7. Chapter 7
Jinny
H e barks at me, almost startling me. “Like hell you are.”
A ‘v’ forms between my brows. “What do you mean? You think that I’m absolutely sure of every move I make?”
“Drop it.”
“No, I’m not going to drop it. It’s incorrect.
In fact, every staff member at Lawson Enterprises has to think twice, Led.
We’re not a startup but we still bleed like a startup.
Jagger is a true entrepreneur and therefore a risk, and everything he and his staff does is a risk.
Including that impromptu wedding. Remember that? ”
“Yeah, I remember that.”
“And Axl? One of these days Jagger is going to give in to him. And we’ll all be damned if he fucks it up.”
“I agree. I just hope that Jagger sees the light before he signs on the dotted line. And I’ve got my brothers to back me up on that.”
“Me, too. I mean, as much as I’m a fly at the seat of your pants kinda gal outside of work, I’m the exact opposite when it comes to business.”
He looks at me. “How do you do that?”
“Do what? Live freely outside of work but stay grounded when I’m on the clock?”
“Yeah.”
I frown and shrug. “I don’t know. I’ve just always been able to separate myself from that. I think my mother taught me. She and I are so alike it’s scary. We both do crazy things after hours but we’re both also insanely responsible at the desk.”
“I guess I need to work on balancing that better.”
I wink. “I can help you with that.”
He smirks. “I think you already have.”
“Stick with me, baby. We’ll be going places.”
His smirk turns into a smile. I feel brave. “So, what was going on inside that head of yours earlier?”
“What do you mean earlier?”
“When you went all...I don’t know...you got this look on your face. Before we played red light green light.”
He swallows and focuses on the road for a minute. “I’m not sure if I’m ready to share that yet.”
“Oooooohhhhhh...you’re one of those, are you.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“No, I’m not mocking you. I just can’t stand it when someone thinks that keeping something to themselves so that they can solve their own problems is always the answer. I’m in HR. It’s my job to pry it out of worker’s heads what the problem is. God, I should have been a fucking therapist.”
“Well, I don’t need anyone prying anything out of my head and I sure as hell don’t need a therapist.”
I scoff. “That’s what you think. We all need therapy at one point in time or another. But it doesn’t have to be official therapy.” I say with air quotes. “Everyone needs someone to help talk them through their problems. And it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Look, I’m not a project.”
My voice raises an octave. “I wasn’t saying that you were. Me, I wear my problems on my shirtsleeves. Meaning that I’ve got nothing to hide, and I don’t shy away from helping others. That’s why I’m in HR.”
His tone is facetious. “Good for you.”
I guffaw. “Fine. Be that way.”
He’s silent for a moment, and then he takes it down a notch.
“I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with your philosophy, I’m just saying that you’re too uppity about it.
It sounds like you’re preaching. And for someone like me, who likes to keep his problems to himself for good reason, it seems arrogant and self-serving.
Like you get off on helping people, like it gives you power and it’s more selfish than selfless, which is what helping people should be about. ”
“So, you’re saying that I’m a snob.”
He frowns and tilts his head, raising his voice an octave. “If you want to put a label on it.”
I snort a laugh. “I guess you’re right. Now that you’ve laid it out like that, I guess I do seem a little high on my horse.”
He looks over at me and smiles. “You are something else, you know that?”
I smile back at him. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“It’s a good thing.” He pats my hand. “Not a lot of people can handle criticism that well.”
“Led, if you’re going to dish out criticism on a daily basis to people, then you also have to learn to take it, too.”
“This is true. But it’s worth mentioning. I mean, I called you a snob and you didn’t smack me.”
“That’s because you have good delivery.”
“I do?”
“Yeah. You do. You explained your point well, even though you still won’t tell me what’s on your mind.”
He draws in a deep breath and releases it. “Okay. But this is strictly confidential, and since you’re my HR Manager, I’ll hold you to the same discretion that you have in the office. Fair?”
