proximity was driving her sexual desires into overload. Maybe it would be better if she moved.
Ugh. She shook her head, causing her wet hair to stick to the sides of her face. She grimaced as she peeled the strands off and then went into the bathroom to dry off. She wasn’t moving. She didn’t want to. She would get over Alex eventually. Right?
The next day, she got a voicemail from her father. She hadn’t heard from him at all, even though she had heard plenty from her mother and sister. She figured it was going to be him pleading with her to make up with them because he couldn’t stand to be around his wife when she was angry about something. She decided to listen to the voicemail anyway.