The Merger

by Bernadette Marie

  “You were born on the same day.”

  “Literally. We’re less than an hour apart.”

  “That’s really cool.”

  “It is until my birthday cake is covered in pink and black.”

  Julie gave a little laugh, even though jealousy ripped right through her. It had been years since she’d had a birthday cake and a dinner with her family. Spencer Benson was a lucky man.

  When they returned through the door at the bottom of the steps, Spencer locked the door. “It locks from both sides.”

  “Good to know.”

  “So, are you interested?”

  “Very,” she said, though she thought the word came out much too airy.

  Spencer held out the keys to her and she held open her hand.

  “Welcome home, Ms. Jacobson.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Benson.” She took the keys from him letting her fingers brush his and looked back up into his smiling eyes. “I guess you’d better be heading home. Don’t you have a date?”

  His eyes lost their glimmer. “Right. I have a date.” He looked down at his watch. “Hmm, guess I’d better get going. My two or three hours turned into nearly five.”

  “I didn’t mean to take you away from your evening. I should have…”

  Spencer pressed his fingers to her lips again. “She’ll understand. I’ll see you on Monday. Eight o’clock. In my office.” He hesitated a moment before dropping his hand.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He walked to the door and disappeared through it.

  Julie closed the door and locked it. She turned and looked around the small basement apartment. She smiled. This wasn’t what she’d expected when she’d driven all day and all night heading to Nashville. She wasn’t sure what she’d really expected. All she knew was she needed to get away from her ex-husband and Libby Grayson. She figured she’d done that.

  Now she needed to stop thinking about Spencer Benson because that was making moving on much harder.

  Chapter Four

  Spencer rubbed his hands over his face as he watched the numbers on the elevator climb. Twelve hours earlier he’d been looking forward to stepping off this elevator where Tiffany would be standing on the other side.

  Sometimes she’d be cooking something. Sometimes she’d be stark naked. Tonight he just didn’t know what he was hoping for.

  When the elevator reached the penthouse, he stepped off and it was quiet. His shoes echoed on the marble floor. He noticed the key he’d given her laying on the kitchen counter.

  He walked through to the kitchen. She’d ordered a pizza, which amused him. Tiffany loved pizza and she loved having someone come up the elevator to deliver it to her. It had always given her some satisfaction to have someone see her in his place.

  He looked around at the pretentiousness of it. Sometimes it surprised him that his own father could have designed it.

  The home Spencer was brought up in wasn’t pretentious. It was big and roomy, and sat on acres of land. It wasn’t flashy like the penthouse. The penthouse was for show.

  For the past few years, he’d enjoyed that. He had the fancy car, the fancy house, even the designer suits. But he was never sure it fit him.

  It fit his cousin Avery, and even she was living in his Aunt Arianna’s old house—with Julie.

  Her name rattled in his brain. He didn’t even like the woman—really. He’d spent nearly a half a year cursing her.

  But it was different now.

  The very moment she began to cry in the elevator it became different. And the moment she’d pressed her lips to his and they’d taken the kiss further than just a crazy, spontaneous kiss—it was all different.

  There was a bottle of wine open on the counter. The patio door was open and he heard the unmistakable sound of Tiffany’s laugh. The one with the flirty undertones.

  He looked in the pizza box. There were two slices of cheese pizza. Yep, she’d ordered. She was fancy about everything but her pizza.

  It was cold enough that he knew she’d ordered it a long time ago. He opened the fridge and pulled out a beer, twisted off the top, and headed out to the patio.

  “Oh, Spencer! I thought you gave up on me.” She laughed again. “Have you met your neighbor?”

  The man seated at the small glass table on his patio stood up. The lights of Nashville were his backdrop. In the shadows, he towered over Spencer as he held out his hand for Spencer to shake.

  Spencer rearranged the pizza into the hand holding the beer and shook the man’s hand.

  “Clark Dwyer,” the man said in a deep voice with a British accent.

  “Spencer Benson.”

  “Beautiful flat you have here. Tiffany was kind enough to invite me up for a bite.”

  “Was she?” He turned toward her and she was grinning.

  “Clark is staying a few floors down in that corporate apartment.”

  Spencer nodded. “Right. The telecommunications company out of London.”

  Clark nodded. “Correct. Here for a few months setting up the U.S. office.”

  Feeling like a third wheel in his own home, Spencer took a bite of the cold pizza.

  “I think I’ll go get out of this suit. You two enjoy the view.”

  He excused himself and headed down the hallway to his bedroom.

  As he pulled his tie from around his neck, he thought of the small basement apartment he’d just set Julie up in. The entire apartment might be as big as the bedroom he was standing in.

  The wood paneling that had been painted over and the queen sized bed that took up nearly the whole room made the basement apartment bedroom charming.

  His room overlooked Nashville.

  Walking to the window, he began to unbutton his shirt.

  He could see the cars drive up and down Broadway. Perhaps his cousin Clara’s husband was playing tonight in one of the bars that lined the famous street. Perhaps in the bar he’d just opened with his partners.

