I couldn’t take it. I was becoming more fed up by the second.
I cashed my chips and went to the bar, ordering something a little stronger. My favorite drink—tequila. All I needed was one shot to let loose. Lay low and forget. Have a good time on my own.
When it was ordered, I downed it rapidly and then handed the glass back.
Just as I was about to turn, I stumbled right into someone.
And of course, it was Michaela.
“Oh, I’m so sorry—” She turned and started to apologize, but when she saw it was me, she blinked her big eyes and sighed. “Oh, Jenna. I didn’t realize you would be here tonight.”
“Yeah.” My smile was weak. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
Jenna studied my dress. “Dior?” she asked curiously.
“Yes, it is.”
“That dress is impressive. How’s a girl like you affording Dior?”
I stretched my lips to smile a little wider, and over Michaela’s shoulder, I saw Jude standing in front of a few men, but his eyes were on me, burning with apprehension.
“I, uh, bought it on credit,” I lied.
“For the gala?” She seemed surprised, like she hadn’t gotten her red dress on credit either. Bitch.
Red. His favorite color. Goddammit.
Michaela had a fake smile plastered on her face, and it made my skin crawl.
“Well, it was nice talking to you.” I started to walk off, but Michaela caught my arm, stopping me.
“Let me buy you a drink? What was it you were drinking? Tequila?” she inquired.
“No, that’s okay. Really.”
“Tequila isn’t usually the drink one would have at a gala. You know that right?” She still wore that eerie smile—fake as hell but sure enough to fool a person who didn’t know her at all.
But I knew her. I knew her very well.
Michaela ordered the shot of tequila without confirming with me, and when it was given to her, she handed the glass to me. I sighed, taking the shot and wincing from the slight burn.
“You’re a party girl.” It was a statement, not a question.
“No, not really.”
“Let me ask you something.” She placed her empty champagne flute on top of one of the cocktail tables. “You like working at Clement Architecture?”
“Uh…yeah, sure. It’s a good job,” I admitted.
“And you like working with Jude? He isn’t too much trouble, is he?” Her smile was slowly fading, but her eyes feigned interest.
“I think he’s a good boss,” I answered.
“Well, if you love your job so much, I suggest you try keeping your eyes to yourself from now on.”
When she said that, my heart plummeted again. I swallowed hard, shaking my head. “I’m, sorry. I’m a little confused, Michaela.”
“It’s Miss King to you, Jenna.” She stepped closer, and though her voice had become quieter, it was colder, harsher. “I see the way you look at him when I visit and I see the way he looks at you. Like he wants to see what you look like without any clothes on. I’m not an idiot.”
I kept my eyes on her. It was so hard to pull away. I could feel my eyes prickling and getting hot.
“Don’t be a dumb girl and do something that could cause you to lose your job. Jude…well, you see, he sort of needs me. He’s going to marry me one day. I’m already making plans for it. He may flirt with you or show signs that he’s interested, but that’s just in his nature and I can understand that. I mean, he’s a handsome man.” Michaela stepped back to glance over her shoulder at Jude, who was still watching us but pretending to listen to the older man talking to him. “A very handsome man. He just needs a real woman—a good woman—to set him straight. And, unfortunately, that can’t be you, Jenna.” Her hand capped my shoulder, her eyes boring into mine. She seemed almost sympathetic and I felt so fucking helpless. “Keep to yourself and you’ll keep your job. It’s that simple.” Her lips spread to form a smile as she pulled away. “Have fun tonight, yeah?”
Michaela turned and trotted off before I could get a word in edgewise. My heart drummed, my palms clammy around the shot glass. I watched her make her way back to Jude and rub his arm when he had a moment to himself, and I…well, shit. I lost it.
I don’t know what I was thinking.
I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t compete with her.
I slammed the shot glass down on the cocktail table and before I could turn to escape, I saw Jude look at me. I rushed out of the room as calmly as possible and as soon as I made it down an empty hallway, I walked even faster until I found an empty room.
It was a study.
I rushed into it, glad that it was dark. The only light came from the moonlight that was shining through the double hung windows.
I bit my bottom lip, trying so hard to fight the tears, but it was impossible. Tequila made me naughty, but it also made me vulnerable and emotional.
Hot streaks ran down my cheeks before I could stop them. I was pissed. For one, I was ruining my makeup. And two, I realized this was my reality. This was exactly what I knew was going to happen.
I was bound to be heartbroken one way or another.
The door of the library creaked open and light flooded in, along with streams of music. I gasped and wiped my face, spotting the shadow. It was a familiar shadow.
Jude stepped forward and found me in the dark. I wasn’t too far away from the milky moonlight.
“Jenna?” he called, and he immediately shut the door behind him. He marched my way like he meant business, but then his hands went to my face and he cupped it in his hands. “What did she say to you?”
I shook my head, pulling away. “Jude, I can’t—I can’t do this anymore,” I whispered, voice breaking.
“Do what? What happened?” he demanded, becoming infuriated.
“We’re not meant to be together—I’m not…” I sighed. “Michaela knows. She doesn’t think we’ve done anything but she knows how I feel. She knows what I want from you.”
