CLUB DARK LACE: The complete Dark Lace series

by Measha Stone

“Hi.” He couldn’t help the wide grin that tugged his lips up, and he wouldn’t stop it if he could. She just made him happy. “I think your services are needed.” He held out a hand toward the woman and her little girl.

  Carissa’s smile dropped, and she immediately went into work mode.

  “Joyce isn’t feeling well?” She placed a hand on the little girl’s back and another on her forehead. “She’s hot.”

  The mother nodded. “I think it’s her ear again.”

  “Well, let’s get down to the clinic, and I’ll take a look.”

  “Of course,” Jamison said when she looked to him before moving. “Don’t worry about the time. Let’s just get this little girl feeling better.”

  Her smile softened, and her eyes warmed. “Right this way.” She gestured for the mother to follow, and they all walked behind her down a corridor then another hallway before they arrived at what she called the clinic.

  It was a simple exam room with an exam table and a cabinet with supplies.

  Jamison stayed outside, giving the mother and her daughter some privacy as Carissa did her exam. But they hadn’t pulled the blinds down, and he was able to see through the window on the door as Carissa took the child’s temperature. The doors could have been made out of cardboard for all the sound proofing they did. Every word came through clear.

  “Yep, definitely a fever.” His girl sat and patted the toddler on her back. “We’ll take care of it, no problem.” She grabbed the otoscope from the holder on the wall and went back to the little girl. The sick child stirred in her mother’s arms, and Carissa made quick work of tugging on the little ear and looking inside with her instrument

  “Wow. Red and fluid. We have ourselves another ear infection.” She patted Joyce’s head and smiled at the worried mother. “I’ll get the amoxicillin for you, but she really should see an ENT. This is the fourth infection in three months.”

  “They’re going to want to put those tubes in, and you know I can’t afford something like that. Not right now.” Tears built up in the mother’s eyes, and guilt plagued Jamison for watching the scene.

  Where Jamison would want to feel sorry for the situation, Carissa rose to the occasion. Seeing this woman and her child not as a charity case, but as someone who needed a little boost.

  “I’ll get the name of an ENT who is not only awesome but takes Medicaid. Have you filled out that paperwork yet?”

  “I have it, but it’s not finished.” The mother wiped her eyes and ran her hand in circles over the toddler’s back as she drifted back to sleep.

  “Get it in. Margaret has a friend down there who might be able to expedite the papers, and once you get the insurance you take Joyce to the specialist. How’s the job search going?”

  Carissa leaned against the cabinet and folded her arms over her chest. Not an ounce of pity displayed in her expression, only care and concern.

  “I put in another application at a Walgreen’s and a CVS, but I haven’t heard anything.”

  Carissa opened a drawer in the cabinet and shuffled the contents around a bit before coming out with a card in her hand. “Here. I don’t promise anything, but I know for a fact that doctor’s office is looking for a receptionist. I remember you telling me you worked for a dentist for a bit?”

  The young mom took the card, almost awestruck. “Yeah. But that was before Joyce, two years ago.”

  “Experience is experience. And as far as I can tell, we haven’t changed how we answer telephones in the last two years.” Carissa gave a brilliant smile.

  Watching his girl both comfort and help the woman in need without giving her a handout or making her feel as though she was simply being pitied warmed him. She gave to this person at no gain to herself financially or otherwise more than anyone he knew—more than those who were being paid to do so.

  He’d spent his entire childhood watching his father purchase buildings and turn them around to sell off to the highest bidder, and then, as an adult, did similar work. He had his hand in entertainment and clubs, but still nothing substantial, nothing that really held any real worth.

  The door to the room was pulled open while Jamison leaned against the wall across the way. The mother gave him a small nod and clung to Joyce and the medicine Carissa had given her while shuffling down the hall.

  Carissa came out finally, locking the door behind her. “Sorry that took so long.”

  “No problem at all.” He grinned down at her, resting his hands on her shoulders and giving her a soft kiss to her forehead. “You were needed.”

