Alphas on Top

by Harper Sloan

  Something slamming on my desk caused me to jerk away from Jordan’s embrace. Jackson was glaring at the both of us, eyes darting back and forth. His jaw worked furiously, clenching and unclenching. Jordan tensed up beside me and they had a fucking standoff before Jackson finally spoke. “Real fucking professional, Jordan.” Without waiting for a response, he stormed out of the office.

  Jordan patted me on the back. “Welcome to the gang,” he huffed, sighing as he walked back to his office. “Hope to see you tomorrow.”

  With that, I snatched up my purse and left. Returning was still up for debate.

  “I still can’t believe it,” Pepper murmurs, shaking her head as she sips her wine. We’d already had dinner at the café and had moved to Dempsey’s to have some after-dinner wine. It was a slow night at the bar so we were able to find a quiet booth near the back.

  “Yeah, it’s pretty awful. I am just hoping it will get better. There aren’t many jobs out there, so I’d be a fool to quit, but that doesn’t make it any easier. If I didn’t have my stupid game, this never would have happened,” I whined as I downed the rest of my glass. My game was a joke anyway. It was time to stop what I’d started months ago and start trying to act like a normal human being. The server came over and refilled our glasses.

  I heard Ian’s booming voice behind the bar, welcoming some guys as they walked in. Following his gaze, I was horrified to see Jordan and Jackson.

  “Shit, Pepper. They’re here. Jordan and Jackson are here. We should go,” I urged, scooting out of the booth. When Jordan saw me, he waved and started walking over to me. Jackson jerked his head in my direction and glared at me.

  “Andi! Surprise seeing you here. Let me buy you and your lovely friend here a drink,” he smiled when he reached our table. Whatever stress he had been dealing with earlier seemed to have dissipated.

  “We were about to leave,” Pepper informs Jordan, knowing that I was beyond uncomfortable.

  “Nonsense! You can have a drink with us. Jackson! Get your ass over here. Ian! Bring a round of drinks to us. Surprise us,” he ordered as he scooted into the booth next to Pepper, causing her to yelp. He looked over at her and grinned.

  Normally she could be as frosty as they come, but right now her cheeks were blazing as she shakily scooted closer to the wall to get away from him.

  Jackson finally made it to our table and reluctantly sat down beside me, as far away as he possibly could while still sitting on the same bench. I sighed and turned my attention back to Jordan. Keeping my hands busy, I rolled my napkin and folded it over and over again. Jordan was smiling at me. Clearly he was the more charismatic of the two.

  “Excuse my socially inept brother. He doesn’t get out much. I blame it on Mom for babying him so much,” he chuckled. Jackson grumbled something under his breath and tried to ignore Jordan.

  I looked over at Pepper and she had composed herself again. Frosty Bitch was back. “Andi here was just telling me about her wonderful day at work,” she said sarcastically, glancing over in Jackson’s direction. I cringed at her words. Jordan didn’t seem to notice that they were sarcastic, but Jackson flinched ever so slightly.

  “Great! I’m so glad, Andi. I think you’ll really like it there. Everyone works hard to make it a successful company,” Jordan beamed as he bragged about his employees.

  When I started to nervously shred my napkin, Jackson’s hand covered mine, taking it from me. I couldn’t ignore the heat that ignited between us. Quickly, my eyes found his, which were drinking me in. My heart started racing, but thankfully the intense moment was interrupted when Ian set down two rounds of shots. “It’s on me, guys,” he said, winking at us and returned back to the bar.

  Jordan began telling a funny story about one of his newer clients. We were all laughing at him, but I was having a hard time giving him my entire attention. Jackson was beside me, practically knocking me over with the intense waves rolling off of his body. I’d like to assume they were of desire, but I realized it was probably anger at having to sit with me.

  We all started to relax a little more as Ian brought another couple of rounds. When Jackson’s knee touched mine and stayed there, I froze. The electricity that pulsed through us was almost visible. Pepper and Jordan were talking about some art exhibit, but I could barely understand their conversation because I was too caught up in this moment with Jackson.

