by Lexy Timms
He laughed, "Something like that. Would you be willing?"
"Yes, but when are you looking to meet with your buddies?"
"Well, it’s short notice, but I'd love to have lunch with you today. Are you free?"
"No, but I can squeeze in a late dinner I think." She moved to her desk and leaned over to review her calendar: Drinks with Gina at five and nothing else. "Yeah; let's do seven thirty."
"Good. I'll meet you at Champion Grille?"
"I love that place. I'll bring a lot of goodies for us to look over." She ran her hands over her hips, smoothing her skirt absently. His eyes followed her movements, which made her feel a little more exposed than it should have.
"Good. I'll see you then, and I'll follow up with Alex next week on setting up the meetings."
They spoke for a moment more before he finally made his exit. Going to lunch with him would have been a better call, but she had far too much to get through before the weekend.
She checked the clock, groaning at the fact that it was already ten. She needed to start setting her alarm and getting in earlier again. If nothing else, maybe she could tell Alex that he needed to be stricter on her arrival time. The only way she could get up with the sun was to have him push the importance of being at the office by eight or so.
After puttering around her desk for a few minutes, she realized that she wanted to see Alex, wanted to feel his arms around her. He hadn't come home the night before, which meant that he was knee-deep in something. She moved to the door that separated her office from his and knocked twice before slipping inside. She glanced to the main office door, glad it was closed.
Alex glanced up, his expression weary. "Jamie. I'm sorry about last night. I got caught up in the drama of this place."
"Well, not sleeping is going to leave you sick, grumpy, and ineffective." She walked around his desk and pushed at his shoulder, forcing him to turn toward her. "Besides, I missed you."
"Not still mad?" He turned and reached up, sliding his hands over her hips and tugging her closer.
"No, this isn’t about being mad. Not everything is about ticking me off. I don’t understand why you think that way.”
“Every woman I’ve dated is always mad. It’s a man’s job to make them happy.”
She laughed. Was he being serious? She pressed her lips together when she realized he was. He had told her once that he didn’t know how to love, that he wasn’t meant for a relationship. She was beginning to understand why. “I'm here to help, but you're pushing me away. I’m not mad, nor am I the bad guy." She pressed her fingers into the tight muscles of his shoulders, and melted a little when he moved closer and wrapped his arms around her, pressing the side of his face to her center.
"Me, too, but I think it's only going to get worse. I have so much shit I'm dealing with. I would love help, but, honestly, I don't even know where to start."
“You hired me to help with the business. I’ve proven I’m capable. Put more stuff on me. If you’re here late, I can be, too.”
“I hate to do that to you. I’ve been trying not to.”
“But I want to help.”
He sighed. “I may take you up on that.”
"Good, but first, let’s start with us." She brushed her fingers through his hair and leaned over, kissing the top of his head. "Make love to me."
He chuckled before pulling back and slumping into chair. "Not right now, baby. I'm not in the mood for anything but a dark hole to hide in."
"Alex..." She bent down, squatting in front of him. Anytime she was near him, her body wanted sex. She pushed the thought aside and focused on what it would take to get him wanting sex too. “Talk to me about what's going on."
"You're not interested in Mark, right? I keep telling myself that I'm being a jealous ass, but the minute I feel better about it... something else happens."
"What? Didn’t we clear this all up already?" She sat back on her heels as confusion rolled through her. "Why in the world would you think that I'd be at all interested in your brother?"
"You seem to get along with him really well. He likes you a lot, obviously. I mean, hell, he's calling you to see about staying with me."
"I'm your personal assistant, Alex. Of course he's calling me to get to you. Everyone does."
"You haven't answered my question." His expression darkened.
"No. I'm not interested in your brother. He’s having a hard time; he didn’t even want me to tell you about his financial issues but I did anyway, because I'm interested in you. However, you're doing a great job of making me question why the fuck I bother." She stood and walked to the window, hating how quickly the moment turned from a warm embrace to him accusing her of something so ridiculous that it pissed her off.
"I'm not sure why you're so upset about me calling you my PA. You are," he chuckled.
Jamie turned to pin him with a hard stare over her shoulder. "What the heck happened? Why would you go from being so sweet to being so uncaring and callous?"
"What happened in general, or today?"
Oh, she’d drop-kick him out the window if she knew how. "Both! Either! Hell, I don't care. Just tell me what the fuck is going on!"
"Mark called this morning to talk to me about coming into town tomorrow because he couldn't get a hold of you. Then the asshole told me to lay off of you because your parents are going through a divorce and you have a lot of shit on your plate." Alex stood and took a few steps toward her, his voice rising. "Why the hell does my brother, who lives a thousand miles away, know this, and I don't?"
"Because he's going through a divorce, too, so I shared some of my shit with him. You've been a little busy lately, and instead of bombarding you with my problems, I've been trying to help alleviate yours. That's what people who care about each other do." The burn of tears shouldn't have surprised her, but it did. She was tired of feeling like shit for no real reason. Maybe all of her internal struggles from the past were silly and unmerited, but they taunted her nonetheless. They both had these insecurity issues. Why didn’t he understand?
