The funny thing about their comments was that they were all true. Jason was my boy-toy, boss, and neighbor—well, an old neighbor at least. It was funny, and I saw the humor in it; I just couldn’t keep laughing at the same old jokes.
I made it to work right on time and felt totally weird as I got out of the elevator. How much did people know about why I hadn’t been there? It was awkward as I walked past Zelda’s desk and over to mine. But when I sat down, there was a small bouquet of flowers with a card that read ‘Welcome Back.’ It looked like it was from Zelda, and as I looked up at her, she gave me a quick wave.
“Thank you,” I mouthed since I didn’t want to walk all the way back over to her desk.
She just smiled and waved at me and then went right back to her work. I sat down and pulled my email up to see what I needed to be working on. Sure enough, there was an update from Jason, just like there had been every day that I’d worked.
Without hesitation, I put my purse down and got to work. Jason’s office door was open, but he wasn’t in there, and I ended up working quietly at my desk for most of the morning. It was as if nothing had changed at all. No one in the office seemed to know the drama that had gone on, and by lunch time I’d settled back into my day to day work.
“Anna, can we talk to you?” Kevin said from a few doors down.
Kevin was a nice man and a really genuine guy who, up until that moment, I felt was someone who I could trust. But as I walked slowly toward him, I got a horrible feeling in my gut and became nauseous as he continued to look at me sternly. He was the parental figure around the office, and everyone listened to him, even Jason. Although Jason clearly made decisions with Kevin, there definitely seemed to be a hierarchy in who was in charge.
“What’s up?” I asked as I walked into Kevin’s office and saw Jason sitting there.
Kevin’s office was twice the size of Jason’s. Although Jason had explained that he let Kevin have the bigger office because he was actually in the office more than Jason, that wasn’t at all what I’d seen in the months I had been working there. But I had no idea what went on before the purchase of my father’s company.
“Well, this looks ominous,” I said under my breath as I sat down next to Jason. “What’s up?”
Kevin closed his door and then walked calmly over to his desk as he sat down across from us. His jaw clenched, and he appeared to have a lot to say but was being very careful with his words. “We need to make a change,” he said in his dry tone of voice.
“Okay.”
“It’s a good change,” Jason added as he smiled widely.
“It would make me feel better if your label wasn’t as an intern,” Kevin added. “I’m aware that you and Jason are close, and I understand how those things go. I just feel very awkward about your current label.”
I tried not to laugh at Kevin because I could tell he was serious, but when I looked at Jason, I noticed he was also trying not to laugh. We both pressed our lips tightly together as the corners of our mouths turned up, and we turned to look at Kevin so he could finish what he was saying.
“Okay,” I said again.
“So how about if you are a contract employee? Like a special short-term employee who is paid privately and not through the company?”
“Sure,” I said agreeably. “Whatever works for you.”
“Wow, that makes me feel so much better,” Kevin said as a visible relief washed over him. “Okay, well we can work out the details, but I think this is for the best.”
“It’s a great idea, Kevin,” Jason said. “Come on contract employee, would you like to go to lunch?” Jason joked.
“Sure, contract boss, I’d love that.” I giggled, and the two of us left Kevin’s office. “What was that all about?” I asked when the door was safely closed.
“Oh, you know Kevin, always over-analyzing everything. But hey, this way he’s not grumpy about me flirting with you, so it works for me.”
“Works for me. You guys were in there all morning?”
“Yeah. Let’s go eat, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
We went across the street to a little sandwich shop and found a booth in the back of the place. It was Friday afternoon, and the crowd was big, but most people were grabbing their sandwiches and leaving so we had the corner to ourselves.
“Seriously, Kevin scared the crap out of me. I thought he was going to fire us both.” I laughed.
“He’s pretty intense, I know.”
“Okay, so what else is going on?”
“We found a couple of interesting companies, but I’m going to go check them out before we accept their offers. I was wondering if you’d like to come with me? I mean, it might help you understand the whole process, and when it comes time to explain it to your father and Marcus, it would be nice to have someone they trust in on the conversations.”
“Go with you? Like travel to the companies?”
“Well, most are located in Illinois, so it would just be a day trip. There’s one that has a corporate location in California, and this would be the start of their expansion to the Midwest, but all the others will be in the state.”
“Um, sure. I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but it sounds interesting. When would this all start?”
“This weekend. I was thinking of driving down south and staying Sunday night so I could talk to them first thing on Monday. The sooner we are able to get this enormous deal put together, the better it will be for everyone.”
I couldn’t help smiling at Jason as he explained what we were going to be doing. This was the kind of business I’d imagined I’d like to learn about. I loved traveling, and even road trips were exciting for me. This was going to be so much fun. “Sure, that sounds great,” I said as I took a big bite of my sandwich. “Oh, crap, I forgot…” I said as I tried to cover my mouth and finish chewing. “My friends are having a birthday party for me this weekend. But I think it’s just on Saturday night. It should work. I’ll be tired, but if you’re driving on Sunday, then I’m game.”
“Wait, what? It’s your birthday?”
The genuine excitement in Jason’s voice made me smile. He looked almost giddy as he bounced in his seat and waited for me to respond.
