Wait for Me / Trust in Me (23 page)

“I don't want to talk about it right now. Can we please just go?”

Jason pulled back and looked down at Maggie's face. She was pale and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Something was wrong. Something had happened, and while he wasn't going to push her right this minute, he knew he wouldn't rest until he found out. He led her to their waiting car and they rode back to the hotel in silence. Once inside, he let Maggie walk to the elevator while he headed to the concierge desk and ordered some tea to be sent up to her room.

He joined her moments later, and when they arrived up on their floor, he took the room key from her, opened her door, and followed her inside. Jason could be patient when he needed to be, but right now he felt anything but. He stood back and watched as Maggie kicked off her shoes and placed her purse and briefcase on her desk before collapsing in the oversized chair next to the window.

“Maggie?” he asked softly. “What happened back there? Did someone upset you?” By now he had figured out she wasn't sick. There'd been no signs of that on the ride back to the hotel, so his next thought was that someone had caused this. “You can trust me, Maggie,” he said when he saw the hesitation on her face.

“Three years ago your father saved my life,” she said in a voice devoid of emotion. “I worked for a big company as an executive assistant and I was away at a conference with my boss.” Maggie stared out the window. “I had no idea that my boss had no real interest in the conference; he had brought me there to seduce me.”

Jason felt fury rising inside of him. He tried to think of every face he had seen tonight and figure out who had done this to Maggie. His thoughts were interrupted when she continued to speak.

“I was so naive. I honestly had no idea what was going on. He had booked all the travel arrangements when that was normally my job, and instead of questioning it, I was thankful to have had one less thing to do.” She grew silent for a moment and collected her thoughts before going on. “We arrived in California and I was so excited because I had never left the East Coast. When we got to the hotel, he checked us in. Again, I didn't see anything wrong with that. I had never gone on a business trip before, so to me, it was all completely on the up-and-up.”

“Maggie, you don't have to…”

She faced him briefly. “No, it's okay, Jason. I want you to know.” Maggie turned to look back out the window again. “It wasn't until we got up to the room and he closed the door behind me that I realized that something was wrong. He was so quick; one minute we were talking business and the next all of my personal belongings were snatched from me. He laughed and said how he'd been planning ways to get me alone for months. I tried to leave; I was clawing at the door as he was clawing at me. When I finally got free he told me that if I went to the management or to the police, he'd tell them it was a lovers' spat and that I was blackmailing him for money. I knew they'd believe him over me. After all, he was a big-time executive and I was a nobody.”

“That's not true, Maggie,” Jason protested, but she wasn't listening.

“So I left the room and got down to the lobby and realized I had no place to stay, no money, and no ID. That's when your father found me. He was so nice.” She stopped and smiled at the memory. “I was so scared and he just sat with me in the lobby on the sofa and told me about himself, about his family, and then he offered to buy me a cup of coffee. He showed me his ID. By the time we were done with coffee, he had worked out a way to get my belongings back and offered me a chance at a new life and a new job.”

Jason couldn't help but smile. That was his dad. William Montgomery took care of others and it was just one of the reasons that people loved him. He thought back to his first meeting with Maggie and how he had sensed that there was more to the relationship between her and his father and now he understood it.

Standing, Maggie walked over to her mini fridge and pulled out a drink for each of them. Jason waved her off. “I asked the concierge to send up some tea for you. It should be here any minute.”

She smiled sadly at him. “You are so much like your father, Jason,” she said softly. “You take care of people.”

“I only hope that I can be like him. Dad's an incredible man.”

“You're more like him than you think.” They were interrupted by a knock at the door and Jason walked over and let the uniformed server in. He set up the tray with tea and an assortment of fresh fruit and cookies on the table. Jason tipped and thanked him and then went back toward Maggie. She poured them each a cup and they sat in silence for several minutes, each absorbing all that had been revealed.

“He was there tonight?” Jason finally asked, breaking the silence. “Your former boss?”

“Yes.”

“Did he speak to you?”

Maggie nodded. “When Alan called you over after dinner, I went outside and walked down to the beach. I just wanted a few minutes to feel the sand between my toes.” She gave a mirthless laugh. “I never heard him approach. I was just standing there enjoying the sunset and the ocean breeze and then there he was. He asked if I was going to lead you on back at the hotel and then cry foul.”

