Beneath This Man(88)

Jesse must detect my uneasiness because he instantly pulls back and looks at me with an enquiring eye. 'Who is it?'

'Oh, just a client.' I shove my phone in my bag. I'll call him back. 'I'll see you at your place.' I go to walk away, but he grasps my wrist.

'Damn it, Ava. OURS! Who was it?' His sudden change of temper catches me off guard.

'It's Mikael,' I grate. 'Just a client.' I add, to reinforce Mikael's status in my life. This might be one side of Jesse that I cannot cure; his insane jealousy and possessiveness. I yank my wrist free from him and start the short remaining distance to my office, leaving Jesse on the pavement. And he called me the green eyed monster?

My phone starts ringing again, and I retrieve it as I enter the office. 'Mikael,' I greet.

'Ava, I'm calling to confirm our Monday appointment.' His soft voice seeps into my ears. Jesse might see him as a threat, but he's not, although his voice is really quite sexy. 'Would midday suit?' he asks.

I collapse in my chair and swivel to face my desk, horrified to find Jesse stood over me, prowling like a raging beast, his chest heaving. He looks incensed. I scan the office and see Tom and Victoria sat at their desks watching intently, making no attempt to hide their interest. Then I glance over my shoulder to find Patrick in his office, but, thank God, he's oblivious, looking completely wrapped up in something on his computer screen.

'Ava?'

With the impending drama unfolding before my eyes, I forgot that I'm in the middle of a business call. 'Mikael, I'm sorry,' I look up at Jesse questioningly, but he ignores me, continuing with his menacing performance with no regard for our location or spectators. 'Yes, fine.' I try and sound professional and assertive. I fail miserably. I sound edgy and nervous.

'Are you okay?' His question throws me. Clearly I don't sound okay.

'Yes, fine, thank you.'

'Good. So, you broke your own rule?'

My heart skips a few beats. 'Pardon?' I squeeze the word through my sudden nervous breathing.

'Jesse Ward. He's a client, yes?'

I don't know what to say. No, he wasn't a client, not when I was working on Lusso, but I'm not stupid enough to point that out. Mikael knows I'm supposed to be working for Jesse. Supposed to be. I haven't been back to The Manor yet, and Jesse hasn't pushed it. 'Yes.' It's the only word I can think of.

'How long you have been seeing him?'

My blood runs cold as I search my brain for the right thing to say. 'Urhhh, a month-ish.' I stammer down the phone. Why is he asking this?

'Hmmm. That's very interesting.' he replies.

My blood runs even colder. Why would that be very interesting? I'm still staring into the green eyes of the man I would die for, and I've got another man on the end of the phone sounding like he's got something to tell me - something that's going to send me crashing and burning from Central Jesse Cloud Nine, not that I'm on it at this particular point in time.

'Why would it be?' I ask. I sound terribly nervous, which is fine because I am. What does he know?

'We will discuss that when we meet.'

'Okay.' I hang up. That was unbelievably rude, but I don't know what else to do or say. Jesse is crowding my desk, looking like he might rip my head off, but for what? Bloody hell, in the space of five minutes, we've gone from cavorting on the pavement to a Mexican stand-off.

We stare at each other for a while and I flick my gaze over to Tom and Victoria, who seem to have settled in for the show. To be fair, it is pink elephant room territory. He's not to be ignored, and even if their heads were down, I know their full attention would still be on the brooding man looming over my desk, emanating hostility. Their brazenness could be classed as brave.

I settle my eyes back on Jesse, but I'm reluctant to make the first move for fear of it all blowing up and Patrick coming to investigate the commotion. I can't sit here all day looking at him, though. 'I'm at work.' I say quietly and tightly. I've no faith in my feigned stanchness. He looks fit to burst with rage.

'Who was that?' He nods at my phone.

'You already know the answer to that question.' I say, placing my phone on my desk. Was his performance in front of Mikael anything to do with this? Mikael knows something and Jesse knows he does. That much is obvious.

'You won't see him again.' he grinds the words out, clearly and slowly.