My mind was a shit-storm of a mess about Jim. Period. I was ready to rip his throat out when I assumed that he was pissed when he spotted Addy in the office with me yesterday. Then he knelt next to her. The James Mitchell façade that he carried—and everyone seemed scared shitless of—faded, and the Jim I’d been with in London, knelt to talk kindly with my daughter.
I watched Addy interact with him, all while observing Stefanie appear as if she was either going to pass out, cry, or hug me. I mean, I got it. Respect your boss, and follow the rules. It’s as easy as that. At least that’s how I envisioned working a job.
I could say with one-hundred-percent certainty, however, that even if I didn’t know Jim from my vacation, I wouldn’t have behaved the way everyone else seemed to when he entered a room. I wouldn’t have hidden behind my computer, freaked the hell out if he approached me, trembled when I talked to him—all the shit I watched everyone, except for the suit-crew, do. I thought it was fucking weird, but maybe that’s how all big businesses ran when the owner was around.
“So, he came to your floor,” Brit said, “and then what? Finish your thought, Avery.”
“Sorry. He brought Addy and me to the preschool that’d rejected her. He seemed pretty pissed that old lady had sent more kids than just Addy away.”
“You think he remembered you?” She lowered her voice on the phone while I finished making Addy her breakfast.
“Finish, quick, Addy,” I said, wanting to get our breakfast dishes in the sink before we walked out the door. “We’re gonna be late.”
“Avery.”
“Jesus, Britney, I don’t know. I’m trying to get out of here on time.”
“Good Lord, he had to have remembered you. He probably wouldn’t have done what he did if he didn’t.”
“Would it have mattered?” I said. “I mean, yeah. He remembered me. How could he not? He stared at my face for almost an entire week, so unless he’s senile, he knows who I am. He asked how long I’d been working there, so it must’ve crossed his mind that maybe I worked for him all along.” Addy got up from the table and slid on her red sequin ballet flats. She wore them with everything, no matter how much they clashed with her outfit. It was pretty adorable. “I don’t have time to talk about it right now, though. I’m sorry. I’ll call you later. Gotta go.”
“Okay, okay. Have a good day, and call me later,” Brit said before I ended the call.
“Let’s hit it, kid,” I said to Addy. “We’re seriously going to be late if there’s too much traffic.”
“I work with you today, Mommy?” Addy asked as we walked out the door, and I locked it behind us.
“No. I don’t think so. That nice man—my big boss—he helped you get promoted yesterday.”
“Mitch,” she said. “My friend.”
We were at the car in record time, and Addy didn’t give me any hassle when I buckled her in. “He’s the boss too, Addy,” I said, kissing her forehead and moving toward the driver’s seat.
You piece of shit car, start already, I internally demanded. “Please, God, do not let me get fired because of you,” I slammed on the steering wheel. “You stupid, stupid, car!”
“This car is stupid,” Addison said.
“Don’t say stupid. It’s a bad word. Mommy shouldn’t say it either.”
“Oh, Mom. You say bad words, I don’t.”
The car started. “Thank God,” I said.
“I know. God is happy that I say good words.”
“God doesn’t like Mommy saying the bad ones.” I gave her a sheepish look while backing out. “I need to work on that. I’m sorry.”
“I won’t say stupid.” She covered her mouth, “Sorry. That S-word.”
“Don’t say any S-words, how about that?” I smiled.
“I can’t say silly?”
“You can say that one,” I said with a laugh.
We were close enough to work to avoid freeways, which was a miracle in itself. We pulled into the parking structure, passed all the fancy cars, and found a place on the second level. “Sweet, right by the elevators.”
That’s when I saw the sign.
“Reserved for management,” I said in defeat. “Well, maybe Mom will be promoted to manager one day, and this will be our parking place.”
“Mitch will promote you. He promoted me.”
“Addy, you don’t even know the word.” I laughed. “However, we need to work on our big words. We haven’t done that in a while. So, our word for the day is promote or promoted.”
“Mitch does it,” she answered.
