by Madison Faye
When her mom had up and disappeared, leaving her father and her alone, Jamie had thought nothing could get any worse, but she’d been wrong.
“Jamie, are you thinking about your dad?”
Jamie blinked back the threat of tears. “I miss him so much. He was all I had since Mom left. Sometimes when I’m at home I forget he’s gone and I reach for my phone. Things are such a mess right now and I have no clue about that to do. I’m supposed to meet Reed and Ethan at the law office. There are cases pending, bills to be paid. Dad owes them so much money.”
Lisa shrugged. “From what I remember, they’re both nice guys. Just be honest and tell them the truth.”
How was she supposed to do that when the truth was so ugly? Hey, Dad turned into a drunk and gambled all the money away after Mom left us.
“I wish Dad would’ve told them how depressed he got after Mom left. I tried to convince him to make the call, but he said he had his pride. They were his friends since his school days and all he did was end up screwing them over. He took their money and instead of using it for the right reasons, he basically threw it all away.”
The conversation ended when the waitress arrived with their lunch. Disheartened and ashamed, Jamie just stared at her slice of pizza. Her nerves were so on edge that her stomach rebelled at the thought of eating.
Jamie had been shocked when her mother up and left without any explanation. It seemed so sudden and out of the blue. One day everything seemed normal then the next day she woke up and found her father sitting at the kitchen table drinking straight from a bottle of whiskey. His eyes were all bloodshot and in a voice that sounded eerily calm he told her Mom was gone and he wasn’t going into the office today. When she asked him what happened, he just shrugged and stared at the tablecloth.
Jamie remembered running upstairs and throwing herself down on the bed. She bawled her eyes out. Why did her mother leave? Was it something she had done? How could her mother be so cold-hearted?
Jamie only had one more year of high school and had planned to attend college, but she knew deep down that it wasn’t going to happen. Her father’s older sister, Agnes, came over every day and while Jamie wasn’t all that thrilled to hear her mother being called a whore, she did appreciate the help and managed to graduate from twelfth grade.
Since she wanted to stay close to her father and see them both through this difficult time, she signed on for classes on the internet. It proved too difficult keeping her mind on her schoolwork and what state of mind her father would be in and she never finished the courses.
She had to accompany her dad to the office. She’d transfer all of his handwritten notes onto the computer. There were days when she had to force him to get up in the morning and get dressed, but she did it for the next two years. Day by day he began to show improvement, but she was still hesitant about moving away to attend college so when she turned twenty-one she got a job as a bottle girl. All was going well until her ex had showed up.
Dan kept taunting her about their past relationship. He blamed her for the breakup. He called her weak and a crybaby. Unable to handle the stress, Jamie had snapped and thrown his drink in his face.
Needless to say, she was let go. She immediately went back to work with her dad and that was when she discovered that things weren’t as rosy as he had let on. Little did she know that he had developed a gambling habit and was dipping his hands into the profits while she worked to help pay off the bills.
Lisa reached out and patted her hand. “Jamie, you said yourself that they were your dad’s best friends. Almost like family. If you tell them what happened I’m sure they’ll understand.”
Jamie was shaking her head way before Lisa finished. “Lisa, I saw the amount of money Dad borrowed and it’s a lot. According to his phone’s history, he made contact with Reed and Ethan at least once a month. Uncle Reed called the other day and when I told them that Dad suffered a fatal heart attack, he was shocked and wanted to know why I never called.” Jamie sighed. “Whenever I’d mention calling them, Auntie would throw a fit. She’s all the family I have left and I didn’t want to start an argument.”
“Look, what can they do? I really don’t think they’ll make you pay the money back.”
Jamie barked out a laugh. “If they did they’d be waiting a long time. I don’t have a job at the moment.”
“If I ever see Dan I’m going to kick him right in the balls,” Lisa spat. “Nice guy, my ass.”
That nice guy was into BDSM and had convinced Jamie to join him at a club one night. Jamie had always wondered what it would be like to be dominated by a man. To have all her worries and choices taken away from her and be punished like a parent would a child. She never had someone older than her lay down the law and she’d never been given a spanking. Dan had smooth-talked her into believing he could give her exactly what she craved.
He had given her a ‘safe’ word to use if their session became too intense. Tied to a spanking bench, the first few cracks with a whip weren’t all that bad. Then they became much harder. She tried to be brave, but the pain became intense and she asked him to stop. When Dan continued, Jamie shouted her safe word, but he just laughed and told her not to be a baby.
She kept screaming for him to stop. It seemed like hours instead of seconds when someone finally came in and pulled Dan away from her. She remembered how gentle her rescuer had been as he held her in his arms and wiped her tears. She still bore a few scars on her buttocks. She never told anyone what had happened, even Lisa. Dan had been thrown out of the club and for that reason alone he hated Jamie.
“Just let it go, Lisa. I don’t have time to think about Dan or any other man for that matter.” Jamie checked the time again. “I have to get going or I’ll be late.” She grabbed her purse and stood up. Once she paid her bill she waited for Lisa and both girls walked outside.
Lisa gave her a hug. “Keep in touch, okay? I hope all works out.”
