THE NOT-SO-DARK DAYS…
Pepper is hovering. It is so unlike her, but she won’t leave me alone. I have to figure out a way to convince her that I’m okay. She won’t do anything except go to work, and even then, I practically have to push her out the door.
“Want me to go with you to see Dr. Sweeney?” she asks while she pops her gum at me. “No, Pepper. I can go alone. You haven’t visited your dad lately. Maybe you should pay him a visit,” I suggest to her.
She pulls her feet out of my lap and sits up. “Andi, are you okay? I mean, I know you seem more like yourself, but I still feel like something is missing. Please tell me if you’re not okay. I can’t lose my best friend,” she confides, eyes tearing up.
I pull her foot back to me and continue to paint her big toe nail. “I’m fine, Pepper. Dr. Sweeney is helping me realize that I am better off without Bray. I’ve felt the best I have felt in a really long time. I am thankful for your careful watching over me, but I’m going to be okay so you can take it down a few notches. Enjoy your new job at the museum because I’m doing just fine.”
She stares at me for a few moments and nods once. Continuing to pop her gum while deep in thought, she lets me finish her toes and never brings it up again.
We drove for about thirty minutes across town. When we got to a charming little street with townhouses adorned with boxed flowers in the windows and ornate light fixtures on the porches, I could hardly contain my excitement.
“Where are we going?” I asked, admiring the homes as we passed. “You’ll see,” he teased. We sat holding hands until we pulled up in front of one of the homes. He helped me out of the car and we walked up to the front door. Before we could knock, the door flew open, revealing a willowy, dark-haired woman. Her eyes were twinkling when she saw our joined hands and she smiled widely. She was quite beautiful for an older woman.
“Hey, Mom. This is Andi,” he greeted, introducing us. My belly fluttered with nervousness at the fact Jackson had brought me to meet his mother. I wish he would have prepared me a little better. She pulled me in for a hug and I couldn’t help but giggle at her forwardness. Jordan must get his affectionate personality from his mom.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Compton,” I laughed.
“Oh rubbish, call me Trish. You’ll make me feel old otherwise,” she scolds me.
I chuckle because it reminded me of Jordan yesterday.
“Please, come inside. I just made some coffee and there’s a cobbler in the oven.” We followed her inside and I admired the way she had decorated her home. It was eccentric but warm, just like Trish. I instantly loved her. My own mother was cold and distant, so I reveled in Trish’s attention.
She motioned for us to sit at the small table in the kitchen while she went to the oven to pull out the cobbler. From the smell of it, we were having blackberry. My mouth watered just thinking about it.
Jackson pulled my hand into his lap and winked at me. After Trish scooped ice cream on our cobblers, she brought them to us. Jackson and I dug right in while she poured us some coffee before joining us at the table.
“So tell me a little about yourself, Andi,” Trish said.
I closed my eyes when I took a bite because it was absolutely heavenly. “Wow, this is delicious, Trish. Um, let’s see. I graduated from Columbia with a Bachelor’s in Architecture. I room with my two best friends, Pepper and Olive. This summer I started photographing buildings. I found it very therapeutic. And most obviously, I love food. I woke up one day recently with a new appreciation for it,” I remarked, glancing at Jackson, who was listening aptly.
The photography had started when my doctor told me I needed to find something to focus on. A hobby. Nothing had interested me whatsoever. One day, while staring at a beautiful building in the heart of the city, I wished I could freeze the image and commit it to memory. The idea to photograph it had come at that moment and I’d been doing it ever since. I’d even taken an online course to learn more about my thrift store camera.
“Well, Jackie here must be smitten with you. He doesn’t bring around girls. Not since Nadia,” she confided knowingly.
He stopped her from revealing more, “Mom, Andi doesn’t want to hear about past relationships and neither do I.”
She frowned but changed the subject. “How’s Jordie? He’s too busy these days running the firm to come see me. Tell him I’m mad that I haven’t seen his precious face in three weeks,” she said, apparently miffed.