“Yep.”
“This is very exciting. At my age, we don’t celebrate birthdays anymore. It’s more of a casual dinner and nothing too exciting. No one likes getting old once you pass thirty.” He laughed. “But at your age, I bet it will be a fun party.”
“It will be entertaining, I’m sure.”
Jason took a big bite of his sandwich and we sat quietly eating our food for a bit. I couldn’t help watching how his rugged jaw moved, and then suddenly I flashed back to remembering his lips on my breasts. The soft scruff of his beard moving against my skin as his lips pulled me into his mouth.
I automatically thought of what this trip might be like for the two of us. Did inviting me mean that we would be sharing a room? I was excited by the idea of spending time with him in a hotel. I was so distracted by my own thoughts that I didn’t hear Jason as he asked me a question—I only saw the look on his face while he waited for me to answer.
“What was that? Sorry, I was spacing out.”
“Your birthday. Since you aren’t twenty-one, where will you go?”
I couldn’t help laughing at his question. He’d seen me in a bar before. He knew I had a fake ID and wasn’t afraid to use it. But for the fun of it, I decided to answer his question.
“We will probably go back to Club Lively. It’s not my favorite, but I’ve been going there for years, so it feels like home when I’m there.”
“Years?” He chuckled. “When did you first start going there?”
“About three years ago.”
“Geez, you are way wilder than I was when I was your age. I thought I was being rebellious when I stayed out late at the high school football game.”
It was a common misconception that because I had a fake ID and went to clubs that I was this cr
azy wild girl. Admittedly, I drank way before I should, but relative to my older friends, I was pretty responsible. I hadn’t gone home with random guys and still had my virginity intact. The real issue was that my friends from school had all gone off to college, and the friends I had now were all older than me. They were going out to the clubs and dancing and partying all night, and I was stuck at home. I finally got the ID so I could just hang out with them. The drinking was just a fun side effect of having the ID.
“Do you want to come to my party?” I asked with a little wink. I wasn’t about to admit that I wasn’t as wild as he thought because I was pretty damn wild when I was around Jason.
The years that I’d known him had me feeling really comfortable. I was just as comfortable around him as I was with my friends, so there was no reason he shouldn’t be invited to my party. Okay, well maybe the fact that he was technically my boss made it a bad idea, but I still wanted him there. And we had just made me a contract employee instead of an intern, so that worked for me too.
“I’ll see if I can find a sitter for Clyde. I can’t ask Rosie, she’s been working really hard for me lately, and I need her to cover next week when I’m traveling.”
“Oh, yeah, I understand.”
“But my brother and his wife might be able to help. They were going to have Clyde at their house on Sunday anyways. I’m sure they could do an overnight Saturday too.”
A smile instantly filled my face at the possibility of Jason coming to spend my birthday night out with us. Even though he was older, I really did think he’d get along with me and my friends. Well, for the most part at least. “I’d like it if you came,” I said as I let my fingers linger near his.
“Yeah, I’d like it if I got to dance with you again. I still have dreams about you and me on that dance floor.”
“That was a fun night.”
“I swear every time I’m with you is a fun night.”
“That’s good.”
Our conversation had slowed, and I was turning into an excited teenager the longer he looked at me. Jason’s eyes were like a deep blue ocean that I could get lost in. I knew there was danger in them. His desire had boiled up and shown through by the way he glanced down at my body. I relished the way he looked at me.
His fingers gently touched mine as he let one of them stroke up and down the back of my hand. I took a deep breath as I felt the connection growing. I had to cross my legs to calm the desire I had for him.
As I crossed my legs, Jason looked down and moved his chair closer to mine. His eyes were fixated on my thighs, and he didn’t even pretend like he wasn’t looking. I watched as he licked his lips with desire, and I felt the heat building up inside of me.
“We should get back to work,” he said as his eyes finally looked up at mine.
“Yep. Lots of work to get done.”
And just like that, the moment was past, and we were heading back to the office. I couldn’t wait to get him back on the dance floor. I was looking forward to feeling his hands on my body as we pressed against each other and moved to the music. This was going to be one of the best birthdays I’d ever had.
***
“Be nice to him, please,” I said to my friends as we waited for Jason to arrive at the club.
“Anna has a boyfriend,” Summer teased.
“He’s not my boyfriend. We aren’t anything but friends. Still, try not to be too crazy around him or too weird. Just be normal,” I said as I tried to reel them in so they wouldn’t scare Jason away.
“I think we should just be ourselves. If he can’t handle us, then that’s too bad for him,” Patrick added.
“Shit, here he comes. Act natural,” I mumbled as I tried to look like I was in a conversation with Amy and not noticing Jason as he smoothly walked across the club.
It was impossible for me to pretend that I hadn’t seen him, though. My eyes kept looking over at him, and soon I was staring at him as he walked toward me. He wore jeans and a black T-shirt, a much more casual look than I’d seen recently—although I did love it when he was dressed like a normal guy and not wearing his business suits.
“Damn. Anna. He’s gorgeous,” Summer said as he got close enough to hear her.
