Jameson thought about that a moment as Mariana entered his mind. He needed to know more about her. He thought about how she brought over those appetizers he had asked about. She didn’t have to do that. Besides, she actually didn’t even flirt with him. It was like she did it just to make him happy. How come there wasn’t a catch? Maybe they were both wrong and maybe Jax and Jameson were the targets. Trust didn’t come easy for Jameson, and now this whole situation just a got a bit more crazy.
Chapter 4
Mariana unlocked the door to her apartment. The moment she did, she knew that there still wasn’t any heat working in the crappy apartment. She closed the old door that always had a draft and locked both locks, including the one she installed herself after the multiple muggings and assaults in front of the apartment building.
She shivered. She was tired, hungry and—damn, I forgot to hit the store.
She threw her bag and pack onto the small beat-up sofa that came with the apartment. Turning on a light, she looked at the thermostat and shivered some more. Forty-seven degrees? Shit, this is going to be a cold night again.
The thought of taking a hot shower and washing her hair was all she imagined on the bus ride home. Now, she would be shivering when she got out. Plus she had a test to study for.
Mariana was feeling the stresses of her daily routine. She looked into the refrigerator. Yogurt or yogurt? There were only two left and both were the same flavor, strawberry.
She shivered again, grabbed the yogurt, and closed the refrigerator as the cold air made her feel worse.
She washed her hands with warm water, letting the hot liquid ease the ache from her frozen fingers. She would need gloves to sleep in tonight. Layer upon layer, she wasn’t going to get a good night’s rest.
She grabbed a spoon then headed toward the couch. She wrapped a throw blanket over her shoulders then sat cross-legged on the couch. She didn’t dare remove her sneakers yet. Her feet would freeze.
Opening the yogurt, she sat back and tried to relax her aching muscles. She had had a lot of deliveries today after school this morning. But one delivery stood out from the others. The one to X-Caliber Enterprises. She gulped down the spoonful of yogurt, instantly feeling her belly tighten. This was not a good dinner by far. She finished it off in no time at all then sat back and thought about how hungry she still was. The cold air penetrated through the thin blanket and she leaned back, closing her eyes wishing she were someplace different.
Instantly she saw herself between two men. Jax and Jameson. She knew it was them as she tried her hardest to make the images stop. This was happening to her all day today. Every time she had a moment to think or to close her eyes to rest, she saw them. One was kissing her shoulder and the other cupped her face between his hands. She could practically feel the warm breath against her lips. She could tell even with eyes closed that both men were big, much bigger than her, and strong, too.
The images in her mind would switch. One moment it would be Jax, and his dominant stare held her in place. He was a man of power and control. His clothing, his clean-cut face, and firm mouth and jaw spoke volumes. He was a man not to reckon with and a man who got what he wanted. So why was she so turned on by that? Men with money and power were evil and manipulative. They would never take a woman like her in her current position seriously. Then she thought about Jameson. Oh God, was he so damn sexy, too. Either man could stop traffic. She was on the receiving end of some vicious eye daggers when she left their office. Every woman in the place stared at her with hatred. She swallowed hard. Jameson seemed so sad the other night. Yet today, he looked different. He seemed determined or something. She was attracted to him, too. That was what made her panic. They of course came right out and said they were interested in her. Yeah, great, just what she needed, two wealthy men who liked to play games and who wanted to play with her at the same time.
She gasped as a small bit of cream dripped from her pussy. She placed her hand over her belly as her mouth gaped open. Did she just react like that? She slowly pressed her fingers past the waist of her pants to her panties. As she felt the dampness, her breasts perked up and her nipples hardened. She closed her eyes, and Jax and Jameson filled her thoughts. She felt her swollen clit. It felt hot and sticky. She was shocked and then came the annoyance. She pulled her hand from her pants and stood up abruptly tossing the blanket onto the couch.
She wasn’t going to jerk off just because two hot sexy men wanted to have sex with her together. She wasn’t interested in that or in them. Men were pigs. She learned that. She wouldn’t play their games no matter how good their lines were or how hot and excited they made her feel.
She pulled clean clothes from the one small dresser in her tiny bedroom. Tossing the stuff onto the bed as she looked for her extra-heavy hoodie sweatshirt, she couldn’t stop the sensations running through her body or mind.
She felt needy. She was lonely and annoyed with her life. Mariana knew that she was attracted to the two brothers. Today in their office she practically moaned at the way Jax stared down into her eyes. She shivered at the darkness of his blue eyes. Jameson’s matched his, but Jameson looked ready to cause anarchy or be wild. That thrilled her inside.
“Stop it. Stop thinking about them and making them into something you can’t have,” she stated aloud as she held her head and tried desperately to stop their images from appearing.
She grabbed her clothes and headed to the shower realizing that she no longer felt cold but entirely too hot for a woman standing in a fifty-degree apartment all alone.
Stay away from the Spaulding brothers. They’ll hurt you worse than Gavan did.
* * * *
The rest of the week seemed to have flown by. She was pleasantly surprised to receive a package at work when she signed out for the night.
“Who is it from?” she asked Al, her boss. He wasn’t exactly a friendly guy, but he paid on time.
“Some guy dropped it off. That’s all I know.”
She waved good night then headed out of the office. She was curious as to what it would be. She never received any packages, or mail, at her apartment. It wouldn’t be there when she arrived anyway. People stole constantly. She didn’t even use the mailbox at the apartment complex for that reason. Instead she kept a box at the courier’s office and only because Al let her have it for five dollars a month. But she usually only got bills. She felt anxious about the box. Maybe it was a mistake? Who would send her something? She couldn’t wait to see as her curiosity had the best of her. She had never meant anything to anyone before. At least not enough to send her a special box at work. She released an annoyed sigh. Why am I getting teary-eyed? It’s just a damn box and probably a mistake.
Sitting down on the bench outside the office, she began to open the box. Inside was a note then something covered in purple paper.
She opened the note and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was from Freda Mulsberry. She welcomed her to the business and told her she may have an assignment. She followed with instructions including meeting her tonight at Sassy’s. That was a top-of-the-line dress store uptown. The sound of a cell phone ringing made her jump. She realized instantly that it was coming from under the purple paper. She undid the paper and saw a very high-tech cell phone. That was a luxury she could never afford. She assumed she was to answer it and immediately took the call.
“Hello?” she asked hesitantly.
“Hello, Mariana. So wonderful to hear your voice. So I see you got off at the time Al said you would and that you received my package. Very good. Now I need you to walk outside. My driver, Benny, will take you to meet me at Sassy’s. Time is of the essence,” she said.
“Okay,” Mariana hesitantly replied then heard the phone click.