He laughed at her pouty face. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll take pleasure in telling him that I’m now your favorite,” he grinned as he teased her.
After we finished our coffee, Jackson stood up from the table. “Mom, we need to get going. It’s late and I need to take Andi home,” he lied through his teeth. I rolled my eyes at him but stood up and grabbed hold of his hand.
“Okay, kids, but I want you both over for dinner on Saturday. If you can get your brother to come, please do. Tell him to bring a date,” she winked at Jackson.
She hugged us both and walked us to the door. “Hold on a sec!” Trish scurried back into the kitchen and came back with a plate covered with foil and a thermos. “Give this to George.” She smiled broadly.
Jackson laughed and shook his head, taking it from her as we headed out the door.
THE NOT-SO-DARK DAYS…
“Andi, I want you to find a new focus. Now that you’re out of school and are no longer with Bray, what do you do with your time besides work at the café?” Dr. Sweeney asks me.
I frown because I do absolutely nothing. All I do is replay the events of the last few weeks over and over. When Pepper isn’t busy trying to distract me, it is all I can think about. I can hardly sleep because the thoughts consume me. Even though I am no longer distraught, I still can’t stop them.
“I don’t know what I would do. There isn’t much I care about besides Pepper,” I tell him honestly.
“I know, Andi, which is why you need to find something. Try some things out. Yoga, kickboxing, reading, pottery, bunko—anything besides what you’re doing now. You need to do some soul searching. That’s your homework this week. Find something new to think about. I have faith in you that you’ll find something.
“Andi, I also want you to try and go on a date. You are a young, attractive woman, and I fear you might end up a little jaded. I’m not saying that you need to go out and find a husband. What I’m saying is that you need to have fun and get out—without Pepper. She’s your crutch, and you need to learn to stand on your own again,” he told me.
I feel nauseous at the idea of dating, but I nod my head to appease Dr. Sweeney. “Good. Now don’t show up next week without a new hobby,” he instructs, smiling at me as we conclude our session.
When we arrived at the apartment, I made him stay in the car while I ran up to grab my things. Mostly, I wanted to tell the girls about my day without Jackson in earshot.
I walked in the front door to see Olive reading a novel on the couch and Pepper glaring at her laptop. Tossing my keys and purse on the table by the door, I ran over to Olive and kissed her forehead. She smiled at me and blew me a kiss.
Making my way to Pepper, I closed her laptop when I plopped down beside her. She huffed in annoyance but couldn’t stop the smile that formed on her face. “What are you so happy about, Andi?” she asked grumpily.
I hugged her and laughed. “I had the weirdest day today. Jackson is outside waiting in the car. I’m going to spend the night with him tonight.”
“Hold up. As of yesterday, he was an ass. What’s so different about today?” she demanded.
Olive chimed in before I could answer. “Andi, I am just blown away by the fact that you’re still seeing the guy and the weekend is over!” She clapped her hands excitedly.
Pepper and I giggled at her. She was so damn cute. “Well, things were looking up this morning. I was in Man-Killer mode and even left the panties at home,” I explained, winking at Pepper, who just rolled her eyes. Olive gasped at my proclamation.
I continued my story. “So I got to work and there was a note from Jackson saying we should have lunch in his office again. I was on cloud nine when I went into the conference room to meet the new architect I’ll be assisting. Jordan was his normal happy self. But Jackson—his face lit up when he saw me and I almost melted,” I tell them dreamily.
“Go on, Jennifer Aniston,” Pepper smarted off to me.
“Anyway, the other chair turned and it was—”
Cutting me off, Pepper sneers, “F*cking Brayden.”
I nod my head and continue. “So F*cking Brayden got up and hugged me, a little too long for comfort. When we pulled apart, Jackson was killing him with death rays that were shooting from his eyes.
“The meeting was short, but afterwards, Bray stopped at my desk and told me how pretty I was. No surprise there,” I winked at them. “I worked and worked until I realized I had been stood up for lunch by Jackson.”
