Selfish Desires

Twenty-Four

Things were going well between her and Jamie since he'd plucked her from the boy's room in the middle of the night. She saw the man who lived in her memories and her heart again, the one who filled her evenings with light and laughter. He had so many questions, wanted to know everything about her and the boys, the good and the bad, even though it upset him to hear the struggles they'd sometimes gone through. It hadn't been easy raising twin boys while trying to build a career to support them, even though Ashley had been there every step of the way. But he never asked her why she left, and she never asked him what happened with Clara.

And her nights, Gods her nights were once again filled with wild lovemaking. Her flesh craved his touch, but her heart yearned with feelings that threatened to overwhelm her whenever she let her thoughts wander too far from the contract that she still hadn't seen. It worried her that he would hide it from her.

"What did I sign? What did he ask me to sign?" She could only ask herself when she was alone as Jamie had this way of shutting down her unvoiced worries. He'd invade her space, and her concerns would evaporate while his scent wrapped around her in safety, warmth, and love.

"There you are," Karen said, as she shuffled into her new office.

Lacey heard the click of her heels suddenly stop and raised her head to see what happened. She instantly regretted it, because Karen stood there with a hand pressed knuckle-white to her mouth.

Lacey knew she looked ridiculous sitting in a black leather chair that was twice as wide as she was, and where the head extended up past her own. The oversized chair matched the oversized desk, which extended out before her like a giant Kodiak bear. A rich brown in color, ginormous, and intimidating as hell.

"Don't laugh," she ordered Karen in her most severe voice. If anything, her warning acted as a trigger and Karen burst into laughter that warped into tears. And it wasn't until her sniffling had died down and she'd cleaned up her face that Lacey finally had an opportunity to ask what she was there for.

"You're late. Everyone has gathered for your welcome brunch in one of the boardrooms."

"Already?" she asked panicked as she looked at the rose quartz watch around her slender wrist. Even when Jamie wasn't around, he still stole her time.

Flustered, Lacey hastened into the boardroom where she was greeted by a room full of flawless specimens, and she sighed internally at the thought of having to dress up a little more. She was in Manhattan where there was an expectation to look perfect. She hadn't thought about it, but now that she was thinking, she would have to make more of an effort. Jameson Wilder Hunter's girlfriend would need to uphold a certain standard. She wasn't sure she wanted to change but she wanted him, and she didn't want to embarrass him.

She pulled herself from her thoughts when Karen gave her a gentle nudge. Crap, how could she forget she was standing in a room full of blinding white smiles? She was good at her job, and she enjoyed the satisfaction of being good, but she didn't fit in with the crowd or the people she helped. And if she didn't fit in with them, what did that mean for her and Jamie?

After her introduction, a few approached her to commend her on the work she'd done with Marta Landry, and she smiled shyly.

A woman who introduced herself as Cassandra stepped forward. She towered over her on long legs that belonged to a model. Lacey knew some got into this type of work to meet the right type of people as their services were often used by the wealthy and famous to save their image. Everyone knew someone who had 'got lucky' in love through their work.

"How did you get involved in that?" Cassandra asked. "I mean you weren't even local then and I know others had tried to recruit Marta, me included."

"Marta and I are friends."