  “We’re going to be late for your father’s now.” She looked at the black Fitbit encircling her left wrist.

  “He’ll keep.” Jamison nodded. “Let’s get your things, and I’ll text Garrick to let him know we’re running behind. If I let him show up without us there and wait with my father, he may never speak to me again.”

  “I left my purse at home. I’m all set.”

  He looked her over. She wore jeans and a casual blouse.

  “Where’s your wallet and your phone?”

  She turned around and stuck her butt out at him. “Right there.” She patted the two back pockets.

  He laughed. “Okay then.”

  “I just need to change my jeans for a skirt. This blouse should be okay, right?” They walked down the corridor to the main entrance.

  “Everything about you is more than okay,” he responded and pulled her to a stop right outside the shelter while they stood on the front steps. “You are amazing, Carissa. I mean, I knew it before, but watching you take care of that little girl... She didn’t even wake up, and with her mom—I couldn’t be prouder of you. Of everything you do and are.” He pulled her into an embrace and lifted her chin with his hand to give her a warm kiss.

  He’d meant it to be a small kiss. But once his lips touched hers, he was pulled into her. He couldn’t get enough and doubted he ever would. He swept his tongue over her lower lip and growled when reason smacked him on the head.

  They were on the front steps of a woman’s shelter. Not the best place to paw at his girl. And they were already running late.

  “When we get home tonight, we’ll finish this,” he vowed.

  She laughed and pressed her fingertips to her lip.

  Jamison climbed out of his car in front of his father’s house. Garrick and Jade waited for them.

  “About time you pulled up.” Garrick reached out his hand in greeting.

  Carissa didn’t merely change out of her jeans. the woman changed her outfit three times before going back to the original blouse and skirt. He’d only gotten her out of her apartment because he’d threatened to take his belt off if she didn’t just pick something. Lucky for her, they really didn’t have time for a spanking, and the little blush she’d produced with the threat had softened him.

  “It’s my fault,” Carissa announced, stepping up to them.

  “There was an emergency at the shelter. She was needed.” Jamison slid his hand into hers and gave it a squeeze. “Been here long?”

  “No, just pulled up. After your message, I took Jade for a coffee.”

  “I’m on midnights starting tomorrow,” Jade explained. “Not all of us were lucky enough to get that awesome shift up in mommy and me.”

  “I know. It’s fucking awesome.” Carissa beamed but quickly realized her error and dropped her gaze. “Sorry.”

  Jamison gave her hand another squeeze. “Let’s get this over with.” He nodded toward the steps leading up to his father’s home.

  “Yeah. I’m letting you do all the talking.” Garrick slapped Jamison’s back as he passed him to climb the steps and gestured for Jade to follow.

  When they entered the home, they were directed straight to the dining room.

  “Guess we missed the appetizers,” Jade remarked from behind Jamison.

  “Jamison! Garrick! Finally.” His father stood from his seat at the head of the table where he’d already begun to eat his meal. “I couldn’t wait another minu
te. Come sit down. But, first, introduce these lovely young ladies.” He rounded the table.

  “Father.” Jamison nodded. He splayed his hand across the small of Carissa’s back. “This is my girlfriend, Carissa.” Her back muscles tightened, but he ignored it. She was his girlfriend, even if it was for only another ten days.

  Grasping Carissa’s hand, Baron took a long look at her. Jamison slid his hand to her waist, giving her a small squeeze.

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Carissa.” Baron shook her hand quickly and turned to Garrick. She’d been effectively dismissed. Always the businessman and never just the man, his father sought to get down to business. And in his eyes, that meant talking to the men.

  “Mr. Croft, this is my girlfriend, Jade.” Pride carried through Garrick’s expression as he presented Jade. Although she smiled, it was heavy with her unease. A normal reaction to meeting Jamison’s father for the first time. He didn’t give off a warm demeanor, and he enjoyed making sure everyone around him knew he held the power.

