The Cruel and Beautiful Series Boxset

by A. M. Hargrove

  Her pointer finger comes up as her eyes close to mere slits. “If anything happens to my son…”

  She doesn’t finish, letting her point sink in. I’d gotten the message long ago. Braedon is her pride and joy, and I’m just the guy who pays the bills, not that I resent her for it. She’s done the best she can for us with her skill level and only a high school education.

  “I have to get to work. You know my boss is an ass and is looking for any excuse to fire me. Can you make sure your brother gets home?”

  Sure, because I don’t have work or anything, I think to myself. Besides, if she gets fired, the more I’ll have to give her a month to keep her afloat.

  I ask my brother, “No school today?”

  “Nah, teacher administrative day or some shit.”

  “Braedon,” Mom admonishes.

  “Sorry,” he says, not sorry at all.

  “Make sure he’s home in time for dinner,” she orders.

  When she turns, giving us her back, Braedon mimics. I have to hold in my laugh as I lift a finger and mouth for him to stop. He silently sighs, but does as I ask.

  Once she’s gone, I need an answer from him. “How did she find out?”

  “She phone checked me. Can you believe it? She made me hand over my cell so she could look through everything.”

  The cell phone in question, I’d gotten him and paid the service for. I’m surprised she hadn’t given me shit about that, too.

  “What did she find?”

  He grins. “A few texts about the party and a video.”

  “A video?”

  I’m almost afraid to hear the answer.

  Shrugging, he says, “This girl sent me a video of her taking off her top.”

  “A girl sent you a video?”

  What I want to say is don’t you people realize that once online always online? But I can’t say that because I’ve told him that before. And saying it again will sound preachy and too much like a parent. I shake my head to myself.

  “Not exactly. It was a snapchat. But there are ways of recording them.”

  I hold up a hand, not wanting to know.

  “Just tell me you didn’t send that to your friends.”

  His face screws up. “Hell no. If I did, she’d never give it up.”

  Sighing, I wonder what it would be like to be young and stupid again.

  “Did you delete it?” I ask.

  “Mom did.”

  Jeff enters first, followed by Dana.

  Braedon tries to stealthily say, “Dana’s hot. Are you tapping that?”

  “Hey, Braedon,” Dana says, winking at him, interrupting us in time so that I don’t have to answer. She probably heard him, too. “We have enough to eat if you want to join us.”

  My brother smiles wide and follows her to the small break room in the back. He’s all hormones. Maybe Mom’s right, and the party is a bad idea.

  “I’ll be there in a minute,” I say, needing to wash my hands with the scrub brush unless I want oil as a topping to my meal.

  They file in the back, leaving me alone. As I make my way to the sink near the office door, a familiar car pulls up. I continue to wash and try to ignore the need that overcomes me every time I see her.

  She steps into the office like an angel and gives me a shy smile as if she knows all my sinful thoughts about her. Why can’t I just be an asshole and tell her to piss off? Because you’re half in lust with her. And isn’t that true? She’s dressed in a skirt that hugs her hips and lands above her knees and a button-up shirt that’s sheer enough to see her skin. I swallow. She looks the part of the professional woman she is, and my dick quickly conjures X-rated fantasies of her spread on my desk like a buffet and having her call me sir. And where the hell did that come from?

  After drying my hands on a clean towel, I open the door, but don’t step fully inside. Somehow I find the will to maintain an unaffected expression.

  “Is there a problem with your car?”

  Hurt crosses her pretty face because there’s no warmth in my tone.

  “Please, Brandon, don’t be like that.”

  Nervously, she smooths a hand down one side of her dark hair. Ideas of holding it as I take her from behind start clouding my head. Soon, I’ll have to step away, so she doesn’t see a boner aimed squarely at her. The names of auto parts like carburetors, fuel injectors, radiators, play out like a chant in my head. I haven’t had a reaction to a woman like this since the first time I saw boobs in the flesh.

