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I gritted my teeth. “I need your help.” Jess was the only other person besides Hazel who gave me shit like this. A trademark of our relationship.
“Tell me more. I love knowing you need my help with something.”
I would’ve hung up on her already if this wasn’t for Hazel. “I need Hazel’s measurements.”
Silence. I checked the phone to be sure we were still connected. “Jess?”
“Have you pulled your head out of your ass since yesterday and decided to make a move on our sweet Hazel?” I swear I heard fucking clapping from her end of the line.
“Jess,” I growled. This was more of a headache than it was worth.
“You know she can’t be bought? Money isn’t the way to her heart. But who knows, maybe some sexy lingerie might sweeten the deal.”
“I’m not making a move on Hazel.” I wished she’d stop talking. And now, all I could picture was Hazel in lingerie. Goddamnit. I pounded a fist against my desk. Jess’s laughter through the phone had me wondering if she’d said that, knowing what my reaction would be. “Hazel’s house flooded. She can’t go home and get her own clothes.”
“Uh-huh.” Her laughter only got louder.
I glared at my phone. “She needs to wear something.”
“Don’t you pay her well enough for her to buy her own clothes?” Of course I paid Hazel well. I also knew that most of her money went into that sinking ship of a house and to pay for her grandmother’s assisted living bills. And against my wishes, her deadbeat parents.
“Will you cooperate or not?” I seethed.
“I might for the right price.”
“Price?” Jess was a billionaire in her own right. I knew she wasn’t going to ask for money. It was no less than I expected since many of my dealings with her went this same way.
“You owe me a favor of my choosing at a later date,” she answered far too quickly. The glee in her voice was like fingernails on a chalkboard. This request had been waiting on the tip of her tongue for a while. She’d just been biding her time.
“Last time I checked, you and Hazel were friends.”
“Don’t be a fucking idiot, Jareth. Of course, she and I are friends. One has nothing to do with the other.” What she didn’t add was that this was a way for her to hold something over me.
Silence was my response.
“Tick-tock,” Jess said in a sing-song voice.
“Fine,” I bit out.
“Interesting.” A light drumming sounded through the phone as though Jess was tapping her nails on something.
Against my better judgment, I asked. “How so?”
“You didn’t negotiate our terms,” she answered. “Oh, Jareth. You like people to think you’re made of stone, but I’ve figured out the truth.”
At that moment, I knew I’d made a mistake. Jess had been testing me once again to determine how I felt about Hazel. And I’d foolishly given her the answer she sought.
“She’s an employee. A valued one at that. I need her mind on the job, not worrying about other things.” If I said it enough, maybe I’d even start to believe it.
“Sure, how long are you going to keep telling yourself that?”
“The measurements,” I growled, completely ignoring her question.
Jess was silent for a moment before responding. “I’ll text them to you for you to use at a future date. This time around, I’ll purchase her clothes and make sure they’re delivered to your penthouse by the time you get home. You’ll be sent my bill, of course. For my time and the purchases.”
“Of course,” I responded dryly.
“It’s always a pleasure doing business with you, Jareth. Toodles.” Jess hung up.
