Broken (Breaking the Rules) Read online

  Flipping absentmindedly through the channels, I thought about how unhappy I was that the weekend was almost over. I felt cheated a day because of yesterday. Jackson stroked my hair as we cuddled in comfortable silence.

  Tomorrow I would start my first day at Compton Enterprises. Considering I’d been job hunting for five months after graduating, I was completely thrilled about finally finding something. I’d bought a few new suits that said “I’m classy but still cute.” With everything I had gone through after the breakup with Bray, I felt that things were about to look up.

  I must have dozed off because I was jostled awake as I felt Jackson carrying me to my bed. “Let’s take a shower,” I told him groggily. He set me down by the bed and pulled off his t-shirt and jeans, heading to the shower. I followed suit with my own clothes. The steam was already filling the bathroom by the time I made it in there.

  When I stepped into the shower with him, he gave me a smoldering look. Pouring some body wash into the loofa, he began washing my body. Once finished, I took it from him and cleaned his body as well. He pulled me closer until our fronts touched. Ignoring his hardness, he washed my hair very gently like he was cherishing this moment. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to enjoy his touch. Once he finally finished, I did the same for him, and he groaned as I scrubbed his scalp with my fingertips.

  Turning off the water after we had rinsed off, he reached out of the shower, grabbing two towels for us. He wrapped his towel around his waist and used mine to dry me off. His movements were slow and deliberate, so by the time he finished, I wanted him badly.

  He used a finger to lift my chin so that I was looking at him. His eyes were so expressive as they searched my own, asking me silent questions. Feeling raw and exposed, I leaned forward and gently kissed his lips just to avoid his gaze. He deepened the kiss as he explored my mouth with his tongue.

  Every time we’d had sex so far, it was just hot fucking. This time, I felt, would be different. It was a goodbye to what might have been. He pulled his lips away and continued his kissing on my neck. My body shivered from wanting to make love to him. I just couldn’t seem to get my fill—no pun intended.

  His lips carried themselves farther down until he had my nipple in his mouth. I moaned as his tongue ran across my sensitive flesh. “I’m going to fucking miss this,” he spoke softly between kisses.

  “Me too, Jackson. Me too.”

  The banging on my bedroom door jolted me awake. “Andi, get up! You’re going to be late!” Pepper yelled from the other side. Throwing Jackson’s arm off me, I jumped from the bed to look at the clock. Shit! I had to be there in forty minutes.

  Running to my closet, I grabbed some panties and a bra from my dresser along the way. Frantically, I slipped them on and started fussing over my suit. Once I finally got it on, I chose a pair of thigh-highs and quickly slipped them on.

  Deciding a sleek bun would be the way to go, I was able to style it in a way that seemed professional. Since time was running out, I applied a minimal amount of makeup, brushed my teeth, and spritzed on some perfume. Making my way back to my closet, I stepped into a nice pair of heels. Before heading out, I slipped on some pearls and matching earrings.

  Striding back into the bedroom, I almost didn’t want to wake him. He looked absolutely gorgeous lying on the bed with a blanket barely covering his naked ass. If only I could figure out a way to keep him locked away in my room forever.

  After a sad sigh, I walked over and shook him awake. “Jackson, you have to get up! I’m going to be late for my new job and you need to leave. I’ve had a lot of fun with you but the game is over and it’s time for you to go,” I ordered as he groaned sleepily. “Jackson. Seriously. Get up. I have to get across town and I’ve only got 20 minutes.”

  He rolled out of bed, leaving the sheet behind, giving me a nice view of his perfect body. “The game’s over, isn’t it?” he asked sleepily.

  “Yes, Jackson. It’s over and I have to get to work. I’m sorry. I wish we had time for breakfast or even coffee for that matter but I really need to go.”

  Jackson grabbed my face with both hands and kissed me quickly. “Surely you have time for a quickie. Just one more time, babe,” he pled, walking me backwards until my bottom hit the dresser, stopping me. He grabbed my hips and set me on top of it. I shook my head no but he stopped me with a deeper kiss this time and slipped his hand under my skirt. Oh God. I so didn’t have time for this.

