High-Society Seduction Read Online Free PDF Page B

turned her upside down and she was still stunned by her reaction to a man she’d only recently met. It had been an excuse to create a sense of intimacy, but it had worked too well.
    Trying to put it from her mind, she stared through the side window and blocked out Adam’s voice. She wasn’t thrilled about being here, but at least her family was delighted, she mused. Telling them about her date tonight hadn’t been something she’d wanted to do, but she’d had to preempt them seeing her picture in the papers with Adam over the next month. That meant earlier in the week she’d told her parents and her sister-in-law how he’d asked her to the Mayoral Ball, deciding she would field any future questions about him only as required. Unfortunately she couldn’t do anything about them getting their hopes up over what was merely a smoke screen.
    She’d had a very specific reason for telling them, of course. Stewart would have a heart attack if he suspected what she was doing on his behalf, so she’d asked them not to mention anything to her brother about Adam, asking them to keep it all low-key in general. She’d pointed out that Stewart was protective of her and how he’d worry if he knew she was dating another playboy. Her brother had certainly been vocal enough about her involvement with Lewis, and it hadn’t been too hard for them to believe this would upset him.
    Adam ended the call just as they arrived. He apologized again, this time with a charming smile that in the confines of the car pronounced his magnetism even more.
    Jenna searched for something to say. “Are your parents going to be here tonight?”
    “No, I’m attending on their behalf. They had a previous commitment.”
    “I suppose one Mayoral Ball is the same as another,” she said unthinkingly.
    “It does get a bit like that,” he agreed, with a ghost of a smile. Then a worried look entered his eyes. “Regrettably my uncle needed to go for some medical tests. My parents thought their time better spent in Brisbane supporting him.”
    She winced at her own prejudgment. “That’s very good of them.”
    “He’s family,” was all Adam said as the limousine glided to a stop near the Town Hall.
    Luckily the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress’s arrival ahead of them had the small media contingent focusing there, and Jenna was pleased when she and Adam were able to blend in with others and make their way inside the building without anyone taking notice.
    The Melbourne Town Hall was a magnificent building well over a hundred years old, and it had taken her breath away the few times she’d been here. Every inch of it was regal and majestic, from the grandeur of the main staircase, marble foyer and glorious stained-glass windows, to the soaring ceilings crowned with chandeliers. The centerpiece of the building was the richly carved wood pipe organ that was the largest in the southern hemisphere.
    The Main Hall had been decorated magnificently for the glittering event tonight, so it didn’t matter that there was a slight delay in being shown to their table. But as she and Adam were being guided to the front of the room shortly after, Jenna could have groaned when she saw where they were sitting. She hadn’t given it any thought before now.
    “You okay?” Adam murmured in her ear.
    “I didn’t expect to be sitting with the Lord Mayor of Melbourne and the Lady Mayoress,” she hissed.
    “Don’t be nervous.”
    “I’m sorry, but I’m not used to attending such a posh affair.”
    He gave a crooked smile. “They might look posh on the outside, but believe me, on the inside they’re just like you and me.”
    “I doubt that,” she muttered, then somehow managed a smile for the guests ahead.
    Introductions were made to the dignitaries, though there were still a couple of vacant chairs. They were probably reserved for the Prime Minister, she thought with wry cynicism. So much for keeping a low profile. She wasn’t used to quite such exalted company.