If I Loved You (Harper Falls Book 1) (16 page)

“Jack?” The voice of their assistant, Pam
Stoddard, called out from the intercom. “I know you said you didn’t
want to be disturbed but I have a bit of a situation out here.”

Jack and Drew exchanged surprised looks. Pam
was pretty much unflappable, in fact, neither of them could ever
remember her losing her cool.

“What’s the problem?” Bulletproof glass and
locks that you could only disengage from the inside would have
stopped anyone trying to gain unwanted entrance, so they knew Pam
wasn’t in any physical danger. Jack checked the security camera
feed on his computer screen just to be certain. The lobby was clear
but outside there was a woman. She was tapping her high heel
covered foot, obviously impatient at being kept waiting. Jack
couldn’t get a good look at her face, but she was dressed in a
figure hugging black dress that was cut low in the front to show
off an attention-grabbing amount of cleavage. Her dark hair fell in
artfully styled waves down her back. Large sunglasses hid the color
of her eyes, but her lips were a bright, fire engine red. Not a
woman who was trying to hide in the shadows.

“Anyone you know?” Jack asked Drew.

“No, but she’s a looker.”

“She doesn’t have an appointment, does she,
Pam?”

“No,” Jack could hear the dislike in Pam’s
voice. “But she seems to think you’ll want to see her even though
she is refusing to tell me who she is or what she wants.”

“I’ll handle it.”

Jack hit the button that connected him the
outside intercom. “This is Jack Winston. Can I be of
assistance?”

“Jack,” she woman practically purred. “How
are you?”

“I’m sorry, but have we met?”

“Well, not technically.” She smoothed back
her hair and adjusted her breasts. Jack couldn’t decide if she was
unaware of the camera or was giving him a show. “I’m Louise, Louise
Hoover.”

Jack looked at Drew, but it was clear he was
just as lost as Jack.

“Now don’t be coy,” the woman continued, her
voice running like warm syrup. “I know you’re keeping company with
Rose.”

Rose? This woman knew Rose? Well, that
wasn’t going to get her in. She needed to stop being so cryptic and
provide some actual information.

“Well, shit,” Drew thought.

Jack pulled his hand back from the intercom
button. “Do you recognize her?”

“I think that’s
Aunt
Louise.” He emphasized the word aunt because
that was the way Tyler had always said it.

“Rose’s aunt?” Jack frowned. Rose had only
mentioned the woman once, but he’d gotten the distinct impression
they weren’t close.

“Right.” Drew gave the woman on screen a
closer look. “I don’t know much about her but I do know she’s
trouble, Jack.”

Jack considered for a moment then rang Pam.
“Let her in, Pam. Take her to the small lounge and offer her
something to drink. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

“Tell me what you know,” Jack said as he
pulled on his jacket.

“Not much,” Drew admitted. “When I started
seeing Tyler she and Rose and Dani had been friends for a long time
and they kept each other’s secrets pretty tight to the vest. But I
do remember Rose’s aunt took her out of school one year a few
months before the end of the term. I didn't see the aunt. She just
showed up and the next day Rose was gone.”

“When was this?”

“Let me think.” Drew closed his eyes and ran
his fingers roughly over his scalp. Jack recognized the gesture as
one Drew used when he was trying to figure out a software problem.
“I was a sophomore, so that made Rose a freshman. She must have
been about fifteen.”

“But she finished school here in Harper
Falls, right?” Jack was getting a sick feeling in the pit of his
stomach.

“She was back that fall. Not to Harper
Academy, but Harper Falls High.” Drew met Jack’s concerned gaze and
shook his head. “I don’t know what happened, Jack. Since we weren't
at the same school anymore, I didn't see her every day but she
seemed different. Quieter, I guess. We didn’t hang out with the
same crowd, so I can’t give you any details, but Rose was the kind
of girl you noticed. I don’t have to tell
you
that. But for a while it was like she’d lost
her spark. And that girl always had plenty of spark. By the next
summer, when Tyler and I started dating, she was back to her old
self.”

