Deceived

by King, Thayer

  “No, ma’am.”

  “If my Jerome cheated on you, he’s very sorry. You didn’t see him, Janelle. He’s a mess without you.”

  She hated to disappoint such a nice old lady, but she wasn’t going to be dragged back into a relationship with Jerome. “Breaks are most difficult at the start. He’ll be fine.”

  With shaking, wrinkled hands, Glenda twisted the wrapper of her mint before popping it into her mouth. “You underestimate how much my boy cares about you.”

  Janelle smiled. “See, even you can’t say it. He ‘cares’ about me, but he doesn’t love me. He sees me as a respectable and pretty woman to have on his arm. An asset. But not a love.”

  “I only know what I saw and I know that he’s never felt this way about 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 behind his desk. “It’s good to see you.” He coughed and held in a groan as she crossed long legs, giving him a glimpse of the chocolate silk of her inner thighs as her skirt rose above her knees. “How have you been?”

  She wet full, glossy lips. “Fine. How about you?”

  “Well. A bit anxious to hear from you.”

  Janelle’s hands twisted in her lap and her large eyes grew moist. “We’re having a baby,” she whispered.

  The sight of her tears nearly undid him, squashing his burgeoning excitement. Was she that unhappy about having his baby? He yanked out a couple of tissues from the box he kept on the corner of his desk and rounded the furniture, stopping when he crouched at her side. “Don’t cry.”

  Her lower lip quivered a bit as she accepted the proffered tissues. “I’m sorry. I’m not going to cry. It’s the hormones. I tear up at everything. Have you ever noticed how sad commercials are?”

  His eyes widened. “Um, no.” He glanced at his watch. “Listen, let me take you to dinner and we can discuss our options.”

  “I’m not getting an abortion. It’s my baby, too, and this may not have been planned, but I want it.”

  Aidan inhaled sharply. He was relieved that she wanted the baby, but disappointed that she would think that he’d want her to end the pregnancy. He reminded himself that she didn’t know him that well and that she probably hadn’t performed an Internet search on him as he’d done on her. “I would have never asked you to do that.”

  Her brow wrinkled. “You said options.”

  “Yes, but abortion isn’t one of them.” He stood and assisted her to her feet. “Come along. We can eat at my place. My housekeeper usually makes enough food for an army.”

  * * * *

  Janelle stared the great heaping plate of pasta Aidan placed before her. There was no way she’d be able to eat all of it. He sat across from her. They were seated at the small breakfast area adjacent to his kitchen rather than the large dining table he’d used during his house warming party.

  Twirling noodles on her fork, she watched him beneath lowered lashes. She wondered what kind of options Aidan intended to propose. “So what did you—”

  “Did you—” They’d begun talking at the same time. They stopped simultaneously. “Please, you go first,” Aidan said.

  “I was going to ask about your options.”

  “Oh.” He lifted his wine glass and sipped. “Well, there is the obvious, that we could share custody.”

  “Yes.” She could have breathed a sigh of relief. She’d had two fears when confronting him with the pregnancy. One was that he wouldn’t want to have the baby and would try to force her to have an abortion so that she didn’t prove to be a drain on his finances. The other was that he would want complete custody so that he wasn’t saddled with her, a woman from which he’d only wanted a quick tumble.

  “But if we do it that way, then we commit ourselves to a lifetime of dividing holidays, with the possibility of the occasional shared one.”

  She stroked a finger over her frosted glass of tea. “That’s generally how it works.”

  “I was raised by two parents. How about you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I want that for our child.”

  “So what do you suggest?” She sipped her tea. It was satisfyingly sweet, just as she liked it.

  “Marry me.” />
  Tea dribbled out of her slack mouth. She grabbed her napkin and dried her chin. “What?”

  “Hear me out. It could be a platonic arrangement. We’d live together, raise our son or daughter together—”

  She held up a hand to halt him. “So your idea is a loveless marriage?”

  His gold eyes burned into hers. “I didn’t say that. Over time, I believe we could develop a friendship and perhaps more.”

  “Aidan, that’s too much of a sacrifice to ask.” For him and for her.

  “Think about it, Janelle. This would be for our child.”

