Undeniably Theirs (Book Three)

by Ramona Gray

  “You’re in a chess club?”

  “Yep. Why are you so surprised?”

  “I’m not,” she said. “But you don’t look like the chess playing type. I mean, I can tell you work out, but…” Her gaze drifted over his upper body.

  She blushed when Jackson leaned forward and gave her a flirty grin. “I need to keep my body in shape for the…”

  He paused, and her heartbeat thundered in her ears. He was going to say sex, he was going to say for the sex he had, and lord have mercy, she was down with that. In fact, suddenly the idea of banging her co-worker didn’t seem all that crazy. She could be discreet, she could keep it under wraps that she was riding Jackson like a crazy cowgirl. As long as they didn’t bang at the office, no one would –

  “Basketball league.”

  “I’m sorry?” She gave Jackson a bewildered look.

  “I have to keep my body in shape for the basketball league I belong to.”

  “Oh right, of course.”

  He gave her another flirty grin. “What did you think I was going to say, Chloe?”

  “Uh…” Dammit, why did she have to blush so much? “I figured you to be more of a football guy, not basketball.”

  “Is that right?” Was it her imagination or did Jackson keep stealing little glances at her breasts?

  “Yes. So, um, tell me more about this chess club.”

  He leaned back, the flirty smile faded to his usual light-hearted one, and while her body was immediately disappointed, she knew it was for the best. She couldn’t sleep with Jackson. He was her damn co-worker.

  “I know you’re mocking me,” he said, “but since I love chess and will use any excuse to talk about it, I don’t care. Hell, by the end of it, you’ll be so impressed by my love of chess, that you’ll probably want to join the club too.”

  She laughed and ate another forkful of pasta. “Dazzle me with your chess talk. I’m ready.”

  * * *

  “Hey, Chloe?” Jane popped her head into the office. “You got a sec?”

  “I do. I was about to take a break.” Chloe smiled at the petite brunette. “Is that coffee for me?”

  “It sure is.” Jane handed her the coffee and sank into Jackson’s empty chair. “Where’s your office mate?”

  “Uh, I’m not sure. Meeting with Luke, maybe? Thank you so much for the coffee, Jane. You didn’t have to do that.”

  Jane sipped at her own coffee. “I wanted to. Luke told me last night that you got a contract to do design work for the company. Congratulations.”

  Chloe flushed with happiness. “Thank you. Amy had the contract ready yesterday. I read through it last night and then chatted with Amy this morning before signing it. She’s using one of my dress designs as well as a pair of pants and top for her new casual line, and she wants me to come up with another couple dress sketches for her to look at.”

  “That’s exciting,” Jane said.

  “It is. You have no idea.” Chloe could hear the giddiness in her voice, but she couldn’t reign it in. She couldn’t wait to get home and work on a few of the ideas already brewing in her head.

  Jane smiled at her. “I’m so glad for you. Hey, did you know Amy’s birthday is coming up?”

  Chloe shook her head. “I didn’t.”

  “I’m thinking of doing a surprise party for her not this weekend, but next, so keep your Saturday free, okay?”

  “Sure. Do you want some help planning it?”

  “Maybe. I’m going to talk to Mark about it, but I know he’s pretty busy right now, so I could probably use your help.”

  “All right,” Chloe said.

  “Hello.”

  Chloe’s stomach made a happy flutter when she heard Jackson’s voice.

  Stomach? Girl, it’s your pussy that’s fluttering and don’t try to deny it. Hell, at this point, you get wet just hearing his voice.

  She shoved her inner voice out of her head and smiled at Jackson as he walked into the office. Jane stood up and smoothed down her skirt before holding out her hand. “Hi there. I’m Jane, I work in finance. I don’t think we’ve met yet.”

  “Jackson Black. Nice to meet you, Jane.”

  “You as well. Anyway, I’ll let you get back to work, Chloe. I’ll text you later.”

  “Okay.”

  Jackson sat down at his desk and Chloe suppressed a grin when, the moment his back was turned to her, Jane fanned her face and gave Chloe a wide-eyed look of delight.

