she’d repeatedly kicked herself for not realizing he was married. Then again there hadn’t been a pattern to their dates. When they had seen each other it was usually for all-nighters, not just a few hours in the afternoon. He’d been very generous with his time and lavish gifts that there’d simply never been any inkling of a wife.
Peter was a powerful attorney to the rich and shameless; that automatically made him an accomplished liar. Most recently he’d managed to keep a young starlet out of prison after she’d been caught with both narcotics and liquor in her car. In reality it wasn’t a stretch of the imagination that he’d managed to conceal his marriage and three children for the two years they’d been together.
Shaking her head, Jane tightened the clasps on her stockings.
The frustrating part was she wasn’t a stupid woman by any means. She had a master’s degree from Harvard for crying out loud. She was thirty-six years old and a world traveler. She’d lived in Europe for several years in her late twenties and she’d experienced more than her share of lying, cheating men and still Peter had slipped past her defenses. Her friend, Lily, had once said Peter had pussy power, the ability to draw women to him from across a crowded room.
Prior to hooking up with him, Jane had had another dry spell in which the sprint up the corporate ladder had consumed her every waking moment. An overabundance of hormones after a nearly two-year deficit was enough to dull any woman’s bullshit detector.
Picking up her corset, she wrapped it around her back then began the tedious process of closing the myriad of tiny hooks.
The only good thing that had come from her relationship with Peter was he’d convinced her to leave the corporate world behind and go into business with her best friend. Wasn’t it funny that she had that bastard to thank for helping her make the best move she’d ever made?
She bit her lip. Even a year later, their final moments together were still fresh in her mind as if it had happened only yesterday.
One year ago…
“What do you mean, you’re married?”
“You know, marriage, rings, kids—”
“You have children?” Jane’s body tensed and her hands fisted against his broad chest.
“Yes.” A gleam of amusement entered his gaze. “Three.”
Stunned, Jane looked away from his handsome face. A sharp pain lanced her chest and she was sure her heart was breaking. He wasn’t going to ask her to marry him as he was already married. And with kids!
When her gaze met his, he didn’t look nearly as handsome as before.
“Let go of me.” Her voice was low, urgent.
“Whatever you say, babe.” He released her.
“I cannot believe you’d enter into a relationship with me when you have a w-w-wife and children waiting for you at home.” Flinging off the sheets, Jane rose from the bed.
“So, what’s the big deal? It’s not like you socialize in the same circles.”
“Big deal?” She found her panties and pulled them on with shaking hands. “It isn’t a big deal, it’s a huge deal. What the hell ever gave you the impression I would have sex with another woman’s man?” Her dress lay near the door and she stalked over to grab it. “I’m not that kind of woman.”
“Obviously you are, you’re here.” His dry tone tore across her nerves like a scythe. “You were hungry for it, starving in fact.”
“Only when I thought you were single,” she hissed.
“I don’t believe that, babe. You were so hot that night you’d have fucked whoever found you first. Count yourself lucky that I hooked up with you rather than some seriously twisted individual.”
“Of course you don’t consider yourself to be even a little bit twisted.” Her laugh was harsh.
“Of course not. I’m a healthy male who is at his physical and mental peak. It takes a strong man to handle a woman like you.”
Just what the hell did that mean?
With the dress in her hand, Jane could do little more
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