by Lee Taylor
Emilio frowned, puzzled. “Oh, sorry, I meant his ex-wife. Let me put it this way. All the babes tell me, once you’ve sampled the Wolf, everything else is third-rate. From what I hear, Nita is determined to get him back. She may look like a China doll, but don’t let appearances fool you. She’s a frothing piranha at heart—so to speak. And like every man here, I speak from experience.”
Jesse was thunderstruck. Until that toxic jealous moment she hadn’t known how much Dameon meant to her. Now she knew and the knowledge terrified her.
Dameon spotted her from across the room and quickly left the group surrounding the Mayor. She didn’t miss the way his eyes lit with pleasure as he strode toward her. His devastating grin turned her knees to rubber. His tailored suit was made for his lean muscular body. The grey silk shirt open at the neck added a casual panache to his sartorial elegance. For one intoxicating moment, Jesse forgot the stunning woman and saw only the extraordinary man eagerly approaching her.
Her relief was short lived. Seeing his eyes settle on her breasts then work their way down her body stopping at critical points along the way, she froze. His overt inventory confirmed what she looked like. A tall, gangly sexpot. Her boobs were too big and her dress was ridiculously short. The beautiful red sandals that she loved now only served to make her look taller, more awkward. She’d felt gorgeous when she left home but now she felt cheap, ugly, compared to the elegant woman who had been at Dameon’s side. The woman was everything Jesse wasn’t. The only place where Jesse had her beat was in cup size.
Dameon’s eyes were gleaming. His voice was low, full of promise. “Good evening, Jesse. You, um… you look absolutely beautiful.”
Jesse was taken back and could only mumble. “Really?”
He laughed and shook his head. “Yes, really. As in stunning. ‘Take my breath away’ gorgeous.”
For a brief moment Jesse saw herself as he saw her and breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment Nita joined them.
Moving between her and Dameon, the lovely woman focused on Jesse.
“And who is this? I don’t believe we’ve met.” Grazing her body from head to toe, she landed on her shoes. “What great shoes. Jimmy Choo? Or are they Manolo? And what an interesting dress. I don’t recognize the designer.” Her pursed lips insinuated that she didn’t want to.
Jesse didn’t answer. The best she could do was curve her lips in what she hoped was the semblance of a smile.
Nita looked from Jesse to Dameon and understanding flickered across her flawless face. Jesse stepped back startled at the open hostility in the woman’s eyes. It was quickly lost in the sweet smile Nita turned on Dameon.
“Oh, is this a friend of yours, Dameon?”
Dameon moved next to Jesse and glared at Nita. “Yes, she is. Jesse, this is my daughter’s mother. Nita, this is Jesse O’Donnell. She is—”
Before he could reveal anything personal about her, Jesse broke in. “Chief Macarios is working with my son….”
A knowing light flashed in Nita’s eyes. “Ahh yes… one of Dameon’s projects.” She gave Jesse a sugary smile. “And how nice for you.”
Thinking she might throw up, Jesse could only stare at her.
Forcing herself to be calm, she stepped back grateful to find her voice. “I really must go. It was a pleasure meeting you and—”
Dameon held up his hand. His expression was stern, his voice harsh. “Hold on a minute, Jesse. You’ll have to excuse Nita. She sees a beautiful woman and her claws come out. First, Nita, I don’t have projects. Jesse’s son, Trey, is one of the more talented young men I’ve worked with. Moreover, Jesse is—”
Jesse touched his arm, stopping him. “Please, Dameon, it’s fine. I really must be going. What did you say your name was? Nita? It was nice meeting you, Nita.”
Jesse turned and fled in the direction of the bathroom. Feeling like a total idiot, she headed to one of the enclosed stalls. In a rush of self-loathing she berated herself. This was why she could never fit in, do things like this. Why relationships like normal adult women had were beyond her. Tears burned the backs of her eyelids but she held them at bay.