  “So hot,” she mouthed before fanning herself again.

  Chloe made a shooing motion with her hand and Jane grinned at her before walking out of the office.

  “So, is that the woman that Luke is dating?” Jackson asked.

  She gave him a look of surprise. “How did you know that?”

  He grinned at her. “What can I say? I’ve been sitting in the office staff room at lunch the past couple of days and the admin staff love to chat.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Office gossip is the worst.”

  “Yep,” Jackson agreed. “So, is she?”

  “Yeah. Jane and Luke have been dating a while. She lives with him, actually.”

  “So the boss dating an employee is why this office doesn’t have a ‘no dating the co-worker’ rule?”

  “I don’t know, I’ve never asked,” Chloe said. “I’m not interested in dating a co-worker so it’s not important to me.”

  “Ouch,” Jackson said with a small grin. “I’ll try not to take that personally.”

  “You shouldn’t. Besides, even if I did want to date a co-worker, I’m not sure the chess nerd is the guy for me. Rumour has it that Robert in inventory is involved in a secret underground fight club kind of deal. That’s…kind of hot.”

  “Robert in inventory is fifty-eight and wears a fanny pack. Nice try.”

  “You’ve worked here a week. How can you possibly know Robert from inventory already?”

  Jackson wiggled his eyebrows at her. “I’m incredibly charming. People love me.”

  She crinkled her nose at him and his grin widened. Ever since their date – dinner, Chloe, it was dinner, not a date – on Friday night, he’d been progressively flirtier with her. She should be telling him to stop. Instead she was encouraging it and maybe, in her own awkward way, flirting back a little.

  She really needed to stop, but it was fun to flirt with him. Fun to feel like maybe she would have a chance with someone who looked like Jackson.

  Why wouldn’t you? You snagged one Greek god, remember? Why couldn’t you snag another?

  Yeah, she remembered. Even a week and a half later, she could easily remember her mystery man. She had a feeling her brain and her pussy would never let her forget him.

  Her cell phone rang and she pulled it out of the drawer of her desk, her stomach curling when she saw the number. She took a nervous glance at Jackson. He had turned away to his computer and was reading his emails.

  She didn’t want to answer the call. Her finger hovered over the decline button before she hit answer. If she didn’t take the call, her nana would call the office and make the receptionist find Chloe.

  “Hi there. What’s up?”

  “Chloe?” Her grandmother’s voice was on the edge of tears and full of panic. “Chloe, it’s your sister, she’s in trouble.”

  Of course she was, Lori was always in trouble.

  “Can I call you back later?” She asked. “I’m at work and -”

  “No, it can’t wait!’ Her grandmother’s voice rose two octaves. “She’s been arrested, Chloe! She was arrested for-for prostitution yesterday.”

  Chloe sighed and rubbed at her temples. Her grandmother might be acting like this was a crisis, but it wasn’t the first time Lori had been arrested and it wouldn’t be the last. “Okay. I’ll go after work and take care of it.”

  “After work?” Her grandmother cried. “My precious baby cannot stay in that-that cell all day, Chloe. She said she’s been through the arraignment and just needs the bail money. You need to g
o right now.”

  “I can’t. I have a busy day and she’ll be fine where she is, until tonight,” Chloe said.

  “Fine? She’ll be fine? Do you know the filthy type of criminals in those places?” Her grandmother’s voice was full of horror. “What kind of sister are you to leave her in that awful place all day?”

  “She did this to herself,” Chloe’s voice was sharp, and she tried to rein in her impatience. “I can’t drop everything and -”

  “I can’t believe this. You – you’re not the girl I thought you were, Chloe. It’s fine though, if you don’t want to help your sister, I’ll go down to the station and do it myself.”

  “Nana, no!” Chloe stood up, only vaguely aware of Jackson turning in his chair to stare at her. “Do not go down there. Do you hear me? I will take care of it. Do not go there. Nana? Nana, are you there?”

  There was nothing but silence and she stared at the screen of her phone before stuffing it into her bag. “Shit, shit, shit.”

  “Chloe, what’s wrong?”

