Lucas: The Hunter Brothers Series (18 page)

I
walked out of the office like I was floating on air, realising that this
contract may be more fluid than I realised. His office was not the club.
Already I was seeing the perks of flexibility.

My
euphoria lasted seconds, brought back down to earth with a bang as I heard
Melody and his ten o’ clock laughing like old friends, both fixing me with
accusing looks as I made my way back to my desk. I wondered if he’d had her
type the contract. Undoubtedly not, but the thought made me smile.

She
was as sweet as treacle to the stunning brunette, perched upright on the huge
leather sofa and I was intrigued. Maybe Melody was only a bitch where I was
concerned.

“Who’s
that, Melody?” I asked when she’d gone into Lucas’s office and I couldn’t help
the stab of jealousy I felt in the pit of my stomach, knowing that she was in
there with him now. It was irrational and ridiculous but it was there
nevertheless.

She
observed me closely, narrowing her eyes in their usual dispassionate fashion
and I wondered if she’d heard us. “That’s Roberta Tomlinson, Lucas’s ex-fiancée,
she’s beautiful isn’t she?” Melody said as I swallowed hard, muttering my
agreement as nonchalantly as possible, but it came out as little more than a
strangled “Yes”.

I
couldn’t help looking over to his office intermittently to see if I could catch
what was going on. It was impossible; the shades were drawn just as they always
were. The minutes dragged by and I felt foolish and stupid, my stomach
churning. This was insane.

This
was a big deal to me and I knew my inexperience could be my downfall. I’d
fumbled around as a teenager and he was Lucas Hunter, successful, eligible
bachelor and I had never even known about a girlfriend, never mind a fiancée.
 
Chas had said the Hunter’s were notorious for
not settling down and I was suddenly unsure of what I’d agreed to.

I
wasn’t in that women’s league and more than ever I knew I couldn’t tell him
about Dexter. I had always vowed never to introduce a man into my child’s life
until I was in a relationship with someone that was solid and dependable. This
wasn’t that. Our relationship was contractual, based on sex and nothing more,
and before I got too carried away I’d do well to remember it.

She
was still in there at lunchtime when I made my way to the sandwich shop. It was
childish and petty, but I deliberately ignored two calls from Lucas in the
early afternoon. He hadn’t left a message, but then if he was telling me he was
back with his fiancée, he probably wouldn’t. I’d never felt this way, or had
myself pegged as the jealous type, but I was so inexperienced I guessed I
didn’t really know what I was.

I
hadn’t been this way about Jake, but even with a contract in place I didn’t
feel secure with Lucas Hunter. We were from different worlds.

I
thought about phoning Chas, but I knew how that conversation would go. She’d
say, ‘you got together yesterday and you’ve screwed him a couple of times. Get
a grip, Jess, and enjoy it for what it is. If he’s back with her, then at least
you’ve had a fun time and broken a five year drought’. I knew her so well I
didn’t need to make the call and I knew she’d be right. The logical side of my
brain was telling me exactly the same thing, but emotions don’t always come
with a side order of logic and that beautiful blue eyed thunderbolt was already
pulling my heart and gut in so many different directions that my head was
spinning on its axis.

I
took a deep breath, answering my phone as I stepped into reception and made my
way back to the office.

“Why
weren’t you picking up?”

“Bad
signal” I said coolly, smiling at the sexy low laughter on the other end of the
line.

“What
do you want anyway?” I said in a tone that was much harsher than I intended and
it didn’t go unnoticed.

“What’s
the matter? Surely you’re not sexually frustrated already?” he said as I rolled
my eyes.

“How
was your meeting with your fiancée?” I spat coldly, his low chuckle doing
nothing to ease my tension or my irrational jealousy.

“Ex-fiancée,”
he said, sounding amused. “And it was valuable, thanks for asking.”

 
Fucking what? Was he deliberately winding me
up?

“Good.
Are you two back together then?” I asked, knowing I must have sounded jealous
or desperate or both, but I couldn’t help myself.

“No
and nor we will ever be. It’s purely business. I’ll tell you all about it over
dinner if you change your mind. Then I’ll run you through some of the basic
rules of submissive behaviour relating to questioning and showing attitude to
your Dominant,” he said, his voice much firmer and with none of its earlier
playful humour.

“I’ve
told you Lucas, no can do. I’ll be back in the office shortly if you’re around,”
I said, hoping that I’d see him again today.

“No,
I’m in meetings the rest of the day and out all day tomorrow. I’ll see you in a
couple of days. I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve organised an office for your
new venture,” he said and the line went dead.
Great.
I’d pissed myself off; I’d pissed him off and for what?

