“So,” Mandy slipped into one of the barrel backed chairs. “Tell me about the wedding.”
“How can you think about that now?”
Mandy rolled her eyes. “I need to think about anything but this. It’s all I’ve thought about for days. Weeks. After today, no matter how things turn out, I’m done.”
Elizabeth pulled out the chair next to Mandy’s. “You sound like you mean it.”
“I do.” She leaned forward, her eyes glowing. “Now, tell me and don’t leave anything out.”
Elizabeth started from the moment she and Jack arrived at the church, including all the details she could remember until Mandy cut her off.
“I didn’t mean that stuff, you idiot. But judging from the look on your face, some of the details aren’t fit to be spoken.”
“Maybe not.” Elizabeth scooted into the chair to hide her shiver as she remembered the greedy way Jack ran his mouth across her neck.
“You are so easy to read.” Mandy’s laughter filled the room but she broke off abruptly. “Oh, hi,” she said, before turning to Elizabeth. “This is my attorney, Jack Harley. Jack, this is my friend, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth’s stomach dropped.
Jack Harley?
There he was, framed by the doorway. Navy suit and all.
“Your attorney?” She spoke to Mandy but her gaze stayed fixed on the man holding the worn leather briefcase.
He stepped into the room, a smile twitching across his mouth. The very same mouth he’d kissed her with—and lied to her with.
His eyes, speaking to her, asking…
A sick wave of shame rolled through her. Stiffening against it, she held out her hand and generated an automatic statement. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Harley. Mandy’s been telling me what a wonderful attorney she has.”
Stiffly, he went through the motions of the handshake but didn’t release her hand. Instead, he moved closer, a pleading look flashing in his eyes.
The scent of his aftershave clouded around Elizabeth, rekindling the memories of all the ways he’d touched her.
Were those touches lies as well? She swayed with embarrassment. What an amazing idiot she’d been.
“Ready, Counselor?” A bald man tipped his head into the doorway from the adjoining conference room.
Elizabeth jerked her hand from Jack’s grip and backed away.
“You okay?” Mandy whispered.
There was nothing to say. She’d made a fool of herself and Jack had lied to her. Was it possible he worked as an escort on the side? Absurd. Why would he? To entertain himself?
Not trusting herself to speak, she forced a smile onto her mouth, nodding.
Jack turned to the man. “We’ll be right in.”
Mandy cast a sidelong glance at Elizabeth, then turned to Jack. “Any last-minute things I need to know?”
“Nope. We’re in good shape. I’m optimistic you’re going to be satisfied with the outcome.”
“Like I was just telling Elizabeth,” Mandy said, “I’m ready for any result. I’ll just be glad that it’s over.”
“That’s a good attitude but, well, speaking as…your attorney…”
Elizabeth felt his gaze on her but couldn’t face him.
Mandy cut in when his words drifted off. “Let’s get started so we can get finished.” She hurried through the door, leaving them behind.
Elizabeth clung rigidly to the last shreds of her pride. There was no way she was going to let him see her cry.
Jack moved to her side, speaking softly. “We’ll talk after this is over.”
“I don’t have anything to say to you,” she said quietly, sidestepping him. “You already know everything there is to know.”
“You have to let me explain, Elizabeth. I couldn’t tell you before—”
The same bald man popped his head back in and interrupted Jack’s plea. “Waiting for you, Counselor.”
Jack cast an emotion-packed look at Elizabeth. “We aren’t finished with this discussion.”
The determined set in his jaw and the firm gaze in his green eyes make her stomach tense even more.
Truly speechless, Elizabeth bustled past him.
Steve Rawlings sat flanked by two stiff-faced, pin-striped men. All three of them glared as Mandy, Jack and Elizabeth entered the narrow conference room.
Steve shoved his chair back, scrambling to his feet. “What’s she doing here?” he asked, pointing at Elizabeth.
She ignored his rudeness and took a seat next to Mandy but Jack spoke up. “She’s here at Ms. Malone’s request.”
Steve scowled. “That’s not fair. I didn’t get to bring anyone.”
The man on Steve’s left nudged him and whispered something in his ear. Steve leaned over to reply. The man wrote on the yellow pad in front of him, then turned to another man, seated at the end of the table.
The conversation regarding whether or not she should attend the mediation buzzed in her ear. While they talked, she resisted both urges to glare at Jack or hurt him in a wide variety of ways. But there would be time for that later. Mandy needed her now.
He’d let her make a fool out of herself in the worst way. She’d shared so much with him and he hadn’t shared a single thing with her. Not anything real anyway.
What an idiot she’d been, listening to his sweet words. Believing he had feelings for her.
“It’s okay, but can you wait outside?”
Elizabeth turned to Mandy who was tapping her arm. “What?”
“Wait for me outside?”
Jack came up behind her and brushed his hand across her back. “They believe you don’t have a right to be here. The mediator agrees. It’ll make things easier for Mandy if you go.”
Without looking at him, Elizabeth stood, nodded at Mandy, then rushed outside.
—
Less than an hour later, Mandy clattered through the hall. If Elizabeth hadn’t leapt off the bench near the door, her friend probably would’ve raced right past her.