“Son of a
bitch
,” Jason muttered and then stood and began pacing the room. “Why didn't you come and get me?”

“I had to face him, Jason. I have been hiding for three years. I never saw him again after your father found me in that lobby. If I was ever going to be free of this…this nightmare, I had to face him. I did my best, I really did. I held on to my dignity and didn't let him bully me and then I walked away with my head held high. By the time you found me, I just crumpled. I held it together as long as I could.”

Her voice broke on the last word and then the tears finally fell. Jason was instantly at her side and he pulled her close. For the first time in three years, Maggie finally let herself cry openly in front of another person. Maybe now it would finally be over. Maybe now she wouldn't have to feel like an idiot. Or a victim. She had gotten away from Martin before he was able to do anything, and she knew now that she had done nothing wrong. It was a relief. She had let him have three years of her life, and now she was free.

She cried into Jason's shirt, and when she realized what she was doing and made to pull away, he simply held her closer. “Your shirt,” she whispered.

“Don't worry about my damn shirt,” he said gruffly and led her over to the bed. Gently he sat her down and then went over and closed the drapes. “I think you've had enough today. A good night's sleep will help a little, I hope.” He smiled down at her. She was still dressed in her black pencil skirt and white blouse, but her hair was mussed up from her walk on the beach and all that had happened afterward, and her makeup was practically gone, and yet she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

“Sleep in tomorrow. I can handle the Hardwell people on my own,” he said as he took a step away from her.

“That's not necessary, Jason,” she protested and stood up. “You hired me to do a job and—”

“To hell with the job, Maggie!” he snapped and then cursed himself when she winced. She'd had a traumatic night and yelling at her wasn't helping. He took a calming breath. “Look, it's just that I know you've had an emotional night and I want you to rest and relax. I don't want you to have to be looking over your shoulder in case this guy shows up anyplace else, okay?”

She nodded and Jason took a step toward her and gave her a gentle shove to make her sit down again. “Try and get some sleep, Maggie,” he said softly.

“I doubt I'll get much sleep. If I close my eyes, I'll just see him,” she said sadly. “I'm probably going to channel surf for a while.”

Jason sat down beside her on the bed and took her hand in his. “You have to at least try and sleep.”

Maggie turned to him and gave him a weak smile before shaking her head. “It took months before I was able to close my eyes and not see his face after it happened. I'd sleep with the TV on just so that I wouldn't hear his voice in my head.”

“Where was your husband during all of this?” Jason asked although he really didn't want to know.

Maggie didn't understand the question at first. Husband? What husband? In all of the turmoil, that little white lie had been forgotten. How was she supposed to respond? What would a husband do? “Um, we weren't married yet but whenever I let it get to me, he would just hold me until I fell asleep.” She hoped that's what husbands did but right now, she couldn't find the strength to care.

Jason nodded and released her hand. A million thoughts were racing through his mind, but first and foremost, he wanted to be the one to hold her until she fell asleep tonight. It was beyond inappropriate and he knew he could never voice that out loud. Maggie had been through enough tonight with her previous boss without having to worry about her current boss harassing her, too.

“I wish there was something I could do or say right now to help,” he admitted. “I don't think I've ever felt so helpless in my life. Thank you for trusting me with this, Maggie, but I have to tell you, I want to know who it is and go after him and beat him senseless for what he's done to you!”

Jason stood and was about to walk away when Maggie reached out for his hand and pulled him back to her. “That won't help anything, Jason. And I should be the one thanking you.”

“For what? For making you go to that damn dinner? You said you didn't want to go and I forced you. That means it's my fault this happened, Maggie! Do you know how that makes me feel?”

She knew exactly how he felt, because it was written all over his beautifully expressive face. Without thinking, she reached out and cupped his face in her hands. “Jason, you have nothing to be sorry for.” She held her gaze steady with his, willing him to see how sincere she was. “No one could have predicted this happening. Thank you for being there when I needed someone, and thank you for sitting here with a near-hysterical woman and calming her down.”