  When his hand gingerly rested on my thigh, I shuddered at the intimate touch. I’d wanted all day for him to show some indication of the man from this morning and he had finally thrown me a bone. His hand started gently rubbing my thigh over my skirt. I gasped silently when his hand pushed my skirt up, giving him access to my panties.

  Jordan and Pepper were now in a heated discussion about something, but I completely ignored them. Jackson slipped a finger underneath my panties and rubbed across my clit. I jerked but forced myself to stay calm. He began a delicious pattern over my sensitive clit. I choked down my panting and eagerly awaited the orgasm that was very close.

  With his other hand, he slid my wine glass in front of me and nodded to it. Shakily, I snatched it up and brought it to my lips. My orgasm hit hard and was intensified when he shoved two fingers inside my wet core making me buck off of the seat a bit. Swallowing down my moans with my wine, I shook with my aftershocks. He pulled his fingers from me and slid my skirt back into place. Oh my God, he was something else.

  Sliding from the booth, he said to all of us, “I’m tired. I’ll see you all later.” Without another glance in my direction, he left the bar. Jackson was so damn hot and cold. But the hot was almost worth the cold.

  A dark two weeks…

  “She’s coming back to Indiana with us,” my mother informs the psychiatrist, Dr. Sweeney.

  “Ma’am, I think we need to let Andi decide what she wants to do,” he says gently, looking over at me. It has been a couple of days since the accident and they are ready to release me. Dr. Sweeney wants to see me again on Friday.

  “Mom, it’s okay. I’m supposed to be moving in with Pepper this weekend. I promise I’ll be okay. Dr. Sweeney and I have really been working out some of my problems,” I assure her, sighing. My mother isn’t a very affectionate, loving woman. It is weird that she even appears to care. Dad and my sister Megan couldn’t even find time from their schedule to come see me at the hospital.

  She sighs but nods in agreement. Dr. Sweeney scribbles out a new prescription for me and asks me to promise that I not take them with alcohol. I nod sheepishly. The whole thing really was an accident. I wasn’t really trying to kill myself, but I almost succeeded, even if by accident. If it weren’t for Bray, I shudder to think what could have happened.

  Bray has remained on constant vigil by my side throughout this entire hospital stay. Pepper refuses to speak to him anymore and gives him death glares when he’s nearby. Yesterday, though, Dr. Sweeney put an end to his visits. He said that part of my recovery revolves around healing myself without Brayden’s help. Bray was really torn up about his suggestion but said that he really wants to help me and would honor Dr. Sweeney’s wishes. After a gentle kiss to my forehead, he left me, saying that when I was healed from all of the pain he’d caused maybe we could work on a friendship at the very least.

  I really don’t want Bray out of my life but I fear I’ll always be in a fragile state unless I handle my problems without him. This weekend I plan on starting the next phase of my life. I’m ready to start living again. The last two weeks have been an awful blur, and I never want to feel that way again.

  This morning I was on top of things despite my pounding head from the shots last night. I found a really sexy suit a little on the shorter side now that I knew who I’d be wearing it to impress. After I slipped on some thigh-highs and then some impossibly high heels, I walked over to my full-length mirror and admired the view.

  Jackson would have to be dead to ignore me today. My blonde hair hung in sexy curls down my back, my makeup was a little on the darker side today, and my
outfit screamed “Fuck me.” In a moment of bravery, I slipped my panties off and kicked them to the side. Knowing that I would be working without panties near Jackson almost had me running for my vibrator in my bedside table. Ignoring the desire coursing through me, I snatched my purse and headed out.

  Right before we pulled up to the building, I reapplied my red lipstick and paid the cab driver. Heads turned as I walked into the building, boosting the self-assurance that had been stolen by Jackson yesterday. I held my chin up and confidently rode the elevator up to our floor.

  When Margie saw me, her eyes lit up. “Hey gorgeous! You’re going to knock them dead today. Jordan and Jackson are already in the conference room with the new junior architect, who is absolutely hot. Jordan said to send you in when you got here,” she giggled. I smiled and thanked her. Swinging by my desk, I dropped my purse in my drawer and picked up a note on my keyboard. It was from Jackson.

