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  When we kissed, I’d gotten to see the hot, sexual side of her. That side was my favorite thus far. Her body had melted to mine, and I couldn’t wait to claim it. It was like she craved my touch. I sure as hell couldn’t get enough of hers. But when I laid her down on the couch, things had gotten weird. The moment I’d put my hand in her shirt to touch her breast, she’d rolled her eyes back and turned into a ragdoll.

  It had completely freaked me out. When she started gagging, I’d feared that she had been having a seizure. The tear that had escaped her eye had given me a brief glimpse into the woman that’d been protected by the icy, tough exterior. And fuck if I didn’t want to protect her too. She’d not wanted to talk about whatever it was that had upset her, but I would get to the bottom of it. I needed to find out who hurt her.

  The phone ringing pulled me from my thoughts of Pepper. “Jordan speaking.”

  “Jordan, it’s Joel. Lou Jennings doesn’t like your offer. He said you were lowballing him and it was insulting. He wants us to meet with him and his lawyer in person. I know his lawyer and he’s a hardass. They won’t leave until they get what they want. Just make the deal, Jordan.”

  My blood started to boil. I absolutely hated this fucker, Lou. How could my dad have even considered doing business with such a scumbag? Most people would have just handed over the money that was requested so that it would all go away, but I wasn’t most people. I was a stubborn ass.

  “Fine. We’ll meet, but I’m not giving in to his full request. We’ve worked too hard to keep Dad’s company running for some asshole to come in and wipe us out of all our capital. Set up the meeting. I’ll meet with him and his lawyer.”

  After Joel hung up, I stormed around my office. Dad had really screwed us all over when he took the chickenshit way out. Clearly, between Nadia and these shady business deals, he had been in way over his head. Thanks a lot, Dad.

  Later in the afternoon, I got a pleasant interruption.

  “Jordan, hi,” Pepper greeted, walking into my office. I grinned at her as she closed the door behind her. She looked especially pretty today but I couldn’t figure out why.

  “You look nice today, Pepper.” She blushed but waved me away as she set some papers on my desk.

  “Well, Stan wasn’t happy about last night. He decided to take it out on me this morning by nitpicking everything I did. I just need you to sign a couple of these forms.”

  I scribbled my name on all of them and stood. She looked at me like she was warring between kissing me and running away. Before she could choose the latter, I strode over to her and cupped her chin in my hand. Lifting her face to mine, I bent over and softly kissed her perfect lips.

  Like always, she melted in my arms, which gave me the confidence to continue. Our kisses became more frantic and hurried. Her small hands slid into my suit jacket and rubbed over my shirt. All I could think about was how I wanted her touching my bare skin.

  I broke the kiss and moved my lips down to her neck. When I sucked gently on it, she moaned and her nails dug into my back. Groaning at how turned on she was, I continued kissing and sucking her neck, looking for the places that drove her the wildest. Once I found a spot near her ear that made her pant like a dog and mewl like a kitten, I paid special attention to it.

  Her hands slid up to the shoulders of my jacket and jerked it down. I shrugged out of it and yanked off my tie. My mouth found hers again, and I felt her hands go to the buttons on my shirt, quickly undoing each one. When she finished, I helped her pull it off of me. She pulled away to look at my bare, muscled chest. When her eyes met mine again, they were full of heat.

  Her hands tentatively touched my chest. She was so innocent-looking and unsure. I put my hands around her and grabbed her ass, hauling her to me. Her hands instinctively snaked around to my back. When I lifted her up, she wrapped her legs around me. I walked us over to the wall and rested her against it. We continued kissing, and her body slid down, rubbing against my hard cock. She moaned at the touch, and I nearly came in my pants with need.

  Before we continued, I needed to know what last night was about. I pulled away from her to look into her eyes.

  “Pepper, what happened last night?”

  Her innocent, sexy look transformed into a hard one.

  “It was nothing, Jordan. Are you really choosing this moment to discuss it?”

