Much More Than a Mistress (11 page)

One hell of a lot smaller than she'd ever imagined.
Although she had the sneaking suspicion that their bumping into one another was no accident.

Yes, she had hoped he would pursue her, but not in the middle of a family dinner!

“Honey,” her father said. “Aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?”

Jane realized everyone at the table was watching them. Figures that
now
they would notice her. Although it was Jordan they were focused on.

She had no choice but to introduce him.

“This is Jordan Everette. Jordan, this is my family.”

He shook hands with everyone, and she hoped that once the introductions were out of the way, he would leave.

“Jordan, why don't you pull up a chair, have a drink,” her father said.

“I don't want to intrude.”

“Don't be silly,” her mother said, in her sweet, Southern-belle tone. “We would love it if you'd join us.”

“In that case I'd be happy to.”

Crap.

He pulled up a chair from a neighboring table and sat beside Jane, lounging casually, so close their thighs were practically touching. She wished he would back off a little. She didn't want her parents to get the impression that they were involved.

Her father signaled the waiter and everyone ordered drinks. Jordan asked for a Chivas on the rocks. Jane ordered another martini.

“So, do you and Jane work together?” Rick asked Jordan.

Jane's pulse started to hammer. She had told Jordan about how she was deceiving her family about her job, but if he slipped up and said something about them working together at Western Oil, she was dead meat.

“No, I'm in the oil business,” Jordan told him.

She was so relieved that if she hadn't been sitting, her legs would have given out.

“What do you do?” Will asked.

“I'm in management.”

Jane could see everyone digesting that information. Her family could smell money and power a mile away, and though Jordan wasn't dressed like an executive, and he was young, the platinum Rolex on his left wrist said he was either old money, or at least upper middle management. They probably figured he pulled in a salary in the low to middle six figures. And she wasn't about to set them straight.

“So, are you two dating?” Mary asked.

“Mary!” Jane snapped.

“I've asked her out,” Jordan said, grinning adorably, draping his arm over the back of her chair and pinning her with that judgment-wrecking gaze. “But she turned me down.”

He was obviously teasing her. She just wished he would do it from a little farther away. The scent of his aftershave was shorting out her brain. His looks he couldn't really help, but he could at least have the decency not to smell so darned good.

She tore her gaze from Jordan's and turned to her sister. “We're just friends.”

The waiter brought their drinks, then Jordan asked about the law practice, and that became the focus of the conversation. Though her defection from the fold was mentioned, thankfully no one dwelled on it. In fact, her name didn't come up much at all. But of course her parents didn't hesitate to sing the praises of her sister and brothers and their many legal accomplishments. But what else was new? Jane may have had more of her own accomplishments
if they hadn't continually held her back. She was hands down a better attorney than her sister, yet Mary had been allowed to build an impressive client base while Jane had been given the grunt work.

She was sure they were all curious as to why someone so charming and personable and devastatingly attractive would have any interest in being friends with someone like her. Maybe that was why Mary flirted shamelessly the entire time. Maybe she thought that because he and Jane were just friends, it was okay. Or maybe she was doing it to show her up. It wouldn't be the first time.

Jane had skipped two grades, so she was only one grade behind her sister in high school, and it never failed, if she showed any interest in a boy, Mary would go after him with all pistons firing. And if Jane complained, Mary's answer was always the same. “What's the big deal? It's not as if he would ever go out with
you.
”

And she was right. But that didn't make it hurt any less, or make Jane feel any less betrayed.

After a second round of drinks, Jordan said he had to go.

“It's early,” her mother said. “There's no need to rush off.”

“Yes, you should stay,” her father said.

“I really need to go.” He pushed up from his chair. “It was a pleasure meeting everyone.”

“The pleasure was ours,” her father said, shaking his hand.

“I hope we'll see you again,” her mother said, shooting Jane a look that said she was out of her mind for not snapping him up and marrying him at the first possible opportunity.

