TIS THE SEASON...FOR ROMANCE (WESTMORELAND/MASTERS/JEFFERIES)

by Jackson, Brenda

  She blew out a breath as she leaned back in her chair. “No, you’re not slow. Your job is more tedious than mine. I just have to check to make sure all the pages are there. You’re the one who has to review all that legal mumble-jumble.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, but you could assist on this end if you’d only do as I suggested. I’ve told you more than once that I think you’ll make a great attorney. If you’re not interested in going to law school, at least consider becoming a paralegal. I honestly wish you would think about it.”

  She shrugged. “I have thought about it. I’ve even gotten catalogs from the university. But when I check out all those classes I have to take, I’m not sure my brain could handle it.”

  He closed the last binder in the stack he was working on. “Would it encourage you to give it some serious thought if I said I would volunteer to help with your homework?”

  She raised a brow. “You would do that?”

  “Sure, I would. How many times have you helped me after hours on something? When I was running for that senate seat you worked with me on all of my speeches.”

  He shook his head. “Boy, am I glad how that turned out. Reggie makes a good senator and is just what this state needs.”

  “So you have no regrets about dropping out of the race?”

  “None whatsoever.” He then glanced at his watch. “I think it’s time for dinner. Why don’t you go ahead and order room service while I go across the hall and freshen up.”

  “Freshen up? You’re fine. But if you need to throw water on your face or something you can use my bathroom. There are plenty of towels.”

  “And you don’t mind?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Well, then. Thanks.”

  * * *

  Blowing out a breath, Orin closed the bathroom door behind him and leaned against it. He wondered if Cathy knew that he had been aware of each and every time she had gazed over at him. And he had felt the heat of that gaze like it had been an intimate caress.

  Pushing away from the door he moved to the sink to wash his hands and to do like she’d suggested and splash water onto his face. After a while, all those legal terms had seemed to be running together, or it might have been that although he’d had his eyes on the text, his mind had actually been somewhere else.

  But that hadn’t been the first time he had been alone with Cathy when they were supposed to be concentrating on business and he’d ended up mainly concentrating on her. Over the years he had managed to keep a tight rein on his emotions; especially when it came to her.

  After wiping his hands and face on one of the towels he glanced around at all her personal toiletries Cathy had placed on the counter. Libby had moved out on her own so long ago that he’d forgotten how much stuff a woman liked to use on her body.

  He picked up a bottle containing bubble bath and screwed off the top and inhaled the scent. He could imagine her in a huge bathtub filled with bubbles and this particular scent reminded him of a mixture of strawberries, peach and mango. But what he could imagine more than anything was how she would look beneath all those bubbles. She wouldn’t be wearing a stitch of clothing, just like she’d done so many times in his dreams.

  He closed his eyes and pulled in a deep breath as he fought the intense wave of desire that wanted to consume him. He wondered how long would he be able to fight against those emotions he’d always felt when Cathy was within ten feet of him. Just knowing she was there, beyond the bathroom door had the pit of his stomach aching. And it took everything within to remind himself he was a fifty-six-year-old man and not some over-sexed teenager.

  With that thought he opened the door.

  * * *

  Cathy saw the surprised look on Orin’s face the moment he returned to the living room area. He glanced over at her. “They’ve delivered the food already?”

  She smiled at him. “Yes, I made the arrangements earlier. I approximated the time when we would break for dinner and was right on time.”

  He chuckled. “Efficient as ever.”

  “Of course, and I hope you don’t mind that I asked them to wheel the table out on the balcony, so it wouldn’t get cluttered in here.”

  “That’s fine.”

  She saw his gaze move past her to the balcony where room service had set up a candlelight dinner for two. “I started to tell them that we could do without the candlelight but figured it was nice.”

  He shook his head as he began rolling down his sleeves. “It is nice.”

  “And I want to thank you again for the flowers,” she said, lowering her head to take another whiff of them. “They smell simply wonderful.”

  “I’m glad you like them.”

  “I do.” She then turned away from the flowers. “We might as well dig in since I’m sure you’re anxious for us to get back to work.”

  “Uhh, yes. Of course.”

  She led the way to the balcony and thanked him when he pulled out the chair for her. She watched him glance around. He then returned his gaze to hers, smiled and said. “A view of the Hudson River is nice. All I see from my window is a parking garage.”

  She chuckled. “I would offer to trade but I’ve fallen in love with it. I can’t wait until after we’re finished here so I can go out. I hear Times Square is beautiful at night and I plan to walk around and take in the sights.”

  He paused in reaching for his glass of iced tea. “You’re going out later?”

  “Yes. I came to New York many years ago with Don for a bowling tournament and was stuck in the hotel room and never got out to tour the city, I plan to do so this time.”

  He picked up his glass and took a sip, keeping his gaze on her. Cathy proceeded to eat her food. She didn’t have to glance over at him to know he was staring at her intently and that a frown had settled around his lips. She could actually feel his displeasure in what she’d said.

