Roxanne's Redemption
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Roxanne’s Redemption 133
ROXANNE’S REDEMPTION
Aisling Keegan
Erotic Romance
Secret Cravings Publishing
www.secretcravingspublishing.com
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A Secret Cravings Publishing Book
Erotic Romance
ROXANNE’S REDEMPTION
Copyright © 2012 Aisling Keegan
E-book ISBN: 978-1-61885-292-2
First E-book Publication: July 2012
Cover design by Dawne Dominique
Edited by Elysia Rhodes
Proofread by Julie Reilly
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
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Dedication
First, I’d like to dedicate this book to my mother for supporting me one hundred percent even though she didn't know what my book was about and to the rest of my family for accepting me even when they often see me talking to myself and last but not least to the entire Secret Cravings Publishing staff for bringing Roxanne’s Redemption to life. Thank you.
ROXANNE’S REDEMPTION
Aisling Keegan
Copyright © 2012
Chapter One
“Do you know who Sam’s replacement is?” Barbara asked for the third time.
Roxanne frowned as she shook her head in answer. Ever since Sam announced that he was getting a transfer to the South Carolina branch last night, Barbara had kept asking Roxanne the same question. The first time was last night at Sam’s going away party after he informed them that, as two of his children were in their third year of college and the last one was about to start, his wife wanted to move somewhere that wasn’t as busy as New York and he had agreed. No one wanted him to leave, but everyone respected his decision.
“Meeting in five,” Dave said as he walked past.
Almost twenty minutes later Roxanne looked around the conference room and almost smiled when she saw all her colleagues occupying their time as they waited for Mr. Simon, the exec of the New York branch, to come in and announce who would be taking Sam’s place as manager. Almost palpable relief ran round the room at a brief knock on the door. At the sound of the door opening, Roxanne turned in her chair to look at the newcomer and she felt lightheaded with a sudden rush of desire that took her by surprise.
The man was about six feet with an athletic build, blond hair and blue eyes. He wasn’t handsome in the usual sense of the word but he was good-looking. As an African American girl, dating outside her race had never occurred to Roxanne. She had nothing against other races, but she’d always assumed she would marry a nice black man whenever she was ready, but it seemed like destiny had other plans for her.
“Hello. My name is Daniel and I’ll be replacing Sam.”
After the introduction Roxanne listened as he informed everyone that, although he wouldn’t do things the same as Sam, the end result would always be the same, and then about five minutes later he concluded the meeting.
* * * *
“Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”
Roxanne looked up from her computer to the speaker. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Daniel. She sighed. Why wouldn’t he just leave her alone? After his third week on the job Daniel had asked her out and she had refused, even though she had stopped questioning the attraction that crackled between them whenever they were alone. After their initial meeting, she had been a little disoriented for a whi
le before she accepted the fact that she was attracted to him, but that wasn’t what had made her refuse his dinner offer. People talk and, although Roxanne didn't let a lot of things bother her, she had no intention of being involved with the boss now that she was working so hard to get a promotion.
Maybe if I accept this once he won’t ask again if the dinner didn't go well.
She smiled at the thought. “All right, I’ll have dinner with you.”
He smiled and her heart did a flip. It made him look boyish and, aside from worrying about what her colleagues would say, she was glad that she was the reason for that smile.
Daniel picked her up later that evening and took her to a newly opened Italian restaurant. Roxanne was a little taken aback when she found out that they had two things in common, Italian food and a shared taste in pop music. He also made her smile a lot. Still, that wasn’t enough to start a relationship, she told herself, but the more he spoke, the more she wanted to see where things would end up if they got together.
“So,” he began and Roxanne waited to see what he would say next.
“So, what?” she asked.
“How about going out with me again and see where things end up?”
Roxanne hesitated for a minute before answering. It wouldn’t be reasonable to shoot down his idea when not even two minutes ago she was thinking the same thing. “Okay.”
* * * *
Roxanne couldn’t believe how fast time flew. It was a little over three months since Daniel started working at the New York branch and she had never been happier. After their third date around two months ago, things started moving faster than Roxanne had anticipated. It had lasted longer than she thought and, as more time passed, Roxanne’s feelings started to grow from friendship to love. It had frightened her until Daniel had told her he loved her and wanted her to move in with him.
Last night he had proposed to her over a candle-lit dinner. Roxanne could still remember some of the looks that were sent her way from other patrons at the restaurant after she had squealed and flung herself at him as she accepted. Now, after leaving work earlier she had booked a wedding planner and stopped to look at a few wedding dresses. It was a little early to do all those things but she was running on too much adrenaline to just sit in one place and not do anything. Her thoughts turned to the guest list which made her stomach churn. His mother was responsible for the guest list and Daniel had mentioned some of the people his mother moved in the same circle with and most of them were important people. Seeing how ecstatic his mother was to learn that he was finally getting married after she told him to do so around half a dozen times in the past Roxanne couldn’t help but to bear with his mother as she invited whomever she wanted.
Roxanne wiped away the tears running down her cheeks as she thought about not having her parents at her wedding. Someone once told her the pain would lessen, but it never did. Just thinking about them rekindled the ache she had felt ever since she’d learned of their deaths, and it didn't matter that they’d been dead for a few years now. That was one of the reasons she had decided to find a man to love her like her father had loved her mother and settle down. She wasn’t getting any younger and being engaged in countless never-lasting relationships wasn’t helping.
