by Unknown
Helpless, Paige watched Doris waltz out of her office, clinging to Shane like a drowning victim. It was common knowledge that if Doris wanted a man, she didn’t mind stepping on another woman to get him.
A couple of months ago, the luckless woman had been the receptionist, Chy. Jackie had had to intervene when the two women had a shouting match in the break room. Personal matters were to be left outside the office. If not, both women would be dismissed.
The receptionist, a single mother of two adorable little girls, had let the matter drop. The man she thought was “the one” had started dating Doris, but it hadn’t lasted two weeks. Paige had heard that the man wanted to get back with Chy, but she wasn’t having it. Paige thought Chy’s decision had been a good one. Who wanted to waste time on a man you couldn’t trust around other women?
The more Paige thought of Doris sinking her claws into Shane, the angrier she became. She reasoned that he was a houseguest, and thus it was up to her to protect him. Jackie wouldn’t like an altercation, but Paige was not letting Doris win this time.
Having no idea how to stop the shameless woman, Paige opened the door to her office and started down the hall. Passing the receptionist’s desk, she saw Chy’s sympathetic, angry face. She had already concluded that Doris would win again.
But Paige wasn’t losing or backing down. She was following rules number one and two: keeping her head up and not giving up.
Knocking just as briefly as Doris had, Paige opened the other woman’s door. Shane was on his back under her desk, and Doris was crouched in front of him. If he happened to look, he’d see everything under her short flared skirt.
Disgust rolled through Paige. Her fingers clamped on the door instead of slamming it as she wanted to. “Doris.”
The woman jumped, then spun, pushing to her feet. She didn’t even have the decency to flush or look guilty. She looked annoyed. Tough.
“Yes?”
“I need to look at the final tabulation of the luncheon.” Doris eyed her with suspicion. “You just checked it yesterday.”
“I need to check it again,” Paige said firmly. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“Got it.” The monitor and tower’s lights came on. Shane came from beneath the desk.
Doris swung back to him on her long legs. “Oh.”
“A couple of connections came loose,” Shane explained. “You shouldn’t have any more problems. If you’ll give Paige the report she needs, you can start on that report you need to do.”
Lips tight, Doris dug through the files on her desk and shoved the file at Paige. “Here.”
“Thank you.” Taking the folder, Paige turned to leave, felt Shane’s hand on her arm. Returning to her office with Shane beside her, she noticed the surprised but approving smile of the receptionist.
“We’re even,” Shane said, once inside her office.
She frowned. “Even?”
“You rescued me,” he said with a grin. “I thought I’d be stuck under that desk.”
Paige laughed, immensely pleased at the notion of rescuing a self-sufficient and resourceful man like Shane. “I did, didn’t I?”
“You did.” Lifting his hand, he took her other arm, staring down into her upturned face. “I like hearing you laugh.”
“There hasn’t been much to laugh about lately,” she said, her voice and face serious.
“We’ll have to change that.” He gently pressed his lips to her temple. “See you this afternoon.”
Shocked, she stood there as he left. Slowly her hand lifted to the spot his lips had touched. The kiss had been sweet, tender, comforting even. And somehow she knew that before long she’d know what it was like to kiss her Black Knight for real.
She couldn’t wait.
Shane knew before he had taken two steps away from Paige that he had made a tactical error. The surprise on her face just before he’d gently kissed her, the look of wonder and pleasure when he’d raised his head, sealed both their fates. His heart had constricted painfully in his chest.
No woman had ever looked at him that way before, as if he was all she desired, every fantasy and thought fulfilled.
And he was there under false pretenses.
He didn’t curse or hit the steering wheel as he pulled out of the parking garage of her office building. Neither would help him feel any better about the situation. Paige deserved honesty. She’d see his help as thinking her incompetent to make her own decisions. He didn’t think her mother would fare much better.
He stopped at a red light in the bustle of early-morning traffic. Shane hadn’t thought of what would happen after Russell was exposed. No, that was a lie, his conscience prodded. Somewhere, in the most secret part of him, he had thought there might be a chance for him and Paige to get to know each other better.
With a lie between them, that wasn’t likely. And he only had himself to blame.
He pulled through the traffic light, heading for the downtown office of Jericho’s investigation firm. As of last night Shane had the dates and places of Russell and Alisha’s last two meetings, but he wasn’t ready to give the information to Paige. She’d see one liar exposing another.
And it would shatter her.
He wanted her to figure out by herself what a bastard Russell was, to realize that he was using her love for her father to further his cause for them to get married, and thus get his grimy hands on her money. Somehow Shane knew that was the only way for this to play out. Any other way would wound her deeply, and destroy any chance Shane had.
Shane walked a dangerous tightrope. He cared about her, worried about her. There was no sense saying he didn’t. His returning early and, now, the kiss were proof.
He wasn’t a philosophical man, but holding her was like holding a little bit of heaven. He wasn’t going to let her go. He went after what he wanted. He didn’t mind bending a few rules or laws to accomplish his goal. Turning on his signal, he turned into the underground parking lot of the building of Jericho’s firm.
The only course Shane saw was an addendum to his plan. Save Paige, and then take her for himself.
