Tit for Tat Baby (21 page)

“I see you managed to unglue yourself
from your fiancé, Red.”

Shelly gasped and stared at the blonde
giant with the searing blue eyes.  Her insides quivered.  Why could
she not have that feeling for Callum?

“He is parking the car.  What are
you doing here?”

“So, you’re still holidaying?”

“It’s not really a holiday … and it’s
none of your business.”

Kevin turned to the receptionist who
just replaced the phone.  She turned to Shelly.

“I am sorry, Miss Watts, but Miss
Shultz is in court.  Apparently the case took another turn and she would
not be able to make your meeting.”

“Is Miss Watts a new client of ours,
Emily?”

“Yes, but as I said …”

“Not a problem.  I’ll take care
of this myself.  Direct Mr. McGregor to my office when he arrives, Emily.”

He took a resisting Shelly’s arm and
drew her to his office and closed the door.  He pressed her against it and
his mouth covered hers in a devastatingly sensual kiss.  Shelly’s arms
wrapped around his neck and she returned the kiss just as ardently.

“When are you going to end that farce
of an engagement, Red?”

“I … we … it’s not a farce!”

“It’s not?  Yet here you are,
your body weeping for mine.  Admit it Red … you want me too.  Guess
what, love … I am going to get you.  You could just as well save us all
the time and break it off.  I’ll go and buy the ring in the meantime.”

“What ring?”

The look in his eyes burned into her
soul.

“After the night we spent, Red, do you
really believe all I was after is sex?”

There was a knock on the door. 
Shelly gasped and pushed him away, her mind in total turmoil.  Kevin
smiled and opened the door. Callum’s eyebrows rose as their eyes met. 
They shook hands and he gestured him inside.

“Please, sit down.”  He waited
until they did and offered them coffee, which they both accepted.  He
placed the order with his assistant and sank down on his chair.

“How is Jenna?  She still refuses
to speak to me.”

Kevin looked at Callum and noticed the
strain in his eyes.

“She is fine.  She has been
catching up with her friends and is out on the town every night with one or the
other guy sniffling down her skirts.  Since I took her skydiving on her
birthday, she can’t get enough of it.”

“Skydiving!  Dammit Kevin, that
is a dangerous sport and what damn guys are you talking about!”

He smiled and shrugged nonchalantly,
then turned to Shelly.

“What can I do for you Miss Watts?”

She glanced at Callum and cleared her
throat.

“I have been accepted as the new
Business Partner for the Emily Hobbs Modelling School for disadvantaged
kids.   I have the agreement here which I need a legal opinion on
before I sign.”

“You’re giving up
modelling?”                        

“Yes.  I’ve had enough of the limelight
and the little sleep and even less food.  I need to start living and doing
something I have always loved.  Working with kids.  Combining my
passion for modelling with that, seems to be the ideal solution.”

He frowned and looked from Shelly to
Callum and back to her.

“The Emily Hobbs center is here in
Washington. How are you going to run the modelling school from Belfast in
Ireland?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Miss Watts. You are engaged to
an Irishman and I assume once you get married, you will move there.”

“That … is none of your business!”

“Isn’t it Red?”

Callum watched the interaction between
the two and noticed the heated look in Kevin’s eyes and uneasiness in
Shelly.  There was clearly some undercurrent between them.  He,
however was more concerned about the guys sniffling down Jenna’s skirts to pay
too much attention to it.

Kevin’s desk intercom buzzed and he
pressed the button down.

“Yes, Emily.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but you did tell
me to let you know when your sister arrives.”

“Oh, yes.  I forgot, but you can
sent her through, thanks Emily.”

Kevin took the contract from Shelly
and pretended not to notice Callum stiffening and gripping the arm
chairs.  The door opened and they heard Jenna’s tingling laugh through the
door.

“When are you going to give up,
Chris?”

“Ah, Jenna my love, as long as there
is not a ring on that finger of yours, I will keep trying!”

“You are tenacious if nothing
else.  Very well, Chris, let me just chat to Kev quickly then you can take
me to lunch.”

“I am not moving from this spot! 
Be quick, Jenna my love.”

She chuckled and Kevin noticed Callum
gripped the chair arms so tight his knuckles turned white. He turned his head
and watched her walk through the door.  When their eyes met, his breath
lost its way to his lungs and he had to pull a deep breath.

Jenna paled and she nearly
stumbled.  Kevin got up and walked to her.  He hugged her and winked
at her.  She scowled at him.  He just widened his eyes at her
innocently.

“Hi sis.  I am glad you decided
to pop in.  I have hardly seen you over the past week and a half.”

“You are exaggerating.”

“No I am not.  I’ve been to the
house six times and you have been out every time.  Dad said he has given
up on even remembering all the guys’ names you’ve been out with.”

“Kevin Burkes, you are really starting
to annoy me.”

“So, Sis, aren’t you going to say hi?”

She looked past him and nodded a
greeting to the couple watching the interaction between brother and
sister.  Callum looked ready to commit murder.

“Shelly here needs some advice on a
contract, do you want to wait until I am done?”

“No … I’ll see you over the weekend.”

“Oh, yes, I heard you giving in to
Chris … don’t break my partner’s heart, Sis.  He is very …”

“Why don’t you just rather shut up and
assist your client.  Goodbye brother, dear!”

She spun around and walked through the
door. Just before the door closed, they heard her tingling chuckle again.

“I see you really did not move! 
Let’s go … Kev said it is fine if you stay out the rest of the afternoon.”

