Jeffry (Members From Money Book 3)

by Katie Dowe

He focused his attention on Jane and her outrageous attitude.

  "This is more than protectiveness. This is purely vindictive."

  "We've encountered racism before, Nate. It's not exactly going to have us going into hysterics."

  "Maybe not but I won't tolerate it from anyone." Nathan rounded his desk and plonked down into his chair. He was all business now. "Ask Jane to come in here, will you?"

  Leo nodded and left. Nathan flexed his hands on the desk. If it had been a man who had made racial comments at Christina he would have hit them. If it had been any other woman they would be immediately dismissed. But this was Jane, his own sister. Admittedly, she was a pain in the ass but she was still family. However he couldn't let this slide just because they had a familial connection.

  Jane had been getting away with too much lately. He had put it down to the stress of the threats made against them but if he was honest with himself this behavior went even further back than that. It had to be dealt with now or Nathan was going to do something he would regret.

  It was a few minutes before Jane entered, wearing a frown as easily as she wore the little black dress she had selected for dinner.

  "Nate? What's the matter?"

  "Shut the door, Jane."

  Jane did as she was bid and went to join Nathan at his desk. She made to walk around to his side but Nathan held up a hand, stopping her in her tracks.

  "I hear you've been rude to Christina."

  Jane's eyes widened. Then her eyes narrowed as her mouth curled in a sneer.

  "I told her what I thought of her. Simple as that. You know I don't suffer fools gladly."

  "But Christina is not a fool." After reading her impressive credentials, Nathan knew she was more capable of having brains that could eclipse his without even breaking a sweat. "And right now she's an employee. That entitles her to be treated with respect."

  "Respect? Being an employee hasn't stopped her eyeing you like her favorite piece of cake."

  For a moment Nathan allowed himself to flirt with the image of Christina sitting on his desk, demanding him to spread her legs and use his mouth to bring her to climax. He shook himself and glared at his sister, glad that he was sitting down and Jane couldn't see the big erection he was sporting.

  "Don't be ridiculous, Jane. You're seeing things."

  "I'm not." Jane said indignantly. "I know what I can see. She's got a thing for you and she's going to make the most of it if you let her."

  Now that sounded like a good idea to Nathan. But he had seen Christina's resolve. She wasn't going to cross the client-employee line, no matter the temptation. It was going to take something special to make her break that rule.

  He shook his head. Jane was being outrageous. And he had allowed it to go on for too long.

  "What you've been saying to her and about her will not be tolerated. You know the rules. Either you apologize to Chris for your attitude or you are to clear out your desk at the company offices."

  His ultimatum had the desired effect. Jane's eyes widened and she stared at him in stunned amazement.

  "What? You're firing me? Your own sister?"

  "Yes." Nathan closed his eyes for a moment, opening them to focus on Jane. "I love you, Jane, but you're also my employee. If you're going to be an immature little shit about someone else in my employ and not issue an apology then you can go."

  "I'm not apologizing for what I said." Jane tipped her chin defiantly at him. "She's got her claws in you, I can tell. You're dancing to her tune and she's enjoying it."

  "That's enough!" Nathan took a moment to quash his rising anger. "You'd better clear your desk in the morning. I'll give you a good severance pay and a worthy reference for a new job but that's it."

  He didn't like having to do this but Jane had been pushing it for too long because she carried the Gilmore name. If he hadn't been able to smooth things over with everyone Jane had upset they would be virtually bankrupt after the lawsuits had been dealt with.

  Jane was shaking with anger, her face flushed furiously.

  "So that's it? All my years working for you and you throw them back in my face?"

  "I told you it doesn't have to happen if you apologize to Christina."

  "And I told you I'm not apologizing to a gold-digging tart."

  Nathan stood. He really wanted to lean across and throttle his sister but held himself back.

  "Then get your things out of here and at the office." He said with gritted teeth. "If you don't do that yourself within the next two days I'll get security to do it for you and it won't be with decorum. Your house is yours so I won't come after that but beyond the reference and the severance pay you'll get nothing more from me."