“On the outside,” Jack observed grimly.
“Whatever
Aunt
Louise did to her is
still influencing how Rose lives her life—at least her love
life.”

“And you think you’re going to get answers
by meeting with that woman?”

Jack shrugged. “I doubt she’ll tell me
anything with words but I want to get a feel for the woman. I want
to get some idea, no matter how small, of what Rose went
through.”

"Hey, if you end up strangling her you know
you can count on me to help you get rid of the body.”

Jack knew Drew was joking, mostly. The point
was Drew had his back no matter what.

Jack paused outside the lounge and pulled in
a few calming breaths. He had always had a pretty long, slow
burning fuse, but with just the little he knew about this woman, he
could feel his blood beginning to simmer. It wouldn’t take much to
get it boiling.

Louise Hoover certainly knew how to set a
scene; Jack thought as he entered the lounge. He searched his brain
for the right word for how she had herself arranged on the sofa and
decided
artfully
best described
it.

Jack supposed she was trying to look casual
and unconcerned as she leaned against the cushions, her arm resting
on the back of the sofa. But there was nothing relaxed about it.
She had herself on display. She had crossed her legs in a way that
had the hem of her skirt riding several inches up her thigh. Not
too
far but enough to show off how
trim and shapely they were. When she saw him enter, she gave him a
slow, welcoming smile and leaned forward so that the first thing he
would notice were her breasts. But just to be sure, she took a
deep, cleavage enhancing breath.

“Hello, Jack.” The woman was good, Jack
thought. With just those two words she had made it seem like they
already knew each other—really well.

“If you’re in town to see Rose I’m afraid
you’ve missed her.” Jack waited for the lie he knew was coming.

“Oh, dear. I had so hoped to spend some time
with her. It’s been much too long.” She leaned even closer,
cleavage first. “She's always so busy. I can’t tell you how many
times I’ve wanted to see her only to have her brush me off. But
since I’m here maybe we can get to know each other. I’m sure Rose
would love for us to become
good
friends.”

And there it was. I was such an obvious come
on. He knew what she was doing, and she knew he knew. He wondered
if she expected him to jump her right here at his place of
business. Some men would, some probably had. But just the thought
of having those slick, red lips anywhere on his body made Jack
shudder.

Enough, Jack thought. Five minutes in and
he’d gotten what he needed. The woman was a calculating bitch.
She’d slithered into town and made a beeline for the man she knew
her niece was seeing. She was in seduction mode before Jack had
even entered the room. What was she after? A way to hurt Rose? Or
was her main goal Jack’s money? Both would be his guess. Well,
Aunt
Louise was going to leave town
empty handed on both counts.

“I find it odd that you've never mentioned
that you’re Rose’s aunt.”

“Oh, there’s such a small difference in our
ages I never think of her in that way.” The ever so brief
tightening of Louise’s mouth told Jack that she didn’t like being
reminded of that she and Rose were related. “She never called me
anything but Louise so I tend to forget. Now, why don’t you take me
someplace cozier and I’ll show you just how little like an aunt I
really am.”

“That is a bad line, Louise.” Jack slowly
shook his head. “Even if I was the slightest bit interested I would
hesitate after you threw that one at me.”

It was obvious that had thrown her, but she
was a gamer. She wasn’t going to give up
that
easily. Jack was sure she had quite a catalog
of routines in her arsenal, ones she’d been perfecting for years.
But he didn’t want to play anymore. It was time to send the woman
on her way.

“This isn’t going to happen, Louise. Not
now, not tomorrow, not ever. Pack your bags and get out of town
before Rose returns.”

“She’d believe me if I told her you came on
to me, that we had sex.”

Five minutes with the woman and Jack was
exhausted. He couldn’t imagine what it had been like for Rose to
spend months at her mercy. Louise was pure poison wrapped in a
silky but ever hardening shell. In a few more years, she wouldn’t
be able to hide her brittle exterior with honeyed words and
artfully applied cosmetics.

