Page 9 of Lead Me On
“Hi, Dan.” Jane didn’t offer her name. He was cute enough, and he was wearing a suit and tie, but he wasn’t her type. None of these guys was. She was hopeless.
“Do you live here in Aspen?” the guy was asking.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“I’m here on business. It’s a beautiful place.”
“Yes, it’s lovely.” God, why was he even coming on to her? She was wearing her ivory suit and her glasses, not to mention her pulled-back hairstyle. She’d designed herself to look uptight and unapproachable. Maybe she just looked lonely and desperate. An easy lay.
Dan leaned his elbow against the bar. “Can I buy you a drink?”
“No, thank you. I’m meeting someone here.”
That finally drove him off. As he sauntered away, Jane watched his back, thinking that he looked rather…petite. About the same height as her, with the same slight build as Greg.
Jane was five-eight and curvy. Was a big man too much to ask for?
She looked at the card again. Chase. He was big. He turned her on. And for whatever reason, he’d asked her out. He clearly wasn’t the marrying type, but did that mean she couldn’t just use him for a good time?
Mr. Jennings had dated a lot of the wrong women before he’d found Lori. He hadn’t taken any of those relationships seriously. Why shouldn’t Jane do the same?
And it was almost her birthday. Still, it wouldn’t be smart to sleep with someone from her professional world. It wouldn’t be smart at all, but it would be a heck of a birthday present.
Didn’t she deserve one night of hard, primal sex with arealman? Just one tiny, delicious detour on her journey to a respectable future? No one knew about her past. No one could point and say, “That girl is just as trashy as she used to be.”
Jane took out her phone. “You’re tipsy,” she tried to warn herself, but that only made her feel better about what she was doing. “This is a bad idea,” she breathed.“Reallybad. But I’m tipsy.”
Finger shaking, Jane turned on her phone. She reached to press the first number, but she didn’t do it. She set the phone down on the bar. She took a deep breath. And then it rang.
“Oh, jeez,” she muttered, slapping a hand to her chest. Saved by the bell. Except that the screen was flashing “Mom” again, and that couldn’t be good.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Oh, Jane, thank goodness! I’ve got awful news. Just awful!”
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Her heart leaped.
“It’s Jessie!” her mom wailed.
“Oh, no. What’s happened?”
“He never came home and I’ve tried calling you all day. But, oh, my God, I finally heard something. Your brother is injail!”
“Oh.” Jane’s heart began to slow. “I see. For what?”
“I don’t know. All I’ve heard are rumors. He hasn’t called home. I don’t know what’s going on!”
“Calm down. He hasn’t called home because he knows Dad is going to kill him.” Glancing around, she lowered her voice. “He was probably picked up for possession. You know he gets high, Mom.”
“Will you have your boyfriend find out where he is? Somebody said it might be Pitkin County.”
“Are you—” Jane snapped her mouth closed.Are you crazy?she’d meant to say. “Mom, it’s Friday night. There’s nothing to be done now.”
“But he’ll be there all weekend if we don’t—”
“Mom,” Jane said sharply. “Calm down. If he hasn’t broken down and called you, then he’s probably okay. If he doesn’t get in touch before the morning, I’ll do what I can, all right?” But damned if she was calling Greg.
“But…” Her mother’s voice faded away.