“Yes, he probably does. Other people do it too. It works in different ways and has different meanings, but for you and me, it means to get a better thing—to do a bigger job and to make more money.”
“We need a new car, mommy.”
“You don’t like Bunny anymore?”
“Bunny is so tired, Mommy.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll need a really good promotion to get a new car.”
“Daddy got one.”
I rolled my eyes and slipped the keys out of the ignition. “He sure did,” I answered, trying not to sound sarcastic. I was a lot of things, but I wasn’t the type of parent to badmouth the other. He didn’t need my help to look like a deadbeat dad to his daughter. “Come on, out of the seat. Where’s your back pack?”
“Oh, no!” Addy clamped her small hands over her mouth and closed her eyes. “At home. Oh no, Mommy.”
“My fault. I rushed us out. It’s no big deal.”
“Will I still get promoted from Mitch?” she asked.
“I don’t think we’ll see your friend today. We got lucky yesterday,” I said. “Now, grab my hand. Let’s go.”
We headed toward the walkway that was erected over the street, leading us from the parking structure to my building. We always entered on the ninth floor, and today, we made it just in time. Instead of using the elevator, we breezed down the flight of steps to where the Children’s Center was. When we got there, the kids were seated, and the old ninny was still present and in charge.
“I see you’ve forgotten your backpack?” she said to Addy. “How do you expect to learn if you can’t remember basic things, young lady?”
“I won’t—” Addy started making excuses for herself—a fucking three-year-old toddler—as the old woman towered over her intimidatingly.
“Addy, it’s okay. Go sit with the others,” I said, holding my arm up to back the woman away from Addy.
The fact that this bitch thought she could flex on my kid sent me through the roof, and I felt my self-control slipping away as Addy joined the group.
I took a long, slow, deep breath before I brought my furious gaze to meet the woman’s eyes. “You have the fucking nerve to speak to my child as if she’s the one responsible for her things? What the hell is wrong with you? You’re already getting fired for acting like a miserable bitch, and you still can’t help yourself?”
The look on her ashen face would’ve led anyone else to believe that I’d just ran over her cat. “Are you threatening me?” she said, flabbergasted.
“I’m serious as a fucking heart attack, lady. I can see the look on your face. Scolding a three-year-old for not bringing a backpack? Really? It’s not like you sent her home with homework, is it? Did I miss that part after I picked her up?”
“Maybe you did.”
“Bullshit. Listen up,” I said, pointing at her. “If you so much as look at my daughter sideways and I find out about it, you’re going to regret it. You have no idea what I’m willing to do to make sure my daughter is safe from predators like you.”
“Well…I, um…listen, this is a complete misunderstanding, Miss Gilbert.” She straightened her posture and held her head high with some level of righteous indignation that I had no idea how she had the nerve to muster.
“You’re right about that.” I looked over at the children and the aides who sat with them. Aside from this old nag, they seemed well taken care of, and that was the only reason I didn’t march Addy out of that place right then. “I trust you’ll make sure my daughter has a good day. I’ll check on her later.”
I turned to leave, and there was Jim with the young Johnny Depp-looking friend of his who I met at the restaurant in London. My eyes widened, and the Johnny Depp guy seemed to be covering his grin while Jim was looking past me at the hag.
“Excuse me, gentlemen.” I plastered on the best smile I could. “I have to get to work.”
“Is everything okay, Miss. Gilbert?” Jim asked, eyes still on the woman. “Ms. Spokes?”
“No problems at all, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Grayson,” she responded.
I stood at the preschool entryway and leveled the woman with my glare, and she didn’t say another word. I should’ve left and headed to my desk, but I didn’t want this woman spinning anything.
“Mitch!” Addy screamed, running over to greet her new friend. “I’m promoted today.”
“Hey there, Addy,” he said as he knelt to greet her. Certainly a good call, or he would’ve been doubled over by my daughter, ramming into his balls. She squeezed his neck, and I covered my mouth when he patted her back with one arm and remembered her name.
