Layers: Book One (9 page)

“Yes, he told me.”

Nick looks at Jaxson and he nods.

Nick stands and retrieves a file off of Jaxson‘s desk, then hands it to me. “Alexia, please take a few minutes to look over the partners’ contract.”

Jules and I scan over the main points.

“So, if I’m reading this correctly, it states that I have ninety days to prove my innocence.

“Yes, you’re not guilty until it’s proven, but this will delay any formal charges.”

“It states that, for the duration of these ninety days, I will be placed under house arrest at the Ryan Estate.” I look at Jaxson. “Explain.”

Jules places her hand over mine. I tilt my head and witness her gift Jaxson with the mother of all dirty looks. Her hands start to shake, then her body, as she continues to shoot him with razor-sharp poisonous daggers. She snatches the file from my hand and stands.

Then she marches on shaky limbs around the room. She stops in front of Jaxson, waving the file over his head. “I know what this is!” She shouts. “It’s one of those millionaire—billionaire BDSM kinky fuckery contracts!”

She takes a deep quivering breath and continues with her assault. “Holy! Fucking! Hell! To think…Oh my God…to think that I’ve been encouraging a relationship between you two.”

She tosses the file onto Jaxson‘s lap then points a quaking finger in his face. “You have one of those fucked up fuckery play rooms and you…Holy mother of God you want to tie my best friend up and spank or whip her with some kind of…cat thingy…or paddle thingy.” She steps back on her wobbly legs as tears begin to cloud her eyes.

“Jules, calm down. You’re not making any sense.” I plead.

“I will not calm down!” she shouts. “He’s probably into that slave fuckery and he will chain…you…up to a radiator and use you as a potty slave!”

Jaxson looks up at her, his eyes wide with confusion. “What the fucking hell are you talking about!”

I jump up and drag her away from Jaxson. “For hell Jules. Paranoid much? You need to chill out” I spout.

Nick looks at Jules. “What the fuck is a potty slave?”

Jules starts to explain. “It’s when you…well when you make…”

I grab her arm and pull her down onto the sofa. “Jules! No one wants to hear that shit.”

Nick raises his hand. “I want to know.”

Jaxson gives him
The Brow.

Please not now. My heart is pounding in my ears. I’m going to get a migraine.

Jules starts to explain again. “You have a slave and you make…”


I put my hand over her mouth. “Jules just stop. You’re making my head hurt.”

She bites down hard on her trembling lip as tears drip down her cheeks. “You’re clueless Lex” she cries out. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. You’ve never been to his estate.” She wipes tears from her cheeks. “What if he has a playroom and ties you up.”

I pull her into my arms. “Jules honey, I’m sure Jaxson doesn’t have a playroom and if he does I’m not going to be playing in it.”

Her lips quiver. “You say that now Lex, but…he could overpower you or brainwash you…or something.”

I lift a brow. “Jules, really?”

“I’ve read all kinds of stories, Lex. I know what I’m talking about.”

She continues to cry; I look up at Nick with pleading eyes.

He nods then walks over and pulls her up into his arms. I mouth a “Thank you.”

She lays her head on his Ken doll chest and wipes her tears and other stuff on his lapel.

“Julianne, I’ve been to the Ryan estate many times and I can assure you that Jaxson doesn’t have a playroom and I have never seen any slaves chained to radiators.”

“He might not be into the kinky fuckery, but now I don’t trust him. Why would he want her under house arrest?”

I look at Jaxson “Good question.”

He sighs. “The partners final vote was six to four to turn you over to the DA. Alexia, I told you I would never let that happen.

He runs his hands through his locks. Dear Lord not now. I cross my legs. God I need to get some.

“I had to come up with a solution that they would agree to and I could live with.” He takes a breath and continues. “Alexia, this whole thing is getting more complicated and fucked up.”

He shuffles to his desk, grabs a file then hands it to me. ”These e-mails were found on your hard drive.”

I open the file.

“As you can see they are threats and expletives similar to the one painted on your wall. Die Cunt. Die Bitch. You’re Dead, Bitch. There are about fifty of them. Flip to the back of the file.”

I flip to the back and pull out several photos of me.

“These were placed in your mail box?” There are sixty photos total, all with your face or body x’ed out and most with expletives written over them.

“When did you get these?”

“Dale found them the same day your loft was trashed. We think they were delivered when you were on vacation. I didn’t tell you because I wanted to do some research first. Unfortunately, I haven’t made any progress.”

I hand them over to Jules to look at.

Jules pulls several out of the file. “Oh my goodness, someone has been stalking you.”

June Cleaver has returned.

“These are pictures of you doing everyday things.” She thumbs through them. “Entering and exiting work, your loft, the gym, shopping at Whole Foods, coffee at Joe’s, running. What about this one Lex?”

She hands over a picture of me on a date. “That’s Garret White. We went out to lunch a couple of times.”


“When did you go out with him?” Jules asks with concern.

“Right before I left for France.”

Jaxson looks at the picture. “Really? Garret White?”

“What’s wrong with Garret?” I ask.

“Garret is a friend of mine” Jules adds while shooting Jaxson with another dagger. “He’s hot and a good man. I know for a fact that he’s not a Dom.”

“I’m not a Dom, Jules. And Lex doesn’t have a submissive bone in her body.”

“All right you two, enough with all that crap.” I grab the file back from Jules and hand it back to Jaxson. “Will has to be behind this—but why make it look like I’m the victim?”

Nick clears his throat. “I think he’s trying to intimidate you.”

