Tender Touch (3 page)

Alton Pellerin doted on his baby girl but
was gone much of the time, tending to a successful dry cleaning
business. The familiar feeling of sad resentment flooded her as she
watched the two of them in easy camaraderie discuss men.

“I guess we should be going if you’re going
to have time to get ready for your date.” Clarice stood and lifted
her cape to her shoulders. Jade jumped up and helped her. “Don’t
work too hard, sugar.” She pressed her lips to Jade’s cheek then
rubbed the smear of lipstick from her skin. “Such lovely skin runs
in our family.”

“Bye, Jade-girl,” Lanessa said. “Really,
it’s great about your promotion. You deserve it.” She held Jade’s
hand a moment before letting go.

“Thanks, Nessa.” Jade felt a rush of
affection. A fleeting shadow of...something passed over her
sister’s face. Sadness? Regret? “Are you okay?”

“Hey, fine as wine.” The old Lanessa,
confident and self-possessed flashed a dazzling smile. “Child, I’ve
got a sweater dress that is going to have old Alex’s tongue hanging
out all night. With any luck I’ll have a diamond necklace this
Christmas. Then it’s so long, sucker.”

Jade laughed in spite of herself. “You ought
to be ashamed of yourself, girl.” Even with all her vanity and
being favored by Clarice, Jade could not help but have a deep
sister-love for her.

“Don’t you sit around alone every night.
With your looks you could have a dozen fine men to choose from.”
Lanessa shrugged into her leather pant coat.

“Oh, yeah. I had to change my phone number
three times to avoid them,” Jade said with a snort. “Besides, I’ve
had my fill of men for a while.”

“Hey, your divorce was final a year ago.
Forget about Nick, he didn’t deserve you.”

“I’m over Nick. My life has gotten one
hundred percent better since he’s out of it. And no other
look-so-good brother is going to mess with my mind again,” Jade
blurted out with force—too much force not to make Lanessa take
note.

“Who have you met? Some man has got you more
turned on than you want to be.” Lanessa was never so self-involved
that she could not read her little sister like a book. The accuracy
never ceased to amaze Jade, or annoy her.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jade said. She looked
down at the carpet. “I’m just making a general statement.”

“Uh-huh.” Lanessa started to say more when
Clarice called out. “Lanessa, you and Jade can talk about me behind
my back later. Now come on.”

“That woman thinks she’s the center of the
universe.” Lanessa rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. She gave Jade
a quick hug. “And the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Jade
murmured with good nature as she watched the dove gray Lincoln
Continental drive off.

Finally able to enjoy a peaceful night, Jade
put on her big nightshirt with matching knee socks. A steaming cup
of Sleepy Time tea sat on the end table near the sofa. As she
flipped through television stations looking for some bland old move
that would not tax her thoughts, Lanessa’s words came back to her.
Even hours later it seemed the stamp of Damon Knight’s powerful and
magnetic effect on her was visible. The man was sexy, no use
denying it. Just sitting a few feet across from him had set her
body thrumming with the desire to feel his hard chest pressed
against her. What was this? Until now, abstinence had been an easy
choice. Now she had to feel a sensual ache because of one
encounter.

“It’s just the natural effect of being
without a man for so long. Nothing more,’’ she said out loud as
though hearing her own voice would make it so. But even as she
spoke the words, she felt a small glow at the possibility she might
see him again very soon.

* * *

Damon sat in the second-floor office of his
carpet and floor covering store on Coursey Boulevard. The store
manager, Joe Kinchen, and other employees had locked up long ago
and most were gone now. He’d reviewed the inventory and sales
reports at least three times in the last hour. To his deep dismay,
the face of that gorgeous assistant of Lang’s kept coming back,
sending his mind off on a very un-businesslike reverie. Just his
luck she sat across from him. One look at those dark lashes and
eyebrows framing the most startling cocoa brown eyes made his
libido come alive.

Joe stood anxious to leave. “Everything in
order, Mr. Knight? I mean, you got any questions...?”

“Hmm? Oh, sorry, Joe. No, everything is
fine.” Damon rubbed his eyes.

“If you need to get the shipping lists,
they’re right here.” Joe went to a metal file cabinet.

