Read Online An Indecent Marriage by Doreen Owens Malek - Free Book Online Page B

that’s what you were saying.”
    “Jack...”
    The steward arrived with the wine and poured a glass for each of them. Jack picked his up and drank down a third of it.
    “Tell me,” he said, replacing the crystal goblet on the snowy damask cloth. “Were you seeing him at the same time you were seeing me? It wasn’t a sudden, whirlwind romance, was it? I mean, I’ve had ten years to think about this. All those weekend trips to visit your aunt in New York. Were they a cover for your relationship with this guy?”
    “There was never anyone but you,” Jessica whispered. God knew that was true enough.
    “Then how the hell did you wind up married to somebody else?” he demanded grimly.
    “Jack, do we have to go into all of this now?” Jessica asked faintly.
    “Yes, we do,” he answered. “I want to know, and you’re going to tell me.”
    “It was...the circumstances were unusual,” Jessica said desperately.
    “Oh, I’m sure. Was he a better lover than I was? I know we only had that one time, but I naively believed it meant something to you.”
    “It did!”
    “Did your husband realize you weren’t a virgin? Did you tell him about me, about us?” He went on as if she hadn’t spoken.
    Jessica put her hand over her eyes. “You told me we were coming here to discuss business,” she said huskily.
    “We’ll get to that. I just want to clear away these preliminaries first. You must indulge my curiosity. I’ve been wondering about all of this for a very long time.” He picked up her wineglass and handed it to her. “Have some of your drink. You look a little pale.”
    Jessica turned her head away from it, and he set the goblet down again.
    “How long were you married?” he asked, resuming the inquisition.
    “Less than a year,” Jessica answered, clearing her throat.
    “Ah. Trouble must have entered paradise fairly quickly.”
    There was no reply to that, and Jessica made none.
    “Or was he just dull?” Jack asked. “I mean, you have to admit I was always colorful. Grubby, true, and certainly a far cry from the social register, but interesting in my own exotic, reprobate way.”
    “Please,” Jessica said as the waiter approached them.
    Their menus lay untouched on the table. Jack didn’t ask Jessica what she wanted, and he didn’t ask the waiter to come back. He could see Jessica didn’t give a damn. He ordered something for himself and told the waiter that the lady would have the same.
    “I’m going to the restroom,” Jessica said, rising.
    Jack was on his feet immediately. “Running?” he said into her ear as he held her chair.
    She stepped past him and found the powder room in a hallway off the reception area. Once inside, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, grateful for the silence.
    She wondered what to do. Part of her wanted to walk right out the door of the restaurant, and another part wanted to detail her entire personal history to Jack regardless of the consequences. It was easy to say that it would be all over soon, and another to face Jack’s stinging sarcasm. She knew that she was responsible for the change in his personality and wished fervently that there was some way to repair the damage that had been done.
    After a few minutes she straightened and combed her hair and redid her lipstick. Then she squared her shoulders and returned to the table where Jack was polishing off the bottle of wine.
    “Back for round two?” he asked mildly, saluting her with his glass.
    “I hope not.” She sat and toyed with her napkin as he studied her remote expression.
    “Then you’re going to be disappointed, Jesse.”
    It was the first time that evening he’d called her by name.
    “You always used to run away when you were upset,” he went on. “As if you had to hide it.”
    His reference to their shared past almost undid her. She waited a moment, then said, “My father didn’t go in much for displays of emotion. He liked quiet, well behaved girls. I guess those habits