  She holds up a bag. “I thought I’d bring a peace offering.”

  Dana, who has impeccable timing whenever a woman comes into the shop, steps out and rolls her eyes. “Brandon, your food is getting cold.”

  “I’ll be there in a second,” I call back, only giving her a brief glance.

  Her expression hardens as she turns to glower at Jenna before stepping back inside where my brother’s and Jeff’s voices can be animatedly heard.

  “I have lunch covered, but thanks.”

  Her smile dims as her hand falls. It pains me to see that her feelings are hurt, but I have to remind myself that she’s not mine to worry over, and never will be.

  “Oh, okay. At least consider letting me make it up to you. I owe you dinner.”

  With her head bent, her hair swings forward, partially covering the right side of her face. I want to reach out and smooth it back behind her ear.

  “Don’t worry. You don’t owe me anything,” I say.

  Her head snaps up. “But—”

  “It’s cool. We’re cool. Besides, I wouldn’t want to give your boyfriend the wrong impression.”

  Her lips form a line. “He’s gone back to D.C.”

  Ah, so I’m her distraction.

  “Look, I like you. I think you know that.” I wait a beat, but she doesn’t say anything.

  Just as I’m about to fill in the silence, she admits, “I like you, too. And there is no reason we can’t be friends.”

  I give her my best, are you kidding me stare.

  Her posture straightens as she tries to convince me. “It’s true. You’re the first person outside of my brother and Cate I’ve been able to talk to. What about you?”

  I’d left high school and immediately went to work full-time. I’d gotten serious about my future, which meant working my ass off and not partying. That left few friends.

  “Just give it some thought. I enjoy hanging out with you. I’d hate to lose that because you think men and women can’t be friends,” she says quietly.

  She doesn’t wait for an answer, just turns and walks away. I watch her slip into her car before I head to the back to eat my cooling lunch.

  A few days later on Friday night, with music blaring in my living room, I take my leave from the party, having done my duty. Braedon is more responsible than Mom likes to give him credit for. And I don’t want to be the old creepy guy hanging at a high school party, even though old is all relative considering I’m just in my twenties.

  Outside, I hesitate with my finger hovering over the Send button. Fuck it.

  Her voice stirs something inside me every time I hear it.

  “Brandon?”

  I pause to consider my next words. “Yeah, I wondered if you’re free tonight. I mean, your boyfriend, he’s not in town?”

  “No.”

  Your move, player, I think. But I don’t play games. I’ve just decided to play by her rules, for a while at least.

  “Do you want to hang out?”

  Cheerfulness returns to her voice, reminding me of the woman who knew how to make me laugh and forget myself at times. “That sounds good. Do you want to come over?”

  Being with her in her house alone probably isn’t the best idea. But when had I let that stop me before?

  “Yeah, okay. I’ll be there in a few.”

  Seven

  JENNA

  Spending time with and getting to know Brandon is a breath of fresh air. He has no expectations, other than for me to be myself. Climbing
the social ladder means nothing to him, nor does being present in the company of the movers and shakers in town. I love this because we can sit around my house and do nothing but watch TV. There is no worrying about pleasing his dad or trying to impress others. He simply doesn’t care about that.

  Another thing that impresses me about him is he listens to me. I’ve been having a difficult time at work lately. Even though my job isn’t the most important thing in the world, I do take it seriously. My boss has been dumping boatloads of work on me, and his expectations are over the top. I need help, but he seems to think I’m Superwoman. Brandon has been a great advisor here, whereas Kenny just tells me I worry needlessly because I don’t need that job. Mom says the same thing. What they don’t understand is, I want to work because it’s important to me. Brandon is the only one who gets it. And Cate. She does, too, only she’s not here anymore.

  But … and there’s always but … I hate keeping him hanging from the proverbial string. It’s not really fair. We both know it. It’s just impossible to stay away. There is no denying the attraction that exists between us. But I also love Kenneth. And he is such an awesome person, there is no way I can hurt him. This is the worst kind of trap imaginable.

