MISTAKEN - The Complete First Season (33 page)

I
could hear
my heart thrashing in my ears and a rivulet of sweat dripped down my back. I was pulled into one of the offices in the dark hallway, my mouth covered by a strong hand that I was sure was male. His other arm was wrapped around my waist, forcing me into the dark room. I dug my heels into the floor to try to stop him, at least to slow him down.

I felt his hot breath in my ear, recognized his scent as he bent down to whisper to me. “Shh.”

I kicked wildly behind me with the heel of my shoe, striking him in the shin with the sharp point of the stiletto. I felt the heel break from my shoe after it made contact with the offender’s lower leg.

He released me instantly with a hushed but definitely pained, “Ow.” His hand grabbed my forearm with too much force and he pulled me into the office, closing the door behind him.

I pulled my arm away from his grip. I balled my hands into fists and pounded them hard against his chest. “What the fuck, Brandon? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” My heart was still racing in my chest, thrashing wildly in my ears.

He turned the light on from a switch on the wall, illuminating the small office space. He stared down at the floor, refusing to meet my gaze. He shook his head slowly from side to side and I could see him working his jaw. “That was stupid. That was a seriously shitty thing to do to you. I’m sorry.”

“What are you doing here?” I rubbed at my forearm, still sore from the force of his grip against it.

He held his hands up, palms out to me. “I’m sorry, Jenna. I’m sorry.” He looked up to meet my gaze. “I’m so sorry.”

It wasn’t until that moment that I saw what he was wearing, a perfectly tailored black tuxedo. A familiar warmth began to form deep within me, and I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to form another coherent thought. All I could think about was tearing that white shirt off of his perfect chest, the magnetic energy between us making every sane thought leave my brain. I leaned back against the desk, resting my rear end on the edge.

I continued to rub at the red spot he’d left on my arm, my eyes grazing over his perfectly tailored suit. I forced the thoughts of stripping him right there in the office from my mind. My brain finally returned, remembering that he was somewhere he definitely should not have been. I looked over at him with disdain. “You’re not going to tell me?”

He shrugged, looking down at the floor again. “Last minute invitation.” He looked back up at me, lifting an eyebrow. “You didn’t mention that you’d be here. Hot date?”

I tilted my head, narrowing my eyes. “Jealous much?”

His eyes raked over me, almost devouring me with his desire. “In that dress? Hell, yes, I’m jealous.”

I rolled my eyes and rested my hands against the smooth surface of the desk. “I’m here with my father. You?”

I saw him gulp, even though he tried to hide it from me by shifting his head ever so slightly. His jaw tightened and he spoke through his clenched teeth. “Just a business thing. Not a big deal.”

I lifted an eyebrow of my own, regarding him closely. “What are you doing back here?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing.” His eyes raked over me once more. “And what the hell are you wearing? Are you trying to kill me?”

I looked down at my dress and back up at him, tipping my head ever so slightly to the side. “It’s just a dress.” I fingered the pendant I was wearing around my neck, the one he had given me. “You’re really not going to tell me what you’re doing back here?”

He cocked his head to the side, his gaze dipping to my neck. His voice dropped, almost to a growl. “I know what I’d like to be doing back here.” He took a step toward me, his eyes dropping even lower on my body, looking at me with silent expectation.

I stood from my perch on the desk, taking a step back. I almost tripped over my own feet; my shoe was completely broken. I kicked both of them off and knelt down to pick them up.

He caught me by the elbow as I stood up. “Jen…”

I pulled my shoes up and clutched them tightly to my chest. The heat I had felt only a moment before was gone and a cold chill ran down my spine. “What are you doing back here, Brandon?”

His blue eyes riveted into my own, searching. “What are you doing back here?”

“Looking for the bathroom. Are you going to answer me?” I tried to hide the quiver I felt in my voice.

“There are bathrooms in the ballroom. Did you see me in there?” He searched my eyes, insistent. “I didn’t see you in there, Jen. Did you follow me?”

I narrowed my eyes at him, my voice pitched higher despite my attempts to keep it from getting screechy. “No, I didn’t follow you. I needed to get out of that crowd of people. Are you going to tell me what you’re doing?”

He cocked his head to the side again. It looked like he was trying to decide whether or not he believed me. “Do you really want to know?”

The same cold chill ran down the middle of my back again and I had to force myself not to shiver. I searched his eyes for something. I wanted the truth from him, but at the same time, I didn’t. I bit at my lower lip and considered his question. Did I really want to know? “I don’t know. I guess it depends on what your answer is.”

He looked into my eyes for a moment longer, still searching, as though he was trying to decide what to tell me. He nodded; he’d decided. He took a step toward me and reached forward, but instead of reaching for me, he pulled a thumb drive from a laptop that was sitting open on the desk. He pushed the laptop closed, putting the portable drive into his breast pocket.

