by Lexy Timms
Screw it! That dress was hers.
Chapter 8
On Monday, Jamie spent most of the morning in the office on her own. Gina called in sick and Alex sent her a text message to say he was meeting clients out of the office. When she messaged him back to confirm he would be back in so she could let other investors and trade companies know, he didn’t reply.
Answering both phones, hers and the front office, had her running back and forth between both rooms and barely able to get anything else done. She had a contract that needed to be written, and a million other things to get done. Busy was a good thing, it kept her from worrying if Alex had taken the meetings out of the office as a way to avoid her after their last encounter in her apartment suite. She had been hoping that things would go back to normal, like when they had slept together.
It had taken weeks to find the flow and act normal, and even then they still had lingering looks and unspoken words. Or maybe it was just her. Maybe she was imagining all this shit because she had the hots for him. It was just a crazy physical attraction. It had to be. Why else would she be having wet dreams about him?
She made herself a protein shake for lunch and stayed in the front office behind Gina’s desk, her Mac notebook in tow.
After trying to call Alex a third time, she gave up, almost throwing her cell across the room in frustration. “Answer your damn phone, dickhead!” she hissed as she tossed the phone on the desk.
“Remind me not to tick you off.”
Jamie jumped at the sound of a male voice.
Mark stood just outside the elevator, a smile playing on his lips, his arms crossed. He carried himself with the same confidence his brother did.
She froze when she saw him. "Um, Alex isn't in, right now," she mumbled, her face heating up.
"I know," Mark said and moved toward her. "I made sure he wasn't. I didn't want you to get in trouble for seeing me.” He grinned. “Plus, all he would have done is throw me out of here again."
"You wanted to see me?" Jamie raised her eyebrows. This couldn’t be good.
"Yeah." Mark cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably.
What was she supposed to do? Kick him out or listen to what he had to say? Alex wasn’t here to make the executive decision. “How about we go into my office to talk?” She checked her watch and then set Gina’s phone to call-answer like Gina did when she took her lunch break.
Mark nodded and followed her into her office. He moved to the chair in front of Jamie's desk. "May I sit? I promise to only take up a few minutes of your time. I don’t want you to get in trouble, but this is very important."
"Yes, of course." Jamie gestured toward the chair and then settled behind the desk in hers. She watched him, taking a moment to really study him. He looked similar to Alex, but even though he looked older than Alex, Jamie knew he was younger. There were dark circles under his eyes, and the callouses on his hands were noticeable, even at a distance, and while he was dressed nicely, it was not the same expensive taste Alex had. Like Alex but completely different. Jamie wasn't much of an expert when it came to clothes, but Mark dressed like she did—middle class—at least before Alex bought her new work clothes.
Mark watched her at the same time. Probably wondering why Alex would hire a person like her. Or maybe why she worked for a person like Alex.
There was definitely something weighing heavily on Mark's mind. "What do you want to talk about?"
“Our father." Mark cleared his throat. “My father.” He hesitated and Jamie noticed his jaw twitch as he tried to figure out how to explain things to her. "Alex and my dad. He's sick. He has cancer. Alex doesn’t know. Or maybe he does and chose not to acknowledge it.” Mark shrugged and sighed. “For the past three months Dad’s been doing chemo and radiation. But it’s not working. He's not sure how much time he has left.” His jawline twitched again as he fought to control his emotions. He straightened and cleared his throat again. “He really wants to make peace with everyone and right his wrongs. He’s been trying to get a hold of Alex for a long time now, but he won't answer Dad’s calls or emails." Mark ran his fingers through his hair, a gesture that reminded Jamie a lot of Alex. "There have been a lot of wrongs. On all our parts, but Alex needs to come see Dad. I need you to convince him of that.”
Alex’s father had cancer and he didn’t know? That was awful and so terribly sad. She wanted to cry for the man in front of her and his brother. She didn’t know them except for a picture on the wall and her heart broke for the pain they must be going through.
