“Was he just bullshitting me?”
“He does that from time to time.”
“But I mean … no marines, no soldier training. Where do you learn that?”
“I guess I just grew up on the wrong side of town. Sometimes you have to learn street smarts to survive. Sorry to disappoint you. Nothing so fantastic involving Senseis, ninjas, or dragon spells.”
“Oh, well. I guess I won’t think of you as Bruce Lee anymore.”
“More’s the pity,” I said with a smile.
“For what it’s worth, though, you were a hero to me that day. To the nurse. And to your brother.”
I nodded, not really understanding the point of any of this. And frankly, never understanding the word ‘hero’ as if it meant something important.
“For what it’s worth Alicia …” I said, gaining her attention and looking into her eyes. This time, I didn’t freeze. This time, the thought was crystal clear. “I meant what I said. Be careful. I may not know you … but that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to worry about your safety.”
Just as she was squinting and ready to give me the third-degree, in walked David, hopped up on caffeine and ready to take his lady out on the town.
“Bobbo Jackson, you womanizer! What are you doing cuddling up to Miss Alicia? Trying to steal her away from me with your sexy and adventurous Tales of Accounting?”
He slapped me on the shoulder and grinned, followed by a monster of a handshake. He did always love to test me, from the day he could talk to the day he would die, I’m sure.
“Just wanted to drop off some paperwork.”
“Great, I was waiting for those files. Uh … accounts looking good?”
“As well as can be expected. It’s nice seeing you again, Alicia.
“Nice to see you,” she said, staring at me in curiosity. “We’ll talk again soon.”
No, we won’t. You just remember what I said.
I didn’t say it aloud, but I meant it with my eyes.
I bid farewell to them both before walking out to my car. David with his limousines, so crass. Always making a scene. But I guess making the most noise usually worked with the type of women he adored.
And he wouldn’t be hearing anything from me; that much was for certain. I left behind those games of adolescence a long time ago. I had no desire to steal away what rightfully belonged to him like we were still in high school. Even if the man was so ridiculously jealous that he couldn’t even leave me in a room with her, the issue was dead as far as I was concerned.
The truth is, I was happy for David. No, we didn’t always get along. But at least we were mostly cordial with each other, like family, which was more than either of us could say about getting along with Dad. That stubborn man just made it a personal mission to push everyone’s buttons.
But what I noticed about David was that he was always happier when he had a woman by his side. He thought more … he reacted less. He seemed reasonably at peace. When he was visiting hookers and escorts, he was unhinged … a loose cannon with his finger always on the trigger. But with a woman he actually cared about, like Alicia, someone with an innocent soul, he calmed himself down remarkably.
Like she said at dinner, she reminded him that work didn’t have to be twenty-four seven. It was important to take it easy sometimes. It was good for the heart.
If only I could apply that advice in my own life, I thought, as I answered my phone and listened to a status update.
“All right. Message me the time, and I’ll be there.”
But now I was torn between what was right and what was ideal. An awkward place to be, particularly in dealing with hot-headed men that could only understand their own perspective.
Yes, it was good to have David “placated” by a good woman. When he was falling in love, he did better work; he seldom interfered with the lives others, and he was just a nicer person in general. A woman’s love seemed to keep him honest.
But I felt responsible for Alicia’s welfare, regardless of how it affected David. Of course it was David’s responsibility to take care of her, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out he was going to screw up eventually. He was reckless; he took everything for granted … including the dumb idea that everyone was going to treat Alicia like a queen just because he loved her.
No, not everyone, David. Especially not the enemies you’ve made as of late.
How could I tell Alicia to wise up and figure out who David really was? How could I do it without betraying my brother and making him think I was making a play for his girlfriend? No matter what I said, if she suddenly disappeared out of his life, I knew he was going to blame me.
And how could I keep protecting her when I had my own life to live? I was afraid any day now, I was going to hear that she had been caught in the crossfire or kidnapped by a rival gang or God knows what. David never thought ahead about anything, and this was no exception.
But life is a game of Chess. All numbers, movements, equations, and analysis. I knew one thing for sure. If Alicia were going to survive, I would have to do David’s thinking for him and anticipate the stupid errors he was bound to make.
Why would a man bother going through these great lengths for a thankless and dangerous task? It wasn’t just for the welfare of Alicia, even if that was part of it. It was because old habits die hard. I really did want to see David happy, and I wanted him to find a pattern of stability and marital bliss. It’s what all of us deserve. Maybe Mom’s soul from heaven, if it exists at all, would look down and smile upon us—a good deed is never forgotten.
***
Chapter 8
“Happily Ever After, God Dammit!”
I was feeling so good, dressed in a white blouse and tight jeans, just the way Dave liked them. Sure, other guys were leering at me, but I belonged only to one man. I decided to check out a few books on car restoring at the library, just to have something to talk about with Dave that was a bit closer to his heart.
“Oh, brother …” I mumbled.
I flinched when I saw Derrick approaching me. Dammit, I thought; I could tell he was all keyed up to have an angry conversation the last time we spoke over the phone. Yeah, I was a bit cold to him … because I was interested in somebody else. What, did he need me to spell it out for him?
