Conflict of Interests

by Denean Dawson

  Copyright © 2020 by Denean Dawson

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form on or by an electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

  Conflict of Interests:

  A Jamyson Brothers Madison Heights

  Novella

  Book Three

  by Denean Dawson

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter One, Blast from the Past

  Chapter Two, Bad Feeling

  Chapter Three, Honesty is the Best Policy

  Chapter Four, One Last Shot

  Chapter Five, Creating Boundaries

  Chapter Six, That Gut Feeling

  Chapter Seven, Business as Usual

  Chapter Eight, Cut the Ties

  Chapter Nine, Coming Clean

  Chapter Ten, Going After What You Want

  Chapter Eleven, Hoping for the Best

  Chapter Twelve, All Good Things

  Chapter Thirteen, Trust is All You Need

  Chapter Fourteen, Planning for the Future

  Chapter Fifteen, Here’s to Us

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  About the Author

  Chapter One, Blast from the Past

  Jake Jamyson sat at his office desk working away contentedly. He was happy with how his family business had been going recently, especially since his brother Jack had stepped up and begun working more diligently than ever. It had been a long time since the brothers had been able to stand being in the same room, let alone work together. The fact that they were both in healthy relationships for the first time in ages was making their own relationship much less strained. Jake could see that Jack was extremely happy and in love with his girlfriend, Danielle, while Jake himself was still madly in love with Caroline.

  There was a knock at the door, and Jake heard Denise’s muffled voice through the wood, “Jake?” she asked.

  “Yes, you can come in Denise,” he replied as he typed out the last section of an email.

  “I’m sorry to disturb you but there’s someone here who’s saying they won’t leave until they talk to you,” Denise said with a great deal of interest and suspicion in her voice.

  Jake looked up from his screen. “I’m not expecting anyone, so unless they book a meeting with me, I don’t have time for whoever it is,” Jake said firmly.

  “She says she knows you, and she won’t leave until she sees you,” Denise replied.

  Confused, Jake asked, “What’s this person’s name?” He couldn’t remember the last time he had spoken to a woman other than Caroline outside of work, and he was curious to know who it was.

  “Her name is Melissa,” Denise said with a little shrug, watching closely for Jake’s reaction.

  The name immediately stirred something inside of Jake’s chest. If it was that Melissa, well, he hadn’t seen her in so many years, he wasn’t sure how he would react to finally seeing her again. “Oh, uhm, you can send her in,” Jake said, trying to remain neutral. His body betrayed him though; his heart was thumping rapidly against his ribcage and his palms had become clammy. He wondered how Melissa could have such an effect on him after all these years.

  Noticing Jake’s hesitation, Denise replied, “Are you sure? I can call security to get her to leave if you’re busy...or if you don’t want to see her.”

  “No, no. That’s alright.” Jake sat straighter in his chair and wiped his palms on his pants to dry his hands and quell his nervousness.

  “Alright, I’ll send her in,” Denise replied skeptically as she headed through his office door.

  If this unexpected visitor really was Melissa, Jake had no idea what he’d say to her. He wasn’t sure how she had even found his office building because, last he’d heard, she was still in Europe. He waited nervously for the woman to enter; his eyes glued to the door. The sound of heels clicking across the floor could be heard from just outside. His heart sped up as he watched the door handle twist, then the woman he hadn’t seen in over a decade walked into his office.

  “Hi, Jake,” Melissa said as she stepped daintily inside, closing the door tight behind her.

  Jake couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Almost everything about her was different, but he could never forget the color of the eyes staring into his own. They were steel blue, like the sky just before a storm rolls in. They were the same eyes his younger self had fallen in love with. Memories of being with Melissa overwhelmed him: the way her laugh had always made him smile, the way her presence had made him feel like no one else existed, and the way her touch had always sent shivers down his spine. He was speechless and could do nothing but stare at her for a moment.

  “Melissa. What...what are you doing here?” Jake asked, dumbfounded. Finally recovering from the shock of seeing her, he stood and walked around his desk, hugged her briefly, then motioned for her to sit in the empty chair facing his desk.

  “Nice to see you too, Jakey. That’s the greeting I get after... what? 15 years?” she asked, gracefully folding herself into the chair.

  Melissa might look different, but it seemed her personality hadn’t changed at all, Jake thought. He had never expected to see this woman again, especially after they had been separated against their wishes. They had been dating for only a few months during their senior year of high school when Melissa had been forced to move, but within those few months, they had fallen for each other deeply. They had been each other’s first love. Melissa’s father had moved their whole family to the UK because of a job opportunity. She had been able to finish out the school year, but she’d had to leave immediately after graduation. It had been a devastating break up for both of them, being so young and in love. They had always supported each other, pushing the other to achieve greatness and that was something not many people experienced at such a young age. Before Melissa left, they had discussed having a long-distance relationship, but neither of them wanted to hold the other back. Jake had never felt such a deep connection with anyone the way he had with Melissa, and even though he had moved on in life, he had never gone long without thinking about her.

