High-Society Seduction (10 page)

Not that Stewart had done anything wrong. Far from it.
He
was the one wronged.

But with Adam so quiet beside her now, she couldn’t stop from worrying about
their
relationship. Was he having misgivings because they were back in town? Had it merely been the country air? A mistake on his part?

“Do you regret making love to me, Adam?” she had to ask as soon as they stepped inside her apartment.

“Time’s too short for regrets,” he muttered, then swung her up in his arms and headed for the bedroom. She wasn’t exactly sure why his words didn’t thrill her, but she was soon preoccupied enough not to think about it just then.

He left late afternoon with the promise to call.

After he’d gone, Jenna wondered about the state of their relationship. They hadn’t spoken about being faithful to each other, but would he be committed to her while their affair lasted? She had to remember Adam had no ties to her. He owed her no loyalty—except the loyalty of a lover. To her, that was everything. To him, it might not be.

No, she had to believe that he
would
remain faithful. He wasn’t like Lewis. Already she knew he had more integrity in his little finger than Lewis had from head to toe. She only had to see how Adam
hadn’t
slept with his best friend’s wife. It was admirable.

And yet—in spite of knowing that Adam would treat her well—she couldn’t help but admit something was bothering her. She was now another man’s mistress.

Again.

At least with Lewis she’d thought she loved him and that they had a future together. She had no long-term future with Adam. Their divided loyalties ensured it would never work between them anyway.

And that prompted the question—why had she changed her resolve and become Adam’s lover? She’d been so determined not to get involved, yet now in one brief overnight trip she’d slept with him. She could only think those very loyalties that stood between them showed a man who put himself second when it came to the people he cared about. She found that very appealing, especially in a successful businessman whose spare time was limited.

So here she was.

A mistress.

Again.

Perhaps she should just enjoy being his mistress while she could—even if it didn’t change the facts.

No answer.

She blinked, then listened hard, but there was only silence. “Hello?” she repeated, thinking it could be a wrong number and the other person had been caught off balance.

More silence.

She began to feel uneasy now. “Who is this?”

Another couple of seconds passed, then she thought she heard a woman’s sigh just before the person quietly ended the call.

Jenna shivered with apprehension as she replaced the handset. If it
had
been a wrong number, then surely the person would have simply hung up straight away. If it had been family or friends, then…

Chelsea!

She wasn’t sure how she knew it was the other woman. It just…fit. It hadn’t been a threatening silence, more disconcerting. Could Chelsea have been checking to see if Adam was still with her? And did that mean Chelsea had tried Adam’s apartment and received no answer? He was probably catching up on work and didn’t want to be interrupted.

And how the heck had Chelsea gotten her phone number anyway? She grimaced. It wasn’t really surprising, considering who the other woman was.

The question for Jenna was whether she should tell Adam about this. If she did he might put his relationship with Todd at risk, when there was no proof it had been Chelsea at all. It would be best to wait and see how things panned out first.

Half an hour later, the phone rang again. Jenna cautiously answered, thankful this time it was her mother, and pushed aside her disappointment that it wasn’t Adam.

Joyce Branson was her usual cheery self, talking about the championship game of tennis that was coming up and whining a little about Jenna’s father being home and in the way now that he was retired. She didn’t ask anything about Adam.

Then her mother mentioned how she’d seen Vicki and the children, but said how she was still worried about Stewart being so far away from his family. That refreshed Jenna’s worry. It was amazing how on the surface everything seemed normal—even if it wasn’t. It pained her to keep secrets from her parents.

At work the following morning she found herself checking her cell phone in case Adam called. Constantly. There were no calls, but she was eternally grateful that Marco didn’t make an appearance. She didn’t think she could have stood the questions she’d have to field about her and Adam’s relationship.

Normally, she loved her job, but the day dragged and she was grateful to arrive home, eager to see if Adam called that evening. She tried to persuade herself that he probably wouldn’t for a few days, and when the phone didn’t ring over the next few hours she had to accept it. He had other priorities, she told herself, but to no avail. Her heart was just about convinced she’d hear nothing, when the doorbell rang around eight.

