Jesse (10 page)

When Alex had met his wife, Heather, she
had a son. Jack was a wonderful kid and had taken to Alex long before Alex had
met his mom. The two of them had been through a lot together and now it seemed they
were closer than ever. Jesse was glad for his friend. Thoughts of Josephine
being large with child popped in his head so quickly that he staggered from it.

“You okay?” Daniel asked. “Are you just
realizing that you’re taking on a big deal and it’s scary?”

The laughter in his brother’s voice was
forced and he momentarily forgot about the image. “What are you saying? Are you
saying that you don’t think I can make it?” A little anger and a lot of fear of
what he was doing crept into his voice. He shook his head before continuing. “I’m
sorry. I am scared, but it’ll be fine. I was thinking of something else.”

They ended up at their favorite
restaurant about an hour later than they’d planned. The staff knew them all so
it wasn’t hard for them to get seated and, when their drinks were brought to
them, they readily toasted each other’s good fortune.

They talked for hours, catching up on
their lives as though they hadn’t been doing this for years. Daniel still
hadn’t confirmed that he was moving in. Alex nearly was begging by the end of
dinner, and Jesse couldn’t get the thought of Josephine out of his head,
especially the thought of her large with his baby.

He liked her, he supposed, and he could
still remember her taste on his tongue when he’d kissed her. As he went into
his house after being dropped off by the limo he wandered through his house
wondering what it would be like if he ever got married.

The house was furnished, but unlike his
two brothers’ houses, this one lacked warmth. Royce’s house was noisy and full
of toys all over the place since little Lee had been born. There were noises at
Curtis’ house too, construction going on for their new baby. He supposed that
was it. Alex having another baby, both his brothers settled, was why he thought
about a child of his own. As he passed through the living room to his office,
he saw the gifts he’d ordered for Christmas lying all over the place.

Christmas was a huge affair in his
family. His mom still hid the gifts from “Santa” until the morning of. She told
them until they told her they no longer believed, she’d buy like they did. No
one wanted her to stop believing either so they simply told her they thought
Santa was the greatest thing ever. He smiled when he thought of the first year
that Heather had joined the family. She’d been so overwhelmed that they’d felt
sorry for her. But since then, she’d been right in the thick of things with his
mom.

He went into his office thinking he
needed to get someone over to help him out in wrapping. He only had four months
to go before Christmas. He was still laughing as he sat behind his desk.

After getting his computer opened up he
started on his emails. There were several from potential clients, two from his
mother, and one from Wills. He opened that one first, ignoring the ones marked
important from his family.

You’re an ass.

It started off. He smiled. Wills had
never held back when she thought running over you was much more fun.

I didn’t hire the woman for you. You can
get off my ass about it. She’s too nice for the likes of you anyway.

Fuck. He’d asked Wills to give her a job
so he would know she could afford a place to live. He was still trying to
figure out where she’d gone when she’d left the hospital, but that was proving
to be nearly impossible. He continued reading his mail from Wills.

I just found out from the company
lawyers that my building, which was nearly complete is a bust. The asshole ran
off with his secretary and his wife is leaving him. How stupid do you have to
be to leave with some tart when your wife has all the money? Anyway, want to
buy a nearly finished building? Well, gotta go. Jared is making my fav dinner
tonight and then I’m going to pay him in a way that only locked doors can work
in. By the way, your girlfriend is staying in an empty building, did you know
that?

“Mother fuck,” he said before he got up
to pace. The stupid girl was going to get herself killed. Or raped. Or both. He
wondered if Wills knew which one and decided that first thing tomorrow morning
he was going to go by the site and speak to her. Wills would know something and
he’d buy the fucking building if that’s what it took to get her to talk. He
wanted Josephine here right now so that he could explain a few things to her. And
maybe talk her into not hurting him again if he took her to his bed.

