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“Yeah, whatever.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
He waved the bartender over and pushed his shot glass forward. Was this going to be the fourth or fifth?
“Nothing, it means nothing, Blaire. You live your life the way you want, and I’ll live my life the way I want. Alex, Trevor, Mike, and Harvey can live the way they want too, and Alice! Alice, yeah, she can do whatever the hell she wants.”
Well, damn—had I missed a few shots in there? It had been a long time since I had seen Jake going into a muttering tangent stage.
“You know what?” He looked at me, and I noticed that his green eyes were bloodshot and a little glassier than they should be.
“What, boss?”
“I don’t want you to get a booty call from that lady, cuz if you do, you won’t want to travel anymore.”
I chuckled. “Where the hell did you get that idea? What makes you think that if I slept with Maggie, I’d stop traveling?”
“That’s what happened with Alex and Trevor. Damn twits got whipped! Getting married, and, and, and, having babies and shit. It’s stupid, and if you sleep with that woman, you’ll be just like them.” He pointed a finger at me before throwing back his whiskey.
“Jake, I’m pretty sure neither of those things is going to happen. I have no intention of sleeping with Maggie, and as for getting involved with her, or anyone else, I have no plans. Maggie knows how I feel about that too, so I’m pretty sure she’s not looking for a one-night stand. You’re safe, boss; I’m not going anywhere.”
He glared at me. “You better not, Blaire. I need you, man. I need you to keep traveling and help me with this company. You’re important to me.”
He might be drunk, but that was a compliment coming from him, and I appreciated it. Maybe Alice was right, and he did like me. “I’m here for you, Screamer. Whatever you need.”
He grinned. “Did I ever tell you about the time that I scared the shit out of my drill sergeant in boot?”
“Uh, no, I don’t think I have heard that story.” For the next thirty minutes, Jake entertained me and half the lounge with stories of grandeur from boot camp. By the time we needed to head to our gate, we were both pretty wasted from the additional shots that had been sent our way from other patrons.
The minute the plane was in the air, Jake and I were both passed out. When we landed seventy minutes later, I had sobered up, but Jake woke with a massive chip on his shoulder. His normal disgruntled behavior amplified by ten. Poor Alice, she was going to regret coming out to get him.
When we got off the plane, Jake made a beeline to the nearest bar, then tossed back two more shots and a beer before he let me talk him into heading out through the security doors. I’d already sent Alice a few messages to let her know our status, and when we stepped through the exit doors, Jake stopped in the middle of the walkway and stared at her.
I shifted my gaze from him to Alice and felt my jaw drop—no way. Was there something going on between Jake and Alice? The two of them stared at each other with more heat than a damn volcano, but it only lasted a few seconds before Alice shook herself out of it and approached him.
“You’re a mess,” she said to Jake, taking his computer bag. “You could at least keep your tie straight and your shirt tucked in properly.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” he growled toward her.
She got in his face, which was a bit difficult since he was about a foot taller. However, she yanked his tie forward so that his head had to come down to her level, and I bit back a laugh.
“I’m taking you home because I knew you’d be shit-faced. I wasn’t going to let you drive or force Greg to have to deal with your sorry ass longer than he already has. Now, let’s go. I assume you have a bag that was checked since you don’t have your garment bag on your shoulder. Or did you lose it while you were drinking?”
I chuckled. “He checked it. He didn’t want to bother with lugging it around.”
“Of course, now we have to go stand around and wait for it.” She shook her head as if she were exasperated.
“You want me to go get it? I can drop it off at his place later.”
“No, go ahead and go, Greg. I’ll do it.” She sighed dramatically as we started to walk toward the escalator. “I’m getting paid overtime for this, and you are not.”
Jake snapped. “I’m not paying you overtime to take me home.”
“Oh, yes, you are.” She rounded on him, getting into his face again. If I hadn’t seen it, I would not have believed it. Jake literally backed up and dropped his chin to his chest. It was like his alpha had just issued a command, and I almost laughed out loud. Here Jake was, talking about Alex and Trevor being whipped, and he didn’t even realize that he was right in line with them. He just didn’t have the added benefit of a sexual relationship that they did. Unless—no, they weren’t sleeping together. Or were they?
Huh, I’d have to talk to the guys and see if they knew anything. When we reached the luggage carousel, I said my goodbyes, wished Alice luck, and headed out to find my truck.
By the time I got back to town, picked up my phone, and arrived at Maggie’s, it was after eight. I parked in the driveway and studied the house. It looked the same, only a few minor differences since I was last here. Movement on the porch caught my eye. I hadn’t noticed anyone sitting there, but an older woman stood and waved.
