by Lexy Timms
She pushed away the thought of having been with him too many times for their current relationship to be healthy. Knowing that he was with her sister, Christine, now left her stomach soured. The man had very little in the way of human decency. The hope was that Christine would leave him and find someone who made her a better person, not let her stew in her selfishness, as Jamie's mom had allowed their whole lives.
"Not just stew in it, but she fostered it." Jamie shuddered and picked up her walk to a jog. The IT building was a few buildings down, and didn't belong to Alex. They were a third-party vendor that provided services for small and large investment companies.
Jamie walked into the tiny lobby and was greeted by a nice man in a bright green shirt and striped pants. A smile tugged at her mouth as he spoke rapidly and adjusted his glasses a million times.
"I need to see Barton, if he's free. I'm Alex Reid's PA." Jamie slipped her hands back into her jacket pockets, and held the file tightly under her arm as she tried to not think about just how freaking cold it was outside. Her teeth weren't chattering as badly by the time Barton poked his head out of the back.
"Hey. I'm free for about ten minutes. Will that work?”
“That’s all I need.” She smiled.
“Then come on back and let's talk." He smiled and opened the door wider.
Jamie walked around and slipped into the back with him, the place a sea of cubicles. Everyone was dressed in business casual. She let Barton take her through the normal pleasantries before asking about the fellow out front.
He chuckled and pulled out a seat by his desk, nodding for her to sit down. "Chuck? He's a little eccentric, but we love the guy."
"I think it's great that you guys let him dress as he wants to." Jamie handed the file to their IT guru. Barton was a genius, but he'd obviously never been gifted a razor. His beard was thick and unruly, his eyebrows a hot mess.
"Yeah. He's typically what people think all IT people look like, so we decided to use the image and have fun with it. Chuck loves the reactions he gets, so it's all good." He took the packet and looked through it. "Talk to me. What’s going on?"
"Right, so the files are some of our reconciliations. Make sure you put them in a confidential place. The account numbers and such are coded, but I need to know whose ID this is.” She pointed to J-134. “We didn't add any users, and yet I know that you guys wouldn't have given access to anyone without our approval. Can you look into it for me?" She watched as he wrote done the ID on a scrap of paper. Jamie moved back to give him a little bit of space.
"Of course. I'll have something for you later today. Does that sound okay?" He closed the file and slid it into the top drawer of his desk, locking it in front of her.
"Yes, but make sure you give the information to me. Mr. Reid is fine, too, but no one else. I—We’d like to keep it confidential." She stood and slipped her hands into her pockets. "You guys need to move closer. It's freezing out there."
He chuckled. "Just call next time and I'll bear the cold. I think it's my turn anyway. You've been down several times this winter."
"True. I'll hold you to that promise." She thanked him and walked out of the building, a little uneasy, but unsure of what to do about it. Alex had too many problems to take on another one, her family had gone back to being less than welcoming, and Mark didn't need to get any more involved in her life than he was. That left her with trying to figure out what was going on by herself until Alex had some time.
Jamie jogged the rest of the way back to the building and sat down in the cafeteria after grabbing a soda and the last three donuts on the rack. Why food was a comfort, she didn't know, but it was. She could run the calories off later. It wasn't going to hurt anyone.
After a long morning of trying to direct Mark and play catch-up, Jamie took her lunch and walked around the mall just down the street from the office. Still full from the donuts, she eschewed lunch and decided on a fruit cup for her afternoon treat.
She glanced at her watch and let out a string of curses. Annette would be in the office in the next fifteen minutes or so. Not that Jamie would be invited into the meeting, but she wanted to make sure to give the girl an 'I'm watching your ass' look. Or maybe just rub in the fact that she, Jamie Connors, was still around and looking hot as hell. Okay, maybe more like frumpy. Why the hell had she decided on eating three donuts herself? Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Turning on her heel, she walked quickly back to the office, and made it to their floor with a few minutes to spare. Gina glanced up as she walked off the elevator and gave her a sad smile.
