“Table for one, sir?” the waitress asked, picking up one of the plastic menus.
“No, I’m meeting someone.” He looked back over his shoulder and caught a flash of red. “I believe this is her now.”
Sharon came through the door, panting slightly. “Sorry I’m late,” she said and drew a big gulp of air.
“Take it easy. I’m not worth all that running,” he told her, secretly pleased that she thought so.
The waitress led them to the same booth they’d shared Friday night. As they slid in the waitress turned and grabbed two glasses of water from the station beside her.
“Here you go. Now, do you need time to read the menu, or are you ready to order?”
“Give us a minute, please,” Jack said with a smile. When they were alone, he asked, “Nothing’s wrong, is it? I don’t have another disaster on my hands, do I?”
“No, of course not. Everything’s fine.” She stopped to take a long drink of water. “I hate being late.”
“Okay.” He opened his menu, but he kept his gaze on her over the top. He already knew what he’d order.
He left her in peace until the waitress came back. Sharon ordered French toast and he asked for two eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns and wheat toast.
“Don’t you worry about your cholesterol?” she asked.
He couldn’t hold back a grin. “I don’t think your breakfast is any healthier than mine, young lady, so don’t go preaching health foods to me.”
He was charmed when she blushed. “I don’t usually eat out at breakfast, so I indulge myself.”
She ran the tip of her tongue over her lips, and he wanted to indulge himself, too. At breakfast time. It wasn’t often he got aroused so early in the morning, but then, he’d never had breakfast with Sharon.
“I like you in red. I wouldn’t have thought it would look good with your hair, but I would’ve been wrong.”
“Thank you.”
When she said nothing else, he stepped up to bat.
“So, what’s the purpose of our meeting? So you could have breakfast out and get Kane or me to pay for it?”
She pressed her lips together. “I’m paying the bill. But I needed to talk to you in private.”
“Honey, we could get a lot more private than this. My condo’s not far away.”
“And there are probably several hotels nearby where you would willingly rent a room so we could be comfortable.”
Was she offering to sleep with him? His heart leaped at the thought. Then he returned to reality. “Money wouldn’t be a problem, but I’m not stupid enough to believe that’s what you have in mind.”
“Thank you. It’s not. I need to convince you that as long as I work for you, we have to avoid—what happened Friday night.”
“No problem. I’d already decided to can you.” That was rude, but she looked so prim and proper, so in control, he couldn’t resist rattling her cage just a little. Because he wasn’t in control. Not when it came to her.
“What? No!”
“Here you go,” the waitress announced as she slid two plates in front of them. “Syrup’s on the table. Here’s a pot of coffee, and I’ll go get your orange juice.” She hurried away.
Sharon drew a deep breath. “Jack—”
He held up his hand. The waitress reappeared with Sharon’s juice. When she’d gone, he put his hand down to pick up his knife and fork. “Eat your breakfast before it gets cold.”
“No, I must—”
“Eat, before you pass out. I’m not going to discuss anything until you’ve finished your breakfast.” Slowly she lifted her fork and pushed the French toast around. He picked up the syrup and offered it to her. With a sigh, she drizzled it across the toast.
He breathed more easily as she slowly tasted her breakfast. For a minute, he’d been afraid she’d jump up and run. He’d overdone his teasing.
When he’d finished his breakfast, she hadn’t even eaten half of hers. “You’re a slow eater, Sharon.”
“I’ve had all I want,” she hurriedly said, wiping her lips with the paper napkin. “Can we talk now?”
“I guess,” he said and blew out his breath. “Look, it isn’t going to work—”
“Yes, it will. Just give me a month, Jack. If you don’t want to work with me after a month, I’ll go to Kane myself and tell him it’s not working.”
“What’s the point?”
“The point is my future with Kane Haley, Inc. I’ve worked hard at my job and in school for eight years. If you ask for me to be replaced, they’ll take my promotion and my raise away from me. And I need the money.”