It was Adam.

His eyes drank her up as he stepped inside and kicked the door shut. Without a word, he caught hold of her hips and brought them flush up against him, his hardened body making her gasp. It was clear he’d been wanting her before he’d even reached her door. The thought of it made her feel more feminine than ever before.

Then he pressed her back against the wall and kissed her, and he kept right on kissing her until her toes curled in her shoes and her knees threatened to buckle. He stopped for a breath, but not for long. His fingers went on the move, working open her blouse, undoing her trousers.

“Why can’t I get enough of you?” he murmured, with a darkening look of desire in his eyes, his lips creating havoc as he bent his head and began to lavish each nipple through her lacy bra. Then he kissed down her stomach…farther down until his fingers lowered the front of her panties so he could access her with his mouth…to where she was more than ready for him.

She held his head to her while he pleasured her, until tremors started to shake her body and her breath came as fast as the upwelling explosion.

After she climaxed, he stepped her out of her panties and swept her up in his arms, carrying her over to the couch, where he sat her down. With her heart in her throat and barely able to catch her breath, Jenna watched as he stood there and undid his trousers in front of her. Her hand tingled to—

“Not this time,” he muttered, preempting her touching him as he ripped the wrapper from a condom and sheathed himself. Then he sat next to her, pulled her on top of his hard length and entered her.

“Adam!” she cried out as he groaned and filled her with all that he was. She grew hot. Instinctively, she lifted herself an inch…then slid down on him. She did it again and he caught her by the hips, holding her so that she could easily fall into a rhythm that was beautifully exquisite. Their eyes on each other, they soon climaxed together.

“Oh, my God,” she muttered when they’d finished and their foreheads were resting against each other while they caught their breath. Then she dragged in some air and lifted her head away from his. “Is it always like this?” she whispered, half in wonder, but regretting it the instant the words were out of her mouth. “No, don’t answer that.” She didn’t want to hear his response. To him, this was a regular occurrence.

Adam put his hand under her chin and made her look him in the eyes. “No, it isn’t always like this.”

Her heart tilted sideways. “Oh.”

As if he’d said enough, his face turned blank and he lifted her off him and went into the bathroom. She sat there for a moment, telling herself she wouldn’t be normal if she didn’t feel thrilled at his words.

And yet as she tidied her clothes, she was concerned. In the long run it would have been better if there hadn’t been this intense attraction between them. In the long run she’d have to survive without him…without
this,
she decided, fully aware she’d never be able to look at her couch again without thinking of the two of them here. Suddenly, she felt an odd pain at the thought. Maybe after this was over she’d get a new couch. Hell, she might even sell this apartment and buy a new one. Start afresh. She had the feeling she might need to get totally away from memories of Adam.

“Have you eaten?” she asked, when he came back.

He sent her a dry look. “Yes.”

“I’m talking about dinner.”

“So am I,” he teased, then nodded. “Yes, I’ve eaten. I had a business dinner.”

She was surprised. “You finished early.”

“I wanted to see you.”

He had? Why? Had he discovered she’d been telling the truth about the money? Why else would he come here after a long day at work? She swallowed. And why didn’t she feel happier than she did? She should be ecstatic for Stewart’s sake.

“Um…about anything important?” she asked, trying to sound idle.

“Yes. I needed to make love to you.” He pulled her up close. “And I did.” Then he kissed her briefly. “I have to go. I have some work to finish up tonight for an early morning meeting.”

Relief ribboned through her that the money clearly wasn’t his main concern right now, then she felt bad for her family’s sake. She couldn’t be selfish enough to take her happiness at their cost.

So it was a good thing that Adam wasn’t staying the night, she told herself as she walked him to the door. He was respecting her space as she respected his. It kept the lines divided.

“I’ll call you.”