  “Children grow up in one-parent households everyday—”

  “But ours doesn’t have to. If we can give our child a two-parent household, why shouldn’t we?” He emptied his glass and came around to crouch at her side. He curved a protective hand over her abdomen. “You live in a one-bedroom apartment. If you moved in here, there would be room for a nursery. And there’s a backyard for him or her to play in. I’ll be a good husband to you and a good father to our child. Of course, we’ll sign papers to protect your investments and mine. If at any time you decide you want out, you’ll be free to go.”

  “And if you want out?”

  He smiled, releasing the attractive crinkles around his eyes. “I won’t want out.”

  He sounded confident and she wished she could believe him. “You don’t know that. You might meet someone else.”

  “You know what I admire most about you?” She shook her head. “It’s your loyalty. I will be as steadfast in my support of you and our child.”

  “I need some time to consider this.” He appeared disappointed. There was an awkward moment as though he expected her to say more. Then he stood and returned to his seat. She toyed with her food before saying, “Marriage is a big step. I want to say yes. You paint a pretty picture, but it’s not the proposal I’d envisioned.”

  “I understand. No need to explain further.” They ate in silence for several minutes until Aidan spoke. “What took you so long to contact me? I’d expected to hear from you sooner.”

  “I wanted confirmation from my doctor. She set me up with an OB/GYN after having a nurse draw half my blood for tests.”

  “When is your appointment? I want to come.”

  She paused, a forkful of angel hair poised to enter her mouth. “You don’t have to.”

  He smiled. “I said want.”

  “I have the appointment card in my purse. I’ll show it to you after dinner.”

  Chapter Eight

  Janelle stared down at her sketch. It was supposed to be a winter coat. Instead, it had morphed into an informal wedding gown with the lapels meeting in a plunging neckline that would expose a sexy but tasteful amount of cleavage. The knee-length skirt was full and flirty.

  The last two weeks had been eye opening. Aidan had attended the doctor’s appointment with her as promised. He’d been attentive and asked Dr. Miller intelligent questions. When they’d been allowed to see the baby on an ultrasound, he had taken her hand and squeezed it. Overwhelmed with emotion, she’d averted her face and wiped away tears. But then she’d looked at him and saw that his eyes were bright with moisture also. Afterward, he’d taken her to lunch and revealed the source behind all his questions. He’d been reading books on pregnancy. His support had almost brought on the tears again. He had every reason to resent her and this pregnancy. He hadn’t planned this. Rich men like Aidan probably had women trying to trick him out of his wealth all the time. She’d expected more skepticism from him, but he’d been nothing but sweet. At the end of lunch, he’d dropped her back at Janelle’s Essentials.

  She’d thought she wouldn’t hear from him until the next visit with Dr. Smith a month later. He’d surprised her by calling her every night since the appointment and sending her texts every day. Some of the messages were informative, like telling her to avoid hot dogs, soft cheeses, and deli meats. But many times, he simply inquired about her health, wanting to know if she was experiencing morning sickness.

  “What are you working on?”

  “Um, nothing.” Janelle closed her sketch pad and pushed it beneath some invoices on her desk. “Do you need me out front?”

  “No. It’s still quiet out front.” Dionne sat in the old office chair reserved for the few times she had guests in her office. Janelle couldn’t help but recall the plush chairs and couches Aidan had in his office. “How are you feeling?”

  “Sleepy, but good.”

  “And have we heard from Mr. Tall, Rich, and Gorgeous today?” Dionne had met Aidan when he’d dropped her off after the doctor’s appointment. Aidan had been at his most charming and since then, Dionne had been firmly in his corner.

  “Yes. He texted that yogurt is supposed to be really healthy for me and the baby. He also suggested a book on pregnancy that he thought I might find informative.”

  “And you’re not marrying this guy, why?”

  Janelle fiddled with the papers on her desk before answering. “After Jerome, how can I trust my judgment? I knew him far longer than I’ve known Aidan and look at what a fiasco that was.” And remained to be, Janelle thought. Jerome continued to call and text her, though she’d long since set her phone to ignore his calls. He left benign messages telling her about his job hunt and saying that he missed her. She still couldn’t understand what his plans had been by setting her up with Aidan. How had he expected them to continue on afterward? She could only conclude that he didn’t have the same values she did and she was glad she’d found it out before she’d done something so foolish as to marry him.