“Kane wouldn’t—”
“Why wouldn’t he?” she whipped back. “If I can’t do the job, why would he want to keep me?”
“I wasn’t going to tell him you couldn’t do the work.”
“In a month, he’ll know I can do the work. If you have problems with me then, it won’t be my job performance.”
Damn! She was boxing him in. He couldn’t offer to take care of her financially. She’d go ballistic on him and never even see him again. He couldn’t guarantee Kane’s reaction, either. What she’d said was a possibility.
He’d never taken advantage of a situation at someone else’s expense if he could help it. Here, he could help it. He just had to keep his libido in control. He just had to show patience. He just had to be miserable. “If I wait, what are the conditions?”
She seemed startled. “Conditions? Why, we keep it strictly professional. No—no touching,” she assured him, her beautiful eyes earnest.
“No deal, sister,” he assured her in gangster tones.
“But—but we can’t—word would get back to the office. And we’d both be in trouble.”
“How many people from the company live in your neighborhood?”
She blinked her eyes several times. Finally, she said, “None.”
“None of them live in my building, either. If we’re discreet, I don’t see a problem.”
“What are you suggesting?” she demanded, horror in her voice.
“I’m not trying to blackmail you into sleeping with me. But we can see each other, talk, get to know each other for a month. I’m not opposed to keeping the physical stuff on hold for a while.”
He was kicking himself at that statement. Man, he’d be miserable the entire time. Where was his head?
“No touching?” she asked, clearly not believing him.
“Well, I think I should get one kiss a week. Say, on Friday night. Only one.”
“So we’d go out on Friday and talk. Then you’d get one kiss.”
“I didn’t mean we couldn’t see each other other nights. Just keep the kiss for Friday night,” he said, hoping she’d didn’t think he sounded too stupid.
“No, I can’t go out more than one night a week, especially not right now. And we’d avoid being seen?”
“What do you mean, especially right now?” he asked, distracted. “You said you weren’t sick.”
“I’m not, but I have an energy—uh, crisis right now. I’m taking vitamins to correct it, but I have to be careful.”
He wanted to whisk her off to a doctor at once. One he knew who would tell him the truth. But she wouldn’t go. Now he’d get an ulcer worrying about her.
“Okay?” she prodded, and he realized she was waiting for his agreement to her rules. Hell, why not? He couldn’t risk getting her fired. And he couldn’t live without seeing and touching her, even if it was only once a week,
“Okay. So this Friday is our first date?”
“Yes. But we have to be where we can’t be seen.”
“Great. You can come to my condo. I’ll rent some movies, have dinner delivered in. We’ll make it casual. You can relax.”
* * *
That sounded heavenly. A quiet, casual evening, nothing to do but show up. And she’d get to spend it with Jack.
Was she making a big mistake? She didn’t know. But she couldn’t risk losing her job. Not now.
She needed the insurance and her salary. Besides, she wasn’t sure she could leave Jack cold turkey. This way, she’d know more about him.
When her child asked about his or her daddy one day, she could talk about him. Not say, “I have no idea, dear. I was a four-hour-stand in an elevator.”
chapter ten
Sharon congratulated herself on Friday.
After their breakfast on Monday, she’d scarcely seen Jack. Her week had been calm, efficient. In fact, she’d begun to wonder if he’d forgotten their arrangement. She’d brought a bag with her, containing casual clothes to change in to when she got to Jack’s condo.
But if she didn’t hear from him within the next hour, she wasn’t going to go. She couldn’t. He hadn’t given her directions.
Almost as if she’d willed it, her phone rang. “Sharon Davies, Special Projects,” she said.
“Here are the directions to my place,” Jack said without any preliminary politeness.
“I thought maybe you’d changed your mind,” she said. It gave him the option if he wanted it.
“No. But I thought you’d call for my address. You didn’t.”
