Broken (Breaking the Rules) (16 page)

“Andi, I want you to find a new focus. Now that you’re out of school and are no longer with Bray, what do you do with your time besides work at the café?” Dr. Sweeney asks me.

I frown because I do absolutely nothing. All I do is replay the events of the last few weeks over and over. When Pepper isn’t busy trying to distract me, it is all I can think about. I can hardly sleep because the thoughts consume me. Even though I am no longer distraught, I still can’t stop them.

“I don’t know what I would do. There isn’t much I care about besides Pepper,” I tell him honestly.

“I know, Andi, which is why you need to find something. Try some things out. Yoga, kickboxing, reading, pottery, bunko—anything besides what you’re doing now. You need to do some soul searching. That’s your homework this week. Find something new to think about. I have faith in you that you’ll find something.

“Andi, I also want you to try and go on a date. You are a young, attractive woman, and I fear you might end up a little jaded. I’m not saying that you need to go out and find a husband. What I’m saying is that you need to have fun and get out—without Pepper. She’s your crutch, and you need to learn to stand on your own again,” he told me.

I feel nauseous at the idea of dating, but I nod my head to appease Dr. Sweeney. “Good. Now don’t show up next week without a new hobby,” he instructs, smiling at me as we conclude our session.

When we arrived at the apartment, I made him stay in the car while I ran up to grab my things. Mostly, I wanted to tell the girls about my day without Jackson in earshot.

I walked in the front door to see Olive reading a novel on the couch and Pepper glaring at her laptop. Tossing my keys and purse on the table by the door, I ran over to Olive and kissed her forehead. She smiled at me and blew me a kiss.

Making my way to Pepper, I closed her laptop when I plopped down beside her. She huffed in annoyance but couldn’t stop the smile that formed on her face. “What are you so happy about, Andi?” she asked grumpily.

I hugged her and laughed. “I had the weirdest day today. Jackson is outside waiting in the car. I’m going to spend the night with him tonight.”

“Hold up. As of yesterday, he was an ass. What’s so different about today?” she demanded.

Olive chimed in before I could answer. “Andi, I am just blown away by the fact that you’re still seeing the guy and the weekend is over!” She clapped her hands excitedly.

Pepper and I giggled at her. She was so damn cute. “Well, things were looking up this morning. I was in Man-Killer mode and even left the panties at home,” I explained, winking at Pepper, who just rolled her eyes. Olive gasped at my proclamation.

I continued my story. “So I got to work and there was a note from Jackson saying we should have lunch in his office again. I was on cloud nine when I went into the conference room to meet the new architect I’ll be assisting. Jordan was his normal happy self. But Jackson—his face lit up when he saw me and I almost melted,” I tell them dreamily.

“Go on, Jennifer Aniston,” Pepper smarted off to me.

“Anyway, the other chair turned and it was—”

Cutting me off, Pepper sneers, “Fucking Brayden.”

I nod my head and continue. “So Fucking Brayden got up and hugged me, a little too long for comfort. When we pulled apart, Jackson was killing him with death rays that were shooting from his eyes.

“The meeting was short, but afterwards, Bray stopped at my desk and told me how pretty I was. No surprise there,” I winked at them. “I worked and worked until I realized I had been stood up for lunch by Jackson.”

“No fucking way. What do you see in that asshole?” Pepper fumed.

I sighed but continued. “Well, Bray realized that I hadn’t eaten yet by around two and fetched me a sandwich when I nearly fainted. I ended up dropping the lid and he got an accidental view of the goods.” I paused, letting it sink in.

“Oh,” Olive whispered.

“God, Andi, you are such a hooch,” Pepper scolds me.

I laugh again.“He acted all shocked that I wasn’t wearing panties, and Jackson walked up, interrupting his peep show. He looked pissed but then Brayden went off on him for standing me up.”

Pepper chuckled because, even though she hates Bray, she liked to see Jackson get the short end of the stick too.

“So he must have felt like an ass because he apologized and disappeared to his office. He called me in there a little while later and fucked me on the credenza.”

Olive screeched and Pepper cursed at me.

“And his dick was still in me when Bray knocked on the door. Jackson told him that I’d be right over after we finished up and proceeded to clean me up with Bray on the other side.”

Pepper was shaking her head at me, muttering under hear breath, and Olive was fifty shades of crimson.

“So then Fucking Bray decided that he thinks I’m so hot and he wants me so bad. Again, no surprise there. I basically told him to fuck off and bolted from his office.

“Here’s where it gets good. So Pepper here canceled on our wine date because she lost her main sponsor. I ran and told Jordan so he would call her and take over the spot.”

Pepper interrupted me. “Hold up, you had a hand in that?” she interrogated, agitation lacing her voice.

I nodded beaming, completely proud of saving her ass. “Yep. How’d it go?”

Rolling her eyes, she groaned, “Well, I told him I’d think about it. He’s so damn sure of himself, like he knows I’ll agree to his requests. I’ve been trying all night to email other potential sponsors, but most everyone has already made commitments and can’t agree to such a costly sponsorship so late in the year. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

This time I rolled my eyes, making Olive giggle. “Duh, Pep. You take the Compton Enterprises sponsorship. Really, it’s a no-brainer. Now call him and agree!” I griped at her.

She huffed, picked up her laptop, and stalked to her room, ignoring me. I shrugged my shoulders and went into my own room. Quickly, I packed all of my things for tomorrow and headed back out into the living room. I waved to Olive and ran back downstairs to Jackson.

THE NOT-SO-DARK DAYS…

The camera costs just fifty bucks so I buy it. I begin snapping pictures of whatever I can find just to learn how the thing works. Getting the hang of it, I start taking snapshots of buildings in the early morning sun when I am nearly blinded by the reflection of the windows. I also take pictures of them on gloomy days as the rain saturates their surfaces, giving the buildings a gleaming façade.

Photography consumes me. I research it on the internet. I borrow books from the library on the subject. And even participate in an online class to learn more about apertures, ISO, f/stops, and natural light.

Pepper allows me to litter the apartment with photos of the buildings so I can make critiques and choose my favorites. Dr. Sweeney will be so proud. Now, for the whole dating concept…

When I climbed back into the car, Jackson was sprawled in his seat, scrolling through his phone. He looked so relaxed and content. Tossing my stuff into the floor, I slammed the car door shut and pounced on him.

He laughed when I started kissing his face all over, trying to be obnoxious. I was in a playful mood this evening. Finally, he palmed my cheeks and held me still so he could kiss my lips. We made out like two teenagers during the short drive to his loft. Helping me out of the car, he grabbed my bags and we practically ran to the elevators. When one opened, he dragged me inside.

Realizing we were alone, he pinned me to the wall and slid his hand up my skirt. I gasped as he slipped a finger inside of me. His mouth found my neck as he pulled his finger in and out at an agonizingly slow speed. I was moaning and begging him to go faster when the doors to the penthouse opened up.

Pulling his finger from me, he took my hand and led me into his loft. Immediately, he jerked off my jacket and began pulling off my camisole. I jerked at his belt, efficiently whipped it off of him, and started working at the button on his pants. When I successfully got the zipper down, I yanked down his pants and boxers, freeing his cock.