another woman. Nobody’s perfect, Janelle. Give him another chance.” When Janelle started to shake her head, Glenda held up her hand. “Don’t answer me now. Jerome will call you in a few days so that the two of you can talk things out.”
“There’s no need for him to call me. It’s over.”
“You won’t even consider forgiving him?”
“I’m sorry. No.” The older woman’s shoulders slumped. Janelle hugged her. She’d had dinner at Mrs. Wilson’s home half a dozen times. Jerome was a mama’s boy. Even when he neglected her, she knew that he made a point of spending time for his mother. “Did Jerome ask you to do this?”
“Well, he said you wouldn’t listen to reason and that maybe I could help.” She heaved a great sigh. “Not that it did much good. But don’t you count my boy out. He’s very determined to win you back.”
Janelle released a sigh of her own. “He’d be better served if he spent his time finding another job.”
“If that’s what it’ll take to have you at his side, consider it done.”
“No, it isn’t. I never cared about his job. I did admire his drive and his passion for his career. I just didn’t know it ran so deep.”
* * * *
The only sound in his office was the tick, tick, tick of the pen he held with his thumb as he whacked it against his other fingers. His screensaver had kicked in five minutes ago and still Aidan stared out into space. Three weeks had passed since he last saw Janelle and she hadn’t contacted him. She had to know something by now. So why hadn’t she called?
He should be concentrating on the contract his hotels were competing to win with a science fiction fan club. Each year they held conferences in major cities. It was a big contract and would be a boon to his business. And usually it was the sort of thing that had his undivided attention.
Instead, all he could think of was whether or not Janelle had taken Jerome back. He knew she loved him. Her loyalty to him had been hard to shake. Even after what had happened between them, her first thoughts had been of whether Jerome might have walked in on them making love and been hurt.
And she’d turned him down yet again, saying it was too soon. He took that to mean that she still had feelings for that bastard. How she could was a mystery to him. The weasel had gone through with his threat of suing for wrongful termination, but that didn’t concern him. Jerome’s work would speak for itself. Aidan was confident his attorneys could squash the lawsuit without breaking a sweat.
He couldn’t forget their night together and how she had given herself to him with such abandon. Then reality crashed in and he remembered that she’d thought he was Jerome the entire time. He wanted to hold her in his arms, look into her eyes as he made love to her, and hear her call his name as she climaxed.
Common sense told him that he was going to have to wait for her if he wanted more than a passing acquaintance. Patience wasn’t his strong suit. He was more of a take-charge, seize-the-day type of guy. Holding himself back from calling her or visiting her was killing him.
The office phone rang, bringing him back to the present. He glanced down. It was Margaret calling from her desk. “Yes, Margaret?”
“There’s a young lady here to see you. Her name is Ms. Avery.”
Aidan’s hand tightened around the receiver. “Send her in.” He stood and adjusted his jacket. When Janelle came in, she looked as lovely as ever, her long hair worn in a braid down her back. She wore a deep burgundy jacket with a high, ruffled collar and a cinched in waist that emphasized her slender figure. Paired with a matching pencil skirt, she was both sexy and professional. It was a power suit for women and he was positive she’d designed it herself.
He greeted her with a handshake and a swift kiss to her cheek. “You’re looking beautiful as always.”
“Thank you.”
He led her to a seat and then resumed his position
“There’s no need for him to call me. It’s over.”
“You won’t even consider forgiving him?”
“I’m sorry. No.” The older woman’s shoulders slumped. Janelle hugged her. She’d had dinner at Mrs. Wilson’s home half a dozen times. Jerome was a mama’s boy. Even when he neglected her, she knew that he made a point of spending time for his mother. “Did Jerome ask you to do this?”
“Well, he said you wouldn’t listen to reason and that maybe I could help.” She heaved a great sigh. “Not that it did much good. But don’t you count my boy out. He’s very determined to win you back.”
Janelle released a sigh of her own. “He’d be better served if he spent his time finding another job.”
“If that’s what it’ll take to have you at his side, consider it done.”
“No, it isn’t. I never cared about his job. I did admire his drive and his passion for his career. I just didn’t know it ran so deep.”
* * * *
The only sound in his office was the tick, tick, tick of the pen he held with his thumb as he whacked it against his other fingers. His screensaver had kicked in five minutes ago and still Aidan stared out into space. Three weeks had passed since he last saw Janelle and she hadn’t contacted him. She had to know something by now. So why hadn’t she called?
He should be concentrating on the contract his hotels were competing to win with a science fiction fan club. Each year they held conferences in major cities. It was a big contract and would be a boon to his business. And usually it was the sort of thing that had his undivided attention.
Instead, all he could think of was whether or not Janelle had taken Jerome back. He knew she loved him. Her loyalty to him had been hard to shake. Even after what had happened between them, her first thoughts had been of whether Jerome might have walked in on them making love and been hurt.
And she’d turned him down yet again, saying it was too soon. He took that to mean that she still had feelings for that bastard. How she could was a mystery to him. The weasel had gone through with his threat of suing for wrongful termination, but that didn’t concern him. Jerome’s work would speak for itself. Aidan was confident his attorneys could squash the lawsuit without breaking a sweat.
He couldn’t forget their night together and how she had given herself to him with such abandon. Then reality crashed in and he remembered that she’d thought he was Jerome the entire time. He wanted to hold her in his arms, look into her eyes as he made love to her, and hear her call his name as she climaxed.
Common sense told him that he was going to have to wait for her if he wanted more than a passing acquaintance. Patience wasn’t his strong suit. He was more of a take-charge, seize-the-day type of guy. Holding himself back from calling her or visiting her was killing him.
The office phone rang, bringing him back to the present. He glanced down. It was Margaret calling from her desk. “Yes, Margaret?”
“There’s a young lady here to see you. Her name is Ms. Avery.”
Aidan’s hand tightened around the receiver. “Send her in.” He stood and adjusted his jacket. When Janelle came in, she looked as lovely as ever, her long hair worn in a braid down her back. She wore a deep burgundy jacket with a high, ruffled collar and a cinched in waist that emphasized her slender figure. Paired with a matching pencil skirt, she was both sexy and professional. It was a power suit for women and he was positive she’d designed it herself.
He greeted her with a handshake and a swift kiss to her cheek. “You’re looking beautiful as always.”
“Thank you.”
He led her to a seat and then resumed his position
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