Page 99 of The Wedding

“Fine.” Kathleen shoved a folder in Jamie’s direction. “These are a mess. Put them in some order that makes sense. I don’t care what kind, but I’ve got a presentation to make to a board next week, and it’s costing me valuable time to always search for what I need.”

Jamie could do that. She could go into Kathleen’s closet and organize it in a day. Well, depending on the size of the closet…

She wasn’t just good at this type of job. She was also good at multitasking, which meant going through and organizing her papers while keeping an ear open to her surroundings. It was a habit she picked up shortly after joining the workforce: for who knew when a boss or someone would want her sudden attention? Good for the assistants who could keep their noses to the grindstone and not be perturbed by anything. Those didn’t last long. Not after the boss shouted five times to get their attention and then fired them while they still weren’t listening. Jamie had seen that happen more than once – and that was when she was a temp.

The biddies who had chided her existence now gaped in unquenchable curiosity. Kathleen glanced at them more than once, but she eventually stuck earbuds in her head and cranked up the Swedish folk rock on her phone.

What the women thought… who knew. By this time tomorrow, half of high society would have heard about it. Jamie could hear the conversations now.“Did you hear about Kathleen Allen taking on Jamie Joy – yes, that one – as her little protégé? Those Allens really don’t like to listen to popular opinion, do they!” “I heard that they’re all swingers. If Etta Coleman doesn’t know about the ménage situation going on right beneath her nose, she’ll find out by the wedding.” “I always knew she was a slut.” “Which one?” “Pick one.”

“You didn’t tell me we were having company.”

Jamie looked up from the folder. Kathleen pulled out an earbud andmotioned for her girlfriend to sit in the empty chair beside her. Jamie pulled folders out of the way so there was enough room for Ira Mathison to pick up the wine bottle Kathleen had polished off.

“See you saved some wine for me, you lush.”

“Please. If you had to read through five pages of why nobody wants to give me land for my shelter, you would guzzle the wine too. Besides…” Kathleen pulled her hair over her shoulder, French-tipped nails poking through golden strands. “I hold my alcohol well.”

Ira coughed into their hand. “Bullshit.” They flashed a grin at Jamie, who was beginning to wonder if she should take her leave and ask Kathleen if there was anything she could do to help from home.My mom would love this idea and would probably end up doing most of the work…Maybe she shouldn’t tell Luna. The details, anyway. “Wasn’t expecting to see you anytime soon. Good to know that Coleman does let you out of her sight once in a while.”

“Ira,” Kathleen scolded, albeit with the effort of a tired, wine-laden mother. “Don’t be trouble. We’ve got enough people looking in this direction.”

“Let them look. If nothing else, they can be scandalized by this.” They whipped their hand behind Kathleen’s head and pulled her into a messy kiss so quickly that Jamie jerked back in her seat – and Kathleen knocked over the empty wine bottle, fingernails flashing in the light as her fist opened and closed.

“You are so incorrigible,” she muttered, wiping her mouth the moment she was released. “And a showoff.”

“I’m having a great day. Closed a deal on that resort up in Vermont. That’s why I had to postpone.”

“Good to know one of us is living it up.” Kathleen coaxed out a few more drops of wine and passed it to her girlfriend. “There. Now you can’t complain that I didn’t save you any.”

For a non-married couple, they sure acted like they were married. Kathleen even tsked at a smudge on Ira’s chin and insisted on rubbing it with her napkin. Ira was completely unfazed by this mothering from their girlfriend. Then again, from what Jamie understood, they were the last people to feel condescended to by such a thing.I hear a lot of rumors that their kink goes both ways…This power couple caused quite a stir when they went public with their relationship. In the open circles, everyone knew that they were both loaded and liable to one day be richer and more powerful than the Anderssens.In private circles, people whispered that, well, Kathleen Allen is a domme…One would never guess now. About either of them.

“So to what do we owe this pleasure?” Ira asked, shortly after ordering a drink from the waiter. “Kathleen didn’t tell me she was with anyone else when she told me to get my ass down here and give her attention.”

Kathleen covered her face, attempting to hide how bothered she was right now. “Could you maybe not flirt with her for five minutes…”

“What! Please. That’s not flirting, is it, Jamie?”

She shrugged.What else can I do?

“Besides, if I ever do flirt with her, I know it’s because she won’t flirt back. You’d rather I flirt with someone who will get me in trouble?”

“Dunno. What kind of trouble?”

“The kind where I have to go to the Yukon to get away from your rage.”

“Get us some gold while you’re there.”

“I will send you pictures of my perfectly chiseled body personally panning for that gold, babe. Or maybe you’ll see me on that TV show my dad watches all the time. Like he’s ever spent a day of his life being ‘rugged.’”

Jamie was mildly fascinated by this level of banter. She and Etta rarely engaged in such longwinded jokes at the other’s expense. Not that Etta couldn’t joke, but her wit was sometimes so dry and salty that Jamie couldn’t tell if she was being humorous or not. Ira, on the other hand, often came off as the biggest kid in the room when they didn’t have to beserious.These two either perfectly complement each other or they will have the biggest couple meltdown of the century.As long as it didn’t happen at Jamie’s wedding, which they had both RSPV’d to.

“Anyway,” Jamie interrupted. “I was helping Kathleen with some of her work here.”

The moment Ira’s eyebrow went up was when Kathleen spoke again. “Yes. Jamie was so kind to volunteer to help me get this project off the ground. Unlike someone I sleep with.”

“Did I mention closing on that resort today?”

Kathleen’s dramatic eye roll almost shook the table.