Page 58 of Lies You Told
“I'm going solo,” I say. The less I say on the matter, the better. I don’t like lying to him. He’s been so good to me over the years.
“Why? You ashamed to be seen in public?” He laughs, then he seems to sober up. “She’s not married, is she? Jax, I thought you were ready to settle down. No more sowing your oats and sleeping with…”
I could let him finish, but this is painful to watch. “No, she’s not married. She’s got an event of her own.”
He eyes me suspiciously, and I’m convinced he knows something. He’s like the Yoda of finding stuff out.
“Okay. But I want to meet her soon.” He stands up and fastens his jacket. “I’ll be in the conference room all day. Come and find me later. We’ll do lunch.”
“Okay, I will do.”
Bryan has been bugging me since yesterday when he came to my office, and I’m ready to spill until I spot Chloe and Kieran walking into the ballroom. He’s standing to my left with his wife, Catherine, while I can’t keep my eyes off the woman I’ve been sharing a bed with for over a week. I can’t keep my hands off her, and it’s killing me that we can’t be out in public with each other. This is the same woman who gave me epic head two hours before she pushed me out of her apartment door, saying she would never be ready in time if I stayed in the apartment. So I didn’t get the bonus of seeing her get dressed or see what she was wearing underneath that tight-sexy-as-sin dress. I gulp down the half glass of champagne and grab a new flute from a passing waiter.
Catherine gives me a look, the same look she gave me last night when I wasn’t as forthcoming with information as she’d have liked over dinner. “Who’s that?” She asks, sipping from her glass.
“Nobody,” I groan, downing the whole flute of champagne.
“Liar,” Catherine smiles, whispering to me. “You’ve not taken your eyes off the couple standing on the other side of the room.”
“Wait a minute,” Bryan says, turning his attention from Chloe and Kieran on the other side of the room. I feel Bryan’s eyes on me and know he has a thousand questions. He saw my reaction to her a couple of weeks ago when she was having dinner with Franchesca. He knows exactly who she is. I continue to avoid looking at my friend.
Chloe has turned around, so her back is to us. For the first time, I get the full effect of the dress, or lack thereof, from the back. There is nothing there, and her back is fully exposed down to her ass, where it’s resting. The dress leaves nothing to the imagination, and I know she’s not being a good girl tonight. Quite the opposite. I can’t wait to spank her ass when I get home. Home. I’ve been calling her apartment home in my head for a week now, and it feels good.
“...is that Chloe Lawson?” asks Bryan. He knows the answer. The guy is more in the know about things than he lets on. He chooses to act clueless to what’s going on around him when really nothing gets past him. He’s all-knowing.
“She’s hot!” Catherine says, sipping her drink.
“No, these guys are enemies,” Bryan says, looking from Chloe to me, then back again. However, he doesn’t exactly sound convinced with what he’s saying.
“You’re so clueless. That is not the look of hate on his face.”
But she’s wrong. I’m feeling hate right now, and it’s all aimed at Kieran. His hand is on her lower back. He’s lucky his hand isn’t lower, resting on her ass, or I may have had to cut off his hand. I’ve never been this possessive about a woman before in my life.
“We have a complicated past,” I whisper. Bryan has been great to me since I graduated, which also means Catherine has been good to me over the years. I turn, giving Catherine my full attention, so I no longer look at Chloe. I need to stop looking at her. Otherwise, I’m going to want to go over to her and show everyone who is here tonight that Chloe Lawson is mine. I wasn’t lying when I told her I don’t share. It’s not a hard limit. I’m always open to trying new things, and maybe with someone else, I could. But the power Chloe has over me, I know I’d have a hard time if another guy so much as laid a stroke on her.
“Meaning?” she asks. Catherine loves nothing more than gossip and trying to fix people up. Also, this is good gossip, so it’s like blood in the water, and she’s a shark swimming around me.
“They knew each other in college and hated each other,” Bryan smirks. Catherine, though, she’s smart. Too smart for a guy like Bryan.
“They may have hated each other in college, but that was a long time ago. Now he’s looking at her like… Well, not hate. Let’s put it that way.”
“No, it’s still there. You didn’t see them at the deposition a while ago. Pure animosity!”
“Maybe, but Jax is about ten minutes away from going all Ryan Atwood on that guy’s ass..” Catherine smiles my way. She’s onto me, so I need to be careful the rest of the night.
As I turn to take in the room, I see Franchesca and her husband. What’s surprising is the looks she’s giving Chloe. It’s strange. The looks she’s giving her don’t sit well with me.
“I was a dick to her without knowing the full picture. She deserved better.” I’m this close to spilling when I feel a strong hand squeezing my shoulder.
“Jaxson, glad you could come. Bryan, good to finally meet you, and this must be your better half, Catherine.” Greyson greets our little trio.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. I move away from Greyson, nodding as I pull out my phone. Leaving them to talk amongst themselves. I look around the room, looking for Chloe, but I can’t see her anywhere. Maybe that’s a good thing since Catherine is pretty much onto us. My bosses wouldn’t like that we’ve been sneaking around for the last couple of weeks. I pull my phone out of my pocket when I hear and feel the buzzing in my pocket.
CL: Stop staring at me like you want to rip my dress off.
JH: Now I know why you kicked me out while you were getting ready.
CL: Exactly. I’ve been coming to black-tie events for years.
