I Do the Boss (Managing the Bosses Series, #5)(7)

"What am I looking for?" Nothing seemed of interest. A cat with fifteen toes. A woman back from the dead. A super horny slut to marry a... "No f*cking way."

"Right? Who is this Stephen guy, and what does he have against you?" Mark pulled out the chair beside him, and Jamie dropped down into it as she pulled the page up to her face. Sickness pulsed through her, and throwing up sounded like her next best move.

"Favored billionaire bachelor Alex Reid has once again proven himself a charitable, giving man to our great city. Only this time he's taking one for himself." She glanced up as sweat lined her forehead. "Is this shit for real?"

"I hate to say it, but keep going." Mark shook his head.

"It's a modern-day Pretty Woman story for the world to see. The woman who's captured his heart is not only his office maid, but just happens to be a sex-starved, uneducated, lady of the night." Jamie set the paper down and stood up as dizziness rolled over her.

"Jamie?" Mark stood up. "It's just the Enquirer. You know they do these facetious stories."

"I'm going to be sick. Who would write this, and why?" Her eyes filled with tears.

"It says that someone named Stephen Deming tells all in an interview. Was he an ex-boyfriend?" Mark reached out and touched her shoulder as she pressed her hands to the table in front of her.

This was supposed to be a great day. What the f*ck happened?

"He's my brother-in-law."

"Christine's husband? Holy shit. Really?" Mark's voice rose before he turned and walked to the door, closing it. "This is way worse than I thought."

"No joke." Jamie glanced up and took a shaky breath. "What else does it say? I don't want to hear anything about me or Alex, but anything else about Stephen?"

She pushed the paper over toward him and sat back down, not trusting her legs to hold her up. Being made to feel like Cinderella was one thing, but a sex-starved slutty maid? Way worse.

"Just that he was with you before realizing the kind of woman you are. He calls you a mastermind of lust." Mark snorted. "This guy’s an idiot. He says you're a gold-digger and that you were once after his money. Alex was just next in line. He feels sorry for Alex, but the billionaire won't listen. He doesn't have time for the little people now that he's risen to the top of the world on false humility and other people's money."

"That bastard." Anger replaced illness inside of Jamie. She grabbed the paper and scanned the rest. "A sex tape? He does not have a sex tape."

"On you?" Mark snatched the paper back. "Why would he have a sex tape? Did he put up a camera in Alex's place?"

"Not of me and Alex." She got back up and walked over to her desk, pressing her hands to it and staring down at the small waste basket.

"Of who?" Mark turned his attention to her.

"Of me and him." She reached for the basket and released her breakfast into the small can.

Mark's hands rested on her shoulder as his voice softened significantly. "Hey. It's okay. Get it all out. I'm here. Alex is here. This guy’s a f*cking idiot. We'll clean up the shit in this paper, okay?"

Jamie set the trash can on her desk and pressed her hands to her face as a sob left her.

Mark forced her to turn and wrapped his arms around her as she wept for a few minutes. Why things couldn't stay progressively positive was a mystery. Did the wealthy of the world always have someone on their trail trying to dismantle their success, their fame? It would seem so.

"Let me get Alex." Mark brushed the back of her head and released her.

Jamie walked over to the bookshelf by her window and grabbed a few Kleenex. "I need to get out of here for a while." There were more interviews, but she was bailing out. No way. She was done with the press. They were all monsters.

"We'll go to an early lunch. There's a park a few miles from here that I found the other day. We'll grab sandwiches and go hang out. It's a beautiful day." Mark tapped on the door between Jamie and Alex's office, getting nothing in return. He opened it and stuck his head in. "He's not in there."

"It's okay. I don't want to bother him with this right now. He's got enough to deal with." She blotted her eyes and picked up the trashcan. "I'm going to clean this up. I'll meet you out front."

"Okay. You want me to do it?" He tried to catch her attention as he stopped by the window.

"No, but that you would be willing to means a lot." She turned and walked out of the office, ready for the day to be over. It was turning into one of those days that belonged next to the worst she'd had. Funny how many more of those days she'd experienced after meeting Alex.

Luckily enough, the best days of her life were due to meeting him too.

*

"He doesn't have a sex tape. I would never let someone tape me." Jamie glanced over at Mark before taking a small bite of her sandwich. "He's making that up to get more attention."

"Do you think your sister knows about Stephen's interview and allegations?" Mark lifted his bag of chips in the air and tilted his head back to empty the contents into his mouth.

"I don't know, honestly. She's always been a thorn in my side, but over Christmas she was different. Remember how sweet she was?" Jamie set her sandwich down and picked up her Diet Coke, taking a quick sip and closing her eyes to enjoy the warmth of the sun on her skin. "Must have been because she and Stephen were fighting so much."