He was quiet for a moment, observing me in my distress. He looked like a ghost beneath the blanket of moonlight. His face was serious but confused all together.
“It doesn’t matter what she thinks she knows. You’re the woman I want, Jenna.”
“No, Jude, I’m not. I—I make you feel free and I don’t judge you the way they do so you feel comfortable around me. But being comfortable isn’t the same as being in love—”
I clamped my mouth shut when I said that. Shit.
Shitshitshit.
I avoided his eyes, but he picked my head back up. I couldn’t look at him, though, so instead I kept my eyes shut. I was so ashamed and embarrassed. I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with him. I wasn’t supposed to care this much—to the point I was crying over him. My own boss
“I care about you a lot, Jenna,” Jude murmured. “I do.”
I opened my eyes. “You say it, but you haven’t shown me.” I jerked away then, shaking my head. “Show me that you care, Jude. Your words are meaningless to me right now. Give me a reason why I shouldn’t walk out of that door right now, go to the hotel, pack my shit, and catch a flight back to California! Give me one good reason why I should stay here with you!”
I was putting him in a bind now, a sticky one and I knew it, but I didn’t care. I’d been selfless many times with him, but not now. Not when I needed the truth.
I looked into his eyes and they glistened. He was contemplating. Mine burned when I realized that this was it.
He wasn’t going to do a damn thing about this.
I shook my head and turned my back to him, but I couldn’t get away. A hand locked around mine, strong and swift. That same hand twisted me around, and before I could register what was happening, Jude’s chest was pressed on me, his lips only inches away from mine. He stared down at me for what felt like an eternity, but I was sure it was only a fleeting moment.
And when that fleeting moment passed us by, his lips consumed me. His hand cupped the
back of my neck and I couldn’t help it. My body melted to his touch. My bones felt like they were made of Jell-O and my heart boomed in my chest.
Jude groaned as he reeled me in closer, and I felt his erection on my thigh just as his tongue slipped through my lips. For a man who didn’t kiss, he seemed like an expert. His lips were soft and careful, yet greedy and demanding.
He spread my lips apart and tasted me—tasted the tequila on my tongue and groaned again.
“Fucking tequila,” he rasped. I clenched from the sound of his voice and then I became greedy too because I realized I had been waiting for this to happen for months. Months.
I curled my fingers in his hair and sucked on his tongue. Jude pressed into me some more, and I felt the backs of my legs hit the edge of the table. He picked me up and placed me down on it, but he didn’t stop kissing me.
That kiss I’d craved was happening. This was finally happening. Beneath the shiny moon, wrapped up in his arms.
I savored every press of his lips, every suckle of bourbon on his tongue. I devoured him just as much as he devoured me.
Jude finally tore his lips away, panting raggedly as he held my hips. “Is that reason enough?” he asked, and I sighed, just as he kissed me again, slowly and sensually this time.
“I want you, Jenna.” He lifted a hand and his thumb ran over my bottom lip. “Only you. I swear.”
I nodded and kissed him again.
And again.
And just as I was about to go for another, the door of the library flew open.
I gasped as heels clicked on the floor and from the light, I could see her—could see the fury in her wide eyes. She was looking right at us, stopping a few steps short of the door.
Mrs. Clement.
EIGHTEEN
JENNA
“What the hell is going on here?” Mrs. Clement demanded. Jude turned, holding his hands up and gesturing for her to stay calm. I slid off the table, my eyes wide and my heart racing.
“Mom, please,” he said. “Just give us a moment.”
She scoffed. “Give you a moment? Are you kidding me! You’re in here with your secretary while your future wife is out there looking for you!”
“She is not my future wife! I wish you would stop saying that!” Jude snapped, and Mrs. Clement was taken by surprise.
“Oh, I see.” She laughed a little. “I see exactly what is going on here.” She took a step forward. “I understand not being ready. No one is ever exactly ready for such a big step, but Judas…rebelling with the secretary is unnecessary—”
“For Christ’s sake, Mom, just stop doing that! Stop calling her the secretary or the help or whatever the hell else you call her! She’s more than that to me.”
“Judas, I think you’ve had a little too much to drink,” she stated, trying to keep her voice calm.
“I’m going to leave,” I murmured.
“Jenna,” Jude called, meeting my eyes. I picked up my clutch that I’d dropped on the ground when he first kissed me. “I’ll see you at the hotel.”
I walked past Mrs. Clement who was practically staring a hole into the side of my head.
“The hotel?” she hissed. “You have her staying in the hotel room with you?”
That was the last thing I heard before scurrying down the hallway. I heard Jude’s voice booming, but the words weren’t very clear.
I scurried down the hallway and found the exit, on the hunt for the car I’d ridden to the gala in. I told the driver to take me back to the hotel, and kept my tears at bay the entire ride, but when I got to my hotel room, the tears were impossible to prevent. I was a mess and I was certain that I was going to lose my job now.
His mother despised me and she had a bad habit of getting into Jude’s head. She was going to tell Michaela, who would be upset. She would give him an ultimatum, which would leave him no choice but to get rid of me.
I stripped out of my dress and went to the bathroom to scrub my face as much as possible, getting rid of the majority of the makeup.