She nodded, but as she closed her door she wondered if this was how their relationship was supposed to work from now until their time was up. Was she to wait around for his call all the time—at his whim—like a mistress who dropped everything for his pleasure and had no life of her own?

Something inside her flattened at the thought.

Over the next few evenings the same thing happened. Adam never promised to see her, but invariably he’d turn up around eight and make love to her. They even made it to her bedroom most of the time and she’d hope he would stay the night, but after a while he would take himself home. It made her think even harder. Was he actually giving her some space?

Or himself?

Tonight on his arrival he did exactly that. She tasted good. She felt good. And she was damn good in bed. But as he was dressing to go home, he suddenly felt as if he should be offering her more—though more than what he wasn’t sure.

“Can you make dinner tomorrow night?” he heard himself ask.

One elegant eyebrow rose as she slipped into her bathrobe. “Another function?”

“No. It’ll just be the two of us.”

“Alone?”

He had to smile. “The two of us alone, yes. Well, as alone as we can get in a restaurant.”

It took her a moment to think about it. “So this isn’t for Chelsea and Todd’s benefit, then?”

“No.” He hadn’t heard from the other couple since last weekend, and right now he didn’t give a damn.

Jenna flashed him a smile. “That would be lovely.”

That gorgeous smile rocked something inside him, and suddenly he was scrambling to put them back on a physical relationship. “Bring an overnight bag.”

“A…bag?”

“You’ll be spending the night at my place.”

She looked pleased, but as he drove home he was glad she didn’t know his thoughts. Perhaps he’d made a mistake in narrowing it all down to just the two of them. He didn’t want her getting the idea that anything further could develop…and yet he didn’t have the heart to cancel. Besides, it was only a matter of time before their relationship began to wane anyway.

And then there was the money issue between them.

It was just as well he had a meeting arranged with the forensic accountant. The guy was still checking it out, and so far there was nothing to report, but Adam still wanted an update in person first thing Monday.

And that prompted the question—what if the money couldn’t be found?

“Jenna?” He stopped as he passed by their table.

She pasted on a smile, more aware of Adam’s interest than she wanted to be. “Yes. How are you, Lewis?” Not that she cared one way or the other.

Lewis’s eyes darted to Adam, and he gave a nod of recognition before returning to her. “Totally heartbroken you didn’t return my calls.”

He made it sound as if she’d been the one at fault, and not the other way around. Ooh, how typical of the man! It would serve him right if she reminded him of his unfaithfulness.

And revenge was sweet….

She reached across the table and slid her hand over the top of Adam’s, giving the dreamiest smile she could muster before looking up at Lewis. “Now you can see why.”

There was a moment when Lewis’s smile stretched like a piece of elastic. Then he bounced right back. “You’re still quick off the mark, Jenna, my love.”

“And you’re still—”
a jerk
“—the same.”

Lewis’s date started to fidget from lack of attention. “Honey, can we go sit down? I’m starving.”

He laughed and winked at them. “She has quite the appetite.”

With a bad taste in her mouth Jenna watched them walk away.

“So you dated Lewis Carter.”

“Don’t remind me,” she muttered, turning back to Adam, a little surprised he hadn’t already investigated her previous relationships, especially considering her claim about Stewart. “Obviously you know him. He recognized you, too.”

“We’ve met a couple of times.”

Her lips twisted. “Lucky you.”

Adam looked amused. “At least he appreciates your wit.”

“It’s about the only thing he did appreciate.”

His amusement faded. “What happened?”

She picked up her glass of wine and took a sip before speaking. Better to say it and get it out in the open. She had nothing to hide. “I met Lewis when we both backed out of our parking spaces at a shopping center one day. There wasn’t a lot of damage, but he insisted on taking me for a drink to calm my nerves. We exchanged names and addresses for our insurance companies and—” she gave a wry shrug “—it went from there.”

“How long were you his girlfriend?”

“About six months.”

“I’m surprised Carter could remain faithful for that long.”

