Lalita closed her eyes. How could she bear to leave him?
“Miss Evans, your flight is on final boarding call.” A uniformed steward from the lounge approached them.
“Thank you,” Lalita said. She hugged Jeremy tighter.
“This isn’t over, Lalita.” Jeremy searched her face, holding her gaze. He kissed her before letting her go.
“Goodbye, Jeremy.” Lalita picked up her laptop bag and suit jacket and strode out of the lounge. Wanting to glance back, she didn’t dare. She wouldn’t have the strength to walk away if she saw anything like longing on Jeremy’s face.
• • •
Jeremy stood in front of John Evans’ desk like a naughty pupil sent to see the head master. It wasn’t a feeling he liked. If it was just his employment at stake, he’d tell the CEO where to stick his no-fraternization policy. Despite his boss’s threat, Jeremy had no doubt he would succeed. It would be the incentive he needed to start his own marketing company.
But this was Lalita’s father. And he wanted Lalita. That meant he had to play by an entirely different set of rules.
Jeremy stifled a yawn. He couldn’t sleep, waking every two hours to reach for Lalita.
John put down the report he had been reading and stared at Jeremy.
“I hear your trip to Asia was successful, from a business point of view.”
“Yes, the new marketing strategy seemed to go over well. I’m sure you’ll be seeing increased sales within the next few months.” Jeremy released a breath. If this was to be an informal report on his business trip he had nothing to worry about.
“Have you heard from the Director of Asian Operations since your return?”
There was the loaded question.
“We had a brief conversation yesterday. She’s in Manila sorting out a mess there.” Jeremy kept it non-committal. He had no idea what Lalita had told her father about their relationship.
“Yes, I spoke with her yesterday also. Sounds as though she’ll be there for at least the week.”
John sat back in his chair, examining Jeremy as if trying to determine which species of bug family he belonged to. He seemed to weigh up his next words.
“Okay, I want a written report of your trip on my desk by the end of the week. I also want an informal account of your opinion of the way the offices are run and organized and any problems or issues you feel may need to be addressed.”
Jeremy searched the CEO’s face. “Surely that information would be better coming from the DAO. She knows the offices and personnel much better than I do. Some offices I was only there for a few hours.”
“I always appreciate a second opinion. As I said, an informal report is fine. If you want to give it to me verbally, so nothing is in writing, then book a meeting time with my secretary.”
Jeremy left the office more concerned than when he went in. Why was he being asked to produce what amounted to a spy report on the Asian offices? Was John Evans trying to drive a wedge between Jeremy and his daughter? Lalita took her job very seriously. If she felt Jeremy was trying to undermine her, it would spell doom for their personal relationship.
He sat behind his desk and stared at his phone. The brief conversation he’d had with Lalita yesterday had left him completely unsatisfied. She’d been exhausted, he’d heard it in her voice, and frustrated at the situation she’d uncovered. The office manager had been having an affair with his secretary. His wife had only discovered the infidelity when he’d crashed the car while returning from a weekend away with the secretary. Furthermore, the office records were in a shambles and Lalita had to take over managing the office before appointing a replacement.
No mention had been made in the call about their own relationship, nor when they were going to see each other again. Jeremy gritted his teeth. He glanced at the clock and calculated the time difference. It was six o’clock in Manila. Should he call her now or wait until she was back in her hotel? When was the last time he’d sat around and debated whether to call a woman or not? Aargh …
He started his report for the CEO on his trip to Asia. Each word reminded him of Lalita. It was no use. He grabbed his phone and dialed her number.
“Jeremy.” Lalita picked up the phone on the first ring, as if she, too, had been staring at it, trying to decide to call or not.
“How’s it going?” Jeremy kicked himself for discussing business. What kind of lover called up and asked about corporate affairs?
“Slow. Marco was such a totalitarian, he only hired sycophants. So there is no one in the office qualified to take over. I’m bringing in Tim from the Hong Kong office to be an interim manager. We just have to wait on the work visa. I’ve sent an email to all staff in Asia reminding them that relationships between office personnel are strictly forbidden. I hope there aren’t many more of these in-office affairs going on.”
“What about us?”
Lalita paused.
“Us?” Her voice was wary.
“Do you feel hypocritical enforcing a policy that you yourself have disregarded?”
“Our situation is entirely different. First, we are on the same corporate level, there is no hint of coercion in our relationship. If one of us isn’t doing our job appropriately, then we can’t cover for the other. Second, we don’t work out of the same office, not even the same continent. Our performance isn’t going to be hindered by seeing each other on a daily basis.”
Not necessarily true. I can’t even type up a basic report because I am thinking constantly about you.
“I had a meeting with your father this morning.”
The pause at the end of the phone was even longer. Jeremy wished he could see her face. He should have video-called her rather than phoned.
“And what did he say about us?”
“Nothing. He asked if we had spoken since I returned.”
“Good.” Even over six and a half thousand miles away Jeremy could hear the relief in her voice.
“So, what’s next?”
“For the office, or us?”
“Us.”
“Once I sort out the mess here, we can get our calendars out and see when we can get together again.”