What hurt her as much as what the nasty woman said about Trey—and that sliced across her heart like a knife, was what Emilio said about Dameon. If anything, it hurt worse. Of course it was true. She was insane to have thought otherwise. Every woman in this city was after the eligible bachelor—apparently even his former wife. It was not a surprise. What was surprising was her hopes and expectations. How could she have been so stupid? To think that Dameon felt something special about her. That she was more than a sexy fling. Oh god, she sunk down on the toilet seat and laid her head against the door taking deep breaths to quell her nausea. As if the gods wanted to drive home the point, she heard voices. She recognized Nita’s insinuating tones but didn’t know the other woman’s voice.
“Who’s the redhead with Dameon? I haven’t met her. She must be new.”
Nita’s voice dripped with scorn. “She’s not with him.”
“Hmm. That’s not what I heard.”
Jesse closed her eyes and prayed they’d leave. She didn’t want to hear any more. But the angels—such as they were—had more acid to pour over her pounding heart.
Nita scoffed, “You know what he’s like. One after another. A redhead one night, a blonde the next. You’d think they’d learn.”
“Like you did, Nita?”
“Humph! Don’t forget: I’m the only one he married.”
“And… the one he divorced?”
Nita’s angry retort sliced through the stall door.
“It may look like that to those who don’t know me and don’t know Dameon. Men don’t drop me, Emily. I drop them. Dameon will always want me.”
After they left, to her surprise, Jesse did throw up. When she’d gotten herself under control, she went out to find Emilio. He met her with a concerned frown.
“I was looking for you, Jesse. Are you okay? You look a little green.”
Jesse gave him a weak smile. “I’m sorry, Emilio. This is horrible. I am a terrible body guard. But I don’t feel well. I’m afraid I’m sick.”
Emilio took her hand. “No, no. I’m sorry you are ill. Can I take you home?”
“What would be wonderful, Emilio, is if you would let me follow you home in my car so that I can tell Raoul that I took good care of you. That I don’t suck as a bodyguard.”
Emilio laughed his infectious laugh, reminding her of Raoul.
“Any chance we could stop at a bar on the way home? Maybe you’ll let me buy you a drink so we can get to know each other better.”
Jesse touched Emilio’s arm and smiled up at him. “I really am not feeling well.” She hesitated, reminding herself that Dameon was no longer a possibility. She forced herself to sound interested. “But, yes, at some later time, when I’m not working with you, I would like to have a drink with you and get to know you better.”
Chapter 18
After Dameon sent Nita away with a stern warning, he went hunting for Jesse. He knew Emilio Morales. He was one of the Raoul’s younger cousins and oozed with the debonair Morales charm. Dameon knew his anger was irrational but Emilio was too damned good–looking, and of course Jesse looked stunning with him. Seeing Emilio guiding her across the floor, his hand on her lower back, Dameon fought back a growl.
Putting aside his jealousy, Dameon allowed himself to remember the pained look on Jesse’s face when she ran from him. She looked like someone had physically hit her. He was furious with his catty ex-wife. If anyone knew how vicious Nita could be, it was him. That her malice came in such a delicate package made her all the more dangerous. Dameon was sure most of Jesse’s hurt was due to what Nita had said about Trey, but it upset him that he had contributed unintentionally to the hurt on her face.
Dameon was struck again by how fragile, how vulnerable, Jesse was. Her insecurity always caught him off guard. Dammit, he had to get to the bottom of it. When he told her how beautiful she was, she seeme
d genuinely surprised. It was as though this astonishingly beautiful, competent woman had no idea of how gorgeous she was.
After he came to grips with the fact that Jesse and Emilio had left early, he paid his respects to Mayor Simpson and his wife. He blamed a houseful of pre-teen girls for his early departure. He tried to shut out the images of Jesse and Emilio together refusing to imagine anything but a professional relationship. But damn, where the hell was she? And why hadn’t she bothered to say good-bye? By the time he got home he was frankly pissed. At Nita, at himself, and especially at Jesse.
Slipping away from the crowd of exuberant nine year old girls, Dameon went to his library to call Jesse. He didn’t want to be interrupted. Listening to the dial tone, he realized he hadn’t considered what he would do if she didn’t answer. Drive around town looking for her? Hunt her down like a lost cat or puppy dog? When she answered, his relief turned to anger.
