My Five Night Fling by Maci Dillon

 

 

KASSIDY

 

“What? How do you know?” I rack my brain trying to remember if I mentioned his name during any of our conversations, but I don’t believe I did.

“Jarett?” I persist.

“I’ll explain later, I promise.” Jarett wraps his hand around mine and pulls me from my seat. “First, let’s welcome Sophia and wish her a happy birthday.”

I allow Jarett to direct me to Sophia and Gabe, my new boss. Confusion and the answers to the questions I have swirling around my head take a back seat. This is Sophia’s special moment and be fucked if I’m going to ruin it for her.

“Sis, you radiate beauty. Happy fortieth.” Jarett kisses his sister on the cheek and whispers something in her ear only she can hear. The glimpse of a scowl hidden beneath her radiant smile and hard stare tells me it wasn’t a welcome comment.

I hustle my way in, breaking the tension between them. “Damn, woman, you’re one hot fucking forty-year-old!” I swoon, kissing both her cheeks and hugging her to my chest.

“I’m so excited you could be here, it’s the best birthday gift I could ask for. And this is—” She waves her hand to her left.

“Yes!” I step forward to offer my hand appropriately. “Mr. Gabe Lugreno, my new boss,” I interrupt, shooting an awkward smile his way.

Jarett is less than thrilled.

Tension is rolling off both men.

What the fuck is going on?

Sophia’s eyes bulge in shock. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Feeling uncomfortably dressed in a corset standing in front of my new boss, I tell myself stranger things have happened. All four of us stand rigid, unsure where to look.

“What a surprise,” I offer Gabe.

“Very much so,” he answers, his attention flicking between the three of us.

Jarett excuses us so other guests can welcome Sophia. Roman catches up as we order another drink from the bar. I’m not a champagne-type girl, so I ditch that baby immediately once the toast is done.

“Did I miss something? Who is that guy with Sophia that you both seem to know?”

“My boss.” I cringe, and Roman frowns, cocking his head at Jarett.

“My business partner and Sophia’s fly-in hookup when he’s here on business.”

Oh my God. This city is closing in on me, a new meaning to it’s a small world.

I chug down a few mouthfuls of my margarita, opting for a more basic drink tonight so I one, don’t bust the seams on my corset, and two, avoid making a drunken fool of myself in front of the mystery guy paying my excessive wage and putting me up in a gorgeous apartment.

Jarett and Roman are discussing the ins and outs of the business partnership, and I pretend not to listen. Hard, considering I’m standing between them. For the first few seconds at least, I hold up the façade.

“You buy the property and present it to Gabe with a business plan or idea?”

Jarett avoids eye contact with me. “As simple as that, yes.”

“And he manages the development and design of your idea to bring it to fruition?”

My heart beats more rapidly. I’m unsure if it’s the anticipation of his answers, the tequila working through my veins, or the sinister idea he created a job for me, so I’d stay in the country.

Jarett parks his beer on the bar with a louder-than-necessary thump and glares at me. “That’s how it works, Kassidy. You should know this. You work for him.”

“Whoa, why are you being such a dick, man?” Roman interrupts.

Jarett’s stare remains hard and focused on me. Confusion fades to understanding.

“No. Uh-uh. It can’t be.” I shake my head in slow motion, afraid to look away from him in case he gives me a sign I’m thinking along the wrong lines.

“Jarett, is it one of your investments I’m hired to work on?” My body temperature rises, sweat beads beneath my stockings, and the skin on my arms where the boa rests begins to irritate me.

“Mind if I join?” All three of us snap our heads in the direction of the voice.

Gabe Lugreno.

“Please do,” I welcome him, and he stands on the other side of Jarett.

“Jarett was just explaining to me how you two know each other. You know, because it’s a tad strange that we’re dating…” I point between Jarett and myself, “… and now I’m working for his developer in a foreign country. Don’t you think?”

“On that note, I’m off to mingle with the sexy singles of the party,” Roman cuts in. “Good luck, bro.”

He’s going to need more than luck to navigate the shit fight brewing in my head. Trust me.

Gabe, on the other hand, appears genuinely surprised. “Now that is strange. You know…” he adds, mirroring my earlier response, his eyes darting between us, “… because when Jarett contacted me about hiring you—”

I slam my cocktail glass on the bar and face Jarett, my hand on my hip and fury in my eyes. His head falls back in defeat, though he remains neutral, avoiding eye contact with either of us.

“I didn’t realize you were dating,” Gabe finishes, looking confused by my outburst.

“We weren’t,” Jarett interjects at the same time as I answer, “We aren’t.”

Gabe uses this moment to excuse himself from the situation entirely. “Looks like you two could use a moment to catch up on some details. Sorry, J.” He pats Jarett’s shoulder and strides off.

“What did you do, Jarett? Explain. Right now.”

My patience is shattered, my new life in London appears to be balancing on an unstable mountain of deceit, and I demand to know what the fuck is going on right this minute.

