Trying To Be Good Book 2 Read online

  It was possible that he’d walked into trouble at some point in his life and didn’t want to talk about his regrets. Even though we had been intimate with each other a few times, he might not have thought I deserved his full life story. The idea bothered me, but I wasn’t going to pressure him. After all, he was working for me. Maybe he thought I scared easily. He wasn’t wrong.

  The meeting with Jonah made my stomach churn every time I thought about it. My instincts had told me to run, yet I was stupid enough to stay and almost get hurt because I couldn’t make my legs move.

  To distract myself, I headed off to work almost a half hour early. When it came to Reese, nothing could be sorted out until after we completed the building project. Then, I could worry about our future together, if it existed at all.

  When I got to the office, binders and paperwork were scattered over Allison’s side of the desk. It resembled the organization of my mind that morning, each time I thought of Reese. I was all over the place with him, and I wasn’t sure what box to neatly slide him inside.

  “Good morning,” I said, hanging my bag and jacket behind the door.

  “Hi,” Allison said without looking up.

  I sat in my chair. “What are you doing?”

  She sighed. “I should ask how you’re doing.” She finally met my eyes. “Sorry, I was a little distracted there. Are you all right?”

  I recalled the conversation we’d had on Friday, right after I’d spoken with Reese. “I’m fine.”

  She shook her head. “Those assholes. Anyway, I came in early this morning to look over the books for the company. We’ve grown exponentially over the last year, and the projections are insane. There’s no issue with funding, so there has to be some way of getting all our employees in one place.”

  I realized I hadn’t told her about my date with Reese and what he’d said. I was a terrible friend and employer. Before I could open my mouth, Allison continued.

  “We know the men in this town don’t want us here, so I think it might be best to move to California so that we can grow the business. We already have remote connections set up with our clients on the east coast, so there shouldn’t be any issues with moving our location. Plus, it will be a lot cheaper, and they don’t have mob bosses after us there. I ran some numbers, and this is completely doable over the next month or so.”

  I shook my head, but Allison was too deep in her work to notice. Leaving would only give them what they wanted. As much as it would be easier on my life, I wanted to dig my feet into the ground and never leave. I wanted to send them a big “fuck you” in the shape of a skyscraper, one that Reese would build for me. It was the only way to thank him after he somehow took care of the threats against me. If we left, then whatever he had done would have been for nothing.

  “I started my business here,” I said. “And there is no way we’re going to leave this town.”

  “You’re stubborn, you know that?” Allison asked. “Even after those guys confronted you? They have the funding to take us down at each step. Now they know what you look like and where we’re located. It would be a risky—no, a terrible—business move if we stay. There’s no harm in leaving after them threatening you. We can be successful anywhere with our client base. We’ll dominate any location at this point.”

  I was sure they’d already known what I looked like and where I worked for some time, but I didn’t want to give Allison any reason to fear for her life as I had. “It’s all taken care of.”

  Allison’s eyebrows rose. “What are you talking about? Did something happen?”

  Reese happened. To me.

  I nodded. “On Friday, before we talked, I spoke with Reese. It was more of me getting my feelings out about the situation.” I didn’t know why I felt I had to explain myself to her. “We went to dinner on Saturday.”

  Her eyebrows rose higher. “Dinner?”

  “Yes,” I said, waiting for her to elaborate her thoughts about the situation. But she didn’t.

  “He wanted to meet, and he told me he took care of it,” I said.

  She frowned. “Took care of it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Care to elaborate?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “He didn’t want to talk about it.”

  “Wait,” Allison said. “Back up, and let me get this straight. You were threatened by the mob to take your business elsewhere, but Reese took care of it?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. “He has it bad for you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “What are you talking about?”

  “Some mobsters threaten you, and he ‘takes care of it’?” She finger-quoted the last part. “Have any bodies showed up in the river?”

  “He’s not a murderer,” I said.

  “I know, but all that ink? He seems like a secret bad boy. I wonder if he roughed anyone up.”

  “We’re not dating,” I said. “He would have no reason to.” I didn’t recall any wounds on his hands or face when we met. It was possible he knew of someone who was connected and maybe made a deal of some sort. I almost didn’t want to know.

  “Do you think Reese has a connection with those men who threatened you?” Allison asked.

  “I don’t think he does.” The moment the words slipped from my mouth, I knew they were a lie. Reese might be connected somehow. It could explain his tattoos and scars. Lots of people had those physical markings, but when I met with Jonah, his two other goons had similar styles of body ink.

  Although if Jonah wanted me out of the city and he knew Reese, Jonah would have tried to stop him from helping me. It was all too mixed up to be true. I was trying to fit pieces into Reese’s background which didn’t belong.

  “He doesn’t seem the type,” Allison said. “Even though he’s secretive, whatever he did works in our favor.”

