by Lynn, Janice
“He dated two women at the same time?”
The girl nodded. “He was dating them while he was dating me. Near the end, I think.”
The bastard. Someone should Bobbitt him.
“Tell me more.”
* * *
Mrs. Yamaguchi refused to take Jude’s calls. You’d think the monstrous-sized bouquet he’d had the street vendor deliver to her this morning along with a hand-written apology would have appeased the goddess of sex toys and herbal products. Apparently not.
He signed his name to the bottom of a requisition order and to two other documents. Most things would wait until Mrs. Sedwick returned, but to have only been on the job two days, Angela was doing a great job sorting through the things that needed his urgent attention.
He liked that about her. She had a quick wit and an intelligence that rivaled his own.
She’d gotten rid of Sara Brown. Just thinking about the clingy woman was enough to make him break out in hives. He’d slept with her a total of one time. A mistake to be for sure, but he was a man and made such mistakes from time to time. Sex with Sara had been a doozey. She’d cried afterwards and proclaimed undying love and wishes to bear his children.
She was twenty-two years old for crying out loud. Surely, she didn’t believe he’d want that just because they’d had sex together? She hadn’t been a virgin, not by far. She’d had the sexual experience to match the image of a Miss January centerfold.
He’d been honest from the beginning, but she hadn’t taken a hint. Not even when he’d spelled it out point blank.
Jude didn’t do clingy. Nor did he do women who said they wanted to give him babies after a quickie at a party.
He hated that she’d gotten hurt, but hell if he’d do anything more to encourage her. Yeah, he was particularly grateful that Angela had gotten rid of drama queen Sara. He didn’t want to deal with the waterworks-on-demand today.
Dealing with Angela was another story altogether, and the thought of her clinging didn’t upset the way the thought should have.
Remembering how her lips parted and her green eyes turned hazy made him smile. She could hide behind that prim-and-proper exterior all she wanted, but she wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her.
There was a tiger inside her clawing to escape the cage she hid within. Jude longed to be the man to set that tiger free. To be the one to experience her wildness unleashed.
Only, how far could he go when Angela was involved without breaking his vow?
Probably a silly thing most men would ignore and go for the gold, rather than stick by a vow they’d made to their self. After all, a woman like her didn’t come along every day. But a vow made by Jude Layman meant something. His word meant something. If his parents taught him nothing else, they’d drilled honesty and pride into him.
He never knowingly lied. Never promised things he didn’t intend to deliver. Jude wouldn’t break his vow.
But he might play dirty to achieve it.
He picked up the phone and started to hit the number for Mrs. Sedwick. Just in time, he recalled Angela would be the one to pick up the phone. He didn’t want her handling this particular job. She might ask questions he didn’t want to answer. Like why any sane man would vow not to have sex until his best friend got laid.
Then again, perhaps his sanity hadn’t come into play during that decision.
He called one of his editorial assistants, Harriet, a long-timer he trusted to be discrete and who’d done odd jobs for him in the past without question.
“Find Joy Long. Get me a number and an address and any social routines/plans, etc. you can discover. ASAP.”
When he sat the phone down, he felt better.
He glanced at his watch. 11:29 AM. Close enough to lunch.
He closed his office door behind him. “Come on. We’re going to lunch.”
Angela frowned. The prim-and-proper persona was back on full force. “It isn’t lunch time.”
He rolled his eyes. He’d thought she’d warmed to him after he stuck the daisy in her hair. Apparently he’d been wrong or she’d changed her mind. “Yes, it is lunch time, because I’m starved. Let’s go.”
Her lips thinned into a tight line. She didn’t like things to go other than as planned. Interesting. His angel was a control freak. Yet he knew he hadn’t interpreted her facial expressions wrong earlier. She got off on the thought of being bad, of possibly getting caught.
The mental image of her being bad while controlling him had him shifting his weight, readjusting the crotch of his jeans before he passed out.
She slid her black bag onto her shoulder and stood.
“I really don’t like Chinese.” Although she didn’t say it out loud, her body language screamed that she also really didn’t like him.
“You will after today.”
Jude wasn’t sure whether he meant the Chinese or him.
* * *
“This is delicious.” The paper thin pastry wrap melted in Avery’s mouth. The blend of sweet and sour spices teased her taste buds, tickled her fancy.
Avery hadn’t ever liked Chinese. Not that she’d tried much. There hadn’t even been a Chinese restaurant in the small Kentucky town she’d grown up in and now that she could dine anywhere she pleased, Chinese just never appealed. Or it hadn’t before today. Definitely, she’d never had anything that compared to this out-of-the-way shop tucked into the corner of a building. A shop so small one would miss it if not looking.
The décor was typical of what she expected of a Chinese restaurant. A big Buddha occupied one corner. A watercolor hung on one wall. Exotic green plants sat at the ends of a silk screen. The middle of the restaurant showcased a buffet table that offered up goodies straight from heaven.
