IRRESISTIBLE YOU
A Novel by Celeste O. Norfleet
IRRESISTIBLE YOU
Copyright © 2012 by Celeste O. Norfleet
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
For questions and comments about this book, please contact Celeste O. Norfleet at [email protected]
Visit the author’s official Web site at:
www.celesteonorfleet.wordpress.com
Prologue
Juliet waited in the line for nearly half an hour. There were dozens of people behind her, all frustrated, all tired and all stranded. She looked up at the mountain of a man in front of her. Tall and wide, he talked loudly and nonstop on his cell phone as did the man behind her, although his conversation was a bit quieter. It was just her luck to be sandwiched between the only people in the city with uninterrupted cellular service.
She inched forward in line, adjusting her huge travel bag over her shoulder. Finally she saw the gleam of the marble counter on the front desk. She was almost there. She was tired and her feet hurt. She’d been walking for forty minutes and had gotten less than a mile. That’s when she decided to try the nearest hotel instead of walking another thirty blocks to her stepmother’s apartment.
Eagerly she looked toward the front desk again. The concierge stationed there was irritable and short tempered, but who wouldn’t be. This was New York City in the midst of a blackout. And it had been decades since the last one.
Juliet looked around impatiently then peered out through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows in front of the hotel.
It was still light outside, but it wouldn’t be for long. The sidewalks were packed as the mass of humanity ambled along, trying to make their way home.
New York City at rush hour was crazy enough. New York City in the midst of a total power outage in the midst of rush hour was insanity. Angry pedestrians, overcrowded buses and taxicab fares that were like highway robbery were just some of the things Juliet had no intention of dealing with.
She turned just as the huge man took his key and walked away. Thank God she was next.
“Can I help you,” the desk clerk asked sarcastically.
“Yes, I’d like a room please,” she said although the word duh was precariously poised on her lips. But she didn’t dare risk saying it.
“We have one room left, fifteenth floor.” He slapped a key on the counter. “That’ll be four hundred twenty-five dollars.” Juliet pulled out her wallet and handed him a credit card. “Sorry, cash only. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a blackout, which means no electricity.”
She looked at him sternly. “Yeah, I noticed. This place doesn’t have backup generators?”
“Only for emergency use,” he said. “Cash only,” he repeated.
She slammed her large bag on the counter and began digging into her wallet and purse, all the while praying that she had enough to pay for the room. Two minutes later she was still digging through her things.
“Look miss, do you want the room or not?” The front desk clerk said as he looked at Juliet with annoyance along with the rest of the people in line behind her. “I can’t hold it for you forever.”
Juliet continued to dig in the bottom of her bag. So far she had found sixty-three dollars and some change. “Hold on, I’m still checking.”
The clerk turned away from her and asked to help the next person in line.
The man with the cell phone attached to his ear disconnected, closed the phone and stepped forward. “I’d like a room, one night, king size bed, top floor, no smoking.”
The clerk looked at Juliet as she glared up at him. “Sorry lady, I told you I only had one room left. First come, first served.” He looked back to man. “That’ll be four hundred and twenty-five dollars.”
The man pulled out his wallet.
“Cash,” the clerk emphasized as he looked over to Juliet.
“No credit cards?” he asked.
“Look around, no electricity, no credit cards.”
“Fine,” he said as he began pulling bills from his wallet. He quickly peeled off four hundred dollar bills then looked at the rest of the cash in his hand. He counted a five dollar bill and five ones. He reached into his pants pocket but came up empty. He proceeded to check his suit jacket then his briefcase.
“Here, I found another five, that’s sixty-eight,” Juliet said as she placed the cash on the counter.
“Good for you,” the clerk said sarcastically.
“I’ll take anything you have, single, double, anything.”
“Sorry, like I said, I only have one room left and this gentleman just asked for it.” He turned back to the man. “That’s four-twenty-five.”
“I was here first. I have the cash, just not all of it.”
“Sorry lady,” he turned his attention back to the man. “So do you want the room or not?”
“Yes, I have a little over four hundred dollars cash. I can get you the rest plus a nice tip when the bank opens tomorrow.”
“Sorry, next.” The clerk looked at the next person in line.
“Wait,” Juliet said to the clerk. “Just give me a second.” She leaned over to talk to the man now standing at the counter beside her. “Look there’s only one room left. I don’t have enough to pay the full rate and apparently neither do you. Why don’t we make a deal.”
“What do you suggest?”
“Simple, we pool our money and get the room together before someone else gets it. We can work out the details later. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to spend the rest of the night walking the street trying to find another hotel room or fighting some vagrant for a park bench. Do you?”
It took less than a second for the man to decide. He slid his cash across the counter. “We’ll take the room.”