I took another step back, my heart racing in my chest. My mouth dropped open, my voice dropping along with it to a whisper. “You’re right, Brandon. I don’t want to know.”

He sucked his lower lip into his mouth and released it with a small pop. He only nodded and turned his back to me to go out the door. He turned to face me again before he opened it. “Jen.” He pressed his lips together and shook his head. “I’m trying.” He turned back around and opened the door, closing it behind him as he left the small room.

I released the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. My chest ached. I didn’t know him. I’d probably never know him.

I collected myself as best as I could and went out the door myself, closing it quietly behind me. I looked to see if there was any clue about why he’d been in this office. The door was unmarked. The office was small—it couldn’t have belonged to anyone of any importance. I looked up and down the now empty, darkened hallway. It was just a plain office space. I wasn’t even sure what else was in this building, other than the grand ballroom, but there must have been something important enough for him to want to break into their computers.

I walked down one hallway and realized I’d made at least one wrong turn in what seemed like a maze. I took another turn, then another, just hoping to get back to the ballroom. I just wanted to get out of there, to tell my father I didn’t feel well and go home.

I heard a woman’s giggle not too far from where I was standing. I walked the twenty feet or so to a small sitting area that opened off to my left. There was a lamp on one of the side tables that had been turned on, illuminating the area from the rest of the darkened office space.

My cheeks burned at what I saw there, my heart racing once again in my chest. It felt like every bit of air had been sucked from my lungs; I couldn’t breathe. I tried to turn to walk away before either of them saw me standing there, gaping at them, but it was too late.

The woman spoke first. “What’s
your
problem?”

I’d recognized the man immediately, even though his back was turned to me. He stood there kissing the woman’s neck. Kissing it in a way that was all too familiar to me. Kissing it on the same, perfect spot just below her ear. The cut of his tux against his broad shoulders and his perfect black curls—there was no way I wouldn’t have recognized him. My gut knew who he was even before he turned around and made my heart fall through the floor, crushed into a million little pieces.

He turned as soon as the woman spoke, confirming my worst fears, even though I had already known it was him. I’d known it with every fiber of my being. I’d known it from that same magnetic pull I’d felt from him since I first met him, even though this time, I felt it while he was kissing another woman.

Brandon pulled the woman in front of him, holding onto her waist, almost making her a human shield between the two of us.

I stood there with my mouth gaping open, staring into his eyes, unable to form words. My stomach twisted into knots and I still couldn’t find a way to take a breath.

“She’s star struck.” She motioned toward me with her head. “Which I’d normally find adorable, sweetheart, if you weren’t interrupting a
very
private moment.” The woman put her hands on her hips, covering Brandon’s hands with her own.

My eyes snapped to hers and I recognized her. Robin Axelrod. She was an actress, a famous, A-list movie star with a perfect body, gorgeous long, blonde hair and the biggest green eyes I’d ever seen. Of course he could have her. He could have any woman he wanted and he was demonstrating that fact to me right here in the hallway.

When our eyes met, hers widened with recognition. “Oh, God, you’re Jenna Davis! I am such a huge fan!” She wriggled away from Brandon and took a step toward me, hand extended.

I nodded, shaking her hand. I found the ability to force the politician’s smile to my lips that I’d learned so well over the years. “Nice to meet you, Robin.” I wasn’t sure how I’d been able to make words come out of my mouth. I really wasn’t sure how I’d been able to make them sound as normal as they did. I still wasn’t sure how I wasn’t passed out on the floor, since I still felt like I wasn’t breathing. It was almost like I was watching my body do what it needed to do and I was somewhere else, floating above it, still in shock.

She motioned behind her. “This is my, um,
friend.
” She waggled her eyebrows. “Brandon.”

I nodded at him, raising my eyebrows only slightly.

When she turned back to me, I saw him mouth the words, “Trust me.”

I searched his eyes for a moment then moved my gaze back to hers. I gulped down the angry lump that had formed in my throat. I turned my lips into another tiny smile. “I’m so sorry to interrupt you two.” I motioned with my arm down the hallway. “I think I took a wrong turn or two…”

She reached out and touched my elbow. “Oh, don’t be silly, it’s…” She cut herself off and leaned toward me. “Where did you get that pendant?” She looked behind her at Brandon and turned back to me, leaning toward me. Her eyes narrowed, examining the circular pendant that hung from my neck. “Brandon, did you see this?” She turned back around to face him.

He gave her a small shrug of his shoulders and she turned back to face me, taking another step toward me. “It looks just like your grandmother’s…” She turned back to him again, then turned back to me, peering at the necklace. “Doesn’t it?”

“Similar.” He grunted his response.

