I so didn't want to say.
But I did know one thing. I might need to reevaluate my claim that Jaden wasn't a psycho.
Chapter 43
I was still clutching my phone and staring out the front window. In the street directly in front of our apartment, Jaden was leaning down toward the driver's side window of an unfamiliar white sports car.
The way it looked, he was exchanging a few words with the driver, whoever the person was. From here, it was impossible to see who, exactly, was behind the wheel, but unless Jaden was talking to himself, there had to be somebody there, right?
On the phone, Stuart asked, "What's going on?"
"Nothing."
Jaden was dressed in the same clothes that he'd been wearing at the club. In the dim streetlight, he looked dark and dangerous – and embarrassingly, sexy.
Stuart said, "It didn't sound like nothing. What was that? A car crash?"
I bit my lip. What on Earth was he doing here?
I didn't want to speculate, but it was pathetically easy to guess who might be driving that white car. I recalled Jaden's warning that the creep from the club had a tendency to show up where he wasn't wanted.
But that still didn't explain what Jaden was doing here. I mean, he had no idea I'd shown the guy my license. Had he?
Stuart said, "Allie? Are you still there?"
"Uh, yeah. But I've gotta go, alright?"
"Why?"
"Because something came up."
Or rather, something was going down – meaning me. With barely a goodbye, I ended the call and rushed toward the apartment door. And then, I practically flew down the stairway that emptied out onto the front porch.
I emerged outside just in time to see Jaden literally yank the guy out of his car through the driver's side window and then slam him back against the driver's side door. The guy gave a little scream – or maybe that was me.
Cripes, it was probably both of us, screaming in stereo.
Even now, I was rushing toward them, wondering what on Earth was going on.
Jaden was gripping the guy by the lapels of his jacket and saying something too low for me to make out.
Sure enough, it was the guy from the club.
Without breaking stride, I yelled, "What's going on?"
Jaden didn't even look, but the other guy's head snapped in my direction. When he spotted me, he called out, "Hey, it's me, remember?" He gave me a desperate smile. "I came to say hi, like you asked."
I stopped in my tracks. I'd asked him no such thing. I looked to Jaden, who still hadn't looked in my direction. Rather, all of his attention was focused on my unwanted visitor.
With a muttered curse, I started moving again, striding forward until I was standing directly beside them. I still hadn't replied to the guy's ludicrous claim that I'd invited him here.
He gave a nervous laugh. "So, how's it goin'?"
I had no idea what to say. I looked from the stranger to Jaden.
Finally, Jaden turned his head to meet my gaze. He said nothing, but his look said it all. I told you so.
Well, that was nice.
The stranger – or rather Derek – looked back to Jaden and gave a nervous chuckle. "So, are we cool?"
The statement was beyond ridiculous. Jaden was still holding the guy in place. His car window was still open. I was still watching in horrified silence.
And I wasn't the only one.
On neighboring porches, people had come out to look, not that I could blame them.
I muttered, "You can't be serious."
I wasn't even sure who I was talking to – Derek for making such a ludicrous claim or Jaden for acting like, well, a psycho, I guess.
Or who knows, maybe I was talking to myself. After all, I was feeling a little crazy.
In reply to my statement, Derek turned back to me and said, "Uh, yeah. You asked me to swing by." He gave me a pleading look. "Remember?"
Okay, this is where it got a little tricky. I didn’t want to lie for the guy, but I sure as heck didn't want any trouble.
Correction – any more trouble.
I glanced around. Already, way too many people were watching. No doubt, someone had already called the police.
I looked back to Derek and said, "You should go."
I wasn't concerned for him. Mostly, I was concerned for Jaden. And yeah, maybe me, too.
The guy swallowed and gave a single nod. "Good idea."
I looked to Jaden, who still hadn't budged. Through gritted teeth, I said, "He can't go if you're still holding onto him."
Still gripping the guy's lapels, Jaden leaned forward and said something very close to the guy's ear. Whatever it was, the guy didn't enjoy it.
He gave another swallow, followed by a nod so hard, it was a wonder that his head didn't pop off.
Finally, Jaden released him.
Derek didn't waste any time. He turned and practically sprinted toward the front of his car.
What on Earth was he doing?
Running away on foot?
No. Apparently not.
As I watched, he circled the front of his car and made a beeline for the passenger's side door. He yanked it wide open, dove headfirst into the vehicle, and then scrambled into the driver's seat.
A split second later, the engine roared to life, and he was gone, leaving a patch of burned rubber in his wake.
He didn't even stop to close the passenger's side door.
The whole time, Jaden hadn't moved an inch. I looked to his feet, thinking it was a miracle that he hadn't been run over – or at least lost a toe or two, thanks to Derek's panicked driving.
Nervously, I glanced around. If anything, the porches were more crowded now. I gave a little wave to no one in particular and summoned up a shaky smile. "It's alright!" I called. "We're just visiting, that's all."
Visiting?
What was I saying?