“No, I—I thought you’d call.” She drew a deep breath. “Look, Jack, this probably isn’t a good idea. Why don’t we—”
“You gave your word.” He didn’t leave any wiggle room.
“Yes, I did,” she said softly. “Okay, I’ll see you about six.”
“Here are the directions.” They were very detailed… and very simple. She’d have no excuse. A five-minute walk would put her in the lobby of his building.
After hanging up the phone, she couldn’t help noticing an excitement in her. “No! Don’t do this!”
Alice leaned forward. “Were you talking to me, dear? I didn’t hear you.”
“No, Alice, I was talking to myself. Sorry I bothered you.”
“Not a problem, dear. Oh, hi, Andy.”
Sharon whirled around to discover Andy had rolled his chair silently to her desk. “Hi, Andy. Did you need something?”
“No, not really. Except I’m a little tired. I think I’ll go on home. Can you handle everything?” Sharon and Alice both stared at him. He hadn’t left early in the entire eight years Sharon had worked for him.
“Andy, are you feeling all right? Do you want to go see a doctor?” Sharon asked.
“Oh, my goodness, Andy, you must be sick,” Alice agreed.
“I’m not sick!” he exclaimed, frowning. Another unusual occurrence. “I just have a headache.”
Alice bustled out of her chair and came around Sharon’s desk to put one hand against his cheek. “Oh! You’re running a fever, Andy. You are definitely sick!”
“Dagnab it, woman! Get your hand off me.”
“I’ll go home with you, Andy, and get you some medicine and some dinner,” Sharon immediately volunteered. Then she remembered her previous commitment. “Oh, I forgot!”
“I hope you already have plans,” Andy said. “You’re too young to be sitting around tending to an old man.”
“But Andy, you have to take care of yourself.”
“I am. I have a neighbor who’s a nurse. She’s promised to come in and check on me. Now go back to work, both of you. You owe me another hour’s worth.”
He tried to sound so crusty and cruel, but neither woman was fooled. Alice patted him on the shoulder. Sharon reached for his hand.
“Take care of yourself,” Sharon said. “I’ll call tomorrow to see how you’re doing.”
He just wagged his head in disgust and rolled toward the elevators.
Sharon and Alice did as he’d ordered, though not because they thought he’d been serious. He even encouraged his workers to slip out half an hour early on Fridays. He told them he might not have a life, but they certainly should.
As everyone began to pack up and head home, Sharon kept working. She wasn’t going to leave until a few minutes to six. Time for her to get some quality work done.
Half an hour later, she decided quality might not be the right adjective. She couldn’t keep her mind on work. All she could think about was Jack, and how the evening would end. And, if she’d admit it to herself, how much she’d missed him this week.
Could she hang in there for three more weeks? It was difficult. But then she reminded herself that after three weeks, she wouldn’t see him at all. Not even once a week. She’d have to go cold turkey then.
Did they sell Jack-resistant patches? She didn’t think so. So she’d better enjoy it while she could. Her hand drifted down to cover her stomach. There was beginning to be a slight bulge. She’d need to do some shopping soon if she was going to continue to hide her little secret.
For tonight, she’d left her jeans at home. They were already too tight in the waist. Instead, she’d picked some gray sweats that would hide everything.
Everyone was gone. She decided she’d change here. Gathering her bag, she slipped into the ladies’ room. When she emerged, she looked like she was ready for basketball in the school gym. Was she being too obvious?
No. Well, maybe. She hadn’t dressed to be romantic. She’d dressed for comfort. But she was finding that she couldn’t bear to be in work clothes any longer than necessary. She only hoped Jack had rented a good movie. Otherwise she’d probably fall asleep in the middle of it.
* * *
Jack checked his watch. Two minutes. She’d said she hated to be late, and it was two minutes until six. He was eager to see her. He’d stayed away all week. Not to please her, but because he had two new accountants on the other accounts, plus the forensic accountants still working in Roger’s office. And the police were hovering, still trying to get a lead on Roger. It seemed he’d left town the day Jack confronted him, already prepared to disappear.
