15

15
I could barely focus as I drove to Jake’s house. I was the equivalent of a drunk frat boy because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the taste of his lips on mine and it made me uneasy. I hated feeling that way. I briefly wondered if I was doing the right thing by going to Jake but I didn’t know where else to go. I knew I would have to give my father an explanation but for the time being, I didn’t want to think about it.
Jake’s house was massive. It was roughly the size of my dad’s with a massive electronically operated gate, two floors and a large and open space around it. The garage itself was a completely different building and when I parked, I noticed a pool behind it. Jake was waiting for me when I walked out of the garage and from the look on his face, I could tell that he was concerned.
Once I was within arm’s reach, he pulled me closer to him. “Are you alright?” I nodded. “Are you going to spend the night or do you plan on going home?”
“I want to stay,” my voice was soft and I mentally cursed myself for it. Being vulnerable was not something I did often and yet I was doing it over and over again when it came to Jake.
“My room is the last door on your left when you take the stairs. Take a bath and find something to wear. You can come down when you’re ready.”
“Aren’t you worried I’m going to find your dirty little secrets?”
He smirked. “You’re my only dirty little secret. Now, go.”
I left immediately after that and followed his directions. His room was exactly as I had expected- black walls, massive bed, a fireplace and a couch directly in front of it. It smelled like him and I paused for a second to just appreciate the scent.
I spent longer than I normally would have in the shower because I was trying to avoid the impending conversation. When I got out of the shower, I noticed the clothes on the bed. I wasn’t sure if he dropped them before or after I got into the shower but I couldn’t help the small smile that grew on my face. His shirt fell to the tops of my knees and no matter how hard I tried; his sweats would not stay on my waist so I ditched them.
I made my way down the stairs and was greeted by the smell of chicken. Jake was setting the table and he didn’t notice me at first because I had ditched my heels in favor of walking barefooted. When he finally noticed my presence, he did a double take and I saw his grip on the plate tighten.
“There were sweats,” he said slowly. “Didn’t you see them?”
“They didn’t fit.”
He hummed but his eyes were running over my exposed legs. I liked the attention, it was easier to handle than the emotions brewing inside of me but just as quickly as it started, Jake looked away and cleared his throat. He gestured for me to take a seat and I hesitantly did so. He made rice and chicken.
“I know you’re coming from a dinner,” he began. “But I have a feeling you didn’t get to eat much. You don’t like to eat a lot when you’re out.”
It was weird how well he knew me. All this time, I thought I was the one who was watching him but apparently, he had his eyes on me too. I stuffed my mouth to prevent myself from having to speak.
My phone buzzed from where I had put it on the table and I saw my dad’s name flash across the screen. I wondered if someone had already told on me and he was calling to scold me. I had half a mind to ignore it but if my father is anything- it is persistent. I ended up swiping right and putting it on speaker.
“I’m guessing the first team bonding exercise was a complete failure,” he teased as a way of greeting. “It will get better, sweetheart, just try and stick with it.”
“I know,” I lied.
“I just wanted to tell you not to wait up for me. I don’t think I’ll be coming home tonight.”
I didn’t even realize that he had gone out. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” it was obvious that he was lying and I wondered what my father could possibly need to lie about. Was he seeing someone? “I have to go now, Hayley, I love you.”
I barely had time to respond before he hung up and I turned to Jake. “Do you know what that was about?” he shook his head. “Could you help me find out?’
Jake sighed. “Your dad is not a very private person so if he thinks this is important enough to keep private then you should respect that,” I didn’t want to agree but before I could protest, Jake cut me off. “Besides, we have more important things to talk about. What happened at that dinner?’
“Nothing,” the lie tasted like ash on my tongue and I turned to face my food but Jake was having none of it. He gripped the bottom of my chair and turned it so I was facing him.
“I’m feeling generous so I will give you one more chance to answer correctly or your ass is going to be red for days. What happened that made you call me sounding so fucking broken?”
I could have stayed quiet. A part of me wanted to do that but another part of me just wanted to be vulnerable with someone. I couldn’t remember the last time I had gone to someone with my issues so they could fix it. My dad tended to overreacts and I never had a mother to talk to so it was always just me and from a young age, I found that I could only rely on myself.
“Charles kissed me.”
Saying it wounded weird and it made the memories come back full force. I wanted to push them out of my mind but it seemed like they were cemented. I risked a glance at Jake to gauge his reaction but he was just seated there immobile. There was something flickering in his eyes but it was gone before I could figure out what it was. After a long pause, he turned to me.
“How did this kiss happen?”
I fought past the knot in my throat to explain everything and he listened intently. I didn’t want him to see me differently so I glossed over the part where I tried to push him off but Jake was ever attentive and he heard every word because his eyes narrowed.
“It’s not a big deal,” I ended with and that was what seemed to piss him off.
“He grabbed you and despite your struggling he didn’t let you go. How can you say it isn’t a big deal?” he all but yelled. “Are you even listening to yourself, Hayley?”
I shrugged. “I have to work with him, I can’t make a big deal about it. Besides, I already told him that I was going to report him to HR if he did it again. I have it handled. I don’t want to make a big deal about it.”
That seemed to annoy Jake even more because he stood to his feet and ran his hand through his hair. He opened his mouth to speak but shut it and let out a heavy exhale through his nose. It was clear that he was pissed but what I didn’t understand was why.
“If you want to say something then say it,” I muttered as I crossed my hands over my chest. “There’s no reason for you to be pacing like someone lit a firecracker up your ass.”
He turned to me. “For someone so smart, you can be so dense sometimes. Do you expect me to just sit comfortably and continue with the conversation after what you told me?”
“That’s exactly what I thought.”
He stopped pacing and came to stop in front of me. He grabbed my shoulders in a firm but not bruising grip. “That’s not how it works here. When you tell me a problem, then I have to fix it.”
“No, you don’t, I can handle it.”
“That doesn’t mean you should,” he sighed before placing a soft kiss on my forehead. The kiss was deceptively calm and I knew immediately that he was planning something so I took a step back.
“What are you doing?” I asked but he stayed silent. “You aren’t going to hurt him.”
“I’m not going to hurt him,” he repeated but that feeling didn’t leave me.
“Jake, I’m serious.”
“Do you realize how serious this is? If Michael heard about this he would be pissed off. If my niece told me that anything like this happened-”
“Did you just compare me to your niece?” I scrunched up my nose. “I didn’t know you were in the business of fucking your niece.”
“Don’t change the subject, Hayley. We are talking about you.”
I crossed my hands over my chest. “I think this is a more important topic. Don’t let me get in the way of your scandalous family affair. I can leave now.”
I turned to leave but he grabbed my arm. I didn’t know why I was making a big deal out of nothing but I was willing to do anything in order to get the attention off me. Jake turned me so I was facing him and he grabbed my jaw in one hand.
“You will stop this bratty attitude now,” his voice was a clear order and I squeezed my thighs together. “You will go upstairs and get into bed like a good girl and we are not going to talk about my niece or Charles again. Am I clear?”
In that moment, I would have crawled if he asked me. There was not a single part of me that wanted to refuse him. I nodded and he took a step back and gestured towards the stairs. I didn’t need any other signal before I took off in that direction.