Beyond Temptation

by Brenda Jackson

  Deciding to stop fighting the impulse, she tossed the magazine aside and got out of bed and reached for her laptop. Taking a deep breath she quickly logged on. It was almost ten minutes after the hour. Had he checked to see if she’d logged on and when he found out she hadn’t had already logged off? She inhaled deeply again, knowing there was only one way to find out.

  She signed on with her Internet server and sighed in relief when his name was still there. Leaning back against the headboard she settled into a comfortable position and waited. She didn’t have long for action when Morgan clicked on, invading her space.

  Lena?

  She clicked a response. Yes, I’m here.

  Thanks for dropping by.

  And then their fun time began.

  Morgan asked the first question. What’s your favorite sport?

  Lena chuckled. That would be a quick response and she typed it in. I really don’t have one.

  Umm, have you ever played Sex by Design?

  She lifted a brow and her fingers went to work. No. How is it played?

  Easy. All you need is one woman and one man.

  She shook her head, grinning as she clicked a response. Good. I don’t go for that kinky stuff.

  Neither do I.

  Good to know. So, how do you play it?

  You think of a word, the first one that comes to your mind, and the other person has to come up with some sort of sexual story about it.

  Lena frowned. That’s a lot of typing.

  Abbreviations are accepted.

  Okay.

  I’ll let you go first and you give me a word.

  She paused a moment to think hard. She glanced around the room and smiled when she saw something on her dresser and decided not to make things easy for him. Cotton balls.

  Cotton balls?

  Yes.

  There was a long pause and then he began typing. Picture this. You and me together, naked in bed. Like we were this afternoon.

  Heat shivered through her bloodstream. Okay I got the picture.

  And I take a bunch of those little cotton balls and strategically place them to cover your front. You know, that particular area between your legs. They will fit you like a perfect triangle. Then I use my mouth to remove them, one by one. The object is not to let one fall. Each time I remove one I get to lick the area where it had been.

  Lena swallowed. Her mouth suddenly felt dry, tight, and her nipples felt hard against her nightgown. She couldn’t help but type and ask. What happens when they’re all gone?

  Then I get to taste the entire area; nibble and lick as much as I want. Then I get to use my mouth and place them back and start the game all over again. So what do you think?

  When visions of him doing that engulfed her mind, what Lena really thought was that they had to be nuts to be having this sort of conversation, especially when the most prolific and exquisite sensations flowed through her body. I think we’ve said enough for tonight.

  Chicken. Where’s your twin?

  Some place safe. Good night, Morgan.

  Good night, Lena.

  Morgan was standing at the window the next day thinking about his and Lena’s cyberspace chat of the night before when his secretary’s voice on the intercom intruded into this thoughts.

  “Yes, Linda, what is it?”

  “Edward Dunlap is here to see you.”

  Morgan raised a brow before saying, “Please send him in.”

  A few minutes later Edward walked in. He was in his late fifties, the same age as Morgan’s father. In fact, his father and the man had been business associates for years before Edward had chosen a life of politics. He had been elected as Charlotte’s first African American councilman and remained in that office for years. From there he had become a state representative and was now eying a position in Congress. In recent years he had appointed himself as Morgan’s mentor, determined to see him enter the political arena.

  “Edward, this is a surprise,” Morgan said, crossing the room to shake the older man’s hand.

  “Yes, and I hate to come unannounced but this meeting is important. Word has it that Roger Chadwick will be holding a press conference in a few hours to announce his candidacy. So you know what this means?”

  Morgan leaned back against his desk. Yes, he knew what that meant. If he was going to announce his own intentions to run for that same seat, now was the time to finally make up his mind. “Yes, I know what it means, Edward, but there is someone I need to discuss this with.”

  Edward nodded. “And that brings me to another reason I’m here. There’s a rumor floating around about you.”

  Morgan lifted a brow. “What rumor?”

  “That you’re thinking of getting married.”

  Morgan couldn’t help the smile that touched his lips. “That’s no rumor. I am getting married.”

  “I think we need to discuss that, Morgan.”

  “Discuss what?”

  “Your choice of a wife.”

  Morgan cast him a glance that nearly bordered on anger. “Excuse me?”

  “I said your choice of a wife. I understand you’re thinking about marrying Lena Spears, which comes as a surprise because I wasn’t aware you were serious about anyone.”

  Morgan frowned, wondering if the man assumed he had to know everything about his business, personal or otherwise. “Yes, I’ve asked Lena to marry me.”

  “I’m sure you know family name, style and connections are everything.”

  “To some people.”

  Edward shook his head. “Don’t kid yourself. You’re a Steele about to run for office. You don’t need to consider marrying any woman who won’t be an asset to your career. Lena Spears is a nice woman, but she won’t do as a wife for you. Now, take Senator Hollis’s daughter. I understand she’s—”

  “No, you take Senator Hollis’s daughter,” Morgan said, after having heard enough. “For God’s sake, Edward, this is the twenty-first century. Lena won’t be the one running for office, I will. And who I decide to marry is really no one’s business.”

