The Sexy Jerk World

by Kim Karr

  By all appearances she wasn’t in any better condition than I was. In fact, she might have been in worse shape because she was staring at me as if I’d grown two heads.

  Like me, it appeared she had no idea I would be the one walking through the door, which I found really interesting, and very unlike the Hannah I’d once known. The one who studied and analyzed everything to exhaustion.

  Somehow I found my footing and took a few more steps inside the large conference room that suddenly seemed way too small.

  Extending my hand seemed wrong, but then the boss in me knew it was right. Flirt now employed her, after all, and I should greet her, welcome her. Shit, I put etiquette aside. I had no idea what to do.

  “Hannah,” I finally said. The familiarity we shared had to be more than evident in the tone of my voice, if the body language and facial expressions hadn’t already given it away. “This is…a surprise.”

  Perry’s eyebrows lifted sharply. “You two know each other?”

  “We both went to Michigan State.” I swallowed past the lump in my throat.

  Hannah did not or could not. She, on the other hand, continued to stand there speechless.

  Strictly speaking, it was all he needed to know, and yet I went on because I knew she couldn’t. “I was Mr. Undeclared when we met,” I told him.

  “And I was going to change the world.” She finally spoke, but it was so low, I wasn’t sure Perry heard her.

  The burning ache that formed in my chest had to be ignored. I held out my hand to shake Hannah’s, uncertain how much more I wanted Perry to know about us. “Welcome aboard.”

  “I should have put that together,” Perry commented, shaking his head.

  As if sensing my unease, Hannah took my hand and presented a solution. “It’s nice to see you again,” she said, offering a smile. It was smart. It kept our past situation open-ended, indiscernible. We could have been acquaintances, friends, or old lovers, by her tone, and I left it that way.

  From what followed, he didn’t overthink it either. “Jace will be working closely with us, Hannah,” said Perry in excitement, “so I wanted to give you two a few minutes to get acquainted, but it looks like the joke is on me.”

  She smiled warmly at him. “Thank you, Perry, I appreciate that, and I can’t wait to get started. I’ve been doing all kinds of research on the social media dating scene and I’m more than ready for whatever you throw my way.”

  The gears in my head were turning. This becoming more real by the second. How had this happened? Could I possibly work with her? And what the hell was I going to do about it if I couldn’t?

  Perry was at the door before I noticed he was leaving. My head jerked in his direction just as he rapped the doorframe to get my attention. “I’ll be right back, I have to download the latest status reports so I can share them with the team.”

  “Yeah, sure,” I said.

  I opened my mouth to tell him to bring Hannah with him, but shut it, and then waited for Perry to clear the room.

  When I knew he was out of earshot, I wheeled around. “What the hell are you doing here, Hannah?”

  At the snap of her name, her brows furrowed and her chin jutted up. “I’m here because I was hired to fill an open position that I am more than qualified for.”

  Deciding closed doors were best for this conversation, I strode over and took care of it. “That’s not what I mean,” I told her as I pounded back to where I had been.

  Indignation replaced shock. “Then what exactly do you mean?”

  My gaze narrowed. “I know you, Hannah. You’re a smart woman. Are you seriously going to stand there and tell me that you didn’t do your research before applying here? That you didn’t know Flirt Enterprises was my company?”

  She stared at me in bewilderment, and then as if determined to be professional and straightforward, she said, “Of course I did. The company prospectus had a Malcolm Jackson Bennett listed as the founder and CEO. Never in a million years did I think you might be related to him.”

  Once again my inability to open up to anyone was coming back to haunt me. “I’m not related to Malcolm Jackson Bennett,” I told her, “I am Malcolm Jackson Bennett.”

  There was a fleeting sadness in her gaze. I knew exactly why, and I hated myself for it. “You own this company?”

  “You better fucking believe I do.” So I was an ass about it.

  With her jaw clenched, she walked over and stared blankly at me. “Perhaps if you would have been truthful with me in the past, we wouldn’t be in this situation. But as it stands, I never had a clue your real name wasn’t Jace Bennett.”

  Point taken, although not entirely accurate. “I never lied to you, Hannah. Not about a God damn thing.”

  She shook her head defiantly. “Don’t be mistaken, Jace, not telling someone something is the same as lying.”

  “It’s not even close,” I sneered.

  Her temperament settled. “If you’re still angry with me for what happened years ago, I’m sorry. But you should know I did what I had to in order to protect myself.”

  I pointed my finger in her direction. “If you think I was ever upset with you, you got it all wrong, sweetheart. I was glad you did what you did. Nothing good was ever going to come out of it.” The truth was I had gone about everything all wrong. The only person to blame was myself.

  There was a moment of silence before she spoke again. “I’m sorry I said that. I shouldn’t have. There’s never any going back, and what was done, was done. Perhaps you were right, we should just let the past stay in the past.”

  Feeling like an ass about so many things, I took a deep breath. “Let’s sit down,” I suggested, gesturing to the chairs around the conference table.

  Letting out a sigh, she sat tensely in the chair and found my gaze. “Look, Jace, I’m hoping you’re the man I remember you to be and that you’re not going to fire me because of our past. I want to be honest with you…not only do I really need this job, but I also really want it.”

