Chapter 3
Chapter Three
VIOLET
Even though going home is the smarter choice when Lia and I finally say our goodbyes, I know I can’t. If I want a career, I need to go back to the office.
Isaac’s office door is closed, though voices rumble through it.
As I’m going by his assistant’s desk to go to mine, wondering if he has another victim in there, or if this is just a regular meeting, Anna comes in from the break room with outside coffee and a selection of pastries.
She nods at me. “Hi, Violet. Lunch was good?”
“Need a hand with that?”
She shakes her head, smiles, and knocks on his office door, pushing it open and entering.
A meeting, then.
In a bag on the floor behind her desk is a white shirt, and my cheeks burn as I realize it’s Isaac’s. The one I attacked with a pen.
Lowering my eyes, I hurry into my office and throw myself into work.
Eventually, I’m done. With about an hour to go before the end of the workday, I pick up my schoolwork and make my notes for an assignment I have coming up.
When the clock tells me I’m finally free for today, laughter rumbles out of Isaac’s office, door still closed, so I clean up my desk, pack my bag, and get the hell out of there.
The subway isn’t too bad as I’m going against the commuters heading home from Manhattan, and I get out at the Third Avenue stop and walk to Jack’s apartment.
Actually, it’s Jack’s brother’s place, a cool loft apartment on the edge of the East Village they’re sharing.
Sharing is a strong word.
I grip my bag slung over my shoulder, darting through the people on the street.
Squatting would be a more appropriate word to describe Jack’s living arrangements.
Jack’s been living there rent free for three months while he ‘sorts his life out’.
He liked to party and decided philosophy wasn’t for him. So, he dropped out of his undergrad, moved out of his dorm, and into Cade’s place.
But usually, ‘sorting things out’ means working on yourself, finding what it is you want to do. Getting a job.
Not Jack, though. All he does is play video games all night and day.
I’m sure he could try to be a game tester, a reviewer, but even those things don’t interest him.
I sigh as I stop at the walkway lights.
Jack and his video game playing is on the top of many reasons and things that whisper to me Jack and I aren’t on the same page.
Truth is, the differences between us are many and varied, and I get that a lot of people thrive on that. I thought maybe, at first, I did, too.
But these days it’s… I don’t know. We barely have sex.
I take a breath.
That’s one subject I need to veer away from because… Sex isn’t everything.
Not going there.
I arrive at Cade’s building, and one of his neighbors is leaving.
“Hey, Vi.”
“Hi, Leon.”
He holds the door for me. “Bye, Vi.”
I climb the scuffed stairs to the fourth floor, my mind still reeling.
Staying with Jack has nothing to do with love, because none of us is in love with the other, that much is clear.
So, why am I here?
Maybe because he’s all I have outside Lia. I don’t have family. I had to grow up fast.
Jack… did not. Though he lost his mom about five years ago, and his father’s never been in the picture, which gives him that little boy lost appeal—or did—he’s got Cade.
And Cade’s a good brother.
I’ve had to put up with the Isaacs of my world. And to achieve my goals, I’ll just continue to put them in their place and handle that shit on my own.
Jack, on the other hand… I’m not sure he ever had goals. He just couldn’t be bothered.
But if someone offered him a handout, I’m positive he’d take it. Like asking to stay with his brother for a few weeks and never leaving again.
Maybe I should have rang the buzzer on the street to let Jack know I’m coming up, but I’ll settle for a knock.
“It’s unlocked!” Jack calls out, followed by the rat-a-tat of video game gunfire.
I sigh. I’m sure Cade just loves his door unlocked.
He doesn’t strike me as lax in the department of security. But I open the heavy door, locking it behind me, and I cross to the big living room.
Surprise, surprise, Jack’s on Cade’s large L-shaped sofa, the game controller in one hand, and he’s playing on the giant projector wall. His electronic bloodshed and demon body parts are way too big for my liking.
Annoyance bubbles up, tickling my throat and tightening in my chest, and I flop down on the sofa next to him.
His feet are on Cade’s coffee table.
I almost tell him to put them down because Cade loves the old wooden crate that’s been turned into a functional piece of furniture.
I wait for Jack to say hello. To kiss me. Anything.
What I get is nada.
“Have you been playing games all day?”
Jack rolls his eyes. “Of course not.”
A drop of hope flares in me. Maybe he went out looking for work, or—
“I didn’t get up until noon.”
