Broken (Breaking the Rules) Read online

  The ride to the bar was quick and gave Olive little time to back out. Once we arrived, I held on to her hand, attempting to give her the support she needed for this outing.

  The bar was slow just like Jackson promised and we found the booth we sat in yesterday.

  Ian came over and slid into the booth next to Olive, making her light brown cheeks turn red. “Yo, Tina! I’m taking a break to visit with some friends. Take over for me. Can you send out some shots too? Surprise us,” he hollered to the dark-haired waitress. She gave him the thumbs up and set off to make the drinks. “Hello, Miss Olive, it’s so nice to see you again,” he grinned at her.

  “Hi, Ian,” she spoke shyly.

  Turning to Jackson, he said, “Hey, man. How’s it going?” They launched into a conversation about what bands would be at the bar over the weekend and how the bar was doing financially.

  I mouthed to Olive, “Are you okay?” She nodded and formed a small smile on her face.

  When the shots arrived, we all downed them quickly. Tina brought us a few more after that. Olive and I were getting pretty giggly. I was having fun teasing Jackson about his serious nature. When he’d scowl at me, I’d tickle him and he’d laugh like a little boy. It was hysterical, and Olive agreed, which only egged me on more. Ian was watching her like she was on the menu, which was the least bit unnerving.

  When he slung his arm around her and whispered into her ear, she shot me a look of panic. Before I could even tell him to back off, Jackson had already shot out of the booth and was dragging Ian along with him.

  “What the fuck, man?” he spat as Jackson hauled him away from the table. Olive and I didn’t stick around for the argument, and we hurried out to the car hand in hand. Once we hopped into the car, I drew her in for a hug.

  “Are you okay?” I asked her.

  “Yeah, I totally freaked. I’m sorry,” she sniffled. “That was probably normal but I don’t do well with that sort of thing.”

  “What did he say?” I questioned, wanting to know what gave her that look of terror.

  “All he said was,”—she paused for a moment—“you’re going to be effing screaming my name later, baby.”

  I tried to hide my smile when she said “effing.” She didn’t cuss like a sailor like Pepper and I did.

  “Honey, he was flirting, but I can see how that would freak you out a little.”

  She nodded and looked sad. “I want to like him, but I think I’m ruined. There just wasn’t a spark. He’s really good-looking but there isn’t anything there.”

  “Olive, it’s okay. You had fun tonight. I’m proud of you for being brave and going with us. Pepper is going to shit a brick when she finds out she missed it!”

  Olive and I giggled as Jackson slipped into the car. “Olive, I want to apologize on behalf of my friend. He just says whatever he wants whenever he wants. Blame it on his Irish blood. He’s a major player so you’d be wise just staying friends with him.”

  She smiled at him. “Don’t worry, Jackson. I’ll stick with being his friend. Thanks for looking out for me. You’re a good guy.” She patted his knee. His features darkened when she called him a “good guy,” and I absolutely noticed it when it happened. Would I ever peel back his layers?

  Leaning over, he whispered into my ear, “Want to come home with me?” I nodded and he kissed my temple.

  “I need to grab some more clothes first. You can help me pack,” I told him, winking.

  Once at the apartment, the three of us made our way upstairs. When I unlocked the door and flung it open, my mouth dropped as I saw Pepper fly off the couch with a guilty-as-hell look on her face. None other than Jordan Compton sat on the couch, legs kicked up on the coffee table, with a laptop sitting on his thighs.

  Clearly they were working, but Pepper looked extremely guilty, which meant we had almost interrupted something. Damn!

  “Hey, guys. Uh, Jordan, er, Mr. Compton and I are going over the sponsorship for the museum,” she stuttered unconvincingly.

  Jackson boomed with laughter at Jordan when he looked at Pepper with a raised eyebrow like even he was having a hard time believing what she was saying. She looked completely flustered, which caused me and Olive to giggle at her.

  “Ugh! We were just working!” she cried, scowling at all of us, especially Jordan. “You people suck.”

  Jackson of course would choose this moment to make her even more uncomfortable. “Our mother is having dinner at her house Saturday, Pepper. Would you care to join us? I’d ask Olive too but she has a modeling job.”

