Deceptions Revealed (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  It was a strange evening for JoAnna. She’d been so aware, waiting for Danny to bring up James, but he didn’t. It was all so normal it was abnormal. Lying in bed alone as always, she almost reached for the phone. Sheer will kept her from picking it up, from pushing the numbers that would connect her with James. The degree of want frightened her slightly. Men and sex hadn’t been an issue for her. Shut down all these years, refusing to acknowledge men and lust and love, her body began to betray her.

  Ever since Dr. Harris came into her life, she’d been feeling the same pull toward James that started their whole relationship. It was dangerous and not an option. She had Danny to think about first. Sex couldn’t get in the middle. It would only confuse things later on.

  Alan had kissed her several times but never made her melt internally as James’ had. Now in the dark privacy of her bedroom she let her hand slip down, imagining it James’ hand, his fingers tracing along her lower lips. With her eyes closed, her fingers skimmed her clit, lowering to stroke her opening, finding it moist, her finger slipping inside easily. As she moved her fingers, she used her other hand to pinch her nipple. In her mind it was James mouth at her breast, his fingers invading her pussy, driving her to the point of no return, where completion is the only acceptable result. And then, when she’d been completely worn out, he’d slip between her thighs and lick her clean, starting her at the beginning, making her come using his tongue. “God, how I miss his mouth, his lips, his cock,” she whispered. Joey heard her own words, adding, “This is ridiculous!” she decided abruptly when release was elusive. So close, yet just beyond her reach. She lay there a few moments longer, remembering how she would suck his cock until he relinquished his control to her.

  After throwing back the covers, she padded to the kitchen, searching for something that wasn’t there. Pulling a bottle of water from the refrigerator, she moved to the kitchen chair and dropped onto it. Seeing James today in the flesh had triggered a long buried response in her. With her thoughts unleashed, it seemed she was crazed with the idea of having him inside her again, to be able to touch his skin and wear his scent. The small, devilish side of her wondered if she couldn’t just sample a bit to get it out of her system. Maybe kissing James again would kill the fantasy. A small sample might close the door. They were older and more mature and definitely led different lives. Sex might not be an option for them. And she still didn’t know who he was involved with back in the city.

  “Options,” she said aloud. Maybe this whole mess had a fringe benefit. Knowing he’d never leave Montgomery Industries, it would be safe. He’d only be around occasionally. Her life could retain most of its normalcy, and if on occasion they were both in a sensual mood, who would it hurt?

  Joey stood abruptly almost turning the chair over. “This is crazy!” she said, reinforcing to herself and the kitchen around her. Having an affair with James after almost six years apart, especially under the circumstances, would be completely stupid and insane, neither of which she truly was.

  Checking on Daniel before going back to her room, JoAnna let out a sigh. Her son was now their son. The reality of her life and his had changed. Now she had to figure out how to explain it all to Danny so he could understand.

  James experienced a new form of torture waiting until after nine to call Joey on Thursday night. Worse was figuring out what to say to her. The professional lawyer and business man suddenly felt like a prepubescent school boy. He’d been anxious at seeing her the first time, angry at the circumstances. His confidence was shaken. Just like with the piano, he couldn’t dredge up the automatic responses. Half of him wanted her to answer, and the other half hoped for the machine. He could have e-mailed her but didn’t. The plain fact was he wanted to talk to her, hear the inflection of her voice. He wanted to connect with Joey in a primal way but would accept this small step as a beginning.

  Joey was right. They really didn’t know each other any more. Getting back in touch would have its benefits. His ego allowed the assumption while his conscience forced clarity. Joey might be of another mind! Changing it might be fun, and it seemed it had been a long time since he’d had any real fun. Laughing with her and Danny in the kitchen was the first time he could remember laughing openly and enjoying the moment.

  Her hello was almost a breathless sigh to his ears. “Any repercussions?” James asked, bypassing all the pleasantries.