His cock hurt when he finally answered
all his mail and made it up to his room. He’d been hard all night and didn’t
want to jerk off because of some twit that had kneed him hard enough to make
him tender for a few days. But he did stroke his cock thinking about her mouth.
Christ, he thought, rolling over. This was stupid. He was going to call a few
of his old girlfriends and see if one of them was willing to have some fun. As
he closed his eyes the image there was Josephine and he knew he was not calling
anyone.

~~~

It was six when she showed up armed with
books, pads of paper, and pencils. Joey was going to make this work out for
herself if it was the last thing she did. Asking if she could sit on the floor
near one of the lower windows in the new building she was brought a makeshift
table of a board over some sawhorses. She had everything laid out and was going
through the books she’d gotten from the library when Wills came into the room.

“Conley said you were in here. Finding
everything all right?” She handed her a glass of tea and sat on one of the
large, round rings that had wire around it. “I can have that crap pulled out
today if you want. I have some extra time on my hands.”

“I have some ideas on both sides of the
building’s front.” She handed the drawings to Wills that had small pictures of
the flowers she was talking about around the area. “They are low maintenance,
as well as perennials. Mr. J.R. said that’s what you needed for long term, but
I put in a few annuals so there would be lots of color right away.”

Wills nodded. “I like it. What are you
doing on the other side? I think J.R. said he’d told you it was sort of an
employee break area. There are a few of the older trees there, and the other
jerk said that he’d have to have them removed before he’d even look at the
area. I think that was what pissed me of about the turd, his lack of nature
loving.”

“I was thinking.” She handed her another
drawing just as J.R. and Conley walked in. “Mr. J.R. said there was going to be
a kiosk out there for water and snacks. What if we did that and expanded it to
be a water fountain? It would be both cooling and soothing.” Joey had been
nervous about that part. It would mean more money, more than simply putting in
a bunch of flowers and bushes. She started to reach for the drawing back when
Wills handed it to J.R.

“What kind of fountain you have in mind?
Not one of those mermaid-looking things with water spouting out of her tits?” J.R.
flushed. “Sorry. Not used to you yet not being in the business. I tend to have
better manners when new people are around.”

Will snorted at the same time Conley
did. “I’ve worked for you for nearly a dozen years and you’ve never had manners
around me,” Wills said.

“That’s because you haven’t any around
me either.” J.R. handed the sheets off to Conley. “Go see what we need to do to
make this happen. Might prove to get us a new buyer.”

Conley walked away without a word, and J.R.
pulled up another wire container to sit on. Joey knew this was going to be bad
and started to gather up her things to go. It had been fun and she’d learned a
good deal from it. She started to stand when Wills told her to stay still.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Joey sat and stared at her.

“You have a date or something?”

“The building doesn’t have a buyer,
right?”

J.R. nodded with a frown.

“So I doubt very much you care if the
place has pretty flowers or not. I know that money can be tight even on a
budget. It has to be worse when you don’t have a buyer for the builder after
putting this much into it.”

“The building is paid for up to a point.
The man who bailed on us will either pay up or else. But that’s not the point. In
order to attract a buyer, he has to see it. That’s where you come in. And don’t
worry about money. I’m a very wealthy man and this company is as well.” J.R.
took another drawing from the table and looked at it as he continued. “I want
this building to be your masterpiece. You do what it takes and let me worry
about the cost.”

“Then I don’t understand,” she said as
she laid down her things again. “Why are you here? This feels like…like a
termination meeting. I mean, I know I really don’t work for you, bu—”

“You work for us,” Wills said quickly. “Why
do you think I went to get you yesterday? You work for Stone Construction as of
you coming on this lot yesterday.”

“Did you think we were going to let you
do all the work and not pay you? What kind of bastard did you think I was?” His
laughter made her realize that he was kidding around, but she still got
embarrassed. That made him laugh harder. “Look at that, Wills. A blushing
woman. You should take a lesson or two from this one. Could be a lot of fun for
my Jared.” He stood up and stuck out his hand. “Congratulations, Joey, you’re
now a construction worker. And so’s you know, you will be paid very well. I
keep my employees happy and they make me money. How the world rolls, you know.”

Joey watched him leave the large room
and she looked at Wills. “What just happened here?”

“Nothing much. You have a job on your
own merit. You’re working for one of the most prestigious companies in the
world, and you are doing something you seem to love.” She looked back at the
door. “But there is a problem. Jesse is in my office.”

Her body went hot and cold. She didn’t
know what kind of problem that was for Wills, but she knew the guy was probably
still mad at her. She looked at the door and wondered if someone would give her
a ride out of town. Joey looked back at Wills when she laughed.

“He’s here to ask me about you. He
doesn’t know you’re here. I told him I’d go back to the trailer when I dealt
with a few things. He was swearing and pacing my office when I left. He seems
to have a bug up his ass about you.”

“I kicked his balls up around his throat
the other day. He was being…he was kissing me.” She looked out the window at
the four men pulling up the dead plants in the area she was trying to improve. The
bushes were next and they went along with the dead flowers into a waiting
wheelbarrow. “He probably wants a pound of flesh from me.”

Wills stood up and tossed her empty
glass into a trash can. “Maybe. Or maybe he wants to take up where you stopped
him. Jesse is a great guy. A little pushy at times, especially when it concerns
people he cares about.”

“He doesn’t care about me. We can barely
stand each other when we’re in the same room.” She jerked her hand from her
lips when she realized she was doing that again. “I don’t have any idea what he
needs from you.”

“Good idea. Go find out for me. In the
meantime, I’m going to see about getting the upper floors finished so I can
unload this white elephant.” Wills was out the door before Joey could form an
answer. “Oh and by the way, from experience, if you make them stew too long, a
kiss will usually shut them up.”

Joey stared at the opening the woman had
just left though. Kiss him? There was no way she was getting that close to him.
He would be mad, and that was understandable. But kiss him again? No way. Joey
found herself outside the trailer before she knew it. She was pacing outside
the door when it suddenly opened and there he stood. Christ, but the man could
make a suit look good.

Before she could speak or even think
about moving out of his reach she found herself in the building and the door
shut behind her. She tried for the door and he simply leaned against it and
glared at her.

“Let me out. I don’t know what you’re
doing here, but I want you to move out of my way so I can leave.” She crossed
her arms over her chest and glared back at him. “I don’t have time for your
childish behavior, Mr. Hunter. I have things I need to do.”

“And you think I don’t? I came here
because I wanted to ask Wills about you. Last I heard, you were living in
another abandoned building. Are you that naïve or just stupid?”

She snapped. “I’m not any of your
business, is what I am. Of all the arrogant, pigheaded men I’ve ever met, you
take the cake. What gives you the right to ask anyone about me? Huh? I don’t
want you in my—”

“Too fucking bad. Because I want you.” He
was suddenly touching her. His body was flush with hers as he pressed her against
him. When he turned them, her back hit the door and his mouth was over hers.

Chapter 10

Jesse felt her moan as it moved up her
chest. He swallowed it when it spilled from her lips. His. He wanted her, and
damned if he cared where they were when he claimed her. Cupping her ass, he
stepped between her legs as he lifted her. When her ankles wrapped around his
hips Jesse rocked hard into her soft flesh.