Foolish Notions Read online

  “That’s a lie. We both know that’s not true.” Marisa’s grip tightened. “If that were true you wouldn’t be reacting this way.”

  “I’m reacting this way because I foolishly got caught up in emotions that were based solely on lust,” she said regretfully.

  “I disagree. I think you’ve duped yourself into believing they’re based on lust. I think they’re based on love.”

  Samantha shook her head quickly, not even considering it.

  “Are you saying you don’t love him? Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t love him.” After a moment she said, “That’s what I thought.”

  Samantha’s pain-filled eyes brimmed with tears. “I can’t love a man who’s cheated on me.”

  “What if he didn’t?” Marisa whispered as she stroked Samantha’s hair softly. “What if he’s telling the truth?”

  “I know what I saw.”

  “You know what you think you saw,” she offered gently as she wiped at her friend’s tears.

  “Whose side are you on?”

  “Yours. Why else would I be up at this god-awful hour?”

  The makings of a smile touched Samantha’s lips.

  “I’m not going to tell you what you want to hear,” Marisa warned.

  “I know you’re not.” Samantha sighed and after a moment of thought, she said honestly, “I thought it was lust at first but now I’m not so sure.”

  Marisa nodded in agreement, encouraging her to continue with the thought.

  “I still love him,” she whispered to herself.

  Marisa pulled Samantha to her and wrapped her in a big hug. She held her tightly, giving her time to let it sink in.

  “I love him,” she whispered again.

  Slowly releasing her, Marisa pulled from the embrace. “When I got here, you asked me for my opinion—here it is. I think you need to hear him out before deciding what you’re going to do.”

  “I don’t want to know all the details.”

  “Of course you don’t. But you need to know them. There is a difference.” Reaching for her purse she flung it over her shoulder. “Come on.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To see James. I’m sure he hasn’t left for the airport yet.” When she saw the reluctant look cross her friend’s face she took her firmly by the shoulders. “Sam, what do you have to lose? More importantly, let’s look at what you have to gain.”

  Samantha hugged her friend tightly to her. “Thank you for being the voice of reason.”

  They spoke little as they drove through town. Thankfully the morning traffic was light, so Marisa was able to make good time. Once they turned off the freeway and headed toward the narrow high-rise buildings located downtown, they were almost there. Dodging a few street sweepers, they pulled up to the curb and Marisa put the car in park.

  She turned to Samantha. “Are you ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  “All you have to do is hear him out,” she said reassuringly. “You don’t have to make any decisions, just listen to him.”

  “I know.”

  Right at that moment both Samantha and Marisa looked out the window. James was exiting the building and heading toward a waiting limo a few cars ahead of them. He paused for a moment as if he was waiting for someone. When he was joined, Marisa was the first to speak. “Who the hell is that with him?”

  Samantha couldn’t take her eyes off the woman, whom James was helping into the limo, with a gentle hand against her back. “It’s her.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. I don’t think I’ll ever forget what she looks like.”

  Marisa reached for her door. “The son-of-a-bitch. I’m going to give him a piece of my—”

  Samantha stopped her by grabbing her arm. “Don’t. He’s not worth it.” It was funny; she thought she’d have to fight off the tears, but nothing came. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Samantha shot up off the couch when she heard the loud bang on her front door. It echoed through her apartment like a gunshot. She took a deep, steady breath, knowing immediately who it was. Her hand went to her midsection, trying to soothe the rolling, which had come on instantaneously and was so fierce she thought she might throw up. Her body was motionless, her mind racing.

  The knock came again, this time even louder and more persistent than the last. She looked at the closed door and had half a mind to leave it that way. However, she was smart enough to know that James wasn’t the type of man who would just go away if she refused to let him in. She would have to give him the chance to say what he wanted to say; it was the only way she would be able to end everything completely.

  She coolly collected herself as she moved to the door and eyed the gold-toned safety chain. The inhalations she took were long and even, though they were anything but calming. As she slid the chain to the side and let it drop, the door suddenly swung open. James pushed past her, knocking her off balance, causing her to stumble back.

  “It seems you have a tendency toward walking out on me,” James said. Anguish and rage etched its way across his face.

  As Samantha recovered from the sudden motion, she moved to the other side of the room in an ungraceful wobble. She didn’t like the way he looked. There were dark circles under his eyes and several days’ worth of stubble on his face. His hair was devilish and his suit looked like it had been slept in. The rolling in her stomach turned into a nauseating tidal wave. “I didn’t walk out. It was time for me to go.”

