Tender Touch (9 page)

“Ms. Pellerin, I have a call for you on line
two. Ms. Pellerin?” Tisha looked at her then at Damon.

Jade blinked and came back to her
surroundings with reluctance. “What?”

“You can take it in here.” Tisha pointed to
a phone on the credenza along the wall behind the large table.
“That is if y’all aren’t too involved to be disturbed.”

“No, no.” Jade went to the phone on legs
that felt like cotton.

Damon coughed and stood up. “I’ll give you
some privacy. Let me know when you’re through.” He passed Tisha
without returning her gaze.

Jade punched the button. “Yes. Oh, hi.
Aline. Yeah, tell him they’re in that blue binder on the second
bookcase of the library. I see.” She found great difficulty paying
attention to the clerk’s message from Bill. The woman seemed to
drone on forever, asking questions so Bill could find a policy he
needed urgently.

Something important had happened in the last
few minutes, a sort of culmination of what meeting Damon Knight for
the first time had set in motion. In one moment, with one simple
phrase, a certainty that she could be close to this man took hold
deep inside her. Now she was anxious to be with him again. If only
this phone call would end! Damon came back into the room and
started to leave when he saw her still talking on the phone.

“Wait, I’m almost through,” Jade called out
and cut off the clerk on the other end of the line in midsentence.
“I’ll see you in a little while and take care of it. Bye.” She hung
up before the long-winded staff person could start talking
again.

“Well it’s eleven thirty already. You, uh,
probably have plans for lunch.” Damon cleared his throat and
glanced out the window.

“I need to grab something at a drive-through
and get back to the office. A minor crisis is brewing,” Jade said.
She picked up her purse and leather portfolio.

“Sure. I understand. That’s a busy place
these days.” Damon stood next to the door but did not open it. “Bet
you’ll be working late, too.”

“Not tonight,” Jade said with great vigor.
Take is easy, girl. But her heartbeat was like a small drum going
double-time.

“There’s a reception for a new faculty
exhibit at the Frank Hayden Gallery at Southern University. I have
an invitation. Would you care to join me? If you’re into art, that
is.”

“I love going to art galleries. In fact,
I’ve started my own modest private collection.”

“Really? Then I’ll pick you up at a quarter
to six. We can have dinner afterward.” Damon wore an animated
look.

Jade smiled at him. “Sounds good.” She
managed to restrain herself from shouting ya-hoo! With a steady
voice, she gave him her address.

For the rest of the day, she breezed around
light of heart. Nothing altered her splendid mood. Things that
might have left her frazzled at the end of the day were no match
for the magic Damon had worked on her. At quitting time Jade eased
by her boss’s office careful not to make noise lest he stop her.
She breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator doors shut. It was
almost five when she got to her condo. Jade made a mad dash to the
bedroom and began searching her closet. Red dress? Too bold a
statement for the first date. Black jersey dress? Too prim and
proper. Time was getting short. After several minutes of muttering
and searching, she uttered a cry of delight. Of course—she should
have thought of it at once. Her gold cotton cashmere sweater, long
slim black skirt with a side split and wide black belt. Perfect.
When the door chimes sounded, she jumped. Even though she was
dressed, Jade felt far from ready. Butterflies of doubt fluttered
in her stomach. What if she was moving too fast? Well, it was too
late for second thoughts now.

* * *

Damon’s confidence faltered at the echo of
the chimes within the condo. He wondered if he’d lost his mind.
Being close to this woman in a cold government office building had
set off his fire alarm like crazy, and here he was at her doorstep.
The attraction was not just physical, though Lord knows the way she
moved in a skirt made his brain sweat. Well, he’d just have to put
the brakes on his emotions. He had been with other good-looking
women in the last year.

“Hey, I’ve dated since my divorce. No
biggie.” Damon tried to convince himself with a suave shrug of his
shoulders. Then the door swung open, and a silent blast blew away
his resolve to play it cool. “Have mercy,” he murmured at the sight
that greeted him.

“Hi. Come on in.”