"You okay?" Jamie moved up to stand in front of the other woman's desk.
"Yeah. No. I don't know. We'll talk at happy hour." Gina shrugged and glanced down. "Can you watch the desk for a few minutes? I just need to grab a sandwich from downstairs."
"Sure." Jamie moved around the desk as she pulled her coat from her shoulders. Her heart ached for the obvious weight sitting on her friend, but she needed to tread carefully. There were too many unknown variables to reach out and comfort Gina when all signs pointed to her as being some type of villain.
It's not possible.
If she could just talk to Alex, she could clear it all up. It was a good thing Barton was going to be able to get information back to her by the afternoon. That alone would make things better. Or at least clear the air.
Someone cleared their throat, and the sound had a twinge of agitation with it.
Annette.
"Hi. Can I help you with something?" Jamie stood, and treated the pretty redhead like she would anyone who walked into the office.
"Did Alex move you up to secretary? That was sweet of him. Felt sorry for you, I guess?" Annette wrinkled her button nose and shrugged, as if she were completely innocent of the label that fit her perfectly.
Bitch.
"Did you have an appointment with Mr. Reid, or are you here soliciting undeserved attention, because I'm happy to call security and have you ejected from the building. Trash pickup is at one, so your timing is perfect." Jamie forced a smile onto her lips as Alex's door opened.
He walked out with the older man from earlier that morning. "Thanks, Mr. Canning. I'll be in touch."
Jamie turned to him and lifted her eyebrow as he extended his hand to Annette. "You're early. Come on in and we can chat."
"I was excited to see you." Annette glanced back at Jamie and gave her a look that caused Jamie's blood to boil.
There was no damn way Alex was talking to that woman again.
"You have another appointment in thirty minutes," Jamie barked out a little too rough.
"Okay. Hold my calls until then?" Alex winked at Jamie and opened the door wider. "So, Annette, what have you been up to? How’re your folks?"
The door closed; tears burned Jamie's vision. She shouldn't be upset. She shouldn't be worried.
"‘Hold my calls’? Unbelievable." She dropped down into Gina's chair and reached for a tissue to blow her nose. She’d gone from senior advisor to secretary in ten minutes; from girlfriend to front-desk-hold-my-calls in ten seconds.
She was being irrational, but her I-don’t-give-a-damn was officially used up.
Chapter 6
Gina came back shortly, and didn't look much better than Jamie felt. She didn't ask why Jamie was sniffling, and Jamie didn't offer any explanation. They spoke briefly, and Jamie walked back to her office to find it empty. She closed her door and decided she needed someone to talk to. Christine was the closest thing she had to a friend outside of Gina, which was kind of sad.
After she hung up her coat, she dropped down into her chair and pulled out her cell phone. She took a deep breath. There was a fifty-fifty chance that her sister would be a butt and make things worse.
"This is Christina." She sounded upbeat, which was a good thing.
"Hey. It's Jamie. How are you?" Jamie pulled her cold oatmeal toward her and stirred the thick contents.
"I've been better, but I'll get through it. What do you
need?" Her tone was sliding a little.
"Nothing. I just wanted to check in to see how you and Stephen were."
"That's no one's business but ours."
"Okay. Sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were doing better. We haven't really spoken since—"
"Look. I know I was a little off at Christmas, and I love you because you're my sister, but I was depressed. I'm better now, so thanks for checking up on me. I don't have time to chit-chat about my problems. I'm trying to make my mark on the world, and Stephen's starting to see just how possible that is." Christine had moved back to the demeaning tone Jamie was used to hearing.
"Right; well, good luck with that." She ended the call and closed her eyes, lifting her chin toward the ceiling. Why did people have to be so bipolar in her family? One minute they were being loving and softening a little and the next they were pulling back and lashing out with a bull whip.
Christine had been depressed and down, and, of course, without thinking at all, Jamie had stepped in to try to make her sister feel better. She had been taught the lesson a million times that Christine would always be a bitch, but there was a faint hope that maybe the girl had changed some.