Jason reached up and placed his hands over hers before pulling them away from his face. Her touch was killing him. “I wasn't there when it really mattered, Maggie,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion.

“You're here now,” she whispered. “And I don't want you to go.”

He stared down at her. What was she saying? “Maggie…I…”

“I don't want to be alone,” she admitted. “I just want…I need…”

“What?” he asked so softly that she almost didn't hear him. “What do you need? Anything, Maggie. Anything you need, I'll do.” He took a step closer.

She took a steadying breath. “Will you hold me?”

As if she were made of spun glass, he carefully enveloped her in his embrace. “Yes,” he whispered into her hair and just reveled in the feel of her wrapped in his arms.

“Stay with me tonight, Jason.”

He leaned back and looked down into her face. “I don't know if that's such a good idea.”

She gave him a small smile, stepped out of his arms, and turned to pull down the comforter on the bed and turn out the bedside lamp. “I trust you, Jason.” She sat down on the bed and reached for his hand. “I just need you to hold me.”

Jason kicked off his shoes, removed his belt, and joined her on the bed. There they lay, completely clothed, and clung to one another for the rest of the night.

Jason woke first. They were still wrapped around one another as they had been last night, and he found that he could get very used to waking up with Maggie in his arms. Her hand was resting right over his heart; the hand that bore the ring of another man.

“Dammit,” he whispered and then gently tried to disentangle himself from her. Maggie let out a small sound of protest and when Jason was standing and looking down at her, her eyes fluttered open.

“What time is it?” she whispered.

“It's almost six,” he said, trying hard not to let the anger he felt at himself show. When Maggie made to rise he held up a hand to stop her. “Go back to sleep, Maggie. It's early yet.”

“I have to pack and we've got the meeting at nine and…”

“I'm going alone. I told you that last night. You can stay here and pack. I'll send the car for you around eleven and we'll head to the airport.”

“I can be packed in fifteen minutes, Jason,” she countered. “There's no reason for me not to go with you.” She rose from the bed.

With a huff of frustration, Jason took a step back. “This isn't up for discussion, okay? I'm telling you, as your boss, that I am going to this meeting alone. I want you to stay here and make sure that everything is packed up and ready to go when the car arrives.”

As if the “boss” line wasn't enough, his tone said it all. It was clipped and sharp, and was almost enough to make Maggie burst into tears. Again. “Fine,” she said softly. “I'll make sure everything is taken care of.” Before Jason could say another word, Maggie stepped around him, went into the bathroom, and closed the door.

He took the hint.

Silently leaving the room, Jason walked across the hall to his own room. Once the door was closed behind him, he slumped against it and cursed himself. What the hell had he been thinking spending the night with Maggie? It was all innocent, but did it really make a difference? She was another man's wife and he had no right to spend the night in her bed. And the fact that she was his employee only made it worse.

Jason always considered himself a reasonable, level-headed man, and yet right now he was feeling anything but. He could go to this meeting this morning without Maggie and it wouldn't be a hardship, but what was he supposed to do once they were in the car together riding to the airport? Or flying home? Hell, what was going to happen once they got back to the office? How could he possibly look at her, spend time with her knowing that he had crossed so many lines with her?

If her husband came and kicked his ass, he would take it. It was no less than he deserved. Jason had never gone after a married woman. He'd never even given one a second look. That was a line he never crossed. He believed in the sanctity of marriage and never wanted to be the cause of someone's marriage breaking up.

Until Maggie.

What was it about Maggie Barrett that had him breaking all of his rules? She was supposed to be the answer to all of his problems, but had ended up causing a whole lot more.

Jason dragged himself away from the door and went about the task of packing. It would be good to get home and sleep in his own bed tonight. The thought of this trip finally being over was more of a relief than he ever thought possible. He needed to get his head back on straight, and maybe by the time they returned to the office on Monday he would have an answer for how to work with Maggie
without
working with Maggie.

It was early and he was organized, so the process of packing took little to no time and Jason found himself sitting on the edge of the still-made bed wondering what the hell to do next. Reaching for his phone, he decided that he needed to talk to someone other than Maggie.

He decided to call the one person who would understand what he was dealing with better than anyone else.