He approached me in the library, looking just as wild-eyed as if I was his cheating wife. But we only had one date, buddy!
“Well, well,” he said aggressively, coming a few inches too close.
“Hey, Derrick.”
“So I guess you’re just going to pretend like nothing happened?”
I frowned. “Did something happen between us?”
“Well, I thought so. But then you dumped me so you could go out with somebody else. We had plans and everything.”
“Sorry?”
“You could have at least called and told me the truth.”
I tightened my brow and glared at him. “The truth? You don’t own me, Derrick. And I thought you of all people would appreciate a woman’s right to be left alone.”
“Oh, but I thought this was what turned you on? You know … big strong, tough guys that dominate their women.”
I shook my head and stewed.
“Like that guy you’re seeing? David whatever? That rich guy? Yeah, I know what you’re doing behind my back. It’s always money that women are after.”
“Behind your back?” I laughed. “I did this behind your back? That’s news to me. The truth is, honey, I just didn’t think that much about you. Period. I’m very sorry you took it so personally.”
“Maybe it’s true what we were talking about. That you like bad boys. Danger. Danger turns you on, huh? Makes you wet?”
I glared at him, stifling the harshest of laughter. If he only knew how “safe” I was from him and his controlling misogynist asshole types. Hearing the “real Derrick” come out and pretend he was all badass and controlling was hilarious. Because this rodent couldn’t even fathom the real power of D
avid Jackson. It was all I had in me not to call David that minute and have him come beat the shit out of Derrick.
Yeah, maybe I should have, could have, would have … but I didn’t. He just wasn’t worth it. Maybe this is what power feels like, what happiness feels like, I remember thinking to myself. The ability to say no and just walk away and have a good laugh.
“I am SO sorry to have betrayed your trust, Derrick. Have a good life.”
I walked away, not bothering to give him another look.
“Don’t trust that woman, everybody!” Derrick said, making a scene in the otherwise quiet library. “She’s a real piece of work. Two-timing, money-grubbing, you know what.”
“Sir, please leave!” I overheard the library attendant tell him. “Don’t make a scene here!”
Yeah, Derrick, like anyone there even gave a shit about you. Like you could intimidate me even the slightest bit. I admit it was fascinating to know what Derrick REALLY thought of me, behind those nice guy eyes. Should have known nobody is really what they seem at first. It’s just funny how time reveals the character of somebody …
“What a tiny-dicked, tit sucking little bitch of a child,” David said, laughing about Derrick’s temper tantrum over dinner.
“I know! Where does he get off talking like that? Like I would ever do that to a guy that just one day decided I wasn’t his type. I mean, get over it, dude! It was one date!”
“Guess he thought he was all badass trying to intimidate you like that,” David said with a raised chin. “I’ll show him what a badass looks like.” I could tell he was just begging me for the chance to beat Derrick up and show his machismo.
“Don’t do anything,” I warned him. “Honestly, if I really felt scared, I would have told you to go kick his ass. But I honestly just thought it was funny.”
“Well, he disrespected you.”
“AND he made a fool of himself. I don’t want you to spend a night in jail because some idiot said a bunch of shit.”
“Oh, believe me, I wouldn’t be the one going to jail.”
I tilted my head and grinned. “You’re very sure of yourself, aren’t you cowboy?”
“Damn right. You’re a princess, Alicia. And as far as I’m concerned, every damn fellow on the face of the planet better acknowledge that.”
“You spoil me,” I said, blushing, looking into his mad eyes. Mad for me … madly in love with me. I’ve never seen a man become so consumed with me, so addicted to my body, so intoxicated from my kiss.
“I do spoil you. And I will spoil you. I know it’s silly to say, but when I first met you … well …”
“What?!” I said, raising my eyebrows.
“What what?”
“No, no, tell me. When you first me, what were you thinking?”
“I was thinking you were the sexiest women I ever laid eyes on. I was thinking there’s no way I’m going to go on living happy without kissing her.”
“Yeah right,” I said, sneering and sinking in my seat. “What else were you thinking? I know how your dirty mind works.”
“What?” he said, making a mock pious face, the scandalized look of an angel playing a harp. “Me? I have no dirty thoughts!”
“Yeah, yeah! It’s okay. I know you’re a bad boy, Dave.”
But safe … talks like a bad ass but is safe and protective like a daddy’s teddy bear. It’s why I’m falling for you, Dave. Maybe falling in love with you … if only I weren’t so clueless as to how you really feel about me.
“My first thought was ripping those work clothes right off of you and motor boating those boobs until I suffocated—with a big smile on my dead face and with a tomb reading He Died Doing What He Loved.”
“Okay!” I said, laughing hard. “I know how your mind works, dirty boy! But I like the romantic thoughts …”
“Awww, Alicia,” he said, making a face full of hurt.
I panicked. Now here was going to come the kiss off. Now here’s the part where the guy I really like told me we’re friend buddies with benefits.
“Uh huh?”
