Free Feverish (Bullet #3) by Jade C. Jamison

after taking a
piss, threw on the first pair of jeans he found and walked out to
the kitchen. Ah, Mary was a goddess. He’d never cared much about
coffee either way until Mary had come into his life. He’d been
nursing a horrible hangover not long after she’d started working
for him. It just so happened he also had a phone interview with a
radio station on the east coast later that day. Mary ran to Walmart
and returned with a coffee maker and all the accoutrements—creamer
and a sweet liquid vanilla flavoring, along with coffee cups.
Clay’s mom had always done black, and he hadn’t cared for it, even
with spoonfuls of sugar stirred in, but Mary’s concoction had
pulled him out of a hangover abyss and into the land of the living.
He’d survived the interview and discovered he liked coffee when
done right. He’d even ventured into the occasional latte. He could
still live without it, but some days, especially when he had to get
up earlier than he’d liked to, he relished it.
    Today was one of those days, and goddamn did
it smell good.
    He poured himself a cup and Mary walked back
through the room. “What? Sleeping Beauty is up already? Did you
have a nightmare or something?”
    He smiled and looked up from stirring the
creamer in. “No, but I have some news.” She paused, resting her
hand on the counter, and looked at him. “Ms. Emily Brinkman called
to say she’s taking the job.”
    Mary nodded. “Well, I’ll be damned. I thought
she’d be smart and run.”
    Clay gave her a fake laugh. “Ha ha. No, she
actually seemed pretty eager.” She gave him a look. “No, not like a
fucking groupie. It’s cool.” Mary started walking toward the
doorway to the basement. He imagined she was in the middle of doing
laundry and now that he was out of bed, she could put his clothes
away. “How are the two extra bedrooms, by the way?”
    She took her hand off the doorknob. Why was
she taking so long to turn around? “Oh, no. You didn’t.”
    “Didn’t what ?”
    “She talked you into letting her board here,
didn’t she? And you just couldn’t resist.”
    Jet—yes, Jet —smirked. “Actually, it
was my idea. She’s getting ready to move down here from
Boulder, and it sounds like she hasn’t even started looking for a
place to live. I just thought if I wind up being as demanding as I
think I might be that it could be easier having her nearby.”
    Mary shook her head. “Bad idea, Clay.”
    “Why’s it such a bad idea?” He took his first
swallow of coffee. Mmm. He’d needed that.
    She frowned. “You know why just as well as I
do.”
    As much as he wanted to deny it, he knew she
was partially right. He was already feeling feverish for Emily.
That woman had in such a short time stirred his loins in a major
way. He didn’t just have an itch; he had a smoldering fire that had
been growing since he’d first laid eyes on the woman. But he wasn’t
going to act on it. She was going to be his employee, and he needed
her trust and loyalty, and so—even though deep down he wanted her
badly—he was going to keep his mitts off. So, even though he could
admit it to himself, he wasn’t about to say it to Mary. “Have some
faith in me, Mary. Yeah, she’s hot, but didn’t you see she’s
wearing a ring on her left hand?”
    Mary took a deep breath. “Oh, I hadn’t
noticed that. Is she married?”
    Clay shrugged and walked over to the table.
“Hell if I know, but I’m pretty sure she’s in some kind of
committed relationship. Hands off, Mary. I swear.” She nodded.
“But…if I can get her here sooner, I can make her pay all those
goddamned bills she stacked on the desk.”
    Mary laughed and shook her head, grabbing the
doorknob again. “That’s what I like to hear.” Clay smiled as he
heard her continuing to laugh as she made her way down the
stairs.
     

 
     
     
    Chapter Seven
     
    IT HAD ONLY been a week, but Emily already
felt like she’d learned most of what she’d needed to playing
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