  She stared blankly at Jackson. “Uh, it’s a family thing. I have to go. I won’t be long, but can you let Luke know that I’ll be back in a couple of hours?”

  “Sure. Is there something I can do?”

  “No, but thank you.” She grabbed her purse and ran out of the office.

  Chapter Five

  “Excuse me, officer? Excuse me?”

  Ian turned around. An older woman, her short silver hair sticking up, and her too-thin body wrapped in a fur coat that had seen better days, was standing behind him.

  “How can I help you, ma’am?”

  “My granddaughter’s been arrested. She didn’t do anything, and they have her locked up somewhere in this building.” She clutched at his arm and gave him a panicked look. “She’s a good girl. She wouldn’t do what they said, officer. But I still have to pay her bail.”

  He patted her liver-spotted hand. “You’ll need to go to the front desk, ma’am. They’ll direct you to holding.”

  “Oh, thank you, officer. My granddaughter is innocent. She’s-she’s not a prostitute.” The old woman’s mouth was trembling, and he patted her hand again before opening the door to the station.

  He walked the woman to the front desk before heading to the back. Five minutes later he was at his desk, tuning out the sounds of his fellow officers and trying to get through his never-ending pile of paperwork.

  “Ian? Hey, Ian?”

  “Hey, Tony.” He nodded to the short and stocky man leaning against his desk.

  “Sorry I bailed on you the other night, my ma called and needed me to fix her washing machine again.”

  “A text would have been nice.” He leaned back in his chair as Tony gave him a sheepish grin.

  “Yeah, I know. Sorry, man. Let me make it up to you. Drinks tonight?”

  He shook his head. “Not tonight.”

  “C’mon, let me buy you one. I’ve had a fuck of a day and -”

  “I can’t. Jackson’s car is in the shop and I’m picking him up from work,” Ian said.

  “So, pick him up and bring him along,” Tony said. “I haven’t seen old Jackie boy in forever.”

  “Not tonight,” Ian repeated.

  “All right, another night then. Have a good one.” He walked away. “Rick? Hey, Rick? You wanna catch a drink tonight?”

  Ian tapped his pen on the stack of papers before leaning forward and staring blankly at the top page. Fuck, he needed to get his head in the goddamn game or he wouldn’t finish before he had to leave to pick up Jackson. Too bad he still couldn’t stop thinking about his mystery woman. He’d masturbated every night to thoughts of her, and he was still horny as hell.

  He sighed and tried to focus on the paperwork. Maybe what he needed to do was go out this weekend with Jackson and find a warm and willing woman to help him forget all about the redheaded spitfire.

  * * *

  Chloe ran up the steps of the police station. It had taken her forever to get there. The roads were slick from the afternoon snowstorm, traffic was a tangled snarl of a nightmare, and then she’d had to drive around for almost fifteen minutes before she found a parking spot.

  She slipped on a step and grabbed the ice-cold railing to save herself from falling on her ass. The door to the station opened, and her heart sunk when her grandmother, wearing her favourite fur coat, stepped out into the bitter wind. She was followed by Lori, and Chloe tried not to wince. Her sister was wearing a leather jacket with a thin tank top under it, a skirt that barely covered her ass and thigh-high boots. Her long red hair was a dirty and knotted mess. Her sister may not have been an actual prostitute, but she was doing a bang-up job of dressing like one.

  “Nice of you to show up,” Lori said.

  Chloe held her tongue as they walked down the steps past her. She followed them to the sidewalk, grabbing Lori’s arm when they didn’t stop. “Next time, call me, not Nana.”

  “Why?” Lori turned to face her, and Chloe grimaced when the scent of stale beer and cigarettes washed over her. “So you could leave me in jail to rot?”

  “I would have bailed you out, Lori. I always do, don’t I?”

  “You act like I’m always getting arrested. One time and -”

  “This is the second time since you left rehab and the fourth time this year.”

  Lori glared at her. “You’re such a bitch, Chloe. You think you’re better than me, you think -”

  Chloe sighed wearily. “Keep your voice down. You’re upsetting Nana.”