The clerk immediately placed an all full sign on the counter and handed him the key. He took it, turned it over in his hand and smiled. With all the technology and automation these days, he couldn’t actually remember the last time he’d seen a hotel room key.
“Sorry folks, no more rooms available. You can sleep in one of the chairs in the lobby for twenty dollars apiece. Next.”
Juliet shook her head at the hotel clerk’s audacity as she smoothly took the key from her new roommate’s hand. She read the room number then walked off down the hall heading toward the elevators. “I hope you’re not some crazed lunatic with delusions of being on the front page of the New York Post,” she said over her shoulder as she pushed the elevator button several times.
“Hardly,” he said calmly, as he stopped at the first door and pushed it open. “This way,” he said holding the door to the stairway open and waiting for her to realize her mistake.
Juliet turned to him then back to the elevator. She shook her head then walked to the staircase. She looked him up and down as she approached the doorway making a quick assessment of his character.
He was a professional no doubt. Tall dark and handsome, he reeked of money. He wore an expensive tailored suit and carried a pricey laptop case. She paused a moment to see his eyes—they were brown and framed with long black lashes. “You’re not some rich nutcase are you?” She passed by him not particularly waiting for a
response.
“I’m about to share a hotel room with a strange woman, whose name I don’t even know, in the middle of a New York City blackout. I think that’s about as much of a nutcase, as you put it, as it gets.”
She walked up the stairs then stopped on the first landing and turned to him, “Juliet.” She held out her hand to shake. “Let’s not bother with last names for the time being, okay?”
“Fine with me, we can just play it by ear,” J.T. said shaking her hand evenly. They each nodded, agreeing to make the best of an unusual situation.
“Shall we?” Juliet prompted.
“After you,” J.T. said as he allowed her to lead the way leaving him free to continue watching her body move as she walked up the stairs.
She moved quickly and confidently, despite the large bag slung over one shoulder. And although she wore a nicely fitted business suit with high heels, she didn’t look like she worked in an office. She seemed to have way too much bravado for that.
J.T. smiled and nodded his appreciation. This was definitely going to be a night to remember, and he had no idea how right he was.
Chapter One
The new CEO of Evans Corporation, also known as E-Corp, J.T. Evans, was a certifiable workaholic when it came to business and a rogue when it came to love. From coast to coast he’d left a trail of broken hearts like the exhaust fumes of his latest sports car. With a reputation for being a savvy executive and a player, he had enough charm and charisma to seduce the wings off an angel while developing complex algorithms for high tech software.
Taylor Evans was concerned, and knowing her son’s habits didn’t make it any easier. Seeing him splashed across the society pages with a different woman every night, made it necessary. A part of her knew that she was doing the right thing, but still there was another part that just wasn’t sure. J.T. was adamant about remaining a bachelor. Even though she and her husband, Jace, had a loving marriage, J.T. had always equated love with being tied down.
The thought of what she was about to do made her brows furrow. She looked around pensively. The stillness of the moment did little to ease her worries. Then, she smiled confidently, knowing without a doubt that she was doing the right thing. She had waited long enough for her son to settle down, but he was always too busy. So now, it was up to her to make the first move. And in less than twelve hours, she had done just that.
Taylor closed her leather binder and placed it on the desk in front of her. J.T. had taken her to lunch. They had spent the last twenty minutes coordinating schedules and events that required his attendance. Still looking down, J.T. continued to make notation in his calendar.
Deciding that this was the perfect opportunity she forged ahead with her plan. “I stopped by Crescent Island a few weeks ago and spent a lovely afternoon with Louise while your father and Colonel Wheeler planned their fishing trip,” Taylor began.
J.T. stopped what he was doing and looked up. “No.”
“No, what?” she asked
“Just that, no,” J.T. was emphatic. “I’m not going to be part of one of her matchmaking schemes. She can go find Kennedy. She’s in Africa somewhere hiding out.”
“What are you talking about, what matchmaking scheme?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about, now that I’m here in the D.C. area I knew that it was only a matter of time before this came up.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Believe me Louise isn’t after you to get married.”
“I’m not so sure about that. I can name several people who said the same thing and look what happened to them. Tony and Madison, Raymond and Hope and now Dennis and Faith, the answer is no.”
“J.T. you’re beginning to sound paranoid. Louise and I went shopping, checked out some local museums and saw a few tourist attractions on the island. We talked and laughed and had a great time. I’m sure she has absolutely no intention of setting you up with anyone. Tony and Raymond are her grandsons. Of course she wanted to see them married and happy. And Dennis, well he was just a nice surprise for all of us.”
“As I said, I’m not so sure about that. But just in case, please tell her thank you but no thanks.”
“You can tell her yourself,” Taylor said. “She’s coming for an extended visit when Colonel Wheeler and your Dad go fishing next week. She’s staying at the house and we’ll keep each other company.”