Jade stood there like a work of art herself.
Damon was rooted to the spot at sight of her in gold and black. The
outfit she wore was a wonderful showcase of the womanly curves that
set him on fire.

“You look magnificent,” Damon said in a
voice filled with awe. He sounded like a lust-struck adolescent,
but he could not help it. The woman had it all together.

“Thank you.” Jade gave him a shy smile.

Damon kept up a running dialogue in his head
to convince himself that he could maintain control in the face of
such tremendous temptation. He looked around at the fawn, slate
blue and red color scheme of her living room. The soft fabric of
the sofa conspired to make him feel right at home sitting next to
her. When she lifted her arm to brush back a stray strand of hair,
the delicate, spicy fragrance of her perfume made him quiver. He
mentally surrendered.

“I’ve been looking forward to this evening
all day, Jade.” Damon felt a weight lift, and then a sinking
feeling began when a long moment of silence stretched as Jade
considered his words. Oh, well, at least he’d get the bad news
early this time.

Jade gazed at him. “So have I.”

“Damn, I’m glad to hear you say that,” Damon
said. “I mean, uh...”

“I know exactly what you mean.” Jade’s lips
lifted just a bit at the comers.

Damon took a deep breath. “I’ve been through
a really rough divorce. And I’m kinda taking it easy where
relationships are concerned.”

“Me, too. Divorce can leave you a little
ragged around the edges, can’t it?” Jade faced him.

“Tell me about it. But you’re something I
didn’t count on.” Damon searched for a way to explain the feeling
that they were the right fit somehow, that they could be good
together. “I’m not saying this very well.” He ran his fingers over
his hair in frustration.

“Let me try. We enjoy talking to each other
and seem to have common interests. Neither of us is ready to get
into a heavy thing right now, but we’d like to spend time together.
How’s that?” Jade watched him closely with a twinkle in her
eyes.

“That’s it exactly.” Damon leaned toward her
just a fraction. “I definitely want to spend time with you, Jade.
But...”

“Yes?” Jade stiffened a bit.

“I understand if you’re seeing someone else.
That is, I’m not saying we’re seeing each other exclusively.” Damon
stared at the carpet. He cringed at the clumsy way he tried to find
out if there was another man in her life, but he did not want to
know about him, for he felt sure such a fabulous woman was
dating.

“Of course. Naturally,” Jade put in quickly.
“Well, shall we go? The reception starts at six-thirty, so we have
fifteen minutes to get there.”

“Yeah, right. I hear there are some
outstanding new pieces in this new exhibit.” He helped her into a
gold and black cropped jacket.

Damon felt a damper put on the night ahead.
So there was someone else—no problem, he assured himself. In fact,
it was just as well. That would keep him from jumping into a
serious relationship too fast. Yes, all things considered that
would work just fine.

* * *

Jade rode beside Damon in his Buick Riviera.
The soft leather seats were like a glove fitting her body, and he’d
popped in a compact disk of jazz. The exhibit had been wonderful,
yet she could not get the thought that Damon wanted to see other
women out of her mind. Even as they walked around, admiring the
powerful sculptures and paintings, Jade kept hearing him say they
should see other people. You should be relieved, dummy. This way
you know where you stand. Besides, you don’t need to throw yourself
into a big-deal love affair. She gazed at his profile in the muted
glow of the dashboard lights. He was not preoccupied with it; that
was obvious as he went on about the art gallery and his knowledge
of the artists. After a pleasant dinner, they returned to her
condo. Damon stood just inside her living room with an air of
indecision.

“Would you like coffee? I have a special
blend from Colombia.” Jade turned away to take off her jacket. Was
he searching for a way to make a graceful exit?

“Thanks, I would,” Damon said. He sat down
on the sofa with a sigh. Jade felt a rise of irritation. “

Are you sure? I’ll understand if you need to
leave.”

Damon got up and crossed her. “No, Jade.
This is where I want to be. The truth is I’m having a hard time
keeping myself in check around you.”

Excitement tickled through her. “What do you
mean?”

