by Eden Finley
How could two people who call themselves her parents let her believe she wasn’t intelligent, just because her brother and sister excelled in school and she didn’t?
I continued to show her the basics of the program, and she picked it up easily with me physically showing her how it worked. Before I knew it, we’d been sitting there for over an hour, and she knew most of what she’d need for the job.
“See. You’re a visual person,” I said. “What had taken you almost all day trying to learn it from a book, you picked up in an hour by learning as you go. Did you want to get started on coding while we’re at it?”
Her phone beeped. “Oh shit, is that the time? I’ve gotta go pick Cody up from school. If I don’t leave now, I won’t get a parking spot out front. Parking lots at school pickup time are worse than end-of-year sales. And all those mothers will cut a bitch if you get in their way. Thank you so much for showing me this. I won’t feel so stupid when I start now.”
“No problem. We can go through coding another time. Are you all set with Cody for next week? We can postpone your start date if we need to.”
“All good. Cole’s gonna pick him up on Wednesdays from school and keep him until Saturday, and then I’ll pick him up after my shifts on Saturday mornings.”
“Sounds like a reasonable plan. It’s almost fifty-fifty custody.”
“Hey, despite my actions over the years, I can be reasonable, you know.”
“I know. I mean …” Shit, what did I mean?
“Don’t worry about it. Thanks again. If this whole designing thing goes belly up, you could totally become a teacher. Maybe not one in high school though. You’d be all the girls’ favourite and then you’d start a sordid teacher-student romance. Best not do that.”
I tried not to smile. “And what would be so wrong with that?” I could’ve sworn I heard jealousy in her tone. One could hope, anyway. But also, I had no desire to sleep with a teenager, thanks.
“I should go get Cody.”
Okay, subject change. “What do you want for dinner?”
“It’s okay, I can get something for Cody and me.”
She stood to leave but I blocked her path. She stopped a hair of a fraction from me, not realising I was in her way.
“Reecie.” I tried not to let my annoyance show, but I was fairly unsuccessful.
She rolled her eyes at the annoying nickname I threw at her. “What?”
“If we’re going to be a team, you’re going to have to let me do shit for you every once in a while. When our kid is born, I’m going to fetch him bottles and change his nappy. I’m going to nurse him in the middle of the night so you can get some sleep. You going to fight me on that too?”
She shook her head.
“I’m not the best cook in the world, but I can manage pasta. Pasta good?”
“Pasta’s fine. I’ll be home in like an hour though so it’s okay, I can help.” She side-stepped around me and headed for the front door.
Being close to her without being able to touch her was sweet fucking torture, and I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out without pouncing on her.
The only thing restraining me was the fact I knew she didn’t feel the same. She didn’t see me that way. She never had in the fifteen years I’d known her, except for one upset kiss when we were seventeen and one drunken night when we were twenty-seven. Maybe we’d get a real shot in another ten years.
I realised exactly what Blair meant when he said he couldn’t help who his cock was attracted to. Looking down at my semi, I shook my head at my dick. She’s off limits, dude. You’re not allowed to come out to play.
12
REECE
I entered the breakroom as soon as I got into work. Fridays were usually empty apart from the tech support guys Fletcher and I took over from in the evening, but today, it was full of people.
It’d been a few weeks since I started, so I still didn’t know anyone all that well, except Fletcher.
“What’s going on?” I whispered to him as I poured myself a cup of coffee.
Fletcher was around our age, maybe a year or two younger. He was good-looking in the generic sense of the word. No one would’ve called him ugly, but I wasn’t getting any swoon-worthy vibes from him, which was good seeing as we worked together most shifts.
“Sandra’s birthday celebration. They’ll have cake and a few drinks here before hitting the bars after work. We get to be stuck here. Aren’t we lucky?”
“Are you saying my social skills can’t rival that of a night drinking and having fun at a bar?”
His face paled.
I leaned in. “I’m messing with you.”
