Deceived Read Online Free PDF

rose. Though confusion and concern shone in her dark eyes, she only commented, “We’ve got to pay the check first.”
    “I’ll pay it. My treat.” She flagged down their waitress and waited impatiently until the woman made it over to their table. “Can we have the bill, please?”
    “I’ll be right back with it.” She walked off and was back in a few minutes. “Your friend Mr. Clark handled it, ma’am.”
    Janelle wasn’t going to waste time arguing it. “Thank you.” She grabbed her purse and stood.
    They were in the car before Dionne spoke. “Okay, tell me what happened?”
    “Nothing.”
    “Don’t tell me it was nothing. You went to the bathroom fine. When you came back, you acted as though the place was on fire. What gives? And who’s Mr. Clark?”
    Janelle’s hands tightened over the steering wheel. “Oh God, oh God,” she muttered.
    “You’re scaring me! What’s going on? Spit it out already!”
    “Mr. Clark is Jerome’s boss. Aidan Clark. I ran into him on my way out of the bathroom.”
    “And you’re hyperventilating because…?”
    “Because he kissed me.”
    “On the cheek?”
    Janelle made a strangled sound. “I wish. No, he, um, kissed me on the mouth. And before you ask, it wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t one of those polite greeting kisses either. His tongue made a thorough map of the inside of my mouth.”
    “Whoa! Okay. What the hell? Am I missing something?” Janelle sighed and filled Dionne in on her last two meetings with Aidan. “Why didn’t you say something before?” Janelle shrugged. “Man, and you say he’s hot? Is he single? You could send him my way.”
    “No!” She slapped a hand over her mouth. Dear God, was she jealous?
    “Crap, you like him, don’t you?”
    “No.”
    “It’d be understandable if you did. You’ve got a handsome guy paying you attention at the same time your boyfriend is often absent.”
    “I haven’t done anything to encourage this.” For some reason, she felt defensive.
    “I didn’t say you did.”
    She pulled up outside the house Dionne shared with her parents. “I don’t know what to do about him. Jerome thinks he’s going to be promoted and I don’t want to do anything to hurt his career. But I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

Chapter Four
     
    The week seemed to fly by and before she knew it, Jerome was picking her up from work after lunch on Friday. She had great hopes for their weekend away. Reconnecting with Jerome was just what she needed to forget about Aidan. Jerome was in a really good mood during the four-hour drive and was still optimistic about his chances of getting a promotion. She had yet to confess to him about kissing Aidan in the men’s room. The opportunity never seemed to come up. She didn’t want to tell him on the phone while he was away on business. She loathed the idea of ruining their first getaway. They deserved to have this time together without Aidan coming between them. She decided she would tell him once they returned to Charlotte.
    They decided to stop for an early dinner at South Beach Grill before continuing on to the beach house. She was immediately in awe of the large house right on the beach. “It’s beautiful.” It was painted white. The wooden deck on the back led out to white sand and waves. Indoors was spacious and open. The kitchen, dining area, and den were connected. For a rental, the furnishings and finishes were luxurious. The refrigerator was stainless steel and the black countertops resembled marble. She was admiring the tile work behind the kitchen sink when Jerome called her from upstairs.
    She ran up. The view out the master bedroom was breathtaking. Sliding glass doors led out to a balcony with deck chairs. Jerome had placed her bag in front of an armoire. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her on the neck. “Let’s go for a walk on the beach,” she suggested.
    He kissed her ear. “I was thinking we could do something a bit