The Exception Read online

  “I’m going to grab a drink. Do you want anything?”

  I shook my head, feeling more relaxed than I had felt in forever. Cane pulled the covers over my body and stood silently, watching me, his face pressed in thought.

  “What’s the matter, Cane?”

  A small grin slid over his face, his features easing. “A little bit of everything and a whole lot of nothing.”

  Confused, all I could do was grin back. He winked before putting on his pants and turning and heading downstairs.

  I rolled to my side and snuggled down into the blankets. I inhaled the scent of Cane that was everywhere, letting it take over my senses. But the longer he was gone, the more I started to worry, started to second guess my decisions.

  Don’t overthink this. Just enjoy it for whatever it turns out to be.

  I had just begun to doze off when the door cracked open again and shut softly. The bed dipped with his weight. He sat for a few moments, not moving, and I didn’t say anything. My heart was racing, knowing this was the moment of truth.

  The bed shifted again as Cane lay beside me, not touching me, except to brush a lock of hair off my face.

  “Sleep, beautiful girl.”

  JADA

  “Damn it!” I shoved the top of the printer back, spotting the offending piece of paper jammed inside.

  With the last few days I’ve had, how am I even surprised?

  I scowled as I squeezed my hand into the tiny space before yanking the paper out. Slamming the top back down, I sat in my chair with a huff.

  The week was dragging.

  Everything seemed to have gone wrong since I woke up the Friday before to a text.

  Cane: You’re beautiful even when you are asleep.

  “Sleep, beautiful girl.” His words echoed through my brain.

  Sleep? Why? So he could make his getaway? So he could flee without having to speak or see me again?

  According to Max, Cane had taken an impromptu trip to Payson very early on Friday morning. So a part of me wanted to believe that is why Cane hadn’t stayed with me or contacted me since then, besides the text. Those thoughts encouraged a seed of hope to grow.

  The other side of me laughed and stomped harshly on the prospect.

  This is exactly what I knew he would do. I will probably never see him or hear from him again. Don’t be jaded about this.

  I hit PRINT on the screen, wishing life could be controlled with simple commands like that.

  If that was possible, would I DELETE the night with Cane?

  I smiled to myself.

  Of course I wouldn’t.

  I had made the decision to be with Cane with a clear mind. I couldn’t regret that—and I didn’t. I also couldn’t be shocked that when I had woken up, he was gone. All I could do was control how I went forward.

  I had sent him a return text, thanking him for the compliment and he failed to reply. I wasn’t going to call him or text him again. I couldn’t lose my dignity; I had to be strong. Cane knew how to get ahold of me if that is what he wanted, but I wouldn’t reach out to him.

  The ping of my email caught my attention and I clicked on the little envelope.

  To: Jada Stanley

  From: Simon Powers

  Re: Solomon Place - Offer

  Jada,

  I have faxed you the details of the offer I would like to make on Solomon Place. I will be out of cell reception this afternoon. If you need anything, please leave me a message and I will call you back when I get back to town. That will most likely be sometime tomorrow.

  Thank you,

  Simon

  This day might turn around, after all!

  I went into the fax room, found Simon’s paperwork lying on the tray, and took it back to my desk. I pulled the Solomon Place file and began compiling all of the documents for the offer. Lo and behold, one piece of paper was missing Cane’s signature.

  Confident that the world hated me, I searched our system for Alexander Industries’ fax number. It was nowhere.

  My spirits sank as I tried to find a way around talking to Cane.

  Lucy!

  I searched for the main office number and dialed, perking up in my seat when she answered right away.

  “Hi, Lucy. It’s Jada from Stanley Real Estate. I have an offer for the Solomon Place, but I need your fax, please.”

  “Hello, Jada! Just a minute and I will transfer you over to Mr. Alexander.”

  “Oh, no,” I said hurriedly. “That isn’t necessary. I just need your fax.”

  “If you call, Ms. Stanley, I’m supposed to send you back. I’m sorry,” she apologized. “Now, if you’ll hold, I will get you back there.”

  “Lucy, please, can’t you just give me the number?”

  “I can’t. I have to follow orders. Just a moment.”

  I bowed my head, trying to brace myself for the uncertainty that was barreling towards me.

  “I wondered how long it would take you to call me,” Cane answered, his voice calm and controlled.

  I sat upright, my jawing hanging in disbelief. “You’re kidding me, right?”

  Cane just laughed. “How has your week been?”

  “Fantastic. I just need your fax,” I said, cutting to the chase. If he wanted to talk about anything more than Solomon Place, he would need to be the one to bring it up.

  “That’s all you called to discuss?” I could hear the laugh in his voice and it incensed me.

  “Of course, Cane. I can’t think of anything else I need to discuss with you. Words are so overrated, you know. It’s actions that really speak.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Well, I take that back. My recent conversation with Simon was interesting.” I smiled into the phone as I heard him tense through the line. “He made an offer on Solomon Place. I need one document signed by you before we can do that.”

  I was met with silence.

  “Cane?” I asked again, my voice shaking a little.

  “Solomon Place is no longer for sale,” he snarled.

