His Seductive Revenge. Susan Crosby

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СКАЧАТЬ work at home. Eleven tomorrow morning?”

      “Fine.” She glanced at the card. His address put him smack in the middle of Pacific Heights, an area filled with wonderful Victorian-design houses that were huge, old and expensive. It was a world she came from, but had never felt comfortable in. “Please tell Raymond that if my father contacts him about the portrait, he should just stall for a while. Father won’t like it, but he thinks he understands the artistic temperament.”

      “Why does he?”

      She smiled “Because of me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

      

      “I’m fine,” Cristina said into the phone, wandering around her apartment as she spoke to her father. She hadn’t accomplished anything since she’d left the gallery, and three projects awaited her attention. She’d gotten in the last word with Gabe, which pleased her, but the anticipation had rendered her useless otherwise. “And, no, I haven’t seen a single hoodlum, Father. It’s very quiet.”

      “There was no reason to move out. You had your own wing, for heaven’s sake.”

      “It’s not the same as having a place of my own. It was time for me to spread my wings. We’ve discussed this again and again.”

      “Yes, I know. I’ve been smothering you since your mother died. You’ll have a place of your own when you marry.”

      “No, I won’t. I’ll have my husband’s place.”

      He sighed. “I don’t understand the modern woman. Your mother was content to join me in my life and make it her own.”

      “I’m not her, Father.”

      “As you remind me so often. I must go now, my dear. Oh, by the way, I gave Jason your new address and phone number. I expect he’ll check in.”

      He hung up before she could utter a word of protest. Logically she knew she couldn’t keep her location a secret from Jason, but she resented her father being the one to tell him.

      When someone knocked on her door, she knew without question who would be there. He’d probably been sitting in his car with his cellular phone, waiting for her father to call him, so she couldn’t pretend to be gone.

      She didn’t want him in her apartment, in her space. She’d divorced herself from that life, and Jason would bring it back with him.

      With a sigh, she opened the door and invited him in, unwillingly comparing Jason to Gabriel Marquez. They were close to the same height and weight, although their builds were entirely different, Gabe appearing more powerful, in physique and sheer presence. Where Gabe was dark, Jason was light. Most significantly, Jason wasn’t the slightest bit exciting or intriguing or...dangerous. She watched him glance around the room that combined a living room, bedroom and kitchen. The furnishings were few, but they were hers.

      “You like it here, Cris?”

      She counted to five. “I love it. Why wouldn’t I?”

      “It’s so small.”

      “It suits me. So, what’s going on?”

      “I have tickets to the opera. Friday night.”

      “You hate the opera.”

      “Yeah.” He jammed his hands in his front pockets. “But you don’t. I want to take you.”

      She studied him for a moment. “Have a seat.”

      They sat on the sofa, the only piece of furniture she owned other than her bed and computer desk. “What’s this all about, Jason? We’ve known each other almost forever. This is totally unlike you, asking me for a date.”

      “I’ve been through a lot lately. You know. My life is different now.”

      “Because of the scandal? But that’s your father’s problem. It’s his building that collapsed. His name was all over the headlines, not yours. And it’s his reputation that’s in question.”

      “You don’t think I’m affected by the fallout? Don’t be naive, Cris. Until we find that guy who was paralyzed in the accident and prove he’s the one who caused it, I’m invisible. People don’t return my calls. I get the cold shoulder at the club. I have become persona non grata. You are the only one who didn’t turn away.”

      If he only knew how little thought she’d given the whole mess. She’d been too wrapped up with planning her move to her own apartment to think about anyone else. Maybe she did owe him something. He’d always been nice to her, even when their parents weren’t around. His family had bought a house near hers when she was five, but Richard Grimes’s wealth was too new, and it had taken years for him to earn minimal acceptance in local society. The scandal had become a convenient excuse to ignore him.

      Cristina swallowed a sigh, remembering how Jason had volunteered to escort her to her senior prom—her only invitation for the event. She’d been painfully shy then. Even now, she had to force herself to be more outgoing when she’d rather stand back and observe.

      She looked at him. They were both going through changes that had taken them out of the social hub they’d always known—although hers was by choice. She didn’t want to encourage him, not when something new and exciting awaited her, but she couldn’t find it in her heart to turn away from him, either.

      She touched the back of his hand. “Of course I’ll go with you. Thank you for thinking of me.”

      “Really? I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty. We’ll have a late supper after.”

      “Fine.” She followed him to the front door, startled by how fast he was leaving. Apparently he’d gotten what he came for, and that was that. No idle chitchat for this man. If he really thought that just being seen with her would help, well, she could make that sacrifice.

      He clasped her hand and shook it, then he leaned back through the doorway and kissed her, right on the lips. On a scale from one to ten, she gave him a one in both technique and excitement level. She resisted wiping the back of her hand across her mouth when he pulled away.

      “Bye,” he called as he hurried out to the street.

      Cristina shut the door, then went into the kitchen to get something to wash away the experience. She drank half a glass of iced tea before she came up for air.

      The planets must be out of alignment or something, she decided. All of a sudden she’d become some sort of femme fatale, a whole new role for her. Two men had taken a more-than-average interest in her. One might as well be her brother—she’d certainly never looked at him as anything other than a platonic friend. The second man she couldn’t even begin to define. But she had a hard time believing that she was the kind of woman who normally drew Gabriel Marquez’s attention.

      So, it appeared that both men had agendas and neither of them were sharing the itemized list with her, leaving her in a quandary. The biggest adventure of her life was about to begin, and she wasn’t sure what to pack for the journey.

      Three

      Right on time. From his office window, Gabe watched Cristina exit the taxicab. СКАЧАТЬ