She reached out and touched a finger to the necklace sitting in the middle of my chest before pulling it away like it had burned her. She pressed her lips into a smile and looked back up at me. “I’m still hoping to get one of my own sometime.” She widened her smile and turned back to Brandon, raising her eyebrows.

I took a step back, covering the pendant with my hand. “You never know. The night’s still young.”

Her eyes crinkled in confusion as she made eye contact with me. “What are you talking about?”

I forced a smile to my face. “I’m really sorry to have interrupted.” I glanced between the two of them. “It looked like you were really in the middle of something.” I pointed down the hall. “I’ll just be on my way…” I clutched my shoes tightly to my chest and backed up several steps before turning to go back down the dark hallway.

“Jenna, wait.” Robin almost ran up to me. “I just want you to know, I’m a huge supporter of your father’s. You should have his publicity people contact mine. I’ll do whatever he needs, appearances, whatever. Can you get that message to him for me?”

I nodded, turning my lips up into my prim smile, quickly gulping down the knot that was forming in my throat. “Sure. Of course.” I motioned down the hallway again. “I need to get back to the party. I’m so sorry again. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

She smiled at me, shaking her head. “No worries. We were just having a little fun.” She glanced back at Brandon and back to me. “Get that message to your father’s campaign, okay?”

I nodded, forcing the smile to remain. “Sure. Nice to meet you.” I looked back at Brandon and nodded. “Brandon.”

The color had drained from his face. His gaze was planted on the wall across the hallway and he made no indication that he’d even heard me.

I turned to go back the way I’d come, softly padding down the hall in my bare feet.

Her voice carried in the quiet hallway after she’d gone back to stand with Brandon. “Great. All we need is America’s Sweetheart getting in the middle of this.”

H
ot tears stung
at my eyes as I raced back down the hallway. I wouldn’t allow myself to feel the pain that was coursing through my veins, not there. I needed to get out of there, away from the party and all of those people.

I took a deep breath before I pushed through the doors to go back to the party. I needed to find my father and tell him I had to leave. I’d tell him I was sick. Female problems. Something.

I edged my way through the crowd of people and tried to look for my father. It seemed impossible given the crush of party goers who filled the room.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I spun around to face the offender. It was the venture capitalist’s sister, Amanda.

“Did you make the calls?” Her whiny voice sounded like nails against a chalkboard in my ears.

I leaned toward her, sure I’d heard her wrong. There were so many people and the place was so crowded, I could barely hear anyway. “What?”

She raised her voice, increasing the pitch of her whining. “The calls? About my stuff? What did they say?”

I took a step back, bumping into someone. I turned my head to apologize before turning back to her. I felt heat burn at my cheeks and I lifted my chin. “I didn’t make your calls. You should make them yourself.”

“WHAT?” Her voice ramped up into an even louder screech. “You don’t want a job very much, do you?”

I grabbed the paper from my clutch and shoved it back at her. I raised my own voice at the same time as the room went eerily quiet. “If you have time to micromanage, you have time to make your own fucking calls.” It seemed like everyone in the room had turned to look at us.

My face reddened in horror, burning even hotter than before, but everyone turned back to their own conversations without a second thought. I felt another hand on my shoulder, her brother, Ryan.

He leaned in to speak into my ear. “The job is yours if you want it. I need someone who can stand up to her, because I certainly can’t.”

I shook my head at him, glaring between the two of them. I turned around without a word to either of them, weaving my way back through the crowd. There was no way I’d subject myself to a person like Amanda on a daily basis, no matter how much I wanted a job. I almost felt sorry for him that he had to put up with her out of some sense of family obligation.

I saw my father standing with some other men on the opposite side of the ballroom. I wound my way over there after several minutes of twisting and turning through the crowd of people. I was barely holding it together, and the crowd of people was not helping anything.

He saw me and motioned for me to join his conversation. “Jenna. We were just talking about you.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Gentlemen, you remember my daughter, Jenna.” He looked down at me. “Jenna, you know the governor.” He motioned at the lithe, gray haired man standing in front of him. “And this is David, the state party chair.”

I nodded at both men with a forced smile, shaking their hands. I willed my emotions down into my stomach. I’d make my pleasantries, then go cry in the street if I needed to.

My father continued. “We were just talking about the future of politics in California. There are some fascinating things going on that you might be interested in, sweetheart.” He squeezed at my shoulder.

David was probably in his fifties with salt and pepper hair. He grinned at me. “We’ve got a state rep position that’s going to be opening on the north coast. With name recognition alone, Jenna, you could easily be elected to that seat. Easily.” He looked back over at my father, giving him a sly grin. “It would be a good place to start, don’t you think, Pat?”

My father squeezed my shoulder. “He’s talking about the senate seat that’s going to come open when I’m elected president.” He smiled down at me. “We’d love to keep that seat in the family, wouldn’t we, sweetheart?”

