“Good morning to you, too, brother,” Jason said, forcing the chipperness into his tone.
“Jason?” Lucas asked, coming a little more awake. “What’s going on?”
“Look, I’m sorry to be calling so early in the morning but…I’ve got a situation on my hands and I need some advice.”
It wasn’t often that one of his brothers called looking for advice so Lucas knew this had to be serious. “Give me a minute to get out of bed so that I don’t wake Emma,” he said quietly and Jason could hear the rustling of blankets as Lucas got up.
“I wouldn’t have called so early if…”
“No worries, Jace.” Lucas got himself settled and away from his new bride so that
they could talk freely. “Are you home already? Did everything go okay on the trip?”
“Everything is fine with the trip; we head home today after lunch.”
“Okay, then if it’s not about the trip then what’s up?” Lucas asked around a very loud yawn.
Jason sighed. Where to begin? “You know how I’ve been having problems keeping an assistant ever since you and Emma hooked up?”
Lucas laughed. “You did make for some unforgettable stories. Personally, I thought that all of the women would go after Mac; after all, he’s the next in line to take over Montgomery’s.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Jason snapped. “I’m the better looking one.”
That only made Lucas laugh more. “Sure, you keep telling yourself that. Most women are looking for money and power. Mac has got that.”
“I’ve got that,” Jason mumbled.
“No, brother, you’re the typical middle child. Doing your best to stand out and believe me, with two such spectacular brothers, I know it can’t be easy for you!” Lucas was having fun. It had been far too long since they’d just bantered like this.
“Why did I bother calling you?”
“Beats me but believe me, I’d rather be back in bed with my beautiful wife than sitting her listening to you whine about…wait, what did you call about?”
“I was getting to that!” Jason snapped and then let out a huff of frustration. “How did you deal with your feelings for Emma in the beginning? You know, with her working for us?”
“Wow…,” Lucas began, “I don’t know. I struggled with it. A lot. When we were snowed in at my place, that was the biggest hang up for me. I mean, I didn’t want to cross a line with her or have it come back that I had sexually harassed her or anything but she let me know that it wasn’t about work or Montgomery’s. She was attracted to me.”
“Yeah, but…when you both came back to work, wasn’t it awkward?”
“Well yeah, a bit, but that was because I still had the mindset that I didn’t want a relationship. I had to get my head on straight and I didn’t want to drag Emma down with me. I was in love with her but I thought that it was better to stay away. Only I couldn’t.”
“Would you have still felt that way if Emma had been involved with somebody else?”
“Oh, shit, Jace…what have you done?”
“Nothing!” he replied defensively. “At least, nothing that bad.”
“How bad?” Lucas asked.
“My assistant…Maggie?”
“Did you sleep with her?”
“No, not really…”
Lucas growled. “It’s a yes or no question, Jace. Did. You. Sleep. With. Her?”
“Well…”
“Isn’t she married? Wasn’t that part of your criteria that the person who went with you on this trip be married? How could you do that?”
“I can’t explain it, Lucas. That’s why I’m calling you. It’s a freakin mess and I don’t know what to do!”
“Start at the beginning and tell me everything that happened. I can’t get you out of trouble if you start leaving crap out.”
So Jason told Lucas about their trip; from the kiss at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to their spending the night together fully clothed in Maggie’s bed. Then he waited for Lucas to say something. After several tense and silent moments, Jason finally spoke. “Well? What am I supposed to do?”
Lucas let out a pent up breath. “You need to talk to Maggie, man. You have to know what she’s thinking. I mean, you can’t just assume that you’re both on the same page. A lot of what happened sounds like you were caught up in some weird moment and last night? Well, that was just a bad situation and it can all still be strictly platonic. But she’s married, Jace. There’s no way around that one.”
“What do I do when we go back to work on Monday?”
“You’re going to have to talk to her. If you’re feeling awkward chances are that she is too. She may not want to stay on as your assistant but you can’t just make that assumption and transfer her; you could be looking at some sort of human resources claim on that one.”
Jason preferred to think that Maggie wouldn’t go that route. Then again, he also preferred to think that Maggie wasn’t really married or was maybe in the process of leaving her husband so that his conscience could be clear.
“That is not a conversation that I want to have,” Jason admitted.
“Believe me, I didn’t want to have to admit to Emma that I was afraid to get involved with anyone but once the words were out, it was like a giant weight had been lifted.” Lucas paused for a minute, wanting to choose his next words carefully. “The thing is, Jace, I can tell you about me and Emma all day long. She wasn’t a married woman. We were two single people who were attracted to one another. You and Maggie may very well be attracted to one another but do you really want to pursue something with her? What about her husband? How would you feel if you found out that some other man was hitting on your wife? And it was her boss? You can talk to her about where she’d be comfortable working but I would strongly advise you to not pursue this relationship.”
Jason knew his brother was right and he knew that these were things that he needed to hear. He had no idea how he was going to go about working with Maggie, seeing her every day and not acting on his feelings but he was going to have to find a way.
