Ask Me Something (The Something Series Book 2)

by Aubrey Bondurant

  ***

  After arriving back in my office, I felt the adrenaline start to evaporate from the high of the pitch, and I was left exhausted. It mentally and physically drained me every time. Coffee was the only thing keeping me awake at this point. Thankfully, Brian had gone without me to meet Josh for lunch, and I’d let Charlie and Logan go home early with high praise for their efforts. My intention was to head out soon, too. I didn’t know what time Brian would come over, but I was hoping for an hour to take a nap or, at the very least, grab another caffeinated beverage to catch my second wind.

  I let Nancy know I’d be leaving soon and was about to grab my things when she buzzed me.

  “Ms. Brooks, there is a Ms. Jamie Morgan in reception, asking to see you.”

  I was stunned. What in the hell would Brian’s one-time girlfriend be doing here? “Uh, please tell the receptionist that I’m finishing a meeting and then retrieve Ms. Morgan in ten minutes.” I might not have the energy deal with her, but I’d be damned if I’d let her have the gratification of intimidating me on my own turf.

  “Not a problem, Ms. Brooks,” Nancy replied.

  I immediately dialed Brian’s cell phone and was relieved when he picked up.

  “Hey, you, good timing. We just finished up lunch,” he greeted.

  “Hi. Uh, is there a reason that you can think of that Jamie Morgan would be here to see me right now?” I didn’t have time to beat around the bush.

  He cursed a string. “What does she want?”

  “I’m not sure yet, but I’ll find out in in a few minutes. Any idea why she’d be here?”

  He exhaled audibly. “We had dinner last night, but she didn’t mention anything. Who the hell knows?”

  The stab of jealousy hit me hard. “How could you have had dinner last night with Jamie if you flew in this morning?”

  “I came in last night but knew you wouldn’t want to see me with the pitch today. Jamie wanted to clear the air and apologize. Maybe that’s what she’s doing there. I’ll call her after we get off the phone.”

  Were men really this naïve about the agenda of a woman? “First of all, you’ll do no such thing. I swear to you, Brian, if you so much as text her at this point, I’ll never speak to you again. I don’t need that woman thinking I can’t fight my own battles. Secondly, what happened to not dating other people, or were the rules only applicable to me?”

  “It wasn’t a date. It was dinner with—”

  “An old girlfriend,” I supplied dryly.

  “Sasha…”

  “I don’t have time to argue about this right now. But I want you to think about a scenario in which my ex-boyfriend shows up to see you in your office in Charlotte. You call me and find out that I not only came into town the prior night without telling you, but that I’d also had dinner with that same ex. Let me know how that would make you feel. I’ve gotta go.” I hung up the phone before he could respond and slipped the hair band around my wrist, giving it a snap for good measure. Something told me I was going to need it.

  ***

  Nancy showed Jamie into my office while I was composing an email. I glanced up and finished typing to give the appearance of being interrupted. “Thank you, Nancy,” I said and noticed the protective look she gave me the minute Jamie stepped in my office. Well, good to know I had an ally in my assistant.

  I greeted Jamie warmly. Okay, lukewarm. After all, I was only human. But I’d have no reason not to act warmly unless I was in fact jealous, and I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. “Hi, Jamie. Nice to see you again. What can I do for you?”

  She smiled, taking a seat in her designer pantsuit and four-inch heels. “Oh, I won’t take up too much of your time. I had dinner with Brian last night to apologize for the last time we were out. I evidently spoke out of turn revealing the Sasha-B-Fierce nickname, and he suggested there may be some hard feelings.” Her tone held absolutely no sincerity.

  “No hard feelings on my part. In fact, I’ve embraced it like the compliment it was intended to be.” My voice was luckily steadier than my emotions.

  “Good, and I guess congratulations are in order?”

  “I’m afraid you’ve lost me. Are you congratulating me?”

  “Yes, it appears that you and Brian are quite happy together.”