  She’d known he’d call, just not when. It bothered JoAnna that each night she waited for his call. Their meeting had been Monday morning. She knew she wouldn’t hear from him that night and probably not Tuesday either. But by Wednesday she was getting anxious. Throughout the evening she’d kept the phone close, showering early so as not to miss the call. It never came.

  Tonight, she decided her nerves were getting the best of her. There were two options she could think of immediately. One, he’d call when he was ready. Two, she’d never hear from him again. Neither option made her feel better. She’d never been woman to sit by the phone waiting for a man to call, yet here she was doing exactly that. With good reason, she decided. Her son deserved to know his father.

  “Almost anticlimactic,” she admitted. “Don’t take this too personally, but he hasn’t mentioned you.” Joey didn’t hold back a small laugh at his harsh intake of breath.

  “Some first impression,” James said, sounding disappointed.

  “Actually, that’s probably good. It means he’s not over thinking your presence here.” She hesitated before adding, “Yet.”

  “But he will soon.”

  “I think so,” Joey admitted.

  “Would running into you some place be better than my coming to the store again?”

  “It might. What did you have in mind?”

  “Depends on your schedule,” he said, trying to reinforce his flexibility. “I can get away Saturday or Sunday.” There was a long stretch of silence on the line.

  “Sunday afternoon we’re supposed to hit the mountain with some friends.”

  “That’s fine with me, but you realize you’d have to introduce me to your friends.”

  “Sooner or later it’s going to happen.”

  “You hate this interruption into your life, don’t you?”

  “In all honesty, yes.”

  She knew her answer annoyed him even though he’d asked. JoAnna never lied. He’d come to realize that early in their relationship. Blunt or impolite, she never compromised herself with lies. She didn’t do it well anyway. Every emotion she ever felt showed on her face.

  “You could try and remember I had a life too!” Again there was a protracted silence, and JoAnna didn’t like the feeling she was getting.

  “Walk away, James. It’s still an option. After Sunday, it won’t be.”

  “No. It’s no longer an option, Joey.”

  “Then we have to go forward whether I like it or not.” JoAnna fought to control her temper and emotions, finally finding a last bit of humor. “So, James, did you call just to piss me off?”

  “No, but it’s definitely a benefit. I’ll take my perks where I can get them.”

  “We’ll be at the Learning Zone around two. We’ll decide which run to take depending on the weather.”

  “Daniel thinks you’re going to teach me to ski.”

  “As I recall, you used to manage just fine by yourself. Besides, Daniel and I ski different slopes. Of course you could always join him on the bunny run.”

  He apparently had no witty answer so he didn’t try to top her. “I’ll run into you there.”

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure, anything?”

  “Do you really think this will all work out?” She tired to hold back the angst in her voice.

  “It has to. We have no other options. Don’t worry, Danny’s teaching me not to over think the situation.”

  “That’s because he’s six!”

  “I’ve lost so much time with him and with you.”

  “I think we better concentrate on you gettin
g to know your son. I’m not on the market, James. And just for the record, just because you’ll be around doesn’t give you any privileges where I’m concerned.”

  “A man can dream.”

  “Only a crazy man. Don’t put pressure on us, Danny is the priority. Both our lives as well as his are about to change drastically. Once we tell him who you really are, there’s no going back. Sleep on it, James, think very carefully, please.”

  “See you Sunday.”

  “Yeah, I guess so. Good night.”

  “Sleep well.” Neither hung up the phone immediately and both left the line open for several seconds. Finally, James spoke first. “I know you’re still there.”

  “Yeah, can you tell me why?”

  “Because deep inside you know I never meant to hurt you.”

  “That’s a hard statement to swallow. You could have changed all this years ago, for all of us.”

  “I know. I realize now you did try, only to be sabotaged on this end.” He drew a breath before continuing. “Maybe this will help you sleep. I still haven’t answered any of Benjamin’s calls, memos or e-mails since our meeting Monday. By now he’s probably ready to kill me.”