“Hold on, Mandy,” she called, scrambling to her feet. “Everything okay?”
“I can’t believe it.” She covered her mouth but laughter tumbled out. “I can’t wait to see Thomas’ face when I tell him.”
Elizabeth had been so wound up in her fury and shame, the possibly that something good would happen that day seemed impossible. “Things went okay?”
“Jack is incredible! I don’t know what he said but I’m getting money from Harrison’s.” She giggled and shook Elizabeth’s shoulders. “Lots of money.”
When her friend told her the amount, her own eyes went wide. Impossible. “The Harrisons agreed to that? You’re kidding?”
“Nope. They have to pay it. Jack said so. I mean that mediator did. They had some information or something. Maybe he harassed another girl?
“Who cares? Everyone knows Steve is an ass and I’m getting money. I can pay off my tuition bills, buy a house. We—me and Thomas…” Mandy threw her arms around Elizabeth. “Thanks for coming. I shouldn’t have been such a baby about this whole thing.”
Elizabeth returned the embrace, excitement for her friend blurring her grief. “I’m glad I came.” She meant it in more ways than one.
Thank goodness she’d never told Mandy the name of her so-called mystery man. “Why don’t you go find Thomas, tell him the news right now?”
Mandy’s face brightened but she paused. “Well…what about you? I parked in the lot out back. We’ll walk over together and I can tell you some of the details on the way.”
“Go on ahead,” Elizabeth replied with a reassuring smile as she gave Mandy a light shove toward the doors. “My car’s over in the structure, so we wouldn’t be walking out together anyway. We’ll talk at lunch.” She stepped backward, hoping her friend wouldn’t insist they talk right away. “Go on. Go tell him.”
“Okay.” Mandy snickered. “I’ll do it. I’ll be even later for work and I won’t care.” She laughed, practically dancing to the exit. “I can’t wa
it to see the look on Thomas’ face. Boy is he in for a surprise.”
Mandy pulled her purse strap higher onto her shoulder, turned on her heels and marched down the courthouse steps. The sway of her knee-length floral skirt fluttered in the breeze as she trotted across the sidewalk.
She’d gotten an amazing settlement. Probably three times her annual salary. She deserved it, for what that idiot had put her through. Elizabeth was thrilled for her friend but she was relieved Mandy had taken her suggestion to go find Thomas. He’d be able to share her excitement.
The only thing Elizabeth was capable of feeling at the moment was anger.
And hurt.
And humiliation.
How could Jack have lied to her? And keep lying? After…everything…they’d done together. What kind of man did that sort of thing? A flush of shame washed over her, nearly making her bend with pain. What kind of woman let him?
“Elizabeth?”
She sidestepped in the opposite direction to Jack’s voice and scurried toward the door.
Just as she touched the handle it, his hand curved around her shoulder and spun her around. “Talk to me.”
She looked everywhere but his face. “Why would I want to hear anything from you? Everything from your mouth is a lie. Besides,” finally, she let her gaze connect with his, “I don’t think you’ll like hearing what I have to say.”
As if it was the most natural thing in the world, he took her hand and led her down the steps.
He wanted to talk.
Fine. But on her terms.
Pulling his hand from hers, she fought off the red haze in her brain and gathered her wits. Fueled by the simmering, she strutted beside him.
After they rounded a corner, he guided her over to a secluded spot under a tree. “So,” he started softly, searching her eyes, “now you know I’m an attorney.”
“So?” She glared at his profile. “You going to try to tell me you work as an escort on the side?”
“I’m not an escort.” His shoulders dropped. “I’ve never been an escort.”
The fact that she’d made a huge fool of herself was becoming more unbearable by the second. She’d told him everything about her inexperience, her desire to find a good man to marry. She’d even taken him to meet her family. Unable to beat her shame, she looked away.
He tried to take her hand but she pulled it back.
“You came into my new office by mistake.”
Although he spoke softly, the impact of his words hit hard. She’d walked into a stranger’s office, revealed her innermost secrets and asked him, a lawyer, if he’d go out with her if she paid him.
Fresh humiliation swept through her and on the heels of their night together, her heartache and mortification mushroomed.
She swallowed against tears of embarrassment.
“That day, the first time you came to my office, after all those things you said and that kiss—I know I should’ve told you right away but I had to be with you. I thought if we went out a couple of times—”
“Please stop.” She jerked away from him when he tried to touch her again. “You had so many chances to tell me the truth.”
His silence confirmed his guilt.
She felt so exposed. So stupid. And most of all, ashamed. What a fool he must think her to be.
He thought that because it was true. She’d acted like a fool and had been treated like a fool.
Clutching her linen jacket protectively around her, she found the strength to look at him.
“When I found out about Mandy,” he said, “I couldn’t tell you. If I had, it would’ve put her case in jeopardy. I know how much you care about her. She’s told me what a good friend you’ve been to her.”
For a fleeting second his explanation made sense but the pain in her heart was too great. “I don’t understand what Mandy has to do with this.” She searched for something to keep the emotional barrier solidly between them. “You should’ve told me right away. There, in your office. You must think I’m some desperate, pathetic—”
“You looked so damn sexy in that business suit with that cute planner on your lap. I knew if I told you the truth, you would’ve bolted.”