His smile was cut off by him staring at someone behind me. Fletcher made a swift exit and sat at the table with the others.
“Reecie,” Spencer said.
I turned to him. “Don’t call me that here,” I hissed. “I’ll never hear the end of it.”
His boyish grin did things to my belly. Dammit.
“What did Fletch want?” Spencer asked. “He’s not being unprofessional, is he?”
“Nope. No fraternising. Company rule, right?” That’s what he told me when I started, but I didn’t think it was true. Either that or he didn’t know that one of his techies was doing a sales rep. Or so Fletcher told me.
He cleared his throat. “Right.” When his eyes found my cup, he pursed his lips. “Is that decaf? You had your one coffee this morning.”
A growl slipped out of me, but then I sighed and handed over the cup. As much as I wanted to be angry at him, he was looking out for his kid. There was no proof caffeine did harm to the baby, but it was one of those things that was on every pregnancy list of things to avoid or reduce.
“Good girl.”
“You may as well pat me on the head too if you’re going to treat me like a dog.”
He laughed. “If you want me to.” He reached for me, but I swatted his hand away. “Naw, your scowl is kinda cute.”
“Cute this.” I flipped him off which made him laugh harder. “Poor Fletch is going to have to put up with this crankiness all night now. Or he’s going to have to keep poking me to stay awake, seeing as I wasn’t allowed my coffee.”
Suddenly the cup was back in my hand.
“I’m sure one extra coffee wouldn’t hurt. Wouldn’t want Fletch poking you.” Spencer’s smile seemed fake. “Oh, by the way …” He reached into his pocket and pulled out my phone.
“That’s where my phone went? I was looking for it all afternoon.”
“I managed to kidnap it this morning. I wanted it to be a surprise, so sorry for holding it hostage all day. Go ahead and check your music app.”
My eyes widened as I scrolled through my playlist. “You got rid of U2 for me?”
“I am the slayer of Bono. It was a rough mission, but I made it out alive.”
“Fucking Bono,” I muttered. “Thank you. Seriously. My ears thank you for it. I could friggin’ kiss you.”
“Maybe later.” He winked.
I told myself not to read into his actions. He was being silly and flirty because he was a nice guy. Nothing more.
And I was clearly suffering some sort of damsel in distress syndrome. I needed a way out of my marriage to Paul, and Spencer was the answer. I needed a place to live and a job, and Spencer was the answer. He was the answer to all my problems, which meant I began seeing him as something he wasn’t.
Because of this, I deemed him off limits.
I needed to do this on my own.
That didn’t stop the fantasies. Since moving in, I’d dreamt about having sex with Spencer on the kitchen bench, in the laundry, and even once in the backyard.
A few weeks ago when he was teaching me the ins and outs of my job, I kept picturing him doing that thing in movies where the guy swipes everything off the desk and pins the girl under him.
I had to stop with those thoughts.
“You want a drink, Reece?” a woman asked, forcing me to tear my gaze fr
om Spencer. I didn’t think I’d met her properly yet. If I had, I was a shit person because I couldn’t remember her name.
“I’m working tonight,” I said. No one in the office knew about the baby yet.
“The boss is cool, right boss-man?” she asked Spencer.
“Where’s Trevor? I’m going to kill him.” Spencer stormed out of the room.
Weird.
“Hiding,” his assistant singsonged as he stepped out from in between the fridge and hall that led to the staff bathrooms. “So, that drink, Reece?”
“Nah, I’m all good thanks.”
“One teeny, tiny drink?” Trevor pushed. He made his way over to me, holding out a plastic cup and pouring some wine into it.
“She can’t. She’s pregnant,” Spence said from the doorway. He was back already. And telling everyone what I’d been able to hide from them until now.
Suddenly I was yanked in front of Trevor. “You have to get through the pregnant lady to hurt me,” he said. “And she’s new. You don’t want her to see your violent streak yet.”
