Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Contact the Author
Love by Design
Violette Grey
Copyright © 2017 Violette Grey
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Chapter One
Laura Jensen walked through her state-of-the-art kitchen and inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell of a gourmet meal being prepared by the chef she had hired for the evening.
“That smells amazing, Carlos,” she said.
“Thank you, Señora Jensen,” the man replied with a proud nod.
“What will be the main course tonight?”
“Blanquette de veau, Señora.”
Laura nodded. “Very well, a red Bordeaux then.”
Chef Carlos nodded appreciatively. “Si, perfecto.”
He was worth every penny they were paying him tonight. He would create an amazing five-course meal and each course would be delicious. They always were.
As Laura passed through the living room, Polly was dusting Laura’s Hummel figures. A formidable woman, Polly Van Kleave had worked for the Jensens for several years, at first her services a gift from Laura’s aunt, but eventually staying on full-time. She had been there when Laura gave birth to Shane, a stillborn, during her first year of marriage. Laura wasn’t sure how she would have gotten through it without her.
“Have I told you lately how much I appreciate you, Polly?” Laura asked with a smile.
“Not today,” Polly replied with a wide smile. She so reminded Laura of her mother, what little she could remember of her anyway since she died when Laura was very young, she just wanted to go up to the woman and hug her. However, she knew she would be reprimanded for such behavior. ‘You are my employer, Laura.’ Yet, Laura knew that if she ever needed anything, Polly would go out of her way to take care of it for her.
One thing Laura knew for sure was that she didn’t know what she would do without her.
“Oh, Laura,” Polly called out, “what time would you like me to set the table? I want to be sure I am a healthy distance away before Mr. Jensen comes home.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief.
“I believe by seven, thank you,” Laura replied with a laugh.
“Very well.”
With great anticipation, Laura headed up to the bedroom to dress for dinner. She wanted to look her best when her husband got home. They had been married for eight years now, most of them happy years; every marriage had its ups and downs, and theirs was no different. Terry Jensen worked hard to build the architectural firm he currently owned, but it also meant many hours away from home. Laura was not bitter, per se, but she did wish he was home more often.
After a quick shower, she combed out her long auburn hair, fine strands of red glowing in the light. Her blue eyes reflected back at her. She wondered what others saw in her eyes that she could not see. Would they see a soul that loved? Or would they see a lonely woman who wished with all her heart she could turn back the clock to eight years ago and start all over again.
She shook her head at her musings. What silliness, looking into someone’s eyes and seeing their soul. She finished dressing and was just adding a bit of lipstick to her lips when the phone rang. Laura answered it, removing her earring before bringing the receiver to her ear. “Jensen residence.”
“Laura, dear, it’s Terry.” He was using his ‘I won’t be home for dinner’ voice, and her heart sank. “I’m sorry, honey, but I’ll be stuck at work late again tonight. I really am so very sorry.”
A tear trickled down her cheek, but she maintained an even voice. “I understand, dear. Do you want me to hold a plate for you? It’s blanquette de veau.”
“Mmm, that sound so good. Yes, that would be nice. I can heat it up when I get home, so don’t worry about waiting up for me.” There was a pause. “I really am sorry, honey; you do believe me, don’t you?”
“Yes.” Laura tried to keep her voice from breaking. “I understand. Please wake me when you get home. I miss you.”
“And I miss you.” Laura heard Sean’s voice in the background and Terry said, “Honey, I have to run. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Laura replied before cradling the receiver. She lay on the bed as the tears burst forth. This wasn’t the first time he had been too busy to be home in time for dinner. As a matter of fact, it had become the custom of their lives. After eight years of marriage, they were more like friends and roommates than husband and wife.
When they were first married, it was as if they could not be pulled apart. However, as the years progressed, and Terry’s job became more and more demanding, they saw little of each other. Laura had her charity work and her club meetings, but too often she felt alone. She still loved Terry, but it was more the love of a good friend or a brother than of a husband.
Twenty minutes after Terry’s call, when the grandfather clock downstairs jingled seven o’clock, Laura had already dried her tears, checked her makeup, and headed downstairs.
She sat at the dining room table, Carlos and Polly already gone for the evening, enjoying their anniversary dinner alone.
***
“Honey,” a whisper tickled Laura’s ear. “Honey, I’m home.”
Laura opened her eyes, and Terry, still in his suit and tie, was lying beside her, his bright blue eyes trained on hers. She was angry with him, but she knew his smile would not allow her to be angry for too long. Yet she would hold out for as long as she could before giving in, like she always did.
He had a sad look on his face, and Laura sat up, frightened that something bad had happened.
“Terry, is everything OK?”
“I am so sorry,” he said, and his eyes reflected his anxiety. “I forgot it was our anniversary. I would have skirted out of that damned meeting without a second thought had I remembered.”
