She stepped out of his arms and he tried not to care about the loss.
What is it about this woman?
Matching her stride, they walked back to Will and Mimi who were chatting with a woman who looked vaguely familiar.
“That’s Trisha,” Lori whispered to him. “Head of the board and your colleague for at least ten years, I think. You trust her. Or you did, I guess.”
“Who’s her date?”
“Her husband, Gordon. You’ve met him a few times.”
“Got it.”
They reached the little group and he gave Trisha an easy smile. “Good to you see. Enjoying the evening?”
Trisha nodded. “It’s been a decent evening. Good food, at least.”
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Lori’s head whip toward the other woman at those words.
At least the two of us are in agreement that tiny portions don’t make a meal.
“Gordon, good to see you again,” he said, holding out his hand to the graying man by Trisha’s side.
“Likewise.” They shook hands firmly.
“Perhaps we could leave our dates for a bit of shop talk,” Trisha suggested.
“Not a problem. I brought my assistant tonight in case she was needed. How about we let Mimi and Gordon go refresh their drinks?”
Trisha’s eyes flicked to Lori. “I’d prefer it just be the three of us.”
Her partner-in-crime shot him a worried look before pasting her smile back in place. “Of course, Mrs. Barrett. We’ll give you your privacy.”
As the three dates walked away, Lori glanced over her shoulder at him. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but this was exactly the sort of situation they’d wanted to avoid.
“Now,” Trisha said, turning to them. “I’ve heard some troubling rumors about HynCor.”
“I’ve already brought them to Jackson’s attention,” Will cut in. “He assures me everything is fine and running as it should.”
“Really. Then why is Marc in Australia meeting with Uni Industries?” she asked.
Will blinked, glancing his way.
“Marc is exploring some partnership opportunities on my behalf,” he said. “Uni is an excellent entrance into the Oceania market, and from there it’s an easy step to expand to Asia.”
Will nodded, a satisfied expression on his face.
Trisha, however, looked less than impressed. “My sources tell me HynCor is trying to get the cash to acquire a major competitor. If they find the funds, then—”
“They’d shoot past us in the market. We’d get completely edged out,” Will said.
“Won’t happen,” he replied. “We’ll be bigger than they are with the deal Marc is negotiating.”
“When does he expect to close this agreement?”
“Any day now,” he lied to the head of his own board.
She shook her head. “I’m nervous about this.”
“Just give us the time to show you how this will all come together,” he said. “You have my word this will make us all another fortune.”
“Or ruin the company if HynCor becomes the major player in our space. Our stock will bottom out.”
“Won’t happen,” he vowed again.
“Remember in the seventies when a similar situation happened between Condev and their competitor? Both companies were vying for the market position only one could hold? Condev wiped the floor with their rival just as we will here,” Will said.
“Exactly,” Jackson agreed. “If Condev can do it, so can we.”
Two sets of eyes swung to him.
“Excuse me?” Trisha said.
“Condev is us,” Will added. “It was your father’s first company, wasn’t it? The basis for Sinclair Industries?”
Hell.
“Of course,” he said, trying to undo his mistake. “I meant, if we’ve survived a situation like this before, we can do it again.”
Trisha was still frowning.
“Let me get a report from Marc this weekend, and I’ll update you both on Monday,” he offered.
“I look forward to it,” she said. Turning, she waved her husband back over.
Dodged that by the skin of my teeth, he thought as Lori came back to his side.
She held out a fresh drink to him, silent questions in her eyes.
He took it and swallowed a bracing mouthful of scotch.
“I hear you had a racquetball accident,” Gordon said.
“Yes,” he said, holding out his right hand and the black brace on it. “Tripped over my own feet and landed on my wrist. Rookie mistake.”
“At least you’re staying active,” the other man said. “I need to get back into the swing of things.”
“We should set up a game sometime, Tim.”
He registered the mistake the second he saw the confusion bloom on Gordon’s face. But before anyone could speak, Lori dumped her entire flute of champagne down the back of Trisha’s dress, causing the board member to let out an ear-piercing shriek.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” Lori exclaimed. “My ankle turned in these damn heels. Can I help you, Mrs. Barrett?”
“Stay away. You’ve done more than enough,” she said, shaking the alcohol from her arms. “Excuse me, I need to go get cleaned up.”
If looks could kill, Lori would be six feet under.
“Come on, Gordon,” she said to her husband, twirling in a huff before stalking away. Gordon scrambled to follow as she headed to the women’s restroom.
“I’m so clumsy,” Lori said.
“Way to make a good impression,” Will said. “She’ll be gunning for you now.”
“I’ll keep a low profile for a while,” she promised. “I really am sorry.”
“Well, I don’t know about you two, but I’m going to disappear before she comes back out here. Mimi, ready to call it a night?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” his date replied.
They exchanged goodbyes, and soon their group was down to just the two of them.