Jamie replied, “So do I.”
Chapter Two
“I swear if Stephen were still alive I’d fuckin’ strangle him.”
Reed Decker glanced at his younger brother. Ethan’s jaw was set and his fists clenched so tight the knuckles were white.
“Jamie sounded absolutely wretched on the phone,” Reed remarked, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t why she didn’t call us as soon as her dad died. We could have flown back to Pennsylvania on the red-eye.”
“Yeah, well, that’s water under the bridge now.” Ethan slammed his hand down on the console. “Poor kid, her mom leaves without a word and now she lost her dad.” He stared out the window of their rented car. “Jamie’s what, twenty-two now?”
Reed nodded. We told her often enough to keep in touch and let us know if she needed anything. I’ve got half a mind to paddle her ass when I see her.”
“Ha, get in line.” Ethan looked at his watch. “She should be here any minute.” Folding his arms over his chest, he slouched in the seat and closed his eyes. “That plane ride wiped me out. Wake me when she’s here.”
Feeling a bit jetlagged himself, Reed leaned back in the drivers’ seat, but kept a watchful eye toward the building where they were to meet Jamie. He lazily watched as people strolled by and when a petite brunette rounded the corner and stopped in front of the Hall’s Law Firm building, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
A low groan rose from his throat. She was the most beautiful young woman he had ever seen. Her yellow top hugged her full breasts and when she turned around to peek inside the window, her jeans defined her heart-shaped ass and long legs. Reed could almost imagine those legs wrapped around his hips as he drilled his cock deep inside her sweet pussy.
“Holy fuck,” he hissed between clenched teeth.
Ethan stifled a yawn. “What is it?”
“I’m just admiring the scenery. Go back to sleep,” Reed said without taking his eyes off her.
“Like hell.” Ethan straightened in his seat and when his gaze landed on the ‘scener
y,’ his jaw dropped. “Wow, she’s hot.”
“Yeah, real hot, but doesn’t she look familiar to you?”
They continued to watch the brunette more closely as she paced back and forth in front of the office building.
Suddenly, Reed felt as if he’d been sucker punched.
Ethan’s jaw dropped.
Sweet Jesus, they were both ogling their friend’s daughter, Miss Jamie Hall.
* * *
Nervous as all hell, Jamie paced in the front of the law office building. Reed and Ethan should’ve been here by now. Despite the fact that they were coming back to Pennsylvania under such dire circumstances, she was excited about seeing Uncle Reed and Uncle Ethan again.
They were the ones who tended to her scraped knees and tried to make her laugh when she’d come over to their house crying that her parents were arguing again.
She had had such a crush on the two of them and would get so jealous when either one had a gorgeous woman on their arm. Her adolescent heart loved them and she remembered how absolutely devastated she was when they moved away.
Jamie finally stopped pacing and sat down on the wooden bench in front of the building, only to jump back up when she heard a car door slam followed by another.
It was nearly impossible not to notice the two buff men crossing the street. Her breath hitched. It looked as if they had both stepped off a photo shoot for the Gentlemen Quarterly. One sported dark hair and the other a light brown. Both wore sunglasses, jeans, and short-sleeve shirts. They were massively built with broad shoulders, wide chests, and thick arms.
When they drew closer and took off their sunglasses, Jamie recognized them immediately. She emitted a loud squeal and ran to meet them. “Uncle Reed, Uncle Ethan.”
They took turns hugging her and swinging her around off the ground. It felt so good to be held in their arms again. “I missed you both so much.”
Reed wrapped his arm around her waist and placed a kiss on the top of her head. “Aw, sweetheart, we missed you too and we’re so sorry to hear about your dad. Why didn’t you call us?”
“I should have and I’m sorry.” Her voice was full of regret.
“I see the coffee shop next door is still open for business.” Reed cupped her elbow. “Let’s go inside and have a little chat.”
As soon as the three were seated at a table and had placed their order, Reed regarded her with that piercing stare. “You’ve grown into a beautiful young lady.”
Ethan winked at her from across the table. “You sure have.”
Jamie’s face warmed at the compliment. “Thank you. I must say I adore that hint of gray you both have going on.”
They both laughed.
“I guess we’re not too bad for two old men,” Reed remarked.
“I’d rather say mature instead of old. As a matter of fact I’m seriously thinking about dating mature men instead of guys closer to my age.”
“How much more mature?” Ethan asked.
Jamie shrugged. “Oh, I’m gonna try shooting for thirty or forty.” They both stared at her incredulously. “Don’t sit there looking so shocked. I dated enough guys my age to know what I’m talking about. Besides, both of you spoiled me when I was a little girl. I want a man exactly like the two of you.”
Ethan cleared his throat awkwardly. “I guess we did spoil you, but now that you’re all grown up some things are going to have to change.”
Jamie’s heartbeat quickened. “Like what?”
Reed leaned forward in his seat. “You can begin by telling us why you didn’t call as soon as your dad died.”
His commanding tone went straight to Jamie’s clit and she felt ashamed. These two men were more like family than acquaintances. They had changed her diapers on more than one occasion and even burped her, for heaven’s sake.