“No f*cking way. What do you see in that a*shole?” Pepper fumed.
I sighed but continued. “Well, Bray realized that I hadn’t eaten yet by around two and fetched me a sandwich when I nearly fainted. I ended up dropping the lid and he got an accidental view of the goods.” I paused, letting it sink in.
“Oh,” Olive whispered.
“God, Andi, you are such a hooch,” Pepper scolds me.
I laugh again.“He acted all shocked that I wasn’t wearing panties, and Jackson walked up, interrupting his peep show. He looked pissed but then Brayden went off on him for standing me up.”
Pepper chuckled because, even though she hates Bray, she liked to see Jackson get the short end of the stick too.
“So he must have felt like an ass because he apologized and disappeared to his office. He called me in there a little while later and f*cked me on the credenza.”
Olive screeched and Pepper cursed at me.
“And his dick was still in me when Bray knocked on the door. Jackson told him that I’d be right over after we finished up and proceeded to clean me up with Bray on the other side.”
Pepper was shaking her head at me, muttering under hear breath, and Olive was fifty shades of crimson.
“So then F*cking Bray decided that he thinks I’m so hot and he wants me so bad. Again, no surprise there. I basically told him to f*ck off and bolted from his office.
“Here’s where it gets good. So Pepper here canceled on our wine date because she lost her main sponsor. I ran and told Jordan so he would call her and take over the spot.”
Pepper interrupted me. “Hold up, you had a hand in that?” she interrogated, agitation lacing her voice.
I nodded beaming, completely proud of saving her ass. “Yep. How’d it go?”
Rolling her eyes, she groaned, “Well, I told him I’d think about it. He’s so damn sure of himself, like he knows I’ll agree to his requests. I’ve been trying all night to email other potential sponsors, but most everyone has already made commitments and can’t agree to such a costly sponsorship so late in the year. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
This time I rolled my eyes, making Olive giggle. “Duh, Pep. You take the Compton Enterprises sponsorship. Really, it’s a no-brainer. Now call him and agree!” I griped at her.
She huffed, picked up her laptop, and stalked to her room, ignoring me. I shrugged my shoulders and went into my own room. Quickly, I packed all of my things for tomorrow and headed back out into the living room. I waved to Olive and ran back downstairs to Jackson.
THE NOT-SO-DARK DAYS…
The camera costs just fifty bucks so I buy it. I begin snapping pictures of whatever I can find just to learn how the thing works. Getting the hang of it, I start taking snapshots of buildings in the early morning sun when I am nearly blinded by the reflection of the windows. I also take pictures of them on gloomy days as the rain saturates their surfaces, giving the buildings a gleaming fa?ade.
Photography consumes me. I research it on the internet. I borrow books from the library on the subject. And even participate in an online class to learn more about apertures, ISO, f/stops, and natural light.
Pepper allows me to litter the apartment with photos of the buildings so I can make critiques and choose my favorites. Dr. Sweeney will be so proud. Now, for the whole dating concept…
When I climbed back into the car, Jackson was sprawled in his seat, scrolling through his phone. He looked so relaxed and content. Tossing my stuff into the floor, I slammed the car door shut and pounced on him.
He laughed when I started kissing his face all over, trying to be obnoxious. I was in a playful mood this evening. Finally, he palmed my cheeks and held me still so he could kiss my lips. We made out like two teenagers during the short drive to his loft. Helping me out of the car, he grabbed my bags and we practically ran to the elevators. When one opened, he dragged me inside.
Realizing we were alone, he pinned me to the wall and slid his hand up my skirt. I gasped as he slipped a finger inside of me. His mouth found my neck as he pulled his finger in and out at an agonizingly slow speed. I was moaning and begging him to go faster when the doors to the penthouse opened up.
Pulling his finger from me, he took my hand and led me into his loft. Immediately, he jerked off my jacket and began pulling off my camisole. I jerked at his belt, efficiently whipped it off of him, and started working at the button on his pants. When I successfully got the zipper down, I yanked down his pants and boxers, freeing his cock.
