13. Play Dirty

13

PLAY DIRTY

“ I didn’t think you’d want to meet this quickly,” Jamie said once he was in Laken’s office on Friday. “I’m sure you just returned from the holiday.”

“Yesterday,” she said. He sat in the chairs off to the side like he’d done before and she followed to sit across from him.

She had on some fitted black pants, another pair of sexy heels, this time white and black that reminded him of a Dalmatian, and a dark green and black sweater with a few white buttons on the cuffs.

“And you didn’t want the rest of the week off?” he asked.

“I’ve got too much to do. I’m finalizing some work on other projects and companies. Not to mention the calls I get nonstop from all of West’s investments. It’s not as if I just go in and meet and then walk away. They know to reach out to my department at the very least.”

“I bet not many have a direct line to you,” he said, smirking. Maybe he was special.

“In the beginning they do, but once things are up and running smoothly, they go through others in my department or have managers in our organization that oversee them. I’m the last line of defense before West.”

“Ahh,” he said. “Makes sense.” Which told him that once things were going with this company he’d rarely see her. He didn’t like the sound of that. Thankfully they had a lot of time and were going to talk about it today.

If he could get her off of business as he’d said in his text.

“What makes sense?” she asked.

He wasn’t sure why she seemed almost nervous. He would have guessed Laken Carlisle didn’t have a nervous bone in her body yet she was looking down at her computer a few times and then back to him.

“That once we are up and running, I’ll most likely go through Nelson? Or someone else. But no one has a way to reach West, as he’s too important. There are several layers to fix problems before they end on his desk.”

“Something like that,” she said. “West is aware of everything that he needs to be. But you’re right: the legal team handles things more times than not and just gives updates to West. Trust me when I say no one wants him involved when it comes down to legal.”

He’d always read and heard West was ruthless when it came to business. That didn’t make him shy away from approaching though.

“Are we done with business talk for the moment?” he asked.

“Nelson will be meeting with us in an hour,” she said.

“You play dirty,” he said, grinning.

She laughed. “I’m giving you an hour to talk.”

“I’d like to think it’s an hour for us to talk. Or maybe I’m off base here.”

Her head went back and forth as if she was weighing her words. “First, I’ll apologize. I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

“I believe I kissed you and I’m not apologizing. Not unless you’re offended and I don’t think you are. Because if you were, you wouldn’t have apologized first thinking I was offended.”

He kept the frown from his face as he tried to play those words back in his head. Did they sound right? Sometimes things sounded better in his head than coming out of his mouth.

“We can agree that the kiss just happened,” she said.

“That works,” he said. “And I’m not sorry it did. Are you? Be honest.”

“I’m always honest,” she said.

“Then are you sorry it happened?”

“No,” she said. “I’m confused.”

“Not surprising. I am a bit too,” he said. “But I’m glad I brought it up to talk about. No reason to have it be this air of tension between us when we’ve got to work together.”

“That’s the problem,” she said. “We work together.”

“Short term,” he said. “I can be mature and professional about this. I’m positive you don’t know any other way than to put work first and keep it on that level.”

“I feel an insult in there,” she said.

If she wasn’t smiling he would have apologized. “It’s a compliment more than anything. You’re a strong enough person to compartmentalize things.”

“Complimenting me isn’t going to necessarily give you the answer you're hoping to get.”

“You don’t know the answer I’m hoping to get, do you?” he asked, lifting and eyebrow.

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say, since you brought this conversation up, you’d like more than that kiss. I’m not a casual person when it comes to sex.”

He knew this would be part of it. “I didn’t have the best reputation when it came to women. Not for years. I can tell you right now my priorities have shifted a ton. I rarely go out, and when I do, I don’t end up with random one-night stands.”

“Meaning that was normally what you did before?”

“I’ve been in relationships, but they didn’t last for long. I wasn’t looking to settle down for years. My career was my focus, women were an outlet for release.”

“That’s crude,” she said, crossing her arms.

“Being honest. That is how I was. Then my life changed on more than one level. I don’t drink much. I don’t hang out with those I used to. I’ve got something more important for me at home and every decision I make is based on that.”

She nodded her head. “What is it you are looking for?” she asked.

“A chance,” he said. “Nothing more. What comes out of it will be between us. We don’t need to put a title on it.”

“Can I get another kiss first?” she asked.

He laughed and stood up, held his hand out to her for her to do the same. He pulled her close and held her softly. No reason to show her the urgency he was feeling. He didn’t want to scare her off.

Not that he thought Laken was someone that scared easily, but she sure the hell was acting timid on a few levels.

He dipped his head down and kissed her softly, not opening his mouth.

