by Lexy Timms
"Where were you this evening? Have a late meeting or something?" Mark scooted over and took a big bite of his sandwich, trying to talk around it. "This is good."
"Good." She got all of her stuff situated and moved down to the floor. "No, I have a happy hour with Gina, Alex's secretary once a week. We need moral support from time to time."
Mark chuckled. "He hasn’t gotten any better at holding back his anger?"
"I'm trying, but it’s nice to know the two of you are talking about it for me." Alex stopped at the edge of the living room, the look on his face showing that he was less than pleased. Again.
"Alex!" Jamie got up and walked after him as he disappeared into the bedroom. She closed the door behind her and moved to wrap him in a hug from behind. "You're not an ass, and we weren't talking about you. I was just telling Mark that Gina and I go to happy hour once a week together. You know that."
"Right." His shoulders were stiff, his voice tight. "Did you know that she’s dating Nicholas? I swear that bastard is trying to take my legs out from underneath me. First you and now Gina."
"Alex. You don't know that he's not genuinely interested in her." Jamie released him and moved to stand in front of him. She reached up and helped loosen his tie. "She's a pretty woman, and she has loads of energy and a great outlook on life."
"Oh, I know. I hired her. She's been one of my best friends for years, Jamie." He touched the side of her face softly. "I'm just seeing things around the edge of her personality that I don't like. He's up to something. The governmental audit and now dating Gina. I don't like it."
"Not everything is how it appears to be. You know that." She pulled the tie from his neck and worked to unbutton his shirt.
"I agree, but if it smells like a turd, looks like one—"
"Don't you dare say tastes, or I'm out of here." She chuckled and his handsome face lifted as he smiled.
"I wasn't going to, but you get my point." He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers.
"I do, but you seeing Annette today is the same thing to me. It looked like you were blocking out half an hour for her, not taking any calls, and you didn't even look me in the face when she got there. You only had eyes for her." Jamie tried to keep her voice even.
"Jamie. You know I hate that bitch." He slid his hands over her hips and squeezed the top of her butt. "I'm only into you."
"I know that. I'm telling you that I could have acted like a psycho, but I didn't. I chose to not let my eyes tell me the truth, but to listen to my heart. You should do the same with Gina. You're hurting her." Jamie reached up and pulled him down for a longer kiss, her tongue exploring his warm mouth as he groaned and started to relax. Maybe she had overreacted just a tad, but at least it hadn’t been in front of anyone.
"Alright. I'll try." He kissed her once more, quickly. "You’d better not be having another private dinner with my brother."
She popped his butt and walked to the door. "Your sandwich is on the table right by his. Get in there and I'll grab you a beer. We're not doing anything that you wouldn't be invited to by both of us."
"Good answer. You've been trained well." He smirked as she glanced back and gave him a warning look.
"Watch it, mister. I know where you sleep."
"Mmmm... you do, don't you?" He moved up behind her and squeezed her rear as they walked into the living room. "I don't just sleep in there."
"Really? I'm trying to eat. Shit," Mark teased, and pretending to toss his sandwich down in disgust, only to pick it back up half a second later.
When Alex relented, life could be really good. It would be up to Jamie to help figure out how to get him to relax more often. Sex was one way, but there had to be others too. Ones that Mark and Gina could help with. She dismissed the thought and worked instead to enjoy the evening with her two favorite guys.
Chapter 8
One Week Later
Things were getting better between Alex and his brother, which was a relief and a half. Jamie needed Alex to have someone else he could talk to, and trust. The two of them had been to play golf twice in the last week. Or, to the indoor driving range, as Alex had corrected her several times, Mark rolling his eyes and mouthing ‘women’. It helped things around the office, and within a week or so, everyone was back to acting more like themselves.
After trying to get Jake to join her on her morning jog for thirty minutes, she finally gave up and locked him back up in the house, but stopped short. She wanted him to learn to be her jogging companion, even if she had to play hard ball with him for a while. After filling up her pocket with treats, she got him back on the porch and chucked one a few feet in front of him.