“He didn’t. I thought he was getting serious, but he was
serious
only about cheating on me.”

His gaze intensified on her. “I would never cheat on you, Jenna.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, meaning it.

But a second later she couldn’t help thinking it would be easy for him to remain faithful for the short period of time they had left together. As quickly, she chastised herself. That wasn’t fair of her. She’d already decided Adam wasn’t like Lewis.

He studied her some more before speaking again. “Carter didn’t like your designs, did he?”

Her eyes widened. “How did you know that?”

“You were self-conscious about showing me your drawings back at the Grampians. It was almost as if you expected me to criticize them.”

She was touched by his perception. “I’m glad you didn’t,” she said softly.

His eyes stayed on her for a few beats, the blue irises darkening with desire before he pushed back his chair and held out his hand. “Let’s go.”

She had no argument with that. She was more than ready to concentrate on her and Adam again—and more than ready to forget Lewis Carter.

Adam took her back to his apartment, and they made love over and over during the night—as if they hadn’t seen each other all week—as if they hadn’t touched each other at all in that time. Lewis was far from her mind and yet she knew he was partly responsible for the intensity of their lovemaking. Seeing her ex-lover again reminded her that what she had with Adam was very special. And Lewis would hate to know that.

They slept until late Saturday morning, when Adam groaned and rolled out of bed. “I’ve got to go. I’ve got a meeting with a business acquaintance in half an hour.”

Jenna lay on the pillow, sleepily distracted by the sight of his naked torso. “You’re working today? It’s Saturday.”

He strode toward the bathroom. “It was supposed to be on Monday, but something came up and now the guy’s going to be out of town then.” He stopped to look at her with an odd smile she couldn’t decipher. “You stay here and I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

Jenna dozed lightly while Adam showered and dressed, but after he left, she pushed herself out of bed and headed for the shower, too.

She was enjoying her second cup of coffee and thinking about making herself a late lunch when the concierge called up to say that Adam’s mother was here to see him. She held her breath. Obviously the man had only started his shift recently, or he would have known that Adam had left earlier.

Her breath started up again as she tried to think. What was the protocol here? Would Adam want his current lover to meet his mother? Shouldn’t she just say Adam wasn’t home and let Laura Roth come back later?

Then she remembered.

Liam Roth.

Didn’t
she
want to meet the mother of the man who had cheated her brother? “Please tell her to come up,” she said, curiosity getting the better of her.

Then she checked herself in the mirror to make sure she looked presentable before going over to wait at the private elevator. Soon the doors were sliding open and an elegant woman stepped out. Jenna hesitated a moment, forgetting the money issues, taken slightly aback to be greeting such a prominent person.

And sleeping with her middle son.

In the end, Adam’s mother spoke first. “Hello, I’m Laura Roth,” she said with a warm smile, offering a manicured hand.

Jenna was surprised by her warmth. She pulled herself together enough to shake her hand, though she rather felt like she should curtsy. It was natural to be formal with such a woman. “Hello, Mrs. Roth.”

“Call me Laura.”

Jenna didn’t think she could do that. “Please, come right in,” she said politely, and led the way farther into the living room. She should dislike the woman for what Liam had done to the Bransons, only she wasn’t getting that feeling. “I wasn’t sure whether to ask you to come up or not. Adam’s gone out, you see. He had to meet a business acquaintance.”

“On a Saturday?” His mother tutted. “I shouldn’t be surprised.”

Jenna noticed a curious light at the back of the other woman’s eyes, but at least his mother was too well-bred to ask outright if she was her son’s mistress. “He’ll be back soon if you want to wait.”

Laura shook her head. “I can’t. I’m off to lunch with a friend in the city, and I just thought I’d stop in and see Adam as I was passing. I wanted to ask him to pick up his cousin when he comes to lunch tomorrow. Logan’s car is in the shop getting a minor repair and I told him not to bother about using one of our drivers. It’s not out of Adam’s way.”

