by Tia Wylder
As I read, my heart sank.
“Jack, I’ve got some bad news. We’ll have to temporarily halt the Nassau development. Something came up.”
With shaking fingers, I dialed Barnes and held my phone to my sweaty face. This was the last thing I needed. After a day with a hellish hangover, a cold brush-off from Adele, and now the news about Franchot, the last thing I wanted was to find out about another new setback.
“What is it?” Barnes greeted me when he picked up. I could tell that he was angry. “Why the fuck haven’t you been answering my emails?”
I thought of my hours spent wandering lost in the woods and sighed. “I had a long day,” I said. “And I was away from my computer for a long time, with no cell service.”
“Well, fuck, man,” Barnes said. He laughed, but there was no joy or humor in the sound. “You need to get your ass back to Boston like, yesterday.”
“Why?” I narrowed my eyes. “And what’s all this about another delay?”
“Something happened,” Barnes said. “I’m not sure what, exactly. One of your shareholders called me. He told me that he’d been trying to get in touch with you for hours and that it was urgent, but you were ignoring his calls.”
“I told you,” I snapped. “I was in the fucking woods. I got lost, okay! Are you happy now?”
“Jesus, calm down,” Barnes replied. “Look, you’re not going to be happy about this because I can’t actually tell you what’s going on.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Wait. So, one of my shareholders told you that the project has to be delayed, but they didn’t give a reason.”
“Yeah,” Barnes said. “Look, I know it sucks – we’ll get you back on track as soon as possible. But I just got the news this afternoon. I’m sure it’s fixable.”
My mind went straight to Adele, and I clenched my free hand in anger. Of course, I thought as rage began to rise inside of my chest. Of course, it was her! She got back to Boston this morning, all butt-hurt that I wouldn’t help her immediately…so she decided to sabotage me. Again. Jesus Christ, this is like Key Largo all over again!
“I think I know who is responsible,” I said through clenched teeth. “I need to fly back to Boston immediately.”
“Okay,” Barnes said. He sighed. “You think it’ll be easy to fix?”
“Yeah.” I closed my eyes and pictured Adele, smiling triumphantly in her little dump of an apartment as she planned to ruin my life…again. “Yeah,” I repeated. “I think it will.”
Chapter Eleven
Adele
After Lisa and I finished the entire pizza – no regrets – I climbed into bed with a biology textbook and fell asleep before I had the chance to do any reading. After a whirlwind trip to Nassau, I was exhausted, but it felt good to be home. As my lids were closing tight, I promised myself that I’d spend the entire next day in the library.
As luck would have it, it snowed again overnight. I had to wait an hour at the bus stop for a shuttle to Lager, and when it came, it was packed. I barely fit on the seat in my bulky parka and snow pants. As I shivered and rubbed my gloved hands together for warmth, part of me wished that I hadn’t left Nassau. But when I saw Jack’s cocky grin again…and I was glad that I hadn’t stayed.
I was counting on his help, but now that days were passing, and there was no sign of taking Franchot down, I was starting to wonder if perhaps I shouldn’t look for help elsewhere.
When I got to campus, I holed up in the library for hours, studying and taking notes until my hands were cramped and sore. At least the library was warm, even if it was pretty empty. I looked out the window and saw undergrads laughing and tossing snowballs at each other. I rolled my eyes. How easy life was for them! Back when I’d been an undergrad, I’d barely taken the time for fun. Lisa and Andrew and Sally had always teased me and told me that I was going to “dry up,” but I hadn’t regretted it at the time. Now, I wondered if I’d missed out on anything important.
But when I turned my attention back to my books, I realized there was nothing more important than my one true goal in life: stopping evil bastards like Louis Franchot from destroying precious ecosystems.
I just wished Jack was on board. He’s only interested in his own ego-system, I thought, rolling my eyes at my bad pun. And I hated how I couldn’t even think about Jack without feeling incredibly turned on. It was like he’d somehow hijacked my body and made it his own.
Somehow, I imagined Jack Nathan doing that to everyone around him. He was wealthy and arrogant, and he got what he wanted.
If only he wanted to take Franchot down as badly as I did!
By the time the sun was setting in the sky, I stood up and stretched. My limbs were stiff from sitting in the cramped library chair for so long, and my hands were stained with ballpoint ink from taking copious notes. The kids outside had long gone – probably to the dining hall, or maybe to a party – and the library was empty. As I left, I noticed that even the front desk looked abandoned.
I shivered as I walked out into the cold. I’d planned on catching some dinner and then hanging out in the student union, but I longed for the comfort of my bed and my couch. I wiped my nose on the back of my glove and walked to the bus station, shivering under my heavy parka.
“Adele!”
Frowning, I turned around. A figure was running toward me, clad in black. It took me a second to realize that it was none other than Jack himself.
“Adele!” He yelled again, louder this time. “I need to talk to you!”
