Читать книгу Desire September 2017 Books 1 -4 - Yvonne Lindsay - Страница 28

Nineteen

Jasmine kept herself busy. Since she knew she would need to leave sooner rather than later, she quietly made preparations to disappear once the midnight unveiling had happened. For the first time ever, she had no plans to stay at her event until the last guest had left and the last plate was packed.

Ivy seemed to have disappeared while Jasmine was upstairs, and she wasn’t answering her phone, so Jasmine went to the point person in each area to make sure they were covered. Plans had been made to close the party at 2:00 a.m. Every staff member knew what was expected of them. A cleaning crew would be here tomorrow.

She’d hoped her sister would stay behind as her eyes and ears, but she’d make do as best she could. Who knew how long she’d be able to hold all these emotions inside? And the last thing she wanted was to make small talk with Royce while wondering if he was simply humoring her to get her into bed.

There was nothing she wanted more than to get out of this dress and be home with her family. That was the difference between her and Royce. They were her comfort, her sustenance. Royce would have to settle for sleeping with cold hard cash if his success meant so much to him.

Jasmine’s hypervigilance allowed her to spot him when he came down the stairs. John wasn’t with him. Luckily, Royce paused with some guests, so she headed in the opposite direction. It wasn’t like she didn’t have plenty to do.

The waiters started to circulate throughout the ballroom with fresh trays of champagne while staff informed guests throughout the house that it was almost time for the midnight unveiling. Jasmine had been so looking forward to this part of the night. That romantic moment when masks were discarded, when the true person behind the mask was revealed.

Even though she and Royce recognized each other behind their masks, she’d still looked forward to meeting his gaze in that moment.

Now the last thing she wanted was to look at Royce without the protection of her mask hiding her expression.

She saw his sandy-blond head as he entered the ballroom. Even from this distance, she knew he was looking for her. And she couldn’t handle it. She simply couldn’t.

As she backed slowly away, her hand made contact with the wall behind her. That’s when she realized the panel where she stood was actually the door to the private ladies’ alcove. She hadn’t revealed the existence of the little room to the guests. Jasmine took a quick look around to see if anyone was watching, but they’d all turned their attention to the MC preparing the crowd for the pinnacle of the evening. So she opened the door and slipped inside.

Only seconds after she’d quietly closed the door, her phone vibrated. It was her sister.

“Ivy, where are you?” she whispered frantically.

It wasn’t as if there was anyone in the room to hear her, but she couldn’t help it. Her rapidly beating heart felt as if it was calling out across the room. What if Royce found her here?

She wasn’t sure she could face him.

“I’m so sorry, Jasmine,” her sister said from the other end of the line. “I left.”

“You what?”

“I left...with someone.”

Even though Jasmine should have been questioning her sister or concerned for her safety, she could only respond with panic over her absence. “I need your help. Right now.”

“I’m on my way to Paxton’s apartment.”

“What?” Oh, that was a bad idea. A very bad idea.

“I just... I want this, Jasmine.”

“Please don’t. I’m telling you, Ivy. This is not a good choice.” Jasmine knew that for certain. Now more than ever.

“But it’s my choice,” Ivy said softly. “And I’m going to make it.”

“Ivy!” Jasmine cried, but her sister had already hung up. “Damn it.”

Why wouldn’t her little sister listen to her? She was getting her own heart broken over a client right now. She knew just how dangerous those working relationships could be.

But Ivy, as the youngest, had been trying to prove she wasn’t a child for a while now. This act of rebellion might end up costing her more than her job.

As the sounds of a trumpet heralded the coming of midnight in the ballroom, Jasmine quickly gathered her purse and keys, a plan forming in her mind. She’d slip from the room while everyone was distracted and make her way to her car. She could send Ivy back to Keller House for the rest of her stuff tomorrow.

Right now, she just needed out.

Away from the fairy tale she’d thought was happening and home to the day-to-day drudgery and chaos that was her life. She’d find magic again, someday, but she’d learned her lesson. Never date a client. Never get so close you think you’re seeing behind the facade, only to learn the facade had been the reality all along.

Time to go.

Desperate to get away, Jasmine jerked the door open, only to find herself face-to-face with the one man she never wanted to see again. Well, maybe he wasn’t the only one. She’d be happy never to see his father again, either.

“Jasmine, where have you been?” Royce’s hard business tone scraped over her nerves.

“I could ask you the same thing,” she choked out.

“What are you talking about?” He frowned. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“Why?” A small spark of her normal sassiness finally made an appearance. “Are you unhappy with my service in some way?”

“What?”

She shook her head, grief overwhelming that tiny spark.

“Jasmine, what is it?”

The words simply wouldn’t come. She had no idea whether to lay into him, scream and cry, or simply skulk away from the humiliation of knowing he’d lied to her. Granted, he hadn’t turned into some kind of super-involved family guy. If anything, at times he’d seemed lost.

But he hadn’t retreated, hadn’t rejected Rosie completely. And he’d made love to Jasmine with a passion she’d never experienced before and hadn’t been strictly business outside of the bedroom. Memories of him holding Rosie at the hospital, helping them get Auntie taken care of, talking about his mother’s death...he’d opened himself up to her and her family.

Had the confrontation with his father washed all of that away?

I have never let anything stand in the way of my success. I’m not about to start now. No. She wasn’t strong enough to find out.

Around them the crowd erupted in applause. The lights dimmed for a moment, then the orchestra struck up a lively tune. But Jasmine and Royce remained frozen in their silent battle. Without permission, Royce reached up to touch the mask she’d had made to match her dress. His other hand found the ties at the back of her head.