Stepping out of them and kicking off his shoes, he reached behind me and slid the zipper to my skirt down, letting it drop to the floor. He also one-handedly unhooked my bra and tossed it away after he pulled it off. We laughed when we realized he was still wearing socks and I still had on my thigh-highs and heels. Kneeling down, he pulled one of the thigh-highs down my leg and off my foot along with my shoe. He repeated his actions on the other side.
On his knees, he pushed me backwards until my back hit the sofa. He spread my legs apart and situated himself between them. I about came unglued when his tongue licked up between my folds before making contact with my *. My hands grasped his hair as I shivered from the sporadic movement of his tongue. When I would try to jerk away uncontrollably, he would grip my hips and bring them closer to his mouth.
My orgasm shattered through me and my eyes rolled shut from the intense pleasure. “Oh God, Jackson. You make me feel so good,” I crooned. Growling, he stood up and turned me around, pushing my top half over the sofa, making my ass point right in the air. I moaned at his sexual roughness. Seeing that I was turned on, he slipped two fingers into me and started stroking my insides. When I started to squirm, he slapped my ass cheek.
The stinging pain only pushed me closer to my next orgasm. I bucked against him and he slapped it again, this time a little harder.
“Oh, f*ck! Jackson!” I cried out. I tried to reach behind me to grab his cock but my arms weren’t long enough. As he thrusted his fingers harder into me, I started moaning loudly as I felt very near to my release. When his hand slapped me one more time, this time probably leaving a bruise, I screamed and shuddered wildly as my most intense orgasm yet shot through me.
Completely spent, I collapsed against the sofa. Pulling my wrists behind me, he held them bound together as he poked my entrance with his cock. I nudged him the best I could from my compromised position. Finally, he satisfied us both when he shoved it all the way in. Instinctively, I tried to move my hands but he gripped them tighter as he slammed into me.
“Oh God, Jackson. I’m going to come again!” I shouted as another orgasm pulsed through me. My p-ssy was clenching around him as his sweaty body pounded against mine. Instantly, his hot climax throbbed into me and I moaned once more. He thrust a couple more times before stopping shakily.
Releasing my wrists, he pulled me back up to a standing position. “Andi, you are f*cking amazing. You’re like my very own drug. No matter how many times we do this, I can’t get enough of you.” Then he drew himself from me and popped me on the butt once more for good measure.
I turned around, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him deeply. Leaning away to look him in the eyes, I breathed, “You’re pretty addictive yourself.” We headed for the shower, leaving our clothes in a heaping pile in the entryway.
After a shower and playing grab ass, we finally crawled into the bed naked. I scooted into the crook of his arm and draped my arm across his chiseled chest. His free hand found its way to my hair and stroked it.
This day had been amazing considering the ex-fiancé I had almost killed myself over had come to work at my new job. My whole weekend game I played was a thing of the past because now I had Jackson.
“So it would appear, Miss Dalton, that you like it a little rough, huh?” Jackson teased, chuckling.
I smiled into his chest. It was the first time I’d ever had a desire to do anything like that but I absolutely loved it. “Mr. Compton, it would appear that you are correct,” I purred back.
“Hmmm. Well I can certainly see us having some fun with that,” he said in almost a deep whisper.
“Jackie,” I joked, using his mother’s nickname for him. “But no matter how rough you get, I still have the secret weapon.”
He chuckled. “And what would that be?”
I dug my fingers into his side and he rolled out from underneath me and off the bed, escaping my tickling. His boyish laughter boomed across the room. I giggled hysterically at how I could bring Big Bad Jackson to his knees.
Before I had time to respond, he pounced on me, pinning me under his body. He grabbed my wrists again and held them tight above my head with one hand. I wriggled, trying to get free of him, but it was useless. He tried to tickle me but frowned when I didn’t respond.
“I’m not ticklish. You’ll have to find a different way to get me,” I sassed.