  “Pepper, you mean more to me than a casual fuck. I want to know what makes you tick. What excites you. What upsets you. What makes you you. Last night, you shut down emotionally. I need to know why.”

  She glared at me. Her chin quivered for the briefest of moments but stopped when she bit her lip. Her face was a lot more expressive than she probably thought it to be. Finally, she dropped her legs and pushed me away.

  “I need to get back to work.”

  She stormed out of my office and left me half naked, with a hard-on, but most importantly, disappointed. Whatever it was she was holding back, I would make it my life’s duty to figure out. She was worth it.

  “Daddy!” I exclaimed into the phone when I answered it.

  “Princess, how are you?” his warm voice asked. Things had been so busy lately that I hadn’t gotten over to visit him and Mom much.

  “Great. I’m working on getting things ready for the gala. Stan has been unusually stressed and taking it out on me.”

  “I’m sorry, darling. I guess I’ll have to come up there and kick his ass,” he teased but continued. “When do you think you’ll be able to visit your ol’ dad again? I miss your sweet smile. Dealing with asshole clients all day means I really miss the sunshine in my life.”

  I smiled through the phone. Daddy was my hero. He always had been, and when he rescued me from Cole, it had solidified it forever.

  “Well, I might be able to come to dinner tomorrow night. I can see if Olive could come too.”

  “Sounds good, honey. I’ll tell your mother to set an extra place for her. Let me know if that changes.”

  After we hung up, the grin stayed plastered on my face. But when I saw Stan standing in my office doorway, it quickly slipped away. God, he was such an ass. Hadn’t I dealt with enough assholes today? I’d already dealt with Jordan, who’d thought drilling me about my past was a much better idea than getting hot and heavy with me. Whatever.

  “Can I help you?” I asked him in a clipped manner.

  “Pepper, I’m sorry for being a jerk last night. You handled things well and even got a sizeable donation. I’m sorry I questioned your abilities. You’ve been nothing but a hard worker since you started here at the museum.”

  Wow. That was unexpected. “Uh, no problem. This museum is my life. Of course I’m going to do the best that I can. No worries.”

  He smiled, flashing his perfect teeth, and left. My life was just too weird lately. It seemed to be unpredictable, and I was having a problem dealing with that aspect.

  I stroked Andi’s hair as she snored softly in my lap. Olive had fallen asleep on the other side of the couch. These were my girls. Andi had been through hell and back, and Jackson still dicked her around. It really pissed me off. Bray could be the biggest ass on the planet, but even he was more likeable than Jackson. When Bray cheated on her and sent her into a spiraling depression that almost killed her, I nearly killed him. But at least he tried to be a nice guy—unlike Jackson the Jackass. I hoped that either Andi would get over Jackson or he would snap out of it and really love her like she deserved to be loved.

  Olive’s long legs were stretched out over the coffee table. The girl was angelic-looking. Her light chocolate skin was perfect and unmarred. When Andi brought her to the apartment that night a while ago, I’d wanted to say no. I’d been happy with having Andi all to myself. She had been my only friend and I hadn’t needed some leggy goddess stealing her away from me. But when Olive looked at me with her doe-eyed, innocent expression that pleaded for human connection, something in my heart had acknowledged the kindred spirit. We’d brought her in under our wing, and it was th
e best decision we’d ever made.

  Olive was such a fragile being. I’d always thought that Andi was the one who’d needed protecting and taking care of, but that was until I’d met Olive. Olive was almost childlike in her innocence. The problem was that her ex, Drake, had done something to steal that innocence away. I could see it in her eyes every time she looked at me. Sure, she hid it with smiles and jokes. But I knew the truth.

  I thought that the reason the three of us had connected so well was because we all had been broken in some way. Andi had everything from her cold, distant family, the horrific breakup with Bray, and now the confusion that was Jackson to define the woman she had become. Olive had a prior abusive relationship—probably both physical and mental in nature—to define her as a woman. And me, I had to live with the fear of what Cole had almost done to me had Daddy not stopped it. It prevented me from being a normal person. Hell, I’d even embraced the shitty nickname he’d given me, preferring to use it over my own name. Every bit of what he’d managed to do to me in the span of such a short time defined me.