“Happy birthday,” Jason said as he gave me a soft kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks for coming.”
“Thanks for inviting me,” he replied without letting go of my hand as he turned to say hello to everyone. “I’m Jason,” he playfully added since I hadn’t officially introduced him to anyone.
“Oh, sorry. This is Jason. Jason, this is Patrick, Amy, Rebecca, and Summer. Lilli wasn’t able to come.
“Is Lilli the redhead?”
“Yeah, you know her?”
“I remember the two of you bumping into me a bit earlier this year.”
“Oh, yeah. Well, she’s busy with her man nowadays so I hardly ever get to see her.”
“Dance with me,” Jason said out of the blue in the middle of our conversation. “I’m sorry guys. I’ve got to steal her for a minute or two.”
“By all means. Do with her as you’d like,” Patrick said jokingly.
Jason grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the dance floor, wrapped his arms around my waist and held me next to him.
“Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I just had to…”
“What? You just had to what?”
“I had to hold you,” Jason said as he leaned down and gave me a sweet kiss. “You look amazing. This dress is killing me.”
“This old thing,” I joked as I pulled away from him and spun around a little.
While I was spinning, Jason grabbed me and turned me away from him as he pulled my ass toward him. His hands held onto my hips firmly, and we moved together to the music. The dance floor was packed with people, and soon my friends joined us on the dance floor, and we were all dancing and having a fabulous time.
The lights were low, and the bass was incredibly high as song after song played, and Jason held onto me the whole time. He’d occasionally lean down and kiss my neck while saying something sweet to me, but then we’d go back to dancing.
“You seem a little excited,” I teased as I let my hand feel his throbbing member through his pants.
“It’s this damn tiny dress. I can’t take it. This has got to be some sort of torture technique. I’m sure of it.”
“Oh, yeah. You think in a war they just put a cute girl in front of the guys and tease them with sexy pink dresses?” I joked.
“Maybe, it’s possible. I’m really glad you invited me. Sorry your friends aren’t getting to spend much time with you, though.”
“This is perfect. They won’t care.”
“How about I buy the next round of drinks to make up for taking all your time?” Jason suggested.
“Yes, they are suckers for free drinks. I’ll just take a Sprite, though.”
Jason raised an eyebrow questioning what I’d just said. After our last visit to the club, I’m sure he was expecting me to be drinking it up and having a wild time. But I just wasn’t in the mood for drinking. In fact, I was having a great time without being drunk, and that was actually surprising me.
“I’m not drinking tonight,” I said in response to his shocked face. “I’m trying something new.”
“Wow, okay. I like it. Let me find our waitress and order another round for everyone.”
Jason gave me a quick peck on the forehead and then went off to get the round of drinks for everyone. While he was gone, my friends circled around me like they were in the midst of a pit car race and needed to refresh my oil.
“He’s awesome,” Amy said.
“Wow, I’m really jealous,” Summer added.
“A bit of a bore, but I guess he’ll do,” Rebecca chimed in. “Do you think he’s got a brother, though?”
“Actually, he does have a brother, but he’s married. I don’t know that much about Jason’s life. Just that he’s a dad and does it all alone.”
“Shh, he’s coming back,
” Rebecca said as we all stood still as if he could hear us from across the dance floor in a room with pounding music.
“Okay, the waitress is coming over, and your drinks for the rest of the night are on me,” Jason said to the group of us. “But I’d like one more dance with the birthday girl if that’s cool?”
“Take her, she’s all yours,” Patrick blurted out.
Jason gently intertwined his fingers with mine and led me to the far corner of the dance club. We were far enough away from everyone that they couldn’t see us as Jason put his hands on both sides of my face while he looked down at me. The intensity was palpable as we swayed back and forth to the music and continued looking into each other’s eyes.
“I’m going to get going after this,” he leaned in and whispered in my ear. “I want you and your friends to have an amazing night.”
“You have to go?”
“Yeah, I need to get home and spend time with Clyde before our trip this week. I hope you understand. My brother came over to watch him for a few hours so I could wish you a happy birthday.”
“Oh, you’re so sweet. You really didn’t have to come all the way out here. I’m going to see your tomorrow.”
“No, I wanted to dance with you too,” he said with a boyish grin. “And I’m really happy I got to see this dress.”
“Thanks for coming,” I said and wrapped my arms around his neck. I got on my tiptoes to give him a kiss, and he gave me a bear hug as he picked me up off the ground. I had to grab the back of my dress to ensure it hadn’t inched up too far. He kept holding onto me and started kissing my neck over and over again as I laughed. The prickly feeling from his beard combined with the softness of his lips and how fast he was moving was much more playful than sexy, and I loved that about Jason.
“I’m going to go before I can’t resist you any longer,” he said as he put me back onto the ground. “I put a thousand dollars on an account for you. Spend what you want and tip the waitress the rest. Have a good time.”
“Wow, okay, we will. Maybe I will get a drink after all.” I laughed.
“Hell, buy a bottle of champagne if you want. You girls, and Patrick have a great time. I’ll see you tomorrow evening for our trip.”
The Baby Package Page 77