  Lunch again today? Same time, same place?

  His scribbled request made me smile. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad. And he was definitely going to have a hard time not paying attention to me today. I was hot and knew it.

  I strode into the conference room and smiled at Jordan, who was watching me with wide eyes. Jackson swiveled around and actually grinned as he appreciatively took in my appearance. My smile faded when the third chair turned to see what Jordan and Jackson were looking at.

  “Andi? Oh my God. I can’t believe this!” Bray exclaimed, jumping from his seat and coming toward me. He pulled me in for an embrace, and my eyes closed when I got a huge lungful of his familiar scent. He rubbed my back, not wanting to let me go until someone cleared his throat behind him.

  Quickly pulling away, he turned to see Jackson glaring at us. “You two know each other?” Jackson asked, voice rolling with anger.

  Not wanting to make things uncomfortable for Bray, I spoke up. “Uh, yes. We went to college together,” I half-lied, avoiding Jackson’s fiery gaze. I quickly moved to sit down beside Jordan.

  “Great! This is really going to be a great dynamic for our team here. Since you two know each other, things will go so much more smoothly,” Jordan beamed warmly, patting my bare thigh and then removing it to neaten his stack of paper in front of him.

  I looked up to see Bray and Jackson wearing matching glares, this time directed towards Jordan, who seemed oblivious. The testosterone was thick in the conference room today.

  Jordan quickly addressed a few things before excusing everyone. I jumped from my seat and bolted back to my desk. Once I sat down and pretended to be preoccupied with booting up my computer, Jackson stalked past me into his office, slamming the door behind him. Shit. Today was even worse than yesterday!

  Now, I had to work with someone who was the ultimate cause of the way I was today. Working with Bray was going to prove to be extremely difficult, especially since the pain in my heart I had eradicated pulsed at the sight of him earlier.

  Jordan and Bray walked out together, shaking hands before Jordan went over to his office. Bray sauntered over to my desk and glanced at my legs. Dragging his eyes back to mine, he said, “You look really beautiful, Andi.” I muttered a thanks and turned my attention to the computer screen. He stood quietly for a moment before walking over to his office right next to Jackson’s.

  Pepper needed to know today’s events.

  Pep,

  Guess who works here now? Never in a million years could I have predicted this. Imagine the worst possible scenario and you’ll be right. Drinks again tonight? This time at our apartment with Olive?

  Your best friend who has no luck at all,

  Andi

  After I hit send, my inbox chimed immediately with her response.

  Fucking Brayden.

  Sighing at my luck, I got busy returning phone calls and planning meetings for all three guys. The morning flew by, and I was startled when Jackson came out of his office and left without saying a word to me.

  I guess we were back to the cold Jackson I didn’t like. He had said that we were having lunch, so I was guessing he had gone to go get it.

  Brayden suddenly emerged from his office and walked over to my desk. “Want to grab some lunch and catch up?” he asked, smiling at me. I squirmed under his gaze. Everything about this chance encounter had my nerves on edge.

  “Jackson went to get some for me. Maybe tomorrow?” I quipped, biting my lip.

  His eyes fell to my lips and he looked almost sad when he glanced back up at me. “Sure, tomorrow,” he muttered hoarsely and took off out the door.

  An hour later, Bray came back in. Stopping at my desk on the way to his office, he asked if he had any messages. “I emailed them to you. Check your calendar. I set up something on Thursday with a Mr. Higgins,” I told him.

  Glancing into Jackson’s office and then back to me, he asked, “How was lunch?”

  “Um, Jackson is supposed to be bringing it back,” I offered weakly. Considering it was now a quarter to two, I thought I might have been stood up again. When my stomach growled loudly, I clutched it trying to get it to stop.

  He frowned at me. “Shit, Andi, you know you get lightheaded if you don’t eat properly. Let’s go. We’ll run down to the café here in the building and grab you a sandwich.”

  I stood up, quickly deciding that I needed to eat in order to function for the rest of the afternoon. The room spun and I grabbed the desk trying to gain my bearings. Suddenly, two arms were around my middle trying to ease me back into the chair.