  I just hoped we would all make it out on the other side. Happy, loved, and unscathed. A girl can dream.

  My phone chimed, alerting me to a text. It was late so I was worried who might be messaging me at this hour. Pulling it from my pocket, I frowned once I realized it was from Jordan.

  Jordan: Pepper, I’m sorry I upset you. I just want to know you. J

  I wanted to say a lot of things back to him. I overreacted. Or mind your own fucking business. Or find someone else to fix. Or I want you to know me too. But instead, I just set my phone down and chose silence.

  Walking into the conference room at Jennings’s Holdings, I nodded at Lou and his attorney before sitting beside Joel.

  “Now that we’re all here, we need to discuss finalizing these negotiations,” Joel told everyone.

  “I’m sorry about your father,” Lou’s attorney began, “but he began some deals with my client that must be honored. As you know, Mr. Jennings is a wealthy man. He’s made his money by making good investments. One of his investments was in a venture your father started. Their other partner, who wishes to remain unnamed, also has a vested interest in what happens with this deal. Unfortunately, your father passed away before he could distribute the earnings properly.”

  I interrupted him because he was already pissing me off.

  “Yes, it is really unfortunate that he passed away before Lou could get his money. So fucking unfortunate.” My jaw clenched. These people were unreal.

  Joel spoke up before I said something regrettable. “My client is upset because when we looked at the books, NAC Holdings wasn’t anywhere to be found. This means the late Mr. Compton created this fictitious company in a fraudulent manner. You can understand my client’s unwillingness to pay out on something that appears not to even exist. If you could allow us more time to research the matter, we would be happy to try to track down where this money went and funnel it on to where it goes.”

  Lou’s attorney spoke again. “Joel, while this makes sense, my client is on a deadline with those funds. Mr. Jennings does not deal in illegal activities, so whatever you presume is illegal comes from your end, I assure you. All that matters here was that he was promised a certain date that has come and passed, which has pushed back his other business deals. My client is losing money because of this foul-up. He is owed the 1.2 million and expects it immediately. And as promised, once the money is paid, the other two companies will drop their suits.”

  I gritted my teeth, furious. If we handed over that money, it would put our company in a precarious position, and I didn’t feel comfortable with that.

  Where did Dad put that money?

  “I’ll give you half now, and when I locate the rest, I’ll wire that over as well. Give me two weeks to find it. Lou,” I said, facing him. He’d been silent the entire time. “Lou, I’m good for it. I know Dad did some shady stuff, but I assure you I will pay out. Just don’t kill the company in the process. Let me find it.”

  His features softened only slightly before he nodded in agreement. Lou’s attorney just shook his head.

  “This truly is against my client’s original wishes, but we’ll accept your proposition. The time is ticking, Mr. Compton. Find it. I’ll leave you with the wiring instructions.”

  When I got back to the office, I called Trent.

  “Change your mind? The girl not worth it?” he asked, chuckling into the phone.

  “No, man, she’s totally worth it. I just got back from the meeting with Lou Jennings. This shit sucks. We’ve been over the books and I can’t find what Dad supposedly did with it. They are demanding all of it but I talked them into half. I’ve already called the bank and wired the six hundred thousand to them.”

  “No shit? Well, that amount won’t hurt the company too badly, but once you wire the rest, you’ll be working with very little. If you all keep plowing ahead and business stays good, you might just stay afloat. What does Jackson say about it all?”

  “Jackson is letting me handle it all. He’s preoccupied with his new woman. We’ve hired a really good architect, so we should be doing well with gaining new clients so long as Jackson doesn’t run him off for looking at his girl,” I laughed. The whole situation with Lou stressed me out, but everything with Jackson was fucking funny.

  “Sounds like Jackson. Better start looking for a new hire,” he teased.

