Who's the Boss Now (Managing the Bosses Series, #3) (11 page)

H
er alarm woke her the next day, which was a bit of a downer seeing that it was the weekend. With only two days to sleep in, she was annoyed she had lost one. Good thing she liked Alex’s brother, Mark. The e-mail from Alex late last night had been quick and informal: Pick Mark up for me? I'm tied up in the morning.

He better have meant tied up due to business and not something sexual with Annette. The thought caused her stomach to turn. She had to have resolution soon on things with him or she might go bat-shit crazy. It was starting to feel more and more probable. She had hoped it was all a bad dream and she’d wake in morning and have a laugh over it. Guess that wasn’t going to happen.

The drive to the airport went quick, and she found Mark standing with his bag just outside the departures pickup for his airline. She waved, and he smiled, getting in and slipping his bag between his legs in the front seat.

"I wasn't sure if you or Alex were coming, but if I was a betting man..."

"Right? It's far too early to get up on a weekend though. Next time I won’t pick you up unless you get a mid-day flight." She grinned, trying to sound grumpy but it wasn’t working very well.

"And miss lunch in New York? You crazy?" He chuckled and leaned back. "I love this place. It's so full of life."

"Then move here after the divorce is over. I'm sure there are plenty of job opportunities here." She glanced over at him and gave him a smile. He was a handsome guy with welcoming features and a great smile. Where he was cute, Alex was gorgeous. Some of the jealousy in their younger years had to come from that if nothing else.

"I might actually." He glanced out the window. "When is Alex going to be free?"

"Later this afternoon, I believe." She honked as someone pulled out in front of her, but stopped herself from yelling something highly inappropriate.

"No worries. If you're busy, then I can just hang out in the city and get a cab back to Alex's place. I really want a slice of pizza at the little Deli on Fifth Avenue."

"Oh, I love that place." She turned the radio down, trying to think through the agenda for the day. Realistically she didn’t have anything mandatory. "Do you want to walk around the shopping district and then grab lunch?"

"That works for me, but please don't let me take your day away from you. I know you’ve very little time off, or so I assume. My brother works himself into coma. I hope he doesn't expect that of you." Mark turned his attention onto her.

"Not really. I love my job. Your brother’s a good boss, very encouraging and has no trouble covering overtime." She grinned. Her version of overtime was probably different than Gina’s or Paul’s.

"Too bad he sucks ass as a boyfriend." He lifted his hand to point out to the left. "Right over there. I see a parking spot. I've got a bunch of quarters we can use."

"Excellent." Jamie pulled into the spot, and failed to comment on Alex's effectiveness as a boyfriend. He was an incredible lover, but sharing that with Mark felt a little too private. Hell, she wouldn't share that with Gina, or anyone else for that matter.

They got out and met up on the front side of the car as Mark pulled his light jacket off.

"Late spring, early summer is so fantastic here! Chilly enough to stay cool and yet warm enough to not have to bundle up." He breathed in deeply as a large smile lifted his lips. "Paula hates New York. She says it's too busy."

"She's right, but I love the craziness. You can get lost in the busy and eventually find yourself somewhere along the way. It's the right place for me." She pointed to a small coffee shop. "Let's stop there for a minute. I haven't had my caffeine fix for the day yet."

"That's a travesty. Let's get you a cup." Mark held the door as she walked in beside him.

Jamie breathed in deeply as memories of enjoying cups of overly creamed cups of coffee with her dad swept past her mind.

"My family never really got into coffee. I enjoy a good cup ever-so-often, but I'm glad I don't have an addiction to the stuff like some people do. Alex probably loves it." Mark moved up to the counter and tilted his head as if studying the menu.

"I adore it. I'm definitely one of the addicts." They chuckled and then Jamie ordered and moved to find a small two-seater table.

Mark brought the drinks over and sat across from her. "I should apologize."

The earnest look on his face gave her pause. "For what?"

"My brother was always really possessive over his girlfriends in high school. In the past, I tried hard not to be seen with them, or really interact too much at all. It just saved us a handful of fights and with a million other things to fight about, girls didn't need to be added to the list."