Lori stared up at him with worried eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
“You were brilliant. I was the idiot that got his name wrong.”
“Hopefully they won’t even remember after I ruined that Dior gown.” She sighed. “My career is over.”
“You’ve got a CEO in your corner. I think you’ll be fine.”
Her smile was thin. “The important thing is we bought some time. Let’s follow Will’s lead and get out of Dodge before she comes back.”
“I thought you wanted me to rub elbows with all the board members.”
“She’s the most important. What did you talk about? Is she concerned about HynCor?”
“I think I smoothed it over, but I need to give her an update from Marc on Monday. They know he’s in Australia.”
“Let’s hope he’s got something good to report, then.” She shook her head. “But if she’d giving you more rope, we’re probably in the clear. Let’s make ourselves scarce before anything else happens.”
“Music to my ears.” Grabbing her hand, he pulled her toward the door.
“Let go of me,” she hissed. “I’m not your real date, remember?”
“I think we’re way beyond caring about that, don’t you?”
Her shoulders slumped in defeat, but she didn’t protest as he led her from the room.
Just get home. We’ll straighten the rest out. Just get out of here before you do something else stupid.
Like blow their cover worse than he already had.
Chapter Fourteen
“That was a freaking long night,” Lori said when they entered the sanctuary of Jackson’s home.
“You can say that again,” he said, collapsing on the couch in the living room.
“How do you think it all went?” she asked as she perched on the side of the sofa.
He ran his hands down his face. “Hard to say. There were a few slips.”
“We knew it was a risk we had to
take.”
“Marc should have come home.”
She slid down to sit on the cushions. “He couldn’t, and you know why.”
“I know, but he’s got to be better at this than I am.”
“I always got the sense that you were the business genius. He didn’t fight you for control when your father died. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind you were the right man for the job.”
“That was before.” He pushed to his feet, pacing the length of his spacious living room. “I’m not the right man for the job anymore.”
Unable to watch him, she crossed the distance between them. “Hey,” she said, catching his hands in hers. “It’s not your fault you have amnesia. No one can blame you for that.”
“They can blame me for hiding it.”
Man has a point. “It’s for the good of the company. We all agreed.”
“Funny how the best laid plans fall apart once you’re in the middle of them. We did this wrong. Notifying the board should have been our first move.”
“With everyone racing to merge before our rivals do? The board could have weighed the benefits and potential profit loses and put a for-sale sign on our door. Is that what you want? To lose the company your father founded?”
“Maybe it would have been the right move. If HynCor pulls this off before us we could lose everything, including pensions. Maybe we should have folded to protect people’s lives.”
“And put thousands out of work across the country.”
“Better that than losing everything they have.”
“Hey.” She pulled him toward her with his hands. “Stop it. It’s too late to go back now, and the plan is working. Buy time for Marc, appease the board, keep up the charade. You can do it.”
His dark gaze rose to hers. “You mean, we can do it.”
Her smile was slight. “I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“Because you care about the company.”
“I do.”
“And because you care about me.”
She drew in a sharp breath, but finally nodded. “I do.” The words were soft, but it wasn’t like they were a secret anymore. When the real Jackson returned, he’d remember everything that happened. Every kiss. Every touch.
She’d have no place to hide anymore.
But between running him over and dumping champagne on Trisha, it’s not like I have a job to protect, anyways.
Just her pride. Battered as it was.
“I hate that I don’t know who I was before all this.”
“You were a good man.”
He looked away. “A better man.”
“No.”
The word was so soft she wasn’t sure he’d heard.
But when he turned back to her there was something unreadable in his eyes. “No?”
She dropped his hands and stepped back. “You’ve been doing exceptionally well. Give yourself a break. This is an impossible situation.” She walked back to the couch. “It’s late. We should call it a night.”
But when she turned to go, he caught her hand.
“Which me do you prefer?” he asked, ignoring the rest of her words. “Who I was before, or the man I am now?”
“Not fair,” she said. “You’re the same person.”
“Same, and yet different.”
Yes.
“Can’t you even give me this much?”
“What good would it do?” she demanded. “If I say I liked you better with your memories, you’ll be hurt. And if I say I like you more now, it’s only temporary. You will get your memories back, Jackson, and when you do, questions like this will be moot.”
“It’s not moot now. In fact, I have a feeling it’s incredibly important.”
“Seriously?” she said.
“Yes. And I’ve been told I have excellent instincts.”
“For business.”
“Splitting hairs.” He pulled her closer. “So, tell me. Would you have kissed the old me on my patio?”
“No.”
“The kitchen then?”
She shook her head. “Nowhere. I would never have done that.”
“Then what changed?”
A helpless sound escaped her throat. “I don’t know. Without your memories…”
“What?”
She dropped her head. “You didn’t remember how little I mattered to you.”
The breath left him in a rush. “How?” he demanded. “How is that possible?”