“It was really nice meeting you,” Mary said, shaking his hand and holding it several seconds longer than Jane
considered appropriate. Would it be totally immature to give her a good hard knock in the head?

When she finally let go, Jordan turned to Jane. “I guess I'll see you around.”

Jane knew that if she stayed after he left, she would be subjected to the third degree all over again. She didn't like being ignored, but being grilled wasn't a whole lot of fun either. There was no happy medium with her family. Leaving with Jordan was her only chance for escape, so she hopped to her feet and said, “I should get going too. I'll walk out with you.”

“A
re you sure?” Jordan asked.

She was
so
sure. “Yeah, I should get home. It's been a busy week and I'm exhausted.”

She said a quick goodbye to her family, who didn't even implore her to stay. Nice. It was great to know that they cared.

Only as she walked away from the table did she realize just how tipsy she was feeling. When she and Jordan got to the lobby, and were waiting for the hostess to fetch their coats, she leaned up against the wall for stability.

“Your family seems nice,” Jordan said.

“Yeah. They do
seem
nice.”

His brow rose. “Are you suggesting that they aren't?”

“They're a family of extremes. Either they're demanding and bossy and trying to run my life, or they ignore me completely.”

“You know that your sister is jealous of you.”

She laughed. “Jealous of what? She's pretty and successful.”

“And she obviously doesn't like you having something that she can't.”

“What do you mean?”

He reached into his jeans pocket and handed her a business card.
Mary's
business card. “She stuck it in my hand when I was saying goodbye.”

Jane shook her head. Un-freaking-believable. Clearly nothing had changed.

She tried to hand the card back to him and he said, “You keep it. I won't be needing it.”

That made her smile.

The hostess appeared with their coats and when Jordan helped her into hers, she nearly lost her balance.

“You okay?” he asked, grabbing her arm to steady her.

“Yeah, I think I had two or three martinis too many. My family often has that effect on me.”

“Then you shouldn't be driving.”

“I would never drive impaired. I'll call a cab.”

“Why would you pay for a cab when I can give you a lift home? I'll even arrange to have your car delivered to you so you don't have to come back and get it.”

It would be silly to turn down the ride. Now that she knew she still had his interest, she had to be sure to keep it. Without overplaying her hand this time. “That would be great, thanks.”

He ushered her outside and handed his valet slip to the attendant, who dashed off and pulled up a minute later in a shiny silver sports car that looked a little like the Batmobile. And very expensive. It was exactly the sort of car she pictured Jordan driving.

He helped her in, then walked around and got in the driver's side. The interior was dark gray leather and
smelled like a mix of new car and Jordan's cologne. A country station was playing on the radio, which surprised her a little. He struck her as more of the classic rock type.

“So, what kind of car is this?” she asked as he pulled out of the lot and zipped into traffic.

“A Porsche Spyder Coupe.”

“It's nice.”

“Thanks.”

“How much does a car like this cost, if you don't mind my asking.”

“Six hundred and some change,” he said, downshifting to turn a corner.

“Six hundred
thousand?
That's… Wow.”

He looked over at her and grinned. “Yeah, but it makes me look good.”

It sure did. And it was a testament to just how loaded he was. He was so easygoing and unpretentious, she sometimes forgot the magnitude of his wealth and power. And for whatever reason, he wanted
her.

The thought made her smile.

“So, I figured you would be celebrating your birthday with your family tonight.”

The smile slipped from her face. “Yeah, me too.”

He glanced over at her. “Are you saying that they
forgot?
”

She shrugged and said, “It's not a big deal.” And if she kept telling herself that, maybe she would start believing it.

“Have you ever forgotten one of their birthdays?”

Of course not. She was reliable Jane. “I think it's my punishment for leaving the practice, for going against their wishes. Sometimes they act like I'm not even a part of the family any longer.”

He reached over and brushed her hair back from her
face. It was such a sweet gesture, for some stupid reason it made her feel like crying. But she was not the crying type, so it must have been the alcohol.

