Conflicted (Secrets and Lies) (5 page)

When I got to the cave, Bri and Trey had settled themselves into one of the couches shamelessly making out. Jackson and Shane stood in the middle of the room hollering at each other over who was cheating more. I paused to watch them playfully push each other back and forth trying to knock the other off balance to get that extra edge to win the game. I was jealous of them because they were in athletic shorts and gray T-shirts from Eckman. I hated that the real world required one to dress up versus the halls of the university that allowed you to show up in your pajamas. I lingered in the doorway watching my favorite guys interact.

Jackson had his cap cocked to the side of his head as he did a ridiculous dance after ousting Shane in the game. He didn't hold back his taunting in the least. I caught Shane rolling his eyes and bit my cheek not to laugh because he was kicking Jackson's ass. Shane was a brawny guy with a handsomely round face and soft brown eyes. His cheeks got me every time because I had to fight the urge to pinch them. He was very similar to Trey in many ways. Those two became best friends around the same time as Bri and me. His body had more definition after years of endless conditioning for sports. Trey kept up with him in that department but Shane worked himself to the bone to maintain his physique. He kept his brown hair in a trimmed cut with an occasional goatee. I noticed his chin was garnering some fuzz so it appeared that he might be bringing it back soon.

I withheld staring at him any longer to glance over at Bri and Trey. They remained engrossed in each other's mouths. Those two flirted since the first day they met so why they drug out giving into each other until their last year of college was mind-boggling. Trey could refrain from putting a label on their relationship indefinitely but the truth was that Bri was his girl. She had been for a long time. Trey was too damn stubborn to say it but that didn't mean shit. I knew it and so did Shane. He glimpsed over at them. Shane shook his head with a roll of the eyes. He probably felt the same way as I did. Shane went as far back with Bri as I did with Trey. Their families were in the same elite social circle. It shocked Trey and me that we fell in so easily with Shane and Bri. We had no experience with the class and wealth that went with their world.

Jackson started spouting off at the mouth again. I decided to help Shane out. Jackson couldn't see me but Shane saw me glide out of the doorway. He continued crushing his controller extending a leg towards Jackson who deftly maneuvered away from his attempt to knock him off balance. Shane scowled beating his controller even harder. I got his attention giving him a wink and pointed towards Jackson while covering my eyes. His scowl turned into a smug grin. I walked behind Jackson getting up on my tiptoes and placed my hands over his eyes.

"What the fuck?" Jackson growled.

While he fought me off, Shane won the game. Jackson huffed and pushed me into the recliner behind him. Shane slouched into the couch laughing hysterically at the pout on Jackson's face.

"Thanks Mia," he bellowed in between the howls of laughter.

"Anytime Shane," I giggled.

Jackson frowned even deeper and smacked Shane across the shoulder. "That's cheating motherfucker. I want a rematch," he grumbled.

Shane sat up threatening to pounce on Jackson if he took another swing. Jackson pulled his arm back but kept it there when Shane raised an eye in warning. I refrained from laughing again because Shane could annihilate Jackson with one hand tied behind his back. It surprised me that he put up with that crap when those two played video games together. They had become a package deal after Trey started spending more of his free time with Bri.

When I introduced Jackson to my social circle from high school, I was unsure if he would fit in with us but I couldn't have been more wrong. Jackson rounded out our group perfectly with his carefree attitude. His family was wealthy like Shane and Bri's so he had lots of stories to swap with those two about countless stuffy cocktail parties and organized events. Shane and Jackson learned fast that they liked creating trouble together. If they weren't scheming or party planning, they were in here duking out games on the consoles. Trey and Jackson bonded over music with shared interests in bands. All three boys enjoyed debating sports in any league making plenty of appearances on campus to support the teams. Jackson and Bri spent the least amount of time with each other because of the constant jeering they did with one another. They had smart mouths that they loved to use against each other. It was in good humor though. I listened to the exaggerated huffs from behind me and turned my head towards Jackson who was still pouting.