Kevin watched the anger turn to fury
in Callum’s eyes and he smiled.  He nodded to the arms of the chair he
gripped so tightly.

“Relax, McGregor, those chairs are
quite expensive and old.  If you break it, I will be highly annoyed.”

His sister was playing a game of tit
for tat with the high and mighty McGregor.  He just hoped she was not
going to burn her fingers.  The man was ready to commit murder!  He
remembered tongue in cheek that he also added fuel to the fire.  Well, as
they say, all’s fair in love and war, and he was now also fighting a war for
love.  He wanted the beautiful red head and come hell or high water, he
was going to get her.  They could argue all they want, their engagement
was a sham.  Her reaction to him and McGregor’s reaction to his sister, proof
that they did not share a bed!  He’d bet his future with Red that they
never have.

Jenna of course could murder her
brother.  He should have told her he had clients, then she would not be in
a state of shock throughout lunch. Not having expected to see Callum when she
walked through the door, her heart stopped beating for a full minute. 
Then it started a rat-tat-tat gallop that felt as if it would jump out of her
chest. 

He looked like a super model himself
in a charcoal colored suit with a white shirt and a grey and white striped
tie.  His hair was long in his neck and flicked back negligently from his
brow.  He sported a stubble beard which made him appear dangerously wicked
and sexy.  Her eyes ate him up in the few seconds she looked at him.

She was relieved when lunch was over
and she went directly home, cancelling her hair appointment she had for the
afternoon.  When she arrived home she fell on her bed and stared at the
ceiling.

Oh lord, I miss him so much!

She moaned and turned on her side,
hugging her waist.  When she saw him the only thought that flashed through
her mind was how much she loved this man.  How was she going to go through
life without him?  Yet, there was no future for her with him.  He has
never once indicated he was not going to marry his fiancé. Yet he kept pursuing
her! Did he intend to keep her on as a mistress?  Did he really expect her
to have a life like that?  She wanted children!  Children she would
not have if she was not married to their father!

Accept it Jenna.  He is not meant
to be yours.

Jenna sighed and sat up on the bed.
She would go back and finish that damn assignment, but she was going to take a
team with.  If he did not like it, tough.  She would make sure she
was never alone with him again.  He had to understand it was over. 
With a full team, they should be able to finish within four to six months at
the most.  Then she would be able to go on with her life.

She looked at her watch and sighed again,
wishing she had not accepted her old school friend’s invitation to
dinner.  Shane and her was together since grade school through Varsity and
have not seen one another for over a year.  She got up from the bed, took
a shower and dressed in a tight black mini skirt with a red silky top and black
high heeled Gucci shoes.  She left her hair loose and was ready just as
the doorbell rang.

Her Dad had already let Shane in and
he hugged and kissed her on the cheek.

“You are looking gorgeous as
always.  Are you ready to go?  I booked a table for seven.”

“See you later, Daddy.  We should
not be too late.” 

She kissed Devon on his cheek and he
smiled at her.  He shook his head.  He knew she was hiding her pain
behind the bright smile. She has been out on dates nearly every night since she
arrived, but he knew it was to keep her mind busy so she did not have time to
think about Callum McGregor.

He
cursed himself.  If he had known Callum was engaged he would never have
sent her there.  Since the day he met Callum McGregor six years ago, he
has thought that he was the right man for Jenna and the kind of man that could
win her heart. Now look at her! Let that be a lesson for him to try and play
cupid at his age!  

Shane
has always had the ability to make Jenna laugh and he had her in stiches from
the moment they got in his car.  She was laughing when they walked into
the restaurant.  Her husky tingling laugh fluttered through the restaurant
and many eyes sought her out.

One pair turned cold as ice.  He
clenched his jaw until pain shot through his head when the tall blond man
placed his arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear.  She looked
into his eyes and laughed with real mirth.

Callum felt as if a fist clamped
around his heart.  He longed to have her look at him like that and laugh
with so much happiness.  Now he had to hear she was out on dates all the
time.  Clearly allowing her these few weeks break was the worst mistake he
has made.

Well, Miss Burkes, your wings are
about to be clipped.  You will learn I do not share what is mine …
especially not you!

He frowned when she came into full
view and he saw the tight mini skirt, leaving her beautiful legs bare for all
to gawk at.  The silky red shirt hugged her breasts and they strained
against the shiny material.  She looked like a tempting siren on heels.
The look in the man’s eyes clearly stating his thoughts were following
pattern. 

They were escorted to the table next
to where Shelly, her sister and he were sitting.  The man politely pulled
the chair out and leaned down to whisper in her ear as he pushed the chair
back.  Jenna chuckled and looked around.  Her smile froze when her
eyes were caught by Callum’s smoldering ones.  They turned cold when he
heard Shane’s question.

“Everything okay, Babes?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

He continued to tell her about his new
endeavor, but Jenna found it difficult to concentrate with Callum glaring at
her unerringly all the time.  She made it through the first course and
then excused herself to disappear to the powder room.  Anything to escape
his constant glare.

Luckily the posh room was empty and
she sank down on one of the bunks with plush cushions on the one side of the
room.  She dropped her head in her hands and growled frustratingly. 
Eventually she realized she could not hide in there for the rest of the
evening.  It was not fair to Shane. 

“Jenna, how much longer are you going
to hide in here?”

Jenna gaped at the door and then
gasped when he pushed the door open and walked in, pushing the door closed and
flicking the lock closed.

“You can’t come in here!”

“I’m already in.  I do not have
to ask how you’re doing.  I can see you are enjoying your freedom. 
It seems you are prone to lying to me, Jenna.”