The notion Spence would hurt anyone was hilarious. I was shocked when I found out about his drunken brawl arrest two years ago.
“Yeah, well,” Spencer started, “I went to high school with Reece, so she’s already seen my violent streak. I don’t mind if she sees it again.”
The whole staffroom was eating up the fight. I hadn’t seen much of Trevor or Spencer since I started, but I got the impression they were always goofing off with each other and the rest of the staff.
“Okay, okay,” Trevor said, releasing me. “Public announcement. Don’t call the boss, boss anymore.”
Everyone laughed.
Spencer pointed to the group. “Every time someone calls me boss, someone else gets fired. Think about your co-workers’ futures.”
More laughter.
“Hey, Spencer?” Rick said. “Can we nominate someone to get fired when we do it? In this case, I’d like to see Alan’s ass fired, boss.”
“Dick.” Alan threw a balled-up napkin at Rick.
“Carry on if you want, guys, but I’m heading home,” Spencer said. “It’s Friday, you should all go too.”
“I’ve already been over this,” Trevor said. “You pay them until five no matter what. Make them stay.”
Now balled-up napkins were being thrown at Trevor.
He put me in front of him again. “Don’t hit the pregnant lady.”
“Everyone get out of here,” Spencer said. “Enjoy your Friday night.”
“Everyone except us,” Fletcher said to me as everyone filed out the door. There was just me, him, and Trevor left.
“It does suck I don’t get a Friday night out, ever anymore. I used to go to the pub every other Friday with friends from high school. It’s a tradition.”
“Whoa,” Trevor said behind me. “You’re one of the boss’s Friday night group?”
“Was. Now I’m here. Need to make some cash before the baby comes.” My hand went to my small bump that made me look like I’d eaten too much food as opposed to being pregnant.
“Get to work, Fletcher,” Trevor said. “Miss Reece and I have to talk.”
“About what?” Fletcher asked.
At the same time, I said, “We do?”
“Uh-huh.” Trevor shooed Fletcher out and then grabbed my wrist to drag me towards the table. He shoved a piece of cake in front of me. “Here, eat up. Pregnant chicks like cake, right?”
“Don’t non-pregnant chicks like cake too?” I shovelled a fork into the sponge and shoved it in my mouth.
“Good point. So, please tell me you’re the spitfire the boss knocked up.”
I sprayed cake crumbs everywhere and started choking.
Trevor’s eyes lit up. “Oh, this is so awesome.”
Through coughing, I managed to get out “How do you even know about it? Spence said he didn’t tell anyone at the office.”
“Did he tell you I hooked up with your friend Blair a while back?”
I scowled. “Blair Rhodes is a dead man.”
“Don’t kill him. He’s too beautiful to die. Total fucking head case but beautiful.”
I screwed up my face. “Head case?”
“In love with some guy he can’t get over.”
“Really? Why didn’t I know this?”
“Maybe the same reason no one knows about you and the boss-man. You have to tell me everything. I need things to hold over his head. He jokingly threatens me every day with being fired. I need ammunition in case he starts getting serious about it.”
“Uh, I’d love to help, but I should get to work. And I’d appreciate it if no one else found out—”
He zipped his lips shut and threw away the imaginary key. “Secret’s safe with me, honey, but don’t think for one second this gets you out of telling me about it. I need a good office romance story.”
I laughed. “Yeah, right. Definitely not the case with us. It was a mistake.”
“What was a mistake?” Spencer’s voice cut in as he re-entered the room.
“Umm …”
“Shoving so much cake in her mouth at once,” Trevor answered for me. “I just had a crumb shower.”
“Why are you still here, anyway? I sent you home,” Spencer said.
“Why are you still here, boss?” Trevor asked.
“You’re fired.”
Trevor smiled, said “See you on Monday,” and then stood and left the room.
“What did he want?”
I shrugged and ate more cake.
“I wanted to see how you were settling in before I head off.”