  I arched my brow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” There was no way that he’d told her.

  She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. “Come on, Sasha. Woman to woman, I came here to apologize. The least you could do is be truthful.”

  “That’s a curious thing, Jamie, considering I’ve yet to hear an actual apology from you.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “You know, I didn’t give you enough credit, even knowing your nickname. You’re tough, and if you want to play it this way, then obviously that’s your prerogative.”

  “If that’s it, Jamie, I do have some clients to get back to.”

  She stood and turned to leave. “One last question.” She faced me.

  I braced myself, knowing without a doubt her parting shot wouldn’t be a pleasant one.

  “I’m curious how much Brian won in the bet now that you two are sleeping together. I heard the pot was quite large down in the Charlotte office on whom you’d sleep with.”

  It took every minute of therapy I’d attended and self-visualization techniques I’d learned to pretend I didn’t know what she was talking about. “It’s an interesting approach you have Jamie. You’d like to be in a relationship with Brian, and yet you seek to cut down those in his life whose opinion he values. I’m not sure how that’ll work for you, but good luck.”

  Her clenching jaw was enough for me to know I’d scored a direct hit. She left through my door without a backward glance.

  It had barely closed before I dialed Brian again.

  “Hey, has she left?” he answered.

  “Yes. Were you part of the bet?” My voice was barely audible while my breathing started to slide out of control.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t play dumb. Were you part of the bet my first year in Charlotte about who I’d sleep with first?”

  “Sasha, it’s not what you think.”

  “Yes or fucking no?” My voice cracked, and I could feel the panic welling up.

  “Yes, but—”

  I didn’t let him finish, instead slamming down the phone. The betrayal lanced through me with physical pain. Suddenly I was at school, sixteen again, having a strange woman with eyes like mine show up during lunch and ask me for money. I’d found out the people I trusted most in this world had kept the biggest secret of my life from me. Shaking the painful memory from my head, I reached for my waste basket just in time to throw up my coffee.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Brian found me ten minutes later still hovering over the trash can.

  “God, are you okay?” He obviously didn’t bother to knock or have Nancy buzz me before coming into my office.

  I nodded, thankful there wasn’t much more than coffee to come up, and my breathing had almost returned to normal. I had to remind myself to stop clutching my chest. “Fine.” I grabbed a bottle of water from my desk drawer and took shallow sips.

  He knelt beside me, looking concerned. “Are you not feeling well?”

  “I’m good. Please go,” I managed.

  “Not going to happen.” He dialed my assistant. “Nancy, please have a car meet us downstairs in front of the building.”

  I wanted to argue, but all of my concentration was centered on getting my heart rate and breathing back to normal and hoping that he wouldn’t suspect my panic attack. I couldn’t even properly tell him to go to hell. The only silver lining was that I’d gotten a handle on things about a minute before he’d come barging in.

  By the time Nancy knocked and peeked in to let us know the car had arrived, I was feeling marginally better.

  Packing up my things, I walked unsteadily out the door. “Thank you, Nancy.”

  She patt
ed my shoulder awkwardly. “Anytime, Sasha. Feel better.”

  I was quiet until Brian and I reached the car waiting curbside. Turning toward him, I held up my hand. “I can take it from here.”

  “I don’t think so. We can have this discussion on the street in front of the office or back at your place. Your choice, but you’ll hear me out.”

  Some choice. I got into the back of the car and stared out my window, refusing to look at him. We were silent the entire ride and until we stepped inside my door.

  “Why were you sick?” he queried softly.

  Under no circumstance would my pride allow for him to know that his ex-girlfriend had put me into a panic attack. I wouldn’t give either of them that knowledge. “You wanted me to hear you out, so say your piece and then go.”