I rolled my eyes. What the fuck was he here for now, to make me feel even worse about leaving?
Or maybe he’d come with something I could actually use – news of Franchot!
I waited for Jack to reach me before crossing my arms over my chest. “What is it,” I asked sarcastically. “Angry that I left you in Nassau?”
To my surprise, Jack’s face was contorted with rage. His cheeks were bright red, and his lips were pressed together in a firm, angry line.
“How could you,” Jack spat. “How could you do that to me, after everything we shared? After all that we’ve talked about and done!”
I blinked. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said slowly. “Jack, what’s going on?”
“You know exactly what’s going on,” Jack said angrily. “You ruined my new development!”
“What?” My jaw dropped. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Jack narrowed his eyes. “You know what I’m saying, Adele,” he replied caustically. “You went behind my back and contacted my shareholders!”
“Jack, I wouldn’t have the slightest idea how to do that,” I said, feeling truly baffled. “Look, I got back last night. My roommate and I stayed in and ordered a pizza, and then I went to bed. This morning, I came straight here and worked in the library all day. Look,” I added, pulling out my notebook. “These are all from today. I haven’t even looked at my phone.”
Jack frowned. He looked puzzled. “If it wasn’t you, then…”
“Seriously, Jack,” I said angrily. “Do you have to be so fucking dense? It was probably Franchot or one of his little minions!”
Jack looked both embarrassed and guilty. “I didn’t even think of that,” he said slowly. “I thought you were angry with me, because you’d left, and that you came back here and tried to do something to put my project on hold.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” I said quickly. “We’re supposed to be a team, remember? Look, Jack, the reason why I got so angry was that I thought you were prioritizing your development over helping me, like we agreed on.”
Jack heaved a long sigh. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he looked at me – really looked at me – and I felt a shiver run down my spine.
“Adele, really, I’m sorry,” Jack said. He put his face in his hands and groaned. “This whole thing is driving me crazy, and I’ve been taking it out on you. I’m just under a lot of stress.”
“Well, I am too,” I said angrily. “And
I don’t exactly appreciate being accused of trying to foil you!”
“I’m sorry,” Jack said again. He took his hands away from his face and gave me a mournful look. “I really am. Please, forgive me.”
I sighed. “I need to go,” I said. “I have a lot of studying and writing to do, especially if I’m going to finish my work at a decent hour.”
Jack frowned. “Are you hungry?”
Before I could reply, my stomach growled. The gurgling sound broke the tension between me and Jack, and I felt almost relieved.
“Yeah,” I said, a small smile creeping across my face. “I could eat.”
Jack offered me his gloved hand. I hesitated a second before accepting.
“Let me buy you dinner,” Jack said. “Let’s go. Nick’s waiting for me in the parking lot.”
Riding in Jack’s limo with Nick at the helm was a lot more comfortable than riding on a school shuttle bus. As soon as Jack and I were safely inside the backseat, I began shedding layers.
“We can’t go anywhere fancy,” I moaned, looking down at my sweater and torn jeans. “I look like hell.”
Jack smirked. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I know the perfect place.”
Jack had Nick take us to a small diner just outside of West End. It had always been one of my favorite neighborhoods in Boston, but I rarely went because everything was so expensive. This diner didn’t look expensive, though. The windows were fogged with steam, and the inside smelled like delicious bacon grease and coffee.
“I used to come here when I was in college,” Jack explained. “It was the last place my father would send his minions looking for me.”
I smirked. “I bet that was terrible for you,” I said.
Jack narrowed his eyes, and I flushed.
“You have no idea,” Jack said smoothly. He passed me a menu – they were covered with a grimy layer of plastic – and glanced down at his own. “This place has the best milkshakes. And cheese fries.”
I burst out laughing. “It’s admittedly a little hard to picture you eating cheese fries,” I said.
Jack licked his lips and leaned closer. “Oh, Adele, I eat all kinds of things,” he said.
I blushed bright red. “I bet you do,” I said.
Just then, I felt Jack’s hand on my thigh under the table. I almost jumped in surprise, but his touch was warm on my cold denim-clad thigh, and I wriggled closer, wanting him to touch me everywhere.
“What can I get for you kids?”
The sound of the waitress’s voice made me jump and flush again. Jack laughed heartily, and the sound filled me with warmth.
“I’ll have a double bacon cheeseburger, medium rare, with bacon and a side of chili cheese fries. Oh, and a strawberry milkshake,” Jack said. He smirked at me. “Adele?”
I had been planning to order a Caesar salad, but that sounded so good I wasn’t able to help myself. “I’ll have the same,” I said, still flushing.
The waitress beamed at Jack – I couldn’t tell if she recognized him from the years before or was just charmed by his handsome face – before putting her notepad in her pocket and walking away.
“Same as me?” Jack raised an eyebrow. “How can a girl like you eat that much?”
“I burn calories worrying about the environment,” I said drily. “So, what happened? With your development and Franchot?”
