"Fuck," she whispered as her body followed his command without question.
Chapter 5
Jamie woke the next morning to find the bed empty beside her, but a little note on a piece of red paper fluttered down from Alex's pillow as she reached out for him.
A smile touched her lips as she lifted it to read three words. I love you.
"Mmmm, me too, baby." She tugged the covers up and let out a content sigh, glad for a long night pressed to the bed beneath her man. It set things right, and whereas no one could possible understand why, she was good with it. "Now to deal with my family."
A groan left her as she pulled herself up and took a quick shower. There was far too much to do that day in the office to call in and head over to her mother’s, not to mention the fact that no one would be there. She'd have to catch them after work, maybe for dinner.
With Stephen having gone to the press, her mom and dad must have known. Why hadn't anyone called her? It's not like they would be okay with his actions. At least her father wouldn't.
She blow-dried her hair and put on a simply black dress and some red jewelry for accent. After walking Jake around the backyard for a few minutes, she had a piece of toast and drove to work in silence. The horrors of her past rolled over her, one shitty memory after the next. Her mother had never been accepting of her, and though th
ere was a slight break in her berating over the last eight months, Jamie came to realize that it was namely due to her mom's desire to impress Alex. Everyone knew Alex Reid and wanted his attention. It would seem her own mother was no different.
How her father could stand to be in the same house with her was a mystery. Jamie refocused as a large semi pulled in front of her on the freeway, causing her to swerve and almost hit the guy to her right.
"Shit!" She hit the brake and gained control of the car before pulling into another lane and working to slow her racing heart. "Crazy idiot. Jeez. You didn't see me?"
She drove by the truck, looking back at him to make sure he knew she was pissed. Not that it mattered. He didn't pay her a bit of attention.
"Typical." She pulled off the freeway and parked in the large garage beside Reid Enterprises, but didn't get out right away. The fear of almost dying on the road left her a little itchy and agitated. Her phone buzzed, and she checked it to see her mother was calling. "Not happening."
She dropped the phone in to her purse and got out, walking to the building and through security before her phone rang again. She pulled it out, half expecting it to be her mother, but found her dad was now calling.
"Dad?" She pressed the phone between her ear and shoulder and got into the crowded elevator. She caught her father mid-sentence.
"...she's not going answer just because it's me. Oh, hi, Pumpkin. It's Dad."
"I know, Dad. I have your name plugged into my phone." She closed her eyes. Why didn't she just let him go to voice mail? She could hear her mother in the background, bitching up a storm because she answered her father's call and not her mother’s. Damn it to hell.
"Oh, right. Sorry." He cleared his throat and said something Jamie couldn't understand. "Have you read the paper lately, Jamie?"
"Yes." She let out a long sigh. "I can't talk about this right now, but I'll be by tonight to figure it out. It's rather disturbing, to say the least."
"Yes, I would agree." His voice grew dim and her mother's filled up the line.
"Why did you answer your father's call and not mine? Something could have been wrong. Not that you care," her mother barked into the phone.
"I was in the security station at work, Mom. It wasn't meant to be—"
"Did you really let Stephen film you guys having sex?" Her mom was being entirely too loud.
Jamie clicked the off button and dropped the phone in her purse as her cheeks burned. Today wasn't going to be as bad as yesterday if she could do anything about it. She'd fight with her mother later that night over Stephen's lies, but not in the middle of an elevator full of people.
Kristen glanced up as Jamie walked into the office. "You look like you've already had a day and a half."
"I have. Almost died on the freeway, and then I accidentally answered a call and it was my mother." Jamie forced a smirk as she pressed her forearms to the front desktop. It was odd not seeing Gina sitting there as she had since Jamie started with Alex. Far longer than that, but either way... it felt as if something was missing.
"What happened on the freeway?" Alex stopped in his doorway and nodded for her to join him.
"It’ll get better. I promise." Kristen patted her arm and offered a warm smile.
"I sure hope you're right." Jamie walked into Alex's office and dropped her stuff in the nearest chair before walking to him and sliding into his arms. "I almost got in an accident. Stupid 18-wheeler pulled into my lane and didn't even notice me there."
"That's not good." He brushed his fingers by her cheek. "You're okay, though?"