perfect. Not only is this place beautiful…” Mallory gestured around the contemporary lobby “…but it’s a chance to get away from the real world for a while.”
“Lucky you. Unfortunately, this
“Mrs. Lederman…”
She shook her head. “Alicia.”
“Alicia.” Mallory bit the inside of her cheek. “This is awkward.” And though she hadn’t approached Alicia Lederman, hadn’t been hired and therefore hadn’t breached any ethics, Mallory felt uncomfortable.
“Nonsense.” Alicia waved a hand in the air, revealing a large solitaire diamond glittering on her left hand.
Obviously Mrs. Lederman hadn’t removed her wedding ring. Because she was holding out hope or because she wanted to hang on to the stone? Mallory immediately discounted the mercenary thought. Her instincts were rarely wrong and this woman with warm brown eyes radiated sincerity and goodness.
Kindness that brought back disturbing recollections and led to reinforced insecurities, none of which helped when Mallory had a job to do. Which was to prove to Mr. Lederman she and Jack were the divorce attorneys he wanted on his side.
“It’s only awkward if we choose to make it that way,” the other woman assured her. “Now is there anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable?”
“Aside from you not being difficult about the divorce or settlement?” To her credit, Mrs. Lederman didn’t flinch, though Mallory did. And inside, her heart died a bit at her own harsh words.
She might have told Jack she’d do whatever it took to make her case, she might even have tried to believe it herself, but she didn’t have to like it. And the more she saw of her client’s wife, the worse she felt about herself and the side she’d chosen.
Mrs. Lederman drew herself up and squared her shoulders. “You know, I respect the fact that you don’t mince words. You remind me of my daughter.”
Mallory shook her head, unable to believe what she’d done. “I’m sorry.”
Mrs. Lederman shook her head. “For being a professional? Nonsense. There’s nothing to forgive.”
“Why are you doing this?” Mallory asked, unable to help herself. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Would you believe me if I said I like all guests to enjoy our hotel?”
Mallory nodded slowly. “Yes, I would.” She’d believe anything Mrs. Lederman said. “Your daughter’s lucky to have you.” The words escaped before Mallory could stop them.
“I wish my husband felt the same.”
That fast, Mallory felt a connection with this woman. One she couldn’t afford and one that conflicted with her ultimate aspiration-partnership by virtue of winning Lederman’s divorce account for the firm.
From the moment she’d been summoned to Jack’s office and placed on this case, she’d known nothing would be easy or simple but she’d never anticipated the turmoil she’d experience here.
Before either of them could say another word, the older woman reached for Mallory’s arm and she found herself led across the lobby, around the corner and toward a huge bank of windows. The gym area spread wide in front of her and it was newer and larger than the gym she belonged to at home.
“Nice,” she murmured. She leaned closer to the plate glass and saw the room was empty except for a man on a treadmill in the corner.
Make that Jack on a treadmill in the corner with a sexy brunette hanging all over him as he ran. Mallory frowned. Why wasn’t the woman repulsed by the smell of sweat? she thought, knowing she was feeling jealous and hating it at the same time.
“Isn’t that your colleague?”
Mallory nodded.
“That’s our manager,” Mrs. Lederman said in response to her unspoken question.
“A little too perfect-looking for my taste,” Mallory muttered.
The woman by her side burst into laughter. “Like I said, bluntness becomes you.”
Mallory rolled her eyes. “Well let’s face it, how many of us actually look like that.”
“Not nearly enough and as a man ages, he starts to appreciate youth and well-toned muscles.”
Mallory met the other woman’s hurt gaze. “Your husband?”
A shuttered look closed Mrs. Lederman’s emotions from view. “I thought we were talking about him.” A well- manicured fingernail pointed toward Jack.
Mallory narrowed her gaze and looked closer, taking Mrs. Lederman’s words into consideration. Yes, this muscled woman was hanging on Jack’s every word. And yes, she was taking in his hard calves and thighs and drooling, just as Mallory was. But the key to this scene lay in the visuals or lack of them.
Jack wasn’t drooling back. Not that a man could do much obvious ogling of a woman while working out, but his run was paced and he could express more blatant interest if he chose. Even from this distance, Mallory could see Jack’s interest lay more in what the woman was saying than what she looked like or wore. In fact, the brunette hadn’t stopped talking once since Mallory had begun her watch.
Considering Mrs. Lederman’s sudden change of attitude, Mallory believed her husband had caused her jaded views on men and younger, buffer women. And though Mallory hardly thought Jack was undergoing a hardship with this woman’s attention, she hoped at least he was getting information on Mr. Lederman from the hard-bodied female ogler.
If any ogling was going to be done over Jack’s body, Mallory wanted to do the honors-and she wanted him to eye her right back-as if he couldn’t get enough of her. Neither scenario was destined to happen again.
Mallory let out a deep breath. “How about you show me the sauna and whirlpool?” she suggested. “It’s obvious neither one of us wants to watch this display.”
“Sounds like a good plan. Did I mention we have a masseuse on staff?”
Mallory allowed Mrs. Lederman to lead her on an extended tour, but her mind remained on Jack-who glanced up in time to see her watching him through the large windows.
He proffered a wave, then turned his attention to more shallow pursuits.
JACK LET HIMSELF inside his room. Sweating from his run in the gym, the blast of air-conditioning hit him hard. He raised the temperature dial and sprawled onto the bed.
Today’s revelations had wiped him out far more than the workout. Apparently Lederman was having a midlife crisis courtesy of a mild heart attack he’d hidden from all business associates, his attorneys included. According to Eva, the boss’s health scare explained the gym’s new cardiovascular workouts and doctor on premises and his new dedication to fitness that hadn’t yet shown overt results. But the man had started paying more attention to his looks and flirting with the help.
Jack figured it wasn’t a far leap to assume the man was fooling around outside his marriage to assure himself of his virility and ability. If so, his attorneys, even potential attorneys, shouldn’t be kept in the dark until the bombshell exploded and it was too late to prepare. An affair was the last complication Jack had come here expecting to deal with.
His own or Lederman’s.
Jack leaned back and clasped his hands behind his head. Not that an affair was a bad thing-if you were single. And Jack was. Single and primed, by the last woman he’d ever expected.
She haunted his thoughts now, day and night. Even when Eva the spa bunny had outright propositioned him, Jack hadn’t been interested. Only one woman held him in thrall.
But apparently Mallory didn’t want to continue their…what could he call last night? Liaison? She didn’t want to continue their liaison into daylight hours. And with no invitation forthcoming this morning, she obviously had no intention of repeating the episode this evening either.
A one-time lesson. A one-night stand.
On both an intellectual and professional level her decision and withdrawal made sense. But on an emotional plane he didn’t comprehend and a sexual one he understood only too well, the frustration and disappointment were overwhelming.
No way would he leave things as unbalanced and unfinished between them as they were now.