“Damon, I thought you were at the Main
Street location today. Hi ya, Joe. How’s that new baby?”

Damon’s younger brother strode in and gave
Joe a handshake. Trent Knight had the same good looks stamped on
his nut brown face as his older brother and father, but the
similarity stopped there. Oliver Knight was a dour workaholic.
Damon did share his trait of being serious and hard working, though
he was not as humorless. On the other hand, Trent always had a joke
or was ready to laugh at himself. He owned his own business,
cleaning up construction sites and commercial buildings. That he
did not follow in the family business was a constant source of
tension in the family.

Damon felt a rush of guilt. Here it was
almost seven o’clock at night, and he was keeping Joe from his
family. All because he could not keep his priorities straight and
stop mooning over some woman he had seen only once.

“Go on home, Joe. I’m sorry for keeping you
here so late.” Damon jumped up from the chair and crossed to him.
“I’ll finish up. Tell Beryl hello for me.”

“Thanks, Damon. Night.” Joe waved a hasty
goodbye.

“Give that sweet baby girl a kiss for me,
man!” Trent yelled after the fleeing proud papa. A muffled reply
came back. “Can you believe how he turned his life around in two
years?”

“Sure. Even when I met him in jail, I could
see Joe was a man who wanted something more in his life.” Damon
began to organize the papers in brown file folders.

“And he’s got it. A lovely wife and
baby.”

“Uh-huh. How’s business with you?” Damon did
not want to talk about happy nuclear families. It brought too much
pain at what he did not have.

“Great. That new Lancaster Estates
development has been keeping my crews busy.” Trent sprawled his
lanky frame in the large leather chair opposite his brother.

“You’ll be adding more employees soon then?”
Damon paused in his task of arranging the documents.

Trent held up a hand. “Yes, and I’ll
interview a couple of boys from your program.” He laughed. “Always
putting the touch on me for those little scamps, as Grandma would
call them.”

“You get as much of a kick giving those kids
a break as I do, so don’t even try it.” Damon gave him a playful
punch as he passed to get to the file cabinet.

“That’s true. Well, I’m on my way to pick up
Carliss. Say, you ought to join us. Her friend—”

“Forget it,” Damon cut him off.

“But she’s a fabulous lady. A corporate
attorney.” Trent twisted around in his seat.

“Sure. Just what I need after being taken to
the cleaners by Rachelle in that divorce settlement—to spend time
with another lawyer. No, thanks.”

“Come on, bro. Don’t get all bitter on
me.”

“I’m taking a time-out from the mating game
for a while. When I start dating again—and it won’t be soon—I’ll
take it slow.” Damon thought of Jade’s lips, touched with lipstick
the color of dark red wine. Her hair, parted down the middle, was a
soft coal black frame to that lovely face. No, he was not falling
into that tender trap again. Not him. He shook his head and went
back to the desk.

“I see.”

“Real slow. No more getting turned around by
a fine woman who... uh, anyway I’m doing okay. I don’t need
it.”

Trent watched him for a while before
speaking. “Who is she?”

“Who is who?” Damon shuffled the files in
front of him.

“I got a strong impression that you had one
particular female in mind. That wasn’t a theoretical fine woman
that put a spark in your eyes just now.”

“My point is it’s only been a year since I
finally had Rachelle surgically removed from my life. I don’t mind
telling you it’s been a peaceful twelve months.” Damon heaved a
sigh.

“Yep, you had it rough.”

“Ten years of The Marriage from Hell. I’m
happy to be lonely these days. So let’s talk about something
else.”

Damon did not want to dwell on the memory of
Jade. What had she done to him to leave such an indelible mark of
arousal that came back at the mere thought of her? He needed to put
a halt to any weakening in that direction. Beautiful women were
trouble. And pain. An image of Rachelle, cold and calculating, made
his stomach clench. Rachelle was as heartless as she was beautiful.
No way. Jade Pellerin had heartache written all over her.

Trent took a melodramatic deep breath.
“Okay, I’ll let Carliss know she’ll have to give up trying to find
you a new love.”

“Definitely. Now have you seen Dad
lately?”

“Have I! Will he ever get over me not
running these stores with you?” Trent let out an exaggerated
groan.