  “You have friends here?” he finally asked.

  She knew that was his way of asking if she was meeting someone later. She looked up at him and shook her head. “No. Other than you and Maureen Beckman I don’t know a soul in the city.”

  She then chuckled and added, “And Maureen wouldn’t be caught dead going anywhere with me.”

  He lifted a brow. “Why?”

  She smiled. “Because of our job titles. She’s in management and I’m just an administrative assistant. There are some within the company who think it’s unprofessional to mingle with non-management employees other than for business reasons. I understand Nettleton Industries once had a policy in place promoting that sort of policy years ago, as well as one restricting employees from dating and marrying.”

  He nodded. “Yes, but those were done away with after old man Nettleton died and Nathan Nettleton took over. He felt the policies were ridiculous and abolished them over twenty years go.”

  “Oh, I see,” she said, taking a sip of her water, giving him time to consider the fact that although the policy might have been done away with about twenty years ago, some people, including him were still practicing it; especially the one about management and non-management socializing. How many times had they gone out to dinner someplace and had run into his family or friends, and he’d quickly made an introduction stating that she was his administrative assistant, so no one would get any ideas about them being seen together?

  “I hope you like your steak,” she spoke up and said. “I asked them to cook it just the way I know you like it.”

  As if she’d pulled him out of deep and heavy thoughts, he glanced over and offered her a bland smile and then said, “It’s delicious. Thanks.”

  * * *

  A part of Orin felt like he’d been kicked in the gut when it should have been his ass. How could he have been so insensitive and thoughtless for years? Granted every time they had been seen together after hours had been business related, had he needed to make sure that point was understood whenever anyone saw them together?

  Even last week when Duan had visited the office and h
ad mentioned Terrence’s misconception about his and Cathy’s relationship, he had been quick to point out to his oldest son, several times, what Cathy’s position was. He’d done it more out of habit than out of not thinking she was his equal. Was it wrong to keep things strictly business between them when if truth be known, her occupation had nothing to do with him not wanting to date her?

  The main reason he’d kept her at arms length was because was the first woman since his divorce that had piqued his interest. And he’d figured that keeping things professional between them assured that he controlled those urges he often got around her.

  “Umm, I almost forgot to mention that I finally got a call from Maverick yesterday.”

  He glanced up and smiled. “Did you?”

  “Yes. He’s back in the States. Somewhere in California.”

  And then she proceeded to tell him all about her oldest son’s call and that he’d explained that the reason he hadn’t told her of his location while out of the country. He watched how happiness flowed across her features while she talked about her son. That was only one of the things he admired about her. She was an exemplary mother and was nothing like the woman he had married and divorced. The woman who hadn’t tried contacting her children not once since she had walked out on them over twenty-four years ago.

  About five years ago Duan had approached him and said he’d found the location of his mother and planned to go see her. Knowing he had a mother out there who hadn’t contacted her offspring had bothered Duan more than it had Terrence or Libby. Orin had understood what had driven his son to want to find out answers for himself, since he had spent time as a child with Susan the longest. He’d been twelve when she’d left and his memories of her hadn’t been too bad. And he hadn’t felt the sharp bite of bitterness like Terrence had. Terrence had been ten when Susan had left and his memories of her hadn’t been good. And Olivia, who’d been three, barely remembered her at all. Orin had figured for that reason, Olivia would be the one out of the three to seek out her mother. He had been surprised to discover over the years her not wanting to know her mother was as strong as Terrence’s.

  To this day Orin never got the full story from Duan of what had taken place when he’d come face to face with Susan as an adult. But Orin had been smart enough to know it hadn’t been pretty and that chances where she had rejected her son for a second time. Knowing Duan like he did, he knew his son wouldn’t give her the opportunity to do so again.

  Another thing he admired about Cathy was that she had a backbone of steel. Raising two teenage sons when her husband had died hadn’t been easy but she had done so and they had turned out to be fine young men.

  “Let me know when you’re ready for dessert,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “I ordered your favorite, strawberry cheesecake, and placed it in the refrigerator until you were ready for it. It’s a huge slice. You might want to eat half now and save the rest for later.”

  “Thanks and I just might do that.”

  They continued to enjoy their meal while enjoying the beautiful view of the Hudson River. It was the last week in June and the heat had been a scorcher outside earlier but now the breeze off the water felt nice.

  A short while later they were back to work, finishing the last of the binders and it was only after the last stack had been finished that he stood and rolled down his sleeves again. He glanced over at her. “You still plan on going to check out the city?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said, sealing the final box that contained the binders. “I plan to change into something a lot more comfortable.”

  He nodded and inclined his head. “Would you have a problem if I tagged along?”

  She lifted her shoulder and smiled in a way that had heat moving through his entire body. She met his gaze. “No, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.”

  He glanced down at his watch. “Give me a couple of minutes to change into something more casual as well. And I’ll be back over.”