Bowing close to my breasts, he kissed one of them softly. I tried to get free but he wouldn’t let up. Dipping again, he tongued a portion of my breast, bringing it between his lips. After sucking hard, just to the point of pain, he finally released it. He grinned, admiring his handiwork.
“Do you get off on giving me hickeys?” I questioned, feigning annoyance.
“I’m marking my woman. You’re mine,” he growled as he suckled another area of my breast. He continued doing this to both breasts until he was satisfied.
Arching an eyebrow at him, I asked, “Are you done yet?”
Shaking his head no, he scooted up to my neck.
“Jackson, don’t do it there. Everyone at work will be able to see!” I shrieked, trying to free my wrists again. He laughed and sucked hard, most definitely leaving a hickey. But instead of doing anymore, he pulled away, releasing my wrists.
He looked down into my eyes and we stared at each other. I could see that his guard was down, and he looked so young. It was like he had stripped himself down for me to see his soul. Whatever hid behind those walls was sad. My eyes misted over for a moment.
His mouth found mine and he gently kissed me. He slid himself effortlessly into me and began slowly moving himself in and out. We continued kissing softly. My hands found their way to his back and I rubbed him gently as he continued having his way with me. Our kisses stayed sweet as did his thrusts. When the millionth orgasm of the day came over, I sighed happily into his mouth. He came shortly after into me.
Jackson rested his head against my chest when we were done. “What was that, Andi?” he asked, confused.
I laughed at him while rubbing my hands through his hair. “I think they call it making love,” I informed him.
He tensed up and immediately shot off of me. Stalking into the bathroom, he slammed the door behind him.
I couldn’t help but feel hurt by his actions. A tear escaped from my eye. After about twenty minutes of waiting for him to emerge from the bathroom, I finally gave up and pulled the covers over me. I fell asleep, trying to ignore the ache in my chest.
THE NOT-SO-DARK DAYS…
“I found photography, Dr. Sweeney,” I tell him proudly.
“That’s great, Andi. I knew you would find something. Have you been able to channel your thoughts toward photography rather than thinking about Brayden?” he asks me.
“Actually, yes. I haven’t thought about him much at all. I may be slightly obsessing over the photography, but it seems to be working,” I admit.
“What about the dating?” he asks pointedly.
I wring my hands in my lap, knowing I failed this exercise. “I don’t even know where to start. This seems really hard for me,” I say honestly.
“I know, Andi. But listen, just go on a date next week. I want you to tell me how you handled it. You know I have complete faith in you. This is a critical step in moving forward with your life.”
Sighing, I resign myself to the fact I’ll be going on a date this week. It’s just homework.
When I woke up this morning, Jackson had already left. I felt completely sick to my stomach about the whole thing. We had made love and there was no denying it. He couldn’t handle that revelation for some reason, and I intended on pulling it out of him if we ever even had a chance at a real relationship.
After I dressed in another sexy suit, this time wearing panties, I took time straightening my hair and dolling myself up. It seemed that he liked it when I was pretty for him, and I needed him to come back to me.
Emerging from the building, I noticed George waiting by the car. “Mr. Compton asked that I run you to your work,” he explained. I nodded and thanked him, allowing him to perform his job. The entire way to work I tried not to think of how Jackson had completely closed himself off to me last night. Was he a commitment-phobe?
It was getting close to eight when we arrived, so I hurried up to the 57th floor. When I got there, I waved to Margie and sat at my desk. Jackson’s door was closed but I could hear him talking. My heart did a flip-flop knowing that we were going to have to face each other soon. Did he possibly think that I would be okay with the fact that he had shut me away last night and then left without so much as a goodbye this morning?
Bray walked up to my desk on the way to his office. “Andi, hey. Listen, I’m really sorry about acting like such a dick yesterday. Yes, you are beautiful, but you aren’t mine anymore. I understand that. I just hope that we can be friends.” He sounded genuinely upset by his actions from the day before.
“Yeah, I’d like that,” I told him honestly.
