Obsessed: Part Two (4 page)

Chapter 6

"This is just a preliminary discussion so keep that in mind." Nathan pulls out one of the padded office chairs at the long rectangular conference table.

"Okay, I understand." I swallow hard before sitting down. "Do you think I look okay for this?" I scan my plain white dress before I soak in the sight of him in his expensive dark suit and stunning blue shirt and tie. "I feel underdressed."

"You look amazing," he says after taking the seat next to mine. "I have to dress beyond my means. It's part of my job. It makes me look intimidating, don't you think?"

I giggle at the expression on his
face, which is a mixture of a grin and a scowl. "Your tie intimidates me or maybe the pattern hypnotizes me. That has to count for something."

He throws his head back with a hearty laugh and I can't help but giggle at the sight of it. It reminds me so much of when we were children and he'd pull a prank on Sandra and me.

"I've always loved your laugh." I reach for his hand to squeeze it. "It reminds me of home."

He holds my hand in his and I jump at a sound near the doorway. It's the unmistakable grumble of a man clearing his throat for effect, not for purpose. I don't have to glance in that direction to know that it's Jax and he's not pleased by what he just saw.

"Who are you?" he wastes no time in marching up to the table.

"Nathan Moore." Nathan shoots to his feet and offers his hand. "I'm representing Ms. Marlow."

Jax blatantly ignores Nathan's hand. His eyes are locked on me and I can tell from the scowl overtaking his brow that he's not happy with my choice in attorney.

"This is Jax Walker." I interject.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Walker and…" his voice trails as Jax's attorney enters the room.

"I'm Gilbert Douglas," his thick English accent surprises me.

Nathan takes his hand before everyone settles back into their chairs.

"Ms. Marlow is prepared to sell." Nathan opens a non-descript manila folder that he placed in front of him on the table when we sat down. "These are her terms." He slides a single piece of paper across the table in Gilbert's direction.

Jax snatches it up and studies the numbers against the subtle protest of his attorney. "This wasn't what we agreed to."

"She feels this is more than fair," Nathan explains.

"I wasn't talking to you," Jax barks. "I was talking to her."

Nathan shifts his body in his chair so he's sitting completely upright. "You'll address me, Mr. Walker. As I explained when you came in the room, I represent Ms. Marlow in this matter."

Jax clenches the edge of the table in his right hand. I can see the vein in his neck pulsing and I know he's about to explode. It's obvious to everyone in the room that Jax isn't going to be complacent.

"Mr. Moore." Gilbert's voice breaks the tense silence. "This offer is appreciated but we're going to need time to discuss it. You understand, of course."
Nathan nods. "It's what she wants and if Mr. Walker wants these shares, it's not negotiable."

"I see." Gilbert nods his head. "We weren't aware that she was interested in my client's holdings in Veray Jewelers."

"As you can see, she's willing to agree to less in terms of a monetary offering in exchange for his shares in Veray." Nathan slams the folder shut. "Give me a call when you've made a decision."

Jax stares at him as he prepares to stand. "We're not done, Moore."

Nathan pulls my chair gently away from the table and reaches for my hand to help me stand. "We're done until you agree to these terms. Now, if you'll excuse us both."

I reach for my purse and follow Nathan's blatant lead. I don't want to turn around to see Jax's expression. I know he's pissed. Not just at my attempt to wrestle Veray away from him but by the fact that Nathan's hand is slowly moving down my back as he guides me out of the room.

"That went well, don't you think?" I smile at Nathan as we reach the bank of elevators. "Do you think he'll give it to me?"

He reaches down and taps me on the tip of my nose with his index finger. It makes me giggle. It's the very same gesture we shared when we were growing up. "You did great Ivy. You definitely have the advantage. I'm proud of you for taking this on."

I smile at the comment. All I wanted growing up was his attention and approval. Now that I have both, I'm feeling like that awkward seventeen-year-old girl again except the man I'm crushing on is back in the boardroom with steam coming out of his ears.

