by Crowe, Liz
The room filled up, everyone eager to hear more about Jack’s downtown project. She grabbed coffee and a yogurt and glanced around; ignoring the woman she’d caught with Jack, trying not to see where he was at the moment when she came face to face with Blake.
“Jesus,” she declared, nearly spilling her coffee. “You scared me.”
He stood with his hands in his trouser pockets, his hair still wet from a shower, observing her. “What?” She demanded. “Why are you here?”
“Nice to see you too,” he put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. His solid, comforting presence made her smile in spite of herself. “I got a personal invite,” he said as he gazed around the room. “From Jack.” Sara started and stepped away from him. He shrugged. “His building is a block from our place, so I guess he thought I might want to know more.” He waved at someone across the room. “I’m gonna stand at the back and take off after his little dog and pony, I’ll catch you later.” He gave her shoulders another squeeze and strolled away.
Sara kept scanning the room, smiling and chatting with a few colleagues, on a mission to find Craig. Cathy came up behind her and propelled her towards a middle table. “Over here Sara,” she said. We’ve got a spot for you.” Sara let herself be guided and got a little thrill at the sight of Craig smiling at her. He pulled a chair out and she reddened as she sensed everyone watching. She caught Val’s smirk across the table and stuck her tongue out at her.
Greg Stewart stood at the podium and cleared his throat, which brought some semblance of quiet to the noisy room. Sara congratulated herself on having not looked for Jack as she peeled the lid off her yogurt. At that moment, she heard him, his deep laughter first then his voice.
“No, you call me when you have a real offer,” he clapped some poor woman on the shoulder and Sara watched her redden at his touch. Her own thighs clenched and her scalp tingled but she chided herself on her body’ involuntary reaction.
Come on Sara, Jack is not all that… .
She smiled weakly at Craig, not really seeing him, as New Sara whined in her ear. Oh yes. He is. And you know it.
The eyes of about every single female in the room followed his broad, blue wool clad shoulders as he made his way to the front, stopping to speak to a few agents but completely ignoring Heather who shot him a look of combined fury and desire. She took a deep breath, kept her back to the podium, and continued eating, trying her very best to calm her pounding heart.
Craig moved his chair a few inches nearer hers and she felt her pulse slow down. Her throat unclenched enough to swallow a few bites of un-tasted yogurt. She told herself she’d stay turned away until Jack’s little show was finished. The table went quiet, and Greg greeted his agents, reviewed a few upcoming dates, including their annual fall picnic before introducing “the man who needs no introduction.” The room buzzed with anticipation.
Sara rolled her eyes at Val whose eyes stayed fixed on the podium. They all waited for Jack’s latest details and power point of condo floor plan options, prices and retail opportunities. She heard him thank Greg, make a joke that she couldn’t hear for the buzzing in her ears. Letting her gaze rest on her brother, who leaned against one of the back doors, coffee cup in one hand, eyes neutral and trained on the man he hated. Sara saw Blake frown then stand up straight his mouth hanging open as room simultaneously erupted in noise. She clenched her freezing hands in her lap, forcing herself to stay turned away from Jack and his screen.
“What the…” she heard Craig mutter and saw Val stare at the screen then at her, pointing her finger at the screen behind Sara’s back. She couldn’t process the noise and had no idea why everyone was so worked up. Had he flashed a naked photo of himself up there or something? She wouldn’t put it past him.
The distinct sound of dozens of females sighing in unison finally made her turn. The buzzing in her ears increased as she gazed on her own name, flashed up on the screen in enormous letters. Sweat prickled her upper lip and her knees shook as the room narrowed to a tunnel connecting her eyes with the deep blue ones of the man at the podium. If it were possible to feel someone shooting daggers into her chest, she’d be dead twice over from Heather’s glare.
“Sara Jane Thornton.” The screen screamed in red letters. “Will You Marry Me? Jack”
By sheer instinct, she swiveled her head around to face her brother, still standing at the back of the room, mouth no longer open; dismay in his bright green eyes as he looked straight at her. She slumped back in her seat, as her face flushed red and her heart started its erratic rhythm again.
It felt like hours passed before someone tapped her shoulder. Craig, eyebrows raised in question and gaze flat, nodded towards the front of the room. She looked at him, adrenaline rushing through her veins and stood on wobbly legs. Jack had not spoken once. He stood, hands in his pockets and watched her, ignoring the buzz and clamor he had caused in the room of two-hundred-plus professionals. She glanced over her shoulder at Blake, glared at Jack, then once more at Craig who leaned back in his chair, legs stuck out in front of him, a nonchalant look fixed firmly in place.
Sara barely remembered walking the twenty feet or so up to the front, willing her heart to slow, her body to stop overreacting so she could formulate an appropriate response to his over-the-top, public proposal. Her mind and heart reeled. She felt the green monsters of nearly every female in the room pressing down on her, and realized she had to walk right past Heather to reach the front. Each step brought her closer to the man she had confessed her love for a few weeks ago, but whose very presence now made her want to stab him with a dull pencil.
What the fuck was he thinking, making a spectacle like this?
Her eyes burned as she kept them locked on his trying to determine if the whole thing were a dream. The sapphire blue of Jack’s gaze pulled her closer. When she finally arrived in front of him, she crossed her arms and cocked her head, bringing laughter from the crowd.
