Jayded (9 page)

“
What the
hell
were you doing in her office, Junior?
”
I yell. At this point, I don
’
t even care who hears me. I am so sick of him butting into my life!

He stands up, throwing his chair back. It hits the wall with a loud bang.
“
Someone
’
s got to warn her about you. You
’
re out of control, Kyle. I see the way you look at her like a piece of meat, and I
’
ll be damned if I
’
m going to sit by and watch you ruin something Mom and Dad have been working so hard for
—
or sit and watch you ruin Maxine!
”
Junior says with a snarl.

I get right up to his desk, leaning over so I am face-to-face with him. I can feel his hot breath against my face.
“
You don
’
t know shit! Keep your fucking business to yourself and leave my name out of your mouth!
”

I must have been louder than I thought because my mom comes rushing in, closing the door tightly behind her.
“
What is going on here, you two? You have the whole office in an uproar!
”
she screeches in a whisper.

Neither of us answers; we just hold the death stare between us.

“
Fine! If you two won
’
t talk about it, then maybe I should have your father come in here. Is that what the two of you want?
”
she asks with her arms folded and her badass
“
mom glare.
”

Junior cracks first.
“
There
’
s no need for that, Mom. I promise this won
’
t happen again.
Right
, Kyle?
”
he says with eyes like daggers.

I glare back at him.
“
Right.
”

“
Then I suggest you two gather your composure and meet us back in the conference room.
”
She leaves the office and closes the door behind her.

I turn around to face him again.
“
Just stay out of my life,
”
I demand before I walk out.

I hear the whispers and can feel the eyes on me as I walk down the hall from Junior
’
s office. It
’
s clear that this will be the talk of the day, but I honestly couldn
’
t give two fucks. My brother has done this all my life. He
’
s never on my side; he
’
s always against me. I
’
ve never been able to pinpoint it
—
whether it
’
s jealousy or hatred or a little of both.

He
’
s always been on the straight and narrow, even as a kid. He did as he was asked
—
nothing more, nothing less
—
and always aimed to please. I was the complete opposite: free-spirited and continuously learning everything the hard way. Rules were never an option for me, and when I was told
“
no,
”
it only made me want it that much more. I think he
’
s always resented me for it. Because of my bad behavior, I was constantly getting the attention; even though it wasn
’
t good attention, it was attention, plain and simple.

Once I cleaned up my act and decided to go off to college, I think that was the happiest I
’
ve ever seen my brother. He was able to be seen again without any distractions. He had my parents
’
undivided attention and obviously took full advantage of it career-wise. Even though I now have a piece of paper to show that I know what I
’
m doing in this business, he has the experience. And now, I almost feel the tables have turned a little; I sort of envy him now.

I head into the conference room and take my seat next to Max again. I can feel the thick tension around us, and once Junior enters the room, it magnifies by ten. We spend the next couple of hours going over numbers and statistics. I have to admit, by the time the meeting is over, my head is spinning. I don
’
t know how people do this all day.

By six o
’
clock, almost everyone has left the building. It
’
s quiet; there
’
s only a small humming noise coming from the voices that are still here. I punch out on my time clock and shut my computer down. I take a quick glance toward Max
’
s office and can see her back to work already. I almost want to stop by before I take off just to see her for a split second, but I think twice and head out.

Working with my family just may be the death of me.

CHAPTER TEN

Max

The last couple of days have been packed. By the time I get back to the hotel, it is a little past midnight. The lobby is alive and vivacious on a perfect Friday night. Laughter and conversations are flowing, and there is dancing throughout the halls. Even though I am exhausted, it feels a little magical. Couples are holding hands and groups of friends are hyped up and ready for a fun night out on the town. The buzz is almost addicting.

Once I close the door to my room, all sound and reality disappears. I power off my phone and all connection to the outside world, and I
’
m sucked into my cave, burying myself under my covers for a much-needed sleep. I don
’
t care what it takes; I am sleeping in tomorrow morning.

I crack my eyes open in the morning and glance at the alarm clock next to my bed. It
’
s now eleven thirty. The room is still dark, with slices of light creeping through the curtains. I feel as tired as I did when I laid my head down. These damn beds. Now I understand what people mean when they say they
’
re homesick. I wouldn
’
t care where I was, though, as long as my bed was there with me.

