Conflict of Interest

by A. M. Kusi

  Simon waved her over and she walked to meet him. She couldn’t help but focus on his sculpted body when he took off his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow. Simon was fit and athletic, and she was human after all. But his wasn’t anywhere close to the god-like physique of Jax. No tattoos either. Harper pushed aside her disappointment as Simon asked, “Are you up for pizza and beer with the team to celebrate?”

  She looked up in time to see Jax watching her intently. “Definitely.”

  “Great. We can go to my place so I can shower first, if that’s okay?” he asked.

  “Sure.” Harper smiled. She glanced over to see Jax’s eyes flaming in fury, and his jaw clenched.

  Most of the players had already filed out. Jax was talking with Ethan. Growing up, she used to call River, Jax, and Ethan ‘the trio’ because ever since college, where one was, the others were sure to be around as well. River was still in Vermont, so today it was just Ethan and Jax.

  Harper glanced back to Simon. “I’ll meet you at the car. I want to talk to Jax for a minute.”

  Simon looked confused. “Oh, okay.”

  “You know he is my brother’s best friend, right?” she asked, trying to make him clear on their situation.

  Simon relaxed. “Oh, that’s right. I forget you and River are siblings sometimes. Yeah, see you in five,” he said as he walked off towards the parking lot.

  It was nice to know Simon didn’t see her as a little sister, even if it was because she and River had different fathers and didn’t look too much alike because he was biracial.

  Jax had picked up his bag and had begun walking away when Harper called to him, “Jax?”

  “What?” he snapped.

  “I—I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You looked upset. If you think it will be too weird, I can convince Simon to take me somewhere else.”

  “No.”

  “No? I should go somewhere else?” Harper asked, confused.

  “Come to the bar with your boyfriend. It will be fun.” Something about the look in Jax’s eyes made it clear that it would be anything but fun for him.

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” Harper said.

  “I forgot you don’t require much commitment in the beginning,” Jax said as he stormed off.

  She had never done anything like she had the night she’d first kissed Jaxton. But their connection had been so immediate and magnetic. She’d felt confident, and in turn, sexy. After they’d discovered each other’s identities, his rejection had stung. She wasn’t good enough for someone yet again. He had chosen her brother and father over her, just like everyone else had done in her life. Never seeing Harper for Harper, only who she was related to.

  She ran up to catch him. “Oh, slut shaming, are we? Pot, meet kettle. How dare you, Jaxton!”

  If he wanted to call her a slut, she would show him.

  After they had gone back to Simon’s for him to shower and change, Harper arrived at the bar with him. The more time she spent with Simon, the more he seemed to grow on her. There wasn’t fire there, but some heat. More importantly, he reciprocated her attraction.

  When they joined the table, the rest of the team was mostly there. Jax was sitting next to a beautiful woman with tan skin and dark eyes, who she didn’t recognize. She felt the burn of jealousy in her stomach, guessing that the woman was Jax’s date for the night.

  I don’t do relationships. His words echoed maliciously in her mind. She needed a drink, or three. They sat down and she ordered a manhattan.

  After two pieces of pizza and three and a half manhattans, Harper was feeling pretty great. She heard the song “Low” by Flo Rida come on, and she leaned over to Simon. “This is a great song to dance to.”

  He took her hint and pulled her onto the dance floor without a second’s hesitation. Harper started out dancing facing Simon, and grinding against him. He held her close, his hands on her hips, pulling her tighter against himself. His cologne smelled good, and the feel of his hands on her told her all she needed to know. Harper turned so that her ass was pressed against the growing hardness in his pants as she got low. Between the cocktails and the music, she got lost in the moment. Light and free. Forgetting about her worries as she felt Simon’s warm body pressing against hers. His hands held her and she felt wanted.

  ***

  Harper was rubbing her body all over Simon. Jax actually seethed with anger. His eyes were glued to the couple, and every muscle in his body was rigid with tension. He didn’t hear a word that was coming out of the mouth of the woman next to him that he’d met at the bar when he’d arrived. Jax was focused on Simon’s hands moving around Harper’s hips and down her thighs. He clenched his fists, reminding himself that he had been the one to tell her that this wouldn’t work. It wasn’t part of his plan. He didn’t have time for relationships. She was his best friend’s baby sister for fuck’s sake.

  When Harper had asked if she and Simon should come tonight, Jax had thought about seeing them having fun together. It would be absolute torture. But what would be worse was knowing Simon and Harper were out at another bar alone, where his imagination could put him through hell wondering what they were doing. It was better if he were there, for Harper’s protection, he told himself.

  Harper turned to face Simon with her arms wrapped around his neck. He recognized the glazed look in her eyes. The fact that he had watched her down several drinks only added to his apprehension. She was drunk. He knew from River that drunk Harper did things she regretted in the morning.

  Simon leaned down to kiss her just as his hands slid down her ass, and that was Jax’s breaking point. He flew up from the table and pulled her into him so fast that Simon and her both looked at him in stunned confusion for a minute.

  “What the hell?” Simon asked, his expression quickly turning to anger.

