All Messed Up: Windy City Kink, Book 2 (22 page)

Joe grabbed his jacket, shoved his arms into it and stepped out into the cool darkness. Alone. Just what he didn’t want to be right then. Ah, fuckit, he was used to being alone. Normally, he was good with it. He liked his space. For some reason though, he had a weird feeling in his gut.

At least he had his buddies. Although what Kevin was spouting off about, he had no clue. He was happy for Sasha and Jack. Kinda sucked for Kevin to lose his roommate though. But they’d stay friends. Oh yeah—he had to get hold of Mallory and talk about Paige moving in there. Nice place. Decent rent. And built-in security, of sorts.

Mallory. As he drove home, thoughts about her started invading his head. He’d been successful at keeping them out, but now, alone in his truck, driving through dark city streets, there she was.

Fuck, talk about sharing dark dirty secrets. An affair with a high school teacher. He shook his head, gripping the steering wheel. He had no fucking idea what that had to do with what was going on between them. Somehow in her mind, she’d twisted things up. He wasn’t even close to really understanding it. So she liked kinky shit. What did she think he was going to do, make a sex tape of them and put it on PornTube or something? Embarrass her and her parents, jeopardize her job? Because there was no way that a little consensual kink in the privacy of a hotel room or apartment was going to be anywhere near the same thing.

He shook his head.

She said she’d done everything she could to make it up to her parents. That made his heart feel like a fist had reached inside his chest and was squeezing. Christ. Now some of the things she’d said in California made sense—her reluctance to sneak out to see him, to spend the night, despite being a thirty-one-year-old woman.

Those were probably things she’d done as a wild child and now she didn’t want to go back there.

And she blamed him for making her do that.

Shit.

Stopped at a red light, he slammed his hand on the steering wheel. He remembered the conversation they’d started at the airport, just when Tim had called, when he’d asked her if he was messing up her perfect life. How she should be dating an accountant or a lawyer. And she had. And that had probably made her parents very happy.

And he, as usual, would not. He’d never made his own parents happy. Why the fuck would he make someone else’s parents happy?

And now he’d gone right back to thinking about his family and how fucked up all that was. Jesus. He’d gone away to meet his biological father, think about stuff, get his head on straight, and he’d come home more messed up than ever. Great. Just effing great.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Usually when Mallory was away from the office, she kept on top of e-mails with her BlackBerry, but for the past week she’d deliberately not looked at work-related e-mails. The whole purpose of the trip was to put some distance between her and work and think about what she was going to do about the problem of the off-label use of Felisse. Plus she’d been kind of distracted by Joe, and now, by Paige’s problems.

Which meant she had a ton of e-mails to get through Monday morning. Not to mention people at her office door first thing, asking about her vacation and then wanting her to solve all their problems. She had meetings that had been scheduled while she was away that she needed to prep for.

She loved her work, loved solving problems, enjoyed creating with her team, but with the whistle-blowing dilemma looming over her, it wasn’t quite as much fun as it usually was.

She pushed aside thoughts of Joe, determined that that crazy episode in her life was done. Now she had to focus on being there for Paige and deciding what to do at work, and while she was still working at Zafir, she didn’t have it in her to do anything less than her very best.

Getting caught up meant she was still at the office at six o’clock. She called Paige to see where she was and what she was doing. All day she’d also had a vague worry about Paige and whether her ex—she was still considering him her ex despite Paige’s confession that their divorce wasn’t final—had left Chicago or what he was doing. The fact that he’d physically hurt her made Mallory nauseous.

“I’m at your place,” Paige answered her question. “Just got here actually.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah. I’m okay, Mallory. Really.”

“You went to work today?”

“Of course. I have a business to run.”

Paige had recently started her own business, a web-based personal styling service for busy women. Clients answered a questionnaire and then Paige and her—so far one—assistant picked out clothing and accessories based on the client’s fit and wardrobe needs and shipped them to the client’s home each season. Business was really taking off. Mallory herself had signed up as a client. She liked clothes, liked to look professional in her work and had money to spend, but had no time to shop. She’d also referred a number of other people to Bisou Style, women co-workers in upper management positions who had the same needs. Paige wanted to expand so she could have a studio where people could come in for a personal style assessment and to try some things on if they wanted, and Paige was on the hunt for space she could afford in the right area. At the moment, she was operating out of a tiny warehouse-type space where she got in shipments of clothes and put together packages for clients.

“Just wanted to check on you,” Mallory said. “I’m still at the office, trying to get caught up. Have you eaten?”

“Yeah, I made myself something. Hope that’s okay.”

“Of course it is! So you’re okay?”

“Yes,” Paige said firmly. “Seriously, Mallory. I’m okay. I’m not going to let that bastard get to me. I moved here to Chicago to start over and things have been going great, and he’s not going to wreck it.”