By
the time I hit the office I knew that today’s little dance with the green eyed
monster had been utterly ludicrous and decided to call Lucas back. I knew he
was in meetings and had prepared my apologetic voicemail as I ducked into the
empty boardroom on the second floor, out of earshot.

He
picked up. Fuck. “Hi Lucas, I’m sorry to bother you, I know you’re in meetings.”

“What
is it Jess, what do you need?” he answered softly as my heart melted, making me
feel even more foolish than I had before as I suddenly remembered I wasn’t even
supposed to call him. Oh bollocks. I took a deep breath.

“I
was just going to leave you a voicemail to apologise for earlier. Melody told
me she was your ex- fiancée and she was so beautiful and everything...I just
got jealous. I haven’t done this for a long time and I’ve never been like that
before. Anyway, I just wanted to say I’m sorry and I’m not the idiot you must think
I am. I know what this is and it won’t happen again,” I sighed, listening to
the silence on the other end of the line.

“And
what exactly do you think this is, Jess?” he asked quietly. Why, why, why did
he have to ask the most awkward questions? It was like a special skill. Drawing
out the one thing that would make me
feel
the most uncomfortable
in a sentence and focusing in on it.

“It’s
a different kind of relationship. Well, not really a relationship, more like a
sexual fling with written down rules,” I answered as he paused again.

“I
see,” he said simply, which even by his standards was pretty vague and had my
head whirling all over again.

“I
won’t call you again except for work. I only just remembered that it’s one of
your rules. Anyway, I’m sorry,” I said, hoping we could just forget the whole
thing.

“You
will be,” he said, hanging up the phone. That sounded like he was implying
punishments and my brain was in overdrive all over again.

CHAPTER 15

Work
went slowly as I spent most of the day settling into my new office on the
second floor. As the clock clicked towards five I couldn’t wait for my birthday
night out with Chas and Dex at our favourite American Diner style restaurant a
few streets from home. We’d booked a table early due to it being a school
night. I hadn’t seen or heard from Lucas today and I was glad.

My
birthday was always an emotional time and the last thing I needed was any more
drama, jealousy or paranoia that I was screwing everything up. I needed to feel
secure on this day, surrounded by the people I loved, just to hold it together.

I
plastered on a smile for Dex, swallowing back the tears at his handmade card
and the silk scarf that Chas had wrapped up for him to give to me and hugged
them both tight, ruffling his blonde curls and imagining just how proud his
daddy would have been.

We
were holding hands, swinging him between us as we left the apartment for the
restaurant and I was wearing the beautiful pair of designer heels that Chas had
gifted me. They were way too high for playing this game. Either that or he was
getting far too big to be swung. I hadn’t even had a glass of wine yet, and
there was no way we’d be doing this on the way home I smiled to
myself
.

We
were seated in our favourite booth at the back of the restaurant, sliding into
the red leather seats as Chas put my favourite three songs on the original
Wurlitzer jukebox and we sang along, chomping away on our burgers and laughing
at Dex’s recollections of his day at school.

Apparently
‘Jonah was a bully and had hit Sally’, pronounced ‘Thally’ by Dex on account of
his slight lisp. ‘Thally had told the teacher and Jonah the bully was banned
from the Lego for the whole of lunchtime’. Dex had tried to ‘thtick’ up for ‘Thally’
but Jonah had pushed him too, so he’d followed aunty Chas’s advice and pushed
him back. I told him he should have told the teacher like Sally had, until I
was reliably informed by my very wise five
year
old
that ‘nobody likes a ‘thnitch’. I couldn’t help but laugh.

We
were almost done when he announced he needed the bathroom. He didn’t like going
into the ladies anymore because he was ‘big now’ so Chas offered to take him
and wait outside the gent’s. I sat back reflecting on his father, lost in my
sadness and not noticing the two tall figures at the edge of the table who were
both grinning broadly as I turned and gasped.

“Lucas,
Charlie, w-what are you doing here?” I stammered, shocked and stunned, following
Lucas’s eyes around the table as he counted the three plates, his smile fading
slightly as I swallowed hard. Oh god, I really didn’t want this, not today.

He
bent to kiss me full on the mouth, my body melting into the soft strong contact,
but my head was spinning and my heart was pounding.
Dex.
Shit. How the hell was I going to explain this one? I prayed he needed a ‘poop’
and would be in the bathroom for considerably longer.

