Page 43 of Tempting Eden

JACK

EDEN NAPPED THROUGH THEafternoon with me and left, despite my protestations, to get back home before her mother got suspicious. I was insatiable for her, barely letting her slip out of my bed before tugging her back down again and kissing her until she wanted more and more. I smiled, thinking of how she’d talked about getting caught. She was almost girlish, as if we were star-crossed teenage lovers and the sun was rising to drive us apart.

Once she’d gone, I decided to work on the contracts that had come back, making sure none of the brokers had tried to slip any different terms past us. I opened my email and saw a message from [email protected]. Her signature image was the Cheshire cat from the animated film. Cute. The subject line read: “Halp! Did I make this too white or something?” I laughed to myself. Adele had attached her creative fiction piece for me to review.

After the first few paragraphs, I knew she had talent. I also knew who she’d modeled the impossibly brown beauty standard on, given his description as “a tall, dark-haired hero, named Jack—the one all women wanted and all men wanted to be.” Dramatic and, I had to admit, flattering. I read through and gave her some tips here and there. Overall, though, she’d taken her premise and run with it, creating a new world where brown was far more choice than any other color.

I wrote back “brava” and “let me know how it goes over at school.” After a few minutes, I received another email full of emojis in various stages of happiness along with a “thank you.” I went back to my contracts with a smile on my face, thinking about how great both the mother and the kid were. From what I’d seen of the Rochesters so far, they seemed like a great family. I often wondered what Eden’s mother was like, especially now that she’d mentioned Ms. Temple knew her when they were young. That would bear a bit more looking into.

I worked through the rest of the weekend, exchanging professional emails with Eden. I wanted to see her again, to pleasure her like she deserved. But I gave her some distance. It was difficult for her to tell me about Mason, and I appreciated her opening up to me. I’d noticed that she never told anyone more than they needed to know. But with me, I felt shewantedto tell me about herself, as if compelled to explain why she was the way she was. I liked being the one she could talk to.

By the time Monday rolled around, everything was in high gear for the huge pre-sale party set to take place in less than two weeks. The design team from Atlanta was back, though this time they were dedicating their skills to making the pool and the lobby into a glitzy paradise. Bess Xiao swooped into the office like a fabulous bird and made a home for herself and her assistant in one of the empty back offices.

I sat in on meetings with them and Eden for two straight days. After that, the designers were all set to head to the coast and start setting everything up. They were getting a head start on Eden and me. We intended to fly down Saturday and stay for a week, giving tours and making sales pitches. Given the high-glamor ideas that ricocheted around the conference room, the party was going to be a spectacle, at the very least.

Late Tuesday night, I helped Bess pack her samples and plans. She had a great flair for art, her drawings making me wish I could do more realism. I tended to romanticize things a bit too much. Her lines were done in unwavering pencil, dark and stark.

I admired one of her quick sketches, a design of stars and lights hanging above a beach paradise. Bess closed the door to her makeshift office and sauntered toward me. Her lips were her signature bright red and her straight, ebony hair flowed down her back. She was beautiful, no doubt—one of the singular most beautiful women I’d ever seen. She placed her small hands on my chest and looked up at me through her lashes.

“I’ve kept my eye on you, you know?” Her voice was low and sultry, practiced.

I did know. She watched me in an obvious fashion, so much so that at lunchtime today, Eden pulled me into the women’s restroom and left her mark. Eden yanked my tie down and set her nimble fingers to work on the top buttons of my shirt.

I fucked her up against the side of the bathroom stall as she bit my shoulder, my neck, licking and sucking my skin. I covered her mouth when she came for me so no one could hear. When we were finished, she straightened her blouse and her skirt, but she handed me her panties.

“That’s my flag. I’ve staked my claim.” She gave me one more long, indulgent kiss before walking out into the office like nothing had happened.

Eden’s panties were still in my pocket even as Bess leaned up on her tiptoes and tried to kiss me.

I put my hands on her shoulders and lightly pushed her back. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”

She bowed her head.

“Look, you’re beautiful. You’re smart. You’re driven. You are one of the classiest people I’ve ever met—”

“But?” She met my eyes again.

“But there’s someone else.”

She raised her perfectly arched eyebrows and her shoulders in a little shrug. “Oh. I didn’t know you were taken.”

“You aren’t mad?”

She made a snort noise and patted me on the chest, her gaze frank. “Please, Jack. I just wanted a quick and dirty, not marriage. We can still be friends, especially since you told me how beautiful, smart, wonderful, and amazing I am.”

I let out a breath of relief and finished packing her things. Her assistant knocked at the door and walked in to load up their cart.

Eden barreled around the corner. “Got everything you need, Bess?”

“Well,” Bess gave me a look, “I got all I could.”

Eden glanced from me and back to Bess.

“Okay, well get on down to the coast and don’t disappoint me.” Eden’s tone was clipped.

“I never do.” Bess gave a little extra sway to her hips as she retreated toward the elevator, her assistant in tow.

Once she was gone and Eden and I were alone, I pulled her into my arms. “Nothing happened, you know.”

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