"You guys been friends long?" I ask as Nathan heads off to the other end of the VIP section, where I see a laptop on one of the tables there.
"Since childhood," he says. "He moved into the neighborhood when he was nine, and we've been friends ever since."
"He certainly has a way with words."
Jake chuckles. "That he does. Not always to his benefit."
I nod, smirking. "I think his first few words to me were sleazy broad, and I'm sure fuck was in the first sentence."
Jake swallows, looking embarrassed. "Was it? I'll have to talk to him."
I shake my head, waving him off. "I was running out of that back room. He had no idea who the hell I was."
Nathan comes over, his eyes twinkling in curiosity like he's waiting to be introduced.
Jake gives him a head nod. "Nathan, this is Roxy. She brought back my wallet. Not bad for a sleazy broad, huh?"
Nathan looks abashed, but he laughs. "You're right. Roxy, I apologize. My mouth gets the better of me sometimes. I looked at the video, and I promise you, if that asshole who tried to drug you comes in, he's gonna find out I haven't forgotten the old ways from the neighborhood."
I offer my hand, and Nathan shakes it, then kisses my knuckles. "I like this side of you a lot more than the first impression," I say.
"Of course. You know-" Nathan says when suddenly, there's a crash down below. A drunken woman decided that Club Jasmine's chairs were just perfect for her recreation of The Pussycat Dolls' Buttons dancing, and she's knocked a table, a waitress, and a bunch of other stuff onto the floor. "Oh, for fuck's sake. Excuse me."
Nathan heads for the stairs, talking loudly in a juicy Bronx accent that I'm sure has plenty of people quivering in fear even as I try to hold in my laughter. "You know who he reminds me of?"
"Who?" Jake asks, and I laugh again. "No, really, who?"
"Joe Pesci. Like, how he looked in Goodfellas. Like Nathan would totally be at ease carrying a baseball bat right now."
"Oh, don't give him any ideas," Jake says, chuckling. "Nathan's a genius when it comes to making money, but there's a reason he's not working for a firm. He tried working for Goldman Sachs right out of college and ended up getting fired."
"Why?" I ask, and Jake laughs.
"One of the Vice Presidents had a proposal, and Nathan told him in his typical manner that he disagreed with it. When the VP decided to defend himself by saying that one of the Seven Dwarves shouldn't be worrying about what real men said, Nathan decided to get even. By the time Nathan was done, the VP was crying. I still don't know how he didn't get arrested for that one."
"Damn, and you're business partners with him?"
Jake laughs. "Don't let his foul mouth fool you. He's sharp as a blade when it comes to running a business."
I nod, intrigued. "Well, maybe I underestimated him then."
"So, how long have you been working at Franklin Consolidated?" he asks me, changing subjects. "I decided not to pry."
"For almost a year. I recently got a promotion, so I'm moving up some," I say with a touch of pride. "Apparently, I'm decent at something, too."
"That's nice," Jake says. "But no offense, you just don't strike me as the corporate monkey type."
"I didn't think I was either. Before going back to school, I was . . . I was more free-spirited."
Jake hums in appreciation. "You know, I think I saw a hint of that the other night. Unless you're in a habit of being that . . . free-spirited."
At the mention of my behavior on Saturday, I feel myself blush all the way to the roots of my hair, and I scratch at my chin. "Yeah . . . about that. I'm embarrassed about that. I'm normally not that hard up," I say bluntly, feeling my confidence rising. "I'm usually a straight shooter, but I'm not that forward." I take a deep breath and blurt it out brutally. "It's been a while-let's just leave it at that."
He watches me intently, like he's studying me. "I believe you."
I'm tempted by the look in his eyes. He's so handsome, so confident and assured, that I almost want to slide across the seat and kiss him. I want him to take me in the back and to finish what we started Saturday night, but Hannah's right. All business, all business, I think to myself. In desperation, I try to think of something else to say. "So . . . how'd you get to where you are at your age? I mean, you're not that much older than I am, are you?"