  “No, not you, you’re his golden boy. He’ll take his anger out on Daniel and me. Don’t underestimate him, James. I understand he’s your closest relative, but you have to understand this has been going on since we first met. I was never the perfect woman he felt you needed. If I was, he wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths to keep us apart.”

  “I know. I’m avoiding him until we have a chance to talk over the weekend. I’d rather have our plan worked out before I talk with him, then he has no say.”

  Joey laughed openly, fully at his words. “Grow up. The man’s been running your life since the day you were born, only he’s lost his finesse.”

  “Let’s not fight about Ben.”

  “No, it’s a waste of time and energy. He always gets what he wants.”

  “Not this time.”

  “No, not this time. James, if I have to…I’ll do what ever it takes to keep him away from Daniel. In all seriousness, I mean it.”

  “Don’t worry about him. I’ll handle Ben.”

  “You said you’d handle Ben years ago, and look where it got us. I don’t trust the man, and he’s known it from the beginning. I’m not the wife he wants for you, and Daniel will only become a pawn between the three of us if we give him any room.”

  “Ben would never hurt Daniel.”

  “What? Have you gone completely crazy? You don’t call what he did with those tests hurting Daniel? I do. You’d better accept my perspective on this whole situation. I’m not saying it’s the only one, but it’s mine with good reason. Daniel has been hurt and will be further if Ben has anything to say.”

  “You don’t have to reinforce my mistakes. I’ve apologized for abandoning you and Daniel. We can’t go back!”

  “I know very well we can’t go back, but I’m not willing to make the same mistakes in the future. All I ask is you enter into our negotiations with an open mind, about everyone involved, including me.”

  “I’d say you should take your own advice.”

  There was a dead silence for several long moments until JoAnna cleared her throat. “I know the subject was always closed when we were together, but did you ever wonder about your mother and her situation? After finding out what Ben did to you, haven’t you begun to speculate about her?” More dead air between them wasn’t a good sign. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought her up. I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just she’s been on my mind lately. I’d have loved Danny to have a relationship with his grandmother.”

  “Don’t count on it. You know she walked away on me years ago. The subject is closed.”

  “All right, I won’t bring it up again. It’s getting late. We’ll see you Sunday.”

  “Yeah, Sunday.” This time they both disconnected quickly, Joey wondering where the future would take them.

  Chapter Five

  He let himself get lost during the suspended ride up the mountain, pretending to take in the scenery. In reality, since their phone call, he’d done a lot of thinking. Some was cathartic, some troubling. Joey made him think outside the norm, made him push the edges of the box, a crate he’d allowed Benjamin to encase him in. Only in the last week he’d started wondering when the first nail had been struck. Was it at his birth as Joey had suggested or when his father died? He’d obviously been ignorant to all the manipulation that Joey saw clearly. A shudder ran through him, and he drew a cold breath, forcing the anger to recede. He had precious little time with her alone and he’d wanted to make better use of it.

  Last Friday morning he’d passed along several files and projects to juniors. He didn’t discuss the changes with Ben, instead completed the task before seeing the old man. Realizing he was referring to Benjamin as “the old man,” as Joey used to, made him smile. By the time afternoon rolled around, he was relaxed and calm, striding into Ben’s office as if nothing had happened. At first he got the silent treatment and internally laughed. If anyone should be pissed it was James. He decided it was childish but he’d deal with Ben on whatever level he chose. Apparently today, after ignoring his calls and issues for the last four days, silence was the theme. He gave no words of apology, rather moved to the bar in the far corner, pouring himself a drink.

  James had also broken another of Ben’s cardinal rules. Not only was he jacketless, he’d tossed his tie aside before lunch. Even his sleeves were rolled up. Montgomery Industries had gone into the new millennium with a relaxed policy for Fridays, although if you had any interaction with Benjamin Montgomery, it quickly became apparent it was one of his pet peeves.