Jack groaned. “I don’t feel like talking about it right now,” he said. “Let’s just have a good time, okay?”
I bit my lip. I knew I shouldn’t be getting too friendly with Jack…which was ludicrous, considering we’d already slept together. But it felt so good to be with someone who wasn’t Lisa, or another one of my colleagues. Being with Jack was like being with an old friend, or maybe an old rival-turned-friend. Despite our differences, I had the sense that we truly understood each other.
The food arrived, and Jack and I fell upon it hungrily. I ate almost every bite until I was stuffed. Reaching under my parka, I unsnapped my jeans and yawned.
“I feel like I’m going to pass out,” I groaned. “I can’t believe I ate so much.”
Jack laughed. “You want me to give you a ride home?” He leaned closer. “Or do you want to come over and have a night cap? I can tell you about Franchot,” he added, raising his eyebrow in a smirk.
I blushed. I wanted to be alone with Jack. Very much, in fact. But was this just going to turn into another round of him trying to seduce me?
And furthermore, would I mind?
“Okay,” I said slowly. “We can have a nightcap. Just one, though. I should get back to campus early in the morning. I have more work to do.”
Jack smirked. God, why did every face he made manage to look so sexy?!
“We can arrange that,” Jack said in a silky smooth voice. He put a wad of cash on the table and held out his arm to me. “Let’s go.”
As Nick drove us to Jack’s posh condo, we barely spoke. The sky was pitch black and cloudy, without the slightest hint of stars. I was feeling much less bloated – heck, if anything, I was tense and excited to be alone with Jack again. What would happen? Would we talk business?
Or…?
I blushed hotly. As Nick slowed the limo outside of Jack’s condo complex, I shivered slightly.
Jack turned to me with a look of concern on his face. “You okay?”
I nodded. “I’m fine,” I said.
“Good.”
Jack led the way inside and again, I tried not to stare at the luxurious interior. When we got to the penthouse, Jack opened his door and showed me inside. He took my coat and reappeared a few seconds later with two small tumblers of brandy.
“This should help you warm up,” Jack said. “Come on, I’ll start a fire.”
I followed Jack into the living room and giggled as he flicked a switch on the wall. Flames sprung to life behind a glass-encased gas fireplace.
“This is cozy,” I said, sinking down into the plush carpet and kicking off my soaked snowboots. The heat from the gas fire felt good on the soles of my feet, and I closed my eyes, moaning softly with pleasure as I began to warm up.
That’s when I felt Jack’s lips on mine. My eyes flew open, and I saw him, leaning over me. He pulled away and licked his lips.
“Is this okay?” Jack asked in a low, sexy voice.
My stomach twitched and tensed with arousal. “Oh, yes,” I said without even thinking about it. Now that I was kissing Jack again, in his own condo and not some hotel hallway, I wanted him more than ever. As carefully as I could, I set the glass of brandy down on the floor and pulled Jack down on top of me.
Our kiss grew deeper, more passionate as each moment passed. Jack pushed me down on the carpet with gentle hands and crawled between my legs, nudging my thighs apart with one of his own. When I felt his muscular thigh brushing against my crotch, I threw my head back and moaned into Jack’s mouth. Jack buried his face in my neck, kissing and nibbling and licking until I thought I would go crazy. When I felt his warm hands slipping under the fabric of my shirt, I shivered.
“Are you cold?” Jack whispered. His breath tickled my ear, and I shook my head.
“No,” I whispered back. “Just excited.”
Jack pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it to the side. He reached behind my back and unclasped my bra with an expert touch, pulling the lacy material away from my breasts. My nipples were stiff and hard with arousal, and when Jack bent his head to my chest and began to suck on them, I thought I would die of pleasure.
I tangled my hands in Jack’s luxurious hair and gently tugged at his scalp until he groaned with pleasure. He pushed his thigh harder against my crotch and pleasure flowed through my body. I pulled Jack’s shirt over his head and threw it to the ground, running my hands over his smooth chest and marveling at the muscles. He was so gorgeous, so toned, so perfect that I could hardly stand it. I couldn’t believe that in this moment, he was completely mine.
“God, Adele,” Jack groaned as I slid my hands lower and low
er until my fingers were rubbing over the obvious bulge at the fork of his trousers. Jack took his mouth away from my nipples and fumbled with his belt, unzipping his pants and pushing them down his narrow hips. I could hardly take my eyes away from him – he was perfect, like a Greek god. When he put his fingers to my own jeans and began unzipping the fly, I shuddered again. Lust was coiled in my lower belly, tense and hot, and my clit was aching for attention. When Jack dipped his head to mine in another passionate kiss, I yanked my panties down my legs and kicked free of my jeans. The fire flickered sensually behind us, and I closed my eyes as Jack put a hand between my legs. My thighs were slick and slippery with my own arousal, and when I felt him slide a finger inside of me, I moaned and shivered.