She glanced up at them, but didn’t smile as they came closer. “Did you come to take Lance to play pool?” Holly asked, her brow raised.
“No.” Wes let out a sigh. “We’ve come so I can tell you everything.”
She set the glass down and leaned her elbows on the small bistro table. Wes sat across from her and Jamie pulled a chaise lounge over closer to the group.
“As I said, I wasn’t with Lance all afternoon. I only ran into him a few minutes before you showed up. What I didn’t mention was that when I ran into him he was with another woman.”
“You saw him with her?” she said, hope in her voice and a flash of something that looked like victory in her eyes.
“Yes. I saw him.”
“And you would testify to that fact?”
“I’m telling you now.”
“Thank you, Wes. Thank you so much.” She practically dragged him out of his chair to hug him. Jamie was stunned by how much she immediately wanted Holly to stop touching her husband, and silently shook her head at herself. What was going on with her lately?
Holly released Wes and hurried into their cottage. Wes and Jamie stared at each other in confusion.
“Well, so much for that,” Jamie said. “Let’s go get ready for dinner.”
Jamie and Wes were late to dinner. Their punishment was a round of applause and innuendo. Everyone assumed they were late because they were fooling around. Jamie felt her face heat up.
The truth was they had been busy destroying a marriage. Between the adultery and the fake marriage, this was quickly becoming an anti-couples’ retreat.
Jamie exchanged a look with Wes when Lance and Holly showed up at the same time and sat down across from them.
Wes pulled out Jamie’s chair and she sat while locking gazes with Lance.
That’s right, asshole. My husband told me what you did, she thought toward him, hoping he could hear, or that lasers would shoot from her eyes and catch him on fire. Whichever.
Lance and Holly were quiet during the meal.
Before Misty could ask her first question, Holly tossed her napkin on the table and stood up.
“I’m sorry. I’m not up for learning how to resolve a conflict with my husband at the moment.” Lance turned pale. “Is there a workshop on how to keep your husband’s dick in his pants?” She looked around the table with a tight smile. “No? Well, darn. I guess I’ll just go back to our cottage and read.” She stood and glared at the man whose face had turned as red as Curt’s sunburned head. “You can sleep somewhere else. I’d suggest the bottom of the ocean.”
With that, Holly rushed off. Lance stood and turned to look at Wes. “You told her.”
“Someone had to.”
Lance turned a nasty smile on the group. “Consider Blain and Douglas out of the running for the Atlantic Global job.” And with that he went to chase after his angry wife.
There was a long, uncomfortable pause while all their co-workers turned to look at them. Then finally Wes let out a breath and said, “I’m really sorry about this.”
“We’re sorry,” Jamie added, not wanting Wes to solely take the blame. They’d decided this was the right thing to do together. It made sense that they would be fired together too.
“You saw Lance with someone else?” Beth asked.
“I did. Lance threatened to pull our bid if I didn’t keep it quiet, but I—”
“I told Wes we needed to tell her. It was the right thing to do,” Jamie provided.
Wes took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“Of course you did the right thing,” Beth said, tapping Rob on the arm. “That’s what they should have done, right?”
Rob let out a breath and shook his head. “I sure can’t think of any other way you could have handled it and not compromised your integrity. You did the right thing.” He glanced over at Beth and then back to them. “But I sure as hell would have liked to have that job.”
Wes nodded and pulled Jamie against him. “We were looking forward to it.”
They’d made the decision not knowing if they would have Rob’s support. When Rob smiled and patted Wes on the shoulder, she let out the breath she’d been holding.
With the tension dissipated, Misty picked up where they’d left off. “Okay, then. Let’s get started.”
Everyone seemed to snap out of it.
Jamie had to admit, she was happy Holly stood up for herself even if it cost Jamie and Wes their shot at Team One. Holly deserved better than a cheating loser of a husband. Lance reminded her of the guys she’d met on the online dating site.
It was no wonder Wes gave her such a hard time. Jamie was setting herself up for disaster with the losers she met on Go Fish.
“Let’s start by discussing what we do to resolve conflict. Wes and Jamie? You’re in the first seat, so why don’t you start?”
As Jamie struggled to come up with something, Wes squeezed her hand and cleared his throat to speak.
“I was trying to think of a time when we were forced to resolve conflict, and I have to say it was difficult coming up with something.” He looked at Jamie and tilted his head. “Maybe it’s because we’re newly married, but we haven’t had many disagreements. I joked earlier that she bosses me around and I just do what she wants, but the truth is we just really understand one another, so when she tells me how she wants to handle something, I’m generally in agreement.”
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Curt joked.
“I did come up with something, though,” Wes added.
“Oh, God.” Jamie winced. What was he going to share?
“Her safety has been an area of contention between us for many years. I get that she is a very determined, independent woman. I love that about her. I wouldn’t want a woman who fluttered her eyelashes and begged a man to do everything for her. But I’ve seen her struggle to carry something that is way too heavy for her.”