Maybe he did remember a lot more than our fake roleplaying. Wait, he was just good with names. Oh, hell, he didn’t have to do this at all. It was the gesture alone that had me watching and wishing Jim was in my life for a moment. If only to see this smile on Addy’s face.
“Promoted?” he asked after greeting her. “So that means you’ll be working up in the top, boring offices with me now?”
“No, silly,” she said. “I get to go in there.”
“Why yes, you do,” he answered. He pointed up to the man I stood next to now, “This is my friend. His name is Alex, and he’s going to make sure you have fun teachers today. Sound good?”
“It does.” She hugged Jim again and patted his cheek sweetly.
“Addy, go to class. Jim needs to go to work too,” I said, and then nearly choked when I realized I’d said his name in a way that didn’t fly around here.
“His name is Mitch, Mom,” Addy said and then spun around and went into the classroom area.
“Jim and Mitch, eh?” Alex said, looking at me with a knowing smile. “I’m Alex Grayson.” He reached his hand out to mine, “I believe we’ve met before.”
I smiled after Jim walked with the woman into her office.
“Yes, in London, when we all played musical dining tables, I think.”
He chuckled. “Do you always curse-out old ladies?”
“Just the ones who screw with my kid,” I said. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. It’s great seeing you again, Alex.”
I left the man who’d blown Jim up the entire time I was with him in that castle, leaving him standing there and looking at me with great curiosity, I’m sure.
“Amir,” I said to my co-worker, “are you gonna eat those fries?”
“God, what have we done all these years without you here?” he said, sliding the fries over to me.
“The crows are going to be pissed when they starve to death,” Alyssa teased. “You want the last of this milkshake?”
“That’s where I draw the line, my friends,” I said, crunching into Amir’s still piping-hot French fries. “I don’t drink after others. Total germ freak on that one.”
“Not like you’d have room for it anyway. All this food, girl,” Amir said. “Your body can’t process this food. You’re too tiny.”
“Guys, we have to get back. This will be the second time I would be late today,” I said, checking my phone and seeing the time.
“Can’t have that,” Alyssa said. “Oh,” she added like a mystery was being revealed, “want to know why the execs were on the floor yesterday?”
“Someone mentioned something about footage being erased from the company cameras after a sales manager got caught screwing a rep in his office,” Amir said.
“Shut the hell up,” I said.
“That’s the rumor. I also heard the reason Mr. Mitchell was with them was because of the documentary on his doctor friend. I think he’s a brain surgeon or something. They’ve been recording bits and pieces, but I heard it sucks. That’s what Cary in media production says, anyway. Don’t say I told you,” Amir said.
Jesus, and here we were talking about the boring video Jim was watching in England, which led to him getting me off in the most glorious way I could have ever desired. I had to shut these thoughts down and now. My body was already aching for that sensation again—and from only him.
“Good lord, you two. Does the gossip run that thick in this place?” I asked, changing my mind’s gears.
“When Mr. Mitchell comes off the top floors, yes. Everyone looks for some sort of reason he’s on their floor.”
“Goddamn,” I said. “He’s treated like a god here, isn’t he?”
“He sure looks like one. A Greek god.” Alyssa giggled.
Try seeing the man without his clothes on, I thought with a smile.
It was a lame way to compare a man with a perfectly chiseled body and a beautiful face of perfection, but hey, sometimes you had to call it what it was.
We were stopped when Stefanie met me at my cubicle. “I have no idea what’s going on,” she said. “Maybe it was yesterday, you know, with your daughter being here inappropriately, or something else.”
“What is it? Am I fired, Stefanie?” I asked, cutting her off.
“Why would you think that?”
“Because you look like you’re going to pass out.”
“Well, I wish I could give you more information, but I can’t. Mr. Mitchell would like to see you in his office,” she said. “Follow me, please. I’ll show you to the executive elevators.”
“Should I be worried about this?”
“He’s possibly addressing your daughter being on our floor.”
“If he has a problem with her, maybe I do need to pay him a visit,” I said, to which she eyed me in response.
