Beyond Temptation

by Brenda Jackson

  For now he needed to continue to stick with his plan, although he was about to sharpen his strategy. “Unfortunately, I’m rather busy at the moment. How about if we got together tomorrow?”

  “Okay, when would be a good time for me to drop by your office?”

  His office was the last place he intended for them to meet, especially when he presented his proposal to her. “My secretary mentioned earlier that my calendar for tomorrow is full and I’m flying out of town on business Wednesday morning and won’t be returning until late Sunday. What about sometime later tomorrow, after my last appointment?”

  “How late are we talking about?”

  He knew she was asking because she had to pick up her mother from the adult day care center by six. “Let’s say around four. You should be able to cover everything in a short while, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. And, Lena?”

  “Yes?”

  “My last appointment is out of the office on the other side of town. I prefer not driving back into this area if you don’t mind. Is there another place where we can meet? What about your office?”

  He knew from something she’d said last week that her office officially closed at four, which meant her secretary would have left for the day. Originally, he’d thought of some pretense to get her to his home and speak with her there, but the more he’d thought about, he’d concluded that although he wanted to be completely alone with her, he was willing to do so while on her turf if it would make her feel more comfortable and in control of the situation.

  “My office?”

  “Yes. Will that be a problem?”

  She paused briefly, then said, “No. My office is fine. I’ll look for you at four.”

  “All right. I’ll see you then.”

  When Morgan hung up the phone he smiled broadly. Tomorrow couldn’t get there fast enough to suit him.

  Chapter 7

  The next day was the busiest Lena had had in a long time. She was excited over a new sale, but on the other hand, every time she glanced at her watch or clock, butterflies would take off in her stomach to the point where she was about ready to pull her hair out. Just the thought that within hours Morgan would be arriving, invading her space, had her unsettled.

  She had tried talking Wendy into working late, but since it was Wednesday, prayer meeting night at church, her friend had refused to stay, saying she needed all the prayers she could get to be blessed with a good man.

  As Lena settled back in her chair to go over a new contact she’d acquired, her thoughts drifted to last night. Unlike with the other nights, it hadn’t been her mother calling out for her dad that had awakened her. It had been an ache deep within her, gnawing away at her to the point it made her stomach tremble. She had wanted to blame it on nervous energy, but she knew it was more. The inner turmoil and fierce turbulence she’d felt had been a stark reminder of just how empty, unfulfilling and unsatisfying parts of her life were.

  She was thirty-one, a relatively healthy young woman, single—a point her mother still reminded her of on occasion. She knew it downright bothered her mother that she didn’t have a man in her life.

  Maybe her naughty twin was right about some things. If she accepted that her life would remain as it was, then why couldn’t she become involved in someone just for sanity’s sake? It would be someone who on occasion would take her to dinner or a movie, someone who could be her escort to the different social functions she attended during the year, and someone who would eventually become her exclusive lover.

  She tried recalling the last time she’d shared a bed with a man. Had it been over six years ago? Not since the death of her father? Sheesh! No wonder she was having sleepless nights with feelings of emptiness that wouldn’t go away. She possessed a healthy sex drive like the next woman, and should she deny herself a relationship with a man just because she never intended to get serious about one?

  She sighed deeply and rubbed the back of her neck, wondering if those were the thoughts of her naughty twin or thoughts of her own. For the first time in a long while she was convinced that she and her twin were on the same page. And she knew the reason.

  Morgan Steele.

  Morgan had a way of making her acutely aware that she was a woman, a living, breathing woman with real needs. Being around him at times unsettled her. All it took was one of his warm smiles, the sound of his deep husky voice or even one of those impersonal glances he could send her way to drum up heat deep inside her. He could look at you with an intensity that took your breath away, strip you of every wall you wanted to erect and pull you to him like metal to a magnet.

  And those were the very reasons the thought of being alone with him today was so unnerving.

  “I’m out of here, Lena.”

  Lena glanced up at the doorway and saw her secretary standing there smiling. She then glanced at the clock on her wall. “It’s not four o’clock yet.”

  Wendy chuckled. “I know but I didn’t take a lunch and decided to check out early to run by the cleaner’s. Do you need anything before I leave?”

  Yes, for you to knock some sense into me. Instead she said, “No, I’m fine here. I don’t expect Morgan to stay long, so I should be leaving within a few minutes myself.”

  Wendy nodded. “Okay, then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Lena settled back in her chair and began making a list. She had placed Morgan’s file on her desk. First they needed to discuss the amenities for the home he was interested in buying, and then they would go over the potential sale of his home. He would need to make a decision and soon as to whether or not he wanted to sell his house to the Edwardses or his brother Donovan. Then there was the decision of whether he wanted to place a binder on the new house contingent on selling his present one.

  When she heard someone in the doorway, assuming it was Wendy, she didn’t glance up when she asked, “Forget something?”

