The Will (The Magdalene Series) (Volume 1)(105)

“Jake, I presume,” he said, his voice tight.

Jesus.

Was this guy…?

“You know me, I still don’t know you,” Jake stated.

“Henry Gagnon,” the man answered.

Yep. This guy was Josephine’s shit for brains boss.

It was not good the guy was good-looking. It was also not good he was well-dressed. It was further not good that he was clearly fit.

But mostly it was not good that he was there.

“Josie’s boss,” Jake said.

“Yes,” Gagnon replied, his voice still tight. “Josie’s boss and also more.”

“More?” Jake asked.

“Much more,” Gagnon answered and that was when Jake’s body got tight.

Did Lydie not know some of Josie’s history with this guy?

He opened his mouth to say something when Gagnon’s eyes went beyond him and Jake heard Josie cry happily, “Goodness! Henry!”

He twisted to look at her and saw she was still in her nightie, a black silk robe covering it, the robe not tied, and she was racing down the stairs, her face lit up, her eyes shining, her lips smiling.

She skirted him and the only thing that made him feel even minutely better at witnessing her excited reaction to seeing her boss was that she did this in a familiar and intimate way. This meaning she did it putting her hands to his back and stomach to steady herself as she moved by (because he sure didn’t move a f*cking inch to let her pass).

Then she flew the rest of the way down to Gagnon and he watched, his body so tight it felt his tendons would snap, as she lifted her hands to rest them on Gagnon’s chest and got up on her toes, tipping her head back.

Even though it looked like she was moving in for a kiss, or inviting one, Gagnon instantly dropped his bag, put his hands to her waist and shoved her back a foot. He didn’t delay in dropping his hands and moving away from her too, but he took three steps.

Jake descended the rest of the stairs as the air in the room changed and Josie asked with confusion, “What on—?”

But Gagnon cut her off. “This is a f*cking joke.”

Jake moved around her so he could see both of them. He positioned himself not close but not far and again crossed his arms on his chest as Josie asked, “What are you talking about?”

“This,” Gagnon replied, throwing an arm out. “You,” he went on, his arm going her way. “This guy.” He tossed his arm Jake’s way.

Jake said nothing as Josie followed the movements of his arm, her eyes not coming to Jake but to his chest when Gagnon gestured his way, something Jake didn’t like all that much. Then her full attention shot right back to Gagnon.

“I don’t understand,” she said softly and she sounded like she really f*cking didn’t.

“Jesus, Josephine, how could you not understand?” Gagnon bit out. His eyes flicked to Jake then cut back to Josie. “You failed to mention in all your talk about Jake just how close you were getting with Jake.” And after that, he jerked a hand up, indicating Josie in her nightie.

That also made him feel better and not minutely.

She’d talked about him to this guy.

A lot.

“All right, Henry, this is awkward to be certain,” Josie replied, taking another step back from him like she didn’t like to be that close to his anger at the same time thankfully closing her robe around her front and keeping her arms crossed there. “But I must note at this juncture that I didn’t expect you to be here. We spoke only yesterday and you didn’t inform me you were coming. This is a surprise.”

“I have to admit, sweetheart, having a second to think on it, this isn’t a surprise to me,” Gagnon told her before he looked to Jake. “Don’t get comfortable. I know she’s good but she rarely goes back for seconds.”

Jake felt his muscles expand, his gut twist and his neck get tight as he heard Josie gasp.

He knew she was good?

“Henry!” she snapped and he looked back to her.

“You can’t think in twenty-three years, Josephine, that the men you’ve f*cked haven’t talked. Half of them thought I’d already had you. Then again, if that was the case, they wondered why I didn’t keep you.”

She’d taken another step back, her face pale, and Jake saw that even in profile her eyes were wide.

“Why are you speaking to me this way?”

Suddenly, Gagnon leaned toward her and it was then Jake took a step forward. But he only leaned in and Jake stayed alert but stopped.

“Because, Josephine, I’m f*cking sick to death of this bullshit, watching you make your selections and waiting for you to be done with that shit so I can get my turn.”

Another gasp came from Josie but Gagnon wasn’t done.

“And now you’re f*cking a man who owns a f*cking strip club?”

Her back shot straight and her hands dropped but she was stuck at something he said earlier, “Get your turn?”

“Josephine, for f*ck’s sake, I’ve been in love with you since you walked in to interview with me two f*cking decades ago.”

Josie went still. Jake went still. The air went still.

Fuck, decades. He’d had her decades.

Jake had her for just weeks, he’d had her only twice, and now this * was finally letting this shit hang out?