  His finger connected with my clit through my panties and I instantly melted to him. “Jackson, fuck me quickly,” I moaned. He continued his motion with his finger until I could feel myself beginning to come apart from his touch. “Oh God, I’m going to come!” I shouted to him. When my orgasm was almost about to shudder through my body, he pulled away his finger, causing me to cry out.

  Shoving my skirt up over my hips, he hooked my panties with his thumbs and jerked them down off of my feet. I spread my legs for him when he pulled me to the edge of the dresser to gain better access. Jackson got right to business as he shoved his cock into me. I screamed in pleasure and wrapped my legs around him. My heels were digging into his back, and I considered kicking them off but I wanted to mark him a bit so he’d have something to remember me by.

  My orgasm jolted through me without warning and I shuddered around him. I grabbed both hands full of his hair and rode it out until I felt his own release inside of me.

  Our eyes met each other as we realized that this was goodbye. He leaned forward until our foreheads touched and pinned me with his stare. We stayed there for a delayed moment before I quickly kissed his lips and gently pushed him away from me. Sighing, he stooped down and picked up my panties, sliding them back up my legs and over my hips.

  He pulled me off of the dresser to my feet and jerkily yanked down my skirt, putting it back in place. Turning quickly, he strode over to his clothes and threw them on. He grabbed my hand as I picked up my purse and we headed downstairs so I could hail a cab.

  Luck was on my side because a cab quickly pulled up. Jackson grabbed me one last time and kissed me passionately. My eyes were teary as I told him goodbye and ducked into the cab. He watched me intensely as I drove away. Damn, I would miss that man.

  A DARK TWO WEEKS…

  Pepper helps me crawl into bed, frowning the entire time. She looks hesitant to leave me but I know her family is waiting to have a celebratory dinner with her. With a pat on my back, she leaves wordlessly.

  Bray allowed me to get my hopes up but then crushed them all over again in an instant. This hole in my heart will never go away. I need my pills to help me feel better. Dragging myself out of bed, I open the cabinet and pull out the vodka. On the way back to bed, I strip down to just my panties and get under the covers.

  I pop a pill and chase it with a swig of vodka. The warm burn slides slowly down my throat and instantly distracts me. I take a few more sips of the vodka, enjoying the burning sensation. God, my heart fucking hurts. Dammit, this pill isn’t working fast enough! One more pill should be fine. I toss it back and chase it with another long pull of the vodka.

  Numbness is finally starting to trickle over my body. Yes, this feels good. Those pills work. One more ought to do the trick. My vision blurs as I try to pull another pill from the bottle. Too difficult this way. I tilt my head back and let some of the pills spill into my mouth. It’s like candy! I crunch down but instantly gag on the bitterness and swallow down more vodka to chase away the taste.

  I can’t feel my tongue or nose or feet. Well hell, there’s only couple pills left. Might as well finish off the bottle. I tilt my head back once more and allow the rest to fall into my mouth, this time opting not to chew them.

  My body starts to shiver and I realize I’m freezing. I’m freezing yet I’m sweating all over. I’m so confused. The room is spinning wildly. I think I might be sick. Lying down, I fumble for my phone on the nightstand. Better tell Pepper to refill my prescription since I took them all. Wait, shit. That’s bad. Isn’t it?


  Me: Pepakse, oops pils al gon

  After hitting send on the text, I call Brayden. I feel darkness creeping in around me and I fear I’ve done something bad with the pills. I just want to hear his voice one more time.

  “Andi, I am so sorry—” he begins when he answers but I cut him off.

  “Braaaay, I messssed up baaad,” I slur. “Pills go buh bye.”

  I must have blacked out because I come to just as Bray bursts into my bedroom door.

