7. Lily
7
Lily
The night was still young, but Kaylene and Sasha both wanted to leave with me after Jacob’s ex-wife went batshit crazy. I didn’t even see it coming. Kaylene and I were heading back to the bar when she pushed a waitress out of the way to get to me. The poor girl's tray of glasses shattered.
I’d gone to help the girl Rachele had shoved when she grabbed my arm and yanked me back. “You stole him. He left me because of you.”
“What are you talking about?”
Rachele threw wine at me and screamed, “You stole my husband!”
I didn’t think we were there on a date, and I probably shouldn’t have walked the red carpet with him, even though he was technically divorced. Sasha and Kaylene tried to explain that they’d never seen them together unless it was at a charity event. It didn’t matter though, I was humiliated in a room full of important people before I’d even had a sip of wine.
After I’d emerged from the bathroom, Jacob and I headed back to the hotel. We were all staying in the penthouse suite at the Mark. When we got back, I’d showered and changed into a pair of yoga pants and a white T-shirt.
Jacob sat down in an outdoor chair next to me. The view from the rooftop deck was amazing—I could see Central Park. The sound of the city buzzed around us. It was past eleven o’clock, but the city continued to stay active. “I’m sorry she wrecked your evening,” he said in a quiet voice.
My jaw clenched. Yes, Rachele had wrecked my evening, but Jacob had brought another woman to an event he knew she would be at. “It’s not all her fault. You should’ve told her you brought your assistant. Then she would’ve known I wasn’t your date.”
“You were my date,” Jacob said. He handed me a glass of wine.
I took a sip, my first of the evening. I’d wanted to drink the champagne in the limousine, but I also wanted to be on my A-game when we got to the gala. It was the first time I’d ever dressed to the nines like that. I shook my head. “How can you possibly expect a different outcome? I thought you were better than that.”
Jacob had taken off his tux and changed into a pair of basketball shorts that hung low on his hips and a black T-shirt. No matter how mad I was at him, he was still as sexy as hell, and that made me even angrier at the situation.
“Do you know much about my brothers or me?”
I’d spent a few hours Googling the family when Kat told me who I was going to work for. There wasn’t much about their personal lives, mostly just articles on the work their company had done and the state-of-the-art technology they created for the NSA. “I Googled the company.”
Jacob’s lip twitched. “You Googled me.”
I took a sip of wine. “Put your peacock feathers back down. I Googled you so I didn’t look dumb on my first day. I’m still mad at you for putting me in that situation tonight. You could’ve told me to be on the lookout for a crazy woman.” I didn’t add that I’d gone down the rabbit hole of looking at photos of him and his brothers. They were all good-looking, but Jacob was sexy as hell.
“Did you find anything in your search about how we grew up in foster care when our mother died after deciding drugs were more important than her children? Jared came home to find her dead on the couch with a needle hanging from her arm. We were all put into the system, and when Jared was old enough to adopt us, we lived in a one-bedroom apartment. Jared would work during the day and go to school at night. Jax and I helped as much as we could after school. Jared made sure we got good grades so we could get into college.”
“Wow.”
“Yes, my older brother is amazing. But that’s not why I’m telling you this story. My last year of college, Jax and Jared came up with a great satellite concept. We knew we could do good for ourselves, but we needed start-up cash.”
I took a sip of my wine. I knew the story of how Rachele fit into his life was about to come up. “How did you get the cash?”
“Not many people know the story. Rachele came from a wealthy family. We were friends in college, but we never dated or slept together. She needed a husband so she could get her inheritance of fifty million dollars.”
I choked on my wine. Jacob reached over and patted my back then continued. “I talked my idea out with my brothers, but neither of them wanted me to marry her. I didn’t listen. Rachele and I sat down and made an agreement. Her inheritance required her to be married for one year. On our one-year anniversary, she would receive her full fifty million dollars. She agreed to pay me five million, and we would pay her back with interest. Everything was in writing, and we both agreed.”
“You agreed to this without dating.”
He let out a sigh. “The marriage was on paper only.”
I stood up and looked over the rail, taking in the city and the cars racing through the streets of New York. I could see a few people walking through Central Park. A few of the photos online had shown Jacob getting married there. Rachele’s dress had been breathtaking. “If this was on paper only, why such a big wedding?”
Jacob stood next to me. “So, you did Google me?”
I pushed his arm.
“She wanted the fairy-tale wedding, and her parents gave it to her. We never lived together, but when she needed someone for an event, I would show up and go to my separate hotel room. We both planned to divorce when we had the money. But the first year of starting NSS, we were busy and divorce wasn’t on my mind. The three of us worked night and day to get the company off the ground.”
“Your company is highly regarded. Every employee I talked to loves to work for you guys. Well, a few are scared of Jared.” I chuckled quietly.
Jacob barked out a laugh. “Yeah, a lot of people are scared of him. He’s not as bad as he seems sometimes. He just takes on more than he should. Jared doesn’t look at Jax and me like grown men. He still thinks of us as his little brothers.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you stay married for so many years?”