I rode up to the sixty-fourth floor silently, and I walked out to floor-to-ceiling glass windows that overlooked downtown LA. I’d bet that without smog, you’d see the ocean from up here. It was exquisite.
Speaking of exquisite, so was the woman who stood in front of a massive reception desk, looking at papers on the counter. She wore a form-fitting, business suit with her red-soled stilettos, and had perfectly coifed hair, skin, and manicure. It was a much different world up here. Was Jim lying about not screwing secretaries or anyone who worked for him? This chick was drop-dead gorgeous. Her eyes were a brilliant blue, and they lit up when she spun around and saw me, or so I thought. She was actually beaming at Alex, who’d gotten off the elevator next to mine and was approaching me from behind.
Alex offered up a grin to her—one of those grins—and if this chick had been in a shitty mood before, Alex had changed it instantly.
“Miss Gilbert is here to see Mr. Mitchell,” the elevator cop told her as he held the doors from closing. “How’s your day, Miss Flores?”
“Great, Mike. Thanks for sending up Miss Gilbert.” She took papers she’d been examining near a keyboard on the other side of the desk before turning to face me again. “Miss Gilbert, please follow me.”
That was it for the sweet talk. I was walking the green mile down a hallway where fancy, English-looking artwork hung—the only artwork I’d ever seen, anyway. It must’ve been the hallway to Jim’s office. Two double doors opened after Miss Flores ran a security card over a security pad.
She knocked as the doors opened. “Mr. Mitchell?”
“Yes, Summer?” he asked distantly.
“Miss Gilbert is here at your request.”
“Thank you,” he said.
I looked at her in confusion, and she just kept her poker face and walked away, leaving me to meet Mr. Mitchell in all his glory.
I held a hand over my heart, and it wasn’t because of how gorgeous Jim looked, sitting in his dark gray, three-piece-suit either. The red tie set off the striking features of his face, but this corner office, surrounded by windows overlooking Los Angeles, was enough to bring me to my knees.
“Jesus Christ,” I said softly, looking to my left, right, and back to where Jim’s large, exquisite desk was. “No wonder England’s countryside is in pictures out in that hallway. Where the hell would you hang a picture with windows instead of walls?”
“Nervous chatter?” Jim’s voice quietly rang into my ears. “Since the first moment I met you, I would have never pinned you for having a nervous bone in your body.”
I looked at him and grinned. “This is so beautiful,” I said, ignoring him calling me out on rambling. “How do you get anything done with these views?”
Jim rose from his desk and pulled off his jacket. My eyes widened when I saw the shirt he was wearing under his black vest. That was the shirt—the shirt he hated. He fucked me in—well, I fucked him in. Shit. You need to chill out, Avery.
“Nice shirt,” I said. “A little bird told me that you hated that shirt.”
“Was that little bird chirping through a magazine article you read?” He smiled—the Jim smile. “Perhaps it was in a gossip column?”
“No. I think the bird told me first hand.” I arched an eyebrow at him.
“A real-life speaking bird, huh? You must know a lot of parrots,” he said. Then he grew serious, and that scorched-earth look was creeping its way up. “Will you please have a seat, Miss Gilbert.” He pointed toward the luxurious leather seats across from where he sat in his billion-dollar, most likely Corinthian leather chair.
“The scorched-earth look doesn’t work on me,” I said, crossing my legs and trying to determine why I was here. “What do you need? Stefanie is pretty much packing my desk up right now.”
He ran a hand through his hair and pursed his lips. “Did you have to cuss out Ms. Spokes this morning, Avery?” he asked, half humored and half annoyed.
“She was a bitch to my kid, Jim. Sorry, Mr. Mitchell,” I said, my irritation beginning to grow. “That woman deserved a stiff slap across her face; she’s goddamn lucky I didn’t give her that instead of a few harsh words.”
Jim glanced down at a piece of paper. “It also states here that you threatened to kill her?” He shook his head and licked his lips. “Why am I not surprised?” I saw the look on his face. This was him holding back laughing, but trying to remain serious.