  “Harper is drunk, Simon. I need to take her home.”

  “She’s a grown woman and my date. I’ll take her home,” Simon said, getting in Jax’s face.

  “Look, you know I’m her brother’s best friend, right?” Jax asked.

  Harper looked silently between the men.

  “Yeah. So?” Simon crossed his arms.

  “So, I have been charged with keeping her safe. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to take her home and have her wake up regretting anything, especially since her dad is your boss.”

  “Look, I don’t know what kind of man you think I am,” Simon said defensively.

  “I think I’m going to throw up!” Harper said, loud enough to capture both of their attention.

  Suddenly Simon’s countenance changed and he took a step away from her. “Yeah, you know what? Thanks, man. I’ll call you tomorrow, Harper,” Simon said, as Jax led her outside the bar into the fresh air.

  “You can throw up over here,” Jax said.

  “I don’t need to.”

  “What?” Jax asked, confused.

  “I lied so you wouldn’t get in a fight, beat him up, and lose your job. Just call me a cab to take me home,” she said, leaning limply against him.

  Jax signaled a cab and helped Harper in before climbing in alongside her.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Taking you home.”

  “You don’t have to. You can stay with your date,” she said, looking out the dirty window of the cab.

  “She wasn’t my date.”

  “I forgot; you don’t do dates.” Her words gnawed at the pit in his stomach. It was the truth, and he had never been ashamed until he heard the accusation laced in her voice.

  Jax stayed silent the rest of the ride to her brownstone. He helped her out of the car, and steadied her as she walked up the stairs. Harper dropped her keys, and he retrieved them for her and unlocked the door before opening it.

  “I don’t need your help,” she said, gazing defiantly in his eyes, a slight
sway in her stance.

  He didn’t say a word as he picked her up in his arms and carried her inside. She laid her head on his chest, taking a deep inhale. She visibly relaxed against him, closing her eyes as he carried her into the dark house and towards the stairs.

  “Which one?” he asked.

  “Last one on the right,” Harper answered, directing him to her bedroom.

  He brought her to her bed and laid her down gently. As he pulled her shoes off one at a time, he let his hands linger on her ankles. She rolled over and he unzipped her dress. The sound seemingly reverberating off the walls, amplified by the dense night. He felt the heat from the smooth flesh of her back scorch his fingers.

  She was forbidden. Each lingering contact would only make what he had to do that much harder, but he couldn’t resist. His defenses had been shattered the moment he’d seen another man’s hands all over her. A savage need to protect and possess her all at once. The flash of rejection in her eyes when they were in the cab made him want to do whatever it took to prove to her she wasn’t the problem. He was. All of that had brought him here to this room, undressing her until she was only in a black strapless bra and matching lace panties. He wanted to bite her plump ass, before he slid inside from behind her. Ride her and spank her until all memories of another man’s hands on her were forgotten.

  She turned over on her back, exposed and vulnerable. Too damn trusting for her own good. Jax hesitated, watching her creamy skin prickle with gooseflesh, while blushing pink all over like she’d read his thoughts. He ran his hand down her cheek, over her neck, down the middle of her breasts, over her soft stomach, around the curve of her hip to the bottom of her feet. Desire blossoming, growing, pleading with him to just give in to the sweet relief she so readily offered. She shivered and let out the smallest gasp from her sweet mouth. He ground his teeth, denying himself, denying her what they wanted, what he needed. What he craved. She deserved more than one night.

  He turned to her dark dresser, opening her drawers one by one until he found what he was searching for. He picked out a T-shirt and helped her pull it over her head, covering the breasts he wanted to palm in his hands and suck on, and shielding the back he wanted to kiss, and press his fingers into while she groaned in pleasure from him being inside her.

  Harper sighed. “Jax.”

  God, even the way she said his name drove him insane. Why did he have to want what he couldn’t have so damn much?

  Jax went into her bathroom, before bringing her the cup of water and two Advil and helped her take them.

  He pulled the crisp comforter over her body. He didn’t want this moment to end. He wanted Harper so bad it hurt. But she didn’t just want his body; she wanted his heart. He couldn’t do that.

  Pressing his lips to the top of her head, he didn’t want to leave. He stood up. Seeing Harper so vulnerable, he wished with everything in him that things could be different.

  “Jax?” she asked, almost in a whisper.

  “Yeah?”

  “Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?” Her voice was small, like she expected him to refuse.

  He rubbed the back of his neck, knowing full well what an impossible task it would be to lie next to her and not make love to her. Make love. Something he never did. Jax fucked, clear and simple. Why did the one woman who was off limits to him make him feel things he never had before? He would sooner give up his life than disappoint her when she’d opened herself up to him. He knew what that was like, and he wouldn’t do it to her.

  “Okay,” he said, sliding next to her.

  He stayed on top of the comforter, pulling her back against his chest. Harper laid her head on his arm and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

  Jax woke just as the sun peeked through the windows of her bright white room. He panicked. Where was he and who he was with? Then he remembered the night before.