“Charlie
and I were heading out and I just passed on the off chance, wondering if this
was the place. I wanted to give you your birthday gift,” he smiled, but he knew
from my face there was something terribly wrong. His smile soon turned to a
frown, following my gaze across the restaurant, but I couldn’t see Chas. There
was nothing I could do now.

“I
thought it was just you and Chas,” Lucas said, eyeing the plate next to me,
gazing intently into my eyes and he was searching my face for a clue. I closed
my eyes, hearing the words “Mummy, mummy, mummy,” echo through the almost empty
restaurant.

 
My beautiful blond haired boy was running and bounced
up on my knee, informing me that he’d ‘been all by himself and washed his
hands’. I pulled him towards me, tightly and protectively, whispering “Good
boy” and opening my eyes to the stunned, shocked faces of Lucas, Charlie and
Chas who were all stood by the booth just staring at me.

Lucas
was running his fingers through his hair, blinking rapidly and lost for words
as the colour drained from his face. I could almost see the judgements forming
in his brain. I could take them from everyone else, but from him it would be
worse. It was Charlie who broke the unbearable tension.

“Hi
little fella, do you want to shoot some pool?” he asked, smiling at Dexter and pointing
over to the table in the corner as my little boy shook his head.

“No
thank you, I don’t know who you are,” he said firmly, making me laugh and
pushing back the tears that were welling in my eyes.

“Well,
I’m Charlie and I’m your mum’s friend and Chas’s. Maybe I could be your friend
too,” he said kindly, holding out his hand. Dex took it and shook it like a
man.

“I’m
Dex. Can I go and play pool with Charlie, Mummy?” he asked brightly, looking up
at me as I nodded.

“I’ll
go too,” said Chas, smiling and nodding at me. She had no doubt noticed the fierce
look on Lucas’s face and wanted to be as far away from the fall out of this
particular bombshell as she could be.

As
they made their way over to the pool table, Lucas slid into the booth opposite
me, his eyes burning into mine and still running frustrated fingers through his
inky black hair, making it ruffled and soft and as sexy as sin.

He
was raging. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me you had a son?” he growled, his
voice deep and low and I could tell he was trying to control it as the tears threatened
again.

“Why
do you think?” I asked, trying to hold it together under his piercing glare.

“I
have absolutely no idea,” he said, seeming genuinely puzzled as I shook my head
incredulously.

“Really?
Look at
how you’re reacting, Lucas. You’d already judged me and assumed that I was
sleeping with my boss before you’d even met me. Everyone judges me for having a
five year old kid at my age and don’t say you’d have been any different because
you wouldn’t. You’d have branded me stupid or a slut without a second thought,
without giving me a chance and without getting to know me,” I said, his hurt
look knocking the breath from my lungs as he shook his head firmly.

“I
wouldn’t, Jessica,” he said unconvincingly, but I knew I was right on this one.

“Yes
you would, Lucas. You can deny it now because we’ll never know for sure, but I
saw the look on your face. It was the same prejudice I’ve always had. I love my
boy and I need to build a future for us, to make something of our lives and to
give him the best start I can. He hasn’t got a father so he’s already missing a
major piece of the jigsaw. If I can’t make that happen because no one will give
me a chance, then what hope is there for him?” I said as calmly as I could
manage, unable to help the tears escaping silently from my eyes.

He
held out his hands to me but I couldn’t take them.

“I’m
sorry for reacting that way, Jess. I’m not judging you, it was just one hell of
a fucking shock,” he said, still clearly stunned at my not so little
revelation.

“Answer
me this, Lucas. Would you have gone into partnership with me knowing that I had
a son?” I asked, trying in vain to swallow back the tears.

He
looked down at the table and there it was, we both knew. “No, you’d have judged
me, fired me, definitely not fucked me and moved on with your life.” He looked
genuinely pained with my words as he lifted his gaze to meet mine. Not because
they weren’t true, but because they were.

I
felt bad and I knew why. I already cared, really cared about Lucas Hunter, my
voice softening as I wiped away my tears. “Perhaps I should have told you,
Lucas, especially after yesterday, but I’d never introduce a man into Dex’s
life that I wasn’t totally serious about and who wasn’t totally serious about
me, so there was no reason you needed to know. If this changes your thoughts on
either partnership, I’ll walk away. I won’t tie you to those contracts, but I’ll
be back to being your PA. I can’t quit the job and I hope you understand why. I
need to protect him,” I said, trying to smile, but I couldn’t. Lucas just
stared at me, looking deep into my eyes as if all his answers lay within them.

