Page 7 of Extra Dirty

Frank, God bless him, doesn’t embarrass easily. Nor does he take directions lightly. He presses me against the glass to block my body from being exposed, and then he slips his hand out of my panties, smooths down my skirt and dips his chin so our faces are inches apart. “You okay?” he asks, his voice low.

I can barely swallow, let alone reply. At my lack of response and frozen stature, Frank presses even closer and spins cautiously, making sure I’m hidden behind his body. “Hanson, to what do we owe the pleasure?” he says casually.

As if my ex didn’t just walk into my office while my brother’s best friend was getting me off.

I repeat. What the actual fuck?

I can’t see Jay over Frank’s back, but the tremor in his voice is hard to miss. “I-I came to see Cat.”

Closing my eyes, I fight off the wave of emotion that just hearing his voice conjures. Thirteen years. One little girl. He doesn’t get my tears.Fuck him.

Three deep breaths, and my armor is back in place. I step around Frank, and with my chin raised, I stare down Jay. “Come to gloat?”

His face falls, and what looks like confusion swims in his eyes. “What? No, why would I gloat? I came to see how you were holding up.”

I don’t believe a word out of his mouth, but I take the opportunity to study him before answering his question. His hair has gone a little more dirty blond. Or maybe those are grays mixed in with his fair hair. Unlike Frank, there’s no scruff on his face. He wears a blue Tom Ford suit that highlights his physique. While he was in good shape when we were younger, it’s clear he’s harder now. His shirt strains against his muscular chest, and although he’s still lean, he’s filled out.

Though there are lines around his eyes now, the color is just as bright. And right now, his irises are as frozen as an icicle as he stares back at me. There’s a hint of the boy I used to love within that body, yet he also looks like someone I’ve never met. Then again, the boy he claimed to be was nothing but a mirage. A person who convinced me he loved me completely and then disappeared from my life without a backward glance.

I sigh. “Why do you care how my grandfather is doing? My brother is taking over. So you can fuck right off. Whatever you think you can do to our company isn’t going to happen.”

Jay closes his eyes and lets out a pained breath. “Didn’t your grandfather talk to you?”

I settle myself against the corner of my desk and fold my arms across my chest. “My grandfather can’t exactly talk right now.”

Jay lets out a choked sound and runs his hands through his hair, tugging on the strands so hard it looks painful. He looks at the floor and then back at me again before flicking his gaze to Frank. “Could you give us a minute?”

I laugh. I don’t actually mean to, but I can’t help it. “You walk in on us, and then you have the nerve to ask if he can leave?” I shake my head. “You’re unbelievable.”

Jay rubs his thumb against his lip, and my heart clangs. It’s what he always did when he was looking at me years ago. “You two a thing now?” he asks in a gruff tone.

Since I have no interest in being embarrassed by whatever will come out of Frank’s mouth, I hop up before he can respond. “That’s none of your business. However, we werein the middle of something.”

He winces. “Fine, come upstairs and find me when you’re done, then.”

“Upstairs?” Fuck. I just want this conversation to end, but every time I think I’ve almost gotten out of it, he says something else that leaves me asking for more.

For the first time since Jay walked in, I see a hint of the boy I remember. His lips curl like he knows he’s caught me. “Yes, upstairs. I’m your new boss.”

5

MAYBE BY MATTHEW NOLAN

Jay

I’m shaking when I get back to my office. Clenching my teeth so hard I’ll likely break one.

“Mr. Hanson,” my secretary says, swallowing hard when she sees my face, “can I get you something?”

“Unless you have a time machine or a shotgun, Elyse, you can’t help me,” I reply without thinking.

She blanches.

“Just get my brother on the phone,” I say, flicking my wrist in her direction.

She nods without asking for clarification. She knows which brother I want. Elyse has been with me since I graduated from college. When I transferred my office toJolie’sheadquarters for the foreseeable future, I asked her to make the move too. I didn’t demand it—although I could have—because, for the most part, I’m a good boss. And Elyse would probably smack me on the back of the head. She’s in her early sixties and treats me more like a grandson than her boss, which is exactly what I need.I’ve got legions of people who will bend over backward to do my bidding, but she’s one of very few who will stand up to me and tell me things I don’t want to hear but often need to.

“And a whiskey,” I add.

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