  James didn’t care anymore. He was tired of suits and ties and behaving as he was told. Joey teased him often that he was older than dirt and had tried to loosen him up. In their college days she was the hippie to his preppy. Her term called him a tight ass. And that was what he’d turned into. If ever there was a time to kick back, James decided this was it.

  “You’ve left some messages. What did you want?” His tone was even but curt.

  “I wanted to talk to you five days ago!”

  “I’ve been busy.” That was the only explanation he gave.

  Staring sternly at his once beloved grandfather, Benjamin relented and sat back in his high-backed leather chair. “Look, son, I realize you’re angry, but you’ve always been fair. All you have is a dying man’s version. There’s no proof I arranged anything. In fact, you might begin to look deeper into Ms. Sheridan’s motives. It’s quite possible she and Dr. Harris were in this from the start, to get a bigger settlement from your guilty conscience.”

  James couldn’t believe what his grandfather was saying. Did Ben really want him to believe it had been Joey’s doing? He’s getting desperate to cover his tracks, he realized, the concept renewing James’ convictions to make some changes for himself. He eyed Ben openly before shutting down the automatic trust he’d once allowed him, rather like a steel door that was lowered and locked at the base. Seeing him almost complacent was frightening for too many reasons. It made him wonder what other things Ben had hidden away and more importantly, what he had in store for all of them.

  Joey had been quite right. Ben was not going to go away quickly. No, he’d wait and seize his time to make his move. The instant want to protect Daniel and Joey was overwhelming. James took a moment to watch his grandfather. He was aging, quicker than James had realized. Was running the company beginning to be too much for him? A guilty pleasure glided through James’ whole system. When Ben realized his plans all hell was going to break loose. This time he’d be prepared for whatever Benjamin Montgomery had in mind.

  “The subject is not open for discussion. I’d like a few things clarified, then I’m taking the rest of the day off.” A horrified look crossed Ben’s face. It was just three. Nobody left Montgomery Industries before five for any reason. “For the record, Ben, did you arrange to
have Bernard rifle through my mail and is he still doing it?”

  Ben regarded James thoughtfully, realizing another piece of his cover was breaking away. “I don’t know what you mean. No, of course not.”

  “Is there old mail stashed away around here? Maybe two letters with paternity test results?” Ben grumbled but didn’t answer. “I see, the oath of silence. I’ll assume you don’t have the notes and photos either?” Again no response. “Fine, there are going to be some changes. I haven’t had a vacation in four years. I figure the firm owes me some down time. Until further notice, I’ll be gone Friday through Sunday.

  Don’t make any social arrangements for me, under any circumstances. There’s a list on your computer of the files I’ve shifted. I’m not taking on any new projects until further notice. Don’t ever send Metz to represent me again. While you both think you know better, I’ve decided to take a chance on myself. By myself. Do you understand?” James drained his glass and set it quietly on the bar. He paused at the door before turning back.

  “And make sure Pilar is gone from my life. I’ve made it clear to her I’m not interested in pursuing a relationship, so please don’t presume to second guess me.” Ben stiffened at the mention of Pilar’s name. “By the way, my cell phone is officially turned off until Monday morning.” He’d closed the door quietly behind him, stopping back at his office only long enough to grab his coat.

  He reached automatically for his briefcase and pulled it to the desk top. Opening it, he sifted through the contents and decided other than his new cell phone, whose number he hadn’t given to anyone yet, he could get through the weekend without it.

  His secretary seemed stunned by the changes but hadn’t verbalized her shock. “Have a nice weekend, Mr. Montgomery”

  “You too, Doris,” he said, refraining from skipping from the office.

  “Mr. Montgomery, you forgot your briefcase.”

  “No, I won’t be needing it this weekend.”

  “But what if…”

  “Not my problem any longer or yours for that matter. Doris, take the rest of the afternoon off. Put the phone to voice mail and go home or shopping or to a movie. Anything, just get out of this office and try and enjoy your weekend. I’ll see you Monday, but not until late, around eleven.” James left the stunned professional woman with her jaw hanging open.