Wrong (Breaking the Rules) (3 page)

Shaking her hand, I just said, “Pepper.” What could I say? If we were going for alter egos here…

“Pepper? Like salt and pepper?” she asked quizzically.

“The one and only,” I grumbled, trying not to smile at her but failing miserably.

Once she decided that I wasn’t messing with her, she threw her arms around me and hugged my neck. My heart thudded to life at the prospect of having a real friend. Andi seemed like a genuine person.

I snapped back to present time when she grabbed my hand. “Shit, Pepper. They’re here. Jordan and Jackson are here. We should go.”

Of course I swiveled my head to where she was looking so I could give Jackson the evil eye.
Bastard.
I was a little distracted when my eyes skirted over to his brother, Jordan. He looked quite different than his bastard brother. His hair was brown, but not as dark as Jackson’s. It was styled a little messier than his brother’s was. When his green eyes met mine, my stomach did a flip-flop.
What the hell?
Jordan grinned at us with a goofy smile and sauntered over to us.

“Andi! Surprise seeing you here. Let me buy you and your lovely friend here a drink.” His eyes fell to mine when he said ‘lovely,’ and I felt exposed under his gaze. Andi looked horrified, so I figured this was our cue to leave.

“We were about to leave,” I told him icily as I began scooting from the booth.

“Nonsense!” he boomed and sat down beside me, bumping me back into the booth with his hip. He started barking out orders to the bartender. Jackson finally made it over to the table and sat far from Andi. She looked like she wanted to puke.

Jordan’s thigh touching my own sent a spark of electricity through me and I shuddered, not used to being affected like this. He turned to me and grinned again. I thought they called those “panty-melting grins.” Mine were definitely on fire right now.

His eyes studied my face, probably taking in my glasses, lack of makeup, and messy bun. I didn’t care though. This was who I was. He turned and said something to Andi about Jackson but I ignored him, taking a moment to compose myself. He made me feel weak, like my former self from high school, and it made me sick. No man would make me feel weak again. I was Pepper the Bitch. Something about him affected me though, and I hated the feeling.

“Andi here was just telling me about her wonderful day at work,” I said sarcastically as I glared at Jackson, who was avoiding everyone’s gaze.

“Great! I’m so glad, Andi. I think you’ll really like it there. Everyone works hard to make it a successfully company,” he told us as our drinks arrived. Under his breath, he muttered to me, “I feared Jackson might have scared her off like he does everyone else. He’s an asshole.” I laughed in agreement.

Andi and Jackson were having a silent standoff from across the table. Jordan was completely oblivious as he told some funny stories of him and his brother.

“So, Pepper, what do you do for a living?” he asked, genuinely interested. Here’s the part where the guy’s eyes would glaze over.

“I’m an assistant production manager at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mostly I handle our annual pledges from our donors, events, and overall success of the museum. The production manager, Stan, basically gives me all of his grunt work, but it is an awesome experience.” I waited for the subject change because it always came about now.

“So do you get to help with any of the exhibits?” he questioned.

My eyes darted to his.
Why is he inquiring about my job?
We were supposed to be moving on to topics like the weather or sports or some shit.

“Um, well, yes, if they center around an event,” I told him hesitantly, still waiting for him to lose interest. I was one of the very few people I knew who was actually interested in this sort of thing.

“So did you get to help any with the Silla? Those ancient treasures from the Korean kingdom so many years ago are absolutely fascinating. I took my mother to see it a few weeks ago.”

My jaw dropped. He knew about the Silla?

“Yes. I, uh, helped make sure everything went smoothly and that it is being promoted properly to draw in the crowds we were expecting. It will be one of the highlights at the upcoming gala.”

“What gala? Do you need any sponsors?” he asked.

“No, the sponsorships are filled and have been for some time. It’s our annual gala that brings in quite a few hefty donations that get us through the next year. I’ve been working my tail off to make sure it goes off without a hitch.”

“Do you need a date for the gala?” he asked, eyebrow raised cockily.
Subject officially changed.
It had only been a matter of time.

“No. I won’t have time for that sort of thing. I’ll be working the event, so there’ll be no time for socializing.”

“Let me take you out another night then. Tomorrow night?”

Man, this guy was ballsy. I couldn’t stand his brother, and he was my best friend’s boss. Not touching that with a ten-foot pole.

My eyes flitted over to Andi, who was chugging her wine while Jackson undressed her with his eyes. He then stood quickly and excused himself for the evening. Good, I was tired of looking at him.