Damon snorted. “You know the answer to that.
At least he’s following the treatment plan these days.”

“Yeah, he’s got more movement in his left
arm than ever before. But it’s been a long way back for him.” Trent
lost the irritated expression at the reference to how ill their
father had been.

“That stroke could have killed him.” Damon
spoke in a sober tone, saying what Trent would not. “A year of
treatment and he’s still weak. But at least he’s doing much
better.”

“Sure, nothing wrong with his mind—or his
mouth,” Trent said.

“Don’t let it get to you. Besides, fussing
and carrying on is his hobby. I think it helps him stay alert.”
Damon grinned at the grimace his comment caused Trent.

“Oh, so having him chew on my rear end is
medicinal. Well, then he ought to be himself in no time,” he said
with a twinkle in his eyes. He glanced at the clock on the wall.
“Let me get outta here. Sure you don’t want to—”

“Goodbye, Trent.” Damon pushed him toward
the door. “Have a nice time.”

Damon spent another fifteen minutes putting
things in order for Joe. He glanced at his watch—eight-thirty
already.

He decided to stop by Mario’s for take-out
Italian food on his way home. It seemed there were couples
everywhere: in the cars alongside his at every stop sign or red
light, in the restaurant while he waited for his order. Damon tried
to ignore them, yet seeing them made him feel an emptiness that he
had not felt before Jade Pellerin... Somehow not only his body but
his heart told him she would be a perfect fit to fill that void.
There was a seductive grace about the way her hair swung when she
turned her head. She had a habit of tilting her head to the right
when considering something said to her. It made her smart and sexy
at the same time. Boy, he had to get out of this frame of mind.
Without a doubt, he would not let her get too close to him. He did
not care what Lang expected, Eddie would have the job of working
with her. And that was that.

Chapter 2

“For the last three days I’ve been doing
damage control. That idiot Steve Franklin is shooting his mouth off
all over the state.” Mike Testor slapped an accordion file down on
Lang’s desk. The tall man still had his summer tan. His blue eyes
flashed with annoyance. He brushed back perfectly combed black
hair.

“No one really listens to Steve, Mike.” Lang
seemed undisturbed. “You know what’s going on in the finance
section. Just do what you always do. Tavis is on top of things
there, too.”

Lang nodded to a thin black man standing at
his shoulder. Tavis Collins worked as a program analyst in the
finance section of the Medicaid office. He and Lang had worked
together before. Tavis perched on the edge of Lang’s desk and gazed
at Mike.

“Sure, Mike. Besides, there is nothing; no
executive bulletin or published rule that prohibits anything you’re
doing.”

“You mean anything we’re doing, don’t you?”
Mike shot back.

“Whatever.” Tavis did not lose his composure
as he returned Mike’s stare with his own cool gaze.

“Bill, the governor is real sensitive to
this type of stuff. Remember, he was in the legislature for five
years. He knows the ropes.” Mike drummed his fingers with nervous
energy.

“He’s also got his hands full with the
gambling issue. Between the gambling lobby and the anti-gambling
lobby, he can’t come up for air long enough to notice much else.”
Lang stirred his mug of coffee. He was as relaxed as Testor was
nervous

“But Dr. Chauvin isn’t consumed with the
gambling thing. The governor named him secretary of this department
for a good reason. The man is not only considered a brilliant
doctor, but he’s an expert in health care services with an
international reputation.”

“Yes, yes.” Lang showed mild irritation.
Walter Chauvin had the kind of stature and power he wanted badly.
“Walter walks on water.”

“Not to mention Chester Howard. He’s not in
charge of the Office of Budget and Finance for nothing. And he’s
keeping close watch on the Medicaid division.”

“I know all that, Mike. They both
interviewed me, remember?”

“All I’m saying is we’ve got to be
careful.”

“And you’ve said it four times already. I
got the point. You think I got where I am by being sloppy?” Lang
took a long sip of the hot liquid.

“But those rule changes—” Mike was still
unconvinced.

“Are so complicated and obscure, no one will
figure them out for at least a year,” Tavis broke in.

“Yeah, but one of Chester’s hotshot new
assistants is making waves. He’s been complaining to me for the
last two months. He figured it out real fast.” Mike chewed on his
bottom lip.