Beyond Temptation. Brenda Jackson
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Kylie long after her marriage to do her duty.”
Lena shook her head. Her duty. She didn’t want to think about what her mother figured her duty was.
“But I don’t want to talk about Kylie. You’re my daughter and I want to talk about you.”
Lena sighed. Her mother hadn’t been this talkative in a long time. A part of her was happy about it, but she would be even happier if they discussed another subject. “Mom, we’ve talked before. They don’t make men like they used to,” she said, coming to a stop at a traffic light.
She glanced over at her mom and met her gaze when Odessa asked, “Is that what’s bothering you? Are you figuring there isn’t a man out there like your daddy was? Probably not, but it’s the woman who usually makes the marriage and not the man. You just have to let him think that he does. Why, I can recall when your father…”
Lena pulled off when the traffic light changed to green as her mother relived pleasant memories. She was grateful for the change in subjects, because if they had stayed on their same conversation path, there was no way she wouldn’t eventually have lost it. Having lunch with Kylie and seeing how pregnant she looked made her unconsciously rub her stomach wishing more than anything a baby could be there.
She cleared her throat in an attempt to keep her tear ducts from working. For some reason she’d been in a melancholy mood lately, but she knew it would eventually pass and she would snap out of it.
Considering everything, she really didn’t have much of a choice.
Chapter 3
Lena glanced around when she entered the restaurant. She had been on her way to the Steele Corporation for a meeting with Morgan when she received a call from her secretary saying Morgan wanted to meet with her here instead of his office.
She sighed, feeling tired from a restless night. Her mother had had another outburst for her father and it had taken a while to get her settled back down. It always pained Lena to watch her mother relive her grief. After taking her mother to the day care this morning she had stopped by to visit with Delphine Moore, her mother’s social worker.
Delphine had explained that the reason her mother kept having her bouts of grief, even after six years, was that she hadn’t yet found anything to fill the void in her life left by her father. God knows it hadn’t been for lack of trying on Lena’s part. According to both Delphine and Lena’s mother’s family physician, Odessa’s issues, both mentally and physically, stemmed from the same thing. She needed something motivating in her life, something that would give her the will and desire to keep living.
Something like a grandchild.
The conversation she’d had with her mother a few days ago was still firmly embedded in Lena’s mind. She knew her mother was lonely and that was understandable. She also knew her mother probably saw her life slowly drifting away without the love of a grandchild to cherish. A part of Lena wished more than anything she could give her mother a granddaughter or grandson to love during her remaining days on earth, but such a thing wasn’t possible. Kylie had suggested that she try looking into programs where elderly adults could volunteer to act as surrogate grandparents. Since her mother got around fairly well with minimum help on her good days, that was one idea worth checking out. Lena’s heart sank every time she thought of her mother being unhappy.
“May I help you, miss?”
The waiter’s question reined Lena’s thoughts back to the present. “Yes. I’m to meet Morgan Steele here.”
The waiter smiled. “Yes, please follow me. Mr. Steele is waiting.”
As she followed the waiter it wasn’t long before she was staring into the contours of Morgan’s handsome face when he stood for her approach. As usual he was dressed in a tailored suit and looked the epitome of a successful businessman. By the time she reached his table, her heart was jumping crazily in her chest. Although the eyes staring at her were intense, his facial expression was solid, unreadable. But that was all right, she tried assuring herself. If he were to look at her any other way, with even a hint of an open invitation right now, her Gemini twin would be tempted to come out, and heaven forbid if that happened. She had dreamed of Morgan last night, and those dreams were still vivid in her mind. Her body had been flooded with adrenaline of the most sensual kind. In her fantasy he was an expert lover, and she would bet that in reality he would be the same.
By the time she reached his table, her heart was just about ready to explode in her chest. She cleared her throat. “Morgan,” she said, automatically reaching her hand out to him.
He took it and for a moment she thought he held it a second longer than necessary. “Lena. Sorry about the change in plans but I’m glad you could meet me here. I appreciate your flexibility.”
“No problem,” she said, taking her seat with fluid ease. The place Morgan had chosen for lunch was elegant and the furnishings spoke the part. The chairs were soft leather with high-contoured backs for both comfort and style. There was a lit candle in the middle of the table, and it came to her attention for the first time that they were sitting in the back, almost in an alcove that provided a semblance of seclusion and a bit of intimacy—not at all in keeping which what should be a business meeting.
As if he read her thoughts he said, “I had a business meeting here earlier and decided that instead of going back to the office or changing location we could meet here. I hope you don’t mind.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t mind. It’s a nice place.”
“Yes, it is.”
Morgan knew he couldn’t tell her that this was the place he had intended to bring her for their first lunch date, which she never agreed to. And he’d had to do some underhanded maneuverings for her to be with him now. “So, I understand you have information for me,” he said.
“Yes. I might have an interested party for your home as well as a place you want to look at. It’s located not far in—”
“Well, aren’t we a cozy twosome.”
A sudden wave of irritation touched Morgan when he glanced up into the face of Cassandra Tisdale, a staunch member of Charlotte’s elite social group. She was one of the most self-absorbed women he knew, and to top it off, she was Bas’s former fiancée.
The only good thought about that was the word former. Bas had broken off the engagement the night of Chance and Kylie’s wedding and hadn’t given the family a reason why. But it hadn’t been that hard to figure things out. Cassandra and Bas were as different as day and night, and a marriage would have made them the odd couple, whereas Bas and Jocelyn were a perfect match.
He slowly came to his feet. “Cassandra, I didn’t know you were back.” Rumor had it that she left town for an extended trip to her parents’ vacation home in the Bahamas a couple of weeks before Bas’s wedding because she didn’t want to be anywhere near Charlotte when the event took place.
“Oh yes, I returned this week. I had a wonderful time.”
Doing nothing, he surmised. Cassandra saw her role in life as to not earn a living but to give parties, entertain and remain a social butterfly. She was wealthy and intended to marry wealthy. Rumor further had it that since her breakup with Bas she had set her sights on Donovan’s best friend, Bronson. Luckily Bronson was smart enough to not give Cassandra the time of day.
Everyone also knew she had only latched on to Bas in the first place after Dane Bradford had gotten back with his wife, Sienna. Cassandra had been Dane’s girlfriend in high school, but the two had broken up when they’d gone to separate colleges. When they returned to Charlotte she had figured Dane would come rushing back to her. Instead he met and married Vanessa’s best friend, Sienna Davis.
Almost two years ago Dane and Sienna began having bad times in their marriage and filed for a divorce. Both Cassandra’s family as well as Dane’s had hoped with Sienna out of the picture Cassandra could become part of Dane’s life again. That didn’t happen because