FOUR - ROMAN
Ivan had warned me that this job was going to suck ass, more or less. He couldn’t have been more right. After Jameson turned over a list of my duties and expectations, she and Ivan left me to my own devices for the night.
I combed over the NDA. It was all very basic verbiage, though there was one part that stuck out and looked like Jameson had typed it up herself. There was no way in hell the family lawyer would have made mention of some of the shit on here.
Knowing James would be back at the ass crack of dawn, I crawled into bed by ten.
Something told me that sleep would be a luxury around here.
I spent most of the night tossing and turning, rolling around like a gas station hot dog.
All I could do was lie there, trying to figure out how things had gotten so out of hand that Ivan would risk bringing me back. Even worse, knowing what was at stake.
Then there was Jameson. Even though Ivan had more than assured me he and I were still the only two people who knew about where I’d been and why, there was no way in hell James wouldn’t ask a million and one questions when given the chance.
How was I supposed to explain to someone who’d once been my best friend behind closed doors, a woman who I’d secretly loved with every fiber of my being, why I had just vanished without a trace?
And now, I was back with even less of an explanation about where I’d been.
The one thing I knew for sure was there was no way in hell she could ever find out why I’d left in the first place.
Ever.
Now here I was, almost a full year later, back in north Mississippi, holed up in the Diamond Suite at the very place that almost destroyed me. A part of me wished I’d never taken Ivan’s phone call.
I’d barely closed my eyes before my alarm went off. The last thing I wanted was to be late.
No sooner than I’d stepped out of the shower, dripping wet with a towel wrapped around my waist, than there was a knock on the door. I assumed it was Jameson, given her punctuality.
“Here goes nothing,” I grumbled out loud to myself, only half knowing what I was getting myself into.
I swiped the envelope off the bedside table and headed toward the door. When I flung it open, Jameson stood in the hallway, hands on her hips. Her lips were pressed tight as her gaze darted up and down the length of my freshly showered body. She sucked in a deep breath through her nose.
“You’re early.” I spoke with a mildly cocky tone and half smirk, knowing damn well I’d just caught her eye-fucking me. Then again, I couldn’t help but do the same to her.
She was dressed for business in a white, semi-sheer silk blouse, navy blue pencil skirt, nude-colored heels that were way too high for this job, and legs for goddamned days.
Fuck.
“As I expect you to be as well,” she stated bluntly. “You don’t look ready at all.”
Ivan wasn’t far behind, looking run-down and ragged, like he needed a few days’ worth of sleep himself. So, is this what I have to look forward to? Jameson had probably ripped him out of bed hours ago with her high-gloss black talons. I almost felt bad for the guy…almost.
“I slept great. Thanks for asking.”
“I didn’t. Get dressed. I need to get to work.”
“I still have time,” I teased as I waved the envelope.
She gave me a no-more-bullshit, pointed look. “You have two minutes, Stone.”
“Boy, I tell you, with a mouth like yours, this hardly seems worth the money putting my life on the line and all if this the kind of attitude you’re gonna have with me.”
“And with an ego like yours, it’s going to be hard not to kill you myself and just risk it on my own.”
Wow. She was feeling extra spicy today. “I was joking.”
“I wasn’t. There’s no joking either.”
“That wasn’t in your contract.”
She scoffed. “Feel free to add it.”
“Shit, you drive a tough bargain, you know that? I don’t know if this is even worth half a million.”
Her eyes went wide, and her jaw practically hit the floor. Uh-oh. “Half a million? As in dollars?” she squeaked out. “Who in the hell is paying you five hundred grand to do this?” She looked back at Ivan. He did a choke-cough thing. “You? You son of a bitch.”
He shrugged. “I figured it was worth it. I mean, look what he’s gotta put up with.”
“Rob is going to kill me, Ivan! Does he know about this?”
“Of course he knows. He does the books. Who do you think approved it?”
She covered her face as she let out a half grunt, half moan into the palms of her hands.
My lungs burned from holding in a laugh and keeping a straight face.
“You know what? Fuck the both of you. Ivan, I’ll deal with you later.” She glared at me through squinted eyes. “I swear to god, Roman Stone, if you so much as step out of line one time—One. Time.—I am going to make your life a living hell.”
“You already do. I’ve no doubt you’ll keep up the good work.”
She glanced down at the dainty gold watch on her wrist. “I have shit to do. Go get dressed; I’ll send someone from security to come get you. You’re already late.” She snatched the envelope out of my hand, spun around on her heels, and stormed away. Ivan took off after her, trailing not far behind.
“Thanks a lot, Ivan,” I called out down the hall.
He tossed his middle finger over his shoulder before he rounded the corner and disappeared.