"Here's our ride." The chime of the elevator reaching our floor rings through the air.

I take a step forward when I feel a hand stroke my elbow and take hold. My breath catches. I don't even need to turn around to know that Jax is right behind me.

"After you." Nathan sweeps his arm in the air in the direction of the now open elevator. He jumps when he notices Jax standing in silence right behind me.

"She'll take the next one." Jax pulls me towards him.

"Mr. Walker, you shouldn't be talking to me client alone." Nathan steps into the elevator and holds his hand over the door.

"I'm not talking to her as your client." Jax takes a step back and I'm forced to follow.

"What are you talking about?" Nathan searches my face for some understanding.

"It's okay." My eyes dart to Jax's face. "We have something else to discuss. I promise I won't talk about the sale without you."

"I'll call you tonight." He moves his hand so the door silently glides to a close.

"This way." Jax's hand moves to mine and he pulls me abruptly into a corridor next to the bank of elevators.

"What are you doing?" I hiss. "I don't want to talk about the contract with you. I can't."

He pushes me against the wall before separating my legs with his knee. I'm pinned against the wall in this seemingly abandoned corridor. "Are you fucking him?"

I scan his face looking for any evidence of a smirk or a grin but there's nothing but cold seriousness. "You didn't just ask me that."

"Are you fucking Moore?" He repeats this time with measured force in his voice. "Answer the question."

"Am I fucking Nathan?" I repeat it back.

"Christ, just answer it." He pushes his body harder into mine. I'm certain that I can feel him becoming aroused.

I roll my eyes and try to break free of his grasp. "I'm not answering that. It's insulting."
"He wants to fuck you." His breath traces a path down my neck. "He couldn't keep his hands off you."
"You're crazy." I push harder now, knowing that if I truly wanted to break free I could do it, but part of me is relishing in his jealous rage and how hard he's become.

"He was practically drooling over you." He touches the tip of his tongue to my neck and I whimper. "You had to notice. You're not that naïve, beautiful."

I realize that two can play his twisted game. "I wanted him too," I whisper into his ear.

He retreats. His body pulls back from mine and his hands leap to my face. "Say it again."

I scan his eyes looking for anything that would indicate that my words stung him. I see a faint trace of disappointment. "I wanted him too when…." I let the words trail as I move my face until my lips are hovering next to his.

"When what?" He leans forward and pulls my bottom lip between his teeth.

I flinch at the pain and pull back. I run my tongue over the bruised spot. "When I was seventeen."

"When you were seventeen?" The confusion in his voice is mixed with something else more telling. Happiness? Relief? It's too vague to place.

"He was my best friend's older brother. I wanted him so much," I say the words not caring what he thinks.

"But he didn't fuck you. There was only one," he whispers it with reassurance.

"I wanted him. I thought about it when I touched…" I blush at the mere mention of the fact that the thought of kissing, making love with and coming with Nathan was the only fodder for my desires back then.

"When you touched yourself?" His lips claim mine as the words leave his mouth. I drop my purse to the floor as I grab hold of his shoulders. I can't get close enough to him. I'm addicted to him and he knows it.

I pull back from the kiss when I feel his hands tugging at the bottom of my dress. "No, not here," I say in barely more than a whisper. "I've never. People will see us." I fumble for the right words to tell him that I won't have sex in the middle of the day in an office building.

"No one will see us." His hands don’t hesitate as he reaches the edge of my silk panties. I feel him dip a finger inside and pull it across my wetness. "You're ready. I want to be inside you, right here, right now."

"Jax, no, please. No." I whimper without any conviction as I hear the sound of him undoing his belt. The soft pull of his zipper follows and he flips me around until I'm pressed against the wall.

"Tell me to stop now, beautiful." His words are drowned out by the sensation of his cock pressed against me. He pulls my panties aside and expertly slides himself into me in one fluid motion.