  “Are you even paying attention?”

  Brandon’s voice jolts me out of my troubled thoughts. “Of course, I am.”

  “Then how did Palpatine seduce Anakin Skywalker to the dark side?”

  He caught me, so I confess, “Okay. I admit it. I was thinking of something else.”

  After pausing the DVD, he turns to me and asks, holding back a grin, “What could possibly be more important than The Revenge of the Sith? I mean, seriously, Jenna. This is where it’s all revealed.” At this point, he has to clamp his lips down with his teeth to stop the grin from forming. A gurgle of laughter ripples out of me.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. You’re right. I mean, how could Anakin possibly do this to The Force?”

  “Exactly. So, what took your mind away from all this importance?”

  My eyes seek out his, and I blurt out, “You.” I notice how his widen at my admission.

  “Me?”

  “Yes. I was thinking of how amazing you are.” Sighing, I continue. “You get me, about how I need to work. No one else really does, other than Cate. Thank you, for always being here to listen. And you’ve been here a lot for me. To hear me complain about how I’m having to bear the burden of, you know, Cate losing her husband and Ben losing his best friend, and my job, and just a lot of stuff. You’re always here for me. It means more than I can say.”

  He offers a light nod and glances away, as though he wants to say something, but doesn’t. And I understand. There could be more between us, should be more, if things were only … different. But they aren’t. Kenneth’s good to me. How could I break up with him for Brandon? What do they always say about the grass not always being greener? Besides, it could never work, even if it were. My mother would have a fit if she saw him. He would never fit her mold. Kenneth does, only she hasn’t met him yet. But when she does, that’ll be it.

  Almost as though he read my mind, Brandon stands and says, “I think I need to head on home.”

  “But the movie.”

  His pained expression tells me more than I need to know. “We can watch the rest of it later, or you can finish it if you like.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I’ll see you later.” He picks up his jacket and walks to the door.

  “Brandon? Is everything okay?”

  “It’s fine.” By the tone of his voice, I know it’s not. And he has every right to feel that way. Hell, I feel the same. Only what can I do? Trapped, that’s what I am.

  I separate the curtains to watch as he gets on his bike and rides off into the night. Every time he leaves, it feels like he takes a piece of me with him. Is it right to feel this way? Am I supposed to miss him this much? I thought I was supposed to feel this way about Kenneth. Kenneth is kind and considerate. He treats me well. But Brandon is different. The same spark that’s between us doesn’t exist between Kenneth and me.

  Grabbing the remote, I finish watching the movie. The bad part about it is all I can think about is Brandon. He loves everything about Star Wars. He talks about how the plot is ingenious, the political aspects of it, and how they wove everything together. Trying to concentrate is impossible. I finally turn it off and go to bed.

  The next morning, I head into work early with the idea of getting some things accomplished before everyone gets in. Digging my way through the pile of folders on my desk, I’m happy to note the stack is shrinking. Evvie waltzes in with her arms laden with another load.

  “These are for you,” she says cheerily as she sets them on my desk.

  “From who?”

  “The big guy. I swear, Jenna, he doesn’t think anyone else can do the job right except for you.”

  That’s it. My pen slams on the desk as I grab the stack and stomp out of my office, heading directly to his. Evvie is on my heels, telling me to stop. She grabs at my arm, but I swat her hand away like a stupid fly. I am over this crap. It’s ridiculous the way he piles the load on me.

  His admin sits in front of his door at her desk. “Hello, Jenna. Can I help you?”

  “No, I don’t believe you can. I need to talk to Aaron.”

  “I, uh, he’s on the phone.”

  “I don’t care. Tell him this is urgent. Now, Carol.”

  Her eyes nearly fall out of her sockets because I’m usually the nice person around here. She bobs her head, and her mop of curls flies all over the place.