Jack looked around for a split second, then pulled a velvet box from his trouser pocket, opened it and went down on one knee. The room exploded with applause, chatter and more female sighs. Sara stood, frozen, observing what must be a four-carat emerald-shaped diamond set in platinum. Visions of Jack with Heather on his lap, and the feel of Craig’s strong body pressed to hers as he drove her away from that terrible party fought for attention in her brain. She met Jack’s eyes again.
“Really,” she mouthed, arms still crossed.
“Yes, really,” he took the ring out its velvet nest and held out his hand for hers.
Pushy bastard.
He pulled her close, and whispered in her ear. “You have to trust me this time. I mean it.” He groaned, making her smile. “Hell I can’t even do this right.”
Ignoring the near silence in the room full of people she pulled back and stared at him. “Why here? What’s with the big gesture? It’s not fair. I feel a tad manipulated.”
He grinned. “Good. That’s my plan.” He shut off her response with lips, firm and commanding. His tongue teased her a moment as cheers rang down around them. Sara felt her whole body lighten. Could this possibly be happening?
Sara took a deep breath, placed her hand in his and nodded, as tears slipped down her cheeks. If it were possible, the room got even louder. Sara couldn’t hear anything but Jack as he stood, took her in his arms and kissed so deeply her head spun.
“You won’t regret it Sara,” he finally whispered. “I promise. You can trust me. I promise that too.”
He took her hand, and they faced the now standing group. The fact that the words “I love you,” were on her lips but unsaid did not escape her rattled brain, but there was time enough for that later. Her eyes scanned the crowd, saw that Blake had left, and that Craig was the only one not standing. He sat, legs still sprawled in front of him, arm hooked over the back of his chair, staring at Sara with unasked questions in his eyes.
She wiped her wet face, smiled at her colleagues, gave Jack a peck on the cheek and a slap
on the ass to the delight of all and returned to her seat. Her face burned and the enormous diamond felt heavy on her finger..
“I’d say, ‘get a room you two’, but from what I understand, you don’t usually require one,” Greg Stewart bellowed into the microphone causing a fresh round of laughter as Sara rolled her eyes and sat not meeting Craig’s look.
He leaned over to her. “Congratulations, and good luck,” he pressed a soft kiss on her cheek, rose and left the room. Sara squeezed her eyes shut for a second, realizing she’d likely made the sort of fork-in-the-road decision one should not make in public. She was beyond pissed at him for putting her in such a spot. Pats on her back and a table full of friends wanting to see her ring brought her back to the room as she stared at the gem on her left hand ring finger. Smiling at the man she had agreed to marry in front of two hundred of her nearest and dearest, and about ten or fifteen intensely jealous women, her mind spun but her heart sang as it resumed something resembling a normal rhythm.
Sara took deep breaths, let thoughts of weddings and dealing with her parents flit in and out of her head. When Jack looked straight at her during her presentation and winked she surprised herself by blowing him a kiss.. Maybe this would be fine after all. Plenty of time for the “I love you’s” later.
She watched as her fiancée put the final flourishes on his presentation, descended the podium and sat in the chair Craig had vacated. He leaned into her ear. “I love you Sara. Thank you.” He kissed her hand then turned around to listen to the rest of the meeting, leaving her speechless and, for the first time since laying eyes on him, truly happy.
The End….
Sweat Equity (The Realtors Book 2)
Coming February 2012 to Tri Destiny Publishing’s Sizzlin’ Books Line
Jack Gordon thought he’d finally made it. He had a wildly successful career, money in the bank and even returned to his life as Dom, putting an end to a string of unfulfilling sexual encounters. Now that he’s made the ultimate commitment to Sara Thornton, he believes all is right in their world. However, a series of misunderstandings and a dose of self-fulfilling prophesy bring his perfectly crafted house of cards tumbling down around him, forcing him to confront lingering misgivings about marriage and trust. Could those be the only two things he can never achieve?
Sara struggles with her intense need for Jack and her desire for less volatility in her busy life, two goals which appear to be mutually exclusive. Although willing to put in the time and emotional effort to make their relationship work, she finds it futile and frustrating, littered with clashes thanks to near-identical personalities and temperaments. Given Sara’s history, easing back into the comfortable status quo becomes easier than fighting a war with the one person who should be her safe haven. But will the easier choice satisfy her the way only Jack can? Is her “war” one that comes from without or within?
Buffeted by circumstance, temptation and distraction, Jack and Sara’s tenuous relationship crumbles, sparking a continuous quest for the ever elusive: trust, love and acceptance. By the time they rebuild a foundation for renewal, fate has other plans. This leaves them both reeling, once again questioning their destiny.
About Liz Crowe
Microbrewery owner, beer blogger and journalist, mom of three teenagers, and soccer fan, that’s how Liz describes herself. She lives in the great Midwest, in a major college town. Years of experience in sales and fund raising, an eight-year stint as an ex-pat trailing her spouse around the world, and making her way in a world of men (i.e. the beer industry) has prepped Liz for life as erotic romance author. When she is not sweating beer inventory, sales figures or promotional efforts for her latest publication, she can be found walking her standard poodles or doing Bikram Yoga.
If you want an education in beer topics, follow her beer blog: www.a2beerwench.com
Writing-related topics, including backlist titles, latest release updates, interviews, tour dates, and more, can be found here: www.brewingpassion.com
Visit Liz’s Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/lizcroweauthor