"He's getting divorced from Paula? Why the hell didn't I know this?" He stuffed his hands into his pockets and began to pace.
She stared at him in surprise. She’d told him he was having problems. She knew she had. It only made her more frustrated to know he hadn’t been listening to her. "Because you didn't care to say more than five words to him. He's your brother." She moved toward the door, done with the argument. "I'm out. I'll finish up what I have going on, and then I'm going to get a drink with Gina. Nicholas and I are having dinner to discuss some new investors for your portfolio. You're fucking welcome."
"I don't want you going to dinner with Nicholas. I don't like him." His voice was commanding.
Jamie spun around. "It's part of my job, and he's a client. The sooner you get it through your head that I'm not interested in anyone but you, the better it will be for us from a personal and business standpoint." She reached for the door back to her office.
"Jamie. Wait." He let out a long growl. "I met with Annette yesterday and... and..."
Jamie whipped around and pressed her hands to her hips. "And what? I'm tired of trying to figure you out. You communicate beautifully here. Communicate with me, damn it!"
"Right." He glanced down at his desk and took a shaky breath. "She's pregnant, and she says it's mine."
"What?" Ice-cold horror rolled through her. No, no, no, no!!
"I’m sorry. I have no clue what the fuck to do about it. I don't want anything to do with her, but if she's carrying my child…"
"Then she has the baby and you help her with it." Jamie walked across the room, trying to push away the idea that Alex might actually try to work things out with Annette. The beautiful redhead was a total witch, who treated everyone like trash. That woman wasn’t meant to be a mother, except maybe to a clutch of vipers.
"I know… I just..."
"What other options are there?" Jamie swallowed hard and wrapped her arms around hersel
f.
"Many, okay? There are many options. I had what I thought was a shitty father, and I just remember growing up thinking that if I ever had a kid, that I would love him with an intensity that left him breathless; that above all he would know that his dad loved him and supported him."
The tears in Alex's eyes were almost too much, but the thought of him leaving her in order to suffer alongside Annette was soul-shattering.
"I understand that more than you know." She reached up and brushed away a tear. "That’s a decision you need to make. With or without me." It broke her heart to say that. She would step aside if she had to. She didn’t want to think about it, but she knew she would.
"Just give me time to think through this, okay?"
She didn't trust herself to do anything more than nod and leave.
How in the world was she going to deal with seeing Alex with Annette? He would go back to her. He wouldn’t let his own child grow up without a father. Jamie could see that in his eyes, and the way he so fiercely protected the thought of being a dad. Why would Annette want a baby? The toothpick did not seem the type to want children, let alone carry one. How would Jamie deal with Annette? Deal with her and Alex together?
The answer was simple. She wouldn't.
Chapter 11
"You ready?" Gina's voice pulled Jamie from the report she was trying to edit. She couldn't seem to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes, but who would be able to? Alex was in the next office, probably trying to decide if their relationship was over due to knocking up his ex. Could things get any worse?
"Yeah," Jamie mumbled and picked up her purse. "I need something strong."
"Like a man, or are we talking good liquor?" Gina smiled and walked out into the hall.
"Both, maybe. Who knows?"
"Sounds like you got a new story to tell me." Gina pressed her shoulder against Jamie's.
"Only if you want to be depressed with me." Jamie gave her friend a tight smile and held the door for her.
"That's not good. Spill."
They got into the elevator with a crowd of people from the office, and Jamie simply gave her a look. "At the bar."
After making their way through the large crowd of suits trying to get out to the street, they decided on trying a new bar. It was just a block from the office, and lots of the staff had been talking about it all week. The drinks were cheap, strong, and delicious.
"So talk to me. The anticipation is likely to kill me. You know my life has little to no drama in it." Gina messed with her long dark hair as it blew around them.
"It's highly confidential. Good?"
"Of course. You know that I would never spill your secrets." Gina tugged the door to the bar and smiled at the host. "Two, please."
"Right this way, ladies." The younger male gave Gina the once-over and smiled before turning to walk them to their seats.
Gina wagged her eyebrows at Jamie and they both chuckled. The guy could be a kid brother or someone either of them babysat, but a love interest? Never.
Jamie pulled the drink menu out and scanned it as she dove right into the heart of the issue. "So, let's see... Alex thinks I have feelings for his brother Mark, my parents are getting divorced, and one of Alex's old girlfriends popped up pregnant earlier this week and says it’s his."
Gina sat there, her eyes wide and mouth open.
Jamie couldn't help but laugh at the expression on her friend’s face. "Right? I told you it was depressing."
"Wow. You can't make up that kind of shit." She shook her head slowly and glanced down, as if she were trying to comprehend all of the issues presented. "The pregnant girlfriend is a bit too much. So help me, it better not be fucking Annette. I hate that bitch. The other things suck, but your parents haven't gotten along in years. Kudos to your dad for leaving your mother. Sorry."
"No, you're right." On my dad, and on Annette. Jamie glanced up at the waitress. "I'll take a double shot of Jack with a spritz of Coke."
"Apple Martini for me, please." Gina turned her attention back on Jamie. "And the situation with Mark... please. That's easy to clean up and most likely just Alex having issues with his past. But the pregnant chick? Damn."
