Page 62 of Boss with Benefits

Brady waved a hand over his shoulder, not bothering to stop or slow down. If he didn’t go now, his buddy would keep him talking until he missed his flight. He pushed all thoughts of Jessica out of his head and climbed into his car. There wasno way he was calling her. They’d already said goodbye, and the first time was bad enough. He didn’t want a repeat performance.

Besides, she would be better off without him, both herandthe kid.

∞∞∞

She went into the office even though it was late and the employees were gone. There were decisions to be made. She would have to tell everyone in the morning that Brady was gone, and she needed to warn them they might need to find other jobs. Without him, she wasn’t sure she could keep the agency going. Even if they found a new photographer, she wasn’t sure she wanted to continue on with their work.

Taking an empty elevator up to their floor made her want to weep. She wobbled on rubbery legs and came close to falling to her knees again, missing him so much it physically hurt. Who would have thought she’d miss his silly elevator game? She wished he knew how much he’d hurt her by leaving. It was like he had reached inside her and pulled out her heart just to stomp on it. Maybe if he realized how much she loved him, he would change his mind and stay.

She thought about calling him. Several times. She picked up her cell phone more than once, but she didn’t press his name. If he didn’t love her enough to stay, she couldn’t force him into it.

She went to his office instead of hers and lingered in the doorway. The sight of his desk, the surface wiped clean, startled her. She’d never seen his office look so empty. He had left with no intention of returning. Ever. A wave of anger crashed into her, momentarily pushing aside the sadness, and she wanted totrack him down just to punch him in the gut. Maybe then he would understand how she felt.

There was an unopened crate near the door. Someone had signed for it and hadn’t bothered to let her know. She took a closer look and found a small white card attached. It had her name scrawled across the top in Brady’s handwriting. Why hadn’t he mentioned he’d left something for her?

She was about to open it when the office phone rang. Because her curiosity had been piqued and there was no turning back now, she put the caller on speaker while she fumbled with the crate. “Elite Images,” she said, automatically calling out the name of the agency. “How can I help you?”

“May I speak with Brady, please?” a woman asked.

Jessica rolled her eyes. Why did it have to be a woman? The ladies were constantly calling Brady. Some were models. Some were past girlfriends. It had annoyed her even before they got together. Now it just made her mad.

“He isn’t here,” Jessica said. “In fact, it’s after office hours. We’re closed.”

The voice hesitated for a moment and then asked, “Is this Jessica Bishop?”

“Uh... yes. Who am I speaking to, please?”

“This is Mindy.”

Jessica shrugged at the phone and made a face. The name didn’t ring any bells. Was this woman one of their former models?

Before she could ask, the voice added, “I’m Randy’s wife.”

Jessica’s heart dropped to her stomach. Her pulse jumped, and she held her breath. Why in the hell was Randy’s wife calling her? Was she going to try to get her hands on Axl even though Randy had signed away his parental rights?

“Hello?” Mindy asked, “Are you still there?”

“I don’t know why you’re calling Brady, but I have nothing to say to you.” Jessica started to turn away from the phone. She changed her mind almost instantly and turned back to the speaker. “You know what? I do have something to say. Howdareyou try to take my son? Where do you get off, bitch?”

For a second, she thought Randy’s wife would hang up, but the woman didn’t disconnect the call.

“That’s fair,” Mindy said. “But I want you to understand something. When I found out I couldn’t have a baby of my own, I lost my mind. I’ve been dreaming about being a mother since I was ten and—”

“Your inability to have children doesn’t give you the right to takemyson!”

“No. It doesn’t.”

Jessica glared at the phone, and she lowered her voice. It wasn’t any fun to yell at someone who kept calm. “What do you want? Why are you calling Brady?”

The woman gushed, “I wanted to thank him again. He has given me the most generous gift, and I will never forget it.”

“What did he do?”

“Didn’t he tell you?” Mindy asked.

“Obviously not.” Jessica folded her arms and leaned against his desk. “Answer the damn question. What did Brady do for you?”

And why would he do anything for Randy’s wife? That was the real question.

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