“I don’t know.”
“One blow to the head, and I’m a completely different person?”
“Not completely. Just…when it comes to me.”
“Why did you stay to help me?”
Guilt.
“I always admired you,” she said instead. “I didn’t need to be your lover to be impressed by the world you were creating. I wanted to help you in any way I could.”
He was silent for long enough that she lifted her head.
“I don’t understand a hell of a lot that’s happening.”
“I know.”
“But there’s one thing I understand. I want you, Lori. I’ve made no bones about that.”
And I want you. Way too much.
Her gaze dropped to his lips. It would be so easy to give in. To take what she wanted and throw morality out the window. What did any of this matter, anyways?
He wasn’t hers to keep.
“Tell me now,” he said, pulling the clip from her hair and letting it rain down around her shoulders. “If you don’t want me, too, tell me.”
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
A smile curved his lips. “Best news I’ve heard all night.”
Then his mouth was on hers.
Heat surged through her body as it always did when he touched her. She gripped his lapels for balance as she closed her eyes. Every time he kissed her the world stopped, but this time felt different. Less controlled, more desperate.
And she knew exactly how he felt.
The hand in her hair tugged her head to the side as he deepened the kiss. Need clawed through her as she pressed her body closer to his.
What are you doing? her conscience whispered.
Shut up, she snapped back.
She slid her hands inside his jacket, running them up his chest and over his shoulders.
He released her long enough for the suit to fall to the ground before taking her back into his arms.
Twirling her, he walked them backward toward the couch. They trampled on his jacket by accident and he didn’t even pause. Thousands of dollars underfoot, and neither of them cared.
He tumbled her back onto the couch and followed her down, covering her body with his.
I should put a stop to this.
But the weight of his body on hers sent a thrill down her spine she couldn’t ignore. Unable to stop herself, she shifted under him until his leg slipped between hers.
Bad Lori. What are you doing?
Self-recriminations flew out the window, however, when he ran his lips down her sensitive throat.
Lust pounded through her body. Being bad was so much more fun than following her own rules.
Throwing back her head to give him better access, she tried to immerse herself into the experience but something held her back. This was her wildest fantasies come to life. She should be ecstatic, and instead…
You can’t shut me up forever, her conscience said.
Even if she wanted to.
Cupping his face, she kissed him with renewed desperation.
He doesn’t know you did this to him. Tell the truth.
And end it all.
With a cry, she pushed him away, rolling from the couch.
“What?” he demanded, sitting up. His hair was tousled, several of his shirt buttons had come undone. There was a wild light in his eyes as he stared at her, demanding an explanation.
“I can’t,” she said, tunneling her fingers through her hair. “I can’t do this.”
“Because of my m
emories?” he asked, pushing himself up. “I’m telling you, I don’t care. You’re not taking advantage. I’m not an invalid anymore.”
“No,” she whispered. “It’s much worse.”
“You don’t want this? Me?”
A pained laugh escaped her. “Trust me, that’s not the problem.”
“Then what?”
She turned to see him there, on the couch, watching her with confusion stamped on his face.
It’s not fair.
He had no clue why she’d pulled away. He didn’t know that he’d hate her once she told him the truth.
This is wrong.
It wasn’t the sort of person she wanted to be. She was honest and kind. Right now, dealing with the most important person in the world to her, she was neither of those things.
Her heart clenched. If she told him the real reason, she’d never get to touch him again. Never get to help him.
But he can survive without you now. There’s no excuse to keep silent.
She owed him better than this.
“Sweetheart?”
Her heart broke. Returning to the couch, she cupped his face and took one last selfish thing. If this was the last time she’d ever get to kiss him, she’d better make it count.
She could feel his surprise in his touch, but he was more than willing to follow her lead, wrapping his arms around her.
He feels so good against me.
Like they were meant to fit together.
Her throat grew tight at the fanciful thought.
With a last brush of her lips over his, she drew back.
“Not that I’m complaining, but what’s happening?”
“Nothing,” she whispered. “Nothing will happen after this.” Swallowing, she forced herself to release him and move back on the couch. “I have to tell you something.”
His expression grew sober. “Sounds serious.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “It is.”
He nodded. “Like a Band-Aid, then. Rip it off.”
“I—” Her voice gave out. Steeling herself, she tried again. “There’s something you don’t know about the accident.”
“Okay.”
Now or never. Do it before you chicken out.
“It was me,” she said in a rush. “I’m the reason you can’t remember. I ran you over.”
His jaw dropped. “What?”
“That day, I quit,” she said, bearing it all. “I was done. We were finished. I was leaving the building forever and going far too fast. I don’t know why you were in the parking garage, but I hit you. I didn’t mean to, but it was still my fault. I hurt you, Jackson. It was me.” She dropped her gaze to her hands, twisting them together. “I know I can never make up for it.”
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