  “It’s been so long, wow. How have you been?” Jake asked, sitting back down.

  “Oh, I can’t complain, life has been good. What about you?” she replied.

  Jake thought about it for a moment, and although he could probably complain about some of the things he had been through—mainly his messy divorce, he didn’t think it would be appropriate considering they were seeing each other for the first time in so many years. “I suppose it could’ve been worse, so I can’t complain either,” he said with a small smile.

  “I’m glad to hear it. Maybe everything has worked out the way it was meant to,” Melissa said gently.

  “Maybe,” Jake replied. But he couldn’t deny the small part of his brain that made him wonder what his life might have been like if she had stayed, if they had stayed together. “So, what brings you back here?” Jake asked, trying to distract himself from his thoughts.

  “I’m glad you asked because I’m actually here with a business proposal,” Melissa replied with a sneaky smile.

  “Oh, please do share.” Jake was completely taken aback. Of all the reasons she could have come to see him, Melissa was there about business.

  “Well, I don’t know if you know this, but I’m also in the accounting business. I own my own firm in the UK,” she announced with pride.<
br />
  “Oh, wow. That’s amazing,” Jake replied. He couldn’t believe that they had gone into the same industry.

  “Thanks!” she said brightly. “So, when I found out that you also own an accounting firm, I thought that maybe we could do something that has never been done before,” Melissa went on with a sly smile.

  “Oh?” Jake crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her with interest.

  “Well, if we merge our firms together, we’ll be one of the biggest firms in the world. Wouldn’t that be amazing?” she asked, staring at him with raised eyebrows and wide eyes.

  When it came to business decisions, Jake was normally quite judicious; he was wary that one bad move could sink his company. Under normal circumstances, Jake would never jump into a deal with just anyone, but the woman sitting in front of him was not just anyone. The person proposing this unprecedented merger was Melissa, his Melissa. He couldn’t stop himself from considering her merger idea; taking his company international would be the opportunity of a lifetime. On top of that, Melissa would be back in his life—in a professional capacity, of course.

  Jake had dozens of questions he wanted to ask Melissa, but she was there on business, so he restrained himself. “Hmm, tell me more,” Jake said.

  Melissa smiled broadly, then brought a stack of documents out of her briefcase and began to outline her plan. Jake listened to her intently as she discussed the logistical details of the merger. The expressions of passion and excitement that played across her face were all too familiar to him, and he found it difficult to concentrate on her words. He wondered what she was doing in the States, and when she had arrived. He wondered why she had sought him out specifically; there were plenty of other accounting firms that would likely be open to a merger. Perhaps Melissa had come to him because of their history. Perhaps she had thought that would make Jamyson & Jamyson more open to her business plan.

  “There is a lot more to discuss, but if you’re interested, I think this merger would be great for both of our firms,” Melissa said, completing her presentation.

  “I mean, it’s a great idea, but can you give me some time to think it through? I’ll have to talk to Jack about it,” Jake said. If Jake were the sole owner of the company, he would have said yes right away. He knew he was biased because of his past relationship with Melissa, but she obviously knew what she was talking about, and Jamyson & Jamyson was always open to opportunities that made sense. He knew Jack would probably like the idea because, of course, the more money the business made, the more money the brothers would make.

  “No problem. Here is my card, give me a call when you’ve made a decision,” Melissa said, pulling a sleek black card from her bag and placing it in his hand. Her fingers lingered on his before she turned to leave.

  “Great. It was good to see you Melissa,” Jake replied as he stood to show her out.

  “You too Jakey. Let’s talk soon,” Melissa said. She hugged him quickly before leaving, and the scent of orange blossom and water lilies filled his nose.

  Jake partially closed his office door once she had left, his mind still reeling. He couldn’t believe that Melissa had shown up out of the blue after so many years. The day she left, he felt like a part of himself had been torn away. He had been sure that he would never feel as deeply for another woman as he felt for her. Although he had found a different form of love and passion with Caroline, it didn’t feel as deep and pure as what he had felt with Melissa. He wasn’t sure if working with an old love interest was a good idea but, at the end of the day, business was business.

  Jack walked into his brother’s office with a bemused look on his face. “Who was that?” he pried.

  “That was Melissa Downing,” Jake replied, doing his best to sound nonchalant.

  “Wait...what? That Melissa Downing? Your Melissa?” Jack asked, completely shocked. He threw himself into the chair the woman in question had just vacated.

  “She’s not my Melissa anymore, but yes, that Melissa,” Jake said, rolling his eyes at his brother.

  “What was she doing here?”

  “She was here because she has a business proposal for us,” Jake shrugged his shoulders.

  “Really? What’s the proposal?” Jack was even more intrigued now.

  “Well, she owns her own firm and came to propose a merger.”

  “Huh, what did you tell her? And are you sure you two only talked business?”