I muffle my gasp with my own hand and brace myself against the wall with the other. He pulls my hair into his fist and gently jerks my body closer to his. A guttural moan rises from deep within me and I press my wetness into him.

"You're never going to want another man again," he purrs into my ear as he finds his rhythm. His free hand grabs hold of my hip and he violently pushes himself into me. I brace myself harder against the wall not wanting to hit it with each of his powerful thrusts.

"Fuck, yes." I whimper. I can't hold in the pleasure. I want to scream but I know I can't. "Harder."

"You're mine. Say it beautiful."

I can't speak. I can only feel. This isn't me. I don't have sex with men like him in public places. I don't. I can't stop myself. I can't stop wanting him.

"I'm so close," I manage to softly say.

"Come with me," he growls into my ear. I feel my knees buckle as I find my release. He pulls me closer with both hands now, holding me steady as he moans deeply in my ear. "My Ivy."

I place all the extra pieces I've created over the years on the floor in my foyer. There's dozens and I smile at the array of designs and the unique nuances in each one. None of these made the cut in Madeline's eyes but they're breathtaking to me and I know others will envision wearing them as soon as they see them. I reach towards the table and grab my camera. I want to catalogue each piece with a photograph so by the time the deal with Jax is completed and I have his shares in Veray in my pocket I can set up my own website to sell these one of a kind creations online.

There's a knock at the door as soon as I take the first image. I know it can't be Mrs. Adams since I helped her get into a taxi hours earlier as I arrived home after my encounter with Jax. "Why does this building even have a doorman?" I say under my breath.

I throw the door open and I'm greeted by the sight of Nathan in the hallway. I blush when I realize all I'm wearing is a short sundress. My air conditioner is acting up again and my apartment feels like a moderate oven awaiting a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

"Nathan." I smile at him. "Come in please?"

He takes a large step over the threshold than freezes in place when he notices all of the earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets and brooches scattered all over the floor. "Is this a bad time?"

I silently close the door behind him. "No. Not at all." I push the wayward tendrils of my ponytail back into place. "I'm just sorting through some of my extra stuff."

"This is your stuff?" He falls to his knees right where he is and gently picks up a pair of light green glass earrings. "You made these?"

"I did." I lower myself to the floor too being extra careful to tuck the edge of my dress under my knees. "I made all of these."
"Ivy." His face brightens with a wide grin. "You're so gifted. Why haven't I heard about you? Where have you been hiding this talent?"

"In one small showcase at Veray Jewelers." I reach for a necklace that is embellished with a delicate silver sparrow. "This is one of my favorite pieces."

He takes it tenderly in his hand. "It's a sparrow." His eyes connect instantly with mine. "Sandra's favorite bird."

"I was thinking of her when I made it years ago." I continue," remember when she picked up that injured sparrow and she nursed it back to health? We couldn't have been more than ten-years-old then."

"I do remember." He studies the intricate details I worked into the tiny bird. "Sandra would be amazed by this."

"Will you give that to her when you see her?"

"She'll love it." His eyes scan the entire expanse of the pieces. "Ivy, seriously, you made all of this?"

"Yes." I grin widely. I don't often get complimented on my work and hearing him tell me what he thinks of it gives me the confidence I need to keep moving forward with my plan to start a website and get my own customers instead of being under Veray's control forever.

He moves to stand and I do the same. I realize then that I haven't asked him what he's doing at my place.

"I'm sorry." I motion towards the living room. "Please come in. Can I get you anything? Ice tea, a soda, maybe some wine?"

"Just water if you don't mind." He takes a seat on the couch as he pulls the collar of his dress shirt away from his neck. "Is it hot in here or is that just me?"

I stand silent for a minute before I realize I've misinterpreted what he said. He's hot. I almost told him that. Shit. My seventeen-year-old brain needs to grow up. "My air conditioner is on the fritz. The super promised he'd be up sometime this year."