"Oh, shit." Jamie pressed her hand to her forehead. "Did he get all over you about us talking?"

"Yeah, but I should have known better." He shrugged and took a sip of his coffee.

"I wish I could say that I understand, but I don't. My sister married my ex and even though it's weird as all get out, I still wouldn't chew her for talking to Alex. It's a trust issue more than anything else." Jamie sat back and crossed her legs. "I'm not sure it's going to matter for much longer anyway."

"What? Why is that?" True concern brushed across Mark's features, making her like him all the more.

"Because he has some shit going on in his life and I guess he thinks that pushing me back is the best choice right now." She shrugged and forced the hard emotions that accompanied the conversation back down. "I'm just going to be as supportive as I can until he figures out what he wants."

"You're being horribly cryptic." He smirked.

"I know, right? I just feel like it should be his news to share with you. Hopefully that's okay."

"Yeah. Just shows what a classy lady you are. I hope you guys move past this. I know Alex and I have our differences and a bit of a bumpy past, but he's still my older brother. I want what's best for him, and I'm pretty damn sure that that's you."

"I hope so too." She took a long drink of her coffee as her heart contracted painfully. She could come up with a plan for what life needed to look like if Alex turned away, but it was just a plan. It wasn't the reality she wanted for them. They hadn't uttered their love for each other, but it was on the tip of her tongue.

Whether she would get a chance to ever tell him or not was another story altogether.

“How about we walk?”

He nodded and stood, without saying a word.

They walked around chatting about life in general as they walked the streets of New York and then enjoyed a causal conversation and two slices of pizza at the little parlor Mark was dying to go to. After forcing an ice cream down, they drove back to Alex's house, Mark turned the radio station to country music and started belting out the melody in an extremely decent singing voice.

Alex's Mercedes was in the driveway as they pulled up.

"This guy has more vehicles than a car sales lot. I have no clue what he does with those many cars." Mark rolled his eyes and got out of Jamie’s little shit-beater.

"No clue, but I know he loves them. I guess if you find a few things you truly enjoy and you work hard for your money, then you should be able to spend it as you see fit." She moved up beside Mark as nervousness swelled in her belly.

Things hadn't ended too well with Alex the day before, which left her at a disadvantage to know what to expect. As long as he didn't blow up on Mark, they would be good. He had a tendency to be a total ass to those he was closest to when something was wrong.

Good thing to remember. You really want a man who blows up on you because he's upset with someone else?

She discarded the thought as soon as she had it. Everyone did that, her included.

"Alex?" Mark called out as they walked through the front door.

"In the back."

"He's on the patio. I'm going to use the restroom and then I'll join you guys."

"Alright. I'll get him to sign this shit so that we have it out of the way." Mark smiled at her, pausing. "Hey... thanks for today. Best fun I've had in years. Just felt good."

She nodded. "It was fun. Thanks for letting me tag along."

He laughed. “I think I was the one tagging along.

Turning, she walked to her apartment and tried to shake the feeling off that her time with Mark would come back to bite her. Alex was the jealous type, which was perfectly fine and even a little flattering, but he was the one that sent her to get Mark. It wasn't fair for him to set up the encounter and then get raging pissed because her and Mark had fun in each other's company.

She washed her hands and checked herself in the mirror, noticing that her face looked a little fuller than it should.

"Probably the ice cream, donuts and pizza. Life's not been too kind lately." She growled and turned the light off, not wanting to add anything else onto herself for the moment. Hanging out with Alex and Mark would be enough for the night.

She walked out onto the patio in the middle of the guys talking about Annette from what Jamie could tell. She took the seat closest to Alex and smiled kindly as he glanced over at her.

"Right, so why she decided to wait this long to say something just seems ridiculous. I've been with Jamie for six or seven weeks now. The bitch had to know that she was pregnant before now. Why wait?" Alex's vein in the side of his neck was budging.

"Because she's lying or it's not yours. There would be no other reason for it. Is she in love with you?" Mark asked just before his eyes shifted to Jamie. There was a hint of sympathy in his gaze and she was grateful for it.