Jamie sighed. “I’ll start from the beginning. Things began to get dicey about three summers before I graduated from high school. There were times when Mom and Dad would go for days without speaking to each other. When they did exchange words it’d always end up in an argument. At first I brushed it aside. I mean, they often had fights before and made up afterward, remember?”
Both men nodded.
“Go on,” Reed coaxed gently.
“Well, Aunt Aggie started coming around more often than usual. You remember Dad’s sister?”
“Sure do, doll,” Ethan replied derisively. “She never liked the fact that we were best friends with her baby brother. She was afraid we’d corrupt him.”
Jamie managed a giggle. “From the stories she told me about you and Uncle Reed, I don’t blame her for being worried.”
Uneasy, Reed straightened in his seat. “What kind of stories?”
“Oh, just about the girls you both shared while in high school.”
“Son of a bitch,” Reed mumbled. “Geez, Jamie, I apologize. I didn’t mean to curse in front of you.”
“Uncle Reed, believe me, I’ve heard worse.”
“Well now, I’m not too pleased to hear that, young lady.”
Jamie rolled her eyes. “Will you stop being so old-fashioned? I’m not a little girl anymore.” She winked at Ethan. “I said quite a few of those naughty words myself during the last few years. You know, the four-letter ones like…”
Reed held up his hand. “That’s quite enough.”
Jamie looked down at the table so he wouldn’t see her smiling. She peeked at Ethan. His green eyes were dancing with humor.
“I guess my parents were having problems long before I became aware of it, but I never expected my mother to leave especially without any explanations. Dad was torn apart and all Aunt Aggie did was put fuel on the fire.”
The conversation ended abruptly when the waitress brought a tray with three cups of coffee. Jamie noticed the way she eyed up Reed and Ethan and expected the woman to start drooling.
“Hello there, I’m Gail. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you all need anything else,” she said sweetly, her eyes roving over both men. “And I do mean anything.”
Jamie was sorely tempted to dump the vase full of water that was on the table over the waitress’s head to cool her off. She’d even leave the flowers in it.
Jamie’s heart felt heavy in her chest when Ethan and Reed paused to watch Gail walk away.
Piqued, she grabbed her purse and stood up. “I don’t want any coffee. Feel free to stay here as long as you like. I’ll be in Dad’s office.”
Chapter Three
With head held high, Jamie stormed out of the diner. By the time she entered the office, her steps slowed, her temper calmed, and guilt quickly took over. She’d been jealous at the way Ethan and Reed had stared at Gail. Simply put, she had acted like a belligerent child.
She heard the door to the foyer slam shut and bit her lip. The last thing she wanted was for the two special men in her life angry with her. When they saw her, they remained curiously silent and immediately began looking through all the papers piled high on the desks.
After several minutes Reed pushed away from the desk and ran a hand through his hair.
“Jamie, what are all these scribbled notes for?”
“Those are Dad’s handwritten notes. I had to transfer them onto the computer and then paste them in the appropriate files.”
Leaning forward, Reed swiped one off the desk and looked at it. Jamie thought he was going to crumple it up and toss it in the air. Instead, he dropped it on the desk. “I can’t make any sense out of this chicken scratch. Why didn’t he just use the computer in the first place?” He looked up at Jamie, who was now standing next to the desk.
Their eyes met and held for several seconds then he dropped his gaze to her chest where the top three buttons were undone. She saw a flash of admiration in those brown orbs flecked with gold and then he quickly looked away.
Her entire body tingled with sexual awareness. Both arms were crossed over his chest and his stern countenance made her feel like a naughty schoolgirl standing next to the princi
pal waiting to be punished.
“Um, Dad didn’t like using computers.” It was a piss-poor excuse and she knew it, but that was all she had to offer at the moment.
With nothing further to say, Jamie turned away.
“Hold it. I don’t recall telling you I was finished.”
A flood of warmth pooled between her legs. She had had her fair share of dates with boys her age and none of them had ever elicited such a response using only words.
Jamie looked at Ethan and caught him staring at her ass. He quickly averted his eyes in much the same manner as Reed had done. Hope flared in her chest. Could it be possible that they found her attractive?
“Well, bro, we certainly have a mess on our hands.” Reed gathered all the papers in one big pile. “There’s no way in hell I can decipher these notes. Jamie, can you spare an hour or two after work each day and help us go through these?”
She could spend eight hours a day seven days a week, but she was reluctant to admit that she was unemployed.
Reed eyed her sternly. “You do have a job, don’t you?”
Jamie shook her head. “I did have a job, but I was let go.”
Reed blew out a frustrated breath. “Jamie Hall, I get the feeling that there’s more going on than you’ve let on.” One brow arched significantly.
Jamie’s temper flared once again. “I had every intention of doing just that, but you both were too interested ogling Gail to pay me any attention.” Her fists landed on her hips and she tossed back her head.
Ethan surged to his feet and pointed to an empty chair. “Sit down.”
Jamie immediately did as she was told. For as long as she could remember, Ethan had never ever raised his voice to her. He always made light of any situation that involved her behavior.