I nod once for emphasis. “Fair.” And then I brace myself for what deep secret that he’s about to tell me.
“I’m secretly married to a goat.”
I look at him and we both start laughing.
“God, you are such an asshole!” I chuckle after a few laughs.
“I do try. You seem to bring it out of me.”
“I do, don’t I.” I look at him again. “You’re lucky I’m not a psychic.”
We turn off the highway and head towards the office. He asks. “So, are you going to share our little escapade with Bowie?”
My tone is even. “I won’t if you don’t want me to.”
I’m surprised. “I thought she was your best friend. Aren’t girls supposed to tell their best friends everything?”
“That is such a cliche. If I told Bowie everything, we wouldn’t be friends. I told you that I knew Boston was playing her for the longest time and I didn’t tell her, because I knew it would be for naught.”
“Fair enough. But are you going to tell her about this?”
I level with him. “I think I’ll decide if it comes up. I’m not going to go out of my way to tell her though, no. Not unless you’re against me saying anything. Are you going to tell Jagger or anyone on your end?”
His eyes just about bulge out of his head. “Are you nuts? No way. I’ll never live it down. It’s different with guys. They’ll read all kinds of shit into it.”
“Hey, I get it.” I scoff. “Locker room talk isn’t for everyone. And, hey, as long as it’s not awkward between us, which it won’t be, I think it’s okay not to say anything.”
“Exactly.”
“So, we’re decided then. We don’t say anything unless it impacts something important or unless it affects something negatively by keeping it a secret.”
He turns onto the street where Lawson Enterprises is located. “Sounds good to me.”
Again, I feel brave. “What do you think about us doing this again sometime?” I lift a hand. “I mean, go out to dinner, or hang out, I don’t mean...have sex.”
He slits his eyes at me. “Are you sure this isn’t another one of your tricks?”
“It might be. But you’ll just have to wait and see.” I pat his leg. “Come on, admit it. You had fun tonight.”
“I’m not denying that.” He’s silent for a beat. “Sure. Are you busy tomorrow night? Tomorrow’s going to be one hell of a day, and I’ll need a distraction.”
“Same. Sure. Hey, let’s go to my place this time.” I suggest. “This way I can show off my digs like you showed off yours.”
“Is there like a bowling alley in the living room?”
“No, but I do have a trampoline, and a pool. And I have bunk beds in one of my spare rooms.”
He just laughs. “Should I bring a bathing suit?”
“Why. I don’t own one.”
More laughing as we pull into the parking lot, next to my car. “You are something else.”
“You keep saying that.”
As he puts his car into park, he looks at me. “Thanks. Tonight was fun.”
I’m tongue-in-cheek. “Yeah, for a work night, it was, huh.”
“It sure wasn’t bad for a work night.”
My eyes flash. I want to kiss him so bad, but I’m not sure how he feels about that, based on the unreadable expression on his face. “Not bad at all.”
He inhales quickly and speaks just as fast. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“Yeah. I’ll see you. My place, okay?”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
I point something out, good naturedly. “I thought we weren’t going to make this awkward.”
He shakes it off. “Sorry. Yeah, I guess that I am making this a bit awkward.”
“Well, we had fun, right? And we’re on the same page with all this, right?”
“Right.”
“So, this isn’t awkward, Led.” I decide to take the plunge and kiss him chastely on the mouth. “Not awkward.”
“Not awkward.” He repeats, having accepted the kiss and reciprocated.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” I open the door and take my briefcase with me.
“See ya.”
I really wish I could read his mind. The man is battling with something. Maybe more than just one thing, but I’m not sure. I can read people like a book, and I know that his wheels are turning at lightning speed. They were even before we slept together. I’ll figure him out.
...I just hope that it isn’t too late once I do.
“You’re up late.” Bowie comments as I answer the phone to her. It’s past midnight, and I can’t sleep to save my life.
“I took a swim a little too late and now I’m wide awake. How did the dinner thing go with Jagger?”