He was so close, his touch so intimate, that she was transported back to the night before, when he’d shown her in no uncertain terms just how much he enjoyed her. Only now, their encounter felt dirty, tainted by motives she could only guess at.

It wasn’t until the strings came loose and Royce pulled the mask away that Jasmine felt the tears spill onto her cheeks. Royce’s eyes widened and what looked like panic washed over his expression. But all Jasmine could feel was the humiliation of knowing she was crying over a man who would walk away from her whenever business demanded.

So she walked away first and didn’t look back.

* * *

Royce looked down at the paper Matthew had handed him and cursed. Jasmine’s final invoice.

She hadn’t wasted any time. It had only been three days since the masquerade. Three days in which she wouldn’t return his phone calls or text messages. He’d even gone by the house once. Auntie had answered the door, holding Rosie, only to tell him that Jasmine wasn’t home. From her worried expression, he assumed she was telling him the truth.

But she’d also refused to tell him anything else.

He’d learned nothing about what had upset Jasmine that night, though he suspected it had something to do with his father’s visit. As far as he could tell, they hadn’t spoken to each other alone. She could have overheard something, but what?

Royce was an astute businessman, but when it came to women, especially upset women, he was more than a little lost. He’d have given anything to have his mother there so he could ask her advice. Did he confront Jasmine? Leave her to stew for a while? What?

“I just don’t understand, Matthew,” he said, more as a way to express his frustration than anything.

“I know. She was perfect for you.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Matthew must have realized what he’d said, because his assistant’s eyes went wide and worried.

“You’re right. She is.”

Matthew started to shake his head and back away. He was probably wondering where the heck his real boss had gone.

Royce was beyond caring about keeping things professional. He ran a rough hand through his hair, no longer worried what it would look like afterward—or who might see it messed up. He was no longer the consummate professional. Jasmine had stripped the superficial facade away. “But I can’t fix what’s wrong until I know what it is.”

Matthew studied him for a moment, then cautiously offered, “Obviously you aren’t trying hard enough.”

“What? I’ve texted, called, gone by the house.”

“Come on,” Matthew admonished, the tension in his body easing up some. “Where’s the guy who beat out every shipping company in Savannah to get Jefferson’s contract? I’m pretty sure you stepped out of your comfort zone to accomplish that.”

Boy, had he. “But this is a woman.”

“No different...except you might need a little more finesse. Use some of those personal negotiating techniques Jasmine taught you.”

“A little more finesse, huh?”

Royce thought about that the rest of the day. Jasmine’s techniques had really just been about seeing people for who they were, treating them with respect as human beings. She’d drilled that into him, but he still needed a little more work in that area.

Starting now.

Even though it was about an hour before he normally left the office, Royce headed for the door. “Take the rest of the day off, Matthew.”

He had to smile at his assistant’s gasp. Those words hadn’t been uttered in Royce Brazier’s office, well, ever.

So why was Royce grinning as he got into his car?

Today was a Thursday. Jasmine always volunteered at the mission on Thursday evenings. She had for the entire two months he’d known her. Why not use that knowledge to his advantage?

As he drove toward the mission, he experienced an unfamiliar sensation of freedom. So this was what playing hooky felt like.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that he had some business to discuss with Francis Staten. Royce hadn’t changed his stripes entirely.

He walked into the mission’s large dining area just as the line was forming for dinner service. Sure enough, Jasmine stood behind the steam tables. Their eyes met across the room. He could read the jolt in her body, even from this distance.

The pull to go to her was strong. He wanted to be near her, beside her. But he had to make things right first.

So he crossed the room to find Francis, instead. The director stood with several visitors, chatting before the meal. He greeted Royce with a smile and a warm handshake. “So good to see you here.”

“Thank you,” Royce replied. “I wonder if you would spare me a few moments of your time.”

“Absolutely.” Francis said his goodbyes to the others, then gestured for Royce to follow him out of the room. “I hope this isn’t bad news.”

Royce was quick to reassure him. “Definitely not.” But he waited until they reached Francis’s office before filling him in.

“Everything has been tallied and totaled, and we had some very generous donors at the masquerade,” Royce said.

“That’s good,” Francis said with a smile. “And I can’t remember ever enjoying an evening so much. What you and Jasmine put together was pure magic.”

“Yes, it was, wasn’t it?” He and Jasmine were magic together, too, if only he could get her to see that.

“Now, why do the two of you both turn so solemn when I say that?” Francis’s gaze was a little too astute.

And here Royce had thought he was going to be able to stick to business, at least for this part of the evening. “Just a little misunderstanding that I’m hoping to clear up.”

“I hope so, too. Jasmine deserves to be happy. And so do you, young man.”

“Happiness never factored into the equation for me before,” Royce said with a sigh. The happiness he’d found with Jasmine would leave a hole in his life if they weren’t together. Please let me be able to fix this.

“What about now?”

Now, Royce was determined to make Jasmine the happiest woman on earth. If he had to give up every dime to do it.

But instead of saying that, Royce simply smiled and returned to the original subject. “The truth is, we made far more than our goal at the masquerade.”

“Oh?”

“It will mean you’ll have more to work with when you build the men’s sleeping quarters. But I have an idea I would like to propose.”

Francis beamed at Royce as he explained his plan. The money he gave wasn’t going into this man’s pocket, yet it still made Francis happy because it meant he could help more people every day. That humbled Royce.

“There isn’t enough to cover all I’m suggesting, but I’m willing to donate the additional funds myself,” he said, waving away Francis’s protests. “But I have a confession to make.”

Francis was all ears.

“I’m going to need your help.”

Thirty minutes later, Francis was more than on board.