He tapped his glass against the railing. “That is the multi-million-dollar question. I paid her back our first year. We’d landed a huge government contract, and Jared didn’t want us to keep the money from her. We gave her a huge payoff as well. I just didn’t file the papers until last year. The way our prenup was written, it should’ve been done.” Jacob ran his hand through his hair. “Two years ago, her father lost his fortune in a bad deal. Rachele never understood the value of money and blew through her fifty million dollars. She won’t be able to live the same lifestyle.”
A couple of years before, I’d saved up a thousand dollars and thought I was doing well. I couldn’t imagine blowing through fifty million dollars. I didn’t even know how that was possible. My heart had broken the night Greg found my stash of money. I wasn’t sure what was worse, the beating he gave me for hiding money from him or how he went to the bar the next few weeks and spent every last dime. Then we’d had to scrape cash together for food. “Why was she at the gala tonight if you were officially divorced?”
“For the past few years, we’ve let her run the foundation. She puts the event together. I wasn’t going to tell her she couldn’t come. Earlier this week, I said I was coming, but not as her date. She kept asking if we could try dating, but I know it’s because she’s worried about not having money to continue to live the life she’s used to.”
My phone vibrated in my hand, and I glanced down at the photo Kat sent me of Tommy and Ant passed out in a fort. Superman sheets hung from every corner of his room. I brushed my finger across the screen. I didn’t need money. The only thing I needed was my boy.
Jacob leaned over and glanced at my phone. “How old is he?”
“He turns six in a couple weeks. Tommy is my world.”
When Jacob grabbed my hand, I didn’t pull away. I knew I should, but it felt so damn good, especially since I understood his relationship with Rachele better and didn’t feel like he was rebounding or anything. The main reason I should have stayed away from him was because he was my boss. Another reason was my crazy ex. I laughed. We both had insane exes, but at least the most his would do was throw wine or a glass. Mine, on the other hand, could kill someone. I knew if he got his hands on me, he would be the end of me.
I turned to face Jacob, and he ran his hand down my face. “You remind me of my favorite constellation, the Phoenix. You picked yourself up and rose from the ashes. That little boy is lucky to have you as a mom.”
My eyes burned with tears. I wished his words were true. “The only reason I’m away from Greg is because of Kat. Otherwise, I’d still be in Ft. Lauderdale, living with an abusive man and putting my son in danger. Some days all I can think about is how bad a mom I am.”
“Bullshit,” Jacob said. “You went to the women’s center for help. You worked to get your GED. Yes, Kat might’ve helped you get out faster, but you were trying to improve your life. You didn’t sit back and let your son get hurt. I bet if he came after Tommy, you put yourself in the way or took the hits so he wouldn’t go after him.”
Every word Jacob said was correct. The moment Greg would walk into the house, I knew his mood. If it was bad, I would tell Tommy to hide. I tried occasionally to run, but when he found us, the beatings were so bad that I couldn’t get out of bed for days. When I ended up in the hospital, I went to the police, but they wouldn’t help me. I found the center and figured I could get my GED and work to get money to run. That was when I met Kat, and she’d made all of my dreams come true. “One day, I want Tommy to be proud of me.”
Jacob wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. “I can tell from the pictures on your desk that your little boy loves you.”
I pulled back just enough to look into Jacob’s gray-blue eyes. I didn’t know what I was searching for. He leaned down inches from my lips. Jacob wanted me to meet him halfway. Every brain cell told me to step back. My mouth, on the other hand, had a different idea. I pressed up on my toes to meet him. His lips were soft, and the kiss was gentle. His arms wrapped around my back, pulling me in closer. My hands ran against his back, but instead of continuing the kiss, he stepped back and rested his chin on the top of my head.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No, my Phoenix. If there’s something between us, I want to take it slow.”
I pulled back from his embrace. “We shouldn’t do this at all. I can’t afford to lose my job. Hell, this is my first job since getting my GED, and I’m already kissing the boss. What kind of person does that? Oh my God, I kissed my boss. What are people going to say at work?” I stepped back and paced. “Don’t answer that.”
Jacob grabbed my arm and pulled me back into his embrace. “Lily, stop. Even if things don’t work out between us, I will find you another place in the company, but not until we know for sure that you’re safe. Nobody at work will say anything. I promise. And if they do, let me know.”
I gave him the side-eye.
“I’m serious—let me know. Let’s take one day at a time, and maybe in a few months, we can fly to South Africa so I can show you my favorite constellation in person.”
I lay my head against his chest. “You’re a numbers guy. How do you know anything about constellations?”
“I double majored in finance and physics, but Jared and Jax are better at physics and engineering than me. I love numbers, but I knew what we wanted to do one day, so I took classes to better understand what the hell Jared and Jax talk about.”
“That’s amazing.” It really was. I never aspired to go to college.
“What’s your dream job?”
“I’d love to be a chef.”
We spent the next hour talking about food. I explained my favorite dishes to make and Jacob talked about the different thing’s he’d eaten as he traveled the world. I looked down at my phone, and it was already close to one. Jared, Kaylene and Sasha hadn’t come back yet, but Jacob didn’t seem to worry. When I yawned, he declared it was time to go to bed. He walked me to my room, which was next to his, and kissed me goodnight. The kiss left me yearning for more. Sleep didn’t come easily. All I could think about was Jacob.