She hadn’t intended to like the food. Hadn’t intended to enjoy the man sitting across from her. Sara Brown’s sad story had reconfirmed all the hurtful things Jude was capable of. The man used women with no regards to how hurtful his actions were. He needed to pay. To pay in the worst possible way.
Jude grinned. He seemed determined to keep the conversation light no matter how many times she snapped at him. “Is this the part where I say I told you so?”
She feigned annoyance. Well, it wasn’t so much feigned. He did annoy her. How could he callously break women’s hearts and shatter their dreams?
He was a man, that’s how. She’d do well to remember that.
“No,” she said. “This is the part where we discuss whatever the business from yesterday is that we need to catch up on.”
“Okay, Mom,” he teased.
Avery froze. “What did you call me?”
“Mom.” He took a bite. “Don’t look so serious. It’s just an expression.” He shook his head. “You know, you really need to lighten up, Angel.”
“Angel?” She wasn’t sure she liked that any better than mom. Well, yeah, she preferred Jude to call her Angel over mom. That one was a no-brainer.
But perhaps it was much safer for him call her mom.
“Miss Greene?” He looked so adorable with the mischief on his face that she struggled to hold on to her anger.
“That’s better,” she huffed, feeling more of her resolve melt away at how his eyes lit when he smiled. At how his mouth slanted higher on one side and he had a tiny scar below his left eye that she hadn’t noticed before. How had he gotten it? Probably some woman conked him in the face for being such a jerk.
Only she had a hard time hanging on to the thought of him being a jerk when he turned on the charm.
Instead she felt light, giddy. Feminine and beautiful. The way he looked at her made her feel all those things. Was this how he’d made Mandy Sims feel? Like she was the only woman in the world? How he’d made a beauty like Sara Brown fall in love with him? Because she’d wanted to bask in that glow forever?
Avery took another bite of the egg roll. “What’s in this stuff anyway?”
“Mary Jane.”
“What?” She picked up her napkin and
spit the bite into it. “You’ve drugged me?”
Of course, she’d drugged him first, but that was different. Sort of.
She spat again, trying to rid her mouth of every trace of the food. No matter that she’d already swallowed half the thing.
“Calm down.” He threw his head back, laughing out loud. “I was only teasing. You really are too uptight, Angel.”
Avery glared, wiping the corners of her mouth with a fresh napkin. “Drugs are not something you should tease about.”
“No,” he sighed. “I was just trying to get a rise out of you, but you’re right.”
“I am,” she agreed.
“You like being right, don’t you, Angel?”
She didn’t answer, just took another bite of food that no longer melted on her tongue. Clumps stuck to the roof of her mouth like mud. How dare the clout tease her about something like that? She ought to glue his dick to his belly.
“Tell me,” his expression stayed serious, “if I asked you to dinner, would you go?”
The utter gall. The unbelievable unmitigated gall.
“No.”
“Why not?”
Did he really have to ask? “I don’t like you.”
“You don’t?” He didn’t look convinced or worried.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I just don’t.”
“That’s a totally unacceptable answer. Give me a reason.”
She wished she could find some flaw in him, like a big piece of cabbage stuck between his teeth to disgust her. Something. Anything. Because trying to remain focused on what a jerk he was to women when he was pumping out the charm in truckloads wasn’t easy. Then again, he had teased her about the food’s ingredients.
“Fine.” She shot him a smug look. “You’re a womanizer and not my type.”
He looked as if he were considering her answer. “What makes you say that?”
She had to think about her answer. Not once during the past two days had he done anything that gave the impression he was a womanizer. Not directly. Of course, there weren’t too many women to be picked up while stuck in the men’s room for hours on end and it had only been two days. Who knew who he’d gotten to play nurse with him last night?
“You told me you were bad,” she reminded.
“You’d already made up your mind about me before you even met me, hadn’t you?” he asked, surprising her with his quick intelligence.
“That’s ridiculous.” And true. He was a mark. One who’d hurt a woman enough for her to seek out and hire TGEA.
“What did she say?”
“Who?” Avery’s voice shook.
He looked at her oddly. “Mrs. Sedwick. Who did you think I meant?”
“No one.” She cursed herself for her stupidity. What was she doing out to lunch with a mark? One she found attractive despite his cad of a heart.
“I like you.”
“What?”
His comment caught her off guard. Everything about him caught her off guard.
“You heard me.”
“Why?”
“Your winning personality and trusting attitude?” he teased.
“Don’t like me.”
A brow rose. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I’m not your friend.”
“No, I suppose not, but then,” his eyes twinkled with pure bedevilment, “it’s not our possibly being friends that’s the problem, is it, Angel?”
“This is a mistake.” She glanced around the restaurant, anywhere but at Jude. “We’ve not talked about work at all.”
“You want to talk about the magazine?”
No, she wanted off this case. Which couldn’t happen because she’d never admit defeat. She needed to get inside Jude’s head, figure out his priorities, and then strip him of them just as he’d done to Mandy. To Sara. To countless other women.
“It’s where we work and why you said we were going to lunch together.”
He shrugged. “What do you want to know?”