  “Don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s not, Morgan. I met with a few people earlier today and the rumor of your possible engagement came up. They asked that I come and meet with you to discuss it.”

  Morgan straightened his stance, getting angrier by the minute. “In that case, tell them you have met with me and discussed it. And that my response is that in my opinion Lena Spears has more style and beauty in her little finger than most women have in their entire body. I’m marrying her and if the masses don’t like it, then I’ll run without their support.”

  “You won’t win.”

  Morgan chuckled. “I might not get their vote, but if they feel the way they do about the woman I intend to marry, then I don’t want their vote. They only represent a small population of Charlotte’s society. I refuse to believe that the majority of the people in this town is that narrowed-minded and shallow. Good day, Edward.”

  Edward stared at him and shook his head for a moment before turning and walking out the door.

  “For Pete’s sake, calm down, Morgan.”

  Chance, Bas and Donovan watched as an angry Morgan paced back and forth around his office. As soon as Edward had left, Morgan had summoned his brothers. After he’d told them about Edward’s visit and what had been said, they had gotten just as angry as Morgan. But not quite.

  “I can’t believe Dunlap actually said that to you,” Donovan said, shaking his head as he sat in one of the chairs in the room. “I can see him saying that to me since he never liked me anyway.”

  Bas rolled his eyes. “Might be from that time he caught you almost making out with his youngest daughter in a parked car right in front of his house.”

  “Hey, she asked for it,” Donovan said in defense. “What was I supposed to do?”

  Chance shook his head. “Turning her down might have been the decent thing to do,” he said sarcastically. “But let’s get back to the issue of Morgan and Lena.”

&nbs
p; Morgan stopped his pacing and met Chance’s gaze. “There’s no issue. Who the hell do they think they are, deciding what woman is appropriate for me?” he asked angrily. “It’s nobody’s business who I marry.”

  “Damn right it’s not, now let’s go kick some asses,” was Bas’s quick reply.

  Now it was Chance who rolled his eyes. Everyone in Charlotte knew that of all the Steeles, Bas had always been the hothead, the one ready to not only start trouble but put an end to it as well. He’d always been known as the not-so-sterling Steele, a reputation he’d garnered proudly until he turned twenty-one, dropped out of college and had to face the real world…and a man by the name of Jim Mason—Jocelyn’s father.

  “Just think how that sounds, Bas. Fighting never solves anything. What we need to do is to put our heads together. Whether you want to admit it or not, Morgan, you’re going to need Edward and his group’s support.”

  “Then I don’t want it, and in that case I won’t run.”

  Chance shook his head. “Think hard on that before making a decision. Have you discussed any of this with Lena?”

  “No.”

  “Don’t you think you should? Especially if the two of you are getting married, which is a mystery within itself. Two weeks ago she wasn’t giving you the time of day,” Chance said, eying his brother curiously. “What happened?”

  Morgan stared at his brothers, and since he wanted to make sure they understood the depth of his feelings for Lena he said, “Love happened. I fell for her that night of the charity ball. I just thought I wanted her. But it’s more. I love her.”

  Chance and Bas slowly nodded, indicating they understood. They had been there, done that and were still doing it. However, it was Donovan who was looking at him with what amounted to pity in his eyes.

  “Okay, then,” Chance said, smiling, as if satisfied with what he’d been told. “I suggest you talk things over with Lena. I probably won’t go so far as to tell her about Edward’s visit, but I think she at least deserves to know you’re thinking about running for a political office.”

  Morgan nodded, knowing Chance was right. He and Lena had a dinner date later that day. He would tell her of his decision then.

  Lena glanced around. She was lucky that although she’d arrived at the restaurant early, there had been a table reserved for her.

  McIntosh Steak House and Seafood was a popular restaurant in town. Simple and elegant it catered to businesspeople with money, the power brokers of Charlotte. The interior spoke of old money with its plush carpeting, the rich-looking furnishing and the expensive art collections of oil paintings on the walls. Service was always magnificent, the food always tasty. Sometimes people traveled for miles just to dine here.

  The waiter had already brought her one glass of wine and had come to see if she wanted another when she glanced up and saw Cassandra Tisdale and a couple of women she recognized as being in the woman’s inner circle, including her cousin Jamie. She immediately got cold chills.

  She hoped they would pass by the table and not see her as they were leaving the restaurant, but it seemed that was one layer of hope that wouldn’t be granted.

  “Well, if it isn’t the woman who thinks she’s going to be the future Mrs. Morgan Steele.”

  Lena glanced up, smiling. She refused to let Cassandra’s snide comment rattle her. “Hi, Cassandra, Debra, Karen and Jamie. I see the four of you are leaving.”

  “Yes, we are,” Debra Kendall said, almost apologetically. And not for the umpteenth time Lena had to inwardly question why someone as nice as Debra would hang around with someone like Cassandra. Maybe she believed that sooner or later her kindness would rub off on Cassandra.

  “So, what do you think of Morgan running for office?” Karen Smith asked, after looking at Cassandra and getting her cue.

  “Excuse me?” Lena asked.