"Right? I think the worst part about all of it is that I think we were just starting to move toward being in a solid relationship." She glanced down, focusing on the straw that she rolled between her fingers. "That’s not going to happen now."
"What?”
“There is way too much baggage here.”
“Did Alex say who it was?”
“You guessed it before. Annette.”
“Fuck! She is such a skank bitch!” Gina punched the table. “Alex needs to make sure the bitch is actually pregnant with his baby.”
Jamie stared at her friend. “Why would someone make that up?” That was beyond crazy.
“To try to keep billionaire Alex Reid in her clutches!”
“I don’t think she’d lie about that.”
Gina shook her head. “Fine. Then she’s pregnant. Don't tell me that a tough girl like you is scared of kids." She reached out and squeezed Jamie's arm.
"This isn’t about me. It's about Alex." Jamie sighed. "He's trying to decide if he needs to get back with Annette and work things out. I don’t think he wants to be a dad from afar."
"What? Oh, hell no. Annette is the worst thing in the world. She's a man-eater. A rich bitch with three chips on her shoulder." Gina's voice grew loud as she let her emotions fly.
"It’s not for me to decide. If Alex wants to try to make things work out with her for the sake of the kid, then what say do I really have? I can’t stop a man from stepping up to the plate and being responsible." Jamie pulled the snack menu toward her, but decided against it seeing as how her dinner with Nicholas was only a few hours away.
"He's making a mistake if he comes to that conclusion. Being with her would be so much worse for the kid than being raised in two households, Jamie. They did nothing but fight when they were together. I don't even think Alex has a clue as to what a good, wholesome relationship looks like." She moved back as the drinks were delivered, taking hers and tasting it.
It seemed to Jamie that since she and Alex had been together, all they did was argue as well. She defended him, though; the fault was not all his. She was equally responsible. "He's been pissy lately due to the stuff with Mark, which isn't really stuff at all, but this thing with Annette has him over the edge. I keep trying to figure out what my part is in the drama. I want to support him and help however he'll let me, but I'm almost positive he's going to slam the door shut."
"He's a damn idiot if he does. You're the best thing that’ll ever happen to a man like him. You're his humility, his reminder to be authentic. Alex is a good man, but he has the potential to be a great man. A really great one. He just needs the right woman with him."
"I hope that's me." Jamie took a long drink of her liquor and sank down into the idea of him turning his back on her. What would she do? Move? Quit her job?
It wasn't just a relationship that would be lost. All of it belonged to Alex, and where he would be benevolent in the event of them breaking up, she wasn't sure she would be. Making a clean break would be her only option.
Please don't let it come down to that.
"Jamie; thanks for meeting me." Nicholas stood as she approached his table, his attire completely different from the morning. He had on a pair of khaki slacks and a green polo shirt, which brought out the hint of green in his steely grey eyes.
"Of course. I'm appreciative of all you’re doing for the firm. Alex is as well. He sends his thanks." She blushed as he moved behind her, pulling out her chair and helping her get seated.
"Does he?" Nicholas laughed, and subsequently held up his hands. "Okay. I'll behave. I'm glad he's okay with us having dinner. He's got a great product, and he needs to start looking for a partner. I'm not interested, but a couple of these financial moguls I'm golfing with next week might be. They're all multi-billionaires and in
credibly smart where finances and investments are concerned."
"Make sure you bring that up with him next week. I've no intention of sharing Alex's future plans today, but I'm sure he would be thrilled to work through any opportunity." She moved down to pull out a few files. "I brought some of the investor information you asked for. The rest we had to order, but I have a few packets coming overnight to your office. They should be there on Monday."
"Jamie." He sat back and smiled comfortably. "What did you want to be when you were a girl? When money and advancement were of no interest, what was your dream job?"
His question caught her off-guard, but she found her footing quickly. She laughed, the double shot of a drink with Gina giving her that slightly giggly liquid courage she needed. "I wanted to be a dancer, but I gained a bit of weight as a teenager and dance became a thing of the past." She shrugged, not quite sure why she shared the truth with him. She could have pulled from the hundreds of lies she'd used in the past to save herself the humiliation of reliving her childhood.
"I can’t picture you heavy. I’m sure you were very cute.” He tilted his head and smiled warmly. “What caused you to gain weight? Some teenage boy break your heart?"
"Donuts and Cheetos. They are the devil. I'm convinced." She gave him a cheeky grin and turned to the waitress, ordering a glass of red wine.
He ordered and turned his attention back toward her. "And I assume you lost the weight during college?"
"Lost the weight? No." She let out a short chuckle. "I'm still trying to lose the weight, which is another topic you and I are not going to traverse together tonight."
"Well, let me just say this... you don't need to change at all. You're beautiful and intensely feminine. Where young women got off track, thinking that they should have bones protruding from their collarbones and hips is beyond me. Girls might be incredibly thin, but women are not. At least the type of woman who makes most men's blood run hot."
Heat rushed up her chest and bled up to cover her throat and cheeks. "Thank you."
"Of course. Now... tell me when you're going to start taking dance lessons again."