“Well, he’s wasting his time because it’s not working. Can we get back to the house arrest issue?”

“Yes, the house arrest.” Jules adds.

Nick waves a hand. “I can explain,” he says.

Jaxson nods clearly relieved that he doesn’t have to deal with Jules.

“It was a compromise between the partners and Jaxson. They believe you’re a flight risk. So Jaxson proposed the house arrest. They agreed but they made other demands—wanted more reassurances.”

I look at Jaxson. “What other demands?”

He clears his throat. “If you flee, I resign as CEO and give up my shares.”

“You can’t do that!”

“Are you going to flee?” he asks.

“No. But I haven’t agreed to the house arrest. Why does it have to be at your estate? Why not my loft? Why not some other house?”

“Jaxson stands and faces Nick and Jules. “Can you give us a minute?”

Jules raises a brow. “I don’t think…”


Nick latches onto her elbow and gives her a warm smile. “Take all the time you need. We’ll go grab some coffee.”

“Are you okay with this?” Jules asks me.

“Yeah, go with Nick, I’ll be fine.

They leave and Jaxson tugs me down onto the sofa. He takes my hand.

“Okay, spill it. Why are you concerned about staying at my estate?”

“It’s not just that, it’s everything.”

“Okay, I get that your overwhelmed and confused but do you really have a choice?”

I frown. “That’s the problem, I feel like I’m being backed into a corner.” I tilt my chin up. “Jaxson are you taking advantage?”

“What?”


“Why do I feel like you’re almost happy about my situation?”

“Do you think that little of me?” He lets my hand fall, gets up and stomps to his desk then drops into his chair.

I’ve never known anyone that can switch from cold to hot faster than Jaxson Ryan. I follow him and let my ass glide onto the edge of his desk. “Jax you know I don’t think
little
of you.”

I raise a brow while looking at his crotch. “Definitely not
little.
”

He smirks. “Lex, I’ll admit that knowing that you’re in my home makes me more than a little happy. But your safety is my number one concern. Look, you were set up, your home was trashed, someone has been following you around and sending you e-mails. What’s next?”

I slide back further onto his desk. “I get the safe thing. But your home, Jax?”

“Lex, my estate is two hours way from the city. It’s secluded, safe, and secure. And I know and trust everyone that lives and works there.”

“Okay, I get it.”

“Lex, if you want to face the DA I’ll help any way I can. If I was in your position, that’s what I’d do. But I know that you have this thing about the press and keeping a low profile. I don’t get it, and I’m tired of asking you. I thought the best solution for you would be a secluded home out of the city. No press…just squirrels and deer.”

“Well, why didn’t you tell me? Squirrels and deer—I’m there.”

“Very funny.”

“It is funny. Not the squirrels and deer, but this whole situation. I could make it go away with one phone call.”
Damn did I just say that out loud?

“What does that mean?”

I guess I did say it out loud. “Nothing really, just thinking out loud.”

He tilts his chin. “Nothing, huh?”

“Yes, nothing.”

“I don’t believe you.”

I need to rescue myself from my own
big
mouth. I’m not ready to get into things, with Jaxson. Not yet, anyway. If there is one thing I’m good at—it’s distraction.

I glide my ass to the middle of Jaxson’s desk.

He lifts a brow.

With the toe of my Choo I roll his chair forward. Once I get him where I want, I kick off my heels and rest my bare feet on his thighs.

He licks his lips and I follow his gaze as it travels up my bare legs, pausing at the edge of my skirt that has settled high on my thighs. He bites down on his lower lip. Then his eyes latch onto mine.

“Are you comfortable, Ms. Keith?”

“No, not quite, Mr. Ryan.” I run my toes further up his thighs and plant a foot on each side of his growing erection. “Now I’m comfy.” I sigh and lean back on my palms.

He leans back in his chair. “I like that dress that you’re almost not wearing.”

“I like the way you’re looking at my dress that I’m almost not wearing. I’ll have to thank my personal professional shoppers and their shopping app.”

“What?”

“Marco and Jules. If it weren’t for them I’d be sitting on your desk in shorts and a tee.”

“I wouldn’t have a problem with that. My preference would be that you sit on my desk wearing nothing at all.”

“You’re pretty easy to please, Mr. Ryan. I like that about you.”

“What are you doing Ms. Keith?”

“What do you mean?”

“I think you’re trying to distract me, from the nothing that is obviously something.”

“If I am, it must not be working.”

“Oh it’s working.” He grabs my right foot and rubs in over his very big and very hard erection.

“One of these days you’re going to have to let me in, Lex. Your little games of distraction are…stimulating, but I want more than, stimulation from you.”

“I’m working on it, Jaxson.”

He sighs. I need your decision Ms. Keith. I have a meeting in an hour and then I’m off to LA for a week.”

“Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll stay at your estate.”

“You will?”

“You look surprised.”

“Happily.”

“I have one condition.”

“Okay, so here it comes—the Alexia killjoy bomb.”

I lift a brow. “Really. Am I really that bad?”

“Sometimes.”

“Sorry.”

“Go ahead, tell me your condition.”

“To clear my name I hire who I want and conduct the investigation how I want.”

“Is this a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ situation?”

“Yes.”

He contemplates before he answers. “Okay. I have a condition of my own.”

“Okay.”

“I handle the investigation of Will Harris and the outside audits. I don’t want you involved, anymore than you are.”

“Okay, I’ll stick to the embezzlement investigation. You handle the outside audits. Got it.”