I swallow back a retort. If I say something, I’ll just start another fight, and I don’t want to do that. Because it seems fighting’s all we do lately.
“Okay. Sounds…fun.”
“Yes!” He kills another monster. Then gives me a look before his eyes drift back to the screen. “Um… How was school?”
“I’m at my internship.”
“Right.” He sounds bored out of his brain. “How was it?”
He doesn’t care. I know he doesn’t care, but I need to vent. “Isaac’s the worst.”
“Uh huh.”
“Do you know what he did today?”
Jack gets maimed in the game. “No! Son of a…”
“He’s a sleaze. He hit on me again. Not only basically presented his dick to me—” My mouth twists because there’s no reaction from Jack. “It was still in his pants, so I didn’t have to look at it.”
“That’s nice.”
“He told me I could have the privilege of blowing him, or he’d actually lower himself to fuck an intern—me—because he thinks I’m pretty.
Can you even believe that? He’s a jerk.” I blow out a breath.
“So, I slashed his shirt with my red pen. It doesn’t seem like much, but he’s so into himself, it was like I’d spilled a bucket of the stuff on him. ”
I shake my head. “I just hate he thinks that because I’m a girl, I should be salivating or thanking him for the offer of sexual harassment.”
“What did you expect? You want to work in a man’s world. And you wear dresses, so you know, you should just get used to it.”
“So, it’s my fault I’m female and wear dresses? Is this the new ‘she was asking for it because the rapey dude couldn’t control himself when she flashed her ankles’ bullshit?”
He gives me an irritated sigh. “No, you just need to expect it, is all. It’s part of the job.”
Fuck that.
It takes every single drop of stubbornness in me not to end things right here and now.
Literally, the only thing stopping me is it’s our three-year anniversary tomorrow, and only a monster breaks up with someone on their birthday or their anniversary.
Not that Jack’ll remember something like that. But he would if I dumped him because that’s how he works.
And…I’m not that cruel.
The air changes, and the door slams, a thrill passing through me as Cade comes over to stand between Jack and the screen.
Jack tries to look past him, but Cade’s positioned himself well. His handsome face is a thunderstorm.
Cade’s eyes are a darker blue than Jack’s and he’s still wearing his black rimmed glasses that I think he wears when working with computers. His dark hair, so much like Jack’s, is rumpled.
To me, he looks like a sort of cute professor. A nice guy.
“Get out of the way, bro,” Jack says.
He pushes his glasses to the top of his head and scowls at Jack. “Are you fucking serious? Your girlfriend’s being sexually harassed, and you tell her to get used to it?”
Heat floods my cheeks.
I hate that he heard all that, and he’s the one leaping to my defense instead of my so-called boyfriend.
Jack throws the controller down next to him and raises his hands. “I’m just trying to help her be realistic.”
“So, it’s realistic to put up with and get used to a dude trying to fuck her when she doesn’t want to? Her boss?”
“Look, she’s chosen a male dominated career where harassment’s practically a way of life.”
“And that makes it okay? That he can just corner her and force her and it’s all on her?”
“What’re you on about, bro? Vi’s fine. Aren’t you, Vi?”
Cade looks at me before turning to glare back at Jack.
“No, she isn’t. And she shouldn’t have to tell you she’s fine or not fine for you to not be okay with some guy trying to get dirty with your girl.
And being in a male-oriented workplace where this shit happens doesn’t make it right. Right, Jack?”
He sighs heavily. “Whatever. I was just playing my game, Cade.”
Cade turns to me. “Violet, you don’t need to put up with that shit.”
“I didn’t.”
“You colored his shirt with a red pen; I heard that.”
“And, I told Isaac Stengal if he ever tries it again, I’ll make sure he’s drinking his meals through a straw inside a prison cell for the next six months. It might be overkill, but…he made me mad.”
Jack picks up his console remote again. “She’s fine, Cade, see?”
Cade ignores his brother, yes on me, and laughs, and a warmth spreads through me at the respect in his eyes; he also looks a little impressed. It shouldn’t affect me, but it does. It makes me feel good. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
I grin. “So far, you haven’t.”
He snaps his fingers, moving a little, as Jack tries to see past him. The projection wall’s big, but Cade seems to know just the places to stand to interrupt Jack’s game.
While I haven’t seen him do this before, it’s clear to me he has.
There’s something deliciously barbed in the casual way he stands there, moving subtly so Jack can’t play the game.