  “If I’m honest, it’s a relief. Now we can get back to business and not worry about getting rejected left and right from the crooked architects in this city. We can move past all that and get back on track.”

  “Well, we might have an idea for a building, but we need something sooner than that.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  “You don’t want an empty building for months while you’re getting employees to pack up their lives and move.”

  “What do you suggest?” I asked.

  “We need to rent a bigger space now, so we’re able to give everyone else ample time to find places to live. When we finish the building, the move for everyone will be much smoother.”

  It had been hard enough to get the plot of land and Reese on board. How the hell was I going to find a space big enough for my company, even as a temporary situation?

  “We need everyone in one location as soon as possible,” Allison said.

  “I understand.” She was right. “I’ll find a way to make it happen.”

  Chapter 5

  On any other day, I avoided the campus cafeterias. The food wasn’t terrible, but mingling with the students outside of class usually resulted in more work than my office hours. Some of my students looked at me as if they were spotting a tiger in the wild and took advantage by sitting with me to chat about class or issues they were having. As much as the thought made me cringe with the amount of work I already had, I needed to get out of my office.

  The first two days of the week, outside of class, I remained in the small space, speaking to students and reviewing my lesson plans, along with the finals in each class. On Wednesday, a sense of claustrophobia overwhelmed me, and I had to find a new place to work.

  I walked into one of the bigger cafeterias, finding my own table tucked away in the corner of the room. Someone passing through the room might not recognize me straight away. I opened my bag and spread my paperwork across the table, hoping anyone who did spot me would get the hint that I was too busy to be disturbed.

  This year, more than any other year in the past, had proved much harder when it came to concen
trating on the things I needed to do. Paige never left my mind, and I hated ignoring her. I’d invited her to come by the school since I was stuck here for the time being. She told me she’d try to make it work. As much as I needed to concentrate, I couldn’t help checking over my shoulder every few minutes, pausing at each female face to find her.

  About an hour into my work session, I caught her walking toward the doors. I waved her over.

  She could have passed for a student. Her youthful face cracked a smile, and I wished I had known her in college. I shook my head. Scratch that. I wasn’t good enough for her then. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I was good enough for her now. Back then, I would have sabotaged it somehow. This was the perfect time of my life to meet Paige, even though my past loomed over my head. Our heads.

  There was no chance I could unravel the tangled edges of what I’d started with her. Jonah already knew about our involvement together, at least at the professional level. Though, I suspected he knew about the personal one too. I wouldn’t have gone to see him over a project for some woman I didn’t care about. He’d keep that nugget of information in the back of his mind for leverage, but I never went back on my word. And despite being a mobster, neither did he.

  “I’ve been looking all over for you,” she said when she arrived at the table. “I went to your office.”

  I shook my head. “Sorry, I’ve been stuck there all week doing a lot of work. I needed a change of scenery. Please, sit.”

  She sat across from me, and I already hated the distance she put between us. It wasn’t her fault since I’d pushed away from her. She wanted to protect her heart, and I understood that. Maybe if I hadn’t been a dick to her all week, she might have sat closer. Then again, this was my place of work. It was possible she wanted to make it appear as if we were having a professional meeting instead of a personal one. I suspected it was a mix of both.

  “It’s finals week,” I said, hoping she understood.

  “I can see you have a lot going on,” she said. “We can meet another time if you want.”

  “No,” I said quickly. “I wanted to see you.”

  She grinned. “You did?”

  “Of course.” When it came to Paige, I wasn’t about to abandon my feelings for her. Jonah’s guys hadn’t appeared in my class this week, and I suspected he wanted to give me my space until I got all my affairs in order.

  Though, I didn’t miss the interested looks from my female students glancing up from their tables, scrutinizing Paige. How I wished I could have put my arm around her to show everyone, especially her, I was taken. At least, that was how I felt. I wasn’t going to put it into words yet. I couldn’t. Not when I had to fulfill my half of the bargain.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked her.

  She turned and glanced at the food stations across the room. “Are you?”

  “I need to eat.” I’d only had a protein bar earlier, and my stomach growled in appreciation for paying attention to it. During finals, I tended to be as stressed as my students. Deadlines loomed over my head as much as the exams did for them.

  “Sure,” she said, reaching for her bag.

  “It’s my treat,” I said, holding up my campus food card.

  “Are you ever going to let me pay for a meal?” she asked.

  “Not if I can help it,” I said.

  We walked over to the stations. There was a section for hot food. They served Philly cheesesteaks today. I tended to avoid the salad station since I’d seen many students’ dirty hands touching the tongs. I didn’t need to get sick right now.

  Instead, Paige and I went to the sushi station, where all the rolls were made fresh each day. She grabbed a small to-go box, and I took two more. She stood close enough for me to touch. How I wanted to touch her. I recalled Saturday night, and I wondered when that would happen again for us. She seemed as aware of me as I was of her. A few times, I caught her looking at me from the corner of her eye.