She felt bad for Mark, but also for Alex. What could be so bad that you wouldn’t want anything to do with your own family? She had a crazy, overbearing one and yet she still loved them. Not enough to want the stress of being a maid of honor in a wedding party, but she wouldn’t miss her sister’s wedding no matter how mad she was at Christine. Alex wasn’t a mean guy, he was a ruthless businessman, but as a person he was kind and considerate. She’d never heard him talk down anyone, well, except Nicholas and Stephen, but that didn’t really count. Those instances were circumstantial. "What makes you think I can convince him?" Jamie asked. "I'm his assistant. I haven't even been working here that long. I've known him for less than a year."
A ghost of a smile graced Mark's lips for a brief second. "That may be true, but I saw the way my brother looks at you. We might be estranged, but I can still read my brother. I can tell he respects you.” He opened his mouth to say more, but Jamie cut him off.
“I work hard for that respect. He’s asked me to stay out of his personal life and what you are asking of me, isn’t something I feel comfortable doing.” She stared down at her hands, feeling ashamed for wimping out and not being willing to help.
“I've never seen Alex look at a woman the way he looks at you."
Jamie’s head shot up. "I think you're trying for a Hail Mary pass here, Mark. You only saw us in the same room for a split second, and in that second he yelled at both of us and threatened to fire me." Mark had no idea what Alex thought of her.
"Oh, I remember," Mark said and chuckled. "The last time Alex and I saw each other, about a decade ago, wasn't very pretty. So, he was very angry to see me again. But none of that anger was directed at you. He would have hired you back later that day if you hadn't called security." He raised his eyebrows and grinned, looking a lot like his brother. “Probably. He probably would have hired you back.”
"I highly doubt that." Jamie rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I can't make any promises, but I'll try and talk to him. If I lose my job, he probably won’t hire me back again."
Mark smiled, relief clear on his face as he laughed. "Thank you," he said. "From me and my family."
"No promises,” Jamie repeated and stood. "But you’ve totally read Alex wrong. I have little to no persuasive skills when it comes to him, probably even less so if it pertains to his family. But I'll try, for the sake of your father."
"That's good enough for me." Mark stood and moved toward the main office. "My flight leaves in two hours. If he does decide to come back, tell him the address hasn't changed at all, okay?" He hit the elevator button.
Jamie nodded and swallowed. She had no idea if she was even going to see Alex today, or if they would get a chance to talk. “I will." She felt bad making a promise she was likely unable to keep. She held out her hand as the elevator door opened. "It was nice meeting you, Mark. All the best with your father. I hope we meet again under better circumstances."
"You and me both," he said and shook her hand.
After he left, Jamie sank onto Gina’s desk and groaned. What the hell had she gotten herself into?
Chapter 9
Alex didn't come back to the office until after six. Jamie had moved back to her own office by then and was working on printing off the contract. Alex stuck his head into her office. "You’re still here, Ms. Connors?" he said. "Why don't you go home?"
"Just finishing up. Gina was out sick so I had to cover both desks.” She turned her back to him as sh
e spun around in her chair to grab the contract off the printer. When he didn’t respond she glanced back. He nodded and went to close her door. “Actually,” she called out, “I’ve something to talk to you about." She got up from her desk and followed him into his office before he could stop her.
Alex looked at her, a flurry of emotions playing across his face before his unreadable mask slid back into place. "If it's about Friday, then—"
"It's not about Friday," Jamie said quickly, grabbing the chair across from Alex's desk and pulling it around the desk so there was nothing between them but air. "It's not about us or work, actually."
"Then what's with the furniture arrangements?" Alex asked, his eyebrows raised. Thankfully, he didn’t move away. "This definitely feels a little too personal for business matters, and you’re sure it’s not personal?" Even now, Jamie could see a trace of hunger in his eyes. But she didn't let herself grow warm at the sight of it. She knew that it would be gone in a second and it was no use indulging herself in silly fantasies.
