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"I'm not that adventurous. I'll get dressed and go grab something." I stand and search in the darkness for my panties.
"There's a desk in the office. All the takeout menus are there. Choose something and put it on my account."
"Which place?" I turn on the bedroom light and the bright light instantly blinds me.
"Any of them." He hesitates before continuing, "I eat out a lot."
"Should I wait for you?" I finally find my hidden panties.
"No. Order two of what you want and I'll eat when I get home."
I smile when I hear those words. I'm in his home. Our home. This is the first night of our new life. "I miss you."
"I miss you, beautiful. I'll be there as soon as I can."
***
I dress again even though my body is craving the warmth of a shower. I want to wait for Jax for that. I promised I would and the notion of the two of us showering together every day is heavenly to me.
I wander down the hallway in search of his office. I haven't ventured this far into his apartment before and I'm awestruck by the artwork that lines the walls. It's obvious that some of it is Brighton's but others are more vibrant and have so much more life to them.
I flick on the light switch in the office and I'm greeted by a large oak desk and a library of books covering two walls. I stand still and just drink it all in. This is his life. These are his books and the place where he comes to work. He's let me in and I'm never going to leave.
I sit behind the desk and giggle once I realize my feet don't touch the floor. The chair is luxurious tanned leather. I take in a deep breath and the scent of his skin wafts through the air. I pull open the top drawer of the desk. It's filled with assorted pens, business cards and a few coins.
I move to the left and pull open the top drawer on that side. I laugh out loud when I see just how many takeout menus there are. I gather them into my hand and pick them up. I'll look through them and choose something I know Jax will enjoy.
The silence is shattered by a sharp bump. Something must have fallen from between all the menus. I look down and don't notice anything. I push the chair back and fall to my knees to retrieve whatever it is. I don't want to lose anything that is important to him.
The natural light in the room is fading and the light fixture on the ceiling isn't throwing enough light in my direction for me to see under the desk. I wave my hand blindly beneath it and come up empty handed. I'm impressed by the lack of dust although I can't imagine Jax on his hands and knees doing any housecleaning. I smile at the thought of that.
I reach back onto the desk to retrieve my smartphone. I'll use the light from that to continue my search. I'm beginning to doubt that I dropped anything but I have to be certain. I shine the light in my line of sight and I'm instantly rewarded. It bounces off something shiny that's a few inches farther than my reach. I lie on my belly and stretch for it. I finally have it within reach. I grab it with just the tips of my fingers and finally scoop it into my palm.
I sit back down. I place the flash drive next to the pile of takeout menus. I fan them out so I can look them over. My eyes run across them all waiting for something to jump out at me. It does. It's not the Chinese food restaurant that proclaims to have the best egg rolls in all of Manhattan and it's not the Italian bistro that uses only homemade meat sauce like your mama used to make. My appetite is lost in an instant. The moment my gaze settles on the flash drive and what's written on it, I can't even fathom the thought of eating anything.
Brooke. That's all that's written across it in dark lettering. Brooke.
I close my eyes. Mark couldn't have been right. He was so smug and boastful. He knew about her. He knew about the woman this flash drive contains information on. I pick it up and hold it gingerly in my palm. Brooke. It can't be her, can it? How would Mark know about the woman who broke Jax's heart? Was her name Brooke? Why hadn't he offered her name? Why the hell didn't I ask her name?
I push the takeout menus to the floor so that I can open Jax's laptop. I flip the cover open and the screen pops to life. I stare at the flash drive. My gaze shifts back to the computer. I shouldn’t. I should put it back and ask about her.
I slowly pull
the cover back from the drive and hold it next to the USB port on the side of the laptop. He said he didn't have any secrets. There can't be anything on here that will shock me. He would have told me. He promised.
I push the drive in and the computer begins to whir and whine. The light on the flash drive flickers and my heart stalls. I wait with baited breath. A box pops up prompting me to open a folder. I hover my finger over the enter key. I know when I press it I can't turn back. I lower my finger and close my eyes.
A video screen appears and I'm instantly struck with the image of Jax in a bed. He's naked save for a white sheet covering his groin. He's talking to someone off camera. I turn up the volume and crane my neck towards the speaker hoping to hear what's being said.
"Do you think this is good, handsome?" The unmistakable sound of woman's voice bursts through the speaker.
I pull back and clench my hands against the edge of the desk.
"It's perfect, angel. Now get in bed." Jax motions for her to come in his direction.
She pops onto the screen. She's wearing lingerie. She's tall, brunette, and strikingly beautiful. She's Brooke. I know it without him saying her name.
"You're so naughty, Jax." She snuggles in next to him pulling the sheet over her body. "I can't believe you want to tape us making love."