Smiling at my answer, he walked into his office. I powered on my computer to check my emails. There was a reminder already this morning from Bray about the meeting with Mr. Higgins tomorrow that I’d be getting to attend. I was actually looking forward to it. The next email was from Jordan.
Andi,
I’m out of the office until lunch but I wanted to let you know that we got the main sponsorship at the museum. Let’s just say that a groveling spice of a woman called me early this morning. I told her I wanted to discuss the parameters of the sponsorship with her over dinner this evening. She fought tooth and nail, but when I told her about the generous donation we were sending with our sponsorship as well, she finally agreed. Ha! ;)
See you soon,
Jordan
I laughed out loud at Jordan’s email. It appeared that he had a thing for Pepper, even though she couldn’t stand him. Pepper couldn’t stand anyone. Props to Jordan for being pushy. Nobody ever got past the frosty exterior with Pepper. But Jordan seemed to be enjoying this personal challenge. The Ice Queen needed to get laid, and who better than the handsome Jordan Compton?
I was still grinning when another email popped into my inbox. Noticing that it was from Jackson, I frowned.
Andi,
You’ll need to figure out lunch on your own today.
Jackson
Fuming, I slammed my pen down on the desk. What the hell was his problem? I would confront him but his door was closed and I couldn’t be for certain if he had someone in there or not.
Throwing myself into my work, I tuned out all thoughts of Jackson and his drama. By the time lunchtime rolled around, he still hadn’t emerged. I was still looking at his office door when Bray came walking out of his own.
“Remember that you promised me lunch today, friend?” Bray reminded be as he flashed his boyish grin. Recalling that I had in fact promised him, I nodded. “Let me grab my purse. I’m at a stopping point,” I told him. Once I had my purse, we walked to the front door together. Throwing one last glance at Jackson’s office door, I gasped when I saw him watching us leave and he looked pissed. F*ck him.
“This place has the best Indian tacos,” Bray stated, pointing at the menu.
The smell of the restaurant made my stomach groan with joy. “Sounds good. I’ll have that and a tea.”
After the server took our order and brought us our drinks, we started chatting about easy topics. He’d been working at another firm since right after graduation. The Compton brothers had actually sought him out to work at their firm because he had built a quick reputation of being an excellent architect. They had offered to pay him twice as much as he was making at the previous place, so of course he accepted.
He asked about Pepper and what she was doing these days. I told him all about the museum and even a little bit about Jordan attempting to take her out, even if he had to sneak the date in. “That’s comforting. I actually thought he had a thing for you yesterday by the way he had his hand on your leg,” he admitted.
“I think he’s just an affectionate person. It really just seemed friendly to me,” I said truthfully.
“Well, I wasn’t the only one to think that. Jackson seemed like he was ready to throw him out the window. It’s obvious there is something going on between you and him,” he conveyed, waiting for my confirmation.
“Yeah, well it’s complicated,” I muttered, trying to change the subject.
“Complicated, how?” he inquired. Subject unsuccessfully avoided.
“Well, some moments we have a really great connection, but then in an instant he’s cold and aloof. I don’t understand how he switches back and forth so easily. My feelings remain the same so I end up hurt and confused when he flips the switch.” I frowned.
Bray reached across and took my hand. I wanted to jerk it away, but it really just was a friendly move. “He better find out real quick what he wants because you don’t deserve to be dragged around like that.” That was interesting coming from him, but at least he was trying to protect me.
Pulling my hand back into my lap, I agreed, “I know. I’m finally in a place where I can be happy with myself since the ‘incident’. If he can’t get on the same page as me, it won’t bode well for my psyche. It’s already fragile as it is.”
Bray flinched at the word “incident” but tried to play it off. It was incredibly strange to be having a conversation about my new love interest with my ex-fiancé. Pepper and Olive would have a new story to hear this evening. It seemed my life is wildly entertaining.
The server dropped off the food and left us again. We dug in, effectively ending the conversation about Jackson. The tacos were amazing. I might have just found a new favorite restaurant.