Jamie let out a sigh. Not so bad. But he wasn’t finished.
“I’ve seen her standing on the edge of her desk trying to reach something. And—before we were together—I’ve seen her go out with men who gave off the creepy-stalker vibe in waves. And every time I’ve told her not to do these things she’s gotten pissed at me and done them anyway.”
The group laughed, as Jamie stared at him.
“Why do you think that is?” the instructor asked.
“It was because I told her not to do these things.”
“Jamie doesn’t like to be told what to do?” Curt chuckled. “Who would have guessed?”
“What do you think you could have done differently?” Misty continued.
Wes looked at Jamie as if he was sincerely trying to figure it out. “I should have told her why I didn’t want her to do these things. I should have told her it wasn’t because I was trying to control her, but that it scared me because I didn’t want her to get hurt.”
Jamie’s heart melted a little bit.
“Jamie, if he would have asked you to let him help carry something because he cared about you, would you have let him help you?”
Jamie frowned. Her initial reaction would have been to say she still didn’t need his help, but she gave it a minute. If Wes was willing to take these workshops seriously, so was she.
And if he’d said Let me help you, because I care, and don’t want you to get hurt while giving her the look he was giving her now? She would have easily relented.
“I would have let him help. Wow.” She scrunched up her nose. “I really would have let you help me. And I wouldn’t have felt weaker for it.”
“Holy shit,” Wes whispered.
The whole group laughed at that.
“I think we’re on to something here.” Wes raised his brows and then with a smile he leaned in to kiss her. While it could have been chalked up to putting on a show f
or their audience, it didn’t feel like that was the only reason.
She could tell Wes had kissed her for the joy of it. Mostly because she enjoyed it too.
The instructor moved on to the next couple and Jamie turned her attention from the man next to her. The man who cared about her.
“Let’s discuss how we make up with our partner after an argument. Who wants to go first?”
Curt raised his hand. Oh, Curt. Why did he think he was still good at this? Jamie leaned back, ready to watch the show that was Curt.
“Well, flowers. That’s an easy one.” Beside her, Wes let out a breath.
“Flowers?” Misty confirmed.
“Yeah. Women love flowers. It’s the easiest way for them to get over it.” It was like watching a train wreck. Jamie couldn’t look away.
“Flowers fix everything?” the instructor asked.
Curt looked confused by the question. “Most everything. But definitely if you’ve done something to upset her.”
“Men, buying your wife flowers when you mess up is a pleasant way to start a conversation. But flowers are not a blanket apology. What if you haven’t done anything wrong?”
The men sniffed at this thought, no doubt having been trained that they were always at fault if their wives were unhappy.
Weston looked at Jamie, who smiled.
“Let’s spin this situation around for a moment, shall we?” Misty said. “Curt, let’s say Wendy did something that upset you. Has that ever happened?”
Curt shrugged and nodded. “Sure.”
“You don’t need to tell us what it was. But think about that situation.”
He nodded.
“Did she bring you flowers and offer a blanket apology?”
“No.” He laughed.
“What did she do?”
Another shrug and he pressed his lips together in thought. “She hugged me and said she was sorry she yelled.”
“And did you feel like she meant it?”
“Yes.”
“If she had given you a beer as an apology and walked away, would you have felt she was truly sorry?”
“Not as much, I guess.” He looked at his wife and let out a sigh. “Hell, I even mess up fixing what I messed up.”
The group laughed, but Curt and Wendy looked like they’d made a turn.
Jamie looked over at her partner and thought they might be making their own turn.
Chapter 16
Ben hadn’t come into the office yet on Monday morning, and Anna found herself hoping he wouldn’t be in at all. She wasn’t ready to face him. It was stupid, really. So he’d seen her as Bellz. What she did on her own time was her own business.
Except, that wasn’t the problem. The real issue was the way he’d responded to her alter ego. The way he’d looked at her in a way he’d never looked at her in the office. The way a man looks at a woman he wants.
Despite her wishes, Ben showed up at ten after nine, looking worse for wear.
“Call a staff meeting immediately and let me know when everyone’s ready,” he demanded before going into his office and shutting the door.
“Okay.” She took care of his request, sending out an invite for everyone to meet in the conference room at nine thirty. She called him rather than going in.
“Everyone will be ready at nine thirty. Did you need me to get anything ready for the meeting?” she offered.
“No. But thank you.”
Twenty minutes later she took her seat with everyone else in the meeting room and opened her laptop, ready to take notes. Ben walked in and took the seat beside her. He tapped two papers together in front of him and rubbed a hand over his jaw. The sound of his palm rasping against the stubble made her shiver with womanly approval.