  “No, you upset her when you refused to come get me.”

  Chloe glanced at her grandmother as Lori gave her a triumphant grin. “That’s right. Nana told me how you refused to come bail me out. I’m sitting in jail for nothing, and you won’t even -”

  “It wasn’t for nothing. It was for prostitution, Lori. Again. What are you thinking? You can’t -”

  “Oh, of course you believe the cops,” Lori sneered. “I couldn’t have been falsely arrested, right? Not your fuck up of a sister. You think you’re so perfect, Chloe, you think that your shit don’t stink, but you know what? You’re as bad as I am. At least I’m not a self-righteous, stuck-up bitch who doesn’t give a shit about her family.”

  “Girls, stop it.” Her grandmother’s voice was full of tears. “You know I hate it when you fight.”

  “She started it,” Lori said sullenly. ‘She thinks she’s better than me.”

  “I don’t,” Chloe said. “But you have a drinking problem and if you would go back to rehab and -”

  “Shut the fuck up about rehab,” Lori said. “Jesus, it didn’t work, okay? I tried it and it didn’t fucking work. I’m not going back.”

  “Instead you’ll keep using Nana and her money to buy you booze and bail you out of jail? She’s on a fixed income, Lori. You’re taking the money she needs for her meds and for food.”

  Lori slapped her hard across the face. Her head rocked back and she made a startled cry. Her grandmother moaned, and tears slipped down her wrinkled cheeks. Lori bared her teeth at her. “Stop talking to me like you’re my mother. Nana’s doing fine and having me there is helpful to her. Isn’t that right, Nana?”

  “Yes,” her grandmother whispered.

  Chloe pressed her hand against her cheek. It was hot to the touch and pain was radiating down into her neck.

  “C’mon, Nana, let’s go. It’s fucking freezing out. We need to stop at the store and pick up some beer.” Lori took her grandmother’s arm in a firm grip.

  “Nana, don’t,” Chloe whispered.

  Her grandmother hesitated, and Lori made an impatient noise. “She wanted to leave me here. Remember, Nana?”

  Her grandmother straightened and gave Chloe a sad look. “You should be nicer to your sister, sweetie. She needs your support.”

  She and Lori walked away before Chloe could reply. Chloe rubbed her cheek and watched them walk down the sidewalk before turning and trudging back to her car. Her cheek was throbbing, and she wante
d to burst into tears. Instead, she rubbed delicately at the skin beneath her eyes and stared at herself in the rear-view mirror. Her face was pale except for the bright red mark on her cheek, and her eyes were watery with the unshed tears.

  She turned the car on, blasting the heater on full, and checked the time. She wanted to go home, have a hot shower, climb into bed, and pretend the day had never happened. Instead, she pulled out onto the street and headed back to the office.

  * * *

  Jackson stepped into his office. The offices around his were dark and he hadn’t seen anyone on his way back from Luke’s office. The receptionist for their floor seemed to be the only one left. His meeting with Luke had gone a little long, but Ian had texted him to say he was stuck in traffic and would be late. He’d have enough time to –

  “Chloe?” He stared in surprise at the back of her head. “What are you doing here?”

  “What’s it look like? I’m working.” She didn’t turn around and he hesitated before walking toward her.

  “I thought you had a family thing.”

  “I did. I took care of it and came back to work.”

  He touched her shoulder. “Chloe, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” She pulled away from his touch. “I’m fine.”

  “You’re not fine,” he said. “Please look at me.”

  “I don’t want to,” she whispered.

  “Please, Chloe.”

  She sighed and turned around. His eyes widened, and he touched the bright red mark on her cheek before he could stop himself. “Who did this to you?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  Anger was filling him up. “Yes, it fucking does matter. Who did this, Chloe?”

  She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Just leave me alone, okay? I’ve had a long day and I -”

  “Tell me who hurt you, honey.”

  He hadn’t meant to call her that, the endearment had just slipped out. But the moment it did, her face crumpled and she burst into tears.

  “Shh, it’s okay.” He pulled her to her feet and put his arms around her. She buried her face in his neck and sobbed.