  Pepper glanced over at Jordan, who winked at her. She blushed momentarily but regained her composure quickly. “I’m busy,” she blurted.

  At the same time, Olive and I shouted at her, “Liar!”

  She glared at both of us but it only made us laugh harder at her. Apparently we were all enjoying this. Well, except Pepper of course.

  “Fine, but I’ll find my own ride there and I am not going as your date, Jordan,” she huffed to him.

  “Come here. I want to show you something,” he told her, eyes full of mischief. She hesitantly went over to him and sat down.

  He pointed to the screen, and when she leaned over to look at it, he slipped an arm around her and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. She shrieked and tried to get away but he just laughed and held her there.

  Jackson reached over and grabbed the laptop before it hit the floor. When Jordan stuck his tongue in her ear, she threw out a string of cusswords, but he still wouldn’t let her go. At this point, everyone was laughing hysterically except for Pepper.

  She was trying to stay pissed, but with Jordan, who was always smiling, it was hard even for her, the Ice Queen. He leaned over and whispered something into her ear that made her jaw drop before he finally released her.

  Whatever it was must have infuriated her because she hauled off and punched him in the stomach, effectively knocking the breath out of him.

  Jackson grabbed my hand and dragged me into my room much to my dismay. I was enjoying the show, but it was clear he wanted to make a show of our own. Kicking the door closed behind us, he tossed me on my bed and we did exactly that.

  THE NOT-SO-DARK DAYS…

  “You’re going to get crabs or Chlamydia or Gonorrhea or—” Pepper drones on but I slap a hand over her mouth.

  “Pep, I use condoms. Chill. You need to get out more. When was the last time you got laid anyway?” I really want to know the answer.

  “Ugh, don’t change the subject. I’m serious, I worry about you. Does Dr. Sweeney know that your idea of ‘dating’ really means fucking anything with a penis?” She pops her gum at me.

  “No, Pepper. Dr. Sweeney and I don’t get into the specifics. He says he’s proud of me for dating,” I sass back at her.

  “Does he know your vag gets more business than a Seven Eleven with buy-one-get-one-free slushies?” She cocks an eyebrow at me.

  “That’s just gross. You can’t compare my vag to a convenience store!”

  “But it’s so convenient,” she laughs.

  I stick my tongue out at her. Pepper the bitch. Pepper, my best friend.

  We walked in the next morning holding hands. People weren’t going to know what to think about us. Bray was asking Margie something when he saw us. He took one look at our hands, shook his head, and stormed into his office. Whatever, Bray.

  Jackson glared after him. “Asshole,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Jackson! That’s enough. You guys need to get along,” I chided him. He mumbled something and walked into his office. Before I could power on the computer, Bray was standing over my desk.

  “You ready to go the meeting?” he questioned, no hint of a smile on his face.

  “Uh, sure. Let me tell Jackson really quick.”

  I stepped into Jackson’s office, and he motioned for me to close the door.

  “Jackson, I’m about to leave for that meeting with Bray. I just wanted to let you know.”

  He stood an
d then stalked over to me. I could feel the heat of his chest close to mine. His hand slipped under my skirt and I gasped. Growling, he slid his finger over my silky panties, rubbing my sensitive area. “Just making sure you were wearing panties. I don’t want Bray getting anymore sneak peeks.”

  I melted to his touch. Any time his hands were on me, I couldn’t help but ignore everything around me. The silk of my panties were getting wet as he continued to stroke me under my skirt. I was about to come when someone knocked on the other side of the door.

  “We need to leave, Andi.” Bray sounded agitated from the other side.

  “She’ll be out in thirty seconds,” Jackson barked to him as he continued working me beneath my skirt. When I felt my orgasm crash over me and a moan start to escape my lips, Jackson smothered it with his own lips, kissing me as I rode it the rest of the way.

  When he was sure I was finished, he pulled away. “You’re my girl, not his,” he growled. As if I needed reminding. He pecked me on the lips and then opened the office door. Bray stood on the other side, arms crossed.

