He was probably used to women drooling over him. And he gave them a lot to drool over too. Being rich, famous, and sexy as hell was a great incentive for many women.
But not for Lauren. She reminded herself he was the worst combination for her, and she
was there for one reason only—she needed a job.
“So, Jack, about your office…”
“And now it’s gone.”
“What? The job?” How could the job be gone? Half an hour ago he said it was still available.
Jack shook his head. “Your laugh.” His gaze dropped to her lips. “Your sexy smile. For a minute there I thought you’d lightened up and relaxed.”
“This isn’t a date.” She needed to make sure he knew she didn’t like his earlier comment.
“Well, with you scowling at me I don’t think anyone would believe we’re on a date.” His eyes sparkled with laughter.
“Good, because this is definitely not one.”
“Okay.” He looked at her as if he had other ideas.
“It’s not. We are here to talk about your office.”
Sitting back in the seat, he stared at her with a sexy, crooked grin.
Lauren picked up her purse from the table and slid across the booth to leave. “Thanks for the drink, Jack, but we should discuss this some other time, preferably at your office during office hours.”
Grabbing her wrist, Jack stopped her from leaving. “I’m sorry, Lauren. I was only teasing you.”
“If you think coming to this over-populated meat market on a Friday night is fun, think again. I’d rather be home in bed.” She knew they were the wrong words to say as soon as they left her mouth. His eyes had lost the playful look and were replaced by a smoky, sexy one. Not wanting to get drawn into them, she needed to move on quickly. “Can we please discuss what you’d like to do with your office so I can go home?”
“I’m glad you decided to take the job.” He must have realized she was seriously prepared to leave if he didn’t start talking business. “What made you change your mind?”
“My circumstances changed.” She took a long drink of her margarita, like the alcoholic liquid could wash away the ugliness of Belinda’s phone call.
Her expression must have been grim, because Jack leaned forward and looked at her closely. “Is everything okay?”
“I found out this afternoon my mother had a stroke and I need to help my sister pay for
the medical bills.” Lauren felt no reason to hide why she needed the money.
“Lauren, I’m so sorry.”
With a shake of her head, she stopped his condolences. Words of sorrow meant nothing when she wasn’t feeling it herself. Feelings for her mother died the day she left home young, pregnant, and with nowhere to go. Accepting someone’s sympathy would make her feel like a fraud.
“It’s okay. We weren’t close.”
The sympathy in his eyes turn to curiosity. Only her closest friends knew about her family. But she decided to tell Jack an abbreviated version of her life so he wouldn’t think of her as a heartless bitch.
“I didn’t have a typical mother. She didn’t love or show affection to her kids. Well, mainly me. She tolerated my sister Belinda, but I was a different story.” Jack watched her intently. “I never knew my father. He left a few days after I was born. I wasn’t planned, and he never wanted any more kids after Belinda, so he left. My mother blamed his leaving on me.”
Lauren gave Jack a brief version of living with Belinda’s constant bullying and Dorothy’s neglect. His strong, silent presence had her opening up, something she hadn’t done for a long time. It hadn’t been her intention to tell him so much, but the music and chatter seemed to have dimmed around them and she felt like they were the only two people in the room. She had to hand it to him, not once did he look shocked or repulsed by her family history. Although she’d opened up about her crappy childhood, she couldn’t tell him about Belinda’s blackmailing. That part of Lauren’s life felt dark and dirty.
Anyone taking notice of them would have believed they really were on a date. During her trip down memory lane, Jack had moved over to her side of the booth and held her hand. If Lauren hadn’t been in such deep thought she would have snatched it away with a snarky comment about keeping his hands to himself. But the warmth and strength of his touch had soothed the emotions rolling through her when she spoke about her family.
Then the reality of their surroundings and who she was sitting with slowly filled their sanctuary. The music and chatter surrounded them once again, and the false sense of being alone vanished. She slowly slid her hand away from his and immediately missed the warmth.
“I’m sorry you never had the family you deserve. No kid should grow up like that.”