  “Oh my God, baby! What have you done?! No, no, no!” he cries out, pulling me into his arms. “Fuck! You’re blue and so cold!” He tilts back my head and shoves his fingers down my throat. Immediately I start vomiting all over his white t-shirt and my bare breasts. Blackness eats away at the corners of my vision again and my world spins out of control.

  His fingers are back in my throat again, forcing my gut to wrench once more. The ringing of my cell phone is endless. Brayden is crying hysterically, telling me to “hold on!” but I just feel ready to let go. And I do just that as the darkness sweeps over me once again.

  Grabbing my purse, I bolted from the cab, telling him to keep the change. It was five after eight and I still had to get to the 57th floor. Jackson and I shouldn’t have had that quickie, but it was so worth it. I just prayed that nobody would notice I was late.

  Pressing the button to the 57th floor once inside the elevator, I took a moment to breathe and collect myself. I was finally a woman with a job in her field of study. The world of architecture was so fascinating to me and I really missed it. The café didn’t hold a candle to the satisfaction I would have doing what I love.

  When the door opened, I quickly glanced at my reflection in the mirror. Deciding that I looked presentable, I held my head high and walked up to the front desk. The receptionist looked about ten years older than me and had a nametag that read “Margie” on it.

  “Hi there, Margie. I’m Andi, er, Miranda Dalton, here for my first day,” I informed her, still breathing a little heavily from this morning’s events.

  She looked up and smiled. “You’re late,” she admonished, winking. My own smile faltered as panic set in. “Honey, I’m teasing. Mr. Compton was on a call this morning, so he’s not even ready for you yet anyway. You looked like you were about to throw up,” she giggled.

  Realizing she was a fun person, I smiled back at her. “Sorry, it was a hectic morning with traffic and all. I’ll have to make sure to allow myself more time in the mornings,” I told her honestly.

  “No worries, Miss Dalton. Everyone is really laid back here for the most part, especially Jordan. You’ll enjoy working for him. It’s his brother that’s difficult. Be thankful you don’t have to work for him,” she whispered.

  Before she could divulge any more office gossip, Mr. Compton called me from his office. Smiling at Margie, I quickly walked into the office where the voice had come from. Mr. Compton was a nice-looking young man. Even though he was several years older than I was from what I could tell, he still looked too young to own such a successful company.

  Looking up from his desk, he smiled at me. He had one of those familiar faces and I couldn’t help but return his smile. “Please, Miss Dalton, have a seat,” he greeted, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk.

  Taking my seat, I sat up straight, waiting for my instructions.

  “Today will be just you getting to know the ropes and other employees. I’d hoped my brother, who’s my partner, would be sitting in on the meeting, but he’s running late. I know originally I said you would be assisting me but I’ll actually need you to help us both out. I’m in the middle of a pretty big company issue that will require a lot of my time with my lawyers. That will leave my brother having to run things. We’ll need you to take our calls when you can, set up meetings with our clients, and make appearances at some events. We have people to actually handle busy work, but as our assistant, you’ll learn how to actually interact with the clients more so than the work itself. It’s probably one of the most critical aspects of our job that they certainly don’t teach you in school.” He paused to wait for any input that I might have.

  “Okay. That sounds like something I can handle, Mr. Compton,” I assured him confidently even though I was nervous from Margie’s warning about his brother.

  “Please, Miss Dalton, call me Jordan. We’re informal here. My dad was Mr. Compton. You’ll make me feel old if you keep calling me that,” he winked at me. “Anyway, we set up a desk between our two offices out front. I’ll have Margie show you how to work your phone. We already gave you access to both my and my brother’s calendars and emails so that you can help us manage our appointments. In an hour, I’ll be out for a meeting but I’m sure you’ll figure things out easily enough. Oh, and tomorrow, a junior architect will be joining the firm. Since I’ve been pulled into more of the handling of the company, we’ve needed some more help in that area. He won’t have much activity in the beginning so I want you to assist him as well. Once he gets a lot busier, we’ll get him his own assistant. And remember, you do this job well, there could be a junior architect position waiting for you as well. We like to promote from within whenever possible. That’s what happened to my last assistant.” He stopped talking and looked behind me.

