by Jan Bowles
“And the apology for a man who was your birth father. When did you last see him?”
She heard herself huff indignantly. “Huh. The piece of work wasn’t around when I was taken away by the authorities. He was already in police custody awaiting trial. I last saw him when I was seventeen. I visited him in prison, because by this time I felt strong enough to confront the bastard about how he had treated me as a child.”
“Go on, baby, you’ll feel better once your system is finally clear of the poison.”
She composed herself with a series of slow, deep breaths. “It was about a year before he was released. I have no idea where he is now and care even less. The same applies to her…that creature.
“I hope I looked outwardly calm when I saw him for the first time in seven years, because inside I was shaking like a leaf. He looked older, so much older, but the demonic malevolence within the man remained, so much so that I almost turned on my heels and ran for the exit. However, something deep inside told me to tough it out, and I remember thinking, he is the one who should feel the shame and humiliation, and not me. He didn’t, though. He didn’t feel anything, because he was incapable of love and as unrepentant as he had always been. My mouth wouldn’t seem to work properly as I struggled to tell him how he and that–that bitch of a wife of his had ruined my childhood. All the time I was speaking, he just stared blankly across the table at me. No emotion. No love. No remorse.
“Eventually he spoke. ‘If you come again, make sure you bring your old man some cigarettes. Cigarettes are worth more than gold in here.’ I can remember my mouth falling open in disbelief before I suddenly launched myself at him, reigning blow after blow down upon his head and face… ‘You bastard. You bastard. You fucking bastard. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you for what you did to me.’ I was so crazed and out of control that the prison officers had to drag me off him. His final spiteful words as they led me away will remain seared in my memory for as long as I live. ‘Don’t forget to bring your old man those cigarettes if you ever decide to come again, bitch.’ Can you believe it, Reed? The bastard was laughing, actually laughing.”
He unfolded her fingers, which she had clenched into fists. “Sorry, Reed. I’m sorry. It’s just the emotion getting to me, that’s all.”
He pulled her closer. “Don’t be sorry, Jess. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about.”
“I think I’m done, Reed. There really is no more to tell, at least nothing of any real significance. So, Mr. Boss Man, what’s your opinion of the dysfunctional, fucked-up personal assistant you and your brother hired? Any regrets?”
“Well, Ms. Hyde, that’s not an easy question to answer. Let me think for a moment.” He paused theatrically for maximum effect. “I hired a young woman who I believed to be competent and capable.”
“And now?”
“Do you want the truth? The absolute truth?”
Reed’s beautiful masculine face was suddenly hard to read, his laughter lines being noticeably absent. In fact his features resembled a mask, and this worried Jessica some. “Are you sure you want the truth, Jess? Because you may not like what you hear.”
“Yes… No… I mean, yes. Oh God, just give it to me straight, Reed.”
The impenetrable mask suddenly fractured before her very eyes as Reed burst into peals of laughter. “Oh, Jess, baby. In some ways you are still such an innocent—a young girl—who is so unsure of her own worth that she constantly doubts herself. Constantly beats herself up.”
“Well, Mr. All-Powerful Boss Man, is it really so surprising that I suffer with self-doubt at times?” Although that engaging smile of his was hard to resist, she couldn’t help but act defensively.
“No, Jess, it’s not surprising at all. What is genuinely surprising is the fact that you have made such a success of your life after the shitty start you had. You are an inspiration to other women who have suffered what you have, and I am so very proud of you, baby.” He teased his fingers through her hair as he spoke. “You’re made of the right stuff, Jess. You have surpassed every expectation I had of you.”
“Really, Reed? You’re not just kidding me, are you?”
“See, there you go again. So unsure of yourself and your abilities that you question every compliment a guy gives you. Okay, lady, listen and learn.” He authoritatively tilted her face, giving her no option but to stare into those mesmerizing blue irises. “Do you really think that Reed Masters is dumb enough to hire someone who isn’t up to the job?”
“Well, no, I suppose not.”
“Would you care to rephrase that statement before I turn you over my knee and redden your backside, young lady?”
“In that case…Well, no, of course not.” Reed had a twinkle in his eye, a mischievous one that told her to expect the unexpected.
“Like I say, Jess, listen and learn. I expect my personal assistant to be intelligent. You, Ms. Hyde, have surpassed that expectation with flying colors. I expect my personal assistant to be resourceful, articulate, and able to work well under pressure. Yet again you have exceeded my expectations. I expect my personal assistant to be able to deal with the unexpected. You ably demonstrated this admirable quality during our recent trip to Stuttgart.”
As Reed reeled off superlative after superlative, she felt her self-esteem start to grow from within. This wonderful, sexy, gorgeous man had a high opinion of her. So from this moment on she would endeavor to have a high opinion of herself. You are a good woman, Jessica. Never feel less than proud of yourself and your achievements.
“However, there are two things I didn’t expect from my personal assistant, Ms. Hyde.”
The look he gave her was hotter than molten lava fresh from Mount Rainier. Reed only had to focus on her in this way for her pussy to positively ache with the need for him to be deep inside her.