“Is he still in town, do you know?”

“He said he was going back to New York. I don’t get why he still wants me. We aren’t right for each other. He didn’t want me before. I really believe he’s giving up now.”

She knew him better than Mallory did. She hoped Paige was right. “Okay. I’ll be home in a while. And tomorrow night, hip hop class, right?”

“Right.”

“Hey. I forgot to tell you. I ran into a girl who used to come to class…Sasha Bendel. Remember her?”

“Oh yeah, pretty blonde. The landscape designer.”

“Yes. I saw her at the hockey game on Saturday night. Turns out she lives with a friend of Joe’s. I mean, they’re roommates. She has a boyfriend.”

“Joe is awesome, Mal,” Paige said in a soft voice.

Ugh. Mallory’s stomach tightened. “Don’t get any ideas. We’re done.”

“What? Really? He seems so into you.”

She did not want to talk about Joe. “It was just a vacation fling thing,” she said dismissively. “Okay, so I’ll see you later.”

“I might be in bed when you get home.”

“Sure.”

“Thanks for letting me stay here. I appreciate it.”

“Any time, hon.”

She ended the call and returned to her computer. Outside her window, darkness had fallen and the skyscrapers around her formed glittering columns of blue, yellow and white. She loved the cityscape, during the day and at night.

The office was quiet, most people now having left, and she was able to whiz through a lot of work. She prided herself on her efficiency and ability to deal with administrative tasks quickly, which many creative people in the field struggled with.

Around eight o’clock, her grumbling stomach told her it was time to stop for the day. She shut down her computer and headed out. She’d stop at Opa Souvlaki, a little Greek restaurant on her way home, to pick up something for her dinner.

As she stepped into the warmly lit small restaurant, Petros, the owner of the restaurant, greeted her with a big smile and open arms. “Mallory! You’re back! Where you been,
paidaki mou
?”

She smiled back at him. Standing behind the take-out counter, a white apron partially covered his bulky body. His smile creased his dark face and his dark eyes sparkled. She was a regular enough customer there that they knew each other by name.

“I went home to California to visit my parents for a week,” she told him.

“Ah yes, I see you look a little tanned. Did you have a good trip?”

“It was very nice.”

“What can I get you tonight?”

“Chicken souvlaki and a Greek salad, please. Extra olives.”

“You got it, beautiful.” He called out the order. “Now, are you ready to date my nephew Damon? You said you needed time after you dumped that loser lawyer.”

She laughed. “Petros, I told you, I don’t need to be fixed up with anyone.” Petros had been trying to fix her up with his nephew since she’d started patronizing Opa Souvlaki. She’d never met Damon but pictured a younger Petros.

He shook his head, mouth turned down at the corners. “He’s a nice boy. Your age. He has a real man’s job.”

She grinned. Apparently Damon was a firefighter. “You’re saying lawyers aren’t real men?”

He waved a hand, grinning. “You know what I mean. And a girl like you needs a real man. A strong man.”

She gave him a squinty-eyed smile. How the hell did he know what kind of man she needed? “Some would say a woman doesn’t need a man, Petros.”

“You young girls and your battery-operated boyfriends,” he muttered, wrapping up her souvlaki.

She choked on a laugh.

“You need a real man,” he continued, lifting his chin, but his lips twitched. He slid the plastic container of salad into a bag.

“I’ll keep it in mind,” she said with a wink. She handed over the money for her food and accepted the plastic bag from Petros. “But tell Damon not to wait around for me. He needs a real woman.”

“Mallory, Mallory. I know you would be perfect for him.”

He was totally teasing. He didn’t know her well enough to know that. But he was a sweetheart.

“Thanks, Petros!” she called as she walked out. “See you soon.”

“I hope so.”

She smiled as she walked along the dark city sidewalk toward her building. She snuggled her chin into the big soft scarf she had wrapped around her neck and breathed in the chilled evening air, then let it out.

She had to make a decision.

Joe had helped her out in California, doing all that research and letting her talk it out. Now she really had to focus on what she wanted to do. There was much to consider.

“No one would blame you if you walked away.” She heard his words in her ears. Maybe she shouldn’t rule that out as an option. But what could she do from outside the company?

She knew what her parents thought she should do. They wanted her to do the right thing. Even knowing the possible consequences for her, she was pretty sure they would want her to blow the whistle. Hopefully they were praying for her.

In her condo, the guest room door was closed, the room dark. She sat at the granite counter of her kitchen and ate the delicious seasoned chicken and tangy salad, loaded with feta and olives and fresh oregano. While she ate she thought again about the things she and Joe had talked about. And one more thing Joe had said kept coming back to her. “You already said you don’t know if you want to keep working for a company that could do that.”