“Good. Really good. Although, I’m not sure why you need two staff on at night. Fletch and I tend to fight over calls. We finally came to a system where we alternate.”
“Fletch is casual, so he fills in here and there when people go on holidays. His hours aren’t set in stone, so you’ll be on your own more in the future, but I’d feel better knowing someone was with you in the beginning in case you get stumped.”
“Fair enough.”
“So, you’re all good then?”
“All good, boss.”
“Don’t you start with that shit.”
I smiled. “What’s your issue with the name anyway?”
“I hate the whole superior, subordinate thing. I don’t feel like everyone’s boss. I don’t want to be everyone’s boss.”
“All part of the job, though, right?”
He nodded and looked away.
“Have fun at pub night, and say hi to the guys for me,” I said.
“Will do. See you at home.”
As I watched him walk away, I found myself staring after his ass.
Don’t go there.
I finished off my cake and made my way to my work station, which was always a mess because Rick and I shared a desk. Grumbling as I put all of Rick’s trash in the bin, I stopped in my tracks when Fletch smirked at me.
“What?” I asked.
“He’ll never learn if you clean up after him.”
“He’s a grown-ass man. Pretty sure the learning ship has sailed.”
“Fair point. So, what’s the deal with you and Spencer?”
My eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Before he left, he gave a ‘make sure you keep your distance’ speech. Kinda overprotective of someone who’s pregnant with another man’s baby.”
Oh yeah, he knew. Or at least suspected.
“Spence is overprotective of me because we’ve known each other since we were twelve years old.”
“Mmmhmm,” Fletcher said, clearly unconvinced.
This whole keeping a secret in the office thing was going to be hard. It was true when they said workplaces were a lot like high school.
***
As my shift wore on, I wondered if Spence would be home from pub night yet. Depending on the events of the night, some lasted until closing. Others were a quick drink and goodnight.
Fletcher had sniped a lot
of my calls tonight, because I was too distracted.
I almost felt guilty about Crow Tech Data paying me for basically daydreaming most of my shift.
A nervous twinge sat in my stomach as I pulled into the driveway. I didn’t know why. I’d been living with Spencer for weeks.
All I knew was it was getting harder to ignore I had a thing for Spencer.
Dammit.
I couldn’t go there. It would screw up a dynamic that was working so far.
As soon as I opened the door, feminine moaning drifted from the direction of the hallway, and my heart crashed into my stomach.
Fuck.
What do I do?
Slam the door?
Sneak into my room and pretend I can’t hear Spence going at it with some girl?
Leave and give them twenty minutes?
I inwardly groaned. If I wasn’t confused by my feelings before, I sure as hell was now when jealousy tore through me like the green-eyed monster it was. Spencer being with a girl shouldn’t have upset me this much. He could do whatever he wanted, and he wasn’t breaking my rule—Cody was with his father—but that didn’t mean I wanted to hear it.
In fact, I wished I could’ve gone back in time ten minutes and told myself not to walk in here.
I decided slamming the door was the best course of action. It didn’t deter the noise. The woman’s moans didn’t even falter. Hope sparked within, thinking maybe Spencer was watching porn. Yay, porn! I never thought I’d be so excited about that.
I dumped my bag and heels in my room, and with light footing, I made my way up the hallway. Before I got to the steps to the split level, I had to pause. Dammit. Not porn. That was the distinct sound of a headboard meeting wall. I was too busy focusing on the sex noises to hear a door open down the hall or the footsteps after it. Only when I was staring up at Spencer’s face at the top of the stairs did I jump back in surprise.
“You little voyeur,” he said with a grin.
The noises were still going. My eyes went to the hallway and then back to Spence who looked dishevelled in his half-dressed state. He was only in sweatpants.
Group thing?
Wow, didn’t think he had it in him.
He cocked his head to the side. “You’re trying to work out if I’m at all involved in the ongoing noises from up that way, aren’t you? Can’t say I’ve ever had a three-way. Unfortunately.”