  Not the sort of thing Jade was probably used to. Not being with Garrick. He may hold more power in their relationship, but he didn’t make Jade feel any less powerful. She enjoyed belonging to him. It didn’t frighten her or make her suspicious the end would crawl around the corner any minute. Jamison could only wish Carissa would feel the same way.

  “Lovely,” Baron said but barely glanced her over. “Come let’s eat. I couldn’t wait anymore.”

  “I did call,” Jamison stated as he pulled a chair out for Carissa. Once she was seated, he patted her shoulder and took the seat next to her.

  “Yes, but I was already hungry.” Baron looked across the table at his son, his expression blank. If Jamison had been bringing along a slew of investors, the meal would have kept perfectly fine in the kitchen until they arrived. As it was, he was merely bringing a friend and their girls. No one of consequence, even if he was attempting to drag them into his newest project.

  Plates appeared before them. and dinner officially began. The conversation remained light. Small talk annoyed Jamison, but it was the only sort of conversation his father excelled at when it came to killing time before talking about business. It was his warmup before the big race.

  “Everything was delicious.” Carissa complimented as she folded her napkin. She’d barely touched her chicken, and the green beans still remained piled neatly beside it.

  Jamison leaned over to her. “Eat your veggies, little girl.”

  Her face reddened within a heartbeat, and if they weren’t in mixed company, the shocked expression would have made him laugh. She looked ready to argue, but instead she replaced the napkin on her lap and picked up her fork. After stabbing the green bean onto her fork, she brought it to her mouth.

  Jamison took a long sip from the water glass while giving her knee a squeeze beneath the table. A quick glance around confirmed he’d been discreet. He wouldn’t want to embarrass her. And although Garrick and Jade understood and accepted the dynamic he shared with Carissa, he wouldn’t want to have to explain any of it to his father, or worse have him question her.

  “Well, if we’re about done, boys, we can move to my office. I have some new numbers to show you. I think you’ll like them.”

  “Oh, I think we can all move to the office if you want to, but I have some concerns about this project. Garrick and I visited the site. and we found one of the buildings, the largest lot in fact, houses a women’s shelter.” Jamison draped his napkin over his plate.

  “Yes, and they are giving us the most trouble. But they’ll sell. If the ladies wish to listen to us drivel on about work, of course they are free to join us.”

  Carissa’s head jerked to the side, and Jamison placed his hand on her knee.

  “Oh, we’ve sat through plenty of meetings at the hospital we work at, Mr. Croft. Jade and I can keep up just fine.” Carissa’s voice held steady, but Jamison could feel her tensing beside him.

  “Hospital? Are you both physicians, then?” Jamison knew that tone, knew what was coming next, but before he could intervene Jade spoke up.

  “Nurses. We are both nurses. We do the work doctors can’t.” The tension between doctors and nurses was well documented, and the firm thread in Jade’s voice confirmed that.

  “Ah. Nurses.” Baron nodded and moved his eyes to meet Jamison’s.

  A complete dismissal. A nurse held value but wasn’t the top dog. And that meant everything to Baron Croft.

  “They are both excellent nurses,” Jamison stated. He wouldn’t allow him to attempt to make Carissa feel small. “In fact, that’s why we were late. Carissa was helping a little girl who had a fever.”

  “I didn’t mean to imply her job isn’t important. Of course, it is. We all need worker bees, don’t we?” Baron put on a flat smile and stood “Let’s go to the office. It’s more comfortable, and there’s brandy in there.” He patted Jamison on the back as he walked past and out of the room, clearly expecting them all to follow suit.

  Garrick gave Jamison a look and shook his head.

  “I know. I know,” Jamison said.

  “He’s never going to change,” Garrick stated.

  “Why would he want to do that? He seems like a perfectly personable and loving man.” Carissa rolled her eyes as she stepped ahead of Jamison.

  “Watch your attitude, young lady,” he cautioned with a slap to her rump as they poured out into the hallway. She shot him a look over her shoulder, but it was more of contrition than of irritation.