“Families suck,” he said.

Wasn't that the truth. She was so tired of feeling as if she wasn't good enough, as though what she wanted, and her happiness, didn't matter. She sighed and laid her head back, letting her eyes drift closed. She listened to the melody playing softly on the radio, and Jordan's voice singing slightly off-key with Keith Urban.

She must have drifted off, because the next thing she knew, Jordan was calling her name and nudging her awake.

 

Jane's eyes fluttered open and she bolted upright. “I'm sorry. Did I fall asleep?”

“It's okay,” Jordan said, rubbing her shoulder. “We're here.”

She looked out the windshield, a frown creasing her brow. “Um…where is
here?
”

He cut the engine. “The parking garage of my building.”

“I thought you were taking me home.”

“I did. To my home.”

She shot him an exasperated look.

He grinned. “I'm sorry, did you want me to take you to
your
home?”

She shook her head and laughed, as if she thought he was hopeless. “Yeah, that was the idea.”

He liked making her smile, making her happy. “Well, in my defense, you never actually specified. But since you're already here, you may as well come up and have a look around.” After all, that was probably part of her plan to get information. She must have figured out by now that there was nothing in his office to suggest he had anything to do with the sabotage. Logically the next place to look
would be his home. Not that she would find anything there either, but she could try. He wanted her to know that he would never do anything to hurt anyone. He didn't even know why he cared. He just did.

“Jordan—”

“Listen, it's nine o'clock on a Friday night and you're clearly upset. What kind of friend would I be if I let you spend the evening alone watching Arnold Schwarzenegger, scarfing caramel nut swirl ice cream.”

He could tell by her expression, that was exactly what she would have done.

“You must think I'm an idiot for even caring what they think,” she said.

He draped his arm over the back of her seat, leaning in. “Jane, I just spent two days at the bedside of a mother who missed my high school graduation because she had a hair appointment.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. So who do you think is the bigger idiot?”

For a long moment she just looked at him, searching his face. “How do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Always manage to say exactly the right thing,” she said, then she slipped her hand behind his neck, pulled him closer and kissed him. It was the last thing he expected. He thought he was going to have to work for it, seduce her into seeing things his way. He wasn't sure
what
he'd done but obviously it had worked.

She broke the kiss and gazed up at him. “Take me upstairs, Jordan, right now, before I change my mind.”

“Let's go.”

They got out of the car and crossed the garage to the elevator. The second they were inside, and the doors slid closed, her arms were around him and her lips were on his.
He had kissed a lot of women, but no one put more heart and soul into it. More honesty. If he were a better man, he would take into consideration the fact that she was slightly compromised by the drinks, and maybe not thinking one hundred percent clearly, but as she rubbed her hand over the crotch of his jeans she seemed to know exactly what she wanted. And there was no question for him either.

The doors opened at the top floor. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the foyer of his penthouse.

“You own the entire top floor?” she asked.

“I own the building. I live on the top floor.” He punched his code into the pad and opened the door, pulling her inside. It was dark, but for the lamp next to the couch.

“Wow,” Jane said, taking in the open-concept space, tugging her jacket off and draping it across the back of an overstuffed chair. “This is nice. It's not at all what I expected.”

He did the same with his jacket. “What did you expect?”

“Something more modern. Glass and steel and black leather. And I like the dark wood and the earth tones, and the furniture looks so soft and comfortable” She unbuttoned the jacket of her suit and tossed that on the chair too. She wore another one of those sleeveless, silky numbers underneath. “It's so…homey and warm.”

“Thanks,” he said, unbuttoning his shirt. “I've always believed a house should be a home. Although I can't really take credit. I hired a decorator.”

She nodded to the bank of windows across the room, clearly dazzled by the panoramic view of the city. “The view is amazing.”

“It's the main reason I bought the building.”