She grunted and put her arms around his neck and pushed his head down closer to hers, her mouth opening, her tongue going into his mouth and the two of them making out as if they were on homecoming night in a dark corner and didn’t want witnesses.

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed kissing like that, but his dick decided to join the party because there was just no way it couldn’t with as long as it’d been since he’d been with a woman.

He wasn’t sure she’d believe him, but it was the truth.

She ended the kiss before he wanted, but he was letting her call the plays.

She stepped back and sat down, her hand fanning her face. “Phew, that was intense.”

“On your part,” he said. “Or your doing. I was trying to be gentlemanly. Now if you tell me you’re not interested I’ll know it’s not the truth. Want to explain what that was about?”

“I’m interested,” she said. “I never said I wasn’t. Just trying to wrap my head around this. I haven’t dated much in years. No relationships either. I didn’t know what you were looking for or what I might even want. But the one thing I needed to know is if that sample kiss we had the other day was all there is or I’d feel more.”

He raised his eyebrows at her. “Don’t tell me you didn’t feel more because I know you did.”

“I wouldn’t lie any more than your body didn’t about how you felt. A woman can get away with not letting that show though.”

He refused to be embarrassed over a normal bodily reaction to a hot woman he was making out with.

“Fair point,” he said. “Then explain more of what is going on in your head.”

“We don’t have enough time for me to explain everything in my head. I’m not sure anyone wants to know that.”

She was smiling again. More relaxed too.

“Then do we need some ground rules?”

“At the very least,” she said. “I’ll start. This is between us. No one is going to know, least of all my brothers.”

“I’m fine with that,” he said. “Maybe we’ll know after a few dates it wasn’t more than some heat.”

She frowned and he held back his grin over that. Just because he started this conversation didn’t mean he was going to show all his cards.

Never put yourself in a position for someone to walk all over you.

He’d learned that the hard way. He opened himself up with his parents like children do and all it did was cause hurt feelings and low self-confidence. He never let that be shown though.

“Could be,” she said. “Second rule, work and whatever we have is separate. I’m not saying our conversations aren’t going to mix when we are together, but one isn’t going to dictate or cause issues with the other.”

“Agreed,” he said. “My number one rule. Penelope. You met her and I hadn’t planned on that.”

“I know,” she said. “Which is why I tried to leave, but then pancakes were offered.”

He laughed. “Janelle is like that. You are only someone I work with to her if you see her again. I’m sure you will. There might be times we meet at my house, but Penelope is off limits. I don’t need anyone in her life until I know someone might stay.”

“That just makes you a great father, Jamie,” she said. “Nothing more than that. If you said anything other, you might not be as sexy in my eyes.”

He laughed. “Don’t lie. I’m sexy and I know it.”

“Now you’re quoting songs?”

He winked. “Just stating a fact. Don’t think I haven’t seen you eying me every time we are together.”

“You mean like the way you look me up and down starting with my shoes?” She pointed a toe and wiggled it a little. “Would you like me to stand up and do a little twirl for you so you can see it all?”

“Please do,” he said. He wasn’t sure if she was joking, but he was going to call her on it.

She did though, pushed her hands down her sides as if she was putting herself on display, then turned slowly and let him look at her ass.

“No panty lines,” she said. “You’re not the only one that knows how to pull a person along.”

His jaw dropped. “You did that on purpose?”

“Maybe,” she said.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said. “What’s the next step? A date?”

“We can do that,” she said. She picked her phone up and pushed the buttons. “I’m in town all next week. Since I’ll be working with Nelson and you on this, I’ll be in town more than normal. I’ve got Abby starting and have to get things going with her too. How about lunch one day next week?”

“Monday,” he said. Might as well put it out there since Tuesday was New Year’s Eve and Wednesday was the holiday. He had no plans either day.

“Aren’t you traveling on Sunday?” she asked.

“Just to Philly. I’ll be home Sunday night relatively early. You’ll probably be working later or longer than me.”

“Most likely,” she said. “Let me know Monday morning for sure and pick a place.”

“I can do that,” he said. He looked at his watch and knew that they had twenty minutes before Nelson showed up and they got down to business. “How was your holiday with your family? Did you all manage to get together this time?”

She smiled at him and her eyes just lit up. “We did. And I’ll let you know before you read it in the news or hear it in the news—West and Abby got engaged. Actually, they’ve been engaged and we’ve kept it under wraps until West was ready to make the announcement himself.”

“I saw the picture a few days ago in the news,” he said.

“That pushed the timeline up a bit more, but it will be out soon. I trust you to not say a word.”

He laughed. “Considering the world doesn’t know I have an almost two-year-old daughter, you could say I’m good at secrets.”