“Of course, I would’ve left!” She started to say she wasn’t the kind of woman who went up to strange men and propositioned them, but realized she was. She’d been that kind of woman all along, she just hadn’t known it.
Either that or Jack Harley made her act in ways she never would have thought possible.
“I never lied about how you make me feel. That chemistry—it turned into something else. I wasn’t looking for someone…but…you and I, we just happened. Last night,” he dropped his voice. “Elizabeth, I think I—”
“Don’t you say that.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and pulled in a sharp breath.
Why toy with her now? Hadn’t he hurt her enough? “It’s not chemistry, or anything else, Jack. It’s just a natural physical response between a man and a woman.”
“You’re wrong about that, Elizabeth.” His low, husky voice sent an unwelcome tremor down her back. “What we share is different.”
She fought her body’s traitorous response with a smirk. “Oh please.”
He raked his hands through his hair, shoved his hands into his pockets. “Yes, I should’ve said something sooner but then Mandy and her case came up. It was too important, she needed— I knew I could help her. I used to defend guys like Steve. This was my chance to be on the right side.”
Mandy’s elated face flashed through Elizabeth’s mind. He had taken care of Mandy but… “There’s nothing more to say. Just drop it, okay?”
“Things didn’t start off the way they should have but I’m not going to forget about us.” His gaze lingered on her face, pleading and tender. “I know you won’t forget either.”
He was right, she wouldn’t forget. But that didn’t excuse his actions. “You let me believe a lie.”
“I had to keep you near me, be with you. I never wanted that with any other woman and it scared me.” One corner of his mouth lifted. “Didn’t I give you what you wanted?”
“What I wanted?” she stammered.
“A variety of experiences.”
She scoffed. “I guess you did. But I thought it was all business. I thought I was the one in control.”
He reached out to brush a strand of hair from her face. “The best things in life happen when you give up control. With us, we both gave it up.”
When he opened his mouth again, she looked away, distracting herself with the traffic. She really didn’t want to start screaming and she sure didn’t want him to see her cry. She’d given him enough of herself already. He already knew too much about her. “I have to go.”
—
No way was Jack going to give up that easily. He stepped toward her. When she backed up, he followed until they were wedged under a low branch. Even with the dark shadows covering her face, he sensed a change in her, felt the quick release of her breath.
Trying a smile, he said, “You have to accept a bit of the blame, Elizabeth.”
“Me? You’re not serious.” Her protest didn’t have the same power her accusations had a minute ago.
“How did you expect a man to react to your offer? Did you honestly think any man would have been able to go through with what you had in mind without getting turned on? You challenged me to get under your skin.”
He reached out to loosen the death grip she had on her jacket. “You were a challenge I couldn’t pass up. You were the sweetest, most delicious challenge I’d ever faced. I needed you and you needed me.”
The smell of him, the heat of his body, everything about his physical presence affected Elizabeth instantly. Angry that he could affect her so easily, she shook her head.
“I’ll go. For now.” He took another step back. “But this isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”
Unable to hold the emotions off her face, she whirled away from him to the blur of cars and trucks o
n the road. Leaves crunched as he walked away.
It didn’t make sense that she could feel so close to someone and feel so betrayed at the same time. She wanted to believe he’d cared about her, that the electricity they’d shared was about real emotion but how could she when he’d lied to her from the start?
The miserable truth was that she had no way of knowing whether what happened between them was just physical or truly something special. It certainly hadn’t felt ordinary to her.
Now that she knew he wasn’t an escort and she’d gotten over her shock and embarrassment at the truth, she considered his actions in a new light.
What kind of man would put himself through what he had, just to go out with someone? He’d gone to the trouble of dressing up for her. Sexy, handsome men like Jack didn’t need to go out of their way to get a date. But he had. For her.
Elizabeth crept out from under the branch. Standing around whimpering like a kicked dog wouldn’t do her any good. Her to-do list wasn’t going to vanish simply because she’d made a fool of herself. Emotionally drained, she stepped toward the curb to hail a cab.
Hopefully, she’d be able to hold herself together for her meeting with Mrs. Anderson. Ever since she’d shared her findings with April, they’d been going full-steam-ahead on reorganizing her accounting system.
Even Mr. Harrison had been impressed. Last Wednesday he’d gone out of his way to compliment her—
Then she suddenly realized—the settlement—the Harrisons knew Steve was guilty. That guy’s idiocy had just cost the firm a bundle.
Elizabeth pulled her keys out of her purse with giddy excitement. They’d never promote Steve to partner now. Everything she’d been working toward, all those hours hunched over her desk through dinner, was going to pay off. The position was as good as hers.
Chapter Eighteen
Even though Mr. Mills’ Friday evening retirement party was still in full swing, Elizabeth ducked into the hallway, trotting to the sanctuary of her office.
Her old office.
She pushed the door shut and worked her way around the stacks of boxes. The chair was already gone, so she sat on the desktop, as far as possible from the spot where Jack…
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