Reinventing Jane Porter (2 page)

Dominique Adair

the possible notoriety.” His smile wasn’t kind. “He’s a performer more than a man dedicated to his business.”

“You really did your homework.” She was impressed.

“You expected otherwise?”

Hot…hot…hot…

“No, I didn’t.”

“I don’t take important decisions lightly, business or otherwise.” The glint in his eye told her he wasn’t talking about Peter.

“Neither do I.”

Tension sizzled between them, and Jane finally looked away. He didn’t have to seduce a woman when he could lure one into bed with a simple conversation. Talk about pussy-power.

She cleared her throat.

“To answer your earlier question, no, I wasn’t aware he was married. It wasn’t until we’d been together for almost two years that I learned the truth.”

“Two years?” Disbelief colored his words.

“Being a lawyer isn’t his only…talent. Mr. Ellington is also an accomplished liar, a fact I didn’t learn until it was too late.”

Her smile was forced. She was still mad at herself for letting Peter get past her defenses. If gold medals were awarded for kicking one’s self then she’d be a champion.

“I’ve since learned his wife and children live a quiet life in Boulder out of the glare of the media.”

“Sounds like a smart woman. Public life can be overwhelming, especially for children.”

He braced his hands on the bed and the resulting ripple of his muscles caused her mind to go blank.

This man should be declared illegal in at least half of the United States. Sex on two legs should not be allowed to run loose.

“How did you find out?”

She blinked. What were they talking about? Oh, yes…

“To make a long story short, on the night I’d anticipated a marriage proposal, I received an offer to become his mistress.” Her smile faded. “While I didn’t receive an engagement ring, he did offer me his black American Express card.”

His eyes narrowed.

“I suppose the generosity of his offer was meant to be a compliment. Only I didn’t quite see it that way.” Looking away, she smoothed her hands along her thighs then crossed her legs. “He volunteered to pay for an apartment and all of my living expenses. Whatever my heart desired, I could just charge to his accounts. Jewelry, clothing…a new car.”

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Educating Jane Porter

Jane heard the hurt and anger in her words, but she was unable to stop the flow of anger. She began to bounce her foot.

“So while this arrangement may sound good in theory, his insistence that I make myself available to him at all hours of the day or night was the deal breaker.” She waved her hand. “I mean, it would be impossible to plan meetings for the rest of my lovers when I don’t know—”

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him move but before she could react, he took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. Their gazes clashed, and her anger was reflected in his eyes.

“He was a fool.” His words were harsh. “He didn’t deserve a woman such as you. He didn’t know you at all did he?”

Jane was stunned by the anger resonating in his words. When he released her, she continued to gape at him.

“No, no, he didn’t know me at all.” Her words were little more than a whisper.

“I’ve only known you two days, and I understood within minutes you weren’t the beck and call girl type.”

He began to pace and the play of muscles beneath his bronzed skin was hypnotic. Jane forced her mind back to the conversation.

“Call girl?” She smiled.

“
Perdóname
, poor choice of words.” He gave her a rueful smile. “Every now and then my English plays a trick on me.”

Now that was a true gentleman. Antonio apologized for a slight slip of the tongue while Peter had insulted her to her very core and hadn’t even blinked. Calling that bastard a gentleman was an insult to men of Antonio’s caliber.

“No, Peter never invested the time to get to know me. To him I was a piece of ass, no more, no less.”

She shrugged. “He isn’t terribly perceptive when it comes to women. It’s a miracle he convinced someone to marry him.”

Antonio chuckled.

“He’s the center of his own world, the Peter-verse, and unless a situation directly impacted him then he didn’t give a damn.”

“Were you in love with him?”

“I thought I was, but I realize I was fooling myself. I was more in love with the idea of him and the reality fell far short.” Smiling, she shook her head. “Looking back, I know it would’ve been a huge mistake. Sexually I wanted to be a submissive in the bedroom, and he wanted a doormat for a companion.”

“He was a stupid man who squandered the best thing to ever happen to him. I’m thankful for his
tontería
, eh, foolishness.”

