Enticed Read Online Free PDF

Alana realized that she’d overreacted to Mark cancelling breakfast. He was a busy man, after all, and it was entirely possible business of one sort or another had come up. Also, he’d just gotten out of a very messy and very public divorce; one Alana had been kind and smart enough not to mention until he did. Maybe he wasn’t ready to be involved with someone, again. Hell, it’s pretty likely that your own recent past is the reason you overreacted, today, she admitted inwardly.
    Mainly, she just hoped she hadn’t lost one of her oldest friends. She went inside for a few moments, looking for a book to read in between gazing out into the forest and nearby lake. Breaking down, she peaked into her room on the way to her aunt’s bookshelf, checking the phone. It looked like Mark had called. See. He’s probably going to apologize and explain. Stop getting so upset that easily. Alana looked at the time of the call. It had been only a few minutes ago. She decided that, after that stunt, she’d let him call a few more times. Maybe she had overreacted but, she felt, he still deserved to sweat a little. And, she supposed, she didn’t want to seem as desperate for his company as she actually was.
     
    Mark sighed and put the phone down after his second call. Back in his single days (which, he supposed, he was in now again), he had a rule about calling a girl more than once in the same day if she didn’t answer. He’d hoped that maybe that didn’t apply here, but it seemed like he was wrong. It was his own fault, he knew, for saying he’d be back in half an hour then cancelling on her, but his pride still hurt at the action. It was also possible that she thought last night was a mistake, that he’d taken advantage of his relationship with her. He supposed, on some level, that was true. However, he just couldn’t bring himself to regret the previous evening. And now Tammy was in town. He couldn’t relax, not until he was sure Tammy was gone. The only way to do that, of course, was to call her. Mark still felt like he could control this situation, but wondered if that were a delusion. Here he was, thinking about a woman he had successfully pushed out of his mind and planning on calling her - something he’d swore he’d never do, again. And that was just on her first day.
    Mark scrolled down his contacts list until he reached her name. A picture of her smiling brightly in a black dress popped onto his screen, a memento from better times. He pressed the call button and listened to the ring on the other end. Steeling himself, Mark tried to convince himself that he didn’t actually need to know why she was in town. He just needed her to leave. Anything Tammy had to say to him, she could run through his lawyer. The other end picked up and Mark heard Tammy’s voice.
    “Hello?” she said. It sounded like she’d been crying.
     
    Tammy saw everything turn red as she left Mark’s cabin. When she’d first arrived at the house that morning, she’d been surprised to find that Mark wasn’t there, but had started cooking anyway - easily finding the key under the stone. She’d hoped that he was in town on an errand, and would be back soon. Tammy had found  out he was in Amberville through a very dependable private eye by the name of Roscoe, who reported to her his whereabouts and activities, weekly. It wasn’t that she was suspicious of him, per se, but more like she wanted to be aware of all that happened around her. She wouldn’t allow herself to become one of those hopelessly trusting and naïve housewives who were caught unawares by comments from friends or a pair of unfamiliar panties in the wash or - god forbid - television cameras.
    When Mark had wandered in annoyed, it was all exactly as she had anticipated. Except for one thing. His clothes were wrinkled and he smelled of another woman’s perfume. Being as clever and composed as she was, she hadn’t let on that she had noticed these things when he had sauntered