Lucas (Members From Money Book 20)

by Katie Dowe

  *****

  Lucas looked at the report on his desk for a moment and then made a call. “Janet, would you come in here please?”

  He looked up as his secretary came into the room with a cup of coffee and a bagel. “I was out on the road and brought you these,” Janet said as she bustled in. “I figured you had not eaten yet and it is almost ten.”

  “Latte?”

  “Your favorite,” she said with a smile as she placed them on his desk. “You have a meeting in half an hour and you have meetings outside the office for the rest of the day.”

  He leaned back against his chair and looked at her fondly. The woman had been with the company for the past twenty years. He had inherited her from his dad and she made his job so easy that he had no idea what he would do without her. “How is Bud?” he asked referring to her husband.

  “Refusing to get off the couch,” she said with a sigh. “I wish you would talk to him, Lucas. He had an injury six months ago and is still using it as an excuse not to go back to work.”

  “Are you in trouble with money?”

  “You are not doing that, Lucas Henderson!” she told him firmly. “I am already paid more than enough. I just need you to give him a pep talk.”

  “I will call him later.” They both looked up as the financial controller came in.

  “Close the door behind you please, Janet,” he said pleasantly and then his expression changed. “I need an explanation.”

  Chapter 3

  She was just packaging her fruit delight to go when she saw him. She had been extremely busy over the past two weeks and with Valentine’s Day making its appearance soon she had been all over the place. She had gone to Boston for a couple of days and then to Texas and had just gotten back yesterday. She was tired and crabby but she had promised to pick up some of the dessert for Bubba.

  “Hi,” he murmured as he came over to her table.

  “Hi.” She barely glanced at him as she gathered her things together.

  “I was hoping I would see you again.”

  “Why?” she asked looking up at him with a slight frown. He really was very handsome and probably thought he could more or less have any woman he wanted!

  He was slightly taken aback by the blunt question and then he smiled. “I wanted to see you.”

  “Now you have and I have to go.” She made to move past him but he caught her arm. The look she gave him had him moving his hand from her arm.

  “How about a name?” he asked her softly.

  “Look whatever your name is-”

  “Lucas Henderson,” he supplied.

  “Lucas Henderson, I am not looking for a man nor am I looking for a friend so I am not interested in whatever it is you are offering,” she told him frostily.

  “How about an acquaintance?” he asked not in the least bit put off by her words.

  “I am sure you have more than you can handle.”

  “Maybe.” He inclined his head, his green eyes amused. “At least let me walk you to your vehicle.”

  “I have been walking myself to my vehicle for as long as I can remember.” She moved past him and he let her. She had reached her car when she noticed that he had followed her.

  “What?”

  “You left this.” He handed her the iPad she had left on the table with all her information.

  “Thank you,” she muttered as she stuffed it into her pocketbook. He had placed his hand on the door which prevented her from opening it. “Is there anything else?”

  “A kiss would do,” he said cheekily.

  She gave him a fulminating stare and pushing him away she opened her door and got in.

  “No?” his voice was amused as he stood there watching her.

  Without answering him she put the car into drive and pressed the gas a little too much in order to get away from him. She could not help but look at him through her mirror nor could she help the smile playing around her lips!

  *****

  Jasmine rifled through her closet as she looked for something suitable to wear to the wedding. She had almost called Phil to tell him that she was not coming but she knew he had probably told them to put her on the guest list. She sighed as she took out a champagne colored dress with a scooped neckline and uneven hemline that came to her knees. It was very cold out and the snow had fallen earlier this morning leaving a blanket of snow on the ground. She frowned as she looked at the back and realized that it was practically indecent which meant that she was not going to be able to put on underwear. Not that it mattered to her but she had a feeling that Phil was going to get the wrong idea probably. With a shrug she laid the dress on the bed and went to take a shower. He had offered to come and pick her up but she had told him that she would meet him there. That way she would make her excuses and leave even if he was not ready. She made quick work of the shower and came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her naked body.

  Phil felt his breath catch inside his throat as he saw her enter the chapel. He had been looking out for her with an eagerness that he had hardly been able to contain and had been dreading the fact that perhaps she had changed her mind. She was breathtaking, he thought as he watched her make her way inside. She looked so different from the coolly beautiful Jasmine who was always dressed in denims and a sweater or just a casual shirt. This woman walking towards him with the sexy suggestive walk looked like she had just stepped from the pages of a magazine! Her shiny black hair was loose around her face and her makeup was flawless. He caught a glimpse of her small breasts as she reached out to touch his arm. “I thought I was late,” she murmured as she allowed him to take her hand and lead her to the front pew.