  His father was already pouring brandies when they walked into his office. For the men. For the women, he poured small glasses of sherry.

  Carissa and Jade thanked him then took seats near the door.

  Considering the way he treated women, it astounded Jamison the man had managed to obtain four wives, much less keep them for as long as he had.

  “Here are updated projections now that we’ve wrangled a few of the property owners to agree to sell. We’re still in negotiations with them for the price, but they are willing to move out.”

  “The shelter isn’t willing,” Carissa said from her seat behind Jamison. He pushed his chair toward the right, affording her a better view and giving his father an idea of where he himself stood on the topic. Having her stuffed into the background wasn’t working for him. She deserved a voice, and to be seen.

  “The shelter will be willing. We just haven’t found the right price. Everyone has one.” Jamison’s chest tightened when his father spoke. He didn’t even look at Carissa when he did so.

  “Carissa’s right. They aren’t going to sell, and I don’t think they should.” Jamison took the reports from his father and walked over to his desk to dump them.

  “Oh, they will.”

  “That shelter has been there for over fifty years. It’s a part of the community.” Carissa maintained her tone, but it was starting to waver.

  “Isn’t there another location you could look at?” Jade added in, and Jamison noticed how she scooted toward the front of her chair and kept glancing at Carissa. His little girl had almost everyone in the room watching out for her, even if she didn’t know it.

  “No. There isn’t.” Baron’s smile dropped, and his lips pinched together in a long, thin line. His patience was at an end.

  “There needs to be.” Garrick entered the conversation.

  “Don’t worry about the shelter. I have friends on the city council, and they have assured me that invoking eminent domain will not be a problem if they won’t sell.”

  Carissa bounded from her chair. Jade tried to grab her but missed. Jamison managed to catch her when she moved to pass him. He didn’t shove her behind him, but rather laced his fingers through hers. She needed grounding at that moment.

  “You corrupt—” She took a deep breath and looked up at Jamison. Tears were building in her beautiful eyes, but not from hurt. No, his little girl was fighting back every bit of her anger. For him. She held back, for Jamison’s benefit.

  She took a de
ep breath. “You would force the shelter to close its doors by using your friends on the board to declare the city would benefit more from your hotel than them?”

  “That shelter can do its work anywhere.” Baron shrugged.

  “You can build your hotel anywhere!” Although she raised her voice slightly, she didn’t yell.

  His father glowered. “Jamison. Seriously, let the girls have coffee in the library so we can talk about this reasonably.”

  He wasn’t sure if anyone else heard it, but there was a bit of a snap somewhere. A sharp sound signaling an official break.

  “No need. It’s time we left. We’ve wasted enough time already. Father, I have no intention of joining you on this project. I won’t force that shelter to close its doors. It benefits too many people. It actually makes the city a better place, makes those women’s lives better. I won’t be part of anything that destroys that. Your hotel will be profitable. It will bring in elite clientele, I have no doubt. You’ll have your name on the front page of the Tribune when it opens, but you have never, and will never do anything that makes this world, or hell—even this city—a better place.”

  When he turned away from his slack-jawed father, he found Carissa staring up at him with wide eyes. Surprise, awe, a mixture of both? She recovered much more quickly than Baron. She turned with him, switching hands to continue holding his.

  “I think Jamison summed that up nicely. Thank you for dinner, sir.” Garrick put his brandy down on the side table and took the few steps to collect Jade before opening the door and leading them all out.

  “Y-you’ll be back!” Baron finally recovered enough to sputter the single sentence.

  Jamison collected Carissa’s coat and helped her into it, taking extra care to button her up and even put on her gloves for her—no longer caring if anyone could see. Let them see. Let them gawk, but he was taking care of his girl.

  “Well, that was different than I thought it would be,” Jade said as both couples reached their cars.

  “He can still get enough investors, and he does have those friends he talked about.” Garrick shoved his hands into his gloves.