Corporate Affair (13 page)

“You’ve been under a lot of stress lately, what with this buyout or merger or whatever it is. Have you even seen Grace in the last three days?”

Jordan held her head in her hands. “Hardly,” she muttered.

“Did something happen? You weren’t there with Fenton, were you? I didn’t like that guy and after what Vanessa said Larry Sample said—”

“It wasn’t Fenton,” said Jordan, staring straight ahead. “I’m trying to close the deal with Aiden Stewart. We were hammering out the details.”

“We? Then he was here with you?”

Jordan nodded.

“Jordan, what happened? Did he back out?”

“No.” Jordan’s voice was deadpan. “You might say I did.”

“You?” gasped her friend. “I’m not understanding this. Jordan, tell me what happened. You’re obviously upset about something. Get it out.” Ashley began to tap her foot nervously.

Jordan turned and for the first time since Ashley got into the car, she looked directly at her.

“Ashley, I’m falling in love with Aiden Stewart.” Then she buried her face in her hands. “What am I going to do? What am I doing!”

There was a long enough silence to prompt Jordan to look up. Ashley was staring at her, but suddenly a smile appeared on the girl’s face and she laughed. “Oh, wow!” she exclaimed. “That’s wonderful! That’s just what you need! And he’s adorable!” She clapped her hands.

Jordan was annoyed. “That’s not what I need at all! Ashley, you don’t understand. I have to go home.”

Ashley completely ignored her. She stopped her chuckling and looked directly at her friend. “Tell me everything that happened. Did he kiss you?”

Jordan nodded, and then haltingly, slowly, she found herself telling Ashley the whole story. “And then he said…he said he wouldn’t give up on us. Then he left.”

They sat in silence for a minute or two. Finally, Ashley spoke. “Well, I can’t tell you what to do with the business, but I can tell you what to do with a man.” She settled back in the seat and propped her hands on the steering wheel. “Listen to me, Jordan. Falling in love is good. Believe me; it’s a good thing. You know, I’ve been telling you for nearly two years that that’s what you need. And yet, you ignore me. Now it’s come for you. It’s caught up with you. You’re not superhuman, Jordan. You’re not an exception. You need love like the rest of us. Stop trying to avoid it. Aiden Stewart is single. He’s cute. And I know in my heart that he’s a good man. His eyes are honest. If he’s interested in you, it’s coming from his heart.”

“How do I know that, Ashley? How do I know, and what does that mean for me and the business and Mr. Palmer?”

“I’m only thinking what it means for you,” answered Ashley. “And it means letting go. It means sharing yourself with another person who cares about you. It means somebody to kiss good morning and somebody to kiss good night.”

“I can’t weaken like this. I can’t give in. I’ve got more important things to think about.”

“The most important thing you need to think about is yourself. If you’re all screwed up, you’re compromised. You won’t be able to function, and then you’ll fail. You’ll fail Chat and Mr. Palmer. You’ll fail yourself.”

“Oh, Ashley!”

“Look, I’m sorry. You’ve got to hear me out and listen to me. Falling in love with somebody isn’t being weak. It’s being strong. It makes you stronger. Yes, you can get along just fine on your own, but you can accomplish twice as much with somebody you love. Kyle and I have. Where would I be without him? Where would he be without me? We’re a team. A strong team. Do you think your parents are weak for being married to each other? Do you think they’d be stronger if they separated? Think about it, Jordan. They get through bad times because they have each other. They have good times because they have each other. Support. It’s all about support. You get strength from each other, not weakness. Love makes you strong.”

“I have Grace to love.”

Ashley made a frustrated snort. “You know that’s not what I mean. Grace is your child. You have no right to put her into a position like that. She needs you as her mother. You can’t tie her down by hanging onto her like an anchor. It’s not healthy.” The young woman paused. When she continued, her voice took on a gentler, quieter tone. “Do you reject love because of Grace? Do you feel guilty that it wasn’t all open and above board? Jordan, you didn’t know. Do you feel guilty for that? Is that what’s scaring you? That an unintended affair caused an unintended pregnancy?”