  He had seen his sister's angry outbursts all his life, usually directed at other people. It had been eighteen years since she had directed it at him. Jane's face went even redder and she scowled at him, hands clenched at her sides.

  "You're a shit, do you know that?" She snarled. "Treating your family like the scum of the earth. I'm amazed you haven't done the same thing to Josh. All because a little black monkey-girl got under your skin."

  "That's enough!"

  Jane jumped and cowered back from Nathan, whose sudden outburst had surprised even him. It had been a long time for him since he had lost his temper to this degree. All the anger directed at his sister was demanding to be let out but Nathan forced it back, sagging into his chair and putting a hand over his eyes with a frustrated sigh.

  "Get out of here, Jane. Go!"

  He had a headache and he was tired. Nathan didn't want to deal with Jane's tantrums and disgusting name-calling any longer. He heard Jane call him a few other choice words before storming out, slamming the door behind her. But he didn't look up. Suddenly he had no energy to deal with it.

  There was a slight click as the terrace doors opened and Nathan looked up to see Josh step through from outside.

  "Nate."

  "How long were you there for?"

  "Long enough." Josh closed the doors and nodded towards the door into the hall. "She's not going to go without a fight."

  "If she wants a fight she'll get one." Nathan said darkly. "Her behavior is unacceptable. I won't have it from anyone."

  "Or against Christina Maudsley." Josh added slyly.

  Nathan glared at him.

  "Against anyone." He snapped.

  "But mainly Miss Maudsley." Josh tilted his head to one side. "You really have taken a liking to her, haven't you?"

  Nathan considered denying it but Josh was closer to him than Jane had ever been. There was nine years between them but Josh adored his big brother. They shared everything, including advice on women. Josh wasn't as well-versed with seduction and women as Nathan but he had a down-to-earth attitude that Nathan valued. He sighed.

  "You could say that."

  "I do say that." Josh's mouth twitched in a smile. "Seems like you're in competition with Leo. He seems to be very close with her."

  "Leo is her brother-in-law, nothing more." Nathan tried to believe his own words but not quite succeeding. "And he knows he won't stand a chance against me."

  Josh rolled his eyes.

  "Oh, so arrogant still. It's a wonder Christina isn't coming for you with open arms begging to be fucked. You rein that arrogance in and you might have a chance."

  "Finished?"

  "For now." Josh folded his arms as he surveyed his brother. "As long as you don't see Christina as more than a fling. She deserves more. Do you think you can give that to her?"

  If it had been merely a fling, Nathan wouldn't have batted an eyelid. Since Jack's mother had died in a hit-and-run accident when Jack was eighteen months old he hadn't brought himself to have anything more than a couple of one-night stands or a week's fling with different women. But Christina...she spoke of long-term. Very long-term.

  And that frightened him.

  *****

  "Chris."

  Christina looked up from the book she had been reading Jack. Nathan stood in
the open doorway to her bedroom, hands shoved in his pockets. His collar was undone and he had lost his tie somewhere. Christina felt her pussy clench. He looked good disheveled with his hair mussed up. She itched to run her fingers through his locks.

  Nathan glanced at his son, who had just fallen asleep, snuggled up to his cuddly monkey. He beckoned Christina to him.

  "Can I see you in my office when you're done here?"

  "Sure."

  She wondered if it had something to do with Jane. The woman had stormed out of Nathan's office earlier, giving her a deathly glare that had Christina uncomfortable before grabbing her purse and coat and banging her way out of the house. A moment later her car had roared away. Something had happened between the siblings but it wasn't Christina's place to ask. She simply focused on getting Jack to bed and reading him a bedtime story.

  Nathan nodded once and hung around in the doorway a moment longer, his face bathed in shadow so she couldn't see his expression. Then he left, closing the door behind him with a gentle click.

