Beyond Temptation (10 page)

“H
ow’s that Steele boy?”

Lena smiled as she shoved in her briefcase the documents she needed to go over with a potential buyer. Funny, although she knew her mother’s usage of the word
boy
was just a term, Lena couldn’t visualize Morgan as a boy. She saw the person who had kissed her almost senseless yesterday as being a man in every full sense of the word.

“If you’re asking about Morgan, I guess he’s fine,” she said, trying to keep her voice light, neutral and nonchalant.

“So when will he be coming back?”

Lena lifted her head and met her mother’s gaze with an arched brow. “How did you know he was going somewhere?”

“He told me when he called a few days ago,” Odessa said, as she sat at the kitchen table and took a sip of her coffee.

Lena, with an incredulous look on her face, shut her briefcase with a click. “Morgan called you?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“I told you it was a few days ago. Monday, I believe.”

Lena sighed. “And
when
did he call on Monday?”

“In the afternoon. Before you got home.”

Lena leaned against the kitchen counter. “He called to tell you he was leaving town?”

“No. Actually he called to thank me for dinner on Sunday, and then he mentioned he was leaving town.” Her mother took another sip of her coffee, then asked, “Why all the questions?”

Lena rolled her eyes heavenward wondering if her mother had forgotten that she was the one who’d brought up Morgan in the first place. She decided to jog her memory. “Mom, you’re the one who asked about Morgan. If you had spoken to
him this week, then why did you even ask me how he was doing?”

“Because I thought that perhaps you had talked to him since then.”

“Yes, I saw him yesterday at my office. You know I’m selling his home and helping him find another.” Until she decided how she would handle his proposal she didn’t want her mother to get any ideas, so she added, “Our relationship is strictly professional.”

“If that’s true, then why did he come to dinner?”

Lena sighed. “Because you asked him, and like he told you, he hadn’t eaten a home-cooked meal in a long time. No man would have turned that down.”

“Maybe, but I think he came for another reason altogether,” Odessa said, matter-of-factly.

“And what reason is that?”

Her mother’s lips parted into the barest of smiles. “You. That Steele boy likes you. Any fool can see that.”

Later that day Lena’s mind was filled with Morgan’s proposition. He would see their marriage as a business venture. Could she do the same? What if she began developing feelings for him and he walked in one day and declared that he wanted out of the marriage? What would she do then?

She was jolted from her thoughts with the ringing of her telephone. She picked it up. “Yes, Wendy?”

“Vanessa Steele is on the line for you.”

Lena raised a brow. She and Vanessa had worked together on several community projects around town. Like her own father, Vanessa’s father had been the victim of cancer, so it wasn’t unusual for them to participate in fund-raising activities to benefit the American Cancer Society. The same thing applied to Chance, whose first wife had died from cancer.

Lena liked Vanessa. She thought she was a person who wasn’t just beautiful on the outside but on the inside as well. And unlike some people whose family had a lot of money—namely someone like Cassandra Tisdale—Vanessa Steele didn’t have a “better than thou” bone in her body.

“Thanks, Wendy, please put her through.”

Lena only had to wait a few moments before the sound of Vanessa’s exuberant voice came on the line. “Lena, how are you?”

“I’m fine, Vanessa, and how are you?”

“I’m doing great. I just got a call from the principal at the high school I graduated from requesting that I spearhead this project, and after hearing it, I immediately thought of soliciting your,
Jocelyn’s and Sienna’s help.” She chuckled, then added, “Kylie’s pregnancy saved her from me pulling her in as well, and we don’t have a lot of time to pull this thing together.”

Lena’s interest was piqued after hearing the excitement in Vanessa’s voice. “What sort of project is it?”

“A mini career fair. Only thing is that the head of the school’s business department wants it held in a few weeks. If we wait until next month we’ll be competing against prom time. Sorry for the late notice but it was something she thought of doing just last night, but I think it’s a wonderful idea to showcase local employment opportunities for those who might not be considering college as an option right now.”

“I agree, it’s a wonderful idea. How can I help?”

“I’m going to need your business to participate by having a booth. It would be nice for the students to see the wonderful opportunities in real estate.”

“Do you have a date picked out yet?”

“Yes, the thirtieth of this month. That’s a Friday. I’ve talked to Chance, and to kick things off the Steele Corporation will host a sit-down dinner for all the businesses that will be participating.”

“Well, consider me in,” Lena said, smiling.

“And consider it done. I’d like to have a meeting this weekend, something informal. How about my place on Saturday evening? Are you available?”

Lena didn’t like to commit herself to being somewhere until she made sure her mother would be fine staying alone. So far her mother’s condition had improved over the past month or so, and she was taking her medication when she was supposed to, making it easier for her to get around. “Let me get back with you about that meeting on Saturday.”

“That’s fine. Do you still have my number?”

Lena quickly checked the Rolodex on her desk. “Yes, I still have it.”

“Good. I hope to see you if you can make it. If you can’t I’ll understand and I will call you the early part of next week and go over what was discussed.”

“Thanks.”

After hanging up the phone, Lena couldn’t help but feel good that Vanessa had included her on the committee.