  “We both know I’m not the person to give you advice on long-term relationships. But if you look at his actions, Aidan seems like a good guy.”

  “Didn’t you have a date for drinks last night? How did that go?”

  Dionne shook her head. “Girl, he was a Sagittarius.”

  Janelle frowned. She tried to make logic out of Dionne’s statement, but gave up after only a few seconds. “And that means?”

  “It wouldn’t work.”

  “When did you get into astrology?” The last thing Dionne needed was more reasons to dump a guy.

  “Oh, I’m not.”

  “Then why—”

  “I like guys born in the summer. You know this.”

  “Oh, yes. I forgot.” Dionne had a long list of requirements so it was no wonder she forgot some of the rules on occasion.

  “Back to you. What’s holding you back from saying yes?”

  “It’s so old school to get married because of a baby.”

  Dionne smiled. “But that’s so you.”

  Janelle scoffed and pretended to be offended. “But I’d also like to be in love with my husband.”

  “And you don’t think you could fall in love with him?”

  The question unsettled her. “Yes, yes, I could.” But would he love her in return? He lusted after her. Could it be more? If she could rely on his promises, he intended to stand by her side as long as she needed him.

  “Well, if you’re going to marry him, you’d better do it while you can wear a regular-sized gown.”

  * * * *

  Janelle sat before her laptop searching for fabric for the wedding dress she’d sketched this afternoon. Whether it became her dress or not, she couldn’t get the design off her mind and decided not to discard the dress. While she’d eaten her spaghetti dinner, she’d thought of different fabrics and colors. For some reason, she couldn’t get enough spaghetti these days. She’d had it for dinner every night for a week.

  Though the design was not traditional, ideally, she wanted an ivory satin and lace. Her cell rang. She glanced at the clock on the screen and smiled. Picking up her cell, she accepted the call. “Hello, Aidan.”

  “Hello, Janelle. I hope I didn’t disturb you. Are you in bed?”

  “No. I was…searching online for fabrics.” She hadn’t made her decision yet and she didn’t want to raise his hopes. He’d been very patient with her. She appreciated that he
wasn’t pressuring her about marriage.

  “How are you doing? Do you need anything?”

  Janelle bit her lip. She did have a craving for strawberry ice cream, the kind with real frozen berries in the mix, but she was hesitant to ask Aidan for favors. “No, I’m fine.”

  “You paused,” he pounced. “What is it? What do you want?”

  “It’s too much of a bother. I’m out of ice cream. I’ll buy some tomorrow on the way home.”

  “What kind of ice cream? What brand?”

  “No, really—”

  “Janelle, I’m doing this for you. Tell me the brand.”

  Forty minutes later, Aidan showed up with two tubs of ice cream. Janelle bit her lip to hold back tears of gratitude and he noticed. “What is it?”

  She waved her hand. “Ignore it. It’s more of the crying over everything. I’m just happy.”

  “Over ice cream?” His eyebrows rose in incredulity.

  “Yes.” She laughed and took the plastic bags from his hands. “Now aren’t you glad you’re not living with me?” She opened the freezer and placed a tub inside.

  He followed her into the kitchen. “No.”

  She turned to find him eyeing her hips. He leaned against her countertop, his suit black and impeccably cut, as always. He’d loosened his tie, but he still looked like he could have been posing for a gentleman’s suit ad. “You flatter me,” she murmured.

  “I enjoy taking care of you. It’s my responsibility.”

  Responsibility, she thought, sounded a lot like obligation. And she didn’t want to be an obligation that weighed on him and held him back in life. “Do you want some?” She opened the second container of ice cream and took bowls out of the cabinet.

  “Janelle, marry me. I promise I won’t pressure you to…do anything you’re not ready for.”

  Sex. He meant sex. Her hands shook, causing the ceramic bowls she held to clink together. She put them on the counter before she dropped them. If he only knew. Whenever she touched herself, it was always with the memory of their night together. “Aidan, I don’t want to ruin your life or mine. Let’s give it awhile.”

  “Are you always so cautious?”