Obsession (Sons of Judah MC Book 2) (10 page)

His smile startled her. “I’ll give you some time to think about it. When you’re past your anger, you will see that you belong with me.”

He stepped out, and she closed the door. Stacy rested her forehead on it and allowed the tears that stung behind her eyes to flow. Damn all men. She’d gotten nothing but pain from all of them. Marco, the one she thought was different, turned out to be the same. He was a liar and a coward. Her heart ached with pain. She collapsed on the floor and cried. If this was heartbreak, she never wanted to experience it again. Marco broke her. She never wanted to see him again. Actually, she didn’t want to see any man again. From now on, she would stay far away from the whole lot of them. Ned may think she belonged to him, but she belonged alone. That was her destiny, and the sooner she accepted it, the better it was.

She was on her own—and that was just the way it was.

Read on for an excerpt from the breath-taking finale

Available now!

FREE for Kindle Unlimited customers

Chapter One

Heartbreak wasn’t unfamiliar to Stacy. One bad marriage should have taught her that men couldn’t be trusted. While it didn’t take her that long to get over Ned, her ex-husband, it was just another matter altogether now that she was trying to forget Marco. He was, or at least she’d thought he was the love of her life. They seemed to mesh together so perfectly, so seamlessly, that she’d gotten her hopes up for their relationship. When she discovered his duplicity, her heart broke into a million pieces, and somehow it just wasn’t easy to recover from it. As she tried to concentrate on her work in the office, her thoughts kept drifting to the way he made a fool of her.

What right did he have to string her along when he was planning to dump her?

What right did he have to plan a weekend getaway when he schemed to leave her once they came back?

Why couldn’t he have been honest with her from the start?

Of course, there was no point crying about it now. The only thing she was grateful for was that her ex-husband, the snake that he was, managed to warn her about Marco’s intention before she went off with him for a vacation. Marco had said that Ned forced him.
Yeah right!
She wasn’t willing to believe such flimsy and pathetic excuses. Marco wasn’t a young child. He knew exactly what he did and why he did it. If she ever saw him again, she would likely kill him.

The man was a jerk, and she was better off without him.

Why couldn’t she wipe her memories of him out of her mind? Stacy made an effort to focus on her work. She pulled out a few financial files and involved herself in a long and complicated calculation that kept her busy for two hours. Finally, she printed off the final report and walked out of her office so she could deliver it to her boss. They had a meeting in five minutes, and she intended to be on top of her game. So what if she was dumped? Her work kept her steady, stable, and she loved what she did. She’d made a success of her career, and it was her plan to become even better with each passing month. At least her work didn’t betray her.

As she walked past her friend’s cubicle, Stacy waved a hand. “Hey,” said Jane. “Where are you going?”

“Meeting with the boss.” She’d told Jane what happened, and ever since then—about ten days ago—Jane was doing her best to keep Stacy from plunging deep into depression. Although Stacy appreciated the effort, she preferred to deal with her issues on her own.

“Wait, wait.” Jane jumped off her seat. As always, Stacy was impressed with her stamina and energy. “Listen, I’ve a hot date tonight.”

“That’s great.”

“No, wait.” Jane grabbed her arm before she could walk off. “So my hot, new boyfriend has a sexy friend who would love to double date. Remember we talked about it before? Come on. It’s not a big deal. Only a few hours of your time and it would be fun.”

They had talked about double dating when she was going out with Marco. Although she appreciated the pains Jane took, Stacy wasn’t sure if she was ready to dip into the dating pool yet. Maybe never. She would rather keep clear of all men, but if she said that to Jane, she would double her efforts. “I’m just tired. It’s been a long day.”

“You have to eat.”

“I look like shit, and I certainly don’t have the energy to go home and change.”

“You always look breathtakingly beautiful. If I had your skin and those beautiful eyes, I would walk down the street and drive men crazy every single day. Come on. It will be fun, and it’s just a movie date. You don’t really have to talk.”

Stacy tried to shake free her hand, but Jane wasn’t about to let her go. “I really am not up for it.”

“If you don’t like him, you can walk away after the movie with some excuse. He’s new in town, and he sure could use a friend, and if you don’t come, then Mark and I will still have to take him, and we’ll end up making conversation with him, and that’s going to spoil our QT.”

Stacy rolled her eyes. “From persuasion to guilt, is there anything left in your arsenal?”

“I’m just getting started.”

She didn’t care about the date, but she did like her friend who was determined to make her feel better. “Just the movie then. You’re on your own for dinner.”

“Great. I will see you after work. They will pick us up from the hotel.”

Stacy walked away. Although she didn’t feel any excitement about the date, it might actually be fun to watch a movie. She’d last gone with Marco. How could she forget that incident? He’d been the soul of amiability and joviality? Had he known at that time that he would dump her a few days later? Was he already planning the words he would say when he broke up with her?

Shit!

She wasn’t going to drive herself crazy by thinking about all that. Stacy knocked on the door. “Come in,” said her boss, William.

The middle-aged man who sat behind the desk looked a bit tired. He was near retirement age, and there were rumors that he was planning to leave at the end of the year. Stacy wasn’t sure if she would get promoted to his job; she was young for this position, but she did have her eyes on it. One day, she wanted to manage the hotel by herself. “Hi, William. I’ve got the reports.”

“Great. Let’s go over them.”

They both sat and talked about the financial situation. He would have to present the report to the board, and she explained each calculation she had done. “I think they will be happy with the presentation.”

“They should be. We’ve done well despite the economic crunch. We’ve made more than the projected profit. That should earn each of us a good bonus.”

“I sure hope so.”

William leaned back and closed the file. “Stacy, I know that you have gone through a hard time lately.”