“No, Jordan, I am going to have to decline your offer. I’m busy. Come on, Andi. I have an early morning tomorrow so we should go.”

She nodded and excused herself to the bathroom. Jordan stared at me for a moment, his eyes searching my own. It appeared that he didn’t get turned down often because I could tell that his mind was working as he tried to figure out why.

I nudged him with my knee, indicating that I wanted out of the booth. The shock wore off and he chuckled, scooting out. When I got to the edge, he offered his hand and helped me from the booth. His hand was large and hard, which made a shiver run through my body. Yep, he totally made me feel weak. Not too nicely, I yanked my hand from his and stalked over to Andi, leaving him to stare after us.

Pepper was quite the firecracker. She was evidently the only woman alive immune to my charms. I was completely intrigued with her. Typically, I dated girls who flaunted their beauty. And Pepper, even though she didn’t flaunt it whatsoever, was indeed beautiful.

Her brown eyes flared with fire whenever she spoke. The words coming out of her mouth might have been frosty, but the light behind her eyes made me believe there was an intensity that she tried hard to suppress.

Her glasses just made her look adorable. And her messy bun on top of her head completed the sexy librarian look. The baggy college sweatshirt she was wearing could hardly hide her curves. My eyes appreciated the swell of her ass through her jeans as she left the bar arm in arm with Andi. She looked like the type who could be a freak beneath the sheets. And dammit, I wanted to find out if it was true.

Heading out to my car that was parked in front of the bar, I pulled out my cell to call Jackson.

“What the hell, man?” I asked once he answered.

He just grunted into the phone. The whole thing with Nadia really made him a bear to be around. She was a cheater in more ways than one. I wouldn’t be the only one sighing in relief when their divorce was finalized. It didn’t stop me from harassing him though.

“You seriously just got up and left in the middle of our conversation. What kind of douche leaves two hot ladies so he can go home and sleep? Come on, man. That was just lame. I can see you and Andi have the hots for each other. I’d hit that if I were you,” I teased, laughing, trying to get a rise out of him.

“You aren’t me,” he growled into the phone.
Testy.
I guessed that he must like her because if that wasn’t his way of staking his claim, I didn’t know what else it could be.

“Whatever, dude. I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t forget. The new guy, Brayden Greene, starts tomorrow. It would be nice if you could get to work on time. And try to be nicer to Andi tomorrow. I hate it when you make my assistants cry.”

When Andi walked in, I smiled at her. My eyes darted to her legs because her skirt was so damn short. I grinned at her, knowing that my brother was going to have a fit. She was trying to drive him crazy with that outfit and it was definitely going to work.

Jackson looked like he wanted to pounce on her, but when the new guy jumped up to hug her and held on a little too long, I thought Jackson was going to kill him.

The poor girl looked like she was going to die under Jackson’s intense gaze, so I patted her knee for comfort when she sat beside me. The rest of the meeting went on without any more issues.

After everyone went their separate ways, I sat in my office thinking about Pepper again. She was so damn enigmatic and it drove me nuts. I thought she’d acted like she might have a mutual attraction for me, but she’d quickly hid it away. If only I could figure out a way to get the main sponsor dumped. Then she’d have to see me.

Late that afternoon, I thought I would see if Andi could use her pull as Pepper’s best friend to help me out. Trying to seem nonchalant, I stepped out of my office and strode over to her desk.

“Andi, I need a favor. The firm is really needing some good publicity. The museum where your friend Pepper works is having a gala event soon. They’ve already pinned down their sponsors, but I want Compton Enterprises to be the main sponsor. I don’t care how much it costs and how much persuading it takes, but please make it happen,” I authoritatively instructed. She nodded in agreement so I turned on my heels and made my way back to my desk.

After a brief search on the computer, I brought up the website to see just who my competition was going to be for the gala sponsorship. I laughed out loud when I realized that the main sponsor was a good buddy of mine. Picking up the phone, I gave him a call.

“Trent, how are things in the financial world?” I asked when he answered.

“Jordan! Things are great. What about you and Jackson? How is everything going lately? Have you determined any more about those shady business deals?” he asked.

Trent had been a good friend to us during those hard days after my dad passed away. He’d looked over all of the financials with us and made some suggestions so that we could remain on the right track. I trusted him with my life.

Now that the shit had hit the fan with this one particular business deal Dad had made, Trent was helping us determine our options. We’d just had a meeting last Saturday to iron out some plans.