"It’s personal, but not about us,” she confirmed. “Mark came to see me."
"Mark? Here?" he snarled. "Dammit! I banned him from this office. Why the hell would he come back?”
“He came to see me.”
“Why the hell would he want to see you?" His eyebrows raised and he pulled his chair back an inch. “You haven’t—”
She realized what he was referring to and quickly cut him off. “No! No. No, not at all.” She rolled her eyes. "He came because you refuse to see him." Jamie wrung her hands together, suddenly not sure how this conversation was going to go. Alex was not going to like her butting into his family business. She was walking a thin line. She swallowed. "He's hoping I might talk some sense into you."
"He's wrong. Whatever it is he wants, I'm not giving." He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. “Money?”
“No.”
“I bet it’s money. I told him—”
"Alex, your father has cancer."
He froze. His mouth opened but no words came out. He closed it again and stared at Jamie, stunned. "What?" he whispered finally.
Jamie nodded and smiled sympathetically. "That's why he came by. Your dad wants to see you again.”
Alex stared at her, as if she’d grown a second head.
Uncomfortable with trying to pretend her boss was just her boss, she reached for his hand and lightly rested her fingers on the arm of his chair, too unsure to reach out and touch him. “Mark said something about your dad wanting to make amends… patch things up." Really? I had to say, ‘patch things up’? I have no idea what the issue is and I’m making it sound like their problem sounds like a quilt. “I’m sorry.”
"How long has he had cancer?"
Jamie shrugged helplessly. She had no idea. "He's been receiving chemo treatments for the past three months. That’s what Mark said."
Alex shook his head. He stared down at her hand on the arm of his chair before he straightened and pressed his lips together in a tight line. A sharp breath pushed through his nose. "It doesn't matter. It won’t change anything. That bastard can rot in hell for all I care."
Jamie moved back as if Alex had slapped her hand. She couldn’t believe he meant it. “You don’t mean that." Mark wanted her to try to talk to him, she’d have to give it a shot. Shoot, she’d come this far now and she knew the emotions that had crossed his face before he tried to bury them behind anger. "Whatever happened isn’t important. Don’t let your anger or your pride keep you from seeing him. You’ll regret it, trust me."
"Trust you?” Alex scoffed. “Let me tell you this: reconciliation is impossible and my pride has nothing to do with it," he snarled. "You don't know what he did, what they did. What they put me through. You have no fuckin’ idea."
"Then why don't you tell me?" Jamie asked quietly. "Please. I want to help. Your father's dying and wants to see you again. Your brother’s trying to make amends as well.” She moved forward on her chair so her knees pressed against his. “I know you're not happy with things as they are. Maybe I can help figure this out, but I can't do anything unless you tell me."
Alex glared at her for a long moment. It took everything in her not to say anything and just let him be. He stared at the wall then, the muscles in his jaw working as he got his thoughts and emotions under control. "It's a long story," he said finally.
“I’m not in a rush,” she offered.
Alex stood and held out his hand to help Jamie up. "Let's get out of here. I need a drink."
“Sure.” She was terrified that once they got in a car he would change his mind. “You want to head back to your place?”
He shook his head. “There’s a bar not far from here.”
They ended up at a bar about halfway between work and home. An off the road place that Jamie would never have pictured Alex going in to. It was a local tavern kind of place with deer heads and other stuffed animals staring blatantly at you from the wall. Alex pointed at a table under a moose head with massive antlers and walked to the bar to grab drinks.
Cautiously, Jamie slid on the bench under the elk, eying it with mistrust. There was a reason nobody was sitting by this area, hopefully it wasn’t because of the beast above them.
Alex came over to her a few moments later, carrying two pint glasses. “I don’t…” His words drifted off as he glanced above her and then back down to her face. He smirked but didn’t say anything as he cautiously leaned over and set a pale amber-yellow bubbling looking pint in front of her before sitting down on the chair across the table. He eyed the moose once more. “It’s cider. I wasn’t sure if you liked beer. I actually don’t really know what you drink, except expensive whisky.” He grinned. “And if memory serves me correctly, you don’t drink a lot of it.”