"Nope." Jamie sat up and began going through messages and emails, typing up a few notes Alex had sent her and asked her to take care of. It was slow going, as she couldn't seem to get her focus back. Knowing that Annette was in the next room with Alex, and that he hadn't even mentioned it to her, drove a stake of worry deep into her. "Why not just tell me? Did he think it wouldn’t matter? That her coming to see him wouldn't have been kinda-sorta a really big deal?" she mumbled as she flipped through her calendar and double-checked Annette’s meeting that was only blocked off as personal.
Her work phone buzzed and she picked it up quickly, needing something to get her mind off the stupid little things in life that were sure to drag her down.
"This is Jamie."
"Hey. It's Barton. I don't have the information on whose ID this is just yet, but the approver is Alex, so I think you're safe." He chuckled. “Saves someone getting fired today.”
"Oh good. I was starting to get worried. Maybe just finish looking into who he approved it for, and let me know. It's just a weird addition to our accounts that I need to explain in case we get audited. I would just ask him, but you know how busy he is. He won’t remember doing it." A smile pulled at her cheeks. It was good to know that maybe there was nothing to be worried about. That meant Gina or Paul hadn't been involved in anything criminal.
"No worries. I'll hit you up later, or leave you a message if you're out. We're working late tonight." He grumbled something under his breath as Jamie chuckled.
"We do that all the time. Thanks for your help."
"Anytime."
* * *
"Damn, I needed this." Jamie slid into the booth across from Gina at their favorite pub down the street from the office.
"Me too. This has been the week from hell, and Alex has been a nightmare. I'm not sure what's going on with him, but we're going to have to figure out how to lessen his stress or workload. I know he's been better with you, but I think he decided just to pile all of that crap on top of me.” Gina rolled her eyes.
"That's not good." Jamie reached across the table and rubbed Gina's arm. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright. He and I have been working together for a long time. We'll figure it out. I just hope we hurry up. I'm not putting up with too much more of his stressing over little things that don't matter." She pulled out her phone, checked it and dropped it back into her purse.
"Ladies. You here for happy hour?" A cute server stopped beside the table and gave them a sexy smile.
"Yes. Are you part of what's on the menu?" Gina asked and lifted her eyebrows.
Jamie laughed as her cheeks warmed. "Damn, Gina. Really? We haven't even started drinking."
"Really, girl. Really." Gina pulled the menu up to her face. "Gin and tonic with a lime and a cherry."
"I'll have the same." Jamie put her menu down as the guy stood there a few more minutes, obviously trying to come up with something for his rebuttal.
"It's okay. Don't respond. Please. Don't feed the bear." Jamie patted the guy’s arm and turned back to Gina as he chuckled and walked off. "So what was going on today? I didn't want to get in the middle of your drama, but it looked bad."
"He's pissed that I'm dating one of our shareholders, but I'm a single woman, and the man is sexy, older, and has loads of cash. Why wouldn't I take him up on taking me out?" Gina's voice rose a little.
"Hey. Inside voice." Jamie gave her a cheeky grin. "Who?"
It wasn't a surprise at all to hear it was Nicholas. He had asked Jamie before Alex and she had become something, and then had tried hard to wedge himself between them after they had. He respected Alex as a businessman, or pretended to. It kind of irked her that Nicholas had hopped from her to Gina. She pressed her lips tight. That sounded really snotty. She didn’t mean it like that, but saying it out loud would only come across one way. She smiled, happy for Gina. "Oh, nice. He’s a good-looking man." Jamie reached up and took her drink from the server. She ordered a few half-priced appetizers and turned her attention back to Gina.
"Thank you! I don't see why my love life should be any of Alex's business. He just has something against Nicholas. It drives me nuts." She took a long sip of her drink. "He needs to get over it. If he thinks he can tell me who I can go to dinner with and who I can't... he's lost his mind."
