Page 56 of Tempted

“You told me you had a sick child to play on my sympathies when I hired you. I always thought it strange how nothing really seemed to be wrong with your daughter other than her not talking. But I never probed because I didn’t think it was that big a deal. How did you con my mother into getting an interview?”

“I didn’t con her. I told her the truth.”

He narrowed his eyes. “So you’re telling me my mother knew?”

“Yes.”

His mother had a soft heart he knew, but she wouldn’t have knowingly sent a criminal to take care of her grandchildren. That she could stand here and lie to his face sealed her fate. “You have a half hour to pack your belonging and get the fuck out of my house. If you’re still here past the allotted time I’ll personally throw you out myself and then I’ll call the police. Stay away from my kids, my mother and me or I’ll make your life so miserable you’ll wish you were dead. Do I make myself clear?”

“You don’t mean that.” She grasped his arm. “What about us?”

“Oh my, God, don’t tell me you’ve slept with this trash?” Madison’s voice dripped with disgust.

Victor ignored her, shaking Jasmine’s grip off his arm.

Jasmine however wasn’t ready to give up. “Please, just listen to me. I can explain everything. If you meant all those things you said to me the other night you’d hear me out.”

With more force than he’d intended he shoved Jasmine away sending her stumbling backwards. She lost her balance and landed on her butt. Her mouth fell open as she looked at him with wide, stunned eyes.

Madison shook her head. “This is what happens when you go slumming, Victor. I know you men sometimes want to sample something exotic, but did you have to stoop this low? It’s just not worth messing with these ghetto girls. It’s too much trouble. Let her go back to the slum where she belongs. God knows our tax dollars will be going straight to her pocket anyway when she starts receiving her welfare checks. If I were you’d I’d call the police anyway. She’s bound to have stolen something.”

Jasmine didn’t move, sitting in the middle of the floor, her tears streaming down her face unheeded.

His anger still driving him Victor strode over to her, grabbed her by the forearms and yanked Jasmine to her feet. “You’ve wasted two minutes. Now get the hell out of my sight and don’t even think about going to the kids rooms or I’ll ring your fucking neck.”

Jasmine pulled away from him seeming to come out of her trance-like stupor. Raising her chin defiantly she narrowed her eyes. “I never told you about my past because I didn’t know if I could trust you but I guess I was right all along.” She headed for the door and paused. Then, turned back around, her gaze focused on Madison. “I forgot to give you something.”

Madison sneered and crinkled her nose as if she smelled something bad. “What could you possibly have for me?”

“This.” And without warning, Jasmine slammed her fist square in Madison’s face. “Now you have something to call the police for,” Jasminedeclared as she stormed out of the office.

“My nose! I think that black bitch broke my nose! Call the police. I want that ape in jail!

Victor turned to Madison. All her nasty comments finally registered and he remembered exactly why he’d kicked her out of his life. Though he was still trying to process the tangled web Jasmine had woven he realized if Madison pressed charges, he’d probably have to serve as a witness which would mean seeing more of Jasmine. To be honest, Madison had that punch coming for her extremely offensive comments.

“I’ll take care of any medical bills you incur because of this. There’s no need to get the police involved. I just want her out of here.”

“Don’t you care she broke my fucking nose?” The blonde grabbed some tissues off his desk.

“Not particularly, Madison. Don’t pretend you came here for some altruistic reason. You wanted cause trouble and you’ve achieved your objective.”

Holding now bloodied tissues over her swollen nose, she screeched, “How can you be so cruel?”

Victor wasn’t in the mood to be charitable. “Go get yourself cleaned up, Madison.”

“This is the thanks I get for exposing that faker for what she is?”

He didn’t have the patience to deal with a hysterical Madison. Did she think because she’d been the bearer of this news that he’d be so grateful as to welcome a relationship with her, let alone a friendship? Even though he was sick to his stomach at the discovery of Jasmine’s lies he was still disgusted by Madison’s racist comments. “Madison, go clean yourself up.”

She let out a frustrated wail and stormed out of his office. Victor sat heavily on his couch trying to make sense of what he’d been told? Jasmine a criminal? And a violent one at that? It explained the gap in her resume. Prison. She was a con artist. Was it her plan to seduce him and drive him out of his mind to the point where he’d give her anything she wanted? He had to admit, she was clever. She’d fooled him into thinking he was doing the chasing. Fucking liar.

He didn’t know how long he sat there before a loud commotion coming from outside his office broke his angry musings.

“Jasmine!” he heard a child’s cries. Chelsea!

The bitch must have disobeyed his order and went to the kids. Rage shook every part of his body. He would fucking kill her if she tried to use his children to play on his emotions. Victor charged out of his office and saw Jasmine coming down the stairs with a duffle bag and Chelsea and Tyler on her heels.

“Jasmine, don’t go!” Chelsea screamed in near hysterics.

---