I didn’t know when Jude would be back at the hotel. Hell, would he even return after what happened? After being caught?
I had no clue. But, I waited anyway.
Waited for my boss to come back to me.
NINETEEN
JUDAS
I left during the middle of the argument with my mother. I couldn’t stay there and be criticized and looked down upon. I was so tired of her judgmental attitude.
I knew she was going to tell Janelle, Michaela, and my father eventually but I didn’t give a single fuck. There was only one person I wanted to be with—one place I wanted to be—and that was in the hotel room with Jenna.
My driver dropped me off and took me straight there. I walked through my hotel door and it was quiet. The door that led to her room was shut and there was no sign of light. I assumed she was sleeping, but I knew the chances of that were very slim. If something really bothered her she’d let it eat her alive before falling asleep.
Sighing, I grabbed the door handle and pushed it open. Her room was dark, despite the light of the full moon shining in. I looked at the bed but she wasn’t there. My eyes ventured over to the window, and I saw a figure sitting in a cushioned chair. From where she sat, there was a distant view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
“Jenna,” I said softly. I shut the door behind me and met up behind her. My hands capped her shoulders and lightly massaged them. “I’m sorry about what happened. It shouldn’t have gone down that way. She never should have said those things about you.”
“Why?” she muttered. “It’s not like she didn’t mean them.”
I pulled away to walk around the chair. I stood in front of her, sliding my hands into my pockets.
“She’ll tell them and they’ll make you fire me. I’ve already accepted that.” Her head tilted up and her eyes found mine. “If you let me go, at least leave me a good letter of recommendation so I can easily find another job.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m not letting you go.”
Her eyebrows dipped. “You’ll have no choice, Jude. You know how your family is. They’re conniving and manipulative and not to mention Michaela is a vindictive person. If you don’t do it, they’ll figure out a way to do it themselves.”
“Jenna,” I breathed, smiling. I grabbed her hands and squeezed them, pulling her up to a stand. She stared up at me, confused as hell, the worry clear on her face. “I am the C.E.O of Clement Architecture. Everything my father owned was handed down to me. The decisions that are made for that company come down to me. They can demand it all they want, it doesn’t mean that I’ll give in or cater to their demands.”
“I don’t want to ruin your future or the future of the company because of an arrangement we made, Jude. An arrangement that was supposed to be temporary.”
“It won’t be ruined, babe.”
Her lips pressed together. It was clear she didn’t believe me. I led the way to the bed and sat her down, then went to turn one of the light switches on. It was a dim light, but enough for me to see her clearly.
“I wanted to wait until Monday to tell you this,” I started, holding her hands.
“Tell me what?”
“The plan I told you about last Sunday—the one I said would secure the company and its name and keep us on top for years to come?”
“Yeah?” she asked eagerly, intrigued. “What about it?”
“It’s going to happen. I signed on Monday. It’s why I had to stay a little longer. I got through to them and they are going to give a very large investment.”
“Oh, my gosh!” she gasped. “That’s great! So that means that you won’t have to go through with marrying Michaela?”
“No, babe. I don’t. They want me to marry her because her father was putting up the most money, but only if her future was secure too. But now…well, I don’t need them. The company, Joles, is offering way more. My family doesn’t need Michaela. We’ll be fine. I just have to fill them in.”
&
nbsp; “Wow…Jude, I—” Her mouth opened and then clamped shut, her eyes glistening. “Did you…”
“What?”
“You said you were going to work on something so that you wouldn’t have to marry her…” Her head shook slowly. “All this time I thought you were just feeding me lies—making up excuses to keep me around longer.”
“What? Jenna, no.” I grabbed her waist and lifted her up, bringing her onto my lap. “I…well, shit. I can’t picture going on without you anymore. There are times when I’m sitting in my office or traveling, where I just have moments that I wish you were there. Moments that I wish I could talk to you or be with you. I…I haven’t felt like this with anyone before, Jenna. I’ve spent so many years by myself, abiding by my parents’ rules and succumbing to their lifestyle, that I realized I wasn’t actually living until I met you. When the arrangement first started, I knew—I just fucking knew that things were never going to be the same again. That I was never going to let you walk away from me.”
Her eyes shimmered with hope as she looked down at me. “You mean it?”
“I do. I kissed you tonight because you mean a lot to me. To them you’re just a secretary, but to me you’re so much more.”
She smiled and laughed a little, turning in my lap and wrapping her legs behind me. She undid my tie and then draped her arms around the back of my neck. A sigh left her as she rested her forehead on mine.
“Tyler called when I got here,” she confessed, and my back straightened, my grip slacking at her waist. “I broke it off with him.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. He called and was talking, but all I could think about was that kiss. Your lips.” Her eyes dropped to my mouth. “I just flat out told him I couldn’t keep talking to him. That I was interested in someone else.”
“Good girl.” I smiled, and shifted over, placing her on her back. I slid between her legs. “Couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss, huh?”
“No,” she breathed.
“I can’t even remember the last time I kissed a girl on the lips. Had to be college—maybe high school.”
Crave: The Nora Heat Collection Page 8