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Dominique Adair

Antonio smiled, and Jane’s cheeks heated. In the face of his compliments she was beginning to feel a little giddy. She grinned

“Fool is the least offensive term I’d use—”

“Who are you calling a fool?”

Clad only in a white bath towel, Santos exited the bathroom. His hair was damp and scattered beads of water glistened on his shoulders and chest.

Thanks to his whipcord lean physique, Jane enjoyed the play of muscles as he moved. Every

movement was purposeful like a cougar readying to strike.

“We were discussing Jane’s previous master.” Antonio spoke.

“Anyone I know?” Santos’s gaze fixed on her face.

“Peter Ellington.”

A flash of recognition crossed Santos’s face.

“The lawyer?” he asked.

“
Sí
.”

“So you know him too?”

Damn, is there anyone these two didn’t know?

“Yes, we’ve met.” He winked at Jane. “You didn’t tell me you’d had a head injury, Jane.”

Automatically her hand covered the scar on her temple. Surely Lily wouldn’t have mentioned the accident to a complete stranger. Jane dropped her hand, but it was too late.

“Did he do that?” Antonio caught her wrist in a firm grip. “Did he strike you, Jane?”

Looking from one man to the other, they were staring at her so intently she felt a moment of trepidation.

“No. Well…you see…yes, I guess he did…but you have to understand…it was an accident.”

“What kind of accident?” Santos edged closer.

“I was hurt and angry with him. I got a little heated. We argued, and I fell.”

I sound like an idiot.

“You just fell over for no reason whatsoever?” Santos sounded skeptical.

“Yes…well…no. You see he grabbed me.”

Antonio and Santos exchanged a dark look.

“I know what you’re thinking.” She shook her head.

Santos muttered something in Spanish, and it didn’t sound like an endearment.

“You said he grabbed you?” Antonio’s grip on her wrist tightened.

“You’re hurting me.” She winced.

“I’m sorry.” He released her. “Please, go on.”

“I’m not expressing myself very well.” She threw up her hands. “You guys have the wrong idea.”

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Educating Jane Porter

“You said he grabbed you.” Santos shot another dark look at Antonio. “Explain this, please.”

Santos practically loomed over her, and she shrank back. All vestiges of the urban gentleman were gone, leaving an angry man who looked ready to throw down. It was funny how intimidating he could look dressed only in a towel.

“Yes, he did grab me but you have to understand it was an accident.” Jane’s heart was beating so rapidly her head was starting to feel swimmy. “When he asked me to be his mistress—”

“Mistress?” Santos’s nostrils flared and his eyes held a dangerous glint. “He wanted you as his
puta
?”

“He didn’t tell her he was married.” Antonio leaned toward Santos and spat something in guttural Spanish. Lily didn’t know what he said, but it didn’t sound complimentary.

“
Bastardo
,” Santos hissed.

That word she knew.

“Listen, both of you.” She rose and held up her hands. “When he propositioned me I was upset. We argued and when he tried to stop me from leaving—”

“It doesn’t matter what you did, Jane. Even if you gave him a black eye, no man should raise a hand toward a woman.” Antonio captured her hands. “Any man who does so deserves an old fashioned ass-kicking.”

“Name the time and place and I’ll be there.” Santos’s hands fisted.

“Neither of you will do any such thing.” Jane pulled away from Antonio. “Whatever happened

between Peter and me is over, finished. There is no need for retribution. I’ve moved on.”

“
Belleza
.” Santos took her in his arms. “When our woman is disrespected, you must allow us to be angry for your sake. We’re men, it’s what we do.”

“I don’t approve of violence.” Stiff in his embrace, she looked from Santos to Antonio then back again. “Do you understand?”

“My English…not so good,” Santos teased.

She slapped him on the chest, and he laughed.

“
Amigo
, our Jane has claws. I think we need to keep her.”

Keep me?

Santos pulled her closer, and she melted into his arms. His scent was a pleasing combination of soap and male skin. Inhaling deeply, she laid her head against his chest. Antonio stepped behind her, his hands landing on her shoulders. Surrounded by both men she realized she’d never felt as treasured as she did in that moment.