She nodded. “I’ll make sure he gets the message.”

“Thank you.”

Just then, the elevator pinged open and Adam strode in wearing a frown. “Mum, you should have let me know you were coming,” he scolded as he kissed his mother’s cheek.

“That’s okay, darling. Jenna’s been looking after me.”

“Has she, now?” Adam turned to look at Jenna, a warning in his eyes, telling her she’d better not say anything about Liam or Stewart. Jenna didn’t want to use the situation for her own benefit, but remembering her brother and his wife and how close they were to losing their home, she defiantly lifted her chin a little at Adam.

He noticed.

“I have to go,” Laura said after glancing at her slim gold watch. “I have a lunch date.”

Adam’s gaze returned to his mother. “With Dad?”

Laura smiled as she headed for the elevator. “No, with Della.” She pressed the button, then turned around. “Jenna, you should come to lunch tomorrow with Adam. Now that Dominic and Cassandra are back from their second honeymoon, we’re having a family get-together.”

Jenna darted a look at Adam and saw the alarm in his eyes. “Laura, thank you, but I don’t want to intrude.”

“Do you have a previous engagement?”

“No, but—”

“Then I insist.” She stepped into the elevator. “See you both tomorrow. Don’t forgot to collect Logan, darling.”

The doors slid closed.

Silence echoed through the apartment.

Jenna stared at Adam. She could see he wasn’t pleased. “I’m sorry. I’ll come up with an excuse and you can give my apologies.”

“No.”

Her forehead crinkled. “But I thought—”

“We’re going.” His tone brooked no argument.

She considered that. He definitely didn’t want her near his parents, yet he was making her go?

“Aren’t you worried I’ll say something about the money?” It would be the perfect time to take advantage of being near his family, especially his older brother and his wife. After all, Cassandra had been married to Liam before she’d married Dominic. She would be the one who could know something.

“No, I’m not worried. I can easily repay the favor, or have you forgotten that?”

Her stomach clenched. When it came down to it, he didn’t trust her. And it stunned her to think that it should even matter. They were lovers in one aspect of their lives, but enemies in another. “I know exactly where things stand, Adam.”

As if he suspected more than she was saying, his glance sharpened. “I’m thinking this will work out with Chelsea. If she hears I took you home to meet my parents, she might finally give up trying.”

So that was why he’d agreed. She should have realized. “Or it might make her even more desperate to get your attention,” she pointed out. “Chelsea’s a very determined woman. Don’t underestimate her.”

“I don’t underestimate any woman.”

Her chest felt tight. “There you go, then,” she said, turning away to go into the kitchen and fix them a light lunch, giving herself something to do.

After that, Adam was quiet as they sat on the balcony and ate in the sunshine. He wasn’t as relaxed as he’d been previously. It wasn’t that he was rude, but there was a withdrawal in the air that suddenly made her ache inside.

Jenna wasn’t comfortable staying the rest of the day, and when she made an excuse about needing to go and work on a design, she caught a glint of relief in his eyes. She pretended not to notice as he offered to get his driver to take her home.

“No, I’ll catch a cab.”

“But—”

“You don’t need to see me home,” she said firmly, knowing she had to get out of here and away from him. Her company wasn’t wanted right now and she could feel it all the way through her bones.

He took a long moment to nod. “I’ll collect you tomorrow around noon.”

She shot him a quick look. “I’m sorry if it’s making things awkward for you. I really could cancel, you know. Just this once we could forget all about Chelsea.”

A muscle ticked in his cheek. “No, my mother invited you, Jenna. You have to go, whether we like it or not. We may as well use the situation.”

It wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear and she turned away to collect her things, disheartened. She hadn’t taken a step when he pulled her up close and kissed her. At least he still wanted her physically.

But in the cab home she suspected that somehow she’d just crossed her own personal line. Adam had chosen her because he’d trusted she wouldn’t get emotionally involved with him. Too late she realized she might already have done exactly that.