"Get it, boy. Get it." He took off, and she barely hung onto the leash as he did. "Never in a million years would anyone's dog get fat from jogging, but mine’s going to."
Using the treats, she made it a mile down the road before it was time to turn back. Seeing that she had no more enticement for the dog, she just ran and tugged him along softly from time to time. After a few minutes, he got the hang of it and actually moved ahead of her.
Something must have caught his attention, because he jerked out in front of her and ran across the road, tugging the leash from her hands.
"No! Jake, no!" She took off after him, not paying attention to the cars headed her way. The one racing toward her clipped her leg, and sent her flying to the side of the street. She hit the ground hard and rolled, trying to assess if she was okay.
A truck pulled to a stop and a middle-aged guy with boots and a heavy jacket jumped out. "Oh, my goodness! Are you okay, miss?" He dropped down beside her and reached out, touching her shoulder gingerly. "That asshole drove off without stopping. Unbelievable."
"I'm okay. Just twisted my ankle a little." Jamie pushed back the burn of tears and sat up. "I'm good, but thank you for checking." It could have been worse. A lot worse.
Jake leapt into her lap and licked at her frantically.
"Alright, you need a ride home, or are you able to walk?" He lifted his eyebrow before reaching out and rubbing Jake's head.
"I can walk, but thank you." She didn’t the man to know where Alex’s house was, even if he did seem friendly. She pulled the dog close and waited until the friendly guy left to try to get up. She could stand, but couldn't put much pressure on her ankle. "Damn."
Pulling out her phone, she called Alex, but the call went to voicemail. Gina's did the same. She considered calling her sister or mom, but decided that she'd rather roll home than talk to either of them.
She dialed Mark's number, knowing that Alex's younger brother wouldn't be put off by her calling. He was becoming a good friend.
"Hey. What's up?" His voice was as chipper as it always was. The man never seemed to be in a bad mood.
"Hey. I need you to come pick me up. I'm sorry to bother you, but Alex and Gina aren't answering their phones." Jamie let out a quick sigh and let the dog down. After wrapping the handle of his leash around her wrist several times, she hobbled over to the large fence behind her and leaned against it.
"Car trouble?"
"No. I went for my morning run, and the dog ran out into the road. A car clipped my leg as he sped by me, and I hit the ground."
"Holy shit, Jamie! Are you alright?" Panic filled his voice, which warmed her heart.
"Yeah. I'm okay, just can't put any pressure on my ankle. I'm about a mile south of the house on the main road. Can I beg you to—"
"I'm on my way now. Stay put. You want me to stay on the phone with you? I don't mind." His breathing had gotten a little off. He had to be moving fast, which meant a lot to her. Alex would have done the same thing if she could have just gotten in touch with him.
"No. I'm okay. Just take your time. No rush." She hung up and glanced down at the dog. "You're almost more trouble than you're worth, mister."
He jumped and danced around at her feet, causing a smile to fill her face. He might be a pain, but, much like Alex, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. She
loved him far too much.
She waited patiently for Mark, thankful the weather was a few degrees warmer than the cold spell they had been having.
Fifteen minutes later, he pulled up along the side of the road and rushed to help her into Alex’s car.
"Thank you so much, Mark. I really appreciate—"
"Jamie. It's good." He glanced over at her and reached out, squeezing her hand. "You're like a sister to me. I would do anything for you. Even steal my brother’s car.”
She looked around and chuckled. “You didn’t ask Alex?”
“He was busy. I was in a rush.”
Her heart swelled at the thought of having someone like him in her life. Losing Alex meant even more now than it had before, because she would lose Mark as well. Nothing was going to happen to them, but some part of her couldn't help but worry about it. "Well, thank you. Let's stop for a coffee before we go to the office. My treat."
“You need to have that ankle looked at.”
She waved her hand. “It’s fine. I’ll put a wrap on it and wear sneakers to work today.”
He drove her home and helped her into the house. She hobbled to her room and changed quickly, slipping into a pair of sparkly Converse sneakers.