“Every now and then we men like to drag our knuckles on the ground,” Antonio whispered in her ear.

“It’s good to bring out the caveman.”

She began to laugh. Turning, she slid an arm around each of their waists until she was cuddled between two rock hard chests. She was the luckiest woman in the entire house.

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If that bitch doesn’t keep her hands off his ass, I will tear out her dollar ninety-nine weave.

Slamming steak knives into a divided tray, Lily glared at her erstwhile lover. Standing in the center of the ballroom, Jean Jacques was surrounded by three fawning blonde women. All of them possessed the same simpering, star-struck look as if he’d created chocolate for them alone.

With their fake nails and nerve-shredding giggles, it was all Lily could do to refrain from walking over to them and beating them to a pulp. Of course doing so would make her look like a jealous hag and that she couldn’t have.

Combat rule number one, never let the enemy know what you’re feeling.

What she really wanted to do was smack them over their collective blonde heads with an oversized baseball bat emblazoned with “Get a CLUE”. No woman should make over a man like they were. Her lips twisted. She’d die before she’d ever do it.

Jean Jacques smiled, and the ladies burst into a chorus of high-pitched giggles. They were petting him like he was a dog.

Her gaze narrowed. She’d bet her best pair of Jimmy Choo’s there wasn’t a dry panty among them.

The shortest woman turned and thanks to her sheer white pants, it was obvious the only thing she wore was lotion and a smile.

Snatching up another handful of knives, she dropped them into the tray with a clatter. Watching the Barbie trio simpering up at Jean Jacques was making her nauseous—

You’d be doing the same thing if you were standing with him.

“Fat chance,” she muttered.

Sucking in a noisy breath, Lily was struck with a horrifying thought. Had she ever watched him with such complete adoration? Even worse, were there witnesses?

Eww.

Her scowl deepened. She certainly hoped not as her reputation would be in shreds. Lily wasn’t the kind of woman who drooled over any man no matter how handsome he was. She’d learned early on everyone had clay feet, and she would live a lifetime of bad footwear before she would grovel at any man’s feet.

No man, no matter how well hung, was worth public humiliation.

Educating Jane Porter

Besides, one of her favorite hobbies was making fun of women who acted like the Barbie triplets. She was far too old to change her ways.

No, the men came to her, they always had. From the moment her breasts exploded through her one and only training bra, the boys weren’t far behind. Of course, having an older sister built like a stripper had helped. Anna’s escapades taught Lily that sex, used correctly, made an excellent leash for any man she chose.

For Lily, sex was about the chase rather than the in-out-in-out. Men loved nothing more then getting a woman naked and, if said woman knew how to prolong the game, it was almost as exciting as the physical act. Anticipation was the ultimate foreplay.

A shriek of laughter caught her attention. The tallest Barbie with the bad weave and ginormous breasts laid her hand on his arm. She was wiggling like a happy puppy, and her rock hard boob kept hitting him in the side.

Damn, she’d better not break one. They’d all drown.

Jean Jacques didn’t seem to be bothered by the surplus of female attention directed his way. Hell, he was eating it up. Even from twenty feet away she heard the familiar cadence of his voice. Though she couldn’t hear what he was saying, the bimbettes hung on every syllable.

And you think you wouldn’t be staring up at him like that?

Like hell.

Lily gripped the tray until her knuckles turned white. The bastard should come with a warning label: When with this man, consider your panties and peace of mind to be at risk.

The shortest sycophant put her hand on his other arm. Her breasts were in danger of spilling out of her too-small corset, but at least they looked real. She rubbed against him as if he was catnip, and she was a pussy looking for a buzz.

“Tramp.” She forced herself to release her grip in the tray for fear she’d throw it at their heads. “Why don’t you just strap a mattress to your back and advertise your intentions?”

“Ah, Lily, how I have missed your sweet disposition.”

She knew that voice. Robert Armand, one of Dirk’s senior managers stood behind her. Dressed in his usual black from head to toe, his smile was wide. No doubt her former lover was amused at catching her unawares.