“God knows I’ve had disappointments in my life. And I don’t want to jinx nothing. But … I knew within a few minutes of meeting you there was something beautiful about your soul. You had an innocence about you. The face of the goddess, I kept thinking. So pure and so good in nature. Peaceful. Honest. You stole my heart. That first night, our first kiss … I felt something I never felt before.”
“Don’t be messing with me,” I said, suddenly becoming spooked and teary-eyed.
“I’M NOT,” he said, grabbing my hands. “I don’t want to drive two hundred miles per hour into a relationship like I always do and end up screwing everything up. But I’m telling you, Alicia … I really feel something strong for you. I love being with you. I want this to be something real.”
“Really?” I said, slowly smiling.
“I’m not like other guys,” he said, uneasy and dare I say a little fearful. “I know what you think of me based on my profile and my attitude. But I’m not a player. I’m not a rich asshole like all the rest of them. Now …”
He swallowed, a bit nervous for a change.
“I’m not saying I’m perfect. I won’t bullshit you into believing that. I got issues; we all do. And I hope that you can accept me for who I am.”
“Who you are?” I said, my heart breaking with his every word. “I know who you are.”
“Oh yeah?”
“You’re a decent, honorable man. I’ve seen it, Dave. The way you treat your family. The way you stand up for what you believe in, the way you treat everybody. Even the waiters and the little guys that other people usually walk all over. You talk to them with respect. You treat people with respect, and you demand respect in return. That’s a southern gentleman if I’ve ever met one.”
“I’m glad you see it that way,” he said with a weak smile.
“And yeah …” I said with a naughty smile. “The fact that you like to push buttons and break rules … you got to know that makes a nice girl like me a little horny.”
He smiled. “I’m glad we both feel the same way about things. Let’s go back to your place and celebrate.”
“Ohhh,” I said in stress. “I told you I don’t like my place. It makes me feel weird.”
“Are you telling me that’s a rule you have, Miss Alicia?”
I smiled shyly. “I have a roommate, you know.”
“Oh yeah?” he said with a moody glance. “The kind of roommate that you have bra and panties pillow fights with?”
“No, you perv!” I said, with a slap. “Her name’s Helen. But she’s not here right now.”
“Where is she?”
“She’s on vacation.”
“Good. Then I guess she won’t mind if I come in and get a glass of water, now will she?”
That devious smile flashed again.
I let him inside my house and gulped nervously, wondering what he thought of the place. Wondering if this was a mistake. I don’t know what it is about this house, but it always makes me second-guess everything. I became paranoid, wondering if Helen would come home from vacation early … just coincidence, always thinking the worst case scenario!
“Say what’s your phone number here, doll face?”
“Uh … 555-2350.”
I was just about to explain to him how I hated this place and felt so weird bringing him here … when he took me in his arms and hugged me, bringing me close for a kiss. I kissed him back, and all my worries melted away into my stomach, where I felt nothing but fluttering butterflies. The more nervous I felt, the more I desired him. I wanted him to take control, to shove my anxiety away and make love to me like a real man, the way he always did.
I kissed him long and passionate, his towering frame hovering over me as he held me in his tight arms. His kisses were soft, sensual, and overpowering. He kissed the way he talked. And he made love the same way he dominated everybody around him, for business or pleasure.
I hummed into
his mouth as he began unbuttoning my white blouse. He taking my clothes off and with this deep growl whenever he saw me in a bra. Pink this time, and within seconds, his hands were all over my breasts. I was wet for him … always a little wet for him … and when I was alone in his presence, and I could feel his desire, I was nothing but a geyser for him.
“I’m a little nervous,” I said but moaned it out in heat. “I’ve never done it in this house before.”
“Where’s Helen’s room?”
I laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t be crude now.”
“I mean it. If you’re so scared of your roommate, then you need to get over your fears. I’m going to take you right on her bed, so the next time you talk to her, you can think of you and me all over those sheets.”
“No way,” I said, smiling and showing teeth. My heart pounded, realizing that there was just no stopping Dave once a dirty thought entered into his head.
“I’m not asking, sexy girl,” he said, unfastening my blue jeans—worn just for him. “You teasing me like that? Wearing those sexy tight jeans, huh? What’d you expect I’d do?”
I gasped in excitement as he yanked my jeans back and forth, unzipping them and pulling them to the ground. “Oh God …” I was already wet in my panties and just getting more excited as he ogled me, getting wide-eyed grunting in that deep voice of his.
“Yeah, you’re just going to take it like a good girl, aren’t you?”
I hollered in passion and laughter as Dave grabbed me and tossed me over his shoulder like a pillow.
“Oh my God!” I said as Dave walked me into Helen’s room.
“Is this it?”
“Yes! But we can’t do it in here.”
“Says who? Helen?”
“Yes …” I said as he threw me on the bed. I smiled at him in reluctant but very active passion. “You have to follow the rules of the house.”
“I don’t do nothing but stay rich and die.” He pulled his shirt off with one massive twist and showed me his beef. So lean, tight and pecs flexing. I took a deep breath and sighed … he was almost too sexy to bear, and the fact that he was so damned aware of his good looks only made me want him all the more.
The Billionaire's Assistant: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Box Set Page 45
