Sworn to Be His ( The Archer Family 3)

She shook off the last thought. She'd learned a long time ago not to mention Derrick's years of service to him, no matter the situation. It simply wasn't worth the steely coldness that always colored his eyes when the subject arose.

A ping from her monitor brought her back to earth, and she focused again on her screen.

Derrick Archer: Don't forget to fill out the relationship disclosure agreement with HR. I won't have it said that I'm a rule breaker.

Jade Lockhart: Even though you're on Facebook?

Derrick Archer: You and me both.

Jade smiled and typed a quick reply before opening the human resources page and downloading the form she needed. It was simple enough. ID numbers and names, mostly. Still, a strange sort of swirling settled in her stomach as she reviewed the canned information and filled in her name beside Derrick's.

What would pretending to be Derrick's girlfriend even look like? And more to the point—had a guy like Derrick ever even been with someone long enough to call them his girlfriend? She didn't know. And what would dating in the office look like?

It would have to be clear to everyone that they were together, especially if she wanted to get Zac's attention, but it couldn't be so in your face as to put their jobs on the line. Or to put their partnership in jeopardy. If they did this wrong and she wasn't allowed to work with Derrick again...

The swirling feeling in her stomach sank deeper and tied itself into a tight little knot. God, how had she not thought this through? How had she not considered the consequences?

She tried to picture a day when she didn't eat her lunch with Derrick or run her leads by him, but she came up with nothing. Nothing but sitting at her desk with her stupid lean cuisine and staring at the computer while she tried not to look at Detective Freddrick's unhealthy collection of troll dolls in the cubicle across the aisle.

That was no way to work. Hell, it was no way to live. She had to do something. Make a plan.

Jade Lockhart: Are you free tonight?

Derrick Archer: You know I'm only dating you at work, right?

Jade Lockhart: Yeah, but I think we need to come up with a plan for what that's going to look like. Want to go for some drinks and talk it over? I think I have some leads from an interview today, too.

Derrick Archer: You paying?

Jade Lockhart: You wish.

Derrick Archer: Fine. But it'll cost you five more court orders.

Jade Lockhart: Two

Derrick Archer: Three.

Jade sighed.

Jade Lockhart: You've got yourself a deal.

* * *

The fact that the bar around the corner from the police station didn't have a biohazard sign in the window was a mark of the Department of Health and Safety's falling standards. Or maybe there was a sign and the window was simply too dusty for anyone to see it clearly. Whatever the case, Derrick walked into the place with trepidation and not a little bit of skepticism.

As soon as the door opened, loud heavy metal music blasted all around him and he skirted past bikers and their girls in order to sidle up to the varnished cherry bar.

The man behind the counter, a skeletal version of Steven Tyler, was on the far side of the room, talking to the woman he now recognized as Jade. Apparently the old guy said something funny, and she threw back her head as she laughed along with him.

"Hey," Derrick called to her, and she turned the full force of her smile on him before extending her copper mug in his direction. "Hey. Come sit down." She said something else to the barman before Derrick was in earshot, and the other man rushed away with another copper mug in hand.

"Why the hell would you come to a place like this?" Derrick glanced around.

"Don't say that too loud. One-eyed Jerry is sensitive to newcomers as it is." She winked at a man with a hunchback who was in the middle of throwing a dart at a hand-drawn cork board target.

"Are you about to tell me you have a whole secret life I don't know about? Because I have to tell you that is not what I signed on for."

Jade rolled her eyes. "Don't be stupid." She lowered her voice and leaned in, "This is where you get the best snitches."