  “Excuse me? It’s not for sale? Are you serious?”

  “Dead serious.”

  Silence reigned again. I could feel him boiling through the phone and I wasn’t sure why. I knew he didn’t like Simon for some reason, but to pull the property off the market so he wouldn’t buy it? That was extreme, even for Cane.

  “I have no idea what is going on right now. You want us to remove the property from the market?”

  “Let me ask you a question. Is my property the only connection you have with Powers?”

  “What?”

  I heard his chair squeak through the phone. “Is my property the only one you have associated with Powers?”

  “Yes. He was interested in another one in Gila Bend, but my dad had someone else show him that.” I squeezed my temples. “You’re losing me here, Cane.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” His voice was quiet, just above a whisper.

  “Excuse me?”

  “That property, all of my properties actually, are unavailable for purchase by Simon Powers. I don’t care what offer you submit on his behalf, Jada, I will reject it. I will make it impossible. So please, save yourself the trouble.”

  “That’s insanity, Cane.”

  “Probably.”

  I stared into space, trying to find something I understood in the mayhem.

  “I don’t care if it ever sells. What I do care about is that you don’t see Powers again.”

  Confusion riddled me.

  “Do you hear what I’m saying, Jada? Stay away from Simon Powers.” His voice was cool, lethal, and it caught me off guard.

  “You’re joking, right?” I realized I was holding my breath, but I couldn’t help it. The entire situation was getting out of control.

  “Does it sound like I’m fucking kidding?”

  “Why, Cane?”

  “Can’t you just trust me?”

  “I trust me,” I replied softly. “And the more I go through life, the
more I see the value in that motto.”

  “Jada.” Cane’s voice wavered slightly as he said my name. “If this is about me going to Payson—”

  “It isn’t. Not really. This is going just how I expected it would and it’s fine.”

  He let out a strained breath. “Look. Simon Powers is very bad news, Jada. I need you to do what I say.”

  This is stupid! Don’t let him feel sorry for me! He is just another fish in the sea and if this is how he rolls—and I know it is!—then I don’t want anything else from him. Especially his pity!

  “If I have someone else take over the sale from our side, will you still sell the property?” I asked him, turning the conversation back to business.

  “And you will have no contact with Powers?”

  “I’m not promising you anything, Cane. But I haven’t had any conversations with him that weren’t centered around real estate, so the odds are in your favor.”

  He sighed, his aggression beginning to wane. “Yes. I would go along with that.”

  “I’ll let my father know. Nice talking to you, Mr. Alexander.”

  CANE

  She hung up on me. A grin slid across my face.

  I sat holding the phone in my hand, trying to figure out what in the hell just happened.

  That did not go according to plan.

  Realizing that she had just managed to do something that people tried to do all the time, and failed miserably at, made the grin grow wider. She had just won a battle, albeit a small one, over me.

  It was sexy as hell.

  Damn her, anyway.

  I shook my head and leaned back into my chair.

  The last few days had been a clusterfuck. I should have listened to Max and stayed calm when he told me Jada had been with Simon, but calm wasn’t something I was great at. The thought of her with that low life son-of-a-bitch infuriated me.

  Why couldn’t she just fucking listen?

  The bits and pieces Max and I were able to put together about Simon looked worse and worse. I had honestly thought that he would just disappear, but now I wasn’t so sure. And if he was going to keep contacting her, I was going to have to clue her in without panicking her. I was going to do that the night she had dinner with him, but she was so fucking mad at me and my plan got put on the back burner.

  There has never been a better back burner.

  Thoughts of her wrapped around me, my cock buried inside her, made me want to go get her from work and take her home with me.

  Breathe, Alexander. Don’t be a dumbass.

  It was impossible to think clearly while around Jada. And that was exactly why I had to head to Payson. I had to put some space between us before I really fucked shit up. Just watching her sleep, this potent mix of beauty and seduction, naivety and strength, made me think crazy shit.

  Like lying beside her, pulling her close, and falling asleep with her in my arms …

  Thank fuck I had just had a major orgasm or who knows what would have happened.

  Instead, I kissed her on the forehead and raced home.

  I didn’t sleep at all that night; her scent was all over me. It was something pure and soft, something classy. Just like her. I couldn’t get the feel of her body out of my mind. Even after showering, I could still see her, hear her, smell her, taste her.

  And I wanted more.

  I never wanted more.

  What in the hell is wrong with me?

  By four AM, I was worried about my fucking sanity. I was still wide awake, my mind not shutting down. Even after six rounds on the heavy bag—something that normally exhausts every cell in my body—I still couldn’t rest.

  I felt like I had Freud in my brain, prompting me to reconsider choices I had made and choices I needed to make.

  How did I get myself in this position at all? When did I give a fuck? When did I care about this shit?

  I didn’t need Freud, I needed Machiavelli. I was at war. With myself, no less.

  Everything I thought I knew about, well, everything, now seemed challengeable. The rules that I lived by all seemed … open to doubt. And that wasn’t possible.

  Those were the things that made me Cane Alexander. Those were the guidelines that kept me strong, kept me focused, kept me on the path that led to where I wanted to be.

