Deceptions Revealed

by Lillith Payne

  Deceptions Revealed

  JoAnna Sheridan has raised her son in a loving single parent home, but her hard work may dissolve with the appearance of James, her ex, now seeking forgiveness. James Montgomery wants to be a part of their lives as if his betrayal hadn't happened, so sharing custody of her son, Daniel, will take all the resolve JoAnna can muster.

  Coming to terms that his trusted grandfather, Benjamin Montgomery, had orchestrated the rouse will make James rethink his entire history, and meeting Daniel will reinforce his grief for lost time.

  However, the physical and emotional attraction between JoAnna and James is still strong. Can they forgive the past and move forward as a family?

  Genre: Contemporary

  Length: 57,220 words

  DECEPTIONS REVEALED

  Lillith Payne

  EROTIC ROMANCE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

  DECEPTIONS REVEALED

  Copyright © 2009 by Lillith Payne

  E-book ISBN: 1-60601-313-0

  First E-book Publication: April 2009

  Cover design by Jinger Heaston

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2009 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  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.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  DEDICATION

  For my husband, my year round playmate.

  My thanks to everyone at Siren Publishing for their support and encouragement, especially my very patient editors.

  My thanks to Jinger Heaston for the cover art.

  DECEPTIONS REVEALED

  LILLITH PAYNE

  Copyright © 2009

  What the heart has once owned…

  it shall never lose.

  Henry Ward Beecher

  Chapter One

  The conference room was similar to all the others James spent time in, only this one had JoAnna Sheridan watching his entrance from the far corner. He paused and allowed himself a good long look at her, not caring if everyone in the room saw the exchange. For several protracted seconds they stared at each other, silently conveying too many messages for the group around them to decipher. James looked away first, giving her a small victory.

  Helen Scott, a retired judge turned family counselor and arbitrator, made brief introductions from her place at the head of the table. She gave the impression of being solid, stoic and fair. James had seen her on the bench only once before her retirement and he remembered thinking he was glad he didn’t have to plead a case before her. She was tough but fair. Her hair was naturally grey but styled. Her suit was classic black, but her wildly patterned scarf gave him hope she’d have a sense of humor. Across the table, Joey settled in her seat. It was so easy to slip back and use her nickname.

  “This is Alan Castile, James Montgomery.”

  Alan rose and leaned across the table with his right hand extended. James clasped it firmly while taking in his opponent. Mid-forties he figured, his hairline was slightly thinning around the temples. He was in shape, no belly bulge showing, and his face and arms were tanned. He wore a camel hair sport coat over a tan shirt with no tie and brown slacks.

  “And, of course, I don’t have to introduce you to JoAnna,” Helen continued. James inclined his head only a bit while she watched him intently.

  “Joey,” he said, knowing the use of her nickname would level them. James was always in control, never took a step out of the lines, except with Joey, and they both knew it. She didn’t object. Instead she watched him more intently.

  “James,” she managed to utter.

  He’d always told her she’d not make a good lawyer because every emotion showed on her face. She’d worn a long-sleeved, black Angora sweater with a V-neck, trimmed in velvet. It hugged her body, showing the line of her ample bust and slimming her waist. A straight grey skirt followed along her hips and down her long legs, settling mid-calf where soft, black leather boots completed her look.

  A staff member interrupted them with the delivery of coffee and fixings, setting the tray at the far end of the table. Helen asked her to close the door on her way out, and the noise pulled James back to the situation at hand. Too much was at stake to let his mind wander, and he’d done enough soul searching in the last days. Speculation was over. It was time to reclaim his right.

  “If we might get a few things straight before we start,” Helen continued. She sat scanning an open folder before her.

  Joey was staring him down, watching James openly. It sucked, she decided, that the five plus years they’d been apart only enhanced his looks. He’d “come into his own” as her Aunt Alice would say, and she’d be right. His face had thinned, and his jaw line had become more pronounced. His brown hair was still dark; no grays peeking from his temples. Of course, he’d worn a formal, navy blue suit, and his white shirt was starched to perfection. His tie, only a few shades lighter blue than the suit, lacked any distracting pattern. He still wore no jewelry, only a watch.

  Joey realized it was the same watch she’d given him for his graduation from Columbia law school. The thin gold time piece hugged his wrist, and she visualized clasping it on after the ceremony. She could almost feel the kiss he’d given her at the time. His chocolate brown eyes were the same eyes she looked at each day, her son’s. Forcing herself back to the moment, Joey picked up what the judge was saying.