Cade’s eyes narrow. “You could send flowers to his significant other, call her by the wrong name.”
“Tell her how much he enjoyed that threesome?”
“Violet…” His mouth curves into a bigger smile, “I’d never tell you to say that. You could leave a message pretending to be his doctor, letting him know his tests came back negative.”
“Even better, state his child support check’s late, and his seven children are hungry.”
“Yeah, definite note to self: don’t get on Vi’s wrong side.” But then his laughter fades. “In all seriousness, guys like this Stengal shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this stuff. You should go to HR and lodge a formal complaint.”
“There isn’t really one. I mean, there are things I can do, and someone we all call HR, but it’s not a business or an office in the normal sense.”
He studies me for a moment. “There’s always someone who you can lodge a complaint with. I don’t care if it’s a dinky dime store or the White House.”
Warmth spreads through me. “I can handle it. But I appreciate your concern. It means a lot.”
Jack drops the controller and slides an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close like I’m the prize he won at the fair. “I care, Vi. I’m concerned.”
Cade’s warm gaze meets mine, and he smiles, sitting on the shorter part of the L sofa, pulling his laptop from his bag.
I like that he stood up for me, and the fact Jack seems to feel threatened by his brother is funny.
This is the most affection and attention he’s shown me in a long time. Right now, I think I might rate the same as the game or just above it. Just. I wonder how long that will last.
Jack tugs me closer and puts his hand on my thigh. “You’re so pretty, Vi, I…”
He trails off as Cade scoffs at him behind the glasses he’s put back on.
Jack shoots his brother a look full of sharp arrows. “I think the guy’s an asshole for doing that.”
As Jack fusses with the remote control, putting on some horrible romcom he’s decided I’d enjoy, I can’t help but compare the two men.
They’re clearly brothers. But as the light from his screen hits Cade’s face, showcasing his high cheekbones and wide mouth, I can’t help but notice the differences.
Cade uses his intelligence, where Jack wastes his.
Sure, Cade might be screwing around online, but the way his long fingers move over his keyboard, I don’t think so. He’s driven, into his work, and—
“This is a good show, babe.” Jack hugs me closer and runs his hand up and down my leg like he’s just discovered it.
No, it isn’t, but I settle for a noncommittal, “Mhm.”
He doesn’t care if I like it. he’s playing a game where he is trying to win boyfriend points.
Problem is, I’m not sure if those points are about me or his brother.
But as the next hour ticks on, Jack starts driving me crazy. And not in the best way.
His hand’s a little too high on my thigh, and he keeps kissing my throat, trying to land kisses on my lips and generally put on a PDA show for the world, which in this case is his brother. Who’s sitting in a prime spot for the show.
I’m not a teenager anymore, and even then, I was never into huge public displays of affection.
His hand creeps a little too high, and he tries to stick his tongue in my mouth.
“Jack, stop.”
He frowns, and I just shake my head, trying to convey this is not the place.
But I’m not sure he gets the memo, so I shift away to get my bag and my phone and when I sit, I make sure there’s more space between us.
Something Jack doesn’t miss.
He starts to creep closer, but I send a text to Lia and start scrolling through the news.
I get up and grab my notebook next.
He grits his teeth. “If you don’t want to watch, I’ll play my game. If that’s all right with you lot.”
I shrug. “Fine by me.”
Cade doesn’t even respond.
With a huff of air, Jack flips back to the game and turns up the volume to play.
Inside, everything’s tight and cold, and now I feel like the third wheel.
Jack doesn’t get nuance or reasonable behavior. Surely, he doesn’t want to feel me up in front of Cade.
I don’t want him to feel me up in front of anyone, especially his brother, in Cade’s own home.
I shift to make it harder for Jack to do anything.
Not that he’s going to, now. He’s hyper-focused on his game.
I’d love to say we could go to his room, or out for a drink, and he’d be up for that, but he won’t be. And there’s nothing worse than feeling like you are just something to be flaunted and nothing more.
Like any shiny thing would do, but it is you instead.
A text from Lia turns up, and I laugh at the dead fish meme.
She sends another and another, and when she finally sends a cartoon of one with a biting comment, I lose it.
Jack pauses his game.
“What are you laughing at?” His voice is a tight ball of grumbles as he tries to get my phone to look.
But I close the texts. “Just something Lia sent about her day. Silly stuff.” I shove my phone away and look at the brothers. “So, who wants pizza?”