The first part was easy. The second part was going to take work, but he had no intention of failing.
Chapter 11
Paige hummed softly as she pulled into the driveway of her mother’s house. She couldn’t wait to see Shane. She enjoyed just looking at his powerful build, his gorgeous face—both got her heart pounding. She glanced over at the package in the passenger seat and frowned. What had been a sure buy at the sports store now nagged her with apprehension.
Perhaps the black midriff-baring top and spandex shorts were a bit too revealing. She could have worn her sweats. She would have looked presentable, but not exciting or alluring. For the first time in her life, she wanted to look sexy for a man, for Shane. To somehow make his heart pound the way hers did for him.
Nearing the house, she saw the cars in the driveway and wanted to groan. Leave it to Russell’s mother to ruin her day. Just then, Shane came out the front door and down the steps. He wore a long-sleeved white shirt and black slacks. He didn’t look happy. While it was uncharitable of her to say, Russell’s mother could try the nerve of a saint.
Stopping behind Tess’s convertible Mercedes, Paige emerged from the car. “You seem upset.”
“I see I’ll have to work on my poker face.” He smiled down at her, his hand gently sweeping over her unbound hair. “Not me, but your mother thought you might be. You have visitors.”
“I recognized Tess’s car, but not the other one,” she told him.
“Let’s walk.” Curving his long arm around her shoulder, he didn’t stop until they were on the other side of a seven-foot, cone-shaped boxwood by the corner of the house. He turned, placed his hands on her upper arms, and stared down into her face. “I’m not sure who drove, but both of the other women have beady eyes,” he said.
As usual he didn’t move back and she didn’t ask him. Her excuse, and it was a good one, was that she was sti
ll trying to understand what was going on between them. “Beady eyes? Mother sent you out here?”
“In a matter of speaking. Russell’s mother kept asking when you’d arrive. Your mother said she wasn’t sure but, in any case, you and I had plans for the evening.”
Paige barely kept her mouth from gaping at the implication. “Mother said that?”
He grinned. “She did. Caused quite a stir.”
She just bet it did. “Why were you there?”
“Bad luck,” he confided. “I happened to be going to the kitchen for a bottle of water and Mrs. Crenshaw saw me.”
Paige remembered their meeting at the church. Without thinking she placed her hand on his chest in a gesture of comfort. “I’m sorry.”
“I survived. Actually, the other women who left earlier were pretty nice,” he told her, his hand resting on top of hers.
Paige felt his heart pound beneath her hand, knew her heart rate was just as erratic. Then it hit her. She shut her eyes. “Oh, no.”
“What?” he asked, grasping her arms.
“The women are members of Mother’s garden club.” She shoved her hand over her head. “But they should have been gone hours ago.”
“Mrs. Crenshaw said she couldn’t leave until she saw you were all right. She said she’d promised Russell,” Shane told her, not even trying to hide his disbelief.
Paige’s mouth tightened. “The other two women are probably Gertrude Osgood and Emma Franklin, two of the worst gossips in the county. I’m sure they want all the juicy details, considering they’re always talking about their supposedly perfect children.”
“They give you a hard time?” he asked, his gaze sharp.
“Mother. I avoid them. Mrs. Osgood’s daughter is married to a man who’d rather play golf than work at the executive position his father-in-law gave him, while she has one affair after the other. Mrs. Franklin’s sons are in high political offices. Both have been investigated for kickbacks, for good cause from what I hear.”
“Your mother is too much of a lady to point that out,” Shane said.
“Exactly,” Paige told him, not bothering to keep the anger at bay. “Russell’s father is on the city code commission and, while not in their league financially, Mr. Crenshaw carries a lot of political weight. They wouldn’t think of angering his wife.”
“What they can’t use, they abuse. You father carried a lot of weight and your mother comes from a wealthy family,” Shane said. “He should have stopped it.”
She glanced away. “Father wasn’t always proud of us.”
Cursing softly under his breath, Shane pulled her into his arms. “He should have been.”
Eyes closed, Paige wrapped her arms around him, pressing closer, enjoying the comfort he offered just as she’d known she would. “He had his reasons with me, but Zach is brilliant.”
Shane pushed her from him, his eyes hot. “Crap. There’s nothing wrong with you, now or then, and I don’t want to hear you say it again.”
Startled by his fierce reaction, she stared up at him. He looked angrier than she’d ever seen him. And his anger was for—her. “Is . . .” She had to swallow before she continued. “Is that another rule?”
“Yes,” he snapped.
“Well, I guess that settles it.” She wanted his arms around her again, but hopefully that would come later. She stepped back. “I need to say hi to Mother, greet our guests. The clothes I plan to wear for our session are in the car. I’ll get them and meet you where?”
The corners of his sexy mouth kicked up. “In the garden room by the Japanese garden, but can I tag along for now?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Hello, Mother,” Paige greeted warmly as she entered the room.
“Hello, Paige,” her mother replied, concern flickering in her eyes. “Didn’t you have an appointment?”
“I wanted to say hello to our guests,” she said, placing her hand on the back of her mother’s wing chair and facing the other three women in the room. “Mrs. Crenshaw, Mrs. Osgood, Mrs. Franklin. The meeting is running a bit late, isn’t it?”