Twenty minutes later, the dog was fed and taken care of and they were on their way back to the office. She leaned back, glad to have gotten home, changed, and back on the way to work before she would normally be in the office. Not that Alex was a stickler over it, but there was no need to have him upset over something trivial. Better to just be on time.
"Gina called in sick this morning, so Alex has Paul holding down the front desk until you get there." Mark pulled up to the coffee shop just down from the office. "No drive-thru? It's freezing out there."
"Stay here, and I'll go." Jamie started for the door before realizing that her ankle wasn't going to let her go anywhere.
The smile on Mike's face was comical. "Yeah. Take your crippled ass in there and get us two coffees. I want a scone to while you're at it."
"Shut it." She popped him in the chest and pulled out her credit card. "I just want a toffee latte. No scone for me, but get what you want."
"Should we get Alex something?" Mark opened his door and shivered.
Jamie laughed. She had thought it was warmer than yesterday. "Yeah. Get him and Paul the daily special, whatever it is." She nodded toward the door. "Get out and shut that. It's cold in here."
"Yeah, Yeah." He closed the door and ran toward the shop as she leaned back and let out a sigh.
Mark needed a woman. A good woman. Maybe she could set him up with Gina, but she'd have to ask him first. Gina seemed like the 'acquired' sort of taste where women were concerned. She was bossy and extremely bull-headed. Mark needed a soft, sweet, sensitive woman to love him through all the heartache of his past and give him a soft place to land in the future.
Jamie's phone buzzed and she pulled it out, seeing that Alex was calling.
"Hi boss." She smiled as he scoffed. Funnily enough, he loved her calling him that eight months prior, but now he couldn't seem to stand it.
"Where are you? Any clue where Mark is?" He was stressed. Surprise, surprise.
"I got clipped by a car this morning on my job and Mark came to pick me up. My ankle's not being cooperative."
"You got what?" Alex's voice rose significantly. "How? Where?"
"I’m okay." She unlocked the door for Mark was he walked back to his truck that had finally arrived a few days before. "I don't know who did it. They drove off. But I'm good. I'll be in the office shortly."
"Come see me the minute you get here." He let out a soft growl. "And why the hell didn't you call me? Why Mark first?"
"I did call you. I called you and then Gina." Jamie huffed. "You didn't answer, and Mark did. It's no big deal. You owe him a thank you for taking care of me. He stole your car to grab me, by the way.” She shot Mark an innocent look when his eyes and mouth both grew big. She nearly laughed but managed to hold it in.
"Tell him to drive careful and come straight here."
"Please?" A smile tugged at her. She was teasing him, but he needed to calm down.
"Please."
They hung up and she turned to Mark, shaking her head. "I'm thinking your brother is going to find himself in an early grave due to too much stress in his life."
"Well, he does run a huge company, and his girlfriend just happens to jump out in front of cars and shit. Thanks for selling me out, by the way." He smirked and pulled into the company parking garage. "I'll carry the coffees. Do you need me to carry you too?"
"That would not go over well." Jamie got out of the truck and carefully walked toward the elevator. "See? I can do this. I'm just going to take it easy."
"Yeah right." Mark held the door for her and they made idle chit-chat until they reached the office.
She took her coffee and Alex's from him and smiled. "Thanks again."
"Anytime." He walked down the hall as she knocked on Alex's door with her elbow. "Just me."
He opened the door and took the coffees, both of them. "Get in here."
She hobbled in and started to sit down as he set the coffees on his desk, and pulled her into a tight hug instead. The fear on his face was almost palpable.
"You're okay?" He kissed her several times in quick succession.
"I’m fine. Just a crazy, freak accident. I think I bruised my ankle from landing weird, but, other than that, I'm good. Jake’s fine too." She wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted up as a yelp left her.
"Hey. Be careful." He moved down instead, kissing her lovingly. "You need to watch your surroundings a little better. I don't think I would survive if anything happened to you."
