Page 41 of Marcel

“I hadmy own life; we had just a fling.” She reminded him. She hadselected the restaurant, a hip uptown cafe where the business worlddropped in to make deals over expensive coffee and croissants. Thecoffee was excellent, but the croissants needed work.

“Which neverled to anything except a chaste kiss on the cheek.” Jonathaneyed her thoughtfully. “I am divorced.”

“And I ammarried.” She nodded to the rings.

“You are nothappy.”

Her tapered eyebrowslifted. “So, now you are a mind reader?”

“Your husbandwanted to tear me from limb to limb, and he barely managed to sitthrough the meeting. What’s the story there?”

“That it’snone of your concern.” She told him mildly. “It’scomplicated.”

“Another word for not working out.”

“Complicated.”She repeated. “And off the table.”

“Spoken like atrue lawyer.” His eyes glinted as he stared at the beautifulwoman across from him. “Mine is not, however. Janice and I gotmarried after just a month of courtship. She was this lovely Englishbeauty, delicate as a rose and incredibly sweet. I felt like a knightin shining armor.

She is some sort ofaristocrat and comes from a long line of proper breeding.”Picking up his cup, he took a sip of the coffee, his expressionreflective. “It was great during the courtship, and we agreed,or rather, I agreed, that I would not force her into getting physicalbefore the marriage.

Considering it wasjust four weeks, it was not so much a hardship.” Pausing, heallowed his gaze to drift to the opposite table, where a heated,hushed discussion was happening among several men in business suits.

“You don’thave to.”

Bringing his gazeback to the vision before him, he smiled. “I want to. Fastforward to the wedding night. We went to Scotland, where her daddyhas a cottage. It was perfect; the place was delightful and surreal,the weather was wonderful, and it was a perfect setting for thehoneymoon. But she would not let me touch her.

I tried several timesduring the two weeks, and each time, she would assure me that itwould be the last time, and it never happened.

She would not let mecome near her at all. We went back home to London the same way we hadleft. I tried to make it work for almost a year, but the frustrationwas more than I could bear.” He smiled. “She told me thatshe would understand if I took on a mistress, but that was not mystyle.”

“What happenedto her? Was she assaulted?”

Johnathon nodded.“When she was five years old, a friend of her dad’smolested her, and because of his status in society, she was afraid tosay anything.”

“So, shecontinued to live with the horror of it and allowed it to ruin herlife.”

He smiled at herindignant expression. “Not all women are as strong as you are,darling.”

“I am asurvivor.”

“That you are.I blame myself for not keeping in touch with you. I should have, andmaybe we would have ended up together.”

She shook her head.“I don’t think so. You were more like a brother to methan anything else. That’s why it never went past first base.”She told him with a grin.

“What a way tocrush a guy’s ego.” He muttered wryly.

“And you wantednothing more than that from me, either.” Reaching across thetable, she took his hand. “I am so happy you are back.”

*****

“Where the hellwere you?”

“Havingbreakfast.” She refused to let him rattle her and walked pasthim to her desk. “Is there something I can help you with?”

Slamming the doorshut, he turned to face her. “You have been gone for more thanan hour. Where were you?”

“I was havingbreakfast with a client. Now, if there is nothing else, I would liketo.” She jumped when he slammed his palms on her desk, his eyesglittering with anger.

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