Laura smiled and touched his cheek. An unruly wave of dark hair fell over his forehead and she brushed it back. He was a handsome man, not in the conventional sense but more rugged and carefree. Although he would never grace the cover of a magazine as the most elegant man of the year, his dark eyes always seemed to look into her soul. At his words she felt sorry for him and knew she could not stay mad at him. “It’s OK, dear. I know you have been very busy with that new project.” A mischievous smile crossed her face as she fluttered her eyelashes. “Maybe you can make it up to me.”
Terry smiled back, and pushed her hair back from her face. He leaned in and kissed her before rolling over and turning out the light.
Laura lay with her back to him listening to the even breathing of deep sleep, tears rolling down her cheek as she cried silently beside him.
Chapter Two
The elevator door opened on the fourth floor of the small office building in downtown Denver where Jensen and Barkley Architects was located, and Laura exited, her high heels clicking on the tile floor.
“Good morning, Mrs
. Jensen,” Felicity, the main receptionist called out in a friendly manner.
“Good morning, Felicity. How is George doing?” George was the woman’s cat.
The receptionist smiled. “He is well, thank you.”
“I’m so glad to hear that. So, his surgery went well?”
“Oh, yes. He was up and around like new in about a week,” she replied, beaming. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him this energetic.”
“Well, I’m very happy for you,” Laura said as she removed her coat and Felicity took it from her to hang in the coat closet. “Is my husband in his office?”
“I believe so. Would you like me to call down to be sure?”
Laura waved her hand. “No, if he’s not there, Emily will know where he is. Thank you.”
She walked toward Terry’s large corner office with the massive windows that looked out at the beautiful Rocky Mountains. He was not there, but his assistant, Emily Franklin, sat just outside at a large desk.
“Hello, Mrs. Jensen,” the woman said. “Mr. Jensen is in a meeting with Mr. Barkley at the moment, but you are welcome to wait for him in his office.
Laura looked over Emily. She was a beautiful woman, her blond hair cut short, blue eyes intense as they looked out at the world, and her body was thin and shapely. When she was hired on several years ago, Laura had worried about Terry having such an attractive office assistant, the stereotypical fear of attraction between employee and boss being on Laura’s lists of worries. However, Laura had asked Felicity to keep an eye on the girl, and even to the last report, nothing romantic had happened. Well, to call her a girl was a misnomer; she was only a year or two younger than Laura.
“Would you like a cup of coffee or something else to drink?” Emily asked. Laura wasn’t sure, but she thought the girl’s eyes had dropped to Laura’s breasts, but it was so fast, she wasn’t actually sure it had happened.
“Yes, please.”
“Cream, no sugar, right?” Emily asked.
Laura let out a light laugh. “You have a very good memory,” she said, impressed Emily remembered how she took her coffee, even though Laura did not spend an exuberant amount of time at the office.
Emily didn’t respond beyond a smile. Several minutes later, she returned with a cup of coffee in a plain white mug.
As she handed it to Laura, their fingers touched and Laura felt a shot of electricity flow through her body, landing in the pit of her stomach. She almost dropped the cup, not sure how to react to such a reaction to a woman, but only managed to keep the cup up without spilling any coffee on herself or Emily.
“Are you OK, Mrs. Jensen?” Emily asked. Her blue eyes held Laura’s, and Laura had to look away, a strange feeling of excitement rushing through her body.
But…Emily? Laura thought. No, she must have imaged it.
“Laura, honey, I didn’t know you were visiting me today,” Terry said. “Please come in.”
Laura followed him into the large office and memories of their first year there together flooded her mind.
It had been eight years earlier, right after they had gotten married. Pauline, his secretary at the time, had stepped discreetly out of the office before Laura could say goodbye, but Laura had not even noticed. It was a time when she and Terry only had eyes for each other. Laura flushed from the memory.
“Laura, honey, how are you?” her husband had said from behind her.
“Oh, I’m fine,” she replied, kissing him on the cheek. “I was wondering if you would like to have lunch.”
Terry sighed. “I’m sorry, but I have a lunch meeting with a client.” Taking her hand, he had pulled her to a closet on the other side of the room and held her next to him. “But I’d rather be with you.” He leaned in and kissed her and she felt the familiar burning inside her whenever Terry touched her. He reached out and pulled her shirt from the waistband of her skirt. hHs hand climbed up under it and massaged her breast as her hand rubbed the bulge in his pants. They were panting when Pauline’s voice came through the speaker on the phone.
“Mr. Jensen, Mr. Abernash is here for your eleven o’clock appointment. Would you like me to take him to the conference room or have him wait here?”
Laura and Terry giggled like two teenagers caught behind the bleachers.
