38. Gray #2
I take him slowly around the office and introduce him to as many people as possible. I know the rumor mill will be in full swing already, but if I can mitigate as much damage as possible, I will.
Flynn is good at networking, shaking hands with everyone, and apologizing unreservedly. I wish that Jax could be with us, but it would have been even more conspicuous if she had accompanied us on the tour, so I reluctantly left her at her desk.
Flynn asks me a constant stream of questions, almost all of which are pertinent, well-informed, and unique. He obviously loves what he does and adores his sister. I haven’t been able to get him to shut up about her, not that I would want him to.
“Plus, Jax has basically redesigned the whole club since she started,” Flynn is saying as we reach the roof terrace.
New York is laid out beneath us, and Flynn leans against the railing, much more confident in its ability to hold him than I would be. Plus, I’m not a fan of heights.
“She’d say it was a joint effort or whatever,” he continues.
“But Jensons is completely revamped since she and Scott took over. We have this amazing space called The Blue Room, where women come to drink cocktails and chat. That was all her thing. She’s got DJs who are nothing like the ones I'd generally book. Some of them have become regulars, and it’s always busy in there, whatever the vibe. ”
“The design of your dance floor is great. A lot of clubs have multiple spaces, but that central stage is incredible.”
“That was Jax’s idea too, we didn’t—” he stops, turning to me. “You’ve been to my club?”
“I have.”
Flynn leans back against the railing, grinning from ear to ear. “I can’t believe Gray Jones came into my club and I wasn’t even there!”
“How’s the Ferry club coming along?”
“Pretty good. We had some bumps in the road, but we’ll get there. I’ve been away too much.”
My shoulders tense as he turns to me, chewing his lip.
“Scott said Jax has been wandering around with designer clothes and shit, I guess she has you to thank for that. I don’t really want to ask, but do you have any idea why she needs this money?
I get that you’re her boss and I probably shouldn’t. .. Maybe you don’t care, but…”
He doesn’t need to tell me how worried he is about her. I can see it in his face. I want to tell him about Nick Monroe, about the lingering threat of seeing him inside Jensons, of the way he touched Jax so possessively, as if he had a right to do it.
“I’m sorry, I don’t,” I say flatly.
“I guess that’s not surprising. She’s just a piece of ass, right?”
“She isn’t a ‘piece of ass’, to me or anyone,” I say, hearing the hypocrisy of my words even as I say them.
Flynn smirks at me. “You keep telling yourself that.”
My jaw clenches, anger flaring through me. “Maybe if you want to know what’s going on with her, you should ask her yourself.”
He turns to me, the wind stirring the gray strands on the top of his head as he frowns, his lips hardening.
“What do you m—”
The door behind us opens, and Jax walks out, hugging herself against the cold as she looks around. I’ve never brought her up here before, and suddenly I wish I had. Her hair whips behind her as she looks meaningfully at her brother.
“Gray has a meeting, Fly, you need to fuck off.”
“Is that how you talk to all your clients?” he says, as he looks back at me.
“You outstayed whatever welcome you had, and there wasn’t much of that to begin with,” she insists. But even as she says it, her hands reach up and brush gently at his brow. “Your face okay? It’s red.”
“I’ll be alright.”
The affection between them is palpable as he gives her a little hug and walks out with a backward glance at me. She turns to follow him when I encircle her wrist with my fingers.
“Wait a second.”
“Gray, it is minus four up here. I’m freezing.”
As Flynn exits the terrace behind us, I pull her into me, wrapping my coat around her. She is stiff for a moment and then laughs, snuggling into me.
“That’s better,” she says, rubbing against me in a way that feels very deliberate.
“I have a meeting in ten minutes,” I say.
“This was your idea.”
“Uh-huh,” I murmur, resting my chin on her head as her arms go around me. It’s an unconscious movement, but it makes my chest ache.
It’s nice to stand here with her, as if we’re one unit, but I feel uneasy as I think back to what I said to Flynn.
I hope I didn’t just make things more difficult for Jax, but I want her to be safe.
If she won’t tell me what’s going on, Flynn feels like a capable alternative. It’s obvious he cares deeply about her.
I pull back, looking down at her beautiful, upturned face, her hair swirling around her head, bringing out the hazel in her eyes.
“How much money do you owe Monroe?” I ask, keeping my tone as neutral as I can.
The response from Jax is immediate. She flinches, loosening her arms and stepping away from me. The look she shoots me is hard, her eyes narrowing, but she says nothing in response.
“Monroe must want something,” I press. “Is it money? You took this job for a reason, Jax. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that you wouldn’t have done that, especially when you’re already working nights, unless you had to.”
“This isn’t your problem, Gray.”
“Whose problem is it then? Because Nick Monroe doesn’t fight fair. He’s not going to let you off the hook, you know that, right?”
Jax looks out at the view, her arms crossing over her chest more tightly as she bites on her lower lip.
“I’m sorry about my brother. He can be overbearing, but it seems you’ve won him over. Don’t get involved in my family, Gray. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“And if I want to help?”
She turns to me, and the helplessness in her eyes spears through my heart.
“You can’t help,” she says simply. “And I would never ask you to.”
Turning away, she leaves the terrace, closing the door behind her as I turn back to the New York skyline.
“But you don’t even have to ask,” I murmur softly into the wind. The words are snatched away into the wind, as if I never said them.