“Look, I know I said we’d spend time
together and see other people. And I thought I meant it at the
time. Well, I tried to mean it because of my ex, and what happened
with her. But... ah, hell. I’m not making any sense.” Damon raked
his fingers over his hair for the second time that evening. No
woman had ever made him feel like a babbling idiot—not even
Rachelle. He couldn’t string two coherent sentences together,
especially when what he wanted to do was stop talking and kiss
her.

Jade stepped up to him and touched his arm.
“Damon, I know exactly what you mean.”

Damon took her hand. “I’m not seeing anyone
else, not now. Not after meeting you that first day, Jade. Maybe
I’m rushing things, but I’d like us to get to know each other
without distractions. I know you didn’t have this in mind,
but.”

“You thought I wanted to see other people?”
Jade was lightheaded with relief. “When you brought it up, I agreed
because I thought you wanted it.”

“Let’s start over,” Damon said with a
chuckle low in his throat. He lifted her chin with a forefinger. “I
think you are one magnificent woman, Jade Pellerin. And I want to
be with you in every way.”

“Agreed,” was all Jade could manage. Her
breath was short from the thrill of seeing the desire in his eyes.
She lifted her mouth to his and pulled his head down. The cool,
smooth taste of him filled her with a hunger that roared through
her body like a wildfire.

The kiss stretched out for a long, delicious
time. They stood wrapped in each other’s arms, lost in a world of
mutual passion. When it ended, they both took a deep breath in
satisfaction.

“Woman, you’ve got a Ph.D. in Kissology.
Lord have mercy!” Damon cradled her to him and stroked her
arms.

“Thank you, professor, but you must have
written the book.” Jade giggled. Then she looked up at him with a
sober expression. “I don’t think we should act too quickly and get
serious fast right now—”

“Let’s just go with it for now. This feels
so good, I don’t want to talk about doubts or dwell on what
happened in the past for either of us.” He looked at her, his dark
brown eyes intense. “I’m willing to take it slow and easy. I’ll
accept wherever this leads.”

Jade rested her head on his chest with a
feeling of quiet joy she’d never felt before with any man,
including Nick. “So am I, Damon Knight. So am I.”

Chapter 4

Jade, come here!” Lang yelled. “Jade!”

She rushed into his office with a feeling of
dread. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Not a thing. We got more of the grant money
than even I expected on my most optimistic day. A grand total of
3.8 million dollars.” Lang waved a sheet of paper in the air.

“That’s fantastic.” Jade read the award
letter when he handed it to her.

Lang rubbed his hands together. “But now the
real work begins. We’ve got to set up a task force immediately to
select a permanent project director.” He came to stand in front of
her. “I’m going to recommend you.”

Jade’s mouth hung open. “Oh, but—”

“Wait a minute before you say no. I watched
you in the meeting the other day. Even though it was the first time
you’d met those folks, you had a way of pulling all their thoughts
together and directing them toward a focus of effort.”

“I don’t know what to say, Bill. Naturally
it’s a wonderful compliment.” Jade’s mind was in a whirl. This was
a great opportunity, but the work would be all-consuming.

“You’ll get to meet some of the top people
in the field of human services. We have a substantial budget for
travel and attending national and even international conferences.”
Lang watched her reaction.

“I’m not sure I have the experience...”

“You’ll be working closely with folks who
are more than willing to help. Me, for example.” Lang looked down
at her with an intent expression. “Say yes.”

Jade knew she’d be crazy to pass up such a
chance. She pushed away self-doubts and lifted her chin. “Of course
I’ll do it. And thanks for having confidence in me.”

Lang stared at her for several seconds.
“Jade, I... You’re quite welcome.” He stepped back and went around
to sit behind his desk again. “Speaking of conferences, there is
one next month in Washington, D.C., on community intervention. I’ll
be going and so will Mike. I want you to come also.”

“Fine,” Jade said in a calm voice. Inside
she was as happy as a kid going off to Disney World. “How long will
we be there?”

“About four days.” He wore a slight smile.
“Yes, you’ll have time to visit the Smithsonian and wander through
art galleries. I might even come along—if you don’t mind.”