“Thank you for dropping everything to come in. I’ll make it quick so we can get back to work. My uncle Richard suffered a mild heart attack late Saturday evening.” The night he’d run out of her show. “He’s doing fine and is expected to make a full recovery, but he’s going to be out of commission for a few weeks. The surgeon has demanded he take it easy, which means the doctor has a bigger job than we do.” Everyone chuckled. “I’ll be taking over in the meantime, so if you have any issues, let me know how I can help.”
The staff looked around the table, probably thinking the same thing she was thinking. Ben already took care of the company. While Richard had his own projects running, Ben was the one who kept the staff informed and managed the day-to-day business. He was already overworked. Everyone knew that, with exception of his mother. How could he possibly take on a larger role in the company?
Her normal defensiveness flared as Ben systematically went over what needed to be taken care of and reassigned some of Richard’s projects to different teams.
“That should take care of it. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to come speak to me. Richard asked that I tell everyone he doesn’t want flowers, so I say we should send him enough balloons to fill his room.”
Everyone laughed as they were dismissed. A few people lingered to talk to him, so she went back to her desk to get started on her work.
She was so engrossed in an invoice, she jumped when he spoke.
“Annabelle, do you have a moment?” Her full name spoken in his deep voice gave her another shiver.
“Yes. Of course.” She followed him into his office and sat in the chair across from his desk as usual. He closed the door and came to lean on the desk, directly in front of her.
“I wanted to apologize for running out in the middle of your performance. I thought you were amazing. You have a lot of talent. And I was looking forward to talking with you afterward and buying you a drink.”
“I understand why you had to go.” It shouldn’t have made her feel better that he was called away because someone suffered a traumatic medical event, but she was pleased he hadn’t left because he was bored.
She felt his gaze searching her face and a slight smile pulled up on his lips.
“I’m not sure how you fooled me all this time. Now that I know there should be a piercing there, I see the spacer. During the meeting I found myself looking for a glimpse of purple through your hair.”
She swallowed as he tilted his head, clearly studying her.
“I don’t know which one you really are. Anna or Bellz.”
“I’m both, I guess. Professional by day, wild rocker by night.” She attempted to laugh it off.
“The best of both worlds,” he said so quietly she wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly.
She smiled and then stood to leave. “Is there anything else?” she asked, realizing he was very close.
“Yeah. There is.” And with that, he bent down and kissed her.
* * * *
It was like an out-of-body experience. Sure, Ben had been thinking of kissing her since he’d closed the door behind them, but he hadn’t intended to act on it. He never lost control like this. No matter what happened, he remained calm. Master of his actions.
This woman sent that all to hell with a simple smile.
The crazy part was it was this girl—the subdued one in the brown cashmere wrap dress—who drove him wild. Bellz had been the one to rattle him, but he found he liked the mystery of Anna even more.
His hands hadn’t gone any lower than her neck, worried he might not be able to stop once he’d touched her body. She apparently didn’t follow the same rules. After a second of surprise she kissed him back eagerly as her hands roamed his chest and lower.
He gasped at the clinking sound of his belt buckle being undone, and the rest of his rules went out the window. He didn’t hesitate another second to run his hands down her back and cup her ass, pulling her against him where he needed her most.
“Annabelle.” He whispered the name that fit this medley of career woman and vixen.
<
br /> “Yes,” she said, and he hoped to God she would continue to say yes.
“I’m not sure what’s happening,” he admitted breathlessly as his hands continued to roam over her.
“Me either, but I want it to keep happening.”
He took that as a yes, backing her up against his desk. She let out a tiny squeak of surprise when he picked her up and set her on the edge of the surface.
She took care of the knot that released her dress and he was struck again. She was wearing garters and thigh-high hose. Her high-heeled boots added to the appeal.
“How have I never noticed how sexy you are before?” he said out loud without meaning to.
She chuckled, low and sultry, as he searched his wallet for the condom that had been in there for months. Or maybe longer. The important thing was the expiration date had not yet come and gone, so he opened it and rolled it on.
In a millisecond of clarity, he had a thought. “What happens after this?” he asked.
Her eyes searched his face. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m getting ready to take over the company until my uncle recovers and I’m going to need your help.”
She smiled as she clutched his shirt and pulled him closer to where he wanted to be. “I’ll be right here.”
With the echo of her assurance in the room, he gave up thinking, so he could focus on her.
He already knew this was not his best decision. But he also knew this was the most alive he’d felt in years. Or maybe his entire life.
* * * *
Wes lay next to Jamie, staring at the ceiling of their cottage, trying to come up with an exit strategy. He’d signed on for this trip as something to do to keep him from spending more time alone and to help them get to Team One. But now it was all about being with Jamie. He was happy. Truly happy.
The problem was, they would be leaving in a couple of days to go back to their normal lives.
His normal life sucked. He wanted this instead. Even though it wasn’t real.
Jamie let out a breath and then sat up in bed. Several seconds later she threw her legs off the side of the bed and stood. He assumed she was going to the bathroom, but she walked toward the French doors instead.
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