  I warred with myself. She was more than qualified and would be a tremendous asset to Flirt but…

  She went on. “I moved my son and myself one hundred and seventy five miles to take this job. But putting myself aside, I promise you I am a good fit for Flirt. Not only have I spent the last two weeks studying its technical design and the platform, but I also know the market.”

  Getting rid of her had crossed my mind. For fuck’s sake, my dick was stirring in my pants and I wasn’t even in a good mood. What the hell would happen when I wasn’t taken off guard by her presence?

  Even I wasn’t that much of an ass, though. And I already knew I wasn’t going to end her employment before she started, even before she sold herself to me like no one ever had. Besides, I never micro-managed my employees. If Perry saw her as the right fit for the job, then I would have to deal. Somehow. Someway. And definitely not by getting in her pants again.

  I folded my hands on the table and looked into her eyes. “You already have the job, Hannah. I’m not going to take it away. In fact, I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do for Flirt.”

  Surprise flashed in her eyes and it flashed in mine when she reached across the table and covered my hands with hers. “Thank you,” she said in a soft voice.

  The friction of her soft skin on my rougher one sent sparks shooting up my arm. Quite abruptly, I yanked my hands from the table, and opened my mouth to speak. Just as I was about to tell her we were going to have to set boundaries, the door opened.

  “Ready to get started?” Perry asked.

  “You won’t regret this,” Hannah whispered.

  I closed my eyes and breathed.

  In.

  Out.

  In.

  Out.

  Something told me that was far from the truth.

  22

  Less Than Ten Years Earlier

  Hannah Michaels

  Tomorrow didn’t quite happen.

  In fact, the following five days didn’t h
appen either. After our romp in his bedroom, Jace did a really great job of avoiding me. Coming into the classes we shared late and cutting out early, the only time I saw his face was when I looked over my shoulder in class to steal a peek.

  Even then, he didn’t look at me.

  What would he have done if we’d had sex—head to China?

  Every time my phone went off I thought it would be him. It wasn’t. It was, however, usually Ethan, who seemed fine. In fact, he never even mentioned leaving me alone in Jace’s room.

  So, why was Jace avoiding me?

  Guilt?

  Well, two could play that I’m pissed at myself and having a pity party game.

  When Saturday night came around, I made a call to Ethan.

  “Hey,” he answered, “I’m just about to walk out the door to come pick you up.”

  Phone clamped to my ear, I was halfway out of the dorm when his words had me turning around. “Oh,” I said trying to catch my breath, “that’s why I’m calling. I’m really not feeling that great.”

  It wasn’t that far from the truth.

  There was a pause, and then I heard the jingle of keys, as if he’d set them down. “Do you want me to come over there?”

  In front of my room, I leaned against the wall. “Probably not the best idea. I’m really not sure what I have. It might be something I ate, but it could be something else.”

  That too wasn’t that far from the truth.

  “Listen, I know I haven’t been around much lately, but after next week I should be able to reduce my hours at the law firm, and I’ll have more time to spend with you.”

  The sweetness of his words had me taking in a huge gulp of air. After I slowly exhaled it, I said, “It’s okay, Ethan, I know how important your clerkship is to you. I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”

  He laughed. “I’m not worried about you, I know you have Jace. I just miss you.”

  Guilt slammed through me and my head fell back against the wall. I was a terrible person. “Listen, I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Yeah, cool, I’ll be around,” he said.

  “Bye,” I said and ended the call.

  Facing him was something I still had to work up to, but I knew my time was running out. I had to gather the courage and decide what to do. Tell him what had happened or not. Tell him I have feelings for Jace or not. End things with him or not. I had a lot to think about.

  Two girls came around the corner giggling and stumbling. Their Saturday night had obviously started early with happy hour somewhere down the hall, and more than likely now headed on a bus trip to downtown. Mine on the other hand was going to consist of braving the cold and tromping across campus in the snow to grab something to eat at the dining hall.

  Sometimes I really hated dorm life.

  The snow accumulation had amounted to over five inches in the past twenty-four hours, and since it was Saturday, not all of the sidewalks on campus had been plowed yet. Forced to take the long away around, it took me more than thirty minutes to get to the only open dining hall, and about fifteen to eat what little food I could get down.

  Bundled up with my scarf wrapped around the lower half of my face, I headed back to my dorm just as the sun had set.

  Great.

  It was even colder then.

  Putting my arms out for balance, I found the footprints others had used and decided to take the shorter way back.

  Walking as fast as I could, I kept my head down and trudged through both the banks and the squalls.

  Just as I rounded the corner to my building, I stopped and blinked the snow from my eyes. Then blinked again.

  The lone figure sitting on the icy steps in a black ski jacket with a beanie on his head wasn’t hard to make out even in the dark. After all, he was my very hot friend who hadn’t spoken to me in nearly a week.

  Except…he wasn’t just my friend.

  Was he?

  “Are you really sick?” he asked quietly in the hush of the cold winter night.