  “All right.”

  He then moved toward the door to leave.

  Five

  A smile touched Cathy’s lips when the door closed behind Orin. Then she quickly walked toward the bedroom to change clothes. This would be the first time they would spend time together that he couldn’t justify as a business meeting. He’d surprised her – she hadn’t figured he would want to go out with her tonight. She’d thought it would take at least a couple of days before he took the bait.

  But then, he might just change his mind when he saw what she was wearing. In all the years he’d known her he had never seen her in a dress or skirt above the knee, without leggings. This one was short but the leggings she was wearing underneath wouldn’t make the shortness all that noticeable. Women dressed in outfits like the one she was wearing all the time. But he’d never seen one like this on her.

  She glanced in the mirror. The one thing she really liked about this particular hairstyle was it versatility. With a few twirls of her fingers and a hair clamp, she had pinned it on top of her head in a sexy hair-do. One Jen claimed complimented her neck. Moving quickly to the bathroom she brushed her teeth and reapplied her lipstick.

  She glanced at herself in the full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door. This particular outfit was new and was one that Jen had helped her pick out. She had to hand it to her best friend, when it came to hair, fashion and style she was on top of her game.

  She was slipping into her sandals when she heard the knock on her door. Looking one last time into the mirror she quickly left the bedroom.

  * * *

  Orin glanced down at his watch. It was almost ten but he knew for some people, namely the partygoers, New York City was just waking up at this hour. He had never considered himself a partier, not even when he was a hell of a lot younger. He’d gone to college on a football scholarship and it had been hard trying to play while keeping his grades up. And then when he’d decided to go to law school, he’d been just as determine to graduate at the top of his class.

  He’d been successful at pulling it off, but that meant he hadn’t had a social life. Unlike his roommates who partied and was happy to barely get by with their studies, he’d wanted the honors since he knew that meant the ability to demand a better salary down the road.

  And then, the first night he had gone out to party, after being hired at his dream job at a prestigious law firm in Atlanta, he had met Susan. It was love at first sight, or so he thought. He hadn’t known until later that she’d deliberately gone fishing that night, had thrown out the bait and he’d gotten caught.

  Less than nine months later Duan had been born and with a wife who hadn’t wanted to be a mother, their marriage had been one argument after another. He hadn’t had a clue she was involved with another man, and was just as dumbfounded to discover the man had been his business partner and friend. A man he’d met at the law firm where he worked, and the same man who convinced him it was time they struck out on their own and open a firm.

  He still wasn’t sure today just how long the affair had been going on before Susan had packed up one day and before walking out the door, proudly proclaimed the name of her lover and let him know she wouldn’t be back and he and his brats could kiss her royal ass. She had better things to do.

  Unfortunately the man she ran off with also had a wife and daughter. The woman took her husband’s betrayal hard and ended up committing suicide and taking her little girl with her when she deliberately stalled her car on the train tracks and waited for a train to come.

  Orin shook off the feelings of regret and despair whenever he thought about the lives Susan’s selfishness had destroyed. Even now she was still out there going from man to man, husband to husband. He’d heard she’d been married five times now.

  “Who is it?” the voice on the other side of the door interrupted his thoughts by asking.

  “Orin.”

  He heard the chain slide from the lock and then the door slowly opened. He was very much aware that when she opened the door
completely his jaw dropped at the same time he felt a deep stirring in his midsection.

  His administrative assistant, the woman he’d been attracted to for years; the same woman for whom he’d been so determined to hold back emotions that tried overwhelming him whenever they were together, was standing there wearing a very sexy outfit. His gaze traveled from her head to her toes.

  He liked the way her hair was done up on her head and the way her dress curved her figured in an alluring way but not overly provocative, although it definitely paid homage to her high, firm breasts, small waist and curvy hips. And then there were those leggings that complimented her short dress and the sandals on her feet.

  “I hope you think I look okay,” she said, interrupting his thoughts.

  His gaze moved from her feet to her face. Did she honestly think that he didn’t? And she had planned on wearing this outfit out tonight alone. It didn’t matter to him that she was forty-eight instead of twenty-eight, Cathy looked good and she was a woman any man would appreciate.

  “You look great,” he said and meaning every word of it. He was used to seeing her dressed professionally, but there was nothing professional about this outfit. It looked good on her and she looked good in it. And it was the perfect attire for what they would be doing, which was walking around Times Square.

  And for that reason he felt his jeans, polo shirt and a pair of walking shoes fitted the occasion just fine. “Ready to go?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  He stepped back when she closed her hotel room door and together they walked toward a bank of elevators. She smelled good. His heart began pounding in his chest and he felt a deep inner throb in his groin. He was amazed that such a thing could take place just from the scent of a woman.

  Orin was fully aware and had been for some time that he was attracted to her. He could now admit to sitting in his office sometime with idle time and thinking about her; and then making up any reason to summons her into his office just to look at her.