J.T. opened his mouth to complain, but before he could object his phone rang. “This isn’t over,” he said firmly. “I have no intention of following in Dennis’ footsteps.” He looked at the caller ID. “I’ve been expecting this call, but it won’t take long.” He excused himself and took the call.
Taylor noted the grimace on her son’s face as he talked on the phone. He was obviously unsettled by her week-long houseguest just as she thought he would be. She smiled triumphantly. The seed of suspicion had been successfully planted. She picked up several technology magazines from the pile of mail on his desk and flipped through the pages. Then, on page seven of Computer Tech magazine, her son’s handsome face smiled back at her.
Boyishly charming, just like his father, he had classic features, a strong angular chin and determined jaw line, with soft brown eyes and smooth, rich, toasted-honey skin. He had a mischievous glint in his eye that he inherited from his father and a stubborn streak that he had definitely gotten from her.
She shook her head knowing the effect J.T. had on the opposite sex. She noted that several female employees had gone out of their way to get her son’s attention as they walked in from lunch. It was as if a silent alarm had been tripped announcing that he was in the building. She shook her head in sympathy.
It was the same earlier at lunch when two drinks and several business cards had arrived at their table. One woman had even gone so far as to offer to pay for their meal in exchange for his phone number. From the hostess and waitress to the other patrons seated in the restaurant, they all openly let they interest be known. Her son was apparently now on the capitol’s “new bachelor in town” menu.
After all, this was D.C., the capitol of the greatest nation on the planet, where women outnumbered men seven to one. This was also Chocolate City, where the ratio was almost eleven to one. So when an eligible bachelor arrived in the city, women knew about it. But when J.T. Evans, the newly named CEO of Evans Corporation, arrived in the city it made the front page of the Washington Post business section and the society pages.
Tall dark and handsome, J.T. was every woman’s dream and a mother’s worst nightmare. Add to that, he was wealthy with an impressive list of credentials and bright future in a family-owned computer software company that had bested most of Silicone Valley. Regrettably, he had a way with women that left them weak in the knees and making her, his mother, a nervous wreck.
Photographed in the society pages nearly every week, he was the bachelor-businessman most likely to leave a trail of broken hearts. Like clockwork, every three months there’d be a different woman on his arm who lasted until the relationship turned serious or until boredom set in. Then he’d move on to someone new.
Taylor loved her son, but she knew that he could be as detached and unfeeling as the software systems he designed and worked on. Charming and flirtatious, he left a trail of broken hearts from coast to coast.
Never getting emotionally involved, J.T. always made it clear from the beginning that the relationship was nothing more than temporary for him and that his attention was solely on business. The women he dated—the hopefuls—intent on changing his mind, accepted his conditions without reservation, but were still always surprised when the truth of his lack of commitment came to pass and he moved on.
Taylor had comforted many young women who had broken hearts after they faded from J.T.’s interest. They’d cried on her shoulder for days and sometimes weeks in hopes that she could persuade her son to get back together with them. Of course, it was always futile. The only consolation for the devastated exes was that he’d warned them up front. Nevertheless, the pain wa
s real and the phone calls from her son’s ex-girlfriends still continued.
With J.T., business always came first. Ambitious to the point of being obsessive, for the past ten years he had focused all his attention on a single solitary goal—the growth, expansion and advancement of Evans Corporation. Much to Taylor’s chagrin, his single-minded purpose had left little room for a serious and lasting relationship.
Oh, he had what he referred to as relationships. But in reality they were little more than passing attractions, flings and dalliances. Almost thirty-three, he was no closer to settling down then he had been when he was in his early twenties.
Taylor waited patiently as J.T. continued his phone conversation as she flipped through the computer magazine. She prided herself on her patience, or being as patient as any mother could be under these circumstances. But enough was enough.
Seated in front of his desk, she frowned as she looked around the sparse office space. Lifeless and sterile the room was depressing, she thought. It looked more like an empty storage room than a Fortune 500 executive’s office. She shook her head, still unable to get used to the decorating disaster he had undertaken.
Standing, she moved to the large window across the room. She pulled the cord opening the vertical blinds that darkened the windows and let the bright, late-afternoon sunlight stream in.
The spring sunlight peacefully framed the backdrop of the Evans Corporation office complex. She smiled as she stood at J.T.’s office window and looked down on the surroundings and was greeted with a magnificent view. Two connected office buildings and two warehouses were spread out on thirty-five acres. She watched as a large truck drove through the front gate and wound its way towards the warehouses.
After years of planning and two years in the making, the complex was finally complete. Evans Corporation was finally under one roof with just a few satellite offices scattered around the country. Now it was time to turn her attention to something else, namely her son and the little plan she and a friend had hatched a few weeks ago.
Irresistible You Page 1