  They made up the popular duo The Wrights, until Clara became pregnant and now Warner was solo. Though he toured with some of the biggest names in the music industry, he still liked to play in the smaller bars where he’d gotten his start.

  Somewhere down there, among the streets of Nashville, was his aunt’s theater. They were running The Phantom of the Opera now and it was amazing. She and her husband John had really outdone themselves on producing that one.

  The Riverside Building hovered over the skyline. There was some comfort in knowing he could see his office from home and his home from his office. Inevitably though, he turned to look at the outskirts of town and he knew, that on a residential street, not too far away, was the house his aunt owned. Tonight it became Julie’s house—Julie’s home.

  He pulled off his shirt and walked toward the enormous mirrored doors of his closet. When he opened it, hangers of neatly hung suit pants and coats met him. He tossed the shirt into the laundry bag for the cleaners, hung up the tie, and began to unbutton his pants.

  “Hey sexy.”

  He looked up to see Tiffany standing in the doorway. “I’m taking the key. I’m going to ride down with Clark, but I’m coming back up. I want to talk.”

  She gave him a little wave before he could tell her he thought he’d like to just go to bed—alone.

  Spencer pulled off his shoes, slipped out of his pants, and hung them up. He found an old pair of running shorts and his University of Tennessee shirt, which he put on.

  He walked back to the kitchen, took out the last piece of pizza from the box, and warmed it in the microwave before he heard the elevator open up and Tiffany walked through to the kitchen.

  “Is that the last piece?” She asked as Spencer took a bite.

  “Yes.”

  “Will you share it?”

  “Are you kidding me? Didn’t you eat?”

  She grinned. “I had one piece. I didn’t want to seem like a pig in front of my guest.”

  “Oh, that would be horrible.”

/>   She walked over next to him and opened her mouth. He moved the pizza so she could take a bite. “Thank you.”

  “I thought we were going to order Chinese.”

  “And I thought you were going to be home hours ago.”

  “I got caught up.”

  “In the lawyer?” she asked with the side of her mouth turning up into a grin.

  He took an enormous bite from the pizza. “With.”

  “She’s cute.”

  Spencer nodded slowly. “I suppose.”

  “You suppose? You’re going to act as if you didn’t notice she was cute?”

  He took another bite while she stared at the slice. “She’s got a lot on her plate right now.”

  “Like?”

  “A cheating husband which led to him being an ex-husband.”

  “Bastard.”

  That made him smile and he offered her another bite of the pizza.

  Tiffany leaned in close enough he could feel her pressed against him in all the right places.

  “She’s free game,” she said looking up into his eyes as she chewed.

  “Remember the bitch lawyer?”

  That made her step back a bit. “From Oregon?”

  “Yep.”

  “That’s her?”

  “Yep.”

  “Oh, screw her.” Now she moved in and pushed her body tightly to his. “I thought this was something for me to keep my hands off you for.”

  She reached her hands behind him and gave his ass a squeeze as she worked her mouth against his.

  A moment later she pulled back. “Crap, Spencer!”

  He just looked her in the eye as she stepped back from him.

  “You’re off the market for a while.”

  He picked up his beer from the counter and took a long pull. It had gone warm and he held it in his mouth for a beat before swallowing hard.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to. That was like kissing my brother.”

  He chuckled. “You’ve kissed your brother?”

  She slapped him on the arm. “You know what I mean.”

  He sipped from the bottle again and as he swallowed he walked the beer to the sink and poured it down the drain.

  “I don’t see any future with the lawyer, so don’t get bent out of shape.”

  “Oh, good. You just want to sleep with her too?”

  He turned and narrowed his gaze on her. “That’s not fair.”

  “I know. You and I aren’t heading anywhere either and that’s always been the case. It’s nice to have a sure thing once in a while. Not just for sex, but also for hanging out, weddings we don’t want to go to, or pizza in a nice place. Sometimes I just want to be around family and you have the best one for that.”

  Spencer couldn’t agree more. He walked toward her and pulled her into his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder.

  “You and I have something that no affair, marriage, or divorce can break apart.”

  “Kinda nice isn’t it?” Her voice resonated in his chest.

  “Yeah.” He kissed the top of her head. “What about this Clark guy?”

  She snapped back and was grinning. “Isn’t he yummy?”

  “I don’t want to answer that.”

  “I’m going to happen to be around tomorrow when he comes home. I think that there could be something for us while he’s here.”

  “Don’t get hurt.”

  She moved to him and cupped his face in her hands. “You either,” she said as she pressed her lips to his again and then pulled back. “You like her more than you’re letting on. I can’t get a good kiss out of you.”

  “I don’t want to like her.”

  Tiffany patted his face. “Problem is you were born and raised to give everyone a chance.” She stepped back and gathered her purse from the counter. “It’s one of your biggest faults.”

  She pressed her lips to her fingers and blew a kiss his way. “I’ll see you tomorrow. If you need consoling, I’ll bring ice cream. It looks like you and I are on a hiatus from the bedroom.”