“Jesse?”
“Yes.”
“Where are you?”
Her scornful words contorted with sarcasm. “Gosh, I don’t know. In a car accident? Down the side of a cliff? Fucking my client? Where the hell do you think I am?”
A dead silence followed her flippant retort.
Dameon took a deep breath shuttering his anger.
“Jesse. What. Is. Wrong?”
He heard the catch in her voice that sounded suspiciously like a sob.
“Dameon… please. I don’t want to talk. Please, leave me alone… I can’t….”
Hearing the resignation in her voice, he broke in. He had to keep her on the line.
“Uh uh, Jesse! Don’t hang up! You hung up on me once today and that was one time too many.”
Silence met his command. Shoving his anger aside, he aimed to be conciliatory.
“Listen, Jesse, I’ve got four pre-teen girls here. I don’t know how much you remember about slumber parties at this age—”
“I don’t remember anything. I never had slumber parties at any age. Or friends when I was 14 or 13 or ten.”
He shook his head, not knowing how to respond to the image of her bleak childhood.
“Okay. Well, I will tell you. They are, well, extremely high-maintenance. One thing I can’t do is to leave. But I want to talk to you. I need to talk to you. Will you at least talk to me on the telephone?”
“I told you, Dameon. I can’t. I… I’m tired. I want to go to bed.”
He drew in a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh.
“Okay. My housekeeper will be back at six in the morning. She’ll be with the girls. She’s promised them her special pancakes. She makes faces with blueberries and bananas.”
“I’m sorry. I’m running in the morning, early.”
“Good. Where are you running?”
“At the park.”
“Which park?”
“Dameon, please—”
“No. No, Jesse. Which. Park.”
Her voice was resigned. “Where you practice with Trey.”
“Good. I’ll see you at 6:30 tomorrow morning.”
The buzz of the phone was his answer.
~~~
The next morning Dameon got to the park at 6:30. Jesse’s car was in the lot, but she was nowhere in sight. He stared at the empty running trail in disbelief. After the sleepless night he’d had worrying about her, he acknowledged the anger swirling over him was closer to fury. He considered driving around looking for her but knowing how far she ran, the chances of finding her was nil. He decided his best bet was to wait at her car. In his time honored practice of dealing with stress, he hit the ground in a fierce 45 minute plyometric drill worthy of the master CQC trainer he’d been at Fort Benning. When every muscle was burning, he grabbed a basketball out of his trunk and began shooting around. When he spotted Jesse coming down the trail he finished his circular drill then sauntered back to the bench at the side of the field next to the parking lot.
As usual Jesse wore no makeup and her hair was pulled up in a ponytail. The purple circles under her eyes confirmed that her night was as devoid of sleep as his had been.
Sinking down on the bench, he draped his arms over the top of the bench and gave her a thoughtful once over.
“I thought we were going to meet at 6:30.”
She lifted her chin and her lips tightened.
“I didn’t agree to that. You ordered me to be here at 6:30. I’d planned to begin at 5:30. You never bothered to ask me. Chief.”
Dameon struggled to keep his voice calm. He held her gaze for a long moment then pointed to the empty place next to him.
“Jesse, sit down. Right here. Beside me. Please. Because we’re not going anywhere until we figure out what the hell is going on.”
She hesitated, then sat down. Seconds later her fierce expression crumbled into anguish. Dameon reached out and took her hand, stricken by the pain on her face.
“Honey, what’s wrong? What happened last night?”
She hesitated then floodgates that had been nailed shut for far too long opened and her words poured out.
“Dameon, you don’t understand. I can’t do this. I can’t be with you. I can’t care about you.”
Lurching to her feet she began pacing in front of him. Her voice was thick with suppressed tears. Misery clouded her expression.
“I don’t know if I can do any of this. I don’t know if I can run this business. I don’t know if I can continue like I have for the last ten years, dressing up like a whore when I’m not one. It gets under the skin. I don’t know if I can do it.” Her voice broke and she covered her face with her hands. She choked on a sob. “I really don’t know if I can….”