  “Andi, sit down,” Bray urged quietly. “I’ll be right back.”

  I put my head on the desk and waited for Bray to return. When he finally came back about ten minutes later, I was happy to see him. He had a sandwich in one hand and a soda in the other. Unscrewing the lid, he handed it over to me. “Here, drink this. It will make you feel better so you can stomach the food. You need to bring some snacks to keep up here. Working at a fast-paced firm like this, there may be times you can’t eat and we can’t have you fainting. You know how you get,” he gently chided.

  I nodded my head and sipped down the soda. Finally, I felt okay enough to eat the sandwich. Tearing it open, I ate it quickly. He watched me sadly while I ate. This had to be the most awkward situation ever. When I nervously tried to put the lid back on the bottle, my fumbling hands dropped it at my feet.

  Before I could bend over to pick it up, Bray had already knelt down to retrieve it. When he glanced up at me, his eyes skittered up my legs, landing right between them. Heat instantly flooded his face as he looked up at me with a smoldering expression. “Fuck, Andi! You’re not wearing any panties!” he hissed, glancing there again.

  Embarrassment overcame me as I crossed my legs quickly, ending his peep show.

  “Is that so?” a familiar voice asked behind him. Jackson was glaring at Bray, who was still crouched in shock. Bray shot up from the floor and spun to face him.

  “She has to eat or she will pass out. If you promise to bring her food, then fucking do it,” he growled at Jackson and stormed back to his office.

  Jackson looked after him and then jerked his gaze back to me. “Shit. I’m sorry, Andi,” he apologized, rubbing both hands across his face. “I was having a really bad morning and I completely forgot.”

  Shaking my head, I avoided looking in his direction and pretended to be doing something on the computer. “It’s no problem. Bray got me a sandwich,” I answered softly.

  I could hear the grinding of his teeth before he grunted and went into his office, closing the door behind him.

  A little while later, Jordan came over. “Andi, I need a favor. The firm is really needing some good publicity. The museum where your friend Pepper works is having a gala event soon. They’ve already pinned down their sponsors, but I want Compton Enterprises to be the main sponsor. I don’t care how much it costs and how much persuading it takes, but please make it happen,” he said and went back to his office.

  Well, I could always try. I’d get some drinks in Pepper
tonight and beg her. Maybe she’d feel sorry for me and pull some strings. If anyone could make something happen, Pepper could.

  When Jackson’s door opened, I glanced up at him. His hard glare from earlier was gone and the softer side of him was looking at me. “Can you come in here for a minute?” he asked, motioning towards his office.

  I stood up and walked over to him. He allowed me to pass and closed the door behind him.

  Grabbing my hand, he pulled me to him. My body melted to his but I was still upset with him. “Andi, I am fucking impossible to be around. When I found you on Friday, I looked forward to a weekend of not being my usual self and enjoying the moment. We had a great time and I loved every minute of it. Now that you work here, I’m having trouble being that man you knew because of the person I really am. I am an unhappy person. But you actually make me happy. You’re smart, sexy, and confident. I don’t deserve someone like you. My shit for brains can’t even remember to honor our dates. Please forgive me. I’m really trying here,” he pleads, frowning at me, clearly angry with himself.

  His confession warmed my insides. We were both damaged people trying to live normal lives. Maybe we could fumble our way through this after all.

  I stood on my toes and gently kissed his lips, letting him know that I was trying to forgive him without words. His hands threaded through my hair and pressed me farther into his lips. I moaned because I wanted him so badly. His tongue slipped into my mouth and stroked my own. Our kiss became more fervent. One of his hands slid to my ass and grabbed it. I dropped my hands down to his belt and started undoing it.

  He groaned and reached over to lock his office door. Breaking from our kiss, I finished with his pants and pulled them down. His hands grasped the bottom of my skirt and hiked it up over my hips. “Fuck, Andi, you are so fucking sexy. You didn’t wear panties for me and I was a dick to you. I don’t deserve you,” he growled as he reached down to cup my sex.