The tears flowed down Jordan’s cheeks unchecked. “I didn’t know! I never thought, Ashley!” she sobbed. “I never thought I’d get pregnant! I was shocked when I found out. Now I have a double responsibility to Grace.” She bowed her head and let the tears come. Ashley reached out gently and rubbed her back. “From the first day I realized it, I knew my life had changed forever. I knew for the rest of my life I had to make it up to this—this wonderful baby. I wanted her so badly, Ashley. I feel as though I’ve failed her. No father she can call her own. Goddam! It’s not fair! It’s not fair!”

“I’m so sorry for that, Jordan,” Ashley said quietly. “I really am. You can’t bear that guilt, though. You did the right thing. Grace is here. She’s your daughter, come what may. She’s here to be her own person. That’s a legacy. You can’t change what happened, but now you have Grace, your beautiful little daughter. Yes, you need to take responsibility for that choice, but you need to take care of yourself as well—your emotional as well as your physical self. You’re young and alive, Jordan. You’re alive, and you deserve to live. Live, Jordan, please. It’s the best thing you can do for Grace—and for yourself.” Now there were tears in Ashley’s eyes, and she leaned over and held her sobbing friend in a warm hug.

After a while, Jordan raised her head and smiled at Ashley. “Thanks for being here for me.”

“That’s my job, isn’t it? At work, at play, in the parking lot!”

They both managed a little laugh. “Now I’ll tell you what we’re going to do.” Ashley’s demeanor became more serious. “We’re going to go back into your office. You’re going to wash your face and re-do your makeup. Then you’re going to go to the Inn and apologize to Aiden Stewart for giving him what I’m sure was an iron-clad hard-on that you proceeded to back out on. That’s just cruel. You can buy him a drink. It’s still not too late.”

Jordan wiped futilely at her smeared mascara. “I don’t even have any makeup here.”

“Oh, my friend,” chuckled Ashley, “you don’t know me very well.” She reached into her tote-sized purse beside her on the seat and withdrew a smaller, blue clutch. She waggled it in front of Jordan’s nose. “Everything you need, baby. Everything you need.”

Chapter Eight

J
ORDAN
S
TEADIED
H
ERSELF
and took a deep breath before knocking on Aiden’s door. She hoped Ashley was right, that Aiden wouldn’t be angry with her about her sudden reaction earlier or her showing up now. All she needed to do was apologize, explain her confusion at the evening’s events, maybe go downstairs to the bar and have a drink, but then she’d leave. She heard some shuffling inside the room and backed up a step in anticipation of the door opening.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Jordan,” she croaked nervously and cleared her throat. “May I come in? Please?”

Aiden opened the door, his mouth agape. She’d obviously surprised him. “Come in,” he said, backing up so she could enter.

Jordan stepped into the room and noticed Aiden’s phone in his hand. “Am I interrupting? I can go—”

He looked down at the open phone, clapped it shut, and tossed it onto the bedside table. “No, don’t. My father…” He pursed his lips. “He wants an update, but I’ll call him in the morning.”

She looked up at him and hesitated before speaking, twisting her fingers together. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry I behaved like that.” She paused, and Aiden waited. “Do you want to go down for a drink?” she asked. “We could talk for a minute.”

“No,” he answered huskily.

“Well, then,” she stumbled with her words and turned to go. “Well—I don’t blame you. I just wanted to say I was sorry and I—Don’t worry. The deal’s still on. We can sign in the morning.”

Aiden reached out and closed the door behind her. He took her by both arms and turned her until they were face to face. “I don’t want a drink,” he said. “I want you.” He pulled her in to him and held her against his chest. She laid her cheek on the soft cotton of his shirt. The song of his beating heart sounded in her ear. “Please stay,” he said, bending his head to hers.