  “No, I don’t think I’ve forgotten anything.”

  Lena snatched her head up at the sound of the deep, masculine voice. She sucked in a deep breath at what now filled her vision. There standing in her doorway was Morgan with a sensuous air surrounding him. And he was staring at her with a very opulent look in his eyes. Today he appeared more overpowering than ever, and she met his stare with a leveled gaze while heat rushed through her body.

  She released a shaky sigh and slowly stood to her feet. This was supposed to be a business meeting, but at that moment discussing business was the furthest thing from her mind.

  He wanted her.

  That thought was most prevalent in Morgan’s mind as he tried to rein in his control, desires and temptation. Just looking at her did all sorts of things to him. But the last thing he wanted to do was give the impression that the only thing he was interested in was something physical.

  He watched her come around her desk as if she were floating on air, moving with sophistication, style and grace. Men who thought there wasn’t anything sexy about a full-figured woman needed to take a second look. Here was a woman who was smart, confident and savvy. Combine all those things with a voluptuous figure and what you got was all the woman any man could possibly want.

  He took a deep breath thinking that his first rule of seduction was to take control of the situation with authority, from beginning to end. In the past he’d made the mistake of letting Lena decide their future, but not anymore. By the time he left her office today he would have placed his stamp on at least one part of her.

  Deciding to take things slow at first, he approached her with an outstretched hand. “Once again I appreciate your flexibility, Lena.” From the relieved expression on her face he could tell that his businesslike air relaxed her.

  “Morgan, I was glad to accommodate you.”

  One side of his mouth tilted into a deep smile. By the time it was over he would give new meaning to the word accommodate. “Shall we get down to business? I’m sure you have other things to do. And how’s your mother?”

 
“She’s doing fine.”

  “That’s good. Do you mind if I remove my jacket?”

  “No, not at all.”

  He took off his jacket and hung it on a rack before crossing the room and settling into the chair directly across from Lena’s desk. He glanced around, liked the way her office was decorated and liked it even more that she had found a home for the snow globe. It was sitting on top of a bookcase, in eye view.

  He also liked the comfortable-looking leather sofa in her office. “Nice sofa.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You ever use it?”

  She raised a brow. “Use it for what?”

  He shrugged. “For anything. The one in my office is mainly there for decoration, but Bas uses the one in his. In fact before he married he used to sleep on it a lot when he would work so late that he couldn’t make it home. Of course all that changed after he got married.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. “I would hope so. And to answer your question, my sofa is used a lot like yours, for decoration. I rarely stay late at the office to use it for anything else.”

  “I see.”

  When she took the chair behind her desk he didn’t waste time asking, “So now, what about those amenities?”

  For the next few minutes he listened as she talked, and he watched the movement of her mouth while she did so. She had such luscious lips and the thought of kissing them made his stomach quiver. The woman was temptation standing up, sitting down and he didn’t want to imagine how much temptation she would be lying down.

  “So there you have it, Morgan. The developers have agreed to everything I asked for but that one thing. They have also agreed to let the contract be contingent on you selling your house within a reasonable period of time.”

  He nodded. “Sounds like you’ve been busy looking out for my welfare,” he said, leaning slightly forward, pinning her with his gaze.

  Lena shivered, feeling the heat of that gaze. As usual he was dressed in a business suit. When he had taken off his jacket her gaze had been drawn to his broad shoulders. No matter what he wore, there was something masculine and virile in every outfit, always relaying a degree of inner strength. “Yes,” she finally responded. “And I think the contingency is a good thing.”

  “Sounds like it is.”

  “Are you interested?”

  Morgan suddenly caught her gaze and held it, and when he did so she suddenly began experiencing a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach. “Yes, I am very much interested,” he said, not taking his eyes off her.

  It was something in the way he’d made that statement that made her feel that perhaps they weren’t talking about the same thing. With all the poise she could muster, she then stood to her feet. “Well, that’s all I had to cover with you, Morgan.”

  He nodded. “There is this business proposition that I’d like to discuss with you, if you have the time.”

  She smiled as she settled back comfortably in her chair. “You have another house you want me to sell?”

  “No, but it is something very important to me, something I’ve been thinking about for quite some time but kept putting off because there wasn’t anyone I’d met that I felt comfortable about approaching to discuss a partnership.”

  Lena leaned forward. “Not even Cameron Cody? I understand the two of you are good friends and have done business together on several projects.”

  Morgan cleared his throat, cracked a smile and chuckled. “Trust me, Cameron wouldn’t work for this. I need a woman.”

  He watched her eyes reflect a myriad of questions before she repeated the last part of what he’d said. “A woman?”

  “Yes. In order to pull things off successfully, I need a very astute businesswoman, someone with an open mind, who could think outside the box, and who will appreciate a golden opportunity. And I believe that you are just that person.”

