Jayded (4 page)

Jeff looks around to make sure nobody is eavesdropping. There are a lot of nosey people in our workplace. It must be the close quarters.
“
All I want to know is who the fuck was that hottie you were walking around with today? She was smokin
’
!
”
Jeff barely manages to keep his voice down.

I shake my head, chuckling while putting my jacket on.
“
That hot piece of ass might be your boss real soon,
”
I warn.

Jeff exhales dramatically.
“
I don
’
t give a damn! If you
’
re not going to try and tag that ass, then I will.
”

Brutal honesty. I wouldn
’
t have Jeff any other way. He
’
s not lying, either. If I don
’
t lay claim to her, she
’
s fair game, and there is no way in hell I
’
m allowing that to happen. If anyone
’
s going to have at her, it will be me.

I plant my hand around his shoulder and squeeze.
“
Sorry, bro, but I already have dibs.
”

He stomps like a little child. As we pass through the front doors, I can
’
t help but say goodnight to my doorwoman.
“
Goodbye
, Elise.
”
I wink and she giggles.

Jeff rolls his eyes at my nonsense.
“
What?
”
I ask, shrugging my shoulders, knowing exactly what he
’
s going to say.

“
Dude, you don
’
t have to flirt with the underlings, too. Leave some for the little people!
”
Jeff explains.

He freaking kills me.
“
You riding with me or you following?
”
I ask.

“
Nah, dude. I
’
m following. I need my own ride in case I get some play tonight,
”
he says.

I hop into my car, shake off a quick shiver, and turn on the seat warmers. I can
’
t wait for the warmer weather. This cold shit sucks. Warmer weather means less clothing for the woman. Yeah buddy!

I
pull up to McGregor
’
s, and I can see that most of the work gang is already here. They must have stormed out of work like lightning. I can already see Beth through the window on my way in. She doesn
’
t even give me two seconds to breathe before grabbing my arm to pull me in her direction.

“
Hey! I got you a drink already,
”
she tells me.

I try to remain patient. I know she only means well, but she tries too hard. I guess if need be, she
’
s a warm body to go home with tonight.
“
Thanks, Beth.
”

I grab the Heineken bottle from her and take a huge swig. I casually scope the scene and nonchalantly look for Max. I see her talking to my mother, but my father is nowhere in sight. He must still be back at work, putting in some late hours. Rarely do I ever see him out after work. He
’
s always been the one to stroll in past dinnertime throughout my childhood years. I guess that
’
s why he
’
s been so successful.

My mother takes notice of me and waves me over. Thank God! An easy way out from Beth
’
s death grip.
“
Hey, I
’
m going to go talk with my mom for a quick sec. Thanks for the beer.
”
I begin to walk off until I
’
m pulled back.

“
I was hoping that we can see each other after this. Leave a little early like we used to,
”
she says, now standing in front of my view of Max.

At this point, I
’
m ready to say anything to get her off my back. Luckily, Jeff notices that I
’
m in a compromising position and yells for me. I nod my head to him and look back at Beth who is now sporting a full pout. Months ago, I would have fallen for this, but now she just looks pathetic.

“
I don
’
t know, Beth. Let
’
s just let the night play out. We both have to be up early for work in the morning,
”
I say, trying to turn her down as easily as I can. Who am I fooling? I just left the door cracked in case I change my mind after a few beers.

Beth looks back toward my mother
’
s table, where Max is now sitting, and I can see her wheels turning. This calculating look is never a good look for her. It means she is trying to put two and two together, and my guess is she sees Max as competition. Unfortunately for her, Max may just end up being her boss.

I don
’
t wait another minute for her to answer. I head toward the table. I stop and give my mother a kiss on the cheek, nod to Max, and shake Jonathan
’
s hand. Jonathan Duke is another agent who works for my parents. He
’
s been with the agency for about five years. He
’
s been a friend of my father
’
s for a while now and jumped ship from another agency when my father gave him an offer he couldn
’
t refuse.

My father
’
s a go-getter, and when he sees potential, he
’
s not afraid to go after what will bring him great profit. If it means making his agents happy, he
’
s all for it. Jonathan admires that in my father, and since he
’
s now going through a divorce and custody battle for his kids, my father has become a listening ear for him. A mentor if you will.

“
So, son, how did the day go?
”
my mother looks back and forth between Max and I.