Jordan answered with her lips, lifting her face to his, seeking his mouth with hers. Their lips pressed together, parting slightly to let the tips of their tongues touch. Jordan could feel the urgency in his fingertips as they played lightly over her face, tracing down her throat. His lips followed, leaving a trail of burning kisses from her ear, down her neck to the top of her cleavage where he was stopped by her T-shirt. Deftly, he slipped his hands down her torso, took the hem of the garment, and in one sure movement, slipped it up and over her head. Jordan gave her arms a little shake, and it fell unnoticed to the floor.

Aiden cupped both of her breasts, sheathed in the white lace of her bra, in his hands. “You are so beautiful,” he breathed. He reached up and unclasped the clip that held her hair in check. The auburn mane cascaded around her shoulders as he bent to smother her breasts in kisses. The day’s growth of beard on his face prickled her soft skin, sending ecstatic sensations through her whole body. She buried her fingers in his thick brown hair until he lifted his face again to hers. Their eyes locked in a mutual silent exchange of questions and answers.
Do you want me? Yes! I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone else. Then love me now as you have never loved anyone else.

Jordan released him, and without breaking the bond their eyes continued to hold, she reached down and unzipped her jeans. Aiden stepped back to watch as they, too, were left in a heap on the floor. Jordan stood before him, a smile playing on her lips. She stepped coquettishly around him and climbed up onto the bed, stretching out her long legs, and propped her head up on her elbow. “What are you waiting for?” she asked.

Aiden made no reply as he pulled at his shirt. Jordan lay there, watching him undress. As he bared his chest, her stomach gave a delicious little leap. His muscles were knit together over his taut, flat stomach; his arms were strong and lean. Her eyes fell on his muscled abs and the vee that flexed slightly as he unbuckled his belt. Feelings awakened in her that she could hardly comprehend. Feelings of desire and physical need. Feelings that smothered any other emotion she might have entertained earlier that evening. Now, the outside world seemed not to exist. All there was in the vast, infinite universe was this room and Aiden and herself.

Aiden stepped out of his jeans. He stood for a moment beside the bed; the subtle virility she had always sensed in him was now overt and overpowering. Then he sank down beside her, his arms encircling her, his fingers lighting little fires wherever they touched her. Jordan closed her eyes and let the elation of the moment awaken the blaze of desire within. She let her own hands play sensually over his back. Such contrasts, she thought. His skin was so soft and smooth, and underneath the muscles were so hard, so alive.

Aiden reached behind her and unclasped her bra, slipping it gently off her arms. The moonlight had begun to flood the room with a silver wash. Jordan heard him catch his breath as he caressed both breasts in turn and bent his head to pay homage to them with his kisses. She groaned with unabashed passion as his tongue slowly circled her nipples and his teeth caught them in playful tender bites. She thought she might lose her mind with the suspense of unfulfilled longing, and she arched her body up and into his in an effort to be even closer.

Aiden’s mouth found hers again, and this time their kisses were unapologetically wanton as they sought to quench their yearning for each other. Jordan drank in the taste of his tongue on hers, feeling the heat of him flooding her body and pulsing now, in the very heart of her female self. She moved her hips and felt him, hard and male, against her. She reached down, and almost tenuously, stroked him. She heard him gasp. It emboldened her, and she took his hardened shaft in her hand, caressing, squeezing, teasing. He pressed firmly against her, burying his face in the curve of her neck, half kissing, half licking. His fingertips played around her navel, exploring, tickling. She moaned softly, and he stroked her at the top of her panties. Instinctively, she opened her thighs.
Please, please
, her mind screamed with desire. He squeezed her gently through the fabric, making her writhe with anticipation.

His hand seemed everywhere at once, except in that place she desired it most. He caressed her buttocks, and then, before she was quite aware, he had slipped the panties down, over her thighs, over her knees. She gave a little kick with one leg, and she was free of them. Her legs opened.

His fingers found her then, lightly probing between her folds of her, searching for that spot that would ignite her. She cried out in glorious frustration, spreading her thighs. He bent his head down, kissing her navel, kissing the swell between her legs, adorned with a strip of russet curls. He explored her with his tongue, first skimming the surface, then pushing deeper and deeper. He covered her with little licks and nibbles until she arched up against his mouth and cried out again.