  The charming smile on Morgan’s lips almost had Lena agreeing to anything, without knowing exactly what this “business venture” was about. His eyes were hooked on hers, and somehow she felt his keen sense of intelligence as well as his single-minded determination. He had piqued her curiosity and she definitely needed him to elaborate. “Just what type of business proposition are you talking about, Morgan?”

  Morgan leaned forward a little, making sure he had her absolute attention. He also wanted to be right there, to gauge her reaction to his words. “I want you to marry me and have my baby.”

  Dead silence.

  Morgan studied her expression as she sat perfectly still. He saw her blink, then witnessed the fine arching of her brow; and mere seconds later he became an ardent observer of how her lips trembled slightly at the corner. His gaze then moved back to her eyes and saw how they slowly narrowed to sharp slits. Her expression left no doubt in his mind what he’d just told her wasn’t anything like what she’d expected.

  “Excuse me. I must have heard you wrong,” she finally said, not taking her eyes off his.

  “No, you heard me right, Lena.”

  She stared, as if what he’d said didn’t make sense and she was imagining things. Then she spoke as she straightened up in her chair. “In that case, I need you to explain why you think I’d be interested in involving myself in something so preposterous.”

  He smiled. “Is it really preposterous? Think about it for a second. It’s no different than a couple agreeing to a prenupt. Marriages of convenience, or more simply put, the one I’m interested in, a marriage of purpose, are not unheard of these days. People are marrying for a lot of reasons. Not everyone who marries is doing so for love.”

  Lena heard what he was saying and a part of her was a little disappointed. She had been the product of a couple who loved each other dearly, and when she had met his parents at Kylie’s wedding, she had thought the same thing about them. And if she’d ever married, it was to have been for love. But then, she had given up the idea of ever marrying, so her feelings or lack of feelings were really a moot point.

  However, she couldn’t understand why Morgan of all people would settle for a loveless marriage when his two older brothers had married for love. Chance and Sebastian were so head over heels in love with their wives that it wasn’t funny. Was there a reason Morgan intended to fight the same fate?

  “All of that may be true, Morgan, but why are you willing to settle for less than love? You’re good-looking, a successful businessman and you have a good personality. I think any woman would find you marriage material.”

  He chuckled. “Thanks, but the question is, would I find them wife material? I have a lot going on in my life. The last thing I need is drama, or getting into a situation I’d be trying to get out of a few weeks after the wedding. And not to put your gender down because there are some in mine that are just as bad, possibly even worse, but there are some women who’re conniving, vicious, manipulative and looking to marriage as a way to secure their financial future. I don’t have a problem with the latter, but I want that individual to be one of my choosing and not the other way around.”

  “And you actually see me as that person?”

  “Yes. You bring a lot to the table. You’re mature in your thinking, you don’t have time for games or drama, but more importantly, I think you will make any child a wonderful mother.”

  She tried not letting his words be the confidence booster that they were. “What makes you think that?”

  He shrugged. “I just do. Maybe it’s a hidden insight I have, but just from talking to you I know you want a child, and I believe you will do right by one.”

  Yes, she did want a child, and staring thirty-two in the face wasn’t a joke. But still, there was a lot to consider.

  “And,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. “I think you would make me a good wife.”

  Now, that got her attention. “Really, Morgan, like I said, there are plenty of women who will—”

  “I don’t want any of them.”

  “And you want me to believe that you want me?”

 
“Yes.”

  Lena’s heart began pounding. She shook her head. This was crazy. What Morgan was proposing was ludicrous.

  He leaned forward with his forearms resting on her desk. “Before you turn me down flat, let me tell you what I’ll be offering you. First there’s financial security, which I know is something that’s important to you. Then there’s companionship. I like you and you can consider me as a live-in buddy and pal, which is a relationship some married couples don’t even have. I have no reason not to think we wouldn’t get along. Then there’s the baby, which is something I want and so do you. Last but not least is your mother.”

  Lena’s spine stiffened. “What about my mother?”

  “I have no problem with her becoming a part of our household. In fact, I more than welcome it. I think Odessa is special and want her to be my child’s grandmother as much as I want you as my child’s mother.”

  Lena bit her lip. Of all the selling points he’d presented to her, this was the one that touched her the most and she couldn’t help the warm flood of emotions that suddenly flowed through her. No other male in her past had even as much as wanted her mother as part of their lives, let alone wanted to include her in their family fold.

  “Lena?”

  She met his gaze. “Yes?”

  “I know what I’m asking might sound a bit unorthodox, but it’s the way I want to do things. I would want us to marry as soon as possible and start working on the baby right away.”

  Lena’s heart lurched, as heat swirled around in her stomach. “Start on the baby right away?”

  “Yes, after the wedding of course. And another thing, only the two of us can know our marriage is not the traditional one, which means I want us to share a bed.”