  With that, she was gone and he was alone in his pretentious penthouse with Tiffany’s kisses on his lips and Julie on his mind.

  Chapter Five

  It had been a long time since Julie enjoyed the pleasures of a Saturday morning of leisure.

  With the merger between PLL and BBH, she’d been working overtime for months. Of course, she was as she’d told Spencer, just being thorough.

  Excepting Libby Grayson, the entire Grayson family had been nothing but generous and kind to her. When her parents died, they’d covered her law school tuition so that she could continue doing what she’d had a passion for. Mr. Grayson had given her a job and she’d done right by them for years.

  Finding out the same family had fired her—that was a blow.

  She knew there was more to it and she knew Steven’s involvement with Libby had something to do with it. It had been the most stressful year of her life, that was for sure. Surpassing even the years she’d lost her parents and all of her inheritance had trickled away as she took care of her ex-husband’s bills.

  For that reason alone, she was going to enjoy her Saturday to herself in her new town and her new apartment.

  Julie pulled up in front of the grocery store and parked at the end of the lot. She didn’t know if she’d get the chance to join Avery for yoga or not, so she’d better get in as much walking as possible.

  Funds were limited for a few weeks so groceries would be equally limited, she decided.

  Food that was affordable was unquestionably less healthy, but it would have to do until she’d secured a few paychecks. Then she could find an organic, whole food kind of grocery store and eat better. She was sure that from the look of her, Avery would be able to help her with that.

  As she strolled down the cereal aisle, she contemplated her choices. Usually she didn’t eat cereal, but this week it would be a staple. She settled on Special K with red berries and moved on. When she turned her cart she noticed the butcher block. She was going to need at least one decent meal and maybe she could stretch it out. She began to look at the selection, but a conversation just beyond her had her turning her head.

  “I think you’re crazy. Steak?”

  The redhead laughed easily. “I want a sure thing.”

  Julie’s heart caught in her throat. It was Spencer and the redhead shopping for groceries. How much more intimate could that be?

  She lowered her head. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and looped through a Star Wars baseball cap. The last thing she needed was them noticing…

  “Hey,” his voice came through softly and she realized he was standing right next to her.

  She turned her head. “Hey.”

  “You should get a few veggies to go with all that boxed food,” he commented and she narrowed her eyes on him.

  “When I have a paycheck I’ll do that. Right now, it’s survival.”

  “I could loan you…”

  She shook her head. “You’ve done more than I ever could have expected. I won’t be taking a loan too.”

  “Too bad my mom’s garden hasn’t started to produce yet. I could have loaded you up. Give it a month or so.”

  She nodded. “Thanks.” She looked over at the redhead who was leaned over the counter speaking very seductively to the man in the white jacket. “Planning a nice dinner?”

  “I don’t know what she’s doing. She’s lost her mind,” he said loud enough that the woman turned and smiled.

  “I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. I’d better get going.”

  She turned and walked as quickly as she could to the front to pay, and then out of the store.

  Spencer watched her nearly run from him. What was that all about, he wondered.

  “Okay. What should I make to go with it?”

  He turned back to Tiffany. “Does the guy even like steak?”

  “What guy doesn’t like steak?”

  “A vegetarian.�
��

  Tiffany’s eyes widened. “Oh. I don’t know.”

  “This is why you don’t cook for someone you spent an hour with.”

  “You do if he’s as sexy as Clark.”

  “I think you’re insane,” he laughed as he pulled the cart from her. “Are you almost done?”

  “Yes. I need some pasta and some salad. I’ll just cover my bases.”

  “I can’t believe I’m going to let you use my place for cheap sex.”

  “Well, you’re too preoccupied to let me have sex with you. I’m going after the accent.”

  He laughed. He loved Tiffany because she was just like one of the guys, only with perks.

  ~*~

  Tiffany had, in fact, scored the date with the accent. All Spencer could hope for was that she’d either go back to his place or she’d wash the sheets when she was done.

  She was very sure they were going to stay at his place since the corporate apartment Clark was staying in had two tenants.

  Usually, Spencer would call up his brother and hang out with him and his wife, but he knew Courtney was going to ask questions.

  He’d tensed under her touch yesterday. He’d never known a blind woman could see so much, but she did.

  Spencer wasn’t ready to explore what he was feeling. He’d wait to see his brother another day.

  So, the question remained, what was he going to do for the night since his place was otherwise occupied?

  As he drove through the streets of Nashville, he thought about calling Clara and seeing if her husband was performing. But, Clara was pregnant too. She wouldn’t want to go out. Ed and Darcy had their hands too full to entertain him and so did his other cousin Christian. He let out a grunt. When did everyone grow up?

  They were all married and having babies. Well, everyone but him and Avery.

  That settled it. He’d go to Avery’s and hang out. Maybe he could convince her to not have a pink and black cake for their birthday.

  Since he hadn’t gotten his Chinese food the night before, he stopped and picked up carryout. Oh, Avery would squawk over it. It would make her ankles swell and she’d have to do another few hours of yoga to combat the sodium, but he was confident she’d still eat it.