  He had planned to slip out after she was asleep, but then he didn’t want to risk waking her by moving his arm from under her. If he was being truly honest, he liked the feel of her in his arms, fitting so uniquely to him. Like her shape was made specifically for his body.

  He had fallen asleep, watching the rise and fall of her body in the moonlight.

  Jax needed to leave before she woke up. He carefully and gently pulled his arm from under her head. She stirred, but stayed asleep. He wiped the drool from his limb and slipped out unnoticed.

  Chapter 7

  Harper woke Sunday morning to an empty room. She saw the glass of water near her bed and gulped it down. Thankfully, her headache wasn’t too bad. She lay wrapped in the blanket that still smelled like Jax for a while, recalling the night. She had felt warm and safe in his arms as he’d carried her to her bedroom. She smiled remembering the sound of his heart thudding against her ear as she’d inhaled his scent: vanilla and something woodsy, like whiskey aged in oak barrels. She had felt aroused by his gentle touch and the care he’d taken when undressing her. A tear escaped the side of her eye before she could stop it.

  Always wanting what she couldn’t have, never being the one who was chosen when it mattered.

  It was best to end things with Simon. She knew in her heart they didn’t have enough between them for her to want to be in a relationship with him. And she felt guilty for using him to make Jax jealous. It was no wonder Jax still saw her as a girl; she had acted immaturely. No more games. She was going to focus on what she was there for.

  Simon called, just as he said he would, and agreed to meet her for coffee. She explained that she didn’t think it was going to work out to be anything more than acquaintances, because she still had feelings for someone else. Simon seemed disappointed, but he claimed he understood. He asked if they could still remain friends, and she assured him they would.

  ***

  Monday came and Harper walked into Jax’s office. He looked up, surprised to see her there so early. She set a coffee on the desk in front of him.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  He stopped what he was working on, grabbing the coffee. “It is now.”

  Something flashed in her eyes.

  “Now that I have caffeine, the day can begin,” he corrected. He didn’t want to give her false hope. He sipped the coffee and winced. “What the hell is this?”

  “A soy latte,” she answered matter-of-factly.

  “You know I drink my coffee black, right?”

  Harper shrugged. “I thought you could use some variety in your routine. Do you like it?”

  “No.”

  “Okay, well, one of these days, I will find a new drink that you like.”

  “I doubt it. I know what I want.” He was talking about more than coffee.

  Harper smirked. “Well, I also have to tell you, I was thinking about the hotel chain company we worked on last week. I came up with some ideas.”

  “Ideas?” he asked, thankful she didn’t bring up the other night.

  “Yeah.” Harper set a folder on his desk that he hadn’t noticed she’d carried in. He flipped open the files and saw her disorganized scribbles and color swatches mixed in.

  “What is this?” he asked.

  Harper leaned forward, showing off the modest cleavage in her light pink blouse. Jax cleared his throat and tried to pay attention to the disorganized plan in front of him.

  After thirty minutes of back and forth, he fully understood her idea and wondered why he hadn’t thought of it himself. Harper was a genius. She knew how to mix the right elements to communicate the mission of the business.

  “This is really good,” he said, standing with his hands on his hips.

  Harper bit her lip and looked up to him. “You think so?”

  “Yeah. We can present it to your dad today.”

  “Okay.”

  Harper stood and headed to the door, but hesitated after she opened it. “Jax?”

&
nbsp; “Yeah?” he asked, distracted by the papers in front of him. She’d had a brilliant idea, but he needed to organize it better before they presented it to David.

  “Thank you.”

  He looked up, his eyes meeting hers. He knew she meant about the weekend.

  “Of course,” he answered.

  An hour later, they were ready to present the plan to David. Her father was very pleased with the work. “These are just the kind of fresh ideas and initiative I’d hoped to see from you, Jaxton.”

  Jax glanced at Harper, seeing her eyes fall. “Actually, sir, this was Harper’s idea. I just organized it.”

  “Harper, you seem to be taking an interest finally. I see Jaxton’s hard work ethic seems to be rubbing off on you.”

  She nodded. Jax wasn’t sure what to make of the exchange. He hadn’t noticed that her father treated her differently to River before.

  “It seems I have some things to learn from her too. Harper saved me on this one. I was at a loss as to how to solve the issue.” Jax knew why he’d said the words before they left his mouth; his heart was speaking. His brain was now berating him for admitting to his weakness when he was supposed to be fighting for a promotion.

  “I see. Well, go put that teamwork to use and get to work on drawing up the formal plan for the hotel,” David said, dismissing them from his office.

  Jax grabbed her hand in the lobby and pulled her into his office, closing the door. “Are you okay?” he asked, concerned.

  “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” Harper pushed past him to take a seat.

  “Is he always like that with you?”

  “Like what?”

  “I’ve never seen him talk to, or about, River like that.”

  “Well that’s because my brother can do no wrong. In my father’s eyes, River is focused, driven, and knows what he wants in life. I on the other hand, travel and like to try out new things. I like to have fun sometimes, and think there are more important things in life than business,” Harper said, picking at an invisible piece of lint on her black pencil skirt.