  “Come on, Bray. Let’s go,” I spoke evenly, trying not to sound flustered. He led the way out the door and I smiled as I felt Jackson’s eyes on my ass as we left.

  The Higgins office was just a few blocks away so the cab ride was short. I was still peeved at Bray for going ballistic on Jackson yesterday afternoon, so I wasn’t in the mood for small talk. Finally needing to break the silence, he cleared his throat and spoke.

  “Andi, I’m sorry about losing my shit yesterday. I saw the bruises on your wrist and I flipped out. The thought of him hurting you pissed me off. It went further than it should have because quite frankly he’s an ass and I’m already sick of him,” he said gruffly.

  “Well, you two guys need to get along if you plan on working there for much longer. He’s part owner of the company. You’re just an employee. If you piss him off too bad, he’ll fire you,” I explained.

  “Nah, he’s bound by contract. I signed for a year. He isn’t that stupid, especially with all of the lawsuits he’s already involved in.”

  Lawsuits? “What lawsuits?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.

  “Nothing. Just forget about it. So Mr. Higgins is an old man—a dirty old man. That’s the real reason I brought you,” he admitted, face displaying a shit-eating grin.

  “What? You set me up, you asshole!”

  He laughed. “Yeah, I figured we might land the account if you came along. He’ll be so busy looking at those long legs that he won’t care about much else.”

  I punched him in the arm and rolled my eyes. “You’re so full of shit.”

  We got to the conference room a few minutes late. When we walked in, I realized Bray was not full of shit when the old man unabashedly checked me out. Good thing Jackson wasn’t here.

  “Mr. Greene, so nice to have you. And who’s the exquisite woman you have with you?” he questioned Bray like I was just a trophy rather than a person. I had to try really hard not to roll my eyes.

  “This is my friend and co-worker, Andi.”

  I shook Mr. Higgins’s hand, and when he held on to it for a moment too long, I refrained from jerking it from his grasp. He finally let go, and I took the seat next to him after he motioned to it.

  Bray got right down to business and presented his information to Mr. Higgins, who was too busy looking at the hemline of my skirt to pay attention to anything he was saying. Bray winked at me as he slipped the contract in front of Mr. Higgins, who reluctantly peeled his eyes away from my legs.

  Scribbling away his signature, he returned his gaze back to my legs. Bray was definitely going to get an earful the moment we left this godforsaken room.

  Bray was stacking up the papers to put them back in the folder when the old man licked his lips. My anger boiled over and I snapped.

  “Take a picture. It’ll last longer,” I spat through my teeth.

  His eyes jerked up to mine and he guffawed loudly. “Mr. Greene, you have quite the feisty secretary here,” he grinned over at Bray.

  He just nodded and smiled, shaking Mr. Higgins’s hand. “Good doing business with you, Mr. Higgins. We’ll be in touch,” he promised, heading for the door.

  Mr. Higgins’s eyes perused my body once more before I was able to get out of that conference room. That was absolutely the most disgusting man I had ever met.

  Bray got the silent treatment until were downstairs and outside.

  “You are such a jerk! I was your distraction for that pervert!” I yelled at him.

  He doubled over in laughter. “You should have seen your face. I thought you were going to deck him.”

  We chose to walk back to our building, enjoying the sunshine. Plus, it allowed more time for me to gripe at him about the whole situation.

  Once we got back up to the offices, I noticed that Jackson’s door was shut. Giving Bray one more “go to hell” look, I sat down to check my emails. There was one from Pepper that made me smile.

  Andi,

  I miss my best friend. Want to grab lunch today? I have to have your impossibly difficult boss Jordan sign some documents for the sponsorship, so I’ll be in today. If I don’t get hauled off for clawing his eyes out, then let’s have a lunch date.

  Pep

  I grinned, no longer annoyed with the meeting with Mr. Higgins, as I typed her a response that I would go with her. We hadn’t seen much of each other lately, and I missed her badly.

  “Is Jackie in today?” a voiced purred behind me. Something about the sensual voice and the way she had said his nickname that only his mother called him made my stomach churn. Swiveling in my chair, I took in the sight of a stunning woman. She was runway-model tall with impossibly long legs jetting out from her tailored coat. Her legs were tan and shimmered in the light. I was mesmerized by them.