  “First, I’m Helen or Ms. Scott. The judge retired. I’m here to mediate.” All three nodded at her. “I see you’ve chosen to represent yourself, Mr. Montgomery. Are you sure you don’t want counsel present?”

  “At this juncture, I’m prepared to represent myself, even though it’s not recommended practice. I’d been given the impression this was going to be a friendly meeting.”

  Joey let out a resigned laugh, her eyes meet his directly. “In this case, the client is a fool by his choice of lawyer!”

  He stared at her before laughing outright. Helen eased back in her seat, and Alan cleared his throat.

  “Sorry,” she said, but couldn’t quite wipe the smirk off her lips. How she wanted to stand and point at him, to tell him she was right all along and he’d been w
rong, but it was one statement she’d promised herself not to verbalize. “Now that we’ve cleared the air, I’d like to summarize and make sure I’m clear on a few points.” Everyone settled back in their seats, James taking files from his briefcase and studying them. “Stop me as I go through this if there are any errors. First, Ms. Sheridan and Mr. Montgomery dated seven years ago, resulting in the birth of one child, a boy named Daniel.”

  “That’s correct,” Alan said.

  “And it was assumed you’d continue the relationship after the child’s birth with an eye toward marriage?”

  “Yes,” Joey said, watching James rather than Helen. “Our wedding plans were being made for Presidents weekend.” She didn’t say it would have been the second anniversary of their first meeting. Joey drew a breath, refusing to remember the moment. She’d relived it too many times in the past five years. “And at some point the parentage of the child was questioned. What made you question whether you were the biological father, Mr. Montgomery?”

  “I didn’t,” James said, loud and clear.

  At the same time Joey said, “He didn’t.”

  The judge looked from one to the other, and James clarified the situation. “My grandfather, Benjamin, felt under the circumstances it would be best to…clarify Daniel’s status.”

  “Why would he question it if you weren’t?”

  “My grandfather knew one day my children will inherit part of his holdings. He wanted to make sure no questions could be raised at that time. Technically, Daniel was born out of wedlock. I assumed it was a detail to be put behind us.”

  He didn’t add Adam’s name at this point. He never believed Joey would have anything to do with him, especially since James considered him a friend at the time. Joey had taken an instant dislike to Adam, likening him to Benjamin’s personality. James started spending less time with him, seeing him for sporting activities he did with his male friends. He had to admit, after graduation he’d noticed a change in Adam’s disposition.

  Through the last years, James never imagined Adam to be Daniel’s father, rather a large, faceless dark-haired man whose features he couldn’t quite determine. Now it was clear why. He was Daniel’s father, and he had no clue to who he was as an individual anymore. Beyond his classification at work, he’d become an enigma to himself. Always looking for the missing piece, knowing it was Joey and Daniel, knowing he’d never have them. He realized the hollow feeling he’d been carrying all this time wasn’t quite so deep today. He bit back a grin, realizing and accepting for the first time since Dr. Harris showed up with his guilt ridden confession, that Daniel was his son and Joey was still single.

  “And you believed him.” Joey said the words before she could pull them back. “It was all a ploy, James, to get me and Daniel out of your life, and you let him. You could have changed this back then, and Daniel would have had his father all this time. But instead, you let your grandfather led you by the nose, again, and look what’s happened.” She ran out of steam and quickly stood, stilling for only a moment before walking to the far end of the room, forcing her attention out the window.

  “Feel better, Joey?” James asked. “I was wrong, you were right. But we can’t go back, only forward.”

  She spun on her heel and braced her hands on the table. “We can end this, James. Relinquish your parental rights, and we can all go back to our lives. You didn’t want him then. Why would you want him now? Guilt and reputation are the only things that come to mind. Do you feel your social status will be harmed if this gets out?”

  “I’m not signing away my rights to my son, Joey, so forget the idea. It’s not going to happen.”

  “You already did it once. Why turn this into a nightmare? Daniel is healthy and happy. We have a good life here. Don’t come busting in and try to take control just because your conscience is bothering you. If you hadn’t gotten these papers, would you still want to see him?”

  “I didn’t think he was mine.” James voice was hard and edged with anger.

  “You knew, James. You looked at me and Daniel and then Ben started telling you I’d made a fool of you. Your ego couldn’t handle it. You signed the papers and left me sitting speechless in that room full of suits with a three month old infant, to fend for myself.” Joey pulled back her anger and the tears that threatened. “You walked out without ever looking back at me or the baby. Do it again, James, and we can all go home.” The silent dare was verbalized and she couldn’t take back the words. Antagonizing James wasn’t a wise idea.