  I jumped at the opportunity when she reached one of the higher shelves of the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water. I pressed my body against her side. She inhaled a shuddering breath as I lifted two from the higher shelf.

  “Thanks,” she said, taking it from me. Our fingers brushed, and my cock twitched at the feel of her.

  We walked together to the cashier, closer than we had since she arrived. I swiped my card, and we headed back to the table.

  This time, she sat next to me. Under the table, I slipped my hand over her thigh, and she smirked and shook her head. I leaned closer to her. “I’m sorry about not staying in touch this week. When I get into my head, sometimes it’s hard to get out.”

  “Well, I can help with that if you want,” she said.

  “Promise?”

  She giggled. It was a beautiful sound which filled me with more pleasure than touching her skin. Well, almost.

  “This is really good,” she said after eating a piece of her roll.

  “You know how much these kids’ parents pay for them to come here? The food better be good.”

  “And you reap the benefits,” she said.

  “I don’t come here that often,” I said. “I have to reload the card with my own money. I usually bring lunch with me, but I haven’t had a chance to go to the store this week.”

  “Do you want me to cook you something for leftovers?” she asked, not meeting my eyes.

  An image of her wearing only an apron flitted through my mind. “You don’t have to. This is temporary.” Her face fell. “But thanks for the offer. I appreciate it. I’ll be back to normal soon enough. Maybe then, I can cook for you.”

  “You cook?” she asked.

  “I can boil water. And I make a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

  She smiled. “Tell me you can make a grilled cheese, and I’m yours.”

  I laughed.

  “Can I try one of yours?” she asked. “I’ll trade you one of mine.”

  I slid my box over to her, brushing her hand with mine. “Take whatever you want.”

  She did. I stared at her mouth while she ate, picturing those lips against my body.

  She looked at me, and I realized she had been speaking, and I’d completely ignored her.

  “Sorry, what was that?” I asked, dipping my head toward my food. I could blame lack of sleep if she asked why I dazed out.

  “This isn’t exactly a personal meeting. I wanted to talk to you about something that came up this morning.”

  I nodded. “Okay, what’s up?”

  “I spoke with Allison. She’s so on top of things. I need to give her a raise soon. She checked the books, and my company has grown much faster than we projected. I won’t be able to wait for the building before moving the rest of my employees to the city. I don’t know what I’m going to do. It was hard enough to get you on board. Finding a bigger space seems impossible.”

  “You don’t need something big to hold your employees,” I said, popping another roll into my mouth. “A small warehouse would do. It’s only temporary.”

  “I feel like finding a warehouse is going to be even more difficult than an office space.”

  “It won’t be,” I said.

  “Let me guess. You have connections to a warehouse?”

  I shrugged. “In fact, I do.”

  “Are you serious?” she asked.

  “I own one which you can use.”

  “I’m not sure,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

  I suspected a string of questions about my past, but instead, she waited, as if wanting me to explain on my own.

  “I’ll take you out there this weekend,” I said. “Then you can see for yourself if it would work. As a temporary situation.”

  She eyed me.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You keep saving me.”

  “I do?”

  She nodded. “It’s a bit strange to rely on someone else, but I’m glad that person is you.”

  My roll lodged in my throat, and I coughed.

  �
�You all right?” she asked.

  I cleared my throat. “I’m fine.” The closer we got, the more disastrous our situation would be when it came time to fulfill my end of Jonah’s deal. But I couldn’t help myself. For once, I wanted something for myself, and I was going to have Paige for as long as possible, no matter the outcome. It was selfish of me, but she made me feel better than I had in a long time. If we were meant to be, we’d find a way through it.

  “Sorry if I got all mushy there,” she said quickly, avoiding my eyes. “I think I’m hungry or something.”

  I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it. I liked it. I feel the same way.”

  “You do?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Can we see each other before this weekend?” she asked. “Unless you’re too busy. I would understand completely if you wanted to wait until the weekend or after finals.”

  “No, no,” I said, not wanting her to take back her invitation. “I can come over to your place tomorrow, but I might have to bring some work with me, if you don’t mind?”

  “Not at all,” she said. “Maybe I can help you somehow?”

  I nodded. “I think you can.”

  “And I’ll make dinner. Since you need to keep up your energy.”

  I had some ideas about how I could run out of energy, and it also involved food. I wondered if I could convince Paige to buy some whipped cream or something equally sweet to lick off her body. Instead of telling her all that, I said, “Sounds good.”

  “Great,” she said, leaning over and kissing my cheek.

  We were close enough for me to brush my hand over the side of her breast without anyone seeing. Her breath hitched, and her eyes flashed. We were also close enough to kiss, showing everyone we weren’t just friends, but if I kissed her now, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop. There was something about Paige that teased me to no end, with little effort from her.