“Somebody better be dead or dying for you to be calling this early,” Lucas said sleepily into the phone.

“Good morning to you, too, Brother,” Jason said, forcing the chipperness into his tone.

“Jason?” Lucas asked, coming a little more awake. “What's going on?”

“Look, I'm sorry to be calling so early in the morning but…I've got a situation on my hands and I need some advice.”

“Give me a minute to get out of bed so I don't wake Emma,” he said quietly and Jason could hear the rustling of blankets as Lucas got up.

“I wouldn't have called so early if…”

“No worries, Jace,” Lucas said. “Are you home already? Did everything go okay on the trip?”

“Everything is fine with the trip. We head home today after lunch.”

“Okay, if it's not about the trip, then what's up?” Lucas asked around a very loud yawn.

Jason sighed. Where to begin? “You know how I've been having problems keeping an assistant ever since you and Emma hooked up?”

Lucas laughed. “You did make for some unforgettable stories. Personally, I thought that all of the women would go after Mac; after all, he's the next in line to take over Montgomerys.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Jason snapped. “I'm the better looking one.”

That only made Lucas laugh more. “Sure, you keep telling yourself that. Most women are looking for money
and
power. Mac has got that.”

“I've got that,” Jason mumbled.

“No, Brother, you're the typical middle child. You do your best to stand out and believe me, with two such spectacular brothers, I know it can't be easy for you!” Lucas was clearly having fun. It had been far too long since they'd just bantered like this.

“Why did I bother calling you?”

“Beats me, but believe me, I'd rather be back in bed with my beautiful wife than sitting here listening to you whine about…wait, what did you call about?”

“I was getting to that!” Jason snapped and then let out a huff of frustration. “How did you deal with your feelings for Emma in the beginning? You know, with her working for us?”

“Wow…” Lucas began, “I don't know. I struggled with it. A lot. When we were snowed in at my place, that was the biggest hang-up for me. I mean, I didn't want to cross a line with her or have it come back that I had sexually harassed her or anything, but she let me know that it wasn't about work or Montgomerys. She was attracted to me.”

“Yeah, but…when you both came back to work, wasn't it awkward?”

“Well, yeah, a bit, but that was because I still had the mind-set that I didn't want a relationship. I had to get my head on straight and I didn't want to drag Emma down with me. I was in love with her, but I thought it was better to stay away. Only I couldn't.”

“Would you still have felt that way if Emma had been involved with somebody else?”

“Oh, shit, Jace… What have you done?”

“Nothing!” he replied defensively. “At least, nothing that bad.”

“How bad?” Lucas asked.

“My assistant…Maggie?”

“Did you sleep with her?”

“No, not really…”

Lucas growled. “It's a yes or no question, Jace. Did. You. Sleep. With. Her?”

“Well…”

“Isn't she married? Wasn't that part of your criteria, that the person who went with you on this trip be married? How could you do that?”

“I can't explain it, Lucas. That's why I'm calling you. It's a freakin' mess and I don't know what to do!”

“Start at the beginning and tell me everything that happened. I can't get you out of trouble if you start leaving crap out.”

So Jason told Lucas about their trip, from the kiss at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to their spending the night together fully clothed in Maggie's bed. Then he waited for Lucas to say something. After several tense and silent moments, Jason finally spoke. “Well? What am I supposed to do?”

Lucas let out a pent-up breath. “You need to talk to Maggie, man. You have to know what she's thinking. I mean, you can't just assume that you're both on the same page. A lot of what happened sounds like you were caught up in some weird moment and last night? Well, that was just a bad situation and it can all still be strictly platonic. But she's married, Jace. There's no way around that one.”

“What do I do when we go back to work on Monday?”

“You're going to have to talk to her. If you're feeling awkward, chances are that she is too. She may not want to stay on as your assistant, but you can't just make that assumption and transfer her; you could be looking at some sort of human resources claim on that one.”

Jason preferred to think that Maggie wouldn't go that route. Then again, he also preferred to think that Maggie wasn't really married, or was maybe in the process of leaving her husband, so his conscience could be clear.

“That is not a conversation I want to have,” Jason admitted.

