Page 32 of Just One More Affair
“Go on. Thank you again for last night.” Her body lit up at the memory of his hands on her skin, his cock inside her, and all the ways he took her hard and fast, leaving her completely satisfied.
“My pleasure,” he said, his voice gruff, and she sensed he was thinking about the same thing.
***
It took awhile for Jared to shake off the effects of the morning. He took a hot shower and drank two cups of coffee before hitting work.
He walked into his office to find Brooke there waiting for him, an amused smirk on her face. Meeting his gaze, she tapped her Apple Watch. “Thirty minutes late, Mr. Sterling. That’s completely unlike you, so what gives?”
“You’re grinning like you already have the answer,” he said to the woman he’d moved up to vice president status at the company. It wasn’t her place to question his hours but she was talking as his friend, not his employee.
She sat on the edge of his desk while he unpacked his laptop and water bottle. “Well, you’re not the type of guy to spend all night with a woman during the week. Work is too important. On the other hand, you’re going to be a father and you have an obvious interest in your baby’s mother.”
He raised an eyebrow, grateful for the ability to stop thinking about the events of this morning. “How would you know that?”
She shrugged. “I know you well. If you weren’t into Charlie, you’d be a lot more shaken up by the idea of being a father.”
“Do you want to talk about what really happened between you and Aiden that makes things so awkward now?”
“Not really,” she said, her cheeks turning a healthy shade of red. “And touché.” She grinned at his non-subtle way of making his point. Good thing she wasn’t sensitive and understood him.
Both she and Aiden avoided all discussion about each other and their past, leaving Jared damned curious. Knowing he wouldn’t get answers, he focused on his own life.
And considering he’d just spent all night with Charlotte, and he’d admitted out loud that he had feelings for her, and this morning he’d felt completely protective, he wanted to sit with those feelings, and not discuss them. Not even with Brooke, who was like a sister to him.
“On another subject, did you see the invitation to the gala next weekend? I left it on your desk yesterday as a reminder.” She glanced at the desk where he’d piled stacks of papers before heading out yesterday. “I guess not,” she muttered.
“I didn’t need the invitation to remember the gala that’s in honor of my mother.”
After Gloria Sterling died, once his father pulled himself together, he’d set up a charity to help fund drug programs for addicts. His mother’s killer—they never said his name—had been on benzos at the time of the murder and his attorney’s argument was that in his right mind, he’d never have hurt Gloria Sterling.
No one in the family knew whether that was true but the need to help people was obvious. And anything they could do to keep their mother’s name alive was important.
Jared was notorious for ignoring galas unless he had no choice. Give money? He was all in. Attend an event? Not if he could avoid it. Too many people, too many single women looking for a man with money and, worse, too many mothers looking to pair up their daughters. But next weekend, his whole family would attend and Jared wouldn’t miss it.
“Why don’t you invite Charlie?” Brooke suggested, waggling her eyebrows.
He shook his head at her antics and laughed. “That might be the best idea you’ve had all morning.”
“It’s the only idea I’ve had since we haven’t gotten down to business yet.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, picked up her iPad, and took a seat, ready to work.
An hour later, they’d wrapped up their meeting and Brooke headed to her own office. Before making any business calls, Jared pulled up Charlotte’s name and hit call.
She answered on the second ring. “Hi, Jared.”
“Hello, beautiful. I’m calling to ask you to accompany me to a gala next Saturday night. Black tie,” he said.
“A gala?”
He leaned in his chair and pushed back, propping his feet on his desk. “It comes with the territory. This one’s in honor of my mother. The money goes to programs for drug addiction. I go but it’s always difficult. And it would be much more pleasurable with you at my side.”
“That’s a cause I can get behind,” she murmured. “I’m sorry all these things are back-to-back. My brother, the gala…”
He shook his head. “I’m fine. I just want to spend time with you.”
She let out a light tinkling of laughter that made him smile. “Well, aren’t you the charmer.”
“I try.” He grinned. “So? Next Saturday night? I should warn you, my family will be there and there’s no time like the present to make a statement.”