Slowly, Jaden turned his head in my direction. It suddenly struck me that during this whole process, I hadn't heard him say a single word. But Derek certainly had, judging from the speed of his departure.
I asked, "What did you tell him, anyway?"
Jaden gave me a hard look. "That's not the question."
I felt my brow wrinkle in confusion. "Then what is?"
"The question is, what am I gonna tell you?"
Chapter 44
Cassidy asked, "So, what did he say?"
"Nothing useful," I said. "Basically, he chewed me out for showing the guy where I lived."
"But wait," she said, "how did Jaden know?"
I sank deeper onto the sofa. "He saw."
"He saw what?"
"Me showing the guy my license."
She gave a confused shake of her head. "And he didn't say anything about it at the club?"
"No." I was scowling now. "Can you believe it?"
It was nearly two in the morning, and Cassidy had just walked in from her waitressing shift, only to be accosted by me and my tale of woe.
And yet, I hadn't told her the whole story, mostly because I didn't want her to feel bad.
Oh sure, she knew that Jaden and I didn't always get along. And she knew that work could be a little rocky. But she had no idea that I was some sort of social pariah – or that the only reason I'd hit the club alone was in hopes of meeting people who didn't treat me like some sort of disease.
Pathetic or not, I was keeping those details private for a reason. I realized all too well that Cassidy had given up that job – my job – in order to do me a favor.
Now, I could only imagine how conflicted she'd feel if she knew what a mixed blessing it had all turned out to be.
Plus, everything was so obscenely complicated, and she had enough troubles of her own, including a psychotic mother and an equally psychotic aunt. The last thing she needed now was to worry about me.
I was fine.
I just needed to figure out the Jaden thing, that's all.
The first step? Getting him out of my system. La
tely, I'd been thinking about him way too much, usually at the most inappropriate places, like at my desk or even worse, at his desk.
Tonight, I vowed, I'd change that for good. I'd simply give in to the temptation so I could get over it already.
Oh, I wasn't planning to sleep with him, not in real life or anything. But a nice little quickie on my own might be just the ticket to a saner future. I'd simply imagine being with him, have an orgasm or two, and then move on.
It would be like rebooting the computer or flicking the power strip off and on.
A reset.
It was the perfect solution.
I went to bed smug with my decision and woke hours later feeling embarrassed at what I'd done in the privacy of my own bed. I wasn't against pleasuring myself or anything, but doing it while imagining my boss – a guy who I didn't even like half the time – made me feel just a little bit awkward in the light of day.
Unfortunately, that didn't stop me from repeating the process the very next night, which happened to be a Sunday, just hours before I'd be seeing him again.
I spent most of those hours – including the one just before sunrise – pleasuring myself to the thought of doing him in his office, specifically on his desk.
So much for getting him out of my system.
When it came time for me to get ready for work, I crawled out of bed with a silent vow to end this once and for all.
Today would be a fresh start. No more thoughts. No more temptation. Just pure professionalism.
All of that changed when I walked into my office and saw what he'd left me sometime over the weekend. It was a pair of novelty socks designed to look like fancy cowboy boots. They were silly and adorable all at the same time. And I knew exactly why he'd picked them.
It was because of the country music thing.
Still, it was a bit strange. It wasn't his turn to leave something. Rather, it was mine, which is why I'd left that stupid broccoli. The change in schedule was a little unsettling, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why.
Was it because I still didn't know how I felt?
Or because I knew how I felt, and just didn't want to admit it?
In search of clues, I glanced toward his office. The door was open, but the area beyond was dark and silent. Of course, from previous experience, I realized this was no guarantee that he wasn't in.
Unable to stop myself, I pushed away from my desk and crossed the spacious hall that separated our offices. I stopped at his doorway and poked my head inside.
He wasn't there.
And neither was the broccoli.
A voice behind me made me jump. It was Jax, saying, "He's out of town."
I whirled to face him. "Oh?" I frowned in confusion. I hadn't seen anything on his calendar. "Is he away on business?"
Jax nodded. "Something came up in New York."
My stomach lurched. New York?
Where Victoria lived?
For some stupid reason, that wasn't what I wanted to hear. Trying to be nonchalant, I said, "So...Is it something with the ad agency?"
I wasn't being nosy. I was his assistant.
I should know these things, right?
After a long moment, Jax replied, "No. It's something else."
He didn't elaborate, and I didn't ask. Instead, I listened as he told me that Jaden would be out all week and that I should reschedule any appointments.
All of this was beyond confusing. Why was I hearing this from Jax? It's not that I minded, but it was odd. Normally I received such updates from Jaden himself, whether by phone, email, or in person.
But this time, I'd received nothing.
After thanking Jax for the update, I returned to my own office. Silently, I stared down at the socks that Jaden had left on my desk. I loved them more than I should have. And like everything else, they confused the heck out of me.
What were they, anyway?
A peace offering?
Or just another thing to drive me crazy?
At the end of the day, I still didn't know.
I spent most of that week wondering what Jaden was doing and who he was doing it with.