“Take him to the conference room, Pauline, please,” Terry croaked. “I’ll be right there.”
They giggled again as they readjusted their clothes and checked each other’s hair before walking out of the closet. Laura was sure Pauline knew what was going on while they were there, but it hadn’t been the first time, and it surely would not be the last.
Sadly, it was the last. Soon after that day, Terry took on a large account and from then on, he was too busy for quick trysts in the closet.
Terry’s voice brought her back into the present. “Laura, I said, is there something I can do for you?” he was saying.
Laura shook her head. “I was just in the area and thought I’d pop in and say hello.”
“Well, I’m glad you did.” He seemed rushed as he moved around the desk gathering papers and blueprints. “I only have a few minutes before I have to meet with Sean, is there something you need?”
“No, no,” Laura said, recognizing that even if she tried to strike up a conversation, he probably would not hear what she said. “Will I see you at dinner tonight?” Laura asked.
“I will be there with bells on,” Terry replied as he kissed her cheek.
“Are you sure? You missed our anniversary; how do I know I can trust your word?” she asked playfully.
He pouted and said, “I told you I was sorry. How many times do I have to make it up to you.”
She leaned in and kissed him. “Until I tell you to stop.”
His laugh was distracted. It was almost as if he had not heard what she said.
Yet, this was how her marriage was, and she should be used to it by now. She watched as Terry walked down the hall and enter another room, closing the door behind him. So used to this behavior, she did not even feel disappointed anymore.
When she turned, Emily was smiling at her. This time there was now mistaking Emily’s eyes dropping down to Laura’s bosom, and Laura felt a flush come to her face.
Oh, this is silly, Laura thought. I’ve been thinking about Terry and me in the office years ago and it’s brought on some of the old feelings.
However, Laura looked over Emily and noticed that she had a small dimple in her cheek when she smiled. A small amount of cleavage peeked out between the buttons on her shirt, and her breasts looked round and firm.
Laura shook her head and took a deep breath. What was wrong with her?
“Well, see you again, Emily,” Laura said as she turned to go.
“Yes, Mrs. Jensen, I look forward to it.”
Laura was sure she saw a small flirty smile play on Emily’s lips when she said it.
***
By the time Laura arrived home after her strange interaction with Emily, she had finally convinced herself that she was imagining things. In her heightened state of arousal with her memories of the encounter in the closet with Terry, she figured she must have interpreted things in a manner that was certainly not what she thought.
She prepared a simple dinner of chicken Parmesan with mixed vegetables and put it in the silver service containers to take to the bedroom when Terry arrived. She decided they would spend the rest of the evening in bed. Today’s encounter had reminded her how much she had loved him at one time and she was convinced she could bring back that passion in their marriage once again. So, lying on the bed in Terry’s favorite black teddy, she waited for the sound of his car in the drive.
Several hours later, Laura ate the dinner she had prepared alone in the dining room. Her anger and frustration rose as she considered what she would say to him when he walked through the door. She returned to the room and plopped herself on the bed.
He can heat up his own damned dinner, she thought as she lay there seething. I
t was not long after that she fell asleep.
She awoke to the telltale signs of tires on the blacktop. She would be giving him a severe tongue-lashing.
Then a thought occurred to her. Was she doing her part to keep the mood romantic between them? Yes, Terry was busy with work, but she was also busy with her life. It was almost as if they led separate and parallel lives while living in the same house. More like roommates than spouses. What if she were to make advances toward him, would that wake him up?
Determined with her plan to heat things up, she turned down the bedroom lights and lit some candles to set the mood. She was definitely up for a night of romping, the thoughts of their near-tryst in Terry’s office so many years ago still playing in her mind.
She laughed. Maybe his being late would pay off for once.
The doorbell rang and Laura sat up. That was odd; Terry would not ring the doorbell. There would be no way he didn’t have his house key, they were on the same ring as the car keys.
She donned her robe and headed downstairs. Polly had the night off, so Laura knew she was there alone. When she opened the door, two men stood on the porch, both dressed in police uniforms. One was short and very young with his hat under his arm and looking nervous. The other was tall, much more seasoned with gray streaks in his hair, looking straight ahead and avoiding eye contact with her completely.
“Is this the Jensen residence?” The older officer’s voice was firm and direct.
“Yes, it is,” Laura replied, her heart pounding so hard she feared it would break through her chest.
“Are you Mrs. Theodore Jensen?”
“Yes, I am she.” She struggled to speak, her words coming out in a whisper. Her stomach felt as if a stone were sitting at the bottom of it. She reached out her hand and grabbed the door jam. “I’m Mrs. Jensen. What can I do for you, officer?” Her voice sounded as if it belonged to another person, and there was a strange pounding behind her eardrums.
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