In six months she and Daniel would get married and start their lives together. She pulled the car into the parking lot and took the elevator to their floor. She entered the apartment and headed straight for the bedroom to check on Daniel. He had been sick that morning when she woke up and she wanted to know if he was recovering. Roxanne was almost at the door when she heard grunts and groans coming from the room beyond. Briefly, she wondered what he was dreaming about that could make him sound like he’d been running a marathon. She thought she’d wake him before his dream got worse and opened the door, only to stop and stare, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open at the sight that greeted her.
Of all the scenes that had run through her mind when she heard those sounds, seeing her fiancé with another woman in their bed wasn’t one of them. Tears welled in her eyes, her knees felt weak, her head spun, and her heart felt like it was being ripped out of her chest. She didn't know what alerted them, but they both looked over their shoulders simultaneously and froze when they saw her. The woman scrambled off the bed and picked up her clothes as she ran from the room, in such a haste that she almost knocked Roxanne over.
It took Roxanne a few minutes to be sure that she could move without falling as she gradually made her way with wobbling knees to the closet. She dragged out her suitcase and began to fling clothes haphazardly into it. As she grabbed garments off hangers, she felt rather than saw Daniel move closer to her.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I'm leaving,” she said unsteadily.
“Why?”
“How long?” she asked instead of answering the ridiculous question.
When he didn't answer immediately, Roxanne raised her eyes, which began filling anew with tears as she looked at him.
He sighed wearily before answering, “A month.”
A cry of anguish left her mouth before she could stop it. “Why, Daniel? I thought you were happy with me.”
“I am happy and that's why I can promise you that it will never happen again, Roxanne. Please let’s just talk about this. I’ll even let you sleep with another man as revenge, just please don't go.”
Roxanne zipped up her suitcase and stood it up before turning to face him. She opened up his hand and held it for a second in both of hers. Just as he began to smile, she slipped her engagement ring off and placed it in his palm. “If you thought I would do something like that, then you don't know me as well as you think. Goodbye, Daniel.” Without waiting for a reply, she left him standing in the middle of their—now his—bedroom as she promised herself never to let another man into her life.
Chapter Two
Three months later
Roxanne woke up to the sound of the alarm and groaned. If today wasn’t her first day at her new job, she would have called in sick. Five days after leaving Daniel’s apartment, she had moved back to California and, with the money from her savings and her parents’ life insurance payout, plus the money she had gotten when she sold their house, she was able to buy a house. She loved everything about her house, from the huge bedrooms and bathrooms with double sinks to the kitchen with an island in the middle and a little breakfast nook in the corner, the three-car garage, laundry room, the living room with the large fire place, and lastly the big backyard with a pool.
What she spent on the house didn't do much damage to her account and she could have survived on that, but sitting at home with nothing to do other than thinking of Daniel’s betrayal was getting tedious, and her friends Ava, Kira, and Lexi kept telling her to move on and forget him. So, that’s why the following week she had gone to an interview with Ferguson Graphics. Two weeks later, they called and told her she got the job.
* * * *
Roxanne pulled into the parking lot of Ferguson Graphics, and went into the building.
“Hold that door, please,” she called out to the person inside the elevator. The doors opened and she stepped inside.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome,” a deep masculine voice replied.
Roxanne looked up and almost swallowed her tongue. The man was about six foot three with broad shoulders. He was handsome and wearing a black suit with a sage green dress shirt and a light green tie. His shoulder-length jet black hair was tied back.
Heat pooled between her legs as she wondered how it would feel to run her fingers through his hair while she kissed him silly. Her gaze flew to his face when she heard a low chuckle; his emerald green eyes held amusement. She looked away quickly and, as her cheeks heated, she thanked God that she had dark skin so he couldn’t see her blush. The amusement she saw in his eyes was probably because she was like every other woman, who no doubt drooled whenever they saw him.
She shook her head. No matter h
ow sinful and tempting he looked—and he did—she didn't want another relationship. She pressed the button for her floor and chewed on her lip as she waited for the elevator to arrive, while at the same time trying her best to ignore the handsome hunk standing next to her. She ran from the elevator as it stopped, barely managing not to trip over her own feet as she hurried to get away from a temptation she didn't need or want at the moment.
* * * *
Sebastian Ferguson stood rooted in the elevator as he watched the chocolate-skinned woman run away like he was an axe murderer. Never in his thirty-four years had a woman run from him. He wasn’t conceited but women—even the ones he wanted to leave him alone—usually ran toward him.
When he’d caught her looking at him with desire, his dick had gone from semi-hard to rock hard. After she realized he’d caught her staring, she’d looked away quickly and ducked her head, and then she’d looked everywhere but at him. He wasn’t complaining because then he was free to stare at her to his heart’s content without her knowing it. He’d hated that the skirt had the pleasure of hugging her shapely ass instead of him.
It was only sheer will and the panic he saw in her expressive chestnut-brown eyes when she unwillingly glanced at him that kept Sebastian from dragging her into his arms and kissing her senseless. He was so deep in thought that he hadn’t noticed when the elevator picked up someone else until he heard, “Hello, Sebastian.”