"The dog ran out in the road, but you're right. I'll be more careful."
"Just grab me or Mark for your morning runs. Or use the treadmill. I’d rather you do that anyway.”
“And let our guard dog get fat?"
“Luckily there haven’t been any more break-ins, so I think we’re safe.”
"You need to get the damn alarm fixed, silly. We’ve had this conversation." She patted his chest and moved back, taking her coffee and hobbling to the door. "Gina's sick?"
"Yes. I'm not sure what's up with her, but she called in again." He brushed his fingers by his lips. "You okay manning the desk for me today?"
“In exchange for what?” She glanced slyly at him.
He grinned innocently. “In exchange for calling the security company and getting the house alarm reset.”
"Alright. I can do that."
His eyes moved down her body slowly. "Come in here later and let's have a long, drawn-out meeting. Find a spot on my calendar and make it yours."
"I'd like that." She wagged her eyebrows and hobbled toward the door to his office. “I’ll even promise to be friendly at Gina’s desk.” She closed his door, smiling at his laughter behind it.
The pretty blond from a few days before was standing at Gina's desk. "Oh, hi! I'm sorry. I'm Kristen. I came by to see Alex the other day, but he was out of the office. Do you think I could visit with him now?"
"Let me check his schedule; if it's free, then you bet." Jamie made her way to the desk and glanced down, noticing that he was filled up except for lunch. "He's open right at lunchtime, but packed until then. Is it an emergency?"
The girl wasn't familiar, but that didn't mean much. Jamie had only been with Alex for less than a year. He had more family and friends that she didn't know about than the ones that she did.
"Lunch is good. I'll take him out if that's okay." She lifted her eyebrow and something inside Jamie's stomach tightened. Jealousy was a horrible feeling, and she pushed it away as best she could.
"Yeah. Sure. Let me just get you down. How did you say you knew him?" Jamie picked up her pen and leaned over, writing the girl’s name on the schedule.
"We grew up together. We were friends in high school." She smiled sweetly. "Thanks for getting me in to see him. I'll be back
at twelve on the dot."
"Great. We’ll be here," Jamie mumbled as the pretty girl walked toward the elevator.
Perfect. More competition.
Chapter 9
The morning went by smoothly, as Alex's clients showed up on time, and Mike worked with Paul on the upcoming audits. The call from IT a few days before had revealed that the extra ID was actually for Alex, but Jamie hadn't mentioned it to him. It was his company. If he wanted to set up an extra expenditure ID to use to go to the grocery store or anywhere else, that was his prerogative. She even wondered if it was for Murray, the caterer Alex has working for him.
A ding on Gina's laptop caught Jamie's attention, and she turned to answer the e-mail. It was from Nicholas who wanted to let Gina know that he would be a few minutes late to lunch.
"Late to lunch?" Jamie's eyebrow rose as she sat back in her chair. She'd gotten behind on her own duties thanks to Gina calling in twice over the last week. If the woman was sick, it was fine, but from the looks of things, it didn't seem that way.
She typed him a quick message back, asking where they were meeting again, and writing down the restaurant. It wasn't any of her business, but this was Alex’s dime and his business. If Gina was thinking about leaving Alex's company, then they needed to know. She wasn't the kind of person who would just up and leave, but with Nicholas tugging at her with the promise of more than just a job, maybe she did already have one foot out the door. Bumping into them casually with Paul and Mark wouldn't be that big a deal.
It would have been nice to take Alex, but he had a date with a cute cheerleader who had a smile that was sure to melt hearts.
Speaking of.
Jamie glanced up as Kristen walked from the elevator and stopped tentatively by the desk.
"Hi again. Your morning go okay?" the pretty girl asked as Alex walked came into the lobby from his office.
"Thanks for asking. It was—" Jamie was cut off by Alex's loud exclamation.
"Kristen Rodgers? No way!" He walked toward her and scooped her up in a warm hug. "Oh, my goodness! It's been years. How’ve you been?" His eyes shone. “You look fantastic!”