She’d thought about going to the media anonymously, even though eventually when it came out she would lose her job. But how valuable was that job, when she didn’t even want to work for a company that would endanger people’s lives to make money?

Why wouldn’t they just listen to her, dammit? If they would stop what they were doing, stop endangering people’s lives, she could stay working there. The company did a lot of good—she believed in the drugs they produced. She’d been proud to work for a company that saved people’s lives, that made people’s lives better with important medical treatments. If they went out of business because of this, it would be horrible on so many levels. That wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t want to take them down. She wanted one simple change in how they did business.

Frustration swelled up inside her, a hot feeling of pressure and helplessness, and she hated feeling like that. Goddammit!

She wished Joe were there.

Goddammit again.

She closed her eyes, the feeling of missing him so intense she could barely breathe through it. Longing. Not just to see him, to touch him, to let him wrap her up in his arms and make her feel all safe and protected, but to talk to him. Tears burned the edges of her eyes and she squeezed them tighter, her fingers curling into her palms on the counter.

How could she feel like this about someone she’d met just over a week ago? Someone so completely inappropriate for her. And yet…someone so perfect for her.

Gah! What was she thinking?

She slid off the stool, threw out her garbage, tossed her plate and fork into the dishwasher, and headed to the bathroom to wash up for bed.

Her phone bleeped in her purse and she detoured to get it.

It was Joe.

She blinked as she read the text message.
Sorry 2 bother U. My buddy Kevin is losing his roommate Sasha—remember? Would Paige B interested in moving in?

For a moment she couldn’t move. Joe remembered Paige needed to move. Sasha lived with Joe’s friend Kevin. But she was dating Jack Grenville. Presumably she was moving in with him…leaving Kevin living alone.

She narrowed her eyes. She didn’t know Kevin at all. How would she know Paige would be safe with him? The last thing Paige needed was more man trouble.

On the other hand, living with a guy would be great if her ex showed up. Not that Kevin was expected to be, like, a bodyguard or anything. But still. Having someone else around would be awesome.

She bit her lip, staring at the screen of her phone. Her heart expanded against her breastbone, stealing her breath. Joe. Oh God. Joe.

Pain sliced through her. This was an amazing solution to Paige’s problem, and it had come from him, even though she’d ended things with him.

She used her thumbs to type in her reply.
Sounds amazing. BUT…we don’t know Kevin at all…

She walked slowly down the hall to her bedroom, holding her phone, waiting for his reply. It came quickly.
I know. Sasha will vouch 4 him. Paige can meet him if interested. Let me know.

She quickly texted back,
Will do. I’ll talk to her.
She hit send then bit her lip. Looked at her phone. And sent another message.
Thank you, Joe.

In her room she set the phone on her dresser and headed to the bathroom to wash her face. She kept listening for another bleep to signal a message. When she was clean-faced and ready for bed she checked the phone. Nothing.

She plugged her phone in to charge and slid into bed. She picked up her e-reader to read for a few minutes before she fell asleep, as she usually did, but nothing she read was sinking in. She kept glancing at the phone. But no more messages arrived.

Paige had been cautiously interested in meeting Kevin about the possibility of moving in with him. “Doesn’t that seem crazy?” she asked. “Moving in with a total stranger?”

“Well. He’s not a
total
stranger. We have people in common that we know. He’s…” Mallory cleared her throat. “He’s one of Joe’s best friends.”

They were meeting Sasha for lunch on Saturday and then going back to her and Kevin’s place to see it and meet Kevin. Paige had insisted on returning to her own apartment. There’d been no sign of her ex, no contact from him, but Mallory worried.

“If you don’t feel comfortable, you don’t have to do it,” Mallory continued. “Let’s wait and see what he’s like.”

Lunch with Sasha was lovely. They didn’t know her extremely well from going to hip hop classes, but as they sat and talked, they all found things in common, and by the end of lunch they were gabbing as if they’d been friends for years. Sasha was down-to-earth, funny, ate like a sumo wrestler, and was so very, very in love with Jack Grenville.

“Kev’s a great guy,” she assured them. “We’ve been friends for years. I can talk to him about anything. Also, he’s a great cook.” She smiled. “He’s not perfect, mind you. He’s a little anal about keeping the house neat, but hey, that’s not the worst thing. At least he doesn’t leave his dirty laundry all over the place. He’s busy too, so it’s not like you’d be in each other’s hair all the time. He has a pretty demanding career and he’s really into photography, so he goes out and takes pictures a lot. And now he’s seeing Emma.” Her forehead creased. “Although their relationship seems a little…um…”

“Rocky?” Mallory suggested.

“Yeah. That might be the word. But I think Kev’s crazy about her, and I’m pretty sure she feels the same. They just need to work out a few things. And I need to keep Jack out of their business.” She grinned.

“Will it bother Emma if I move in?” Paige asked, nibbling her bottom lip.