The Anatomy of Jane (20 page)

“Nicklaus is a great chef, and in the next year or two, he might be ready to go off on his own. Chefs are cocky; it's just how it is. His crush on me forces him to strive to be on the same level as me. He’s working twice as hard for me and never fights back. He just wants to hone his skills. Right now I'm winning out. I'm going to miss him when he realizes he's ready to go.”

“You won't tell him when he's ready?”

“If I have to, then he won't make it. I'm glad you met him; he's a good guy. I wish I was less of an ass tonight, though.”

“Liar. You enjoyed showing them who was boss in front of me.”

He glanced down and I stared back up, daring him to argue.

“Okay, maybe a little bit.”

“I knew it. I finally get you and Max.”

When we got to the abandoned playground, I rushed to the swing and kicked my leg out.

“Please share your wisdom with us little people, Ms. Chapman.” He pushed me softly on the swing.

“You and him are both alpha males and usually that never works because…well, because one ends up destroying the other. But in very rare situations, some alphas actually enjoy that fight. Someone to push them back, challenge them. You're turned on by his assholery and he's turned on by your cockiness. No pun intended.”

He grabbed the chains and held me still as he leaned over my shoulder with his lips beside my ear.

“What are we going to do with you, Jane? You’re uncovering all of our secrets one by one.”

“Make sure my lips are sealed?” I turned to face him.

“I can do that,” he replied before kissing me. 

“She backed out?” I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to breathe. “What do you mean she backed out?”

“She’s worried it will make her a target of Governor MacDowell’s supporters.”

“BULLSHIT!” I slammed my hand on the table. “Someone got to her, and it was your job to make sure that wasn’t possible!”

“Maybe if you weren’t so focused on some random woman and were here focusing on one of the most important stories in this city—”

“Get out.”

“Max.”

“Go home, Scarlet. You obviously need a break from this, so go before you say something you regret,” I replied.

She clenched her fists so tightly it looked like she was about to draw blood. Grabbing her purse, tablets, and phones, she stomped out. I didn’t bother looking back but instead focused on the people across from me. All of them were trying to pretend they had not just heard something about my personal life.

“Go over everything we have,” I said, leaning back in my chair. No one moved. “Are you really going to make me call on someone?”

“Governor MacDowell—”

“Your name?” I asked the dark-skinned man dressed in a horrible plaid shirt.

“Dwayne Adams…sir”

Sir?

“Mr. Adams, I don’t remember you being in here.”

“I’ve been in the pit. Scarlet invited me here.”

“Welcome to the big time. Since you had the balls to speak up first, don’t fuck up.” I nodded for him to continue. “What do we have?”

He turned to the drawing of a spider web on the wall and pointed to the picture of Governor MacDowell in the center.

“Three weeks ago, we were given an anonymous tip that Governor MacDowell bribed a judge, Judge Aster, to get his brother a lighter sentence for a hit-and-run after a DUI. Judge Aster, who up to this point has always had a spotless record, agreed—”

“We still don’t know,” said Isla, a young blonde who still felt awkward speaking up for herself. Until then she had basically been Scarlet’s shadow.

“Right,” Dwayne nodded to her. “Isla was the one who confirmed the story after speaking with the bailiff. It was there that we were able to dig further down the rabbit hole to the corruption. This is where MacDowell made numerous property deals while he was a county commissioner in the area. Later he stepped up to blackmailing city council members. Governor MacDowell still claims to be innocent of those charges. That is when you, sir, were informed by a whistleblower at the Boston PD of the city police’s new order to ‘give warnings’ and the sex ring. We had a woman, only named ‘LL’, who claimed she was part of the ring. She called to tell Scarlet she couldn’t do the show and has now disappeared.”

“Is she alive?” I asked; they all tensed.

“You think he’d kill her?” another one of them spoke up.

I stared at him as if he was stupid; no, he
had
to be stupid. “This is Boston. If you don’t think that it’s possible, you’re not from here.”

“So what do we do if we have no guest? We’ve been replaying and promoting this interview for the last two days. What are you going to say tonight?”

“The truth,” I replied, standing up. “Keep working on this. Keep hounding the police and the governor’s office. You’re a friend of a friend who knows someone at the governor’s office. Don’t stop until you’re so annoying that they tell you
anything
just to get you to leave.”

“Yes sir.”

Walking out, I headed back to my office. Everyone was in the pit answering phones and typing so damn hard it was like a symphony orchestra. Making it into my office, I sat back down in my leather chair and rubbed my eyes.

“Long time no see Max.”

“Jesus!” I jumped at the man sitting on my couch with his snakeskin shoes on my coffee table. “Not long enough, Teddy. Get your feet off my table.”

He snickered, stood up, and ran his hands through his slimy brown hair. His gut hung over his belt, but he didn’t seem to care.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I said to him.