Morgan entered his hotel room after having dinner with Cameron and Ben. Moments later he had set up his laptop on the desk in the room and called home to speak with Chance before going into the bathroom to take a shower.

According to Chance, things were running smoothly back at the office, and Chance was glad to hear that Morgan would be returning home late Friday night instead of Sunday. That meant he would be home for the brothers’ weekly basketball game Saturday morning.

After his shower, Morgan sat down at the desk and booted up his computer, immediately checking his e-mail to see if his secretary had sent him the documents he had requested of her earlier. She had, and after downloading all the attachments and reading through most of them, which took almost a full hour, he clicked on his Instant Messages, mainly to see if Donovan was online. His younger brother had a tendency to pick up dates online as well as off.

It appeared Donovan wasn’t, but someone else was, he thought, when Lena’s screen name popped up. He glanced at the clock radio near the bed. It was almost two in the morning. What was she still doing up?

He remembered her once mentioning that because of her mom, she typically got into bed early. He hoped that whatever reason she was still awake and on her laptop he wouldn’t interrupt, because he intended to drop in.

Lena smiled as she continued to read the messages her goddaughter, Tiffany, had sent her earlier that day over the computer. Tiffany was excited about the prospect of becoming a big sister to a baby girl or boy, and before going to bed each night she would send Lena information on all the things she planned to do in her new role.

Tiffany had also written to tell her about this guy from school that she simply adored. Although Kylie had lightened up some on Tiffany now that she was sixteen, her best friend was still trying to make sure Tiffany didn’t make the same mistakes she had made as a teen, which was understandable. These days Kylie was handling the situation in a different way, one that would not alienate her daughter. Chance and Kylie, along with Tiffany and Chase’s son, Marcus, were one big happy family.

Lena leaned back against the headboard and balanced her laptop on raised knees, remembering what had awakened her at two in the morning. She had had a dream of her and Morgan together, in bed. A shiver ran down her spine at the memory.

In her dream Morgan’s kisses had been just as heated as the one in her office. And when he had placed her on the bed, she had watched as his eyes
changed from a dark brown to a hot brown as she succumbed to his magnetic pull and sexual appeal. Her breath had become shallow as he slowly removed her clothes, and desire consumed her, sending blood gushing through her veins like water through a fire hose. The eyes that had stared at her while he’d gotten undressed had had her pulse escalating, had made a certain part of her beg for him to take her over the edge. Her tension had mounted when he placed his body over hers, the scent of him sending her senses into overdrive. Her thighs had parted, and mere seconds before he was to enter her she had heard her mother cry out for her father, thus shattering the moment.

Lena sighed, thinking maybe that had been a good thing. She couldn’t imagine how things would have been if Morgan had completed the task and made love to her. She was about to log off the computer when an Instant Message popped up on her screen, almost startling her. The message asked
What are you doing up so late?

She frowned, lifting a brow, pondering the identity of the individual who wanted to know. She was not a person who indulged in Internet chats or instant messages unless it was Kylie or Tiffany, and she knew both of them were in bed
asleep now. Her gaze was drawn to the screen name, and her heart almost stopped—
MDSteele.
She immediately sucked in a huge breath upon recognizing the screen name belonged to Morgan Darien Steele.

Ignoring the sensations that shivered up her spine, she nervously typed a response, wanting to make sure it was him.

Morgan?

Yes, it’s me.

Satisfied, she then clicked further to answer his question.
Mom woke me. Bad dream. And I couldn’t go back to sleep.
She decided not to tell him about his part in her sleepless night.
What about you? Why are you still up?

Late business meeting and not ready to go to bed,
was his typed response. And then
Is your Mom okay?

Yes, she’s fine. And how are things going with your meeting?

All right.

Moments later she typed.
Can I ask you something?

You can ask me anything.

Why me, Morgan?

He knew what she was asking him and
moments later he typed
Why not you, Lena? You’re a very beautiful and desirable woman and I want you.

She swallowed hard, trying to keep her heart from pounding at his words. She refused to put too much stock into them. She was glad he couldn’t hear her low laugh as she typed
Come on, Morgan, be for real. I’m not your type.

And what do you see as my type?

Lena frowned. If he wanted the truth she would give it to him.
Worldly, highly sophisticated, pencil thin…

Wrong on all accounts. Is that why you never wanted to go out with me?

She quickly typed a response.
No. I told you the reason. Once burned you learn not to play with fire.

And you saw me as fire?

Maybe not fire, but definitely someone too hot to handle.

She could tell by the timing that he had paused before sending her his next typed response.
What if I told you that I saw you as someone too hot to handle as well?

Lena smiled.
Then my response would be that you probably had me mixed up with my twin.

You have a twin?

I’m a Gemini.

Interesting. What’s the difference in the two of you?

I’m not a risk taker. My twin is. She lives for the moment without thinking about her actions. I do just the opposite.
She decided to leave off anything about her twin having a tendency to be naughty and wild.

How often does she come out?

Lena rolled her eyes and grinned. Of course as a man Morgan would be interested in knowing that.
She’s never actually come out. I’ve managed to keep her in line.

What a shame.

Yes, well, that’s how it is. And with that said, I’m going to turn in now. I’m finally feeling sleepy.