Beale Street Blues by Angela Kay Austin Read Free Book Online

ripped the letter in half. "I don't need this, and you can't quit." She could, but he wouldn't allow it. He stuffed the torn pieces into his suit pocket, and forced himself to remain calm. "Sit down."
    "I have to go." She stared at his pocket, while she bit at her bottom lip. "I did what I came to do."
    Whatever would or wouldn't happen between them would be determined by them. No one would fill her head with lies. "Sit down, Darling."
    She hesitated, but finally she nodded her head and lowered herself into the chair. "Why did you do this to me?"
    "I haven't done anything to you." He reached for her hand, but she snatched it away. "Tell me what you think you know." He slid the glass of water near her hand.
    "What I know is that I saw Barbara crying in the bathroom." She lifted her glass of water and sipped. "And she told me that Rodney told her that you're '…all about me.' That what happened to her is because of me. Us. You."
    "Rodney told her that?" Rodney didn't know a damn thing. Jaxon felt certain of that much. If Barbara knew anything, she'd guessed it.
    "Yes." She crunched ice from her glass of water. "I need this job, but I won't screw you or screw Barbara over to keep it."
    He thought for a second. "Screw? Is that what we did?" It was beginning to feel like it was a hell of a lot more. Because he didn't know how to explain anything he'd done since that night. He'd even done an online search her Darling, North Carolina and found her bio from her old job. He was sure Rodney had hired her because she was beautiful, but she was probably more qualified than Rodney to run the damn division.
    "Jaxon, please. Don't."
    "Don't what, Darling? I'm only asking you a question." The plea in her eyes cut right through him because he knew exactly how she felt. Shit! For now, he would walk away from it. "Okay, Darling, for now," he continued, "Rodney doesn't know anything about me, you, or why I'm here." His anger and dislike for Rodney flared as he saw the hurt in her eyes. "I've had no conversations with Rodney outside of our meetings regarding the merger of your two workgroups." He waited. "Nothing. I promise you."
    "Then, why would Rodney tell her that?"
    He had one guess and he was sure he was right. "Rodney and Barbara have had a relationship for years."
    "I know." She twisted her mouth in distaste.
    "That relationship has secured a lot of opportunities for Barbara and a lot of sex for Rodney," he continued, "Rodney's covering his ass with her."
    "And using me as a scapegoat."
    The anger in her voice faded, but was quickly replaced with irritation. He hoped it was directed at Rodney and not at him. He kept his gaze on her face. "Sounds like it."
    "Either way, I don't want to be caught in the middle of all of this." She took one last long drink of water.
    Jaxon watched as her tongue darted out and pulled one of the ice cubes between her full sensuous lips. The droplets from the ice cubes moistened her lips distracting him from his thoughts.
    The sound of the cubes of ice crunching stopped, and she spoke, "I'm only interested in my work, not being a part of stupid office politics." She pushed her chair back and stood.
    "I'll take care of this." Hell, he had no idea how to get Darling either out of his mind, or into his bed. But, without knowing it, Rodney was fucking up his plans.
     
     
    No matter how badly she needed this job or any job, Darling wasn't going to let it, or Jaxon, hold her hostage. He may not have accepted her resignation, but she still planned to start applying for jobs as soon as she got back to her parents' house. The minute she found something—anything, she would quit, and he wouldn't be able to stop her.
    She gave herself kudos for saying what she had to say and getting it off her chest. But, her growling stomach didn't agree with her decision to do it before she ate. Sitting at the counter at The Arcade, a historic landmark, the oldest restaurant in Memphis, she ran through the scene again in her mind.