"That doesn't sound like Alex. I wonder what has him all fired up." Jamie let out a long sigh and pressed her lips to the tiny straw that danced around in her drink.
"I don't know, but maybe you can talk to him." Gina pulled out her phone and checked it again.
"You waiting on a call? Get off your phone." Jamie smiled as Gina glanced up.
"Nick's supposed to text me a time for dinner. We're going to this fancy new place in The Heights tonight. I honestly can't wait. I've been wanting to go forever, but it's just too expensive for me." She shrugged and dropped her phone back into her purse.
"I hope you have fun." Jamie paused, trying to think through if she really wanted to bring up Annette, and landing on a resounding 'yes'. "So I saw Annette in the office today. What was that all about?"
"Oh, I know. I swear that girl is nothing but trouble." Gina pulled the straw out of her drink and lifted the glass to her lips, draining half of it. "I don't know why Alex even lets her in the building. She's a needy bitch, and not even part of his life anymore.” She shook her head as she spoke, making Jamie laugh. “I think it's because her daddy's so powerful."
"Really? But what does she need with an investment banker? Her account with us was closed down last fall." Jamie tried to hide just how much seeing Annette was affecting her.
"Yeah, but she booked the appointment under the guise of wanting to talk about the tax implications of closing down the account and making a pretty penny on the sale of her stocks." Gina rolled her eyes. "I don't think Alex would have anything to do with her, but if he should have mentioned that she was coming by. You should bring that up with him for sure. When you bring up my dating life. Throw all that shit into one bucket and toss a match on it." She swung her hand up as she imitated the action, nearly spilling her drink.
"You think? I swear all I do is complain to him about my insecurities. It gets old after a while." Jamie pulled her napkin into her lap as the food arrived.
Thankfully, Gina seemed to be too wrapped up in their conversation to flirt with the handsome waiter any more. He seemed a bit more relaxed as he delivered plates and extra dipping sauces. Jamie couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. Oh, the days of being in retail when life was busy, but easier, less complicated. Or was it? People were people, and where they were... there would be drama.
"I think you should mention it, but maybe don't say anything about my date with Nick tonight. Alex will blow a fuse. I only have a few more buttons for that man to push, and I'm out." She shrugged and pick
ed up a fried mushroom. "I hate to say it, but I've got one foot out the door."
"You do not." Jamie tilted her head and studied her friend. "You've been there forever. Don't tell me that."
"I do. Nick has a few openings at his company and has already mentioned that he would love to have me with him." She gave Jamie a cocky smirk. "I doubt he would yell at me half the day and fly off the handle if a hair was out of place."
"You're probably right." Jamie kept to herself the fact that Nick had offered her the same job six months prior. Gina was happy, and Jamie seemed to have the uncanny ability to turn everything into disappointment. A skill she’d acquired from her family, no doubt. She was going to focus on good. Mean people suck. She wasn’t going to be one of them.
Chapter 7
"So the ID was approved by Alex?" Mark dropped down on the couch in Alex's large living room and propped his feet up on the coffee table.
Jamie poked her head out of the kitchen and nodded. "Yep. I don't know why he didn't leave a paper trail for us. We usually have all sorts of documentation that has to be filled out to add a new spender on any account.
The sound of the TV filled the living room, and Jamie walked back into the kitchen and put the finishing touches on three sandwiches. Alex wasn't answering her texts, but he would be home later if nothing else. After his reaction the night before to her having dinner with Mark, it seemed prudent to just make him something too.
"You want a beer?" she called from the kitchen.
"Yeah. Bud Light if he has one."
She searched the fridge and found several, but debated whether to have one herself. She'd already had a hell of a day where her calories were concerned. The thick sandwich behind her left her answering no to the beer. Her time with Gina was enough to leave her warmed for the rest of the evening; at least the drinks she’d had had that effect. The conversation, not so much.
After balancing everything in her arms, she walked into the living room and gave Mark his stuff, then sat hers and Alex's down on the table.