“Kill her?” I rolled my eyes. “I’m not in the mafia, for Christ’s sake. I told her she’d regret messing with Addy again, though, and I meant it. That bitch was completely out of line.”
“You can understand why that might sound mafia-like to an old woman from Santa Monica, Avery,” he said, trying to hit me with that look again. I noticed him rereading the paper in front of him, and then I saw that tick he seemed to have when deep in thought. He touched each fingertip, one-by-one, to his thumb while he read. “You’ve been here for nearly nine days, yes?”
“Yes,” I said, angry that I’d fucked-up a new and excellent job. Jim was too serious, and I was too pissed that I’d let that woman get the best of me today.
“Well, I’ve never seen someone get reported to me in that amount of time. Honestly, I don’t believe I’ve ever had anyone reported to me for their behavior ever. Not unless there’s some sort of sexual harassment charges, but in your case,” he looked at me, “it’s regular harassment charges. It takes a hell of a lot to bring an employee past my HR team and directly to me. Would you know why that could be in your case and after only nine days working here?”
“I don’t know.” Tears were welling up in my eyes now. “Why don’t you just tell me?
“Avery.” He came across the desk and sat in the chair next to me. “I see that you are quite protective of Addison. I would have hoped you trusted that I was taking care of that woman after I talked with her yesterday. I didn’t need your threats toward her this morning to add to my removal of her.” He smirked. “I’m fairly sure you wouldn’t have followed through on those threats too.” His eyebrow arched, and damn, I missed him. “But it makes my case to remove her from that preschool more difficult than it needs to be.”
“You have to understand something about me,” I said, turning to face him and appreciating him coming to my side of the desk, perhaps as an understanding boss instead of the big exec standing imposingly behind his desk. “I’ve been in too many positions to protect Addy from the BS that comes her way. That woman started giving her the third-degree for forgetting her backpack. She’s three! I wouldn’t tolerate that from any teacher—here or at another preschool.”
He took my trembling hands into his large ones. “My lawyers—”
“Your lawyers? Are you suing me for this?”
“No.” He sighed. “Ms. Spokes threatened to sue my company over your behavior today. The lawyers were brought in with human resources and Alex late this morning. While we went through the surveillance footage, we noted a behavior with the woman that—well, let’s just say, she’s not suing anyone after the discussion we had with her. She signed off to leave the company.”
“What the hell was on those videos? I have a right to know. Did that woman fuck with Addison after—”
“No,” he said, rubbing the back of my tense hands. “She was negligent in her work. The videos also proved that she wasn’t acting according to her job requirements. Thank God other teachers were in her company, or perhaps, children could have been harmed. She was getting paid to play solitaire on her computer. She was given the option to pay us back for lack of working for the two years of having her with us or leave without a fuss.”
“So I’m not fired?”
“Actually, no,” he said. “But I am kindly asking that if you are upset with staff, you do not threaten to make anyone regret it next time.”
“If they come at Addy?”
“You’ll come directly to me,” he said with that CEO voice that was sexy until he used it on me. “I will handle it. We have security watching the preschool nonstop. No reason to go all Godfather and threaten to make anyone sleep with the fishes, okay?”
“All right,” I said. “Is that it then?”
He pulled his hands from mine and stood and smiled. “Yes. I would like to say that I don’t ever want to have to see you up here in my office again,” he pinched his lips together as I stood, “but that wouldn’t be true.”
His face seemed pained like he meant something else, but—hell. I had no idea.
He did that sexy lip pucker thing while he bit the inside of his cheek. “Avery, let me take you out or something. Give me another chance. I know I fucked it up with the senseless words you overheard on that call with my brother. Truly, I never meant them. The second you walked out the door on me, I realized I was a jackass to even think like that, whether or not I was frustrated with my brother probing into my life.”
“I have a hell of a life. You know I have issues. I’m a single mom who deals with a fucking drug addict for an ex.” I laughed in disbelief that he was trying to have a shot with me. “I can’t bring you into that. You knew that when you were on the phone that day. It’s not a life you want, trust me.”