  The look on Jack’s face told Jake exactly what his brother meant by that. “I said I’d speak to you about it. And yes, obviously,” Jake replied curtly. He watched his brother think, his hand rubbing the stubble on his chin. Jake wondered what he would say, would he like the idea or would he be suspicious of Melissa’s motivations?

  “Hmm, now that’s an idea,” Jack finally said.

  “Let’s talk about it over dinner, I’ve got a busy day ahead of me.”

  “Good idea, good idea. You know I’m always up for a good meal.” his brother smirked.

  Once alone, Jake couldn’t stop his thoughts from drifting back to Melissa; the floral, citrusy smell of her perfume still lingered in the air. He couldn’t place it, but the scent was somehow familiar. If it weren’t for that evidence, he could almost be convinced that he had made the whole situation up because he had fantasized about that very thing happening countless times. Jake wasn’t sure if Caroline would appreciate him working with an old flame, but he knew once he explained that their relationship would be strictly about business, she would at least understand. He wouldn’t bring it up with her until the decision had been finalized. There was no point in discussing it if they didn’t go through with the merger. And Jake didn’t want to make Caroline concerned unnecessarily. She was prone to anxiety, after all. There would be nothing for Caroline to worry about—Jake was in love with her—but he knew that most women might not appreciate their boyfriend working alongside an old lover.

  Jake had to force himself to focus on work throughout the rest of the day; Melissa’s eyes kept flashing through his mind at odd times. She was beautiful, maybe even more so than she had been when she was younger, but his physical attraction to her didn’t matter. Though there were tons of beautiful women in the world, he was happy with Caroline. He knew nothing would happen with Melissa because he wouldn’t let it. There might be unfinished business between them because they’d had no choice but to end their relationship, which made him slightly apprehensive, but it would just have to remain unfinished. Or that’s what he told himself.

  Chapter Two, Bad Feeling

  Jack could remember how heartbroken his brother had been when Melissa left. The merger she was proposing would be great for the firm, but he was worried about what the woman’s reappearance would do to his brother. He wasn’t sure how he should bring it up with Jake, but he knew that if they were to consider such a big business move, he would have to be honest. Jack knew his brother wasn’t the cheating type, but he didn’t want to put his brother in a potentially awkward—or worse, tempting—situation just to benefit the business. They were already a well-known firm, so they weren’t desperate for more business or clients. The money they could make by attracting international clients though, was more than enticing.

  Once the business day was over, Jack found himself sitting across from his brother at a restaurant just a few blocks from their office. He was ravenous, and wolfed down a few bites of his juicy steak before getting to the point. “So, how are you feeling about this merger idea?” he asked. As he chewed another bite and waited for an answer, he tried to figure out how his brother was feeling behind a guarded expression.

  Jake remained silent for a long moment before replying. “I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about it all day and I can honestly see only one problem with the idea,” Jake eventually replied.

  “Oh, yeah? What’s that?” Jack asked.

  “Caroline. I haven’t told her about Melissa, and I’m worried that once I do tell her, she'll be against it, or at le
ast against me working with Melissa.” Jake stared down at his plate, the furrow between his brows deepened by stress.

  Jack understood where his brother was coming from, and thought he was right to be worried about what Caroline would think. He was sure Jake had never properly gotten over Melissa, which Caroline might pick up on. “I’m sure if you explain that it’s just about business, she would be okay with it,” Jack reassured him.

  “I think she would understand, but I don’t want her to think that there’s something going on when there isn’t, you know what I mean?”

  “I know. Hmm, maybe you should introduce the two of them just so she can see that there’s nothing between you two anymore,” suggested Jack. He didn’t want to push his brother into anything. For a long time, Jake believed that the business was all that mattered. But that was when he didn’t have love in his life. Caroline had brought Jake out of his shell and helped him improve his relationship with his son. Jack would be fine with keeping the business the way it was if that meant his brother remained happy.

  “I guess that’s a good idea, but maybe I should just discuss it with her first. Maybe she won’t even have a problem with it in the first place. Just know that if she says no, we’re not going through with it,” Jake said resolutely.

  Jack nodded his head in agreement. He knew the last thing his brother wanted was to jeopardize the relationship he had built with Caroline. Once upon a time, Jack wouldn’t have been able to understand. He had spent so many years jumping from woman to woman, fling to fling. Now that he had Danielle in his life though, he knew what it meant to be in a committed relationship. “Have you looked into her firm to see if it’s legit?” Jack asked quickly, before Jake could say anything else.

  “Oh, yeah. I did. She’s on the list of the top 20 UK accounting firms,” Jake replied with an enthusiastic nod.

  “Wow, this merger could really push us to the next level,” Jack said, shaking his head slowly in amazement. He couldn’t help but share his brother’s excitement. A merger between two firms of such high caliber could be huge. He was nervous about getting his hopes up too much though, and would stay nervous until Jake spoke to Caroline. Then the wheels began spinning in Jack’s brain. If things didn’t work out with Melissa, there was nothing stopping them from taking the idea to another firm.