Something flared up inside of Jamie. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it made her irritable and possessive.
Morning took forever to come and was there too soon. "Why are men such a pain in the ass?" She sat up on the couch and stretched, aching everywhere.
She dressed in a simple green dress and flats, pulled her hair in a messy bun and put on a little bit of lipstick. The weekend was upon them again, which meant that she might get some time with Alex one way or the other.
After fighting through traffic, she made her way into the office and walked through the lobby to see Nicholas waiting and chatting with Gina.
"Hi, Nicholas. Are you here to see Alex?" She stopped in front of him, and couldn't help but appreciate how nice he looked in his pinstripe suit. The man might be a little older than her, but he was intensely handsome.
"You, actually." He stood and picked up his briefcase. "I was hoping I could talk you into having lunch with me. All business. I promise."
She couldn't help but smile in response to the warm smile that slipped across his handsome face.
"Business? What business do you and I have to discuss? I've sent out all of the current literature on your investments and the financials aren't due until mid-summer." She reached out and pushed her door open, a little concerned at not seeing Paul there again.
She made a quick mental note to call him later that day to make sure he was really okay.
Nicholas followed her into her office, but stopped at the door. "I have a few buddies that I play golf with who are looking for new investments. I've been bragging about you and Alex, and I believe the two of them are almost interested in meeting with you. I was going to visit with them next week. I'd love to have a few portfolio packets and a little bit of history on the firm. I figured I'd take you to lunch so we could take our time walking through everything."
"Let me get this straight." Jamie set her bags down and turned to face him. "You want to have lunch so that I can train you to sell our investment products?"
He laughed. "Something like that. Would you be willing?"
"Yes, but when are you looking to meet with your buddies."
"Well, it’s a short notice, but I'd love to have lunch with you today. Are you free?"
"No, but I can squeeze in a late dinner I think." She moved to her desk and leaned over to review her calendar. Drinks with Gina at five and nothing else. "Yeah. Let's do seven thirty."
"Good. I'll meet you at Champion Grille?"
"I love that place. I'll bring a lot of goodies for us to look over." She ran her hands over her hips, smoothing her skirt absently. His eyes followed her movements, which made her feel a little more exposed than it should have.
"Good. I'll see you then, and I'll follow up with Alex next week on setting up the meetings."
They spoke for a moment more before he finally made his exit. Going to lunch with him would have been a better call, but she had far too much to get through before the weekend.
She checked the clock, groaning at the fact that it was already ten. She needed to start setting her alarm and getting in earlier again. If nothing else, maybe she could tell Alex that he needed to be stricter on her arrival time. The only way she could get up with the sun was to have him push the importance on being at the office by eight or so.
After piddling around her desk for a few minutes, she realized that she wanted to see Alex, wanted to feel his arms around her. He hadn't come home the night before, which meant that he was knee-deep in something. She moved to the door that separated her office from his and knocked twice before slipping inside. She glanced to the main office door, glad it too was closed.
Alex glanced up, his expression weary. "Jamie. I'm sorry about last night. I got caught up in the drama of this place."
"Well, not sleeping is going to leave you sick, grumpy and ineffective." She walked around his desk and pushed at his shoulder, forcing him to turn toward her. "Besides, I missed you."
"Not still mad?" He turned and reached up, sliding his hands over her hips and tugging her closer.
"No, this isn’t about being mad. Not everything is about ticking me off. I don’t understand why you think that way?”
“Every woman I’ve dated is always mad. It’s a man’s job to make them happy.”
She laughed. Was he being serious? She pressed her lips together when she realized he was. He had told her once that he didn’t know how to love, that he wasn’t meant for a relationship. She was beginning to understand why. “I'm here to help, but you're pushing me away. I’m not mad, nor am I the bad guy." She pressed her fingers into the tight muscles of his shoulders and melted a little when he moved closer and wrapped his arms around her, pressing the side of his face to her center.