"Come on Jackson, it's not the end of the world," I teased, poking him in the side.

Before I could react, Jackson pinned me into the chair and tickled me into a fit of giggles.

"Oh, hell no! We came back here to hang out for the night as a house. Don't ruin it by pissing me off!" I yelled, squirming away from him.

Jackson stopped tickling me to see if I was telling the truth. I smiled wide with a nod of the head. He got up from the chair hauling me with him towards the bar with Shane right behind us. Jackson lined up five shot glasses and pulled the bottle of Patron from behind him. He filled them each to the brim with a slick grin showing off his lip ring as his hair fell lazily across his eyes.

I'm human. I do stare at him sometimes. It's hard not to fall prey to his hotness.

"Well shit, if we are going to have a house night, we better kick it off right!" Jackson shouted.

Bri and Trey pulled their tongues out of each other to join us at the bar. We picked up our shots and enthusiastically tossed them back. It burned going down but it felt good. It took the edge off what had become a long day. We spent the rest of Thursday night in the cave as a house. The five of us devoted the evening to drinking together while challenging each other to games in pool, foosball, and tournaments on the various gaming consoles. It was the perfect distraction for me. I didn't have much time to sit on this decision. At the moment, I didn't care.

CHAPTER FOUR

Friday morning arrived too fast. I was in bed staring at my ceiling contemplating Harrison's offer. By the time I had gotten up to go downstairs, the rest of the house had already gone their separate ways for class. I set my laptop on the island before heading over to the half-made pot of coffee to pour myself a cup. I crossed over to the microwave to warm it up. Once heated, I situated myself on a stool at the island to sip my coffee. It was strange being in the kitchen without the mess of take-out boxes surrounding me. My eyes drifted out the big bay window above the sink. Soon the colors of fall would grace the trees but for now the lasting moments of summer lingered bringing a smile to my face.

I brought my laptop to life. I wondered what Harrison had discovered that was intriguing enough to ask someone to plant themselves inside the company for more information. Once powered up, I opened the Internet going to my old friend Google. I typed in F. F. Sweeney & Company and hit enter. The search results that came back on them were thousands upon thousands. I settled in for a morning of reading and researching.

After several cups of coffee and hours of research, I had a better idea of their operations. It was still unclear to me on what their connections were to anything Harrison was insinuating. Bigger guns were necessary to acquire that kind of information.

Maybe Jayden can help. No, that would involve telling Jackson
.

I checked the time on my phone. I had spent a significant amount of time researching to find the basics. I groaned setting it on the counter before heading upstairs for an overdue shower. After showering, I tossed on a pair of short jean shorts with a sky blue cami and tied my hair into a ponytail. I headed downstairs hoping that someone might be home. This opportunity had appeal merely for something to do when everyone was at class.

As I hit the landing of the stairs, I heard footsteps on the front porch. I stepped out to find Jackson grabbing his cigarettes out of the mail slot. He gave me a stiff nod sinking onto the couch. I sat next to him wondering what had him off. Jackson kept his focus forward playing with fringes of his jean shorts. He was sporting one of his many rock T-shirts. The tattoos on his arms and right leg jumped out for me to devour. I nudged my shoulder into his trying to pry my eyes from the tattoos on his leg.

"So how was class? I'm surprised you even made it to a Friday class. It's got to be a first!"

Jackson scowled before blowing out perfect circles of smoke. "I go to class when I need to Mia. There is nothing in the syllabus that states we have to show up for every boring lecture."

I rolled my eyes. "You either had mandatory attendance or you had a test."

Jackson huffed. "We had a quiz."

"Ha! I knew it. How did you do? What class was it?" I asked curiously.

Jackson paled as his eyes darted out to the lawn and the cars in the driveway as if they were going to answer for him. He took another drag as he ran his fingers through his hair. Instant irritation spread throughout me.

I sat up squaring my shoulders to him. "It's fine Jackson. You can tell me about class. I'd like to hear about it."

"It was old man Kennedy. You know how he's a stickler for the Friday morning quiz. Why do you think I moved partying to Wednesday nights? It was purely selfish," he snickered.