  Didn’t they?

  Didn’t I want an uncomplicated life? Didn’t I want to work hard during the day and play however I felt like it at night? Didn’t I enjoy a different girl in my bed a few times a week?

  Hell yeah I do.

  Right?

  I scratched my head roughly, my arms aching from working out so long.

  I ignored a text from Miriam last night. Worse yet, I wasn’t even interested. What the fuck is wrong with me?

  This thing with Jada, whatever it was, was ruining my life.

  Or was it making it better?

  Fuck if I knew.

  All I did know was that things between Jada and I had changed. The illusion of friendship that we had been able to navigate under was no more. There could now be no casual flirting, no more wondering, “what would happen if …” I had willingly, and enthusiastically, crossed that line and there was no going back.

  I just wasn’t sure how to go forward, either.

  This is why you don’t do dumb shit like this. You should be sport-fucking someone right now.

  Before the sun came up on Friday morning, only hours after leaving Jada sleeping, I called Max and told him I was going to Payson and that he needed to keep track of everything for a couple of days.

  I went to my cabin up there, had some beers, tried to organize my brain, and came back late Sunday night. The only contact I had with the outside world had been with Max to ensure that the Queen Creek job stayed on track … and that Simon hadn’t been around.

  Max, as always, took care of everything. I paid him well, of course, but his loyalty was worth more than I could ever pay him. Since he hooked up with Kari, Max had changed for the better. He was more loyal, more focused, more serious. I guessed that is what happened when you fell in love.

  Is that happening to me and I just can’t see it?

  No. No, it wasn’t. I was going to keep my balls. As much as I liked, possibly really liked, Jada Stanley, I wasn’t about to get involved.

  I didn’t have it in me.

  And Jada wasn’t going to be a fuck buddy. I didn’t want to see the look in her eyes at a certain point. Namely the point when I moved on.

  That would happen.

  And that is what it all boiled down to. I had to be able to leave her behind. I had laid everything out there once before and learned a few very valuable lessons.

  I had adjusted my game after that.

  There was no room in my life for doing something stupid like falling in love. Love was for the weak, for the fools of the world that couldn’t make it on their own. That’s if it really even existed at all.

  I would not be getting sucked in to a relationship with Jada Stanley or anyone else. But if Powers wasn’t going to leave her alone, I would have to take matters into my own hands.

  Picking up my phone again, I dialed the main office number to Stanley Real Estate. Mrs. Jewell picked up promptly.

  “Hi, Alice. This is Cane Alexander. Is there any chance Mr. Stanley is in?”

  “Oh, hello, Cane. Yes, I think he’s still around. Can you hold for a second?”

  “Sure.” I watched the shadows play against the wall while I waited for Thomas to pick up. I considered what angle to take with him.

  “Thomas Stanley.”

  “Hi, Thomas. This is Cane Alexander.”

  “Well, hello. It is nice to finally talk to you. I hope everything is going all right with your property.”

  I smiled. “Yes. Jada has done an excellent job; I’m very happy with her performance.”

  If he only knew …

  “That’s great. What can I do for you, Cane?”

  I stood up and paced the room. “There is a prospective buyer o
n Solomon Place. His name is Simon Powers.”

  “Yes. I heard he made an offer today.”

  “That’s right. And as happy as I am with the job Jada has done, Mr. Stanley, I would appreciate it if you would reassign another realtor to work with Mr. Powers.”

  “May I ask why?”

  “Of course.” I paused, considering my next words carefully. “This decision has nothing to do with Jada, except her safety.”

  “Please, go on.”

  “I have known Simon for a number of years. We have a history together and he’s never been a nice guy. My sources are telling me that he is involved in some nefarious activities. Now, if he wants to buy Solomon—that’s fine with me. Money is money. But I hope you trust me when I tell you that he is no one Jada should be dealing with.”

  Thomas let out a deep breath. “Is that all you are going to give me?”

  “Well, considering I have no hard evidence on what he’s doing now and the past is very personal, I’d rather leave it there. I hope my word is good enough. If Jada were my daughter or my wife, I wouldn’t want her to be anywhere near Simon Powers.”

  The line was quiet and my body tensed.

  Have I crossed a line?

  “It sounds like you are fond of my daughter. Have you told her what you are telling me?”

  “I have told her that Simon is dangerous, but she’s pretty hard-headed. I hope you don’t mind me saying that.”

  Thomas laughed. “She got that from her mother.”

  “So, as you can imagine, she bristled and now I’m not sure if she’s going to listen.”

  “I’ll tell you what, Cane. I’ll reassign Powers to Zack, another associate here in our offices. And I appreciate the call. That’s my baby girl we are talking about, so her safety trumps everything.”

  “And if you don’t mind, I’d like to keep this conversation between us. I’m sure you can understand why.”

  “Agreed.”

  “I’ll let you get back to your day now, sir. Thank you for all of your help on Solomon Place and I’ll let you know when I have something else to list.”

  “No problem. And Cane,” Thomas paused, “thank you. I appreciate you looking out for Jada.”

  “The pleasure is mine.”