“I just thought I’d come to speak with you man to man—well, make that man to little fairy. Why have you dedicated your time to sticking it to my father?”

“Fuck you. Your father is a criminal.”

Teddy MacDowell, the son of the very devil I was doing my best to make sure did not get away with this shit, just sucked his teeth and took a seat in the chair in front of me.

“This is starting to feel personal, Max.”

“It’s Mr. Emerson,” I said before pushing the intercom button.

“Yes sir?”

“I’m going to need security up here. Now,” I said, never looking away from him.

“You were never very friendly.” He frowned. “Well, at least not to anyone but my brother.”

“Leave.” I got up, moving around the table to stare him in the face.

“Remember Chris? I’m sure the public would love to know about your personal life too, huh? How about we do a sit-down interview! How about I tell everyone you are nothing but a cock sucking little bi—”

Before he could get the word out, I punched him across the jaw. He stumbled back, rushed me, and grabbed on to my neck.

“Sir!” Security rushed in and pulled him off.

“You’ve got secrets, too, Emerson! Keep coming for my family like this, and I am coming for yours, you hear me? You hear me, you little fuck boy!” he hollered as they pulled him away.

Slamming the door closed, I grabbed the lamp near the couch and threw it against the wall.

Fuck them. Fuck them all!

“Max is late,” she whispered, lying on my lap as I brushed her hair back.

“He’s a workaholic.” It was true. What she didn’t know was he always came back home on time. The only times he didn’t was if something had happened, something that took him back to that dark place again. If he wasn’t home by that point, he wouldn’t come back home until early in the morning, most likely drunk.

What happened?

“You seem worried.” She rolled over to look up at me.

“I’m fine—”

“Liar! If you can’t tell me, just say you can’t tell me.” She was far too damn perceptive for her own good. Leaning over, I kissed her lips.

“I don’t know enough to tell, and even if I did, it’s not me who should say something.”

She frowned. “I’m too tired to decode whatever that means.”

“Sleep then.”

“I want to have sex with you both,” she said bluntly while pouting. It was one of the things I enjoyed about her, how she didn’t shy away from her sexuality. How she was confident in her own skin, which was refreshing in a woman.

“I’ll wake you up when he’s here.”

“Promise?” She lifted her pinky to me.

Linking it with mine and kissing it, I nodded. “I promise, my horny little butterfly.”

Her eyes closed but she smiled. “Are you promising BDSM stuff too?”

Fucking hell.
“Go to sleep Jane, before I break a rule.”

“Yes, Chef.” She giggled to herself. She was beautiful when she slept. She looked so innocent, not at all like the temptress she really was.

No. Focus. Max.
I tried to calm myself down while reaching for my phone.

The phone rang once before going to voicemail. He’d declined my call.
The little shite!

Putting my phone on the table, I sat up, lifting Jane’s head to get up. Part of me thought about taking her upstairs…
Things are about to get ugly here
. However, another part of me wanted her to see it. I wanted her to be so emotionally invested, so fucking knee deep in both Max’s and my life, that she felt like she really was a part of it and not just a woman we both fucked for the hell of it.

Taking my jacket off, I laid it over her body. She’d switched to shorts so short they were basically underwear and a tank top so sheer her nipples were poking through the material, along with thick furry socks. I took it back; she wasn’t innocent. Even while she slept, she was still fucking toying with me.

I wanted to touch her.

I wanted to fuck her.

I wanted her.

She’s mine…she’s ours.

She asked for quote ‘BDSM stuff’ as if it was nothing, as if she understood what I wanted. Fucking her with Max only partially satisfied me. I was trying to get her comfortable with the idea of the both of us before I further freaked her out. If she knew what I wanted to do to her sexy little body off the bat, she’d run and never come back.

If she knew how badly I wanted to see my cum on her face, how badly I wanted to tie her up, beat her pussy and ass until they were bright red…would she still see me as sweet Wesley? There was no point rushing into it. I could wait. For now.

Until then we’d have to focus on Max.

It was 2:47 a.m. when I heard the automatic voice alert me that the door had opened, and just like I’d expected, he stumbled in drunk. He threw his jacket off to the side and angrily pulled off his tie.

“Good to know you’re not dead in a ditch somewhere,” I said.

“Not now,” he grumbled, brushing past me. Grabbing on to his arm, I pulled him back.

“You ignored my calls six times.”

“Wes NOT NOW!” He pulled his arm from me.

“Fuck that! Yes, now!”

He tried to punch me, and for that, I punched him right back. My fist went right into his stomach. He stumbled back before charging forward like a damn bull, slamming my back into the railing of the stairs.

“Oh! My god, Wes! Max! Stop!” Jane yelled, but neither of us listened. We both struggled, falling to the ground until I was able to pin him under me.

“ENOUGH!” I yelled down at him as he tried to fight, then I held down harder, leaning forward. More softly, I said, “Max enough.”