Jamie snapped her fingers when she remembered the last time. It was just before the expenditure issue. She had been having a crappy day and Annette had shown up for an appointment Alex hadn’t bothered to mention. It all seemed forever ago.
Speaking of which, Alex hadn't made time to look into the additional expenditures. Jamie was pretty sure she knew why. She glanced back down the hallway to his secretary, working with her head bent down and her fingers flying over her keyboard. Part of it had to be because he really didn't want to know that Gina was cheating him out of money. It would sting too badly, cut too deep.
Her office was empty, but she wasn't surprised. Paul had moved into his own office a couple of days before, and Mark wasn't in yet. No one but Alex and Gina were.
Jamie sat down at her laptop and worked through her lists, making good progress as she plowed through vario
us tasks. Her tummy rumbled, but she ignored it and kept going until she glanced at the clock.
"Ten? Where the hell is Mark?" She stood up to find him working at the table in front of her, his back to her, but his shoulders moving slightly. He was listening to music. She hadn't even noticed him come in.
Getting up, she walked around her desk and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey."
He glanced up and tugged his earbud out. "Hey, you. I came in; you were hunched over your computer so I didn’t want to interrupt. You came in with Alex this morning?"
She lifted her eyebrows. "Don't get me started. It's been rough. I used to think six o’clock mornings were rough, but Alex believes the early bird catches the worm. He prefers to be in at five."
"I bet. He's on a crazy kick right now. Either you come in with him or I babysit you?" He stood and stretched. "Have you told him that this shit is not just affecting you and him, but me too? I love to go for a long run like the next guy, but not at the ass-crack of dawn. It's February in New York, Jamie. It's freezing."
"We have the gym and the pool. We can work out there.”
He gave her a look. “I’m not getting up at five-fucking in the morning to get my heart pumping at a rapid rate. It wants to be slow and steady, and my body wants sleep.”
"Yeah right." She glanced down at his wristwatch. " I forgot to eat breakfast. You have plans? Want to do brunch?"
"Food?” He grinned. “I’m always available for food.”
“You want to see if Paul's free and we'll get something from down the street?" She grabbed her jacket and slipped it on before putting her scarf around her neck. She stifled a yawn. Better not eat too much or she’d be sleeping at her desk today. The fresh air would do her good.
"He's got a date for lunch today. Some girl he met online." Mark looked around the office. "It's almost lonely without him in here."
"Awww... were you getting used to having a suitemate?" She slid her arm into the crook of his as they walked out into the hall.
"Yeah. He's a great guy." Mark shrugged and slipped his arm from Jamie's as he shifted behind her and apologized to someone. “Sorry, didn’t mean to bump you.”
Jamie turned around and almost bumped into the woman too.
Annette.
"Finally! I've been waiting at the front for like three minutes. I think I'm going to have to talk to Alex about what customer service should look like." The bitchy redhead put her hands on her hips and turned her attention to Mark. "Oh, you're cute. You must be Alex's brother. I'm Annette, Alex’s old lover."
Mark's eyes widened a little, but he extended his hand and shook hers. "That's good to know. Do you introduce yourself like that all the time? Must get awkward when people don’t know who Alex is. Or does it bother you when you have to refer to yourself as old? Damn, must suck to be switched over for a newer, younger model. What do other clients say when you say that? Do they pipe in with who they used to fuck too?"
Annette stared open-mouthed, too shocked to reply to Mark’s ramblings.
If she hadn’t been so tired, Jamie would have laughed. She managed a smile. "She's not a client either." She shrugged. "I'm not sure who you're waiting for, but Alex's calendar is filled.” She tapped a finger against the counter. “And I can't imagine your name being on it."
"Well, it is. I'm his lunch date." Annette straightened and stared down at Jamie with narrowed eyes. "Too bad you keep thinking that you've got him… because you don't."
"You don't know shit." Jamie moved toward the bitch, tired of her showing up and causing havoc. "Get out, or I'll have you thrown out."
Annette reached out, but Jamie jerked back, missing the crazy woman’s hand as it moved toward Jamie's cheek.
She didn't think for a second about retaliating. Instinct simply took over. The slapping sound of her hand hitting Annette's cheek filled the air.
Annette yelped and jumped back, her eyes wide as her perfectly manicured fingers tried to cover the red print already showing on her face.
Alex walked out of his office, his eyes wide, his face concerned and surprised. "What the hell's going on out here?"