He laughs as I head to the kitchen to retrieve a water bottle from the fridge. I hold it against my chest briefly before walking back into the room and handing it to him.

"It's a nice apartment." His eyes scan the length of the room. "Did you and Mark live here together?"

"It's his apartment." I don't see any reason to sugar coat the truth. "I'm hoping I can get a place that is just mine once the deal goes through."

"I actually stopped by to talk to you about that." He pulls the cap from the bottle and swallows a large gulp. "I'm sorry I didn't call but I had dinner in the neighborhood and thought I'd take a chance that you'd be here."

I nod. "I'm almost always here," I say quietly. Since my friendship with Liz was shattered I hadn't gone out much. I missed it.

"Maybe we can have dinner sometime." The casual way he throws it into the air surprises me. I purse my lips together thinking about how to answer when he elaborates. "Just as friends, of course. Old friends who've recently reconnected."

"I'd like that." I breathe a sigh of relief. If it was a date, Jax wouldn't approve but he's not in control of me, is he? At this point we don't seem to be more than random fuck buddies so is a date out of the question? I glance at Nathan and realize he's staring at me. Christ, he must think I'm still as immature as that girl who used to follow him around hoping to get him to look at me.

"You and Jax. What's up with that?" He nonchalantly asks as if he's inquiring about something as mundane as the weather or the last movie I saw.

"What do you mean?" I'm going to employ the dumb blonde act and pray that he falls for it. Who am I kidding? He's an attorney.

He smiles coyly. "He's either in love with you or he needs anger management classes."

I laugh out loud at how preposterous the idea of Jax being in love with me is and that anger management classes seem like something Jax could excel at.

"He's not in love with me." I trace my index finger along the arm of the chair. "He'd probably fail anger management classes."

"I'd agree with that," he mutters under his breath.

"He can come across as rude, or arrogant or something." I find myself trying to explain Jax's less than welcoming attitude earlier. "But I think he's a good person deep down."

"Are you two involved?" He keeps pushing the subject. "I need to know, Ivy. I don't want to try and negotiate a deal with him blindly. If there's some sort of personal relationship I'd like to know."

I feel flush. I have to admit to this man that I haven't seen in years that I'm sleeping with the person who insulted him earlier today. I nod my head slowly up and down.

"I knew it," he replies. I can't gauge his reaction but I do sense disappointment or anxiety in his voice. "This complicates things for me."

"I'm sorry," I offer. "We're not exactly involved. We're not together like couples are together."

He looks as confused as I feel. I know I should explain more so I sigh while I search for the words.

"You two are just sleeping together?" He throws me a lifeline as if he wants to save me the embarrassment of having to explain that Jax and I just have sex at this point.

I nod. "It was moving in another direction but then I found out about his father and the company." I grimace at the words. The bitterness still sits within me. I hate that Jax hadn't divulged that he was Tom's son when we first met.

"His father used to be Mark's partner, right?" He pulls the lid from the water bottle again and swallows what's left. He places the empty container on the table.

"That's right. I didn't find that out until he offered to buy my shares." I hang my head towards the floor. This is humiliating. In the short span of five minutes I've confessed to Nathan that I'm still sleeping with a man who manipulated me and lied to me.

"That's low." He points out.

"I know." I catch his glance and see pity there. I don't want him to pity me. I want him to help me get away from Mark. Maybe I want him to help me get away from Jax. I don't know. I can't stop and think about all of this. All I can focus on is what Jax and I did in that corridor earlier.

"Is he hiding anything else?" he asks softly.

I look towards the windows as I measure my answer. Why haven't I asked Jax that question? Did I not want to know? "I don't think so."

"I hope not." He stands and I follow his lead. "Find out if he is, Ivy. That's leverage we can use. He may not budge on Veray and anything he doesn't want to come out may be your guarantee to get exactly what you want."

I nod realizing that I have no way of doing that. I'm not certain that Jax will actually be honest with me if I ask him such a pointed question. My heart drops as I absorb that thought.