“If it’s too horrible for me, then why do you allow Addy to live in this life that is so terrible for you?”
“Good point.” I blew out a breath. “But I can’t explain it. It would be worse for you. Trust me on that.”
“How much worse?” He waved his hand at his office. “I run this entire place, I have countless employees here and in my London office that I am responsible for, and all the shit that goes with keeping it all running smoothly. Why can’t I have a chance with the one thing I feel might mean more to me than all of that?”
“You can’t mean that,” I said. “It was a fling, and you know it. You saw the good side. You saw the Avery that wasn’t living in an average, bullshit day. And you never met the single mom Avery.”
“I want to know that side of you as well. Just give me a chance and allow me to determine whether or not I want to be with the real you.”
“Yeah, that smile.” I shook my head, smiling back at him. “That cocky smile. It’s going to screw your ass over, you know. I have a psycho ex who will despise you.”
“Most exes hate themselves for losing the best thing they ever had, then project it onto the one who took their place.”
“Oh.” I planted my hands on my hips. “So you took his place? You’re quite confident, Mr. Mitchell.”
“Hopeful,” he said. “And for the love of God, call me Jim.”
“Okay, fine,” I said. “You want a shot at my shitty life? Being around the bullshit? Because you don’t look like you get dirty.”
He held his hands out. “I believe I got this shirt quite dirty at one time.” He smirked.
“You have no idea what the hell you’re doing, do you?”
“I just know I want a chance with you again. I can’t get you out of my mind. What I did to you.” He ran his hand over the light growth on his chin. “I’m full of regret for hurting you and desperately sorry for those painful words. Allow me a chance to prove to you I knew I was foolish and wrong.”
“Okay then, smart guy.” I smirked at his lightened features. “Tomorrow night is big-mac night.”
“McDonald’s?” he questioned. “I can take you—”
I held my hand up. “It’s Addy’s night. You’re welcome to join us if you want. She deems you are her good friend anyway.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “I will warn you now, Jim Mitchell, if you hurt her—”
“If it doesn’t work out between us, I promise Addy will still be my friend.”
“I’m so serious. She’s not to be hurt in this. Her dad’s already doing a fantastic job with that.”
“I understand. We’ll take it all slow. I will prove to you I won’t hurt either of you.”
“Yeah. We’ll see about that.”
“Let me just kiss you or something.”
Jim’s cell phone rang, then his office phone, while his door opened to reveal Alex. Jim glanced at Alex with the startling act of all communication for the man happening at once. “What the hell?” he said. “Is the goddamn building on fire?”
“No, we just ran the first part of Collin’s docuseries.”
Jim looked at me then at his phone, which was still ringing off the hook. “Do I even want to answer that?” he asked Alex.
Alex laughed. “Let’s just say Jacob will be quite jealous that he was a test subject. We were successful in ensuring better for privacy for Collin with the new methods used while airing this new series on neuroscience for Saint John’s.”
“Excellent news. Go ahead and field that out to the PR groups while I handle these phone calls.”
“Collin and Jake are meeting us at Kinder’s tonight. Nice job, man.” He looked at me. “Nice to see you again, Avery,” he said. “All right, my job here is done. I’m clocking out.”
“Okay, I’m leaving too,” I said.
Jim’s phones were going into ringing frenzies. “Tomorrow night sounds great, Avery,” he said, stopping me from following Alex out of his office. “So, I guess it will be a big mac for Addy and me, and I’m guessing three or four of them for you?” he teased, his phone still constantly ringing. “Dammit, I have to get this call. Your department might be insane, but just ignore it, and know that I’m going just as crazy up here.” He winked, and I could tell he was my Jim from England again.
I had a responsibility to myself, my daughter, and really, any man that I dated—in that order. If I was a mess, it filtered in and hurt Addy. I never brought men around her, but right now, she knew Jim as Mitch, her friend. So, a little fast food get together never hurt anything. Of course, I would ask Addy about Jim joining us first. She would have to be cool with the fact that we would have a new friend with us on her and mom’s mid-week date night.