A chill swept through him at Lalita’s words. It sounded like she was arranging a business meeting, not a lover’s tryst. Had she cooled towards him already? She’d managed to walk away from him at the airport without once looking back.
Jeremy’s secretary knocked before putting her head around the partially opened door. She mouthed that his mother was holding on the other line. Damn, he needed to speak with his mother, but the bad timing was epic.
“I have to go. I miss you, Lalita.”
“I miss you, too, Jeremy. Take care.”
• • •
Lalita disconnected the call and banged her head on the desk.
Take care? How lame was that? I should have told him that I can’t sleep without him, can barely breathe. Take care? That’s what you say to a colleague or a distant relative, NOT what you say to someone that holds your heart in their hands. I am utterly pathetic.
Lalita stared out the window at the myriad of lights on the street below. Horns blared as commuters impatiently rushed home to their loved ones. Loneliness seized her with its icy claws, making her shiver.
How could she be so stupid to fall in love with a charmer? The emptiness would only get worse the longer they were together. But she was hooked, there was no way she wasn’t going to see this relationship through to its conclusion. She had told Jeremy that his kisses had ruined her for any other man. Now that they’d made love, the destruction was complete.
Lalita sighed. She turned back to the desk strewn with papers. Her previously well-ordered life was now a similar mess. It would take more than an efficient secretary to sort that out, though.
Chapter 11
Lalita’s heart pounded loud enough she almost didn’t bother knocking on the door. Surely Jeremy would be able to hear it and open up to her. Wiping her damp palms on her jeans, she checked her reflection in the glass. She should have worn a dress, something sexy. Except she’d been so anxious to see Jeremy again that she’d come straight from the airport.
Lalita had had enough of pussyfooting around on phone calls and video conferencing, pretending they were nothing but lovers waiting for the next hook-up. She was going to tell Jeremy how she felt, and she was going to do it before she lost her nerve. It wasn’t a conversation she could have on the phone or via the internet. Declarations of love definitely had to be done in person.
If his phone had been on, he would be standing at the door now, watching for her arrival. However, he hadn’t answered his mobile. He had no idea she was coming. Lalita couldn’t wait to see his face when he realized she was within arm’s reach and not half-way around the world.
She sure as hell hoped he didn’t have any plans for the weekend. Because neither of them were going to leave this house until Sunday afternoon when she planned to take him to meet her parents as her boyfriend, not a colleague. She could picture Jessica’s reaction. Her sister would undoubtedly claim it was because she’d put the idea in Lalita’s head after pairing them in her wedding party.
What if Jeremy didn’t want a more permanent relationship? What if an occasional lover was all he ever intended to be? They’d made no promises to each other.
Before she lost her nerve, Lalita rang the doorbell. She undid one more button on her shirt. It would save half a second later on. Footsteps approach the door. They were much too light for Jeremy’s. Lalita checked the house number against the address Jeremy had given her. She’d been surprised he lived in a mid-terrace cottage in Southgate. She’d figured him for a swanky cutting-edge Docklands flat, not some non-descript mini-house in a nothing suburb of north London.
The door flew open. A tall, bleached-blonde woman, wearing nothing but one of Jeremy’s shirts, stood in the entryway. No coyness, no hiding behind the door. When she saw Lalita, she leaned against the door jam, crossed her ankles, exposing more of her long legs. The woman fingered the cuff of the sleeve, drawing Lalita’s attention to the monogrammed JL. Lalita had joked with Jeremy more than once about the need to put his name on his clothing.
“Can I help you?” the blonde drawled.
“I’m looking for Jeremy Lakewood. Is he home?” Lalita channeled her inner CEO and used her best business voice. The woman’s blue eyes raked her up and down. Lalita returned the compliment, noting the darker roots of her hair and the patchiness of her fake tan.
“Yes, he’s in the shower. Would you like to come in and wait?”
“Thank you.” That seemed to surprise the tart.
She leaned into the door jam and let Lalita pass. The cloying smell of cheap perfume, alcohol, and sex made Lalita want to vomit. After slamming closed the door, the woman padded barefoot over to the one sofa and sat down, crossing her long legs. It was obvious the shirt was the only thing she wore.
“I’m Lalita Evans. You are?”
“Mimi.”
Jeremy’s sisters were Natasha, Susan, and Daisy. Not a Mimi among them. Lalita swallowed. She was not going to be sick in front of this woman.
“Do you think Jeremy will be a while?” Lalita didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to keep up this pretense of being unaffected. Forget the inner CEO, her inner bitch was about to get the upper hand. She wanted to scratch the smug smile off the blonde’s face and pull her over-processed hair from her scalp.
“Possibly. He beat me to the shower. He’s probably waiting for me to join him.”
Mimi examined her chipped manicure, ignoring Lalita.
Lalita couldn’t bear to look at the other woman a moment longer. In two steps, Lalita was in the center of the small room. Two more and she stood in front of the bookshelf. A range of photos were displayed. Pictures of Jeremy with an older woman, Lalita assumed was his mother, stood next to one with him surrounded by his siblings. Lalita picked up the photo and searched the faces. A twinge of recognition set off an alarm in her brain.