  “No joke. I’ll get right on interviewing some people. All right, man. Thanks for everything. I’ll keep you posted if I find anything out.”

  “Sure thing. But, Jordan? Look into your dad’s personal accounts. If someone was looking to hide company money, they might go that route. I’m sure Trish will cooperate.”

  “Good idea. Thanks again, man. Talk to you soon.”

  After hanging up with Trent, I dialed the florist.

  “Upper East Side Flowers, this is Maude.”

  “Hi, Maude. I want to have some unique flowers sent to a Pepper Jones at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Can you get those there today before five?”

  A woman stood in my doorway with a dozen red-and-white-striped roses.

  “Pepper Jones? These are for you.” When I nodded, she set them on my desk and left. They were gorgeous and smelled like peppermint. I smiled because whoever sent them was very thoughtful.

  Opening the card, my smile dropped.

  Pepper,

  I’m sorry if I offended you yesterday. Like I told you before, I just want to get to know you. I hope you like the peppermint roses. With a name like Pepper from a girl who chews peppermint gum like it’s her lifeline, the roses seemed to fit. They’re only half as beautiful as you. I look forward to seeing you at my mother’s tomorrow.

  Jordan

  A tear slipped down my cheek. Damn him for making me cry. Every time I was with Jordan, he weakened the woman I’d tried so desperately to be. I was tough, bitchy Pepper. The girl who had embraced the hateful nickname from high school and wore it with pride. So why did it seem like he was siding with all of those terrible people who chanted, “Peppermint Pussy!” in the halls? He didn’t even know the story, but I lumped him in the same category.

  “I don’t have time for this shit.” I dumped the flowers into the trash and left work to go have dinner with my parents.

  “How is your modeling going?” my mother asked Olive at dinner.

  “Great. I have a huge gig for Express on Saturday. I am really nervous about it,” she admitted, sipping her wine.

  “Olive, you will do great. I think, if you will allow it, this could really make your career,” I told her honestly. She grinned at me.

  When we finished dinner, Daddy asked to speak to me privately in the study. The nervous look on his face had butterflies dancing in my belly.

  “Princess, please sit down. I want to talk to you about something.”

  I took a seat in one of the chairs at his desk while he went around to the other side and sat down. His frown made me worr
y that something was wrong with Will or Mom.

  “Sweetie, I’m afraid I’ve done something to possibly put you in danger.”

  I frowned because he looked really upset. “I don’t understand, Daddy. You always take care of me.”

  “I know. I’ve always done my best to protect you. Even when that asshole Cole Stine tried to take advantage of you.”

  I shuddered at the memory and looked away from him. My hands trembled a bit so I clasped them together on my lap to get them to stop.

  “Anyway, I know I told you there was nothing legally we could do about what Cole tried to do to you. It was true. Nothing legal. But the more I thought about what he did, I was overcome with rage. I wanted to ruin his life. He nearly ruined yours. I can see that you still live with the effects of what he did. I mean, you go by Pepper for crying out loud. That didn’t come from nowhere. My friend Dan, your history teacher in high school, overheard the awful things those kids said to you because of Cole.”

  I just watched as my daddy feared what he had to say next.

  “So I pulled some strings. I represent the Chairman of the Board at Syracuse, where Cole’s scholarship was, and he owed me some favors.” He paused to look at me.

  I swallowed, worried about where he was going with this.

  “I spoke to him about the terrible thing he tried to do to you. He’s got daughters of his own, so it didn’t take much persuading to have him find a way to drop Cole’s scholarship. I thought that would be sufficient, but the Chairman took further steps to contact all of his people in the education system. No college would give him a scholarship to play football. He was on his own and his parents couldn’t afford to send him to the best of the schools. Cole was able to go to CUNY with the help of student loans, but football was out of the question.”

  My stomach churned at his confession. As much as I hated Cole and feared that he might try what he did to me with another girl but succeed, I still didn’t like the idea of Daddy taking such measures for a vendetta.