  “You are just in time. The bride is fashionably late.” He could barely tear his eyes away as she crossed long silken legs clad in nude leggings. Her shoes were strappy sandals and Phil wondered how she had managed to walk in those flimsy things.

  “I thought you would have been an usher or something like that,” she whispered as the musical interlude started to announce the arrival of the wedding party.

  “I had to defer as I did not know what my work situation was going to be like,” he whispered back. Jasmine admired the dresses the bridal party wore. There were four attendants aside from the matron of honor who wore a forest green dress. They got to their feet as the music changed. She had met Phil’s sister Arlene several times when she had gone to some function or the other and had thought that she was nice but tended to talk too much. The petite young woman was wearing a frothy white dress that almost swallowed her up with all the lace! Her groom was a fresh faced young man who looked as if he was going to pass out from nervousness.

  Jasmine hitched to take out her cell phone and have a peek at the article she had sent to her email but she resisted the urge and suffered through the proceedings. “The reception is being held at The Mirage uptown,” Phil whispered to her as the ceremony wound down.

  “Oh.” She struggled to be interested.

  “You are coming, right?” His voice was anxious and with an inward sigh she saw her idea of leaving beforehand disappearing!

  “Of course.”

  He saw her the minute she stepped into the elegant ballroom of the luxurious hotel part of the chain of hotels that belonged to Ryan Sullivan. He stopped midsentence as he stared at her on the arm of the man she came in with. He glanced at him briefly and dismissed him immediately as his eyes traveled from her flawlessly made up face to her incredible body. Lucas felt the heat rising and his eyes darkened as he continued to stare at her. He had only decided to attend the reception at the last minute. Rohan Baker was one of his managers of the store in midtown and he had received an invitation to the wedding. Now he was happy he had come and this time he was going to get a name and a number!

  Jasmine shook her head as the waiter handed her a glass of the champagne that seemed to be never ending. She was seated at the table with Phil and several of his relatives and was trying her best to be polite to a very annoying uncle who insis
ted on engaging her in conversation. The speeches had been made and the three tiered butterscotch and lemon cream cake had been cut. The groom had made his stuttering speech where he thanked everyone for coming and declaring that it was the best day of his life and now they were eating. She had done a review of the many restaurants boasted and had wrote in her article that at best the food was good but needed variety. It had not hurt the establishment much but she had been told that there had been a lot of protests. She barely touched the coq ah vin and stuck to the slivers of rare roast which was very delicious.

  “How about a dance?” Phil suggested as they opened the dance floor for the rest of the guests to participate.

  “Why not?” she said with a shrug, making the decision that as soon as she was finished dancing she was heading home. And besides she had to get away from the blustery man who insisted on touching her every chance he got!

  Phil held her a little too close and she rested her hands on his chest to give them some distance.

  “Sorry about Uncle Fabian,” he murmured as he circled the dance floor with his arms around her. He felt the pride at knowing that he had the most beautiful woman in the room as his date.

  “He is a little touchy feely but I can handle him.” Her eyes moved over the room and widened as she saw him. What on earth was he doing here?

  Phil felt the shift in her body and looked down at her. “You okay?”

  “Do you know that guy?” she asked him.

  “What guy?”

  “The blonde haired one in the blue suit.”

  “You are kidding, right?” Phil asked her incredulously.

  ”What?”

  “He is Lucas Henderson of the biggest hardware chains in the world.” He looked down at her wryly. “You need to get your head out of your articles once every few days, Jasmine.”

  “Why should I?” she asked defensively as she continued to stare at him. His head lifted and their gazes met and held for a few seconds before she looked away.

  “Why do you ask?”

  “I saw him in a restaurant I was in the other day.”

  “Oh,” Phil murmured. “My brother-in-law is a manager at his store in midtown and he was invited. I cannot believe he came.”

  “I guess it shows good management for him to show up.”

  “I suppose.” The song ended and Phil knew instinctively that she was about to leave.

  “I have to go, Phil. I am heading to New York in the morning,” she said as she pulled out of his arms.

  “For how long?” he asked her trying to be casual.

  “I will be back in the evening.” She turned to him and on impulse she leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for the invite and tell your sister congratulations for me.”

  “I will.” He touched her bare arm and wished he could ask her to stay. “Drive safe.”

  “I will.”

  He watched her as she walked out of the room and he was not the only male there to do so. With a disconsolate sigh he went to join the rest of his family.

  She was digging her valet ticket out of her clutch and did not see him until she came near to him. He was standing on the last step with his body turned to her. She stopped and then continued down and handed her keys to the valet. “We seem to meet up quite often. I think it is fate. What do you think?”