“And what are the two things, Reed? The two things you hadn’t expected from your personal assistant.” Her voice held a slight tremor.
“Really want to know, huh?”
“Oh yes, sir, I really, really want to know.” Her feminine lubrication system was working overtime right now.
“Okay then. I hadn’t expected my personal assistant to be so incredibly beautiful, and I hadn’t expected to fall for her in such a big way.”
“Oh, Reed.” She idly toyed with his thick black hair. “Sometimes you say the nicest things. You know I love you. I love you so much it physically hurts at times. I told you just how much I love you when we were having sex, when we were making love, but when I asked you if you love me back you didn’t reply. Why is that, Reed?”
“You already know the answer, Jess.”
“Shane?”
“Who else?”
“But I have enough love for both of you. I love you both. I will always love you equally. I’m powerless to change that. A woman can’t help the way she feels.”
“That might work for you, but it won’t work for me or Shane.”
“But why, Reed? Why? You and Shane have shared everything since you were children. Not only are you brothers, but you are also best friends.”
“But neither of us is willing to share you, Jess.”
“But if only—”
“Shhh. Quit while you are ahead.” He pressed a finger to her lips. “There are no buts, Jess. Some things, many things, we can come to a compromise about. But believe me when I tell you that neither Shane or I are willing to share your love with the other.”
“So where does that leave me, Reed?”
“With a difficult choice to make.”
Her emotions were all over the fucking place right now, but she’d stand firm. She had to.
“No. You can’t blackmail me. You can’t force me to choose between you and Shane. I can’t and I won’t.”
“Then it will be a case of winner takes all.”
“You’ll fight over me? Are you both willing to risk everything that you built together just for me?”
“If you won’t choose, then yes.”
<
br /> “And what makes you think I’ll accept the winner? Because I won’t, Reed, I won’t.”
“You will, Jess. You will. Deep down you know you will. Since the dawn of time the woman has always been the prize of the victor. When I defeat Shane, either through you choosing me above him, or by me beating him into submission, then believe me, Jess, you will choose me.”
As she stared into his eyes her heart beat so fast it frightened her. Yet it excited her, too.
Chapter Twelve
With the relationship with his brother at an all-time low, Shane had been reluctant to fly to Montreal on MAT business. How had their partnership, which had been unbreakable from the moment they had taken their first faltering steps together as ten-month-old toddlers, reached such a low ebb? Working together, the multimillion-dollar company they had built from virtually nothing was second only to Microsoft in the dog-eat-dog world of computer software design. However, for the first time in his life, Shane doubted that MAT could become number one. For that to happen, it needed Reed and Shane Masters working tirelessly together as a team. Right now, with things as they were, that possibility seemed extremely unlikely.
The flight home on the company Learjet had given Shane the opportunity to relax with a glass of Jack Daniel’s and to assess where he and Reed went from here. This was good, because the time could be used constructively to get his mind and thoughts in order. During the hour-long flight he’d repeatedly tried to visualize a scenario where he hugged his twin on his return, and said, “This Jessica thing has gone too far, Reed. You’re my brother, and I love you. MAT is what really matters, and neither of us are dumb enough to throw it all away for a woman. Even a woman like Jessica.”
In his imagination, Reed should have responded with equal sincerity. He should have hugged him right back, and said, “Yeah, you’re right, Shane. We’ve both been acting like idiots. Jessica is a lovely woman, one we can both share and enjoy, but nothing is more important than what we have built together at MAT. What do you say we stop this crazy shit right now and enjoy all that Jessica has to offer together, and never allow a woman to come between us again? What do you say, buddy?”
Half a dozen times or more, he’d tried to bend his imagination to this script, and each and every time he had failed miserably. The response from Reed being more along the lines of, “We may have shared women in the past, Shane, but Jessica is different. She’s mine. She belongs to me, and I will kill any man who so much as lays a finger on her. That includes you, little brother.”
The Masters Retreat was eerily quiet when the ever-smiling cab driver thanked him for the twenty-buck tip, and Shane guessed that everyone including little Ellie May was out.
As he sat alone, his thoughts became darker and eventually began to fester as he downed the remnants of his second Jack Daniel’s since returning home. If that’s how you want to play it, Reed, then I’m happy to oblige you, because I’m not minded to share Jessica with you either. Fuck MAT, and fuck you, Reed. You want a war. You got one.
He’d hoped, hoped with all his heart, that Jessica would rebuke Reed’s sexual advances while he was away. Deep down, though, he instinctively knew she’d hadn’t and that his woman had been as enthusiastic between the sheets with Reed as she had with him. “Fuck you, Reed. You may be my brother, but fuck you to hell and back for trying to steal my woman.”
Feeling undiluted anger course through his veins, Shane hurled the empty whiskey tumbler against the stone fireplace. It shattered noisily into a million pieces, and he visualized doing the same thing to Reed’s head. The mood he was in, he was tempted to have another drink, but Reed and Jessica would soon be returning, and he needed to keep his wits about him. The showdown when it happened would be ugly.