“Believe me, I didn't want to have to admit to Emma that I was afraid to get involved with anyone but once the words were out, it was like a giant weight had been lifted.” Lucas paused for a minute. “The thing is, Jace, I can tell you about me and Emma all day long. She wasn't a married woman. We were two single people who were attracted to one another. You and Maggie may very well be attracted to one another, but do you really want to pursue something with her? What about her husband? How would you feel if you found out some other man was hitting on your wife? And it was her boss? You can talk to her about where she'd be comfortable working, but I would strongly advise you not to pursue this relationship.”

Jason knew his brother was right and he knew these were things that he needed to hear. He had no idea how he was going to go about working with Maggie, seeing her every day and not acting on his feelings, but he was going to have to find a way.

“I know you're right, Lucas. I just needed to hear somebody say it out loud to me.”

“I'm sorry, man. I know you were kind of hoping for someone to give you the okay to have your cake and eat it, too. But that's not going to be me. Hell, I hope it's not anyone. You need to get home and put an end to this.”

“I will. And thanks, Lucas. I'm sorry I got you up so early.”

“Don't ever apologize for calling when you're in need. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to bed to kiss my beautiful wife awake and get on with my day.”

“No need to brag,” Jason mumbled.

“Hey, it's been a while since I had anything to brag about. I'm just making up for lost time.”

It was hard to begrudge him that. They said good-bye and Jason was left alone with his brother's words. It was now after seven and Jason knew he had to get ready for this last meeting and face Maggie and the decision he had to make.

* * *

Maggie had been ready and waiting in the hotel lobby at eleven o'clock when the car arrived for her. The driver informed her he had been scheduled to pick her up first and then go and get Jason. Once they had gone across town to pick him up, they were on their way to the airport.

“How did the meeting go?” she asked tentatively.

“Just as planned; he signed,” Jason replied, checking his phone for voice mail or texts, anything to distract him from having to talk directly to Maggie. They drove in silence the remainder of the way to the airport and checked in the same way.

By the time they were seated in first class for their flight home, Maggie had had enough. “Look, I know this trip has been difficult for you because of me, but I have had enough of the silent treatment!”

Jason turned and looked at her. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, please, you heard me just fine. I'm sorry I have been such a burden to you. I know you thought you had hired someone who was professional and had her life together, and instead you got stuck with me. I'm sorry I had a meltdown last night and I'm sorry I crossed a few lines with you. But we still have to work together and that's kind of hard to do with you ignoring me!”

He could only stare.
She
was taking responsibility for crossing lines? Didn't she realize he was crossing them just as much? “Maggie, you had every right to your meltdown last night and it was because of me that it happened!”

She held up a hand to stop him. “I don't want to spend the entire flight laying blame. All I'm saying is that I want to keep working with you, Jason, but I can't if you're going to act like this.” Her brown eyes were wide and pleading, and Jason wanted to put her mind at ease.

“I wasn't sure you'd want to keep working with me,” he finally said. “I know I put a lot on you during this trip and I didn't always act like I should have. I honestly don't know if our working together when we get back is for the best.”

There, he'd said it, put the ball in her court.

Maggie continued to stare at him. “Oh,” she said quietly, disappointment marking her features. “I guess you could be right. I'm sorry you feel that way. I thought I had done a good job for you and…”

“No, Maggie, it's not that you didn't do a good job. You did a great job! On everything! It's just that…we seem to have a problem working…together. Do you understand?”

She didn't want to, and so rather than continue with this uncomfortable conversation, she decided to change modes and pulled out her tablet to go over his morning meeting. If Jason had wanted to pursue their original conversation, he chose to say nothing. They transitioned smoothly back into work mode and by the time they landed in North Carolina two hours later, Maggie felt confident that while she may not be working for Jason much longer, she had fulfilled her obligation to him and his father for this project.

They walked into the terminal. Maggie was determined to get to baggage claim and get home before she let herself cry. A strong hand on her arm halted her progress. “Maggie?” Jason said softly as she turned around to face him.

This was it, she thought. He's going to give me the speech now so that there would be no scene at the office on Monday. As much as she willed it not to happen, tears began to well in her eyes. She took a deep breath in a feeble attempt to calm her nerves.