I look to Max.
“
It was great. Max should be very comfortable in the layout of Saunders Literary Agency. She knows exactly where to get the coffee now,
”
I reply very sarcastically.

My mother looks annoyed and Max looks a little entertained.
“
Yes, Connie, Kyle was a great tour guide. Actually, I was hoping he might be willing to show me around town this weekend.
”
Max turns her attention to me.
“
Only if you
’
re up for it, of course.
”

Did she just ask me to show her around as in
“
one-on-one,
”
outside of the work environment?
Oh boy
. This could be
very
dangerous. No inquisitive eyes, no company policies or being confined by stringent rules, and ultimately, no being scrutinized under my parent
’
s watchful eyes. Yup. Definitely dangerous, but I think I
’
ll take my chances.

“
Um, I think I can clear my schedule. Is Saturday at one o
’
clock okay for you?
”
I ask Max.

Jonathan cuts in.
“
Kyle, you must have a date or friends you want to go hang out with. I would be more than happy to show you around, Maxine,
”
he says, stepping right on my toes. Fuckface! If he wasn
’
t my superior and well-acquainted with my family, I would pound him in his head for this.

Max looks a little caught off-guard and unsure of exactly how to answer his offer.
“
No, Jonathan, I would be more than happy to show her around. No plans for me on Saturday. My schedule is clear,
”
I inform him.
“
I assume you are staying at a hotel?
”

“
Yes, the Sheraton,
”
Max answers.

“
Great, right down the street from me. I
’
ll be at your door at one, then,
”
I say, staking my claim. Jonathan knows he has lost this battle.

What
’
s his deal, anyway? This dude isn
’
t even divorced yet, and he
’
s already on to the next piece of ass? Mental note: ask Dad exactly what the cause of his divorce was. I can only imagine, since he
’
s already on the prowl. Douchebag. Let
’
s face it, I can hate the player, but I can
’
t hate the game. I
’
m just pissed he
’
s trying to pee on my tree.

My mother just watches us from the sidelines as we battle over Max. I see a glimmer of recognition in her eyes. Not good. The last thing I need is her on my ass when I haven
’
t even done a thing yet. I guess
“
yet
”
is the key word. I
’
m not so sure I
’
m going to be able to keep my mind from wandering when I
’
m with Max, and I
’
m not so sure I want to, either. I
’
m a twenty-four-year-old guy and that
’
s just how we are.

Max
’
s eyes sparkle with triumph as she smiles at me.
“
Sounds perfect.
”
Is it me or does she actually seem pleased that I stepped up to the plate and hit a homerun?

I get snapped out of my thoughts by my mother
’
s clap.
“
Well great! I
’
m glad that
’
s all settled!
”
she chimes in. She calls for the waitress.
“
Get us some shots of Patr
ó
n over here!
”
she orders.
“
So, Max
—”

“
Yes?
”

“
I just wanted to say that I am extremely happy that you are even considering a collaboration with us. You have an amazing eye for talent, and we would be extremely lucky to have you with us. Just so you know, Kyle here has graduated with his MBA in business, and if you do decide to take us on, I would be honored if you could take my son under your wing and show him the ropes.

“
Junior began with us directly out of high school, and though he doesn
’
t have a college degree, he is also a great asset to us. My sons both have made a great step in the next chapter of their lives. Junior will also be a great help to you in learning the ins and outs of our company.
”

My mother
’
s speech was sweet, but really? We
’
re at a bar, not giving confessions at church. But, I am more than happy to be under Max as long as it takes, and with the things that are running through my mind, it won
’
t take long before she gets off. I chuckle to myself.

“
Thank you, Connie, and I would be more than happy to teach Kyle everything I know. He
’
ll be partner in no time,
”
she says.

I take a swig of my beer first.
“
Yeah, not so sure about all of that,
”
I comment.

Both my mother and Max look to me.
“
Oh? Have you made plans that I am unaware of?
”
my mother questions. I hate when she switches to
“
the mom glare.
”
When I was younger, I could never squirm my way out of interrogation with that look pounding down on me. Lucky for me, I have had years of practice in diverting my attention away from her trap.

Shit! This is not what I had in mind for tonight. Time to deviate and turn the conversation to another topic. I quickly look for Jeff, but I see him at the bar, grabbing the requested shots.

“
No, Ma! I haven
’
t, but like I told you before, I
’
m not so sure if Rochester is my last stop,
”
I answer only to satisfy her and take another swig of my beer, hoping Jeff gets his ass over here.