“I know you’re right, Lucas. I just needed to hear somebody say it out loud to me.”
“I’m sorry, man. I know that you were kind of hoping for someone to give you the okay to have your cake and eat it, too. But that’s not going to be me. Hell, I hope that it’s not anyone. You need to get home and put an end to this.”
“I will. And thanks, Lucas. I’m sorry I got you up so early.”
“Don’t ever apologize for calling when you’re in need. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back to bed to kiss my beautiful wife awake and get on with my day.”
“No need to brag,” Jason mumbled.
“Hey, it’s been a while since I had anything to brag about. I’m just making up for lost time.”
It was hard to begrudge him that. They said goodbye and Jason was left alone with his brother’s words. It was now after seven and Jason knew he had to get ready for this last meeting and to face Maggie and the decision he was going to have to make.
****
Maggie had been ready and waiting in the hotel lobby at eleven o’clock when the car arrived for her. The driver informed her that he had been scheduled to pick her up first and then go and get Jason. Once they had gone across town to pick him up and were on their way to the airport, Maggie sensed that it was not going to be a pleasant trip.
“How did the meeting go?” she asked tentatively.
“Just as planned; he signed,” Jason replied, checking his phone for voicemail or texts, anything to distract him from having to talk directly to Maggie. They drove in silence the remainder of the way to the airport and checked in the same way. By the time they were seated in first class for their flight home, Maggie had had enough.
“Look, I know that this trip has been difficult for you because of me but I have had enough of the silent treatment!”
Jason turned and looked at her. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, p
lease, you heard me just fine. I’m sorry that I have been such a burden to you. I know you thought that you had hired someone who was professional and had her life together and instead you got stuck with me. I’m sorry that I had a meltdown last night and I’m sorry that I crossed a few lines with you. But we still have to work together and that’s kind of hard to do with you ignoring me!”
He could only stare. She was taking responsibility for crossing lines? Didn’t she realize that he was crossing them just as much? “Maggie, you had every right to your meltdown last night and it was because of me that it happened!”
She held up a hand to stop him. “I don’t want to spend the entire flight laying blame. All I’m saying is that I want to keep working with you, Jason, but I can’t if you’re going to act like this.” Her brown eyes were wide and pleading and Jason wanted to put her mind at ease.
“I wasn’t sure you’d want to keep working with me,” he finally said. “I know that I put a lot on you during this trip and that I didn’t always act like I should have. I honestly don’t know if our working together when we get back is really for the best.”
There, he’d said it and that put the ball in her court, he thought to himself.
Maggie continued to stare at him. “Oh,” she said quietly, disappointment marking her features. “I guess you could be right. I’m sorry that you feel that way. I thought I had done a good job for you and…”
“No, Maggie, it’s not that you didn’t do a good job. You did a great job! On everything! It’s just that…we seem to have a problem working…together. Do you understand?”
She didn’t want to and so rather than continue with this uncomfortable conversation, she decided to change modes and pulled out her tablet to go over his morning meeting. If Jason had wanted to pursue their original conversation, he chose to say nothing. They transitioned smoothly back into work mode and by they time they landed in North Carolina two hours later, Maggie felt confident that while she may not be working for Jason much longer, she had fulfilled her obligation to him and his father for this project.
They walked into the terminal and Maggie was determined to get to baggage claim and get home before she let herself cry. A strong hand on her arm halted her progress. “Maggie?” Jason said softly as she turned around to face him.
This was it, she thought. He’s going to give me the speech now so that there would be no scene at the office on Monday. As much as she willed it not to happen, tears began to well in her eyes. She took a deep breath in a feeble attempt to calm her nerves.
“I guess your husband will be here to pick you up,” he said gruffly.
Her husband. She was getting damn tired of that lie hanging between them but being how things were happening, it was probably the best to have that excuse to hang on to. “Yes, I’m sure he’s waiting for me down in baggage claim.”
Jason stared down into her face and swallowed the jealousy that was raging through him. He wanted the right to take her home. He wanted to tell her that they didn’t have to stop working together and to be able to take her out on a non-work-related date. He wanted…all of the things he couldn’t have.
“I just want you to know,” he began, “that I couldn’t have done this project without you.”
She nodded her head, wishing he’d let go of her arm so that she could walk away while her dignity was still in tact. “I really need to go, Jason,” she whispered.
“You never crossed any line with me, Maggie. That was all me. But I can’t let you go before I say this.”
“What?” she said, the words barely leaving her lips before his mouth claimed hers. Maggie quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and held Jason close to her. It was madness to be doing this in the middle of a crowded airport terminal and yet she couldn’t help herself. The kiss ended all too soon and Jason was stepping away.
“That’s why we can’t work together anymore,” Jason said, his breath ragged. “I want you too much to work with you every day and not have the right to do that.”
Maggie made to speak but he stopped her. “Go, your husband must be waiting and it looks like a storm is moving in. I’ll feel better knowing that you got home safely.”