  “Mere coincidence,” she said coolly as she waited for her car.

  “Where is the boyfriend?”

  She opened her mouth to say that Phil was not her boyfriend but said instead, “He will be right out.”

  Lucas looked behind her and then back at her. “I have a feeling you are lying and I have to ask myself that maybe I intimidate you. Do I?” he asked her softly.

  “Not a chance.” She walked down as the valet got out of her car and handed her the keys, his eyes wandering over her body in admiration.

  Before she could do anything Lucas handed him a tip. “Thanks.” He gave him a cool look that had the young man hurrying away.

  Jasmine would have to go around him to get to her side of the vehicle and she had a feeling he had done it deliberately. “Would you mind moving?”

  “I need a name and a number.”

  “911,” she told him sweetly.

  His eyes crinkled in amusement but he stood his ground. “How about a name?”

  “Why?”

  “Because I think we should get to know each other better.”

  “I am sure as Lucas Henderson you have no shortage of women falling all over themselves to be with you. I am not your type, Mr. Henderson, and you are not mine, now move!” She made as if to shove him out of the way and he caught hold of her bringing her closer to him.

  “I saw you come in earlier and I could not take my eyes off you. That poor sap you danced with does not stand a chance, does he?” His breath fanned her face and she felt the tremors in her body.

  She deliberately reached between them and cupped his sex, almost losing her composure as she felt the evidence of his arousal. “I am sure you prize this very much and would not want me to do it any harm,” she said softly increasing the pressure slowly. It was having the opposite effect on him! Instead of him scrambling to get away from him, her hand cupping him was sending the heat into his body with a speed that had him shuddering! Jasmine realized too late what was happening and before she could move her head his descended and captured her lips in a kiss that stunned her at first and then sent the desire and passion slamming inside her with a force that almost had her on her knees! His tongue plunged into her mouth and without even being aware of it her fingers had softened around his sex, stroking it and driving him crazy with need! His hands slid around her waist and encountered the bare flesh beneath her unbuttoned coat. Neither of them remembered that they were in plain sight of anyone who happened to be coming out as the heat of the passion pulled them in! Jasmine somehow found the strength to tear her mouth from his and back away, her dark brown eyes wide and haunted as she stared at him. Her skin felt hot and cold and with an inward moan she felt her naked vagina too sensitive for her to keep still.

  He started to reach for her and she evaded his touch. “Move now!” she gritted, her body convulsing.

  He stared at her for a moment and then did as she told him. He had not expected anything like what he was feeling now and he felt as if his entire body was going to explode from it! She slammed the door and drove away as if someone was after her leaving him standing there staring at the taillights of her car. He raked long fingers through his hair and had to stay outside for a bit before he could go back in. When he did he went straight to the bride and made up a story about wanting to get in touch with her for some business or the other and he got her name and number. “Jasmine,” he murmured softly, wrapping his tongue around the name. “Got you!”

  *****

  Jasmine took a long warm shower the minute she got inside her apartment. She had spent the entire hour and a half driving from the hotel and blocking out the feelings colliding inside her. She had never been with anyone that way before. She had been too busy trying to build a career for herself and had not trusted anyone to give of that part or any part of her. She was a twenty-six-year-old virgin who had never even been kissed except for a stolen one from a guy in her degree course in college and he had gotten a bloody nose for his effort. She had often wondered is maybe she was frigid but had not given it much thought. She had been through too much to want to go into a relationship and to explain her past to some man who would probably use it against her one day. Now this! She closed her eyes and remembered and realized that it was a mistake to go back. His tongue had tangled with hers and she could still feel the fullness of his sex in her hand. What on earth had possessed her to do that? She turned the tap off and reaching for a towel she wrapped it around her and headed to her bedroom. It was going to be a very long time before she went to sleep!

  *****

  She was not the only one troubled and not getting any sleep. Lucas had left the reception shortly afte
r she had done so and had gone back to his apartment to pour himself a stiff measure of whiskey which had not been able to squelch his desire one bit. Christ! He had wanted to take her right there! He groaned as he gulped down the drink feeling the fire burning into his gut. He could already feel her slender curves beneath him and him inside her. With a self-deprecating laugh he finished the drink and went into the bedroom where he got undressed and headed to the bathroom where he turned the shower to cold!

  *****

  Jasmine rolled over with a groan as the phone kept ringing. She opened her eyes a crack and saw that it was almost ten a.m. She had not gotten any sleep until almost two and still felt as if she could sleep for several more hours. She reached for the phone on the bedside table and put it to her ear. “Hello?” Her voice was husky with sleep and for a moment the person at the other end did not respond.