“Max’s office. Please?” He extends his hand to me, but I whisk around and storm off through the staff area at the back of the club, refusing to give him the satisfaction of being a united front on this.

Sophia is stepping out of the bathroom as we make our way to the offices. “You two off for a quickie already? The night’s only young.” She laughs, hugging us both in the hall, blocking our escape.

“Not exactly,” I pout. “Your brother appears to have manipulated my position with your friend, Gabe, and in doing so, has turned my world upside down. And I’m about to find out why.”

Sophia steps back from us and glares silently at Jarett. “No, you didn’t, baby bro,” she chastises.

Jarett huffs. “If I can have a minute with Kassidy to explain, you can all calm the fuck down.”

Calm the fuck down?

My blood reaches boiling point, and I sneer at him with warning.

The bastard has the gall to roll his eyes at me.

Sophia removes herself from our path and pushes us further down the hall. “Get this mess sorted, Jarett. It’s my birthday for fuck’s sake. We’re supposed to be partying.”

She’s right, and I feel awful that I’m wasting the night this way, but I must know what led to me getting offered this job.

In Max’s office, I take her chair behind the desk, and Jarett plants his ass on the edge of the desk in front of me. Waiting for him to explain his life away, I nervously twirl the boa around my fingers.

“It’s not what you think, Kassidy.”

“Great, and what is it that I’m thinking?”

“I never asked any favors of Gabe. You have to believe me.”

Huh.

“I’ll be the judge of that. Explain what happened. Gabe said he was referred by someone to my firm and found out I was in London after he spoke to my boss, Malcolm.”

“Partially true.” He removes his gangster hat and runs his hands along his thighs.

“I mentioned your firm in Australia, told Gabe I met you here in London, and you were only here a few days. I told him I believed you could bring a lot of value to the project because I do.”

“So, you wanted me, specifically, to work on the design and roll-out of this project for you? Pubs and clubs with a British Aussie feel? Because of my experience and nothing to do with the fact we were sleeping together.”

“Yes.” He answers immediately.

I launch to my feet and wander about Max’s office for a few seconds. “Then why the fuck, Jarett? Why wouldn’t you talk to me about it personally rather than go behind my back?”

“I didn’t go behind your back, Kassidy. Well, not exactly.”

I pin him with a pointed stare.

Not exactly?

Hmm.

“Okay, I went to Gabe about you, and I should’ve spoken to you about it first. I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d be interested in the work if you knew I had something to do with it.”

My face twists up at his stupidity.

Fucking men.

“How well did that turn out for you? I know about it now, after I’ve already signed the contracts, but it doesn’t change the fact I’m still working for you and had no choice in the matter.”

I brace myself on the opposite side of the desk and hang my head between my outstretched arms.

Breathe, Kassidy.

“I work with Gabe on this project, and he has hired you to do the work he has signed off on. You and I won’t be working together.”

“Right, so you banked on me never knowing that you set this job up for me. That you had nothing to do with moving my entire life from Australia to London for a whole fucking year?”

Jarett moves to sit on Max’s chair as I take a seat in the visitor’s chair across from him.

“I’m sorry, Kassidy, clearly I didn’t think this through. I saw potential in having your knowledge and experience, your skillset associated with my project. I made a call to Gabe and made my case. He took it from there. No ultimatums, no secrets.”

“So, this is purely professional?”

Sitting forward in his chair, his elbows rest on his thighs with his hands squeezed together, avoiding the question.

Motherfucker.

I want him to want me for more than a job. On the other hand, I’m pissed he used a job offer to keep me here to explore our relationship instead of fucking talking to me about it.

“Tell me it’s nothing personal, Jarett. That this idea isn’t concocted as some feasible way to keep me in London.”

He winces and repeats my words back at me. Then he stops.

“I’m sorry, I can’t.” He shakes his head and slams his back into the chair, his arms behind his head, ankles crossed over his knee.

Fuck him looking so damn hot right now.

“Meaning?”

When his eyes find mine again, he looks defeated.

Sad.

Broken.

“I don’t know. I just can’t.”

“Can’t what, Jarett?” I ask softly.

What’s he saying?

“I need to get back to the party,” is all he offers as he walks past me and out the door, leaving me heartbroken and confused.

After fifteen minutes of sitting in solitude and visiting the ladies’ room, I return to the party searching for Maxine. I spot Roman and Jarett in the corner by the bar talking to a couple of other guys I don’t know.

Hell, I barely know anyone. I’m a stranger in a city far from my own, with a career opportunity I no longer know if I want.

I stay for at least another hour, doing the rounds with Max, meeting some of the guests, a fake smile plastered on my face. I drink margaritas like nobody is watching and dance my ass off with the birthday girl.

I did my part.

It’s important to me not to let Sophia know how broken I am inside. There will be time to deal with all that tomorrow and the day after.

I hope.