She pulled her top over her head and dropped it on the growing pile. She wore a sheer white bra underneath. Her breasts were on the small side, but what she had was
so beautiful, he didn't care. He had always been more of a leg man, and hers were long and lean and perfect, especially when they were wrapped around his waist. Or his shoulders, or pretty much any part of his body.

She unzipped her skirt and pushed it down her legs. Under it she wore a matching thong and, hot damn, those thigh-high stockings.

She grabbed the front of his shirt, backed herself against the wall beside the door and pulled him in for a kiss. And damn could she kiss. She pushed the shirt off his shoulders and he tugged it down his arms. She arched her back, rubbing her lace-covered breasts against his chest, devouring his mouth. He slipped a hand inside her panties and she moaned, biting down on his lower lip. He dipped into her wet heat, teasing her with feather-light strokes.

Her breath was coming harder and faster. He yanked the cup of her bra down and licked the tip of her breast, then he sucked it into his mouth. She gasped and her head fell back. Since she seemed to like it, he did the same thing to the other side. She moaned and started to shake all over, then her body clamped down hard around his fingers. He'd been with women it took forever to satisfy, until it was more of a chore than actual fun. Jane was not one of those women.

“Maybe we should move this to my bedroom,” he said.

She gazed up at him with lust glazed eyes and tugged his pants open. “No, right here. Against the wall.”

“Condoms are in the bedroom.”

She shoved his pants down and he kicked them off. “I've got it covered.”

“You're on the pill?”

“IUD.”

Good enough for him. He slid her panties down and she stepped out of them, then he lifted her off her feet,
pinning her hard against the wall. She gasped and clamped her legs around his waist, wrapped her arms around his neck. He was afraid he might have hurt her, but her smile said she liked it. Despite her willowy physique, she was no delicate flower. She liked it a little rough; she wasn't afraid to experiment either.

His eyes locked on hers. He thrust inside of her, and without the condom to dull the sensation, the pleasure was so intense he nearly lost it. He tried to keep a slow, steady pace, but that just didn't seem to be cutting it. Jane clawed her fingers through his hair, bumping her hips in time with his thrusts, moaning,
“Harder.”
He had no choice but to give her what she wanted, and when her muscles clamped around him and she moaned with release again, he tried to hold back, but seeing her look of utter bliss did him in.

“Just when I think it can't get any better, it does,” she said breathlessly, still clinging to him.

He dropped his head on her shoulder, breathing hard. “Have I mentioned how good you are for my ego?”

She laughed. “I seriously doubt your ego needs any help from me. I think you're probably the most confident man I've ever met in my life.”

“And I'm more irresistible than I thought. I brought you here with every intention of seducing you, but you beat me to it.”

“I guess after five years of mediocre sex, then nine months of no sex at all, maybe I feel as if I deserve a little fun.”

His knees were close to buckling, so he carried Jane the five feet to the couch and sat down with her in his lap. “Is that all this is? Fun?”

She loosened her arms from around his neck, gazing at him with a puzzled look. “Where else do you see this going?”

He shrugged. “I don't know. All I do know is that one night with you wasn't enough. Call me selfish, but I wanted more.”

“How much more?”

“I don't know.”

“A day, a week?”

A lifetime? The way he was feeling tonight, he couldn't imagine ever
not
wanting her. He barely knew her, yet he felt more connected to her than he'd ever felt to a woman. He didn't even care that every so often she had to lie to him. That had to mean something, right?

“I don't know how long.” He reached up, stroked her cheek. “All I know is that everything in me is telling me that
right now,
this is what I need.”

“The same rules apply. No one can know. Not our families or our friends. And especially not the people at work.”

“Why?”

She sighed. “Because that's what
I
need.”

Did he honestly think she was going to tell him the truth? That sleeping with a man she was investigating would get her fired. And who was he to judge her? By not telling her he knew who she really was, wasn't he being just as dishonest? But the truth was going to come out eventually. He could only hope that when it did, they would have grown tired of each other. They could move on with their lives and no one would be hurt.