  “No. I’m going to exercise my full parental rights to my son.”

  “A son you refused to acknowledge. A son you never cared enough about to check on, a son who can’t understand why his daddy isn’t around like the other kids’ daddies are.”

  James stood, bracing his weight on the table with his hands, leaning toward JoAnna’s end of the table. His breath faltered as he stared at her.

  “This may be cleansing, but we’re off the point. If I may,” Helen said. Joey moved back to her seat, hating the spectacle she was making of them both.

  Alan took her hand under his. James saw the move, and his stomach fisted with jealousy. So this was the situation. She was sleeping with her lawyer. Before he could think further, Helen cleared her throat.

  “I’ve read the documents from the original case and the package Dr. Harris delivered to each of you last week. I’ve spoken to him by telephone and feel the evidence is correct as given. Do we agree?”

  “Yes,” Alan said, hoping to formalize the meeting again, taking the personal focus off JoAnna and James. He’d been in love with her since she moved to the outskirts of Hunter Mountain, he being one of the first people she met. He’d known from the beginning he’d never have her love, so he settled for friendship, hoping as time went on her feelings might change. They hadn’t. And in all these years, neither he nor anyone he knew was aware of Daniel’s father’s identity or the reason he wasn’t around. After he’d received Joey’s frantic phone call last week, he understood her reluctance to get involved. Now he just wanted this to go as smoothly as possible for her and Daniel. He’d watched the boy grow and was genuinely fond of him. “Dr. Harris seemed extremely sorry for his part in this fiasco.”

  “He should be,” Joey exhaled. “He took so much from my son, and for what? Money. Simple greed. He wanted money so he changed the results, and now he’s sick and trying to buy back his conscience. And all he’s managing to do is wreck Daniel’s life.”

  “I agree he’s looking for absolution, Ms. Sheridan, and this must have been extremely difficult for you, but we can’t change the facts. Mr. Montgomery, at the time the original DNA test was performed, did you question its results? If you had a relationship with Ms. Sheridan...”

  “I didn’t question them.” James’ statement was flat.

  “No, instead he took the brass ring of freedom his grandfather was dangling in front of him.” She turned to Helen, adding, “He signed away his rights and left the room. He left me and our son alone with all those lawyers. Benjamin had the nerve to call security to have me escorted from the building. As they were all but dragging us out of the conference room, Ben called to me. When I turned back he winked at me. I’ll never forget the cynical smile on his face. He’d won, but not by playing fair.”

  They were all quiet for several moments, everyone shuffling pages to clear the air. Joey was thankful Helen decided to change the direction their meeting was taking. After all, that was her job, keeping everyone calm and rational, reminding them their child’s future was dependent on their actions.

  “Your records show you had two DNA tests performed at two different laboratories at your own expense within weeks of Mr. Montgomery’s test,” Helen continued

  “That’s correct. You have copies of the test results, both positive, and copies of the letters JoAnna sent along with them, as well as the signed delivery receipts.” Alan spoke calmly, trying to relay the facts.

  “What second tests?” James asked, se
emingly suddenly confused.

  “The two DNA tests’ she had performed after you abandoned her and Daniel.” Alan Castile suddenly had become his adversary.

  He handed over several pages clipped together. Each packet contained a copy of a letter to him from JoAnna, a copy of the test results, and mailing receipts signed for by his grandfather’s secretary. James sat back and skimmed the pages, glancing at Joey who looked like a cross between a lion trying to protect her cub and the woman who gave her body and soul to him freely, with complete trust, for a short time in their pasts.

  That was how he’d had to rationalize her, or he’d never been able to go on. Thinking she’d conned him was his salvation at night when he couldn’t stop thinking about her or the time they spent together. Now that version had to be revised. She had given herself to him and not to another man. The proof he held in his hand angered him.

  He’d not told his grandfather about Dr. Harris’ sudden attack of conscience nor the meeting today. He wanted to find out all he could on his own, uncolored by Ben’s influence. Now he was especially glad he’d kept his grandfather away. “I never saw those letters, Joey. If you believe anything, you have to believe that. I never saw these or knew about them.”

  She gave him a blank stare, not allowing his words to penetrate. If they did, she might soften toward him, and then where would she and Danny be? No, she forced herself not to remember how they touched and loved, how he’d looked holding Daniel for the first time in the delivery room.

  “Ms. Sheridan, if Mr. Montgomery had left with no further contact, how did you get his genetic material for these second tests?”