"Probably not," Jake agrees. "I had a fire lit under my ass after I become caretaker for my sister."
"Your sister?" I ask, surprised. "I didn't know you had a sister."
"Yes, she lives with me. Has ever since our parents passed," Jake says. He leans forward, and looking at him, I feel like I'm seeing a side of him that few people do, and it's a side that I want even more than what I saw on Saturday. "I had to grow up quickly."
"I'm sorry for your loss," I say honestly, reaching out and patting his hand. "You must care for her very much."
The conversation flows, the two of us growing closer as we find so much in common. Besides the surface things like similar tastes in music, we both see the world as a place to stand on your own, to make your own mark somehow. I order another Mermaid, but Jake stops me after my second, and it's with a shock that I realize it's near midnight. "Oh, wow," I say, not slurring very much. "I guess it's time to go home."
"Come on, I'll drive you like I said," Jake says, helping me to my feet. He's so close, I can't help it as I press myself against him, looking in his eyes, and his hand falls to my lower back. He lowers his lips, kissing me softly, and I kiss him back, not with the fiery passion of Saturday night but with something truer.
"Jake . . ." I whisper when I step back, biting my lip in torn desire. "This is the hardest thing I've ever said in my life because I want you so fucking badly right now, but I need you to call me a cab. You're my boss, and we can't finish what this starts. We need to keep this strictly business."
Jake swallows, and I feel his hand pull me even tighter, but he stops and lets me go. With a shuddering breath, he nods. "Okay. I'll have the staff call you a cab."
I nod and reach down, grabbing my purse. "Thank you. Jake . . . this is like the best club I've ever seen, but I don't think I should come back here. I think you know why."
Jake swallows and nods. "I do."
He calls John the security guy over, giving him instructions. John nods, and Jake turns back to me. "You're all set. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"I am, and yes," I say, giving Jake a smile. "Goodnight."
John escorts me downstairs and out to the already waiting cab, closing the door for me. Just as the cab gets ready to pull away, I see the door to Club Jasmine open again, and Jake steps out, giving me a wave. As the cab pulls away and I give him a wave back, there's something inside me that says this is just the beginning.
Chapter 11
Jake
Strictly business.
Roxy's words run through my mind as I button up the cuff links of my dress shirt, the early morning sunset peeking in a fiery orange through the window behind me. I finish my shirt and turn around, keeping my eyes directly from the sun but looking out over the city. It's peaceful, certainly not as bustling as New York or one of those other cities that never seems to sleep.
It shouldn't really be a problem. Being Roxy's boss definitely changes things. I can't even lie about how I'm new in town or that she doesn't report directly to me. It'd be a problem eventually if we kept seeing each other. But I can't divorce myself from the way she felt underneath my hands. The images flash in my mind, making my dick swell in my custom-tailored Italian slacks, and I unconsciously reach down to adjust myself as I turn away from the window.
But more than her body, I can't get over what she told me.
I run my hand over my freshly shaven cheeks, checking for any missed spots as I think about our conversation yesterday. I just can't get over the look in her eyes when she told me she'd given up her dream to work in the soul-sucking corporate world. It crushed me, and her tiny attempt at salvaging her pride by saying she got a promotion just made it worse. It made me feel for her, not as a woman I'd like to fuck, but as a person I'd like to help.
Here I am, living part of my dream by being able to start my own business, which by every measure is going to be hugely successful, and she has to work a job she isn't happy with. I could see the spark she has for life is dimmed by it all. And being around her makes me want to reignite it. I just don't know how.
Saturday night, if I'd heard her story, it would have been easy. Foolish, most likely, but easy. Now, we're bound by rules. There's corporate protocol we have to follow. And I fucking hate rules. I've played by my own as much as I can for my whole life. It's the main reason I always want to be the one in charge. I know that eventually, my penchant for doing it my own way is going to make enemies if I'm not the one making the decisions. One misstep will have my ass flapping in the wind.