"So how did you do on it?"

Jackson shrugged. "Meh. I'm sure I would've done better if I had my old study partner."

I sighed. "It's not like I lost the knowledge when I stopped going to school. You can always ask for my help when you study."

Jackson squinted unsure of the offer before a subtle smile crossed his face.

"Thanks Mia. I'd like to get more than a C in his class. Studying with you all these years has probably given me a better GPA than what I deserve," he said sincerely.

I beamed. There was still a little tension looming in the air so I decided to switch gears. "What are we doing this weekend? We should break from partying around here. We should do something epic. Any ideas?"

Jackson perked up. "I have the perfect idea!"

"Do tell."

Jackson put out the cigarette he finished and turned towards me with excitement in his eyes.

"We should go party on my parent's boat for the weekend. There are plenty of rooms. It could be another house only occasion like last night."

"You had fun with just us didn't you?" I questioned dryly.

His smile was genuine as he answered, "It's nice to hang with your closest friends. Plus, you and Bri are gorgeous so I still fulfilled my quota of spending quality time with hot chicks."

Heaven forbid the man whore goes an evening without hot chicks as company.

"Glad we could be of service. As far as your weekend proposal, I'm definitely in."

"Let's see what the other three think when they get home. If they're up for it, we'll head out tonight. Of course, after we stop and stock up for weekend's worth of trouble."

"That's a given."

Jackson toyed with his lip ring which was his tell. He wanted to ask me something but was nervous about doing it. I raised both brows giving him permission.

"How did your meeting go yesterday? Shane and I heard Bri shouting at Trey to track you down when she couldn't reach you."

I pulled a strand of hair from my ponytail picking at the split ends before looking at him. "It went fine. It was overwhelming to be back there. Everyone looked at me like a caged zoo animal while I walked through campus."

Jackson huffed at that revelation. I let out a light chuckle observing the concern in his eyes.

"My meeting with Derrick left me with a lot to consider. I needed a minute alone and I lost track of time."

The empathy vanished as his face-hardened. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here to listen."

I softened knowing that he was just as worried as Trey. It was heartwarming but I had to figure this out on my own. I planned to tell Bri but that's it. I knew those boys cared about me. With this type of offer, I couldn't share details about it with too many people. Above of all, they would scream at me for even considering it. I stood to venture into the house.

"Thanks Jackson. I'm going to call Bri. She can fill in Trey so you should call Shane. I'd rather get a jump-start on the weekend than wait for them to come home. If they confirm, we can go pick up supplies."

Jackson cocked his head to the side giving me a roundabout grin. "I love the way you think. The sooner we get started on this weekend the better."

He got up following me into the house. I headed for the kitchen to get my phone to call Bri while he walked past me to call Shane. I sat down on one of the stools grabbing my cell from the counter. I hit speed dial for her number. Bri answered on the third ring. I filled her in on the weekend proposal. She squealed in delight at the idea. Bri said she would meet Trey and fill him in on our weekend plans. Jackson entered with a grin matching my own confirming Shane was in.

"Let's hit the grocery and liquor store. Bri and Trey will be home within the hour. When's Shane getting home?" I asked.

Jackson walked to the fridge with a hungry look in his eyes. He tossed the door open and emerged seconds later with a slice of leftover pizza. He glimpsed at me with a mouthful and mumbled, "Within the hour as well."

Jackson shut the fridge scratching his head. He gazed around with what I consider his cutely confused look. His eyebrows scrunched in as his nose wrinkled bringing a V to his forehead. It never failed to pop up when he was incapable of piecing something together. I had seen it many times when studying with him. "Man, this house is fucking spotless. How did it get this clean?"

My eyes dropped to the island. My fingers started tracing a pattern in the brickwork. I peeked at him through my long lashes doing my best to look innocent. "Umm...Funny you ask...Bri sort of hired some help to come in to clean up the place. We may clean but we don't have the capabilities of the professionals especially Bri. You know she hates cleaning."