Lalita replaced the picture and stared at another — one of a radiant bride on her wedding day. The resemblance to Jeremy was so clear it could only be his eldest sister, Natasha. Lalita picked up the framed photograph. Standing next to Natasha were her two bridesmaids. One younger maid, with Down’s syndrome, smiled broadly into the camera, rapturous joy on her innocent face. On the other side, a tall blonde also smiled, but her eyes were jaded. She was there under protest and she didn’t care if the world knew it. All three women had the same colored eyes as Jeremy. Lalita replaced the picture and turned to the other woman.
“Mimi? I’m sure Jeremy calls you Susan.” Lalita took a deep breath. Her chest no longer seemed in imminent danger of implosion.
“Susan is old-fashioned. Mimi is much more … me.”
“Nice play, pretending to be his lover. Any particular reason?”
“Jeremy is such a mama’s boy. I thought I’d spice things up a bit. So, you’re his latest, are you? Daddy’s got money, I assume.” Susan sneered.
Lalita wasn’t surprised that Jeremy hadn’t told his family of their affair. She was disconcerted, however, that Susan seemed to know her. Lalita glanced down at her clothes. There was nothing ostentatious, nothing that screamed wealth. In fact she’d bought the jeans at a market in Hong Kong for less than ten pounds.
“Why do you think I have wealthy parents?”
“All Jeremy’s girlfriends have wealthy parents; he only goes out with rich girls. Not many of them show up here, though. They usually just drive right by.”
Lalita could hear the water still running in the shower down the hall. She contemplated walking in on Jeremy, joining him. Susan’s voice stopped her.
“You must be the bonus he talked about.”
“What?” Suddenly her good feeling was gone.
“Yeah, when Jeremy was about to leave on his trip to Asia he told our mum that if he played his cards right, he’d get a nice bonus.” Susan sniggered. “You look like Jeremy’s type of bonus.”
“He said he’d get a bonus from his trip to Asia?”
Susan seemed to sense the chink in Lalita’s armor and went in for the kill.
“You can ask Mum. Jeremy’s very good at getting what he wants. Like the way he conned the Johnson family into paying for his university education.”
“I heard he got a scholarship.”
“Yes, that’s what everyone says. Real story is that he has something on the Johnsons and blackmailed them into paying for his degree. They called it a scholarship to save face. He doesn’t have anything on your family, does he?” The sweetness in Susan’s voice was as artificial as aspartame.
“No, of course not.”
Only the fact that I am the illegitimate child of my wealthy white father and his Indian translator secretary.
Lalita peeked at her watch. She didn’t care anymore if Jeremy’s vindictive sister laughed at her as she ran from the house. She had to get out of there.
“Well, tell Jeremy that his bonus just left.”
Lalita strode out the door, not bothering to glance back at the triumph she was sure was spread all over Susan’s face.
• • •
Jeremy stomped toward his house. Susan had better have cleared off by now or he’d toss her out. He clenched his fists, anger still hummed in his blood. He’d gone straight from a four-day European business trip to the hospital where Doug was still in critical condition. The doctors were talking about taking his brother-in-law off life support and Jeremy wanted to be there to comfort his sister. His mother was at home with all her grandchildren, except Natasha’s oldest boy who insisted on coming to the hospital.
As the doctors explained the situation to Natasha, his nephew Timothy had grown increasingly distressed. Hoping to distract him, Jeremy had given the boy his mobile phone so he could play a game. In the end, the doctors had decided to give Doug another couple days to see if he made any improvement. Natasha had left in tears. Jeremy, in his exhaustion, had forgotten to get his phone back from Tim.
Annoyed that he hadn’t spoken to Lalita in two days and unable to call her on the long taxi ride from the hospital, Jeremy hadn’t been in the best frame of mind when he had opened his front door. Even if he’d been ecstatic, however, he probably would have had the same reaction to discovering his sister having sex in his bed with a married man.
Jeremy had tossed the jerk out the door and told his sister she had thirty minutes to clear out. He’d used the half hour to go to the grocery store and cool down. Her time was up. Jeremy walked through his gate and stopped. Lalita’s carry-on suitcase sat by the front door. His heart fluttered before racing like a late employee for the last bus. He really should book an appointment with a cardiologist.
He flung open the door and called out Lalita’s name. No answer. Susan appeared a minute later wrapped in a towel. Perhaps she’d been in the shower when Lalita came by and hadn’t answered the door. Lalita had left her bag, she would return any minute. Damn, he wished he had his phone.
“Susan, did Lalita Evans come by while I was out?”
“No, I didn’t hear anyone.” Susan grabbed a towel from the kitchen counter and mopped at her dripping hair.
Jeremy stared at her. His sister was an accomplished liar.
“Clear off, Susan. Your thirty minutes is up. Where’s your mobile? I need to make a call while you get dressed.”
“I don’t have a phone — got cut off for not paying my bill.”
Jeremy groaned. If he went next door to borrow his neighbor’s phone, he’d be there for hours, the old lady loved to talk. Surely having left her bag, Lalita would be back soon. More important he needed to get rid of Susan. And change the sheets on his bed.
• • •
Romance in Color Page 180