"I don't know if she loves me. I don't care." He ran his finger through his hair. "I just want to do what is right. You know?"

Alex glanced at her as if trying to get her to agree with his valiant efforts. The neediness in his gaze sliced through her, and heavy emotion that she'd pushed down began to bubble up. She didn't mind the child being part of the scenario, but losing someone that felt very much like her forever was too much.

"Get her to take a pregnancy test, Alex. With who you are, I’d demand a pregnancy and paternity test. The whole thing. Don’t change your whole fucking life over this chick if you don't even know that the baby is yours. Be smart about this. It's not just you involved." Mark sat forward, the intensity on his face almost scary.

It was nice to see someone fight part of the fight for her, but why wasn't Alex doing it? Why wasn't she considered in his decision? He seemed to have put her on a shelf and moved forward in trying to figure out what to do as if it were just him. Jamie inhaled a long breath. Why was she blaming him? The guy was trying to step up to the plate. She had to respect that.

"I realize that, but this is my life. It's my decision and being a good dad is more important than anything to me. You have to understand that." Alex had turned his attention back to his brother.

Jamie stood and walked toward the edge of the porch. "I'll see you guys later. I'm going for a run and all that good stuff."

"Jamie... stay with us." Alex stood.

"Yeah. Let's make dinner and hang out." Mark turned, the sympathy in his gaze too much.

"No thanks. I'll see you both tomorrow." She turned and jogged toward her place as tears slid over the edge of her eyes, burning a trail down her cheeks.

Alex's decision not only changed their relationship possibly, but everything in her life. It annoyed her that she wasn't even asked her opinion in the matter. It was his future and possibly his choice. He claimed he wanted to love her, but realistically she worked for him and they’d just been seeing each other for about a month, with another month of random sex acts. Commitment wasn’t required. Him including her now hurt, but it might make it easier in the long run. Maybe they weren’t meant to be together.

They had a crazy-strong sexual attraction but was that all there was? If the layers were stripped away, Jamie was afraid what she might find.

S
he ran hard. Pushing herself and cranking her iPod loud to drown her thoughts out. The run did her good, and by the time she settled onto her couch, her worries were tucked away behind weariness. She’d showered and just put on stuff to sleep in.

A knock at the door interrupted her aimless flicking through the apple TV for a movie.

Alex
. She checked the key hole to make sure Mark wasn’t with him. He was alone. She opened the door. “Hey.”

"You got a few minutes?" His eyes moved down the length of her, leaving chill bumps in their wake. He was in a t-shirt and jeans that fit almost too well. His hair was a bit of a mess from him running his fingers through it. He was beautiful. Breathtaking.

Her nipples budded immediately and her body tightened with the promise of what he was capable of, but by the look on his face, 'talking' didn't mean 'making out'. She almost wished sex would obliterate her thoughts and the ache in her heart.

"Yeah, sure." She turned and walked back into the living room as he closed the door. Her large cream-colored blanket sat on the edge of the couch, and she pulled it over her as she sat down. Her white tank top and boy shorts showed a little too much skin for the conversation that was apparently headed her way.

He sat down in the chair next to the couch and pressed his forearms to his legs. "Firstly, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you my PA back at my dad's place. I was caught off guard, and I want you to know that I meant nothing negative about it at all. I'm an idiot like most guys at times. Forgive me."

"Already done." She shrugged and pulled her knees up, tucking the blanket around her as she watched him closely.

"The situation with Annette is fucking me up."

She pressed her lips together. Should she saw what she really thought? Or sugar coat it for him? Fuck it. "I get that, but what I don't see is why it has to tear the two of us apart. You don’t have to marry Annette or be with her to be a father. That’s the feeling I’m getting from you and that’s what I'm wrestling with. Why tell me, but not ask how I feel? I feel like we are going somewhere but then I feel like I’m just the girl you are fucking who happens to be working for you." Jamie swallowed the hot ball of anger that rose inside of her. She wanted to keep things calm between them.