  Cassandra smiled. “Oh, didn’t you know? Now that Chadwick has announced he’s running for office, speculation is high that Morgan will, too. He’s very well thought of in this town.”

  Lena didn’t say anything. She was still recovering from Karen’s comment about the possibility of Morgan being a political candidate.

  “Of course it’s not definite whether Morgan is even interested,” Debra said, as if to smooth things over.

  “But if he does,” Cassandra said, grinning, “he’s going to need a woman who will complement him. Someone well groomed with a good name, a sense of fashion, style and grace, and a pedigree. Wouldn’t you agree, Lena?”

  Before Lena could say anything, it was Jamie who spoke, smiling sweetly. “And I’m sure if you care anything for Morgan as well as recognize what an asset he would be in this community in politics, then you’d agree that all of us need to give him all the support he needs and the chance to win. I understand entering politics has been his lifelong dream. If you really care for him, you wouldn’t take that dream away. In fact you would work hard to make it become a reality.”

  Then three of the women walked off. Debra, however, remained behind long enough to at least say goodbye.

  The cold chills Lena had gotten earlier were there in full force. Why hadn’t Morgan mentioned he was thinking about entering politics? Did he just assume she would want to be a politician’s wife? Well, she didn’t. She was a person who liked her life the way it was. She and her mother lived a quiet and peaceful existence, and she had no intention of being thrust out into the limelight.

  Besides, how much did Morgan know about her? Oh, he’d learned a lot about her this afternoon and probably from the two chats they’d had, but that had all been sexual. What did Morgan really know about her? Nothing. If he did, he would know that she and politics didn’t mix because she was too opinionated when it came to certain issues and she didn’t know how to remain quiet when it involved a subject she was passionate about.

  She thought about what Cassandra and her group said as well as what they didn’t say. The people she hung out with, as well as those her parents hung out with, had a lot of influence and power. They would back Morgan fully if he had what they perceived as the right kind of wife by his side. But she knew they wouldn’t use any of that to help get him elected if he was intent on marrying her.

  Her father had once told her there was more to be an elected official than working on balancing the budget, attending meetings and making speeches. There was a matter of respect and Morgan had it, from a lot of people; but it seemed he ran the risk of losing it because of her, mainly because she was not a fit.

  She paused and sat quietly for a moment, and when she felt a tear slide from her eye to wet her cheek, she knew why. At some point during their business relationship, those sexy chats and their romp between the sheets yesterday, she had fallen in love with Morgan. And she had fallen hard. So hard that she knew what she had to do. She could only think of one other time she’d actually felt noble in her life. The first had been at thirteen when she’d actually saved Paula Brewster’s baby sister from drowning in the community pool, and the other time was now.

  To help Morgan retain his regal public image and give him all the support he needed to pursue what evidently was his lifelong dream, she knew what she had to do. Summoning the waiter over to the table she said, “Please bring me my check, and when Mr. Steele arrives let him know something came up and I had to leave.”

  Chapter 14

  Not ready to go home yet, Lena returned to her office. She had placed a quick call to her mother to make sure she was okay and had eaten dinner. After Odessa had assured her that she was fine and not to worry about her, Lena decided to stay and work late at the office.

  Wendy had already left for the day and the office was quiet. Although Lena tried concentrating on the listing of new homes she had in front of her, she found her focus wasn’t what it should be. One part of her was absorbed with anger for a certain group of people—those who thought they were influential enough to dictate how people should live their lives and with whom. Then another part of her knew that bowing
out was the best thing. It had nothing to do with pride, confidence or self-esteem but everything to do with making a sacrifice for the man she loved. Under any other circumstances, she and Morgan might have had a chance to make their “marriage of purpose” work, but now entering into such an agreement with him would serve no purpose. He needed a different type of woman to be by his side and have his baby, and that woman wasn’t her.

  She glanced up when the phone on her desk began to ring. She picked it up. “Yes?”

  “It’s Morgan.”

  Lena’s throat suddenly felt tight. She swallowed past the lump before saying, “Yes, Morgan?”

  “I’m outside at your office door. Let me in.”

  When she heard the click she pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it a few moments before hanging it up. The last person she wanted to see right now was Morgan. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and slumped back in her chair. If he had given her time, she would have told him to go away because she couldn’t see him now.

  Not bothering to slip back into her shoes she stood and headed down the hallway toward the door. She could clearly see Morgan through the glass front. As usual, he was dressed immaculately like the businessman he was. He was wearing a navy blue suit, a light blue shirt and a printed tie that coordinated perfectly.

  She turned off the alarm and unlocked the door and then stepped back as he entered and watched as he raised a brow and searched her face. “Are you okay?”

  She wondered if he’d found out about her conversation with Cassandra and her nasty-girl squad but then figured that he couldn’t have. “Yes, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. “You tell me. We had a dinner date and when I arrived one of the waiters said you had been there but left, and that you’d left a message that something had come up and you had to leave. Of course the first thought that crossed my mind was that something had happened to Odessa. I tried calling you at home and she picked up. When I asked for you she said you were at the office working late. So what was the big emergency, Lena?”