For a moment, her heart thundered in her chest. How did he know about Marco? Did Jane tell him? She was more than a little disappointed that her friend would discuss her personal affairs with their boss, but then she realized that he was referring to her marriage. After all, she’d only been divorced for eight months. “It hasn’t been the easiest year,” she admitted.

“You didn’t let it affect your work. There wasn’t a single day when I felt that you haven’t been up to the mark. However, I noticed that you have been a bit down for the past week. Is there something else the matter?”

Amazed at his perceptiveness, she was shocked into speechlessness. She took the divorce in her stride, but the break up with Marco threw her off. Stacy managed to gather her thoughts together. “Not really. Perhaps I am just coming down with a cold or something.”

She could tell that he didn’t buy that excuse, but he didn’t push her on it. “I hope you feel better soon. There have been rumors that I am retiring end of the year. Oh, don’t look at me like that. Everyone talks here and yes, I hear it. Frankly, I am amazed that no one has directly asked me yet.”

“You’re doing well. If you wanted an extension, the board would happily grant it to you.”

“I am sure they will, but I am actually looking forward to the retirement. My wife and I have planned for decades that we would move to California to be near my sons and their families. She is quite eager to do so, and I think I am ready for that change. The board has been looking for someone they can bring from outside on my position,” he said.

Her heart ached with disappointment. Of course, she was too young, but she’d hoped they would ignore it in favor of her experience and her dedication to the job. Still, she had time on her side, and sooner or later she would get where she wanted. “There are only a few who would be able to do as good a job as you.”

“You always were too kind,” he said with a smile. “Nonetheless, the board asked me for a list of recommendations of whom I think would be suitable for my job, and I only had one, and that was yours. I told them that rather that bringing someone in from the outside, they should consider you.”

She couldn’t believe what he said. Finally, a silver lining in the very dark cloud that had become her life. “That’s too sweet of you, William.”

“It’s not sweet. It’s well-deserved. You have earned that. Not only have you established great relationships with people who work here, but you also have a knack for dealing with our clients and getting to the heart of all problems. I’ve been impressed with the ease and composure that you maintain during crisis. I’ve gotten you an interview next week with the board.”

“Oh my God! That’s…fantastic.”

“They would of course like you to chart out a plan of where you think you would take the hotel and how you would reach new heights of success. I hope you will use this time to make a presentation on your ideas. If you impress them enough, this job could be yours.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“And I am sure you will not disappoint me. Good luck, Stacy. If you get the job, we will work closely over the next six months so that I can pass on my responsibilities to you in a smooth manner.”

She stood, feeling a little giddy.
Wow!
This was the best news ever. She could hardly believe it. “Thanks a lot.”

“Don’t talk about this to anyone yet. Let the board meet you, and then we will wait for their final decision. I think if you impress them the way you have impressed me, then you won’t have any need to worry.”

“Thanks, William. I really appreciate this. I do.”

She walked out, feeling as if she was on cloud nine. Finally, she had something to look forward to. Perhaps now she would be able to put her past behind her and move on with this new confidence. As she crossed Jane’s cubicle, she gave her a thumbs up. Jane pointed at her watch and then made a gesture to indicate that she would wait for Stacy at six. Stacy nodded.  The date couldn’t be that bad. She didn’t have any intention of getting into a new relationship, but at least this interlude would take her mind off the constant misery that plagued her.

She strolled into her office, took her seat, and finished the rest of her work. When she checked her watch, it was nearly six. Stacy went into the bathroom to freshen up. The man would just have to accept her as she was, but she had enough vanity to reapply her lipstick and brush her hair. Feeling a little better, she walked out. On the way, she glanced at the reception desk. The hotel was doing well, but she’d always felt that William was a bit too conservative. If they came up with an aggressive marketing strategy and some innovate tricks, they could do better. She had every intention of putting her best foot forward at the interview. Stacy would work hard on the presentation so she could convince them of her vision. When she walked out, Jane was already chatting to two men. Since she’d met Mark once last week, she could tell that the other one was her date. He was good-looking, no doubt about it. But, of course, no one could compare to Marco; he stole her breath away with his presence.

Damn it.

She wasn’t going to bring Marco’s ghost to the date. “Hi. Sorry, I am a bit late.”

“You’re not actually. We came a bit early,” said Mark. “Stacy, meet Joe. He’s a friend of mine and has recently moved here.”

“Welcome to the city.” She shook hands with him. Stacy plastered a friendly smile on her face. “I bet you’re a bit overwhelmed right now. It can’t be easy to move to a new place and start all over again.”

When he smiled, his eyes crinkled. “I do have some good friends here. Mark and I have known each other since school, so I am hoping that the transition won’t be so hard.”

“I’m glad about that,” she said.

It was too bad that she didn’t feel a thing when she looked at him. Sure, he was handsome but then so were many other men. Ever since she broke up with Marco, Stacy didn’t even as much glance at another guy. She just wasn’t interested. Maybe she could be friends with Joe, but really, other than that, she didn’t think it would lead to anything.

“Let’s walk and talk or else we’ll miss the movie,” said Jane.

As she turned, Stacy’s breath stopped in her throat. Marco stood a few feet away. She hadn’t seen him for the past ten days, and the sight of him made her freeze. Her arms and legs felt as cold as ice, and she was rooted to the spot. When he continued to gaze at her, she forced herself to take a step forward. Was he a figment of her imagination? No, he was real. “Excuse me for just a moment,” she said to Joe and the others. Without waiting for a reply, she marched forward.
God. Did the guy ever look bad?
Sure, he had dark circles under his eyes, but despite those, he looked good enough to eat. She wanted to run her tongue down his cheek. She wanted to kiss him. Her fingers ached to touch him.
The bastard
. She hoped he wasn’t sleeping well. “What are you doing here?”