As usual, he checked in at least once a day, but our conversations were brief and business-like. He didn't tease me at all, and to my extreme annoyance I discovered that I missed it.
How messed up was that?
But it wasn't until he returned that things went seriously off the rails.
Chapter 45
"You're still here," Jaden said.
I practically jumped in my seat. I'd been facing away from my office door and hadn't seen him come in.
I hadn't heard him come in either, probably because with everyone else gone for the day, I'd been listening to music louder than I normally would at the office.
Now, I switched it off, and a sudden silence descended around us.
He was standing in my office doorway, wearing jeans and a dark T-shirt. His casual appearance caught me off guard, mostly because aside from that initial day, I'd seen him mostly in suits and ties.
Now, the sight of him in jeans brought back memories of the first day we'd met, when he'd been standing in a different doorway, giving me all kinds of grief for no good reason.
The way it looked, he was about to give me grief again.
And how did I know? He looked just as delighted to see me now as he'd looked on that very first day.
Today was a Friday, and we hadn't seen each other all week. In fact, our last encounter had been outside my apartment, when he'd scared off that Derek guy and then stuck around only long enough to chew me out for being so careless.
If his current frown was any indicator, I was moments away from getting chewed out again. For the life of me, I couldn’t imagine why. I mean, I'd talked to him just this morning, and he'd been perfectly civil then – or at least as civil as he ever was.
I braced myself, waiting for the verbal storm that was headed my way.
But he said nothing even as the silence stretched out.
What was going on?
Finally, when I couldn't stand it another moment, I said, "Well, you might as well tell me."
"Tell you what?"
I tried to laugh. "Why I’m in trouble."
"You're not in trouble," he said. "I am."
I didn't get it. "Why are you in trouble?"
"Because you're still here."
I stared up at him. "Wasn't I supposed to be?"
He was still frowning. "It's almost seven."
Yes. It was. But I'd attended two meetings today on his behalf, and I'd been planning to finish compiling the notes while everything was still fresh in my brain.
Plus, I didn't want to go home.
At home, I had that embarrassing habit of falling into bed and thinking of him in ways that were decidedly unprofessional. Plus, I'd been planning to leave something on his desk, but had been waffling about whether or not I should.
It was a black T-shirt that featured a cartoonish white square labeled as Fe – the periodic element for iron. The square was holding an electric guitar and banging its long-haired cartoonish head. Underneath the illustration were the words, "Heavy Metal" in bold, gothic script.
I loved the shirt. And Jaden would look great in it, too. Still, I'd been hesitant to give it to him.
Leaving clothing seemed a little personal, maybe too personal, considering that he was my boss. But I'd been trying to mimic that whole country-music sock thing with something similar.
Unfortunately, Jaden didn't like country music. He liked metal. I knew this from the one time I'd been inside his car, where heavy metal seemed to be the only thing on his stereo.
In reply to his comment about it being nearly seven o'clock, I explained, "I was working on the notes."
"What notes?"
"From today's marketing meeting."
"Forget it," he said. "Go home."
Now I was frowning, too. Normally if someone's boss tells them to go home on a Friday night, that was
a good thing, well unless you're getting fired, that is.
I didn't think I was getting fired, but his attitude was seriously confusing.
I asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Yeah. You're still here."
I felt my eyebrows furrow. That was like the third time he'd said it. And by now, it was getting hard to not take it personally.
I pushed myself up to a standing position. "What is it?"
"What's what?"
I was tired of beating around the bush. "Well, if you weren't my boss, I'd say, 'What's your problem?'" I hesitated. "But since you are my boss, I'll just ask…" I bit my lip. I had no idea how to phrase it.
What have I done to irritate you now?
Why are you in such a rotten mood?
And why are you giving me that look?
In the end, I only shrugged and let the non-professional phrasing speak for itself.
At least I hadn't asked, "What's your freaking problem?"
Or worse.
He made a forwarding motion with his hand. "Go on."
My teeth clenched. This was just like him, making me finish even though I didn't know what to say.
Still, I tried again. "I guess I’m just wondering why you're in a bad mood."
"So, you think I'm in a bad mood?"
"I know you're in a bad mood. I can see it all over your face. Did something happen in New York?"
"You could say that."
"Well?" I said. "What was it?"
"You."
"What?"
He shook his head. "This isn't working."
That sounded bad. Reluctantly, I asked, "What isn't working?"
After a long, terrible moment, he said, "It's not you. It's me."
I stiffened. Talk about a cliché. And here, I thought people only used that stupid phrase when they wanted an excuse to dump someone.
Was he dumping me?
He couldn’t. We weren't even together.
And then, it hit me. "Oh, my God. You're about to fire me. Aren't you?"
Chapter 46
As the question echoed out between us, my stomach knotted and twisted. Still, I tried not to show it as I waited for his answer.
And if he did fire me?
What then?
I stiffened my spine. Well, I wouldn't just slink away, that's for sure.
One Bad Idea: A Billionaire Loathing-to-Love Romance Page 19