Everything in her was clamoring to tell Jason the truth but she had to come to grips with what he had just admitted to. All this time, he had been just as attracted to her as she’d been to him! She reached up and stroked his cheek, unable to help herself, before turning and fairly running from him and disappearing into the crowd.
****
Jason meant to stay put and wait before heading down to baggage claim but clearly he was a glutton for punishment. Keeping a safe distance, he only wanted to catch a glimpse of what the man who was married to Maggie looked like. He watched as she collected her bags and then headed out the door and into the rain. Was he waiting for her in the car at the curb to keep her from getting wet?
Carefully, Jason picked his way through the crowd until he could look out the long expanse of windows and see Maggie walking outside. She flagged down a cab and climbed in while the driver loaded her luggage. Where was her husband? Why was she taking a cab? Why had she lied to him?
Taking out his phone, he dialed his father’s number and then went to claim his own bags. When his father answered he immediately launched into inquisition mode.
“I know all about what happened to Maggie when you met her three years ago,” Jason said by way of greeting. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
William didn’t miss a beat. “It wasn’t my place to tell you. When I hired Maggie to come and work for us, she asked that I not talk about it and really, there was never a reason to. How was the trip? I’m glad that she felt comfortable enough with you to share that with you.”
“She really didn’t have a choice,” Jason said with a bit of annoyance.
“Why? What happened?” Jason relayed the events of the night before to his father. “Dammit, I had hoped that she’d never have to see that bastard again. Is she okay?”
“She was pretty shook up by the whole thing and by the time we got back to the hotel, she told me everything.”
“I never meant to lie to you, Jace. It was all part of her requests when she came to work for us. Maggie never wanted to be put in that kind of a situation again. Saying that she was married just seemed to make her feel a little more…secure. I thought it was a crazy idea but if it made her…”
“Wait, wait, wait!” Jason interrupted. “Maggie’s not married?”
Uh-oh. “I thought you said Maggie told you everything?” William said, sounding a bit sheepish at letting the cat out of the bag.
“She told me everything about her ex-boss, not about lying about being married!” he yelled. “Geez, Dad! How could you not tell me?”
“You were demanding someone who was married to go with you on this trip! Maggie fit the bill!”
“But she wasn’t really married!” Jason countered, not caring that he was starting to get looks from people around him in the airport.
“The lie served a purpose. Maggie was perfect for the position but you didn’t want a single woman. She didn’t want to work for someone who was going to hit on her and that she could feel safe with. It was what was best for everyone!”
“Dammit, Dad…do you have any idea…” Jason stopped as it all finally fell into place. Maggie wasn’t married. They hadn’t done anything wrong.
There was no husband.
“Jason? Are you there? Is everything all right?” his father asked frantically.
“I have to go. I’ll talk to you over the weekend,” was all he said before hanging up. Jason raced from the terminal and out to long term parking. He was soaked to the skin by the time he arrived there. Throwing his luggage into the trunk, he quickly unlocked the doors and climbed in. Now he just had to figure out where to go.
Whipping out his phone again, he quickly called the office and got Ann on the phone. “Hey, Jace! How was the trip?”
He had to be careful to keep his tone neutral
or Ann would know that something was wrong. “It was long and exhausting. We landed about a half an hour ago and unfortunately, I have one of Maggie’s bags. Do you have her address so I can drop it off at her place? She already took a cab home.”
“Oh, no problem…” Within a minute Jason had the address and was programming it into his GPS and was on his way.
He drove like a man possessed. He’d been torturing himself for weeks for nothing. She had lied to him about being married. There had been nothing to feel guilty about because there was no husband. Each time he said those words in his head, Jason’s heart beat a little bit faster. Maggie was free. There was nothing stopping them from exploring what had clearly begun on their trip.
Within twenty minutes he was pulling into the parking lot of the apartment complex where Maggie lived. There were no spots near her unit and he had to park at the far end of the lot. The rain was coming down in torrents and he’d be lucky to get through this without catching pneumonia. Maggie’s apartment was on the second floor and Jason took the stairs two at a time and soon found himself pounding on her door.
Maggie opened the door and was shocked to see Jason standing there, staring at her and completely out of breath. “Jason? What are you…?”
“There’s no husband,” he said sharply and watched as she paled.
“What?”
“There. Is. No. Husband. Do I have that right?”
Maggie looked up at him, eyes wide, and nodded. “No, there is no husband.”
“Good,” was all he said as he pushed his way into her home and turned her into his arms and kissed her.
Chapter Eight
What followed was madness. Jason had Maggie pinned to the wall while he feasted on her mouth as he’d ached to do for weeks. The only thing that kept urging him on was the fact that she seemed to be right there feasting along with him.
When he moved from her lips to kiss her jaw and then down the column of her throat, Maggie spoke. “I’m sorry I lied to you,” she said and then let out a moan of pure pleasure as he gently bit her. “I didn’t think that it would ever be an issue.”
Trust in Me Page 9