Dameon reached for her and pulled her down beside him. He started to protest, but her pained torrent was unstoppable.
“And I don’t know what is going to happen with Trey. You don’t understand, Dameon. You have no idea. Garrett is intent on getting full custody of Trey. He has a whole raft of D.C. lawyers working on the case. They’ve set up shop at his father’s company. You won’t believe the things they are saying about me. Most of them are not true. Unfortunately there are enough of them that can be misconstrued. I… I don’t know how to answer them.”
Dameon tightened his grip.
“Okay, let’s start with that point. You’ve got one of the best lawyers in town. Hell, in the fucking state. Eric thinks you walk on water, Jesse. No one is going to get that kid away from you. That’s not going to happen.”
She shook her head. “You don’t understand. You don’t know everything they have, what I’ve done…. It’s not good.” She came to an abrupt stop.
Dameon waited for her to continue, but she shook her head and refused to meet his eyes.
“No, I don’t know. I hope that someday you’ll trust me enough to tell me. I can help you, Jesse. Please know that. But in the meantime, know that Chambers will not succeed. He’s a crazy bastard and he is flat out wrong if he thinks he can take Trey away from you. I promise you. That will not happen.”
He clasped her chin and held her face, forcing her to look at him.
“Second, I’m not surprised you are struggling with your role in your company. Honey, I know what you did in the military. I worked special ops as long as you did and I worked with a lot of women. I know what a beautiful woman like you does when you are undercover. I know the situations you are put in. I know the way that men look at you and the way that men treat you. But, baby, you don’t have to do that anymore.”
Jesse shoved at his hands and pushed him away. Agitated, she rose to her feet and whirled on him.
“Yes I do. It’s what I know. And do you know what? I’m good at it. Do you understand that? Do you, Dameon? I’m good at it. I get to dress up and wear beautiful clothes. I get to play act. Play like I know what I’m doing. Like I’m beautiful. Like the beautiful clothes are mine. That I’m witty, clever. That I can talk with anyone.” Her voice broke again and she said with a sob, “Like I’m not who I am.”
Dameon was sho
cked. The pain in her eyes and the depth of her despair was breaking his heart. He pulled her down on his lap and cradled her against his chest. He rubbed her hair back from her face and murmured to her.
“Oh honey, honey, honey. There’s no sense in my telling you all the ways that I disagree with that last statement.” He held her tight in his arms. When he felt her relax against him, he went for the money ball. “I am not going to argue with you, but I am going to ask you to do something for me.”
She tried to pull away, the tears swimming in her eyes threatened to spill over at any second. When he refused to let her go, she appealed to him, her voice shaking.
“As… as long as it doesn’t mean talking anymore.”
Dameon shook his head with a grim smile.
“No, it doesn’t mean talking any more. I have an idea. I don’t know if you’ll think it is a good one, but please—at least consider it. Today is my daughter Zoey’s birthday. The big zero-nine. We’re going to the Explora Science Center for her party. She and I have everything planned. I would I love to have you come with us.”
Horror crossed Jesse’s pale face.
“No… no, I can’t. I don’t know anything about children.” She flashed a bitter smile. “Ask my former husband.”
“No, I won’t do that. But I have seen you with your son, and, Jesse, no one could have a better mother than Trey does.”
Seeing her softening, Dameon pressed.
“Will you help me out, Jesse? This is the first time I’ve done a birthday party alone. I’m not sure how to do it. I think I’ve ordered everything right. You can check the lists. Zoey made five of them.” He grinned. “She’s a tad bossy.”
A frown marred Jesse’s face.
“Won’t Zoey mind if I just show up?”
Dameon guffawed. “Are you kidding? A tall beautiful red-haired woman who looks like a fashion model comes to the party to help her dad? These are pre-teen girls, Jesse. When they’re not pouring over Girl’s Life or Twist they’re playing Vector on their iPads. Zoey will be thrilled and her friends will be green with envy!”