Jack was pretty sure he’d contacted Darla, his wife. She had called Jack every morning, sure he knew where her husband was. Today she hadn’t called. He’d finally called her, and she hadn’t wanted to talk to him.
Though he’d felt mean, he called the policemen in charge and alerted them.
The doorbell rang. Jack sprang to the door, then drew a deep breath. He didn’t want to appear too eager.
“Oh, Sharon, right on time. Come in,”
He noted her casual dress. Probably a good idea. He didn’t need to be tempted right now.
Another elevator opened. “Looks like our dinner is here, too.” He waved to the two men pushing a small cart in front of them. The restaurant on the first floor of his building had an excellent delivery service.
Sharon stood back for them to precede her. Then she looked at Jack, not moving. “You said to be casual.”
He was dressed in slacks and a shirt. With a tie and jacket, he would be prepared to dine anywhere. But he didn’t mind casual. “I wasn’t sure how literally you’d take it, but I’m glad you did. I’m tired of dressing up. I’ll change while they set up dinner.” He reappeared quickly in sweatshirt and jeans, socks on his feet but no shoes. She was sitting quietly on the black leather sofa.
The two men were standing at attention beside the table. “Will there be anything else, sir?” one of them asked.
Jack handed them some folded bills and escorted them out the door. “Well, everything’s ready,” he said as he came back in. “Are you hungry?”
“It smells wonderful,” she assured him. “Everything is so—so elegant.”
“I like your room better.”
She frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Your bedroom.”
“But it’s old and—and it’s not—” she waved her arms around her.
“I know. It’s warm and welcoming. It’s a wonder I don’t have a constant cold in here. And it’s hard to relax without something poking me.”
For the first time, she relaxed, grinning. “Then why don’t you fix it?”
“I don’t know how. Besides, usually all I do is sleep here.”
“It’s a pretty expensive bed,” she pointed out.
He pulle
d out a chair for her at the glass-and-chrome table. “I know. How’d your week go?”
“Fine. Routine, which is soothing. Except Andy left early this afternoon.”
“And that’s worrisome?” he asked, noting the frown on her face.
“He’s never done that in the eight years I’ve worked for him. And Alice said he was running a fever.”
They discussed Andy’s possible malaise in detail. Then Sharon asked about the new accountants he’d been working with. She knew them well, and Jack’s comments were complimentary.
Then they talked about the movies he’d rented and he told an amusing story about the video store that he knew would delight her. By that time, they were at the dessert stage.
“Dessert? Oh, no, I couldn’t. I’ve gained weight and I have to be careful.”
“But I ordered it especially for you. It’s strawberry shortcake.”
“How did you know?” Sharon asked with a gasp.
“I called your mother the other night. We planned the meal between us.”
Instead of appearing pleased, she was embarrassed. “You went to a lot of trouble, Jack. You shouldn’t have done that.”
“Why not? It was just a matter of a few phone calls, Sharon. I didn’t slave over a hot stove.”
She smiled, but it turned into a giggle.
“What?” he demanded, his eyebrows up.
“I just pictured you in an apron.”
He grinned in return. It had been the most delightful meal. He didn’t want it to end. Taking the two dessert plates, he put them on the table, then removed their dinner plates.
“I’m sure I don’t have as much style as our two waiters, but it’s more fun without them.”
“Yes, it is. I thought—I thought the evening would be a real strain, Jack. I misjudged you. Next time we can meet at my house and I’ll cook.”
“Can you?”
She pretended indignation. Then she said, “We won’t starve, but it won’t be fancy like this.”
“You’ve got a deal. And you can invite your mother and her friend to join us. I enjoyed talking to her. I’d like to get to know her better.”
When The Lights Went Out... Page 10