Page 36 of Unbossly Manners

“Time to go,” Selena said.

“Where are you going?” Jackson asked.

“To get Peyton’s stuff from her old apartment.”

Jackson shot to his feet, the pillow falling. “I’m coming with you.”

Selena’s eyebrows shot up, her gaze on his crotch. “Would you like us to give you a moment?”

“It’ll be gone soon,” he said unperturbed. “That motherfucker needs to learn a lesson.”

“Okay, Vin Diesel, but Chip’s not gonna be there. That’s why we’re going now.”

Jackson slid the clean shirt over his head, swung his shoulder bag on, and marched forward.

“What the hell did I walk in on?” Selena asked softly.

“A very promising start to our lessons,” I said.

“His chivalry to protect your honor is hot as hell. I think he may have turned me straight.”

“No, he didn’t.”

“True. Cocks do nothing for me. But if I shoved my hand down your pants right now, I bet there’d be a puddle of desire.”

I pushed her out the door.

It was more like a bucket.

thirteen

“Thanks for helping with my stuff.” I pressed my fingers to my lips, holding back a laugh. “And for breaking the door down.”

“I broke the lock. Let’s not get too excited.” Jackson spread his palms wide on his desk and smiled.

It had been four days since he’d gone with Selena and me to my old apartment, but this was the first moment I’d had to chat with him about this or anything.

I sat on his sofa, eating my breakfast sandwich. Analise wasn’t in yet. Jackson was at his desk half-working, half-talking to me.

“Next time, I’m charging for my services.”

“So the first time’s free?” I teased.

Winona had known I was coming over to get my things, but when we arrived, she hadn’t been there. And she’d changed the locks. After thirty minutes of ignored texts and calls, Selena was ready to break in and attempted to, but in the end, she only bruised her shoulder.

It was Jackson who’d kicked the door, splintering the wood and breaking the lock.

“She shit a brick when she saw it,” I said.

“Good. That sounds like it would hurt.”

I laughed.

“And how did your internal organs hold up after that night?” I waggled my eyebrows and bit my cheek to keep from chortling.

After we’d gathered my things, we went to Rudy’s, a dive bar that serves free hot dogs. Jackson scoffed at the salmonella sausages (as he called them), but Selena and I scarfed them down. We drank until late and eventually forced a piece of hot dog into Jackson’s mouth by holding his nose and prying his lips open. It was a sight; two women—one tall and lanky, the other short and spunky—holding down a grown man.

When he spit it out it flew across the bar and landed in some woman’s over-teased hair, unnoticed. Selena and I fell to the grimy floor overcome by laughter. I thought Jackson would be furious, but when we picked ourselves up and ventured a glance at him, he was laughing just as hard.

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