  Swallowing, Christina finished reading the story to the sleeping boy, aware of the discomfort from her hardened nipples rubbing against her bra. Her body's reaction whenever Nathan Gilmore was near was not good. She shouldn't be feeling like this about him. He was a billionaire. Well out of her league. She was a computer geek, a widow who lived in a two-bedroom house she was just about hanging on to.

  There was no place for either of them in each other's worlds. So she had better stop wondering.

  Putting the book on the chair, Christina stood and placed a gentle kiss on Jack's head. Leaving the night light on, she left and went downstairs. The lights weren't on in the hall but there was a light from under the door of Nathan's office. Christina knocked twice before entering.

  Nathan was sprawled on one of the couches, a whiskey glass in his hand. He had kicked off his shoes and was staring up at the ceiling. Christina adjusted her shirt, biting back a wince from the rub of cotton against her nipples, and folded her hands in front of her.

  "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

  "Leo informed me of what Jane said to you."

  Christina closed her eyes. Of course Leo would tell him. She knew Nathan would do something about it once he knew what his sister had said so she had kept away. There was no way she was going to split up a family because of something she had heard before.

  At the same time, she didn't want to be around Nathan and give Jane any more ammunition.

  She opened her eyes and focused on him, trying not to notice how devilish he looked lounged out on the couch, legs apart and stretched out, with his collar undone to show a triangle of flesh at his throat.

  "It's nothing I haven't heard before. I can handle it."

  "Maybe you can but I'm not dealing with it." Nathan looked tired as he focused his gaze on her. "Jane's behavior was unacceptable. I've fired her. She's not going to be bothering you anymore."

  Christina had wanted to avoid this. But it had happened anyway. She glared at him.

  "I said I could handle it." She said stiffly. "You didn't need to do anything."

  Nathan sat and closed his eyes.

  "Jane's not just an employee, Chris. She's also my sister. I won't have her bringing down the Gilmore name and my company just because she's being a bitch. If truth be told, she's been toeing the line for a long time."

  "I just don't want to be seen as the perfect excuse to get rid of her." Christina protested.

  "Jane will make an excuse out of anything slight. She doesn't like the women in my employ. Any of them." Nathan chuckled wryly and took a sip of his drink. "Thinks they're all out to sleep with me for my money."

  Christina's heart went out to him. It must have been hard to tell his sister to leave when she was, in her own strange way, trying to protect his name from any woman who came along looking for money on tap.

  "And what do you think?" She asked.

  Nathan opened his eyes and stared at her. His expression said no one had asked him that before. He sighed.

  "Arrogant I may be, lothario I may be but I don't sleep with anyone who works for me." He shifted along the couch, patting the leather beside him. "Please sit. It's too bright with you standing there."

  Sit next to him? That was asking for trouble. But Christina found herself moving to sit beside him, placing herself on the edge of the cushion and making sure there was space between them. Nathan chuckled.

  "I'm not going to bite. You can sit back, you know."

  "I'm fine like this, thanks."

  Christina wasn't but she was so tired if she sat back she would fall asleep. So she stayed where she was. Nathan grunted and swigged another mouthful of whiskey. Then he spoke.

  "Why didn't you say you were Leo's sister-in-law?"

  Christina guessed that Jane had said something. She looked at her hands in her lap.

  "We don't like name-dropping. People treat us differently if we do."

  "But you did it when Jane was sneering at you the first time you met."

  "We only do it when someone is appearing to undermine me or threaten me, physically or otherwise. One look at Leo and people back off."

  "I can imagine." Nathan sat up, putting his glass on the coffee table at his elbow. "So you were married to little Clint. He lived with his dad after the divorce so I never got to meet him but I heard about him. Leo spoke about him in glowing terms. Bright child. Good-looking little lad."

  In spite of the sad memories that came up whenever her husband was mentioned, Christina managed a smile.

  "He was."

  "How long were you married?"