Bray started laughing at me as I went on and on about how good my food was. The rest of the meal went on just fine. As unusual as the situation was, I had missed the friendly banter we had always shared. Perhaps being friends with Bray wasn’t the most horrible idea of all. We had to work together, so the least we could do was get along.
Before I could pull out my wallet to pay my portion of lunch, Bray had already handed the server a handful of cash. “Bray, you didn’t have to do that. I’ll pay next time,” I admonished him sternly, mostly for the fact that I in no way wanted this to be considered a date.
He chuckled, “Sounds like a plan, Andi. It was the least I could do after…well, after everything I did to you.” His eyes turned serious as he looked over at me. “Andi, I will forever be sorry for how I treated you. Every day I’m thankful that you didn’t die from the overdose. Everything about our breakup and the event that caused it made me rethink my life. I will value my next relationship more seriously because of everything that happened to you as a result of my actions. Can you forgive me, Andi?”
He’d apologized so many times before, but this one seemed the most genuine. Maybe because it wasn’t just a ploy to get us back together? I smiled at him and nodded.
“Yes, Bray. I forgive you,” I responded, standing from the booth.
He mirrored my actions and then pulled me in for a hug. It was brief but comforting. Little by little, my heart and mind were healing.
The whole way back we chatted about baseball. Bray had never wanted to pursue it outside of college. It had always just been a means to pay for college.
Once we arrived on our floor, Bray hurried to his office, remembering a client he needed to call. I hesitantly walked over to my desk after noticing that Jackson’s door was open. When I stepped in front of his door, he was staring right out at me. Our eyes locked in a moment of intensity.
Neither of us said anything but we didn’t back away either. Finally, deciding to mess with him, I turned away and bent over to drop my purse in my desk drawer, hesitating for a few seconds longer than it should have taken.
He cursed under his breath, but I still heard it. Ignoring him, I sat down at my desk and began checking my emails. There were a few that needed immediate attention and I replied to those. I was finishing up with those when a new one pinged my inbox.
Andi,
Did you f*ck him?
Jackson
My blood boiled at his question. He thought he could ignore me all night and most of today but then accuse me of sleeping with Bray like suddenly he cared. Screw him!
Before I would allow myself to cool off or even look at him, I sent him a reply.
Jackie,
What’s it to you?
The Office Slut
Firing it off at him, I sat quietly for a moment, trying to collect myself. I was furious with him and his insinuations.
Bray decided to walk up to my desk about that moment. He held out a folder to me. “This is the Higgins file I started. You might want to briefly look it over so you’ll have an idea about the proposal and his business history.”
Reaching up, I grabbed for the file, but Bray snatched my wrist in his hand.
“What the f*ck is this, Andi? Did he do this to you?” he asked angrily, jerking his head towards Jackson’s office.
Oh shit. My wrist had bruising all around it from Jackson gripping me last night. I wasn’t sure how I was going to explain this to Bray.
“Um, we...” I trailed off, not knowing how to explain this to him. He was glaring at me so I had to at least try. “It was consensual,” I finally admitted, looking down at my keyboard. He let go of my wrist and I pulled it back to me.
Turning on his heel, he stalked into Jackson’s office and slammed the door. Shit! I jumped up to try and stop what was about to happen. Jackson and Bray were chest to chest by the time I ran in there.
Bray had his finger in Jackson’s face. “You hurt her and I will f*cking kill you. She is fragile and you keep f*cking with her. What the f*ck’s wrong with you?”
They were pretty evenly matched size-wise so this could get bad. Jackson was pretty much touching Bray’s nose with his own when he growled, “It’s your f*cking fault that she’s fragile in the first place. I hope you live with the guilt that you almost f*cking killed her so you could get your dick wet in some whore.”
Tears welled up in my eyes when I realized half of the office was standing in the doorway, watching the drama unfold, and hearing my dark secrets that I would have rather have kept quiet from them.