  “I guess that depends on your definition of sick,” I replied, my voice soft.

  He nodded and looked away, staring off into the distance. “The guilty kind of sick.”

  Not really a question. I stared at his handsome profile, trying to figure out if he was feeling the same way I was or if he was just being a dick. “Yes, that kind,” I admitted, deciding he wasn’t being a dick, because if he was he wouldn’t be here.

  After a few seconds he looked at me with those intense gray eyes of his. “Can I come up to your room?”

  In answer, I strode right past him and opened the door. My knees were wobbly but I managed to climb the steps up to the third floor. Once I reached my room, I unlocked my door and opening it, I left it wide open.

  Kicking off my boots, I threw my coat and hat on my chair, and then pulled my gloves off with my teeth.

  Before I set them down, I heard the sound of his boots pounding down the linoleum floor.

  In the dark, I stumbled slightly over my boots as I took a tentative step away from my desk.

  Jace stood in the doorway with his jacket clenched tight in his hand. He hesitated a moment, his shoulders hunching up a little, but then he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

  Carefully setting his coat on top of mine, he looked around everywhere, but at me. My instincts were screaming to go to him, to help him calm down, to soothe his torment, but I had my own torment going on.

  When he finally met my gaze, his eyes were blazing with emotions. He was angry. He was distraught. He was guilty. He was lost.

  And I couldn’t take it. That’s when I strode toward him. He held his hand out to me, and I curled my fingers around his, shivering at the slide of skin against skin. We were silent as he sat on the edge of my bed and I sat beside him.

  With a long suffering sigh Jace brought my hand to his lips and kissed my fingertips. “I miss you.”

  I drew in a ragged breath, and the noise was the only sound in the room. My dignity warred with my heart, and in the end, my heart won. “I miss you, too.”

  Jace tugged me closer, and as he continued to look at me, his eyes grew less intense and maybe even slightly warmer. “We can’t keep going on like this. It isn’t fair to any of us.”

  My eyes grew round at the implication. “Are you ending things between us?”

  Although he didn’t answer right away, I could see the answer in his stare, and a sudden nervous excitement overcame me. “Ethan wants the three of us to go skiing over spring break. I think we should go, and once we get back we need to tell him how we feel about each other. I’m pretty sure he’ll be cool with it.”

  My head jerked up and my gaze raked over him. “What are you saying?”

  Running his fingertips through my hair, he took my face in his hands. “That we can be together. We just have to give it time. Ethan is stressing out right now, and dumping this on him before midterms would be a shitty thing to do.”

  Although my body somewhat relaxed at the statement, I frowned at him. “I completely agree with you about waiting until after mid-terms, but there is no way any of us can afford to go skiing.”

  His lips pressed together as he gazed at me for a few seconds. His gaze was searching, as though he could find whatever solution he was looking for if he stared long enough. “Ethan said he’d drive, and I know someone with a place in Colorado.”

  I stared at him.

  Jace stared back for another few long seconds before swallowing any of my lingering sadness and concerns in a deep, drugging kiss.

  I closed my eyes and relished the thought that we were staying together.

  It all sounded so simple.

  23

  Present Day

  Jace Bennett

  There was never a need for a fraternization policy at Flirt, but nearly two weeks after the start of our newest employee, I was seriously considering instating one.

  If only to assure I stayed in line.

  The conferenc
e table was littered with empty water bottles and partially eaten Chinese containers. Diagrams lay here and there spanning the entire fifteen-foot length. And only three seats were occupied. It was Perry, Hannah, and myself, and we’d been in here since nine in the morning.

  This was the first time I’d sat down with Hannah outside of the weekly meetings since her first day. She was presenting her thoughts for how to improve the Flirt apps, and Perry and I were both thoroughly invested. Everything about it reminded me of how she’d helped me with my thesis, and even more so, how I was where I was because of her.

  Computer engineering had never been on my radar until that night I was sitting next to a keg at a frat party and she walked into the room. Whether she knew it or not, she had changed my life that night. And despite everything that had happened between us, I owed her a lot.

  It was close to four in the afternoon when Perry stood and stretched his arms. “I hate to leave the party when it’s getting started, but this is my weekend to have the kids and my ex-wife goes out of orbit if I’m even one minute late picking them up.”

  I reluctantly tore my gaze from the schematics in front of me. “We’ll pick this up right after the weekly meeting on Monday morning. I think the faster we institute these changes, the better it will be for Flirt.”

  Perry patted me on the shoulder. “Our Hannah got your eye, does she? She really is brilliant.” he said with a grin.

  Our might have made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and she did have my eye all right, but I had to push those feelings aside.

  Unable to stop myself though, I glanced in her direction, and played witness to her cheeks turning a rosy shade of pink. Praise was never anything she sought out, results were more her thing. It was good to see that hadn’t changed. “The rating system will certainly add a dynamic layer to the app,” I admitted, “But it has to be thoroughly tested before we go diving head first.”

  Truly it was brilliant. Take the technology that Uber has been using for years and apply it to the social networking scene. It was also risky. The unknown was how many people would cancel their membership due to poor ratings.