To Shane’s way of thinking, there were no gray areas. Everything was black and white and clear as day. He was the guy who had first claim on Jessica. After all, he was the man who’d caught her masturbating, and was also the man who first kissed her. It was he who had first fucked her silken little cunt. Reed had followed him, sniffing around Jessica whenever he wasn’t around. Like now, when he, Shane Masters, had been attending to important MAT business in Montreal. Brother or no brother, Reed really was a snake in the grass, and Shane would get great pleasure from destroying his twin right before the very eyes of the woman he adored… His woman… His Jessica. He would then take her as his own.
The crazy thing was, he knew that Reed was having the exact same thoughts about him. Being twins they could read each other like a book, and Shane was under no illusion as to Reed’s intentions toward him. If I don’t destroy him first then I’m a dead man, because just like me, Reed will show no mercy.
As he waited for their inevitable return, a crystal clear picture of his beloved father, Maverick Masters, filtered into his thoughts. The biggest influence in his life stood there, all six-foot-four of him, as though he were still vibrant and alive. He wore blue jeans and a denim shirt. His father often dressed this way when he was working on the Arizona ranch he had bought shortly after retiring as a pilot for American Airlines.
He didn’t look happy, though, which was unusual for his father who was a larger than life character—a man who was rarely found without a smile on his face. Shane immediately recognized the gravely delivery as he spoke from beyond the grave.
“I taught my sons to fight anything and anybody who got in their way. I taught them never to quit, because a Masters man doesn’t know the meaning of the word. I taught them they can do anything in life if only they put their minds to it, and I taught them there are no limits to what they can achieve.” Shane’s imagination saw Maverick Masters take the cowboy hat from his head and then wipe the sweat from his brow. He looked sad. “But I never taught my boys to fight one another.”
Common sense almost returned to Shane Masters’s way of thinking, only to be extinguished almost immediately. “Sorry, Dad, but on this occasion I’m gonna have to disappoint my old man. Jessica is just too special to share with Reed. The winner takes it all, Pa.”
* * * *
When Shane heard the front door to Masters Retreat push open, he instinctively tensed his muscles. As he listened intently, he caught the sound of male and female laughter mingling together, causing those same muscles to tighten into angry knots of fury. Even though they were not in view yet, Shane knew that Reed had scooped Jessica from the floor and was spinning her around in the hallway. Her girlish giggles and whoops of delight were evidence of this. I know you, Reed. I know how you work, you bastard.
From the noise they were making, it was obvious that Reed and Jessica were blissfully unaware of his presence in the house. Good. This meant he had the element of surprise on his side. Shane had deliberately wound up MAT business in Montreal a half day early, acutely aware that a showdown with his brother was now unavoidable. When he heard them laugh again, he found it difficult to resist the urge to confront them as he visualized sending Reed crashing to the floor with a thunderous left hook to the jaw. Keep your powder dry, Shane… Keep your powder dry.
Still laughing, it was Jessica who entered the room first. After registering his brooding presence, her carefree demeanor immediately vanished as though in a puff of smoke. Shocked, bewildered, and unsure what to do next, the woman he loved with all his heart now resembled a rabbit caught in the headlights of a speeding car.
“Shane I… I mean we… We weren’t expecting you home until later this evening, or even tomorrow morning.” She shuffled uncomfortably from one foot to the other as she stood submissively before him.
“Well, maybe I like to be unpredictable. Let’s just say it makes life more interesting. Have you missed me, honey?”
“Yes… Yes, of course I have.” He saw fear in those big brown eyes as she walked across to him on shaky legs before kissing him full on the lips. “You know I have.”
He pulled her onto his lap as an act of ownership, well aware that Reed now knew he had returned home early.
“You must have been
so lonely and bored without me to keep you warm at night.”
“Yes… Yes, of course.”
“With nothing to do all evening after work apart from watch television and wash your beautiful golden hair.”
“Shane, I… I…”
“Hmm… Got something you need to tell me, honey?” She squirmed uncomfortably on his lap. “What’s the problem? You seem all nervous and on edge. Why so jumpy?”
“Let her go, Shane.”
“Hey, Reed, how are you doing, man? Aren’t you going to ask me how MAT business went in Montreal?” Reed looked as pumped up and ready for action as he was. Well, bring it on, Reed. Don’t be shy. Let’s see what you got.
Reed stood bolt upright with his fists clenched. “Are you fucking deaf? I said let her go, asshole. Can’t you see that you’re frightening the lady?”
Shane violently shook his head. “No. I don’t frighten you, do I, Jessica? You love old Shane far too much for that, don’t you, honey?”
Using strength he didn’t know she possessed, Jessica pulled away from him. However, it pleased Shane that she didn’t run straight to Reed. Instead she positioned herself almost inch perfect between the two of them.
That achingly beautiful face was now distorted with anxiety and uncertainty, and her usually creamy skin flushed red. Her breathing was fast and uneven. Jessica stretched out her arms, erecting a flimsy barrier of feminine flesh to keep himself and Reed apart. “Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it before you kill one another. This has gone too far.”
Shane energetically pushed from his chair and immediately felt the flat of Jessica’s shaking hand press against his chest. She did exactly the same to Reed. “This stops right here. I love you both, and I will not watch you tear each other apart.”