  He hesitated and then walked into my kitchen. Grabbing a glass, he filled it with water and handed it to me. “That stupid bet seven years ago was made shortly after you started. I suppose Juliette told you that ten of the guys in the office bet on who you’d sleep with first. I wanted no part of it, but one evening when we were all out and you’d left early, they started razzing me about it, trying to get me to lay my money down. I bet that you wouldn’t ever sleep with anyone, including me. And I never, ever put money on it. It was, at least in my mind, a way I could get them off my back by showing that I respected you way too much to make a bet like that. You can ask Juliette if you don’t believe me.”

  “How did Jamie find out about it?” I needed all of the pieces before I could process it all.

  At the mention of her name, Brian’s eyes immediately reflected his anger. “We were chatting months ago, and you came up in the conversation. She was talking about how hard it was being a woman in an office with men commenting on who she’d sleep with instead of her work ethic. I brought your situation up, meaning it as a compliment in saying that these assholes had made a bet when you’d started, and you hadn’t given any of them the time of day. She wondered if I was part of it. I told her my bet was always that you wouldn’t sleep with anyone. Telling her that seemed harmless at the time. Is that why she came by, to bring this shit up out of the blue?”

  I sat down on my sofa and rubbed my eyes. Absolute fatigue was seeping into my body now that my panic attack had fully subsided. It had been a roller coaster day, and I was about to crash. “She came with the pretense of wanting to apologize about the nickname comment, moved on to congratulating me for our relationship, and then ended with the finale of asking how much money you’d won on the bet because you’d slept with me.”

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t tell her we were together, but it wasn’t because I didn’t want to. It was because of her connection to Josh. I didn’t think you’d like it.”

  “What did you tell her?” I had to ask.

  He looked uncomfortable. “That it wasn’t going to happen with us. She’d thought if she apologized for that night at Evan’s that we could move past it. She brought you up, and I told her we were good friends. But I think she’s always known I had a thing for you.”

  I wasn’t completely over it, but I didn’t have the energy to stay mad either. “I need a shower, then to go lie down.”

  “Tell me what I can do, and please don’t say to leave.”

  I inhaled deeply, trying to decide. His face look pained, and he was eager to do something. “Maybe you can order in something for dinner in a couple of hours. I’m feeling better, and I never got around to eating lunch.” I didn’t mention that breakfast had come up earlier.

  Moving toward my bedroom, I was thankful that for now, my secret stayed my own. How ironic that on the day I’d been at my best, by the end of it I’d go to my worst.

  Later that evening after my short nap, we dined quietly, eating pasta on the couch in my living room by candlelight. My stomach started to recover after getting some food into it. When I couldn’t eat another bite, Brian took my hand and led me into my bedroom.

  “Let me blow out the candles and clean up dinner. I’ll be in shortly.”

  I nodded and got ready for bed. After climbing in nude between my cool sheets, I closed my eyes briefly. A short time later, I felt him slide in beside me.

  He didn’t move toward me but instead lay on his back and stared at the ceiling. “You were right about how I’d feel if the positions were reversed today. I would have flipped out if an ex of yours showed up, and you’d been in town without calling. I’m an idiot, and I’m sorry.”

  “Were you ever planning to tell me that you’d met up with her?”

  “I’d like to think that eventually I would have. She’d been calling and apologizing for weeks. I have issues with things that are unresolved. I thought I owed her at least some sort of closure.”

  “I get it. You’re always the good guy trying to smooth things over, but we had an agreement over rules that you set. You should’ve told me ahead of time, or, better yet, you could have talked with her over the phone.”

  “I know. It pisses me off that she purposefully went in to upset you, especially when you killed the pitch earlier today. This should’ve been a night of celebration, and instead I ruined that. What did you end up saying to her?”

  I filled him in on my parting shot, and he whistled.

  “You’re impressive with things like that. No flinch, no prisoners. I’ve always admired that about you.”

  Rather than take it like the compliment he intended, it was a little depressing that Brian admired traits that didn’t describe the real me. He, like everyone else, believed I had a natural ability to deal with situations like that. If he knew the truth, he’d be sorely disappointed.