“Why do you work for a porn rag?”
Jude’s eyes narrowed and for the briefest of seconds he appeared offended, defensive. “Have you actually read a recent issue of Playhouse?”
“Read? There’s words between those covers?” she bit out sarcastically. “Who knew?”
“Has anyone ever told you that you have a very smart mouth?”
She almost choked on the last bite of her egg roll. Scott told her that. Numerous times. Usually when they argued. Because she’d never let him win a fight. Not ever. Of course, he’d been wrong each time, and ultimately, he’d done a major wrong. He’d stolen her heart and her money. She’d like to accuse him of stealing her virginity, but found she couldn’t. She’d given that to the bastard willingly.
“No,” she finally answered since Jude waited. “Gee, I hope all this spicy food doesn’t make your indigestion come back.”
She smiled, purposely looking as though she’d enjoy his misery.
“Yeah, that makes two of us.” He pushed his plate back, picked up a fortune cookie and tossed it to her. “Here. Let’s see if this tells you to let loose and live a little. I bet you barely leave your apartment outside of work.”
Ha. He had no idea.
“How did you know I live in an apartment?”
“Lucky guess.” He shrugged. “We’re in Manhattan.”
There was that.
“What about you? Where do you live?”
“I own an apartment. Been there for a couple of years, but started out leasing. When it came up for sale, I took the plunge and committed.”
“To owning a home?”
“It’s a big responsibility. You own?”
“Yes,” she answered honestly. They also owned the house and horse farm in Nashville. Then there was the beach house in Cape May. Avery wasn’t positive, but she was pretty sure Cassidy owned it. Although Cassidy never talked about her family, she’d come from money. Lots of money.
Apparently not much love though since Cassidy had been able to walk away and hadn’t seen them in at least five years. TGEA was her only family. For all of them except Courtney, whose dad still put in sixteen hours a day for Hollywood’s finest, but loved his “baby girl”.
“You’re accent isn’t Northern.”
“Neither is yours,” she accused.
He snorted. “From outside Atlanta originally. How about you?”
“Kentucky.”
She wouldn’t say more and why she told him the truth made no sense. She’d just broken another of TGEA’s rules. Never did you give out personal information. She should have lied to him. He was a mark. Not a date.
Lunch felt like a date.
Like a getting to know each other first date.
Why wouldn’t it? He’d given her a flower earlier and was feeding her now.
Only, he was a screwer, and she was here to teach him a lesson, not give him the opportunity to throw her world off kilter.
“Open your cookie,” he ordered.
Refusing to give an inch, she motioned toward the one he held. “You first.”
“Scaredy cat.”
No man should have those eyes. Eyes that sparkled with such light and shamed the bluest sky.
“Meow,” she said, because he scared the hell out of her. More than anything had ever scared her. But not for any reason he’d ever guess.
His eyes darkened.
She held up her hand and she realized she’d given him the perfect set up. “No. Don’t say it. Not a single lewd or suggestive remark.”
“Who me? You must have me confused with someone else. I never take advantage of beautiful young pussies.”
“Never.”
He cracked his cookie and pulled the slip of paper from the crumbs.
“Life takes an unexpected turn and love brings its just rewards,” he read. He stared at the paper for a few seconds, then glanced up. “Your turn.”
Interesting fortune.
“Fine.” She remo
ved the cookie from the plastic, crushed it open, and pulled out the fortune. Her eyes widened and the most brilliant of ideas formed. An idea that was the perfect revenge for Jude Layman.
“Aren’t you going to show me yours?” he teased. “It’s only fair since I showed you mine.
She smiled sugary sweet, ignored his double meaning, and liked the surprise that registered in his eyes.
“Payback can be sweet,” she read, “but love is the tastiest revenge of all.”
Chapter Five
“What could be more perfect?” And why hadn’t Avery thought of it to begin with? Because she preferred the quickies and hadn’t been thinking big enough, that’s why.
“I don’t like it,” Courtney said, spooning a bite of yogurt.
“What?” Avery couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. “You, the person who hired a man you drugged and had sex with to investigate a mark?”
“Yeah, but he was willing and I can handle the score and the fallout.” Courtney sucked the strawberry and banana concoction from the spoon. “I’m not so sure you can.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?” Courtney asked. “Tell me, Avery. Just what did you do to the guy today?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you lace his booze? Did you delete important emails? Did you cancel his car insurance? Did you use his credit card to order a male stripper to deliver a telegram at work? Did you do a single vengeful thing?”
Avery met her friend’s gaze head-on and didn’t budge. “This is even better. The perfect revenge for Jude.”
“For Jude?” Courtney tsked. “You’re calling a mark by his name? I think you’re getting too close to this guy, Av.”
“The normal stuff won’t work for Ju—this mark. We already know that because of Randi striking out.”
“Hey, leave me out of this,” Randi warned from the sofa where she sat playing on her laptop. Randi was a computer game freak and under the gaming name of “KissThis” she kicked cyber butt. Payback Puss lay curled in a ball, snoozing in kitty heaven.