  “Miranda Dalton, please meet my brother and co-owner of the firm, Jackson Compton,” he introduced, gesturing to the door. My body tensed up at the name and I whipped around to see the face of my weekend Jackson. Shit!

  When his eyes met mine, we both mirrored shocked looks. He walked over to my chair and extended his hand. His shocked look fell and was replaced by a glare. I shakily took his hand and shook it, squirming under his fierce look. “Please, call me Andi,” I said breathlessly. I was in some serious trouble.

  “Excuse me, I have work to do,” he scowled, turning on his heel and stalking out.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t warn you,” Jordan apologized. Turning back to him, I frowned. “He’s a bit of an ass. He’ll be your biggest challenge working here. He’s my brother and I love him, but he can be a bear.” He shook his head. I just nodded my own nervously. This seriously sucked. Pepper was going to freak when I told her my luck.

  Jordan stood so I did as well. He came around the desk and placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me out to my desk. With his hand still on my back, I glanced up at Jackson’s office. He was glaring at me from his desk, momentarily glancing at Jordan’s hand on my back. Quickly standing from his desk, he stalked over to his door and slammed it shut. My first day and I was already wanting to quit. What have I done?

  A DARK TWO WEEKS…

  My life is flashing by in pictures like slides on my phone. A picture of me and Brayden kissing at a game. Pepper and me getting a pedicure for my birthday. Me smiling as a kid with a frowning family in the background. A skinny me accepting my diploma. Brayden down on one knee in Central Park. Me and Jeanie at the café. Me, Connie, and Brayden at Christmas one year.

  Am I in a car? I can feel bouncing, which is adding to my nausea. Blinking my eyes open breifly, I can see that I’m in an ambulance. An EMT is fussing over me. What grabs my attention is Bray hovering over me, tears running down his face. His two hands have one of mine and he is kissing it over and over. He keeps begging me to “hold on.” Hold on to what?

  His shirt is covered in vomit. Is he sick? I try to squeeze his hand to comfort him. When I do, just barely, his red eyes dart to mine. Taking one hand away to stroke my hair, he brings his face close to mine.

  “Please, Andi. Don’t die on me. I love you. I need you. The way I’ve hurt you sickens me. You have to believe me that I promise I’ll never do it again. Please, just stay alive for me,” he cries. I’m so confused. Why would I die?

  The darkness creeps up again and I try to fight it because I just want to be here with Bray telling me how much he loves me. My eyes tear up as it closes up on my vision. Please, no! Bray, help me! His panicking eyes are the last thing I see before completely succumbing again to the dark.


  The next hour went without incident as Margie showed me how to use the phone and helped me log into my computer so I could access my email and the guys’ calendars. Jackson still hadn’t surfaced from his office and Jordan had already left for his meeting. After Margie left me to go back to her reception area, I finally had a moment to myself.

  I typed up an email to Pepper’s work email address.

  Pepper,

  This is my work email address. Things are not what I expected at the firm. It would appear that Jackson is one of my bosses. How do I get the luck of these things? Worse thing is, he is acting like he hates me. We seriously went thirty minutes without seeing each other. When I left him, he looked sad, almost like he wanted to chase after me. Then, when he arrived at work today, he looked like he wanted to kill me with the daggers he was shooting at me with his eyes. I don’t know what I am going to do. This is all so incredibly awkward.

  Your friend who makes bad decisions,

  Andi

  My stomach was really growling now. It was almost lunchtime, but I wasn’t sure what time I should leave to grab some food. The idea of having to ask Jackson made me sick. The ping indicating a new email alerted me to my computer screen.

  To the girl who makes the absolute worst decisions,

  What the hell?! How in the world does this happen? You need to go in there and lay down the law, Andi. I am so pissed right now. If I see that asshole, I’ll personally tell him what I think. Just make it through today and we’ll grab dinner afterwards. We can meet at the café at 6. Hang in there, hon.