  “Do you forgive me?”

  I didn’t hesitate, knowing him well enough to believe his intentions were exactly as he’d explained. “Yes, but don’t lie to me again, Brian. Omission is the same thing, especially to me.” I didn’t want to go into how not knowing I was adopted had affected me, but it was a definite trigger for when someone hid the truth about something involving me. I had a twinge of guilt that hiding my anxiety disorder was not being entirely honest but reasoned that it was a private matter that was nobody’s business. It certainly wasn’t something we’d put on the table to agree upon like in this situation.

  “I won’t do it again.”

  It was ironic that I was once again on the receiving end of an apology. It was also somewhat of a relief. His mistakes made me feel less intimidated and that I wouldn't be the only one to screw things up.

  We both heard the sound of his cell phone coming from his pants pocket. He picked it up, frowned at the caller ID, and then silenced it.

  “How many times has she called?” I asked.

  “Too many. I’ll need to talk to her sooner or later, though, or she’ll keep calling.”

  “Jamie is going to be an issue for me. I know you’re friends, and I’m trying hard not to give an ultimatum, but—”

  “You don’t have to. Regardless of our relationship, I don’t want someone like that a part of my life. She’s obviously changed, or—I don’t know—maybe she was always like that, and I never noticed. I’ll send her an email tomorrow. What she said to you was inexcusable and I don’t care what her story is.”

  My mind was marginally pacified by his lack of hesitation. “Wait. What story?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know yet, but I’m sure she’ll have something. It doesn’t matter, though.”

  Once again, his complete faith that what I’d told him had actually happened humbled me.

  “Were you sick because you were upset?”

  I knew this question would come up again, and tried to play it off. “I was about to go home early and had just told Nancy I was about to leave because my stomach wasn’t feeling great when she buzzed in. Bad timing all the way around.”

  He reached for me and sucked in his breath upon finding me naked. “Can I rub your back or hold you?”

  It was significant that he wasn’t playing his usual role in the bedroom and was asking me
what I wanted rather than dominating. “I’d rather have you inside of me.”

  He inhaled sharply. “Are you sure? You’ve had a hell of a day.”

  “I know. But the only time my mind truly turns off is when you take over.” And this was my fundamental realization. Brian’s dominance in the bedroom allowed me a freedom that I’d never experienced before. One that I craved at the moment more than anything: escape from my own mind and thinking about my panic attack or past.

  He quickly slipped off his boxers. “What about your stomach?”

  His hesitancy made me want him even more. “I’m feeling better.” Reaching for him, I found him hard already. His velvety softness and the bead of wetness at his tip made me want to taste him. I moved down, only to have his hand fist in my hair and stop me.

  “I don’t think so,” his low voice warned. The absurdity of denying me the ability to pleasure him was a testament to how much he’d rather have the control instead. “Sit up against your headboard with your knees apart.”

  I moved, trembling already with need. Before I’d had a chance to settle into position, his mouth found my center. But instead of moving fast and furious, he went slowly. His languid tongue trailed along my cleft, and I whimpered, yearning for more.

  “You like it when I take control in the bedroom?” His eyes locked on mine, illuminated only by the moonlight coming in through the bedroom window.

  “Yes,” I whispered and felt a shudder run through him.

  When his lips descended onto my clit, my fists gripped the sheets as the electric current coursed through my body. His finger pushed deep into my slick flesh, causing me to moan with the delicious torture he was inflicting. He looked up and grinned. “Remember when I told you to keep your hands on your head the first time I did this?”

  I nodded, awaiting the same request.

  “This time I want them on my head, showing me how much you want me down here.”

  Now it was my turn to shiver. My hands threaded through his soft hair and pushed him back to the task at hand. He went to work like a man possessed, and I hit my climax swiftly. When I glanced down, I realized how hard I’d been shoving his face into me and let go. “Sorry about that.”