  It had been a long time since she had spoken about her marriage and what happened. Something about Nathan had Christina wanting to tell him everything, including the accident. Apart from her therapist for three sessions and Leo, she had never told anyone about it. She kept it locked away.

  Now it all wanted to come out. She took a breath and released it.

  "Right out of high school. I joined in our junior year and we were together from then on. We went to Seattle University together and I had Alex shortly after finishing my Masters."

  "So Alex was your son." Nathan paused. "How old was he when he died?"

  Something about the way he said it told Christina he somehow knew about her accident. She stiffened, guessing the source.

  "Leo told you, didn't he?"

  "He told me the reason you were so hard on me for my driving and that your child died along with your husband."

  Christina didn't want to tell him. Something about the incident had her wanting to tear up again. But she somehow decided that Nathan deserved to know. She gulped.

  "He was three. It was his third birthday when it happened. The car hit the center barrier on the passenger side. Clint didn't stand a chance and died on impact. Alex hung on for a little longer but...there was no hope. He was dead before he got to the hospital." The memories came flooding back and Christina tried to push them away. "He would've turned six three weeks ago."

  "Did they catch the driver?"

  "Yeah." Christina swiped at the tears trickling down her cheeks. "He didn't have a scratch on him. Stank of booze and had been smoking cannabis. Plus he was showing off to his friends after passing his test a few weeks before. He pled not guilty but he got twenty years to life. He'll be out in seventeen years." The knowledge left a nasty taste in Christina's mouth. "Then he'll be allowed to enjoy his life and my husband and son will still be dead."

  There was no stopping it now. The tears came thick and fast, Christina burying her face into her hands as she tried to hide from Nathan. She had thought things had been buried a long time ago. But the slightest mention of what happened and she was a wreck again.

  "Hey, easy there."

  Nathan slipped his arms around her and moved her so she leaned against him. He rubbed her back as she sobbed into his shirt.

  "It's okay. It's okay, honey."

  Christina didn't think she had any tears left.
But they kept coming. She clutched at Nathan's lapels and sobbed until she had nothing left. Taking a few shuddering breaths she sat up, wiping at her eyes. When she looked up her breath caught.

  His arms still around her, Nathan was looking at her with a heated look in his eyes. Christina had never seen that sort of desire before, not even from her own husband. To see it from this man had Christina wondering what it felt like to have all that desire all to herself. From what she had heard about him, Nathan's desires could keep a woman going for weeks.

  She licked her lips and Nathan's eyes zeroed in on them. Reaching up and brushing a thumb across her lips, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Christina allowed him, feeling his soft lips moving over her mouth, the kisses sending warm shivers down her spine. The man knew how to kiss and he hadn't even started yet.

  She came back to reality with a bump when Nathan managed to pry her mouth open with his tongue and plunged it inside to touch hers. Christina pushed him away, cheeks flaming as she realized what had happened.

  "Oh, God, I'm sorry."

  "What are you sorry for?"

  Christina swallowed. She couldn't believe it. She had told herself not to get close to Nathan Gilmore and that was exactly what she was doing.

  "I told myself not to get involved." She glared at him. "And you said you'd never get involved with an employee."

  "I'm making an exception here." Nathan growled. He tried to pull Christina into his arms again but Christina pushed him away and stood up, stepping out of reach.

  "No. I'm sorry, Mr Gilmore, but no."

  She could hear him calling out for her but Christina didn't look back as she ran from the room.

  *****

  Christina managed to get to her room without meeting anyone and closed the door, leaning against it as humiliation burned. She had kissed a client! The one thing she had told herself not to do and she had gone against it. And the embarrassing thing was she hadn't immediately pushed him away.

  Even now, she could feel the taste of his lips on her mouth. Against her will, she licked her lips, closing her eyes as she remembered the feel of his mouth, the feel of his tongue against hers and the way he nibbled at her lips. He was a connoisseur at kissing. Christina didn't want to think how many women he had kissed to become that. It didn't settle well with her.