She blushed as she picked up her glass and tried a tentative sip. It was bubbly but light, almost fruity. “Cider? A girl’s version of beer?” She kind of liked the aftertaste and took another sip.
He chuckled. “Sort of.” He took a long swig of his dark amber glass.
They sat quietly for a few moments, both angled so they could watch the other customers talking and laughing where they sat.
"My dad always favored Mark over me," Alex began as Jamie sipped her drink and then set it down to lean closer so she could hear him. "Mark’s a couple years younger than me. Dad was in the Navy and ran our house like he ran his ship. Mark was the golden boy. The captain of the football team and baseball team. Straight A's. Student body president. The works.”
Jamie watched him, unsure of what to say when he stopped talking. She decided waiting was her best option. Alex would speak when he was ready.
He played with the beer-advertising coaster under his glass, staring intently at it as he spun it. “I did all right academically, but just did what I needed to get by. Classes didn't interest me and the extra-curricular at the school sure as hell didn't interest me. I liked sports, but not the kind they played in school." He shrugged. "Dad hated that I wouldn’t apply myself. He was always telling me I should be more like Mark. That I would end up nowhere if I didn't shape up.” He glanced at her briefly before looking back down, lost in his own memories. "His words just pissed me off. I tried even less in school, hung out with the kids I knew he would hate. Smoked, did pot. Anything to annoy him. It worked, I guess. He started calling my school weekly to check on my grades, if I was skipping class, see if I had gotten into trouble. I swear, he called every single one of my teachers every Friday to see if there was any missing homework assignments, and if there were, I wasn't allowed to leave my room until they were done." Alex swallowed. “And if he thought I was lying, he made sure I did extra work.”
"That sounds rough," Jamie ventured. "Maybe he was doing it because he loved you. Wanted you to push yourself instead of get into trouble."
"Yeah, that's exactly what my sixteen-year-old self-thought,” he scoffed. “I did my best to keep my resentment for Mark in check. After all, it wasn't his fault that he w
as so damn perfect, right? I could deal with my dad calling me a bum, and making me do Mark's chores whenever Mark had a game, but I resented it. He fucking had to be so perfect, and had no problem reminding me how awesome he was. He was cocky, like any teenage kid who had everything, along with the school’s most popular girl.” He rolled his eyes, and Jamie had the feeling Mark took Alex’s girl without asking. Or the girl maybe switched brothers because of popularity. “I started getting in trouble at school more often. Fights, cheating on tests, whatever. Then I got expelled and my dad flipped. Of course, it just made my home life even worse, giving me more anger I didn’t know how to deal with. Then one day, it was too much." Alex paused again and stared into his empty glass.
Jamie watched him, feeling sorry for the teenage boy who never was accepted by his dad for who he was. Had his dad just… what? Sat silently behind a phone while their mother crowed on and on about how perfect one child was and how fat the other one was? She shook her head, understanding his adolescent feelings more than he knew. She had seen Alex angry and remorseful before, but this was different. It was… shame. A lot of it. She took another sip of her cider and waited for him to continue whenever he was ready.
"I got into a bad fight with a kid at school," Alex said finally. "He had been joking around with his buddies about how his girlfriend finally let him get laid. And I use the word ‘let’ incredibly loosely. I could tell from how he was describing it that things were not completely consensual, and I knew his girlfriend was crying in the girl's bathroom while he described to everyone in the middle of the hallway the sexual acts she had begged him to do. It set me off, shit like that especially. So, I waited after school for him to come to his car and then I started whaling on him as hard as I could. I took out sixteen years of anger on that poor kid and left him barely conscious next to his car. I told him if he so much as touched that girl again, I was going to come back and finish the job."