Jackson shoved Bray away from him, making him stumble backwards into me. I fell to the floor on my ass with a thud that practically knocked the breath out of me.
About that time, Jordan’s voice boomed, “Bray, get back to your office! Jackson, go home!” He jerked Bray’s arm and pushed him towards the door. Kneeling beside, he put his arm around me. “Andi, are you okay?” he questioned.
“Don’t f*cking touch her, Jordan!” Jackson roared, yanking his arm off of me. Jordan jumped up, furious with Jackson, and physically dragged him out of the office. This was so bad. I could hear Margie telling everyone to get back to their desks as Jordan forced Jackson out of the building.
Bursting into tears on the floor in Jackson’s office, Jordan came back in, shutting the door behind him. He pulled me up and led me to one of the chairs, still scowling from having manhandled his brother. “Are you okay?” he asked again, sitting in the chair beside me.
I just shook my head and buried it in my hands as the tears flowed continuously.
He patted my knee, trying to comfort me. “Andi, my brother has issues. I can see that you guys have something going on. Not to mention, I heard it all yesterday through my office wall,” he chuckled under his breath.
I groaned in embarrassment, realizing my boss had heard me having sex with his brother in the next room while at work. Could this day get any worse?
“He doesn’t do relationships very well. That’s why I am surprised that you guys have managed to keep up whatever it is you’re doing as long as you have. It’s unlike him to stay interested for so long. And boy is he jealous. I also know about your past with Bray. He told me yesterday. And with what they argued about a few minutes ago, it appears that you are caught in the middle of two men who want to protect you but have a terrible way of showing it,” he observed.
“Jordan, I am so, so sorry for this. I am horribly embarrassed,” I whimpered tearfully, looking up at him.
He smiled at me. “Andi, no worries. He’s my brother. I’m used to him, and so is the rest of the office. He’s hard to figure out because he’s all over the place with his emotions. If you have the patience for him, I bet he’ll come around eventually.”
“I don’t know if I can handle it. I mean, I really like him. He can be funny, sweet, and caring. But the next moment, he’s so distant or he acts like he forgets about me. I don’t understand it. Do you think he’s as interested in me as I am him? I’ll be honest, I’m too weak to be played around with.”
Jordan looked at me thoughtfully. “He’ll come around, Andi. I can see that he really likes you, but he’s struggling with some demons from his past. Why don’t you go on home? You’ve had a rough afternoon. Everyone can start fresh tomorrow with better frames of mind.”
“Thank you, Jordan. You’re quite possibly the best boss ever. I hope your dinner tonight goes well with Pepper. She’s worth the fight too, you know.”
He smiled and winked at me. He knew she was. I could tell by the look in his eyes.
I stood up from my chair so I could pack my things and leave. Jordan pulled me in for a hug. Laughing into his chest, I said, “By the way, you need to visit your mother. She misses you.”
He pulled away and looked at me. “He took you to see Mom?” he asked, clearly bewildered.
“Yeah, and she’s quite adorable. You should be ashamed of yourself for not visiting more often,” I scolded him.
Shaking his head, he chuckled, “That’s proof right there, Andi. You’re only the second girl he has ever brought home to Mom. He likes you.”
I smiled at him and left the office.
Everyone that was staring at me as I walked out quickly looked down, trying to look busy. I snatched my purse and bag, heading out for the day. Margie waved at me on the way out.
On the elevator ride down, I frowned at how the day had gone. It really had been an awful day. I knew Bray was trying to protect me. So was Jackson. But they had a terrible way of showing it.
When I stepped out of the building and saw Jackson’s car, I quickly made my way down the sidewalk and away from it in case he was inside. I would just catch a cab at the next intersection.
Footsteps sounded behind me before I could get very far. “Andi, wait!” Jackson’s voice shouted from behind me.
Ignoring him, I kept walking speedily away. His arm suddenly snaked around my middle and stopped me in my tracks. He put his nose to the back of my head and inhaled.
“Get in the car, please.”