  “Aaron, Jenna is here to see you, and she says it’s urgent. Yes, okay.” Carol looks up at me, as I stand in front of her desk, angry as hell, and says meekly, “He said to take a seat, and he’ll be with you momentarily.”

  “No. I won’t be taking any seats.” And with that, I march to his closed door and fling it wide open to find him seated at his desk, not on the phone as Carol said he was, but engaged in, shall we say, a somewhat compromised situation. In other words, he was kissing one of the girls from the graphic design department.

  “Jesus, can you not keep this separate from office hours?” I ask. The girl scrambles off his lap and rearranges her blouse, which is unbuttoned and exposing her bra, and rushes out of his office.

  Aaron hastily wipes his mouth, which is coated in neon pink lip gloss, and stands.

  “Jenna,” he says like I’m a long-lost friend. “What can I do for you?”

  “This,” I say, slamming the pile of folders on his desk, “is what you can do for me.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Then let me enlighten you. I am beyond done. I can’t possibly keep this up. You have overburdened me for the last time. Evvie just delivered these to me, explaining that you seem to think I am the only one who can do the job correctly. Let me tell you, I can’t do it anymore. I am overworked and underpaid.”

  “Whoa.” He holds out his hand. “Evvie told you that?”

  “She did.”

  He rifles through the stack of folders I dumped on his desk. “These are the files I told her to go through yesterday. I explained to her that they needed to be double-checked for accuracy and returned to me by tomorrow. These are events that are set for next month with everything signed off on. Why would she pass these over to you?” He rubs his chin as he processes this. But I know why. And that’s why she tried to stop me from coming here.

  “Aaron, how much work have you personally sent my way over the last three months?”

  “None. All your work should be through what you generate yourself, other than for meetings and briefings.”

  I practically growl.

  “What?”

  “Evvie has been giving me all her work to do, saying you wanted me to do it because I’m so meticulous and no one does a better job than I do. And I’m the dumbass that’s actually been doing it.”

  His brows shoot up so high I wonder if they’ll ever re
turn to normal. “She what?”

  “Yeah, you heard me.”

  He yanks his phone off the cradle so hard the thing goes flying. “Dammit.” After he sets it straight, he tells Carol to get Evvie in here. But Carol soon calls back, saying she can’t locate her.

  He wears a sour expression as he says, “It would appear that Evvie has flown the coop.”

  “I guess when she couldn’t dissuade me from coming here, she knew her little free ride had come to an end.” We both head out to her cubicle, and sure enough, it’s vacant as can be. Her drawers are also empty of all personal items.

  “I guess you’ll need to hire someone now,” I say.

  He scratches his head. “Yeah. That’s the weird thing. You kept saying how you needed more help, and I always wondered why. Our staff was sufficient everywhere, and your work is always spot-on. I couldn’t figure out why you felt like you were so overworked.”

  “And now we both know the truth. Damn that Evvie.”

  “I’m sorry about all of this. We’ll get her replaced as soon as possible. And in the meantime, I promise not to burden you with all her work.”

  I wave my hand. “It’s not like I haven’t been doing it anyway.”

  “But, Jenna, that’s the point. You’ve been doing two jobs. I don’t want to lose you. You’re one of my best employees.”

  “Thanks, Aaron. But can I give you a word of advice?”

  “Sure.”

  “Keep your door open, so you know what’s going on out here. And, uh, try to be a little more discreet, if you know what I mean.”

  He has the decency to turn a bit pink. “You’re right.” He holds out his hand and says, “Are we good?”

  “Yeah, we’re good.” I shake it and head back to my office. I’m glad it all happened, to be honest. I sort of feel like I’ve gotten a new start here. When lunchtime hits, I decide to pay a surprise visit to Brandon so I can share the news. Even though we ended the night on a stilted note, he’s the only one who understands my work situation, the only one who truly cares.

  I stop off at his favorite Tex-Mex restaurant and grab a carryout and head on over. She Who Hates Me gives me the evil eye as I walk in the door.