  The tap of her manicured nails on my desk pulled me from my gawking at her legs. Her breasts were practically spilling out of the top of her coat. She had large breasts for someone of her size, making me think they were fake. Breasts that perfect had to be fake. Her long, dark hair hung in delicate waves, framing her gorgeous face. Pursing her pink lips together, she waited for me to answer. I was immediately intimidated by her.

  “Um, I’m not sure. I just got back from a meeting. Let me check. Can I tell him who’s here to see him?” I inquired, wanting to know the name of the beautiful woman who was about to meet with my man.

  “Nadia Compton,” she answered, narrowing her eyes at me.

  Jerking my head towards her, I felt my entire body go cold. My jaw dropped and I stuttered a bit, not knowing what to say to her.

  “I’m his wife.” She watched me for my reaction, but I didn’t give her the satisfaction of one. I only smiled at her as I stood to inform Jackson that she was here. This woman was a calculating bitch. It was written all over her face. Jackson’s fucking wife.

  Snapping out of my shock, I stalked over to Jackson’s door and peeked my head in. He beamed at me, further pissing me off.

  Smiling sweetly back at him, I reported, “Your wife is here to see you.”

  His smile fell as a look of horror crossed his face. “Fuck!” he burst out, rubbing his hands across his jawline. “Andi, it isn’t what you think. We’re going through a really nasty divorce. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I promise we’ll talk about this after she leaves.”

  I curtly nodded at him, lips pressed into a thin line before turning to Nadia. “He’ll see you now Mrs. Compton,” I seethed.

  Winking at me, she sashayed into the office, shutting the door behind her.

  That woman was a bitch. I could see why he was divorcing her.

  When two hands covered my eyes from behind, I laughed because I could recognize that peppermint gum smell from anywhere.

  “Pepper!”

  She laughed and pulled her hands away, hopping on the top of my desk. Her hair was pulled up in a standard messy bun that was unique to Pepper. Today, something was different though. From behind
her glasses I could see that she had on eye makeup, giving her already pretty eyes a more dramatic look.

  “Pepper, oh my goodness, you’re wearing makeup!” I exclaimed.

  She rolled her eyes at me. “It’s not a big deal. I do that sometimes, you know.”

  But I did know and she did not do that sometimes. She could lie, but I saw right through it. Pepper was seeing Jordan and she wanted to look pretty. The smile on my face grew.

  “Did you already visit with Jordan?” I asked.

  “Nah, he isn’t back yet. He said he had a meeting and he’d probably be done by now but I guess it’s gone over. That’s okay. We’ll grab lunch and I’ll see him after.”

  “It’s a date. Let me tell Jackson I’m going. He’s in there with his bitchy soon-to-be ex-wife. You just missed the bitch and all of the awkwardness.”

  I stood up to go tell him when Bray came out of his office. “Hey, Pepper, how’s it going?” he asked, walking over to her. She hated Bray but chatted with him anyway.

  I flung open the door to Jackson’s office without knocking. Bitch Nadia needed to know that she couldn’t just keep me out where Jackson was concerned. He was with me now.

  But my mind had trouble comprehending what I saw, and it blinked with flashbacks to when I had walked in on Bray cheating on me last spring.

  Bitch Nadia stood completely naked, coat crumpled on the floor behind her. Her hands had a grip around his tie and she and Jackson were kissing. His hands were on her shoulders.

  “Holy shit,” I heard Pepper gasp from behind me. Bray’s strong arms hooked around my waist and pulled me from the scene in the office, closing the door between us and them.

  From the other side, I heard Jackson cursing and Nadia screeching. I was such a fool. He had a fucking wife he clearly still loved. What is wrong with me?

  “Come on, Andi. It’s time for lunch,” Pepper grumbled, handing me my purse and grabbing my hand. Bray was trying to hide his anger with Jackson but his clenching jaw let me know that he was about to go off on him. I allowed Pepper to drag me out of the office and away from it all. The darkness was once again trying to creep back into my soul.