Russell’s mother set her teacup on the side table, pressed her hand to her enhanced breasts. “Hello, Paige. I couldn’t bring myself to leave without seeing for myself that you were unharmed.” Her accusing “ gaze flickered to Shane, arms folded, standing by the double doors leading into the solarium. “Russell was concerned, and I am inclined to agree.”
Mrs. Osgood’s and Mrs. Franklin’s ears probably twitched, Paige thought. “I appreciate your concern. Please put your mind at ease. I was perfectly safe, but the incident showed me that I need to know more about self-defense. Shane is going to teach me some moves this afternoon.”
Mrs. Osgood eyed Shane as if he were a bug that had wandered into her path. “Joann, Paige might be easily influenced, but you must know it would make more sense to have a qualified person instruct her.”
Paige pressed her hand to her mother’s shoulder to keep her quiet. She had defended Paige enough. “How would you know if Shane isn’t qualified?”
“From what I hear, he’s an unemployed computer person.”
“You mean unemployed like your husband when he lost his job when the newspaper he worked for as a reporter folded? He didn’t have any experience selling furniture, but your father loaned him the money to start his own business.” Paige folded her arms.
“My husband’s success has proven my father made the right decision. If you want a job done right, hire a professional,” Mrs. Osgood continued.
“I guess your daughter took your advice. How is she coming with the lessons from the tennis pro at the country club?”
The other woman’s eyes bugged. Her cup rattled on the saucer.
“I was at the club last week and they were looking for both of them because he was late for his next appointment, but no one could find either of them. Before that, she took lessons from the golf pro.” Paige’s eyebrow lifted. “I wonder which sport she’ll take up next.”
“They, at least, have credentials,” Mrs. Osgood commented. “What does an out-of-work computer person know about self-defense?”
“You might have a point. Some people adapt. Others can’t. Your son-in-law took a position with your husband’s company as vice president when he left his previous job as an electronics salesman. I hear he’s on the golf course almost daily instead of in his office. Since he enjoys golf so much, I wonder why he didn’t teach your daughter when she took up golf last year?”
Paige didn’t wait for an answer, but asked the other woman, “Mrs. Franklin, how are your sons?”
The matronly woman pressed against the back of her chair. “Fine, thank you. Paige, we don’t want to keep you.”
“Please tell Henry and Ralph that I’m sure things will work out for them this time, just like the other two times. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to change. Good-bye.” Paige walked from the room without looking back. Shane gave her a thumbs-up sign as she passed.
“Joann, just because Paige has few personal social contacts or social graces, or so it seems, there is no reason to insinuate those lies about my boys are true,” Mrs. Franklin said. “I thought you had taught her better.”
“I totally agree, Emma. I can’t believe you let her talk to us that way,” Mrs. Osgood said, her double chin quivering.
Joann stood. “I can’t, either. I should have said it first.” She ignored the other women’s outraged gasps. “It occurs to me that I don’t have to suffer one more moment of your snide comments about my children for business reasons.”
“I’m president of the garden club,” Mrs. Osgood said. “You were next in line as vice president to take over at the end of my term next month.”
“One word from us, and you won’t be accepted in our circle,” Mrs. Franklin threatened. “There’s a Women’s League luncheon at the Zodiac Room tomorrow. The governor’s wife will be there.”
Joann calmly folded her arms. “You both always did have an
inflated opinion of yourselves. Why don’t we just test your theory? In the meantime, you’ve overstayed your welcome.”
Noses in the air, the women rushed from the room. “Did you have something else to say, Tess?”
“I, er, I’ve never seen you or Paige this way.”
“Long overdue.” Joann took the other woman by the arm and led her to the door. “Drive safely.”
Tess opened the door and stepped onto the porch. “I hope you know I had nothing to do with what just happened.”
“Of course not. You wouldn’t jeopardize Russell and Paige getting married,” Joann said.
Tess brightened. “Then you do understand that they belong together.”
“I understand nothing of the sort and will do everything in my power to see it never happens.” Joann smiled. “But I don’t think I have to worry about that now.”
Russell’s mother gasped. “You’d rather see her with that man than with my Russell?”
“Right the first time.” Reaching out she closed the door, feeling better than she had in a long time.
Paige stared at her reflection in the mirror. The top cupped her small breasts, bared her thankfully flat stomach. The short pants, just above her knees, fit like a second skin, exactly as they were supposed to. She adjusted the straps to the top and, for a fleeting second, wished her breasts were a bit larger, then she chastised herself.
She wasn’t bemoaning another thing about her body. She was the way she was. Grabbing the towel off the bed, she went down the stairs and met her mother on the way out the terrace door. For a long time, they stared at each other. Her mother spoke first. “I’m proud of you.”
“I’m not,” Paige said. “I left you to defend us, me, all these years.”
“To anyone besides those two, you and Zachary don’t need defending. You’re both intelligent, wonderful, and successful individuals working in fields you love. I’m proud to be your mother,” Joann said. “You made me realize I don’t have to suffer them any longer.”
A shadow crossed Paige’s face. “Daddy?”