“Fine. He’s not home yet though. I just thought I’d call and see how you were.”
“Good.” I decide to provide a conversational subject, so she doesn’t start asking leading questions. “My mom wants me to go to Cabo with her this winter. You in?”
“Maybe. It depends how everything is going at the office.”
“I’ll be damned if you’re going to kill yourself for Jagger like you did for Boston, Bowie. Now, you two didn’t even take a honeymoon. You’re going.”
“It’s not that simple, Jinny. What if Jagger wants to take a honeymoon?”
“Well, that’s the only way that you’re getting off the hook for it.”
“Fine.” Now it’s her turn to change the subject. “That girl Reya called me. You know, the one that Led went home with the night of our wedding?”
“Yeah? What did she want?”
“She runs the company here in the states, so, a whole bunch of things. I’ve spent half the night putting a package together for her.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No. Luckily it isn’t anything to do with HR. It’s to do with production, drawings, layouts, specifications, things like that. Nothing financial as that’s all run from the UK location.”
“Thank God for that. How awkward would that be for Led?”
“Exactly. No, I think she knew exactly what she was doing with him. This way, she got what she wanted, and she doesn’t have to associate with him.”
“Smart.” I mean that twofold. She’ll stay away from him for him, but she’ll also stay away from him for me.
Why I feel territorial, I don’t know, but I do.
Led said that he’s no project and he’s not, but I do feel compelled to spend more time with him.
I’ve never asked a guy out after I’ve slept with him.
This is a first. But then, Led and I have a past together.
Whether or not that’s relevant, I don’t know, but what I do know is that I want to see him tomorrow night like we planned.
Bowie yawns. “God, I don’t know if I can stay up long enough tonight.”
“You don’t have to fuck your new husband every night, Bowie.”
“Gross. That’s not what I meant.”
“Fine. I should go, anyway. I’ve got a long day ahead of me tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
I hang up to her and have a glass of warm milk while reading some of the novel that I save strictly for nights like this. I’ve read it about five times so now it’s boring, and that’s the point.
The next morning, I have back-to-back meetings, and I have to do some follow-up work from the work that I did with the Lawson boys yesterday.
After answering a call from Halen with an updated list of candidates for the finance team, I head home to eat, get changed and make sure that my house is presentable for my thing with Led.
It’s not a date. It’s just a thing. I resolve myself to thinking of it that way.
I’m sure that he feels the same. What we did last night was fun.
There were no strings attached, and we both feel the same way about it, clearly, since we’re seeing each other again tonight.
Even though I snacked after work, I made a tuna casserole, which is my go-to for any event.
Normally, if I’m having a big thing, I’ll cater, but in this case, something home cooked will do.
And it’s my favorite, so he can suck it up.
If he doesn’t like it, I’ll make him a fucking sandwich.
The pool is the perfect temperature, so I call him to tell him to bring a bathing suit, after all.
When he arrives an hour later, he places his suit on the table once he enters.
“I thought you were more into skinny dipping.” He comments, looking around.
“Well, I am. But I figured that you might be more modest.”
“Good call. Nice place.”
“Let me show you around.”
“Sure.”
I take him through my kitchen and living room, and then we check out my games room. “I thought only guys had these.”
I chuckle. “Another cliche. I love this room. That’s where most of my guests end up. I kick ass in pool, and I’m not just talking about the one outside, either.”
“You seem rather competitive. But then again, so am I.”
I take him through the grand room. “Shit, you have a piano?”
“No. It’s a figment of your imagination.”
“Holy fuck, that’s classy.”
“Jealous?”
“A little.” He admits. “Do you play?”
“No, and it’s an antique, so this one doesn’t get touched. I paid a fortune for this and only because it was once played by some famous guy that’s still alive.”
“Who?”
“Some French concert pianist. He’s huge in Europe but nobody here would know him. It’s the only real piece of art I have.”
“Which is why you have this subtle trellis around it.”
“Exactly.”
Then he asks me a question I’d never expect would come out of his mouth.