I forgot I turned off my phone last night. When I power it on, it sounds like the coin board on the
Super Mario Brothers
game. It
’
s ringing and dinging non-stop. I go through my text messages and see one from an unfamiliar number. I open it and see that it
’
s a text from Kyle. Shit! He
’
s going to be here in an hour and a half. Look at me: I
’
m a hot mess!

I spring out of bed and immediately jump into the shower. I turn it to boiling hot, standing for a moment and letting the hot water hit the back of my neck. I
’
m trying to relieve all my tension from the week and lack of sleep. It feels wonderful. Just what I need.

Today
’
s temperature is in the low forties. It
’
s sunny, but looks are deceiving
—
especially in Rochester. This weather is definitely something I
’
m going to need to get used to. I
’
m going to have to go on a major cold-weather-clothing shopping spree if I decide to move here for good.

I finish with my makeup and hair. Today, I
’
m going with a nude, natural look for my makeup with large, loose curls. This hair will look cute with my beige winter cap and my tan boots. I hear a knock at the door. My stomach drops. I take one last look in the mirror before answering.

I glance through the peephole and take one last deep breath. I have no idea why I
’
m so nervous. I feel like a teenager going on a date for the very first time.

I open the door. He looks adorable. I
’
m breathless. Speechless. He
’
s holding two steaming coffees, and he
’
s wearing a smile to die for.
“
Are you ready?
”
he asks, handing me a coffee.

I take it, closing my eyes and smelling the rich, awakening aroma.
“
Mmm, this is just what I needed.
”
I open my eyes back up, and he
’
s watching me intently.

“
Wow, you need to be in a coffee commercial. After what I just witnessed, people would be stomping over each other to get a mug of that,
”
he jokes. I blush.
“
You might want to put on a scarf. It looks warm but the wind chill is killer.
”

I turn back into my room and add a scarf to my neck. He smiles, satisfied. We head out of the hotel to his car in the parking lot.
“
So where are you taking me?
”
I ask, taking a sip of my delicious coffee.

“
Well, since it
’
s freezing out, that knocks out any outdoor activity. So I was thinking something more indoors.
”
We reach his car, and he opens the door for me. We lock eyes for a moment. I can feel something stirring deep inside of me; I look away, tucking myself into the car.

“
That narrows it down,
”
I reply sarcastically.

He chuckles, snapping his seatbelt.
“
What would be your most ideal day spent inside?
”
he asks.

I squint my eyes and tighten my lips in thinking mode. My most ideal day spent inside, huh? Oh there are a
bunch
of things I think we could do inside, and those thoughts should be illegal. I should be arrested for all the naughtiness that
’
s running through my mind right now! 

I look over at him, and he is waiting patiently with a big smirk on his face.
“
What?
”
I ask. What does he thinks so funny?

“
You. Do you always think before you speak?
”
He starts the ignition and backs out of the parking spot.

I
’
m a little perplexed.
“
Do I? Well, you did ask me a question, so it makes sense to think of the right answer.
”

“
Touch
é
,
”
he says.
“
But you tend to do that a lot. It
’
s really fascinating to watch. I can almost read your thoughts sometimes.
”

Huh. Weird. I guess I do tend to do that a lot.

I turn toward him.
“
Okay, what am I thinking right now?
”
I
’
m totally being a smartass now.

He keeps his eyes on the road, but occasionally glances over to me. In those quick moments, my breath halts.
“
You
’
re thinking I am one
fine
piece of ass,
”
he says. I immediately burst out into a laugh.
“
That
’
s funny, is it? Don
’
t be embarrassed. They
’
re just your thoughts,
”
he adds.  He seems pretty pleased with himself.

“
Wow!
Aren
’
t we a little sure of ourselves? I
’
ll admit, you made me laugh, but
‘
hot piece of ass
’
? I
’
m not so sure of that,
”
I say, playing back. I shake my head. I still can
’
t believe that just came out of his mouth. And speaking of that mouth, I
’
d like to nibble on it and claim it with mine.

This is a bad idea. I should have never asked him for his time.

“
I see I might just have to change that mind of yours, won
’
t I?
”

“
Oh no! I give in. You
’
re right. You are one piece of fine ass!
”
I confess, both of us now snickering.

“
So, back to my question
—”

“
I love museums, but I love the aquariums even more. Where I
’
m from, they have one of the biggest indoor aquariums. It
’
s filled with all kinds of sharks, stingrays, and beautiful iridescent fish. I could stay and watch them for hours.
”