Obsessed: Part Two by Deborah Bladon Page A

was nothing?" he asks. His expression speaks of some confusion. "And you believe him?"
    "Things have changed between us" I absentmindedly run my fingers over the necklace Jax gave me. "We went to see my dad this past weekend for his birthday."
    "You were in Boston?" he smiles broadly. "I was there too. I wish I'd have known that. I could have taken you to see Sandra."
    I sigh. "I hadn't even thought of that. Dammit. Does she ever come to visit you here?"
    He shakes his head. "Nope. It's too hard for her with the kids."
    "I'll give her a call then."  I reach for my phone. "Can you give me her number?"
    He rattles off her phone number by heart and I make a mental note to text her after lunch. I'm definitely going to stop by to see her next time I visit my dad, hopefully with Jax in tow.
    "Back to that comment, Ivy." He's being cautious. I can tell. "I don't want to overstep any boundaries."
    "Did you find out anything concrete about it?" I ask even though I don't want to know. I can't imagine he's learned anything that will surprise me. I asked Jax point blank about it and he assured me that there was no one else involved in his quest to get my shares.
    "Nothing with actual evidence." He finishes his martini. "I did ask around."
    "Are you ready to order?" I feel slightly panicked inside. Everything is so perfect at this point. I don't want him to throw something at me that is going to make me question Jax's honesty. I've pushed and pushed Jax on that and I'd know if he was being dishonest.
    "Sure." He motions again for the waiter and we both relay our orders. His phone rings and he excuses himself to take the call. I glance down at my phone and scan through the numbers. I stop at Jax's. Part of me wants to call him just so I can hear his voice and he can reassure me that the necklace holds as much meaning as I believe it does. He wouldn't have given it to me if he were still being deceitful. I would have seen that within his eyes when he looked at me last night when we were making love.
    "Sorry about that, Ivy." Nathan sits down again. He obviously stopped at the bar given the fact that he's got another martini in his hand. "As I said I was asking around about Jax."
    "It's really okay, Nathan." I hold up my hand to stop him. "I've asked Jax about it and I do trust him."
    "You should hear this. You need to know it especially if you're involved personally with him again." His words have a biting tone to them and I feel an undercurrent of something else.
    "You don't approve of him, do you?" I push the question at him.
    "No. He's a smug, arrogant ass." He takes a large drink from his glass. "You shouldn’t trust him either."
    "I'm not hungry anymore." I stand to leave. "We weren't supposed to get personal with this, remember? Strictly client and attorney."
    "Don't let your feelings blind you." He doesn't move a muscle. "You did that with Mark. Don't make that mistake again."
    "You have no right to say that." I pick up my purse and turn to leave.
    "You're still that little girl I chased when I was a kid," he calls after me. "Don't let him steal that part of you away."
     
    ***
     
    "I can't imagine what you think we have to talk about, Mark." I push past him towards the bank of elevators as I nod in Oliver's direction.
    "Jax Walker." The way he says his name cuts into my bones. I can't stand Mark and I don't want to hear him even utter the name of the man I'm in love with.
    "What about him?" I ask impatiently as I press the call button.
    "We're not doing this here." He reaches for my elbow to push me into the elevator car that's just arrived.
    "Don't you dare touch me," I sneer. "Ever." I'm already irritated from my meeting with Nathan and now I have to deal with Mark and all his incessant ramblings.
    "Get in, Ivy." He walks past me into the car and I have no choice but to follow. "You need to hear this whether you want to or not."
    "I'm so sick of this bullshit." I push past him when we reach the third floor and I fumble with my