Jack didn’t bother to reply, he just waited
for Louise to gather her purse and escorted her to the door. Seeing
them enter the lobby Pam quickly disengaged the lock. Jack
restrained himself from forcibly pushing her out of the building,
but it was a close thing. He waited long enough to see her drive
away before heading back to his office.

He needed a drink. They didn’t keep anything
harder than beer at work, so he grabbed his keys and head home.
Along with the drink, he wanted a long, hot shower. And Rose, he
wanted Rose. There was no point in looking at the calendar. Three
more days. He just hoped she was missing him even half as much as
he was missing her.

“WHAT ARE YOU doing?”

Rose looked over her shoulder as Frank
entered the kitchen. He had on his ‘
Don’t Mess
with The Sex God’
t-shirt that she had given him for his
last birthday. It didn’t do any good to point out that it had been
a gag gift. Frank took it as the complete truth.

“If you insist on me stating the obvious,
I’m making popcorn.” She waved the already popped bag at him. “I
was also being a good guest and giving you and Len a few minutes
alone to cuddle. But since you’re here you can grab the
drinks.”

Frank and Len had insisted that Rose stay
with them instead of in a hotel. They had a spacious two bedroom
loft in Greenwich Village, so she readily agreed. It was great
having the extra time to catch up, and since the men had long ago
dropped their party-boy lifestyle the three of them spent the
evenings talking and watching movies. Popcorn and diet whatever
were the nights snacks of choice.

“I mean what are you doing in New York when
you have a gorgeous, sexy man back home just waiting to ravage your
body the moment you get back? And don’t say you’re here for work,
you finished holding Felicity’s hand two days ago.”

It had turned out to be a bit more than hand
holding.

When Felicity Pike had called her on
Saturday morning practically in tears, Rose had agreed to fly to
New York and smooth over the differences the singer and her
producer were having. Felicity was an artist which when translated
meant temperamental diva. But she was also talented enough to get
away with the occasional outburst. And Rose loved the way Felicity
sang her songs. The producer was, well, a producer. Tommy B. was a
control freak. It was his way or the highway. Rose was there to
help them find a happy medium, something not usually in her job
description. But she knew them both and they all wanted to be able
to release the best possible product. Hit records meant prestige
and money. That was something none of them could argue about.

What she thought would be one afternoon of
calm negotiations and ego stroking had stretched into three days of
long hours and upset stomachs. But the result was two of the best
sounding recordings of her material that Rose had ever heard.
Felicity had been grateful. Tommy B. said he owed her one. And Rose
promised herself
never
again.

“Just a few weeks ago you were saying how
much you missed me. Are you tired of me already?” And can we please
change the subject? As busy as she had been, Jack had never been
far from her thoughts. The return airplane ticket that she had
tucked away in her suitcase seemed to be sending out a beacon to
remind her that she was due to fly home tomorrow.

"The bet ends on Sunday. I just wondered why
you're waiting until the last minute to go home."

She had told Frank and Len the whole story.
At first they had been outraged that he would involve her in
something so ridiculous. But as the week progressed their
sympathies had made a definite shift. She wasn’t sure how Jack had
become their best pal when they’d never even met, but she was
starting to feel like
she
had done
something wrong.

"I was needed here in New York." She didn't
have to look at Frank to know how lame he thought that excuse
was.

“Ready to get back to the movie?” Not
waiting for her answer Frank picked up the tray of drinks and left
the kitchen.

Fine
, Rose
huffed, following behind. Hadn’t she said that she didn’t want to
talk about it?

Setting the bowl down on the glass coffee
table, Rose grabbed her drink and dropped into her chair. She felt
a little like pouting but Len, sweet, happy, Len, would have none
of that.

“You have got to see this video a friend
told me about this afternoon.” He picked up the remote and hit
play.

Rose watched as a group of men dressed in
nothing but jockstraps gathered on some an open field. “I’m all for
gay porn, guys, but maybe you’d rather be alone to watch this.”

“It isn’t porn,” Frank informed her. “Though
it has made me rethink my opinion of that little town you live
in.”