The
lights dimmed and the music struck up as Lucas continued to stare and I didn’t
even notice the waitress at the side of the booth with my favourite chocolate cheesecake
stuffed with twenty two yellow candles. Dex came bounding across followed
closely by Charlie and Chas. It was the strangest, most half hearted rendition
of ‘happy birthday’ I had ever witnessed, hanging in the tense, awkward air as she
forced a tight smile, hastily put the cake on the table and got the hell out of
there. I was envious of her.

Dex
climbed onto my knee, blowing out the candles and looked up, smiling proudly
before his little face dropped and he was pulling his most serious frown.

“Why
are you crying, Mummy, I don’t see any onion? Is it because daddy died on your
birthday?” he asked as I buried my face in his hair, showering his little head
with kisses.

“Yeah”
I said. He’d seen that before and it was something he understood. I wasn’t about
to start telling him the truth about this crazy mixed up mess.

“Can
I have nookie, Mummy?” Dex asked suddenly as we all stared at him aghast,
except Chas who was laughing.

“What,
Dex?” I gasped, unsure that I’d actually heard him correctly.

He
pointed at the cake. “When you told Aunty Chas you really liked your boss, she
said you couldn’t have nookie with him. I asked you what nookie was and you
said chocolate cheesecake,” he announced in a matter-of-fact tone as if I was the
idiot here. I grabbed him a slice, just to shut him up, flushing furiously as
Charlie burst out laughing.

I
risked a glance at Lucas who somehow just seemed sadder than ever.

The
waitress had returned, quickly handing the bill to Chas and no doubt wondering
what the hell was going on in our booth. I knew Lucas was still staring at me
as intensely as he was before, but I couldn’t look at him, turning to Chas
instead.

“Just
pay the bill, Sis, I need to get out of here,” I muttered, sniffing loudly and
trying desperately to stem the flow of tears that were racing unbridled down my
cheeks. She all but slammed the little red plastic tray into Lucas’s solid chest.

“You
can get this, dickwad, and thanks for ruining my sisters birthday,” she spat
before throwing a hugely charming smile at Charlie and marching towards the
exit as Dex and I shuffled out of the booth and followed her.

“Jesus
bro, I didn’t fucking expect that,” I heard Charlie say as we left, but I
didn’t hang around long enough to hear Lucas’s reply.

The
walk home was interminable with Chas calling him every name under the sun.

“He
stopped by to drop off my birthday present, Chas; it’s hardly the crime of the
century. This is my fault,” I said as she stopped me in my tracks.

“Don’t
you dare fucking defend him,” she shouted as I glowered at her.

“Aunty
Chas said fu--” I put my hand over Dexter’s mouth before he went any further.

We
continued home in silence, the last thing I needed was a row with my sister.
She was on my side after all, but I couldn’t get the vision of Lucas’s sad blue
eyes out of my mind. Moreover, I had no idea what happened next with the job,
the partnership and with the man who in a matter of days had turned my world
upside down.

He
called me relentlessly and I assumed it was him ringing the doorbell for the next
hour, but I didn’t answer it. I curled up on the couch as Chas poured the wine
and snuggled up next to me.

“I’ve
been thinking, Jess,” she said softly. “Did you tell him where you were going
tonight?” I shook my head.

“No
I just said a diner near where I lived,” I sighed as she nodded.

“That
means he made an effort to seek you out and see you on your birthday. I didn’t
have him down as that type. He’s given you this partnership and he’s really
trying. He’s called your phone and tried the door non-stop since the
restaurant. That’s really unusual for men like that; maybe he isn’t like the
others. Perhaps you’re wrong about him,” she smiled and I couldn’t help but
laugh.

“I’m
not the one who thinks he’s a dickwad, Chas. You are as you keep telling him.
I’ll speak to him tomorrow. I’ve given him the option to pull out of the
partnership and before you say anything, it’s the right thing to do,” I said
firmly as she opened her mouth to speak and then shut it again.

“All
I’m saying is that maybe he deserves a chance to explain his shitty reaction,
it must have been a shock for him,” she smiled, for some reason continually
checking her phone.

“Yeah
I know, Chas, and he’ll get one, just not right now, okay,” I replied. As far
as I was concerned that was subject closed.

“What’s
he giggling about?” she smiled, looking at Dex who was staring out of the
window, laughing and nodding.

“That
man from the restaurant is outside, pulling funny faces at me,” Dex laughed as
I walked to the window to see Lucas leaned against his sleek black Bentley
looking utterly glorious and staring up at my window. I opened it and his words
were out before I had the chance to speak.