I’m sure that the smile I forced to my face looked fake, almost sickly. I looked at David, my gaze narrowed. “I don’t live on the north coast.” And I didn’t want to represent it. Not at that moment, anyway. All I wanted at that moment was to get the hell out of there, to go home and cry into my pillow.

All three men laughed, as though I was a naive child.

My stomach turned a few times, and it really did feel like I was going to be sick. It was the perfect excuse to get the hell out of there. I smiled at all three men, making eye contact with each, nodding along with their laughter at my expense. “I’ll certainly think about it. I’m honored that you’d consider me.” I turned back to my father. “I think I’m going to head out. I’m not feeling very well.”

He squeezed my shoulder one last time. “Of course, sweetheart. I’ll have Cade call a car for you.”

I nodded up at him, taking a step away from the group of men. “I’ll find him.” I smiled and nodded at each of the men and made my way to the doors of the building.

I spied Cade, the guard that had accompanied me that night, leaning against the wall just inside the door. He was a massive man and always made sure I felt safe wherever we were. I walked up to him, forcing another smile. “Hey, Cade. Is there any way I could get a car and go home?”

He smiled back at me. He’d become my favorite of the revolving cast of security people assigned to me. “Sure, kiddo. It might be a little while. Do you mind waiting? You can go back to the party for a while if you want.”

I shook my head. “Too many people. I’ll just wait in the lobby.” I pointed to the glass doors in front of us. “I’ll sit in there. I just need some fresh air.”

He nodded. “I don’t blame you. That place got crazy, fast. It’ll probably be about twenty minutes. Don’t go too far.”

I tilted my head, almost more from exhaustion than anything. “I’m not going anywhere other than that chair.” I pointed through the glass at the sitting area in the lobby.

He smiled again and nodded, motioning me to go through the doors. I walked through, taking a seat in one of the sitting areas of the large lobby. I tossed my shoes to the side of the chair and dropped my elbows in my lap, burying my head in my hands. I rubbed at my temples, just wishing to be home already. There was just too much that had happened for me to be able to process it. It wasn’t like I could let myself have a breakdown in the lobby, either, not with so many people around.

I sat there with my eyes closed, leaning over my lap with my head in my hands for several minutes. I didn’t want to let myself think about anything until I could get home. I just wanted a big bowl of ice cream in front of me—there was too great a chance that I wouldn’t be able to stop the tears once they started. I’d be knee deep in a river of tears. Until I could get home, to my own room in my own apartment, I needed to hold it together for my own sake.

I felt someone brush my shoulder with a fingertip, sending the same, stupid electrical pulses racing down my arm. I hated that he still had that effect on me. I hated him for having that power.

He knelt down next to the chair. He didn’t have to say a word; I knew him by his touch alone, but I still refused to look over at him.

His voice was barely above a whisper when he finally spoke. “Hey, Jen.”

I held my head in my hands, pressing my fingers into my eyebrows. I kept my eyes closed, knowing that if I saw him, I’d melt into a puddle. “Go away, Brandon.”

He traced a fingertip from my shoulder down my arm. “I’m not going anywhere.”

The hairs on my arms stood up at his touch. I hated myself for still feeling anything for him. Hated that he could do that to me, even after what I’d seen and heard that night. I shook my head, refusing to even open my eyes. “I’m done. I can’t do this. I’m not cut out for the secrets and the lies.”

“Whether it chose you or you chose it, that’s the life you’re in now, Jen.”

I opened my eyes, turning my head to look over at him. “No. That’s the life
you’ve
chosen. That’s not the life I’m choosing.” I sat up in the chair, shaking my head. “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

He tilted his head, his eyes trying to meet mine. “Jen, you just have to trust me. I love you. You have to know that, too. I love you. I need to hear you say that you love me, too.”

I stood up, the hot tears now burning behind my eyes, threatening to spill and never stop. I shook my head, still refusing to meet his gaze. “No. I don’t believe you anymore. Not after tonight.” I reached up and pulled the pendant from my neck, breaking the clasp. I turned to him and shoved it into his hand. “Give it to her.”

“Jen, I gave it to you.”

I shook my head, my gaze rooted to the carpet. “I don’t want it. Not anymore.”

He pressed it back against my hand. “Even if it’s over, Jen. Even if you never speak to me again. I need you to have it. I need you to know how much I love you. How much you mean to me.”

I felt a strong arm on my other elbow and I looked up at Cade. “Miss Davis, your car is here.”

I shoved the necklace back into his hand, closing his fingers around it before finally looking up at him. I could see the sadness in his hooded eyes as his hand closed around the pendant. My own eyes had to hold everything I was feeling in that moment. Regret. Anger. Sadness. And love. I couldn’t forget that, even though I knew we were done. He had to know it was over, too, whatever it had been. I could barely force out a whisper. “Goodbye, Brandon.”