  The veins in James’s face bulged as he reached behind him and slammed the door shut. His strides were lengthy as he moved toward her. “I didn’t say it was time.”

  Samantha noted the anger in his voice and stepped into the kitchen. It was the most distance she could put between them without running down the short hall into her bedroom. She fought the urge to do just that. She had never in her life feared James, but right now she didn’t trust his judgment. “James, calm down.”

  “I don’t feel like calming down. I leave for two weeks, come home, and find you gone. No note, no phone call, nothing.”

  “I don’t have to notify you of every move I make.”

  “Not every.” The pitch of his voice dropped, he remained perfectly still. His eyes never shifted from her.

  Samantha didn’t like his tone—it was leaden and driven by resentment. “I made sure Marie was completely moved back into her place.” She raised her shoulders. “What did you want me to do? Stay at your house and wait for you to come home?”

  “That would have been nice.” He rubbed a hand across the coarse stubble along his jaw.

  “I’m not your girlfriend or your roommate.”

  “No, you were just sleeping with me and living in my home.” The words oozed with sarcasm.

  Samantha flinched as the crudeness of his words hit her. “I was your employee. You were my boss,” she pointed out. “The job was over, so I left.” She said the last words quietly.

  “The job wasn’t over.”

  “Marie is fine,” she countered. “I spoke with her this morning.”

  James sent her a cautious look. “We aren’t over.”

  “We never started,” she flung at him.

  “We never goddamn ended.” The back of his jaw clenched tensely.

  “I already told you—”

  “I hope you’re not about to remind me that all we were having was sex. That would not be wise right now, Samantha.”

  “You coming here isn’t wise.”

  James’s eyes narrowed momentarily.

  “What do you want, James?”

  “You.”

  “You want her, too.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I saw you with her before you left. I watched her get into the limo with you.”

  “What?”

  “Like a fool I went after you.” Tears of utter humiliation clouded her eyes. “I’m not going to be foolish anymore.”

&
nbsp; An intimate look, a look of disbelief, crept into his dark eyes. “That morning, you—you came—”

  “Get out,” she said with a cold-hearted stare.

  “You came for me?”

  “Get out.”

  “Not a chance.” He took a step. “Why did you come after me?”

  “I said get out.” Her hand shot to the door. “Leave.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. Tell me. I want to know why.”

  “Tell me, why is it after we make love you have to go to her?”

  Every muscle in his body reacted. His fists balled at his sides as his pulse jolted. “Find your keys.” The words came out as a direct order.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Get your keys, Samantha. You are coming home with me.” His peripheral vision remained on her as he glanced around the room. “Right now.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  The veins at James’s temple started to protrude again. He cleared his voice before he spoke. “If I have to toss you over my goddamn shoulder and carry you to my car, I will.” He spotted her purse on the kitchen table, retrieved it, and then pushed it into her hands. “Don’t tempt me Samantha, I’ll do it.”

  “You can’t just pick me up and cart me off.”

  He took a step forward. “You want to bet?”

  Samantha shook her head.

  “Good.” He took her hand in his and headed out the door. He deposited her in the passenger seat and moved around the car. He looked at her briefly over the hood. By the end of the night she would know everything that had happened. If she chose not to stay with him after she heard what he had to say then he would let her go. His stomach started to churn at the thought of her leaving him. He tried in vain to disregard the notion as he slid behind the wheel and started the car.

  The ride across town was thirty minutes of uncomfortable silence. The tires squealed around every corner and he slid several feet when he stopped in front of his house. He flung open the car door and met Samantha on the other side of the car. Once in the house, James gestured up the stairs. “My room.”

  Samantha was about to say something, but the look on James’s face silenced her. She followed him up the stairs.

  James’s hand shot out when they entered the room. “On the bed.”

  “I—”

  “Sit on the bed, Samantha.” The words were said sharply as he disappeared into the huge walk-in closet.

  Samantha sat on the very edge of the mattress. She didn’t dare look over her shoulder at the bed. Images of their lovemaking were already dancing through her head. For some strange reason she felt guilty for thinking about it, for her body responding to it. Noise from the closet caused her to look up, relieving her of any more culpable thoughts.

  When James quietly reappeared, he leaned against the wall and stared at Samantha. “That night on the beach—”

  Samantha shot off the bed. “I don’t want to hear this.”

  “I need to tell you what happened that night.” His voice lowered. “And regardless of what you think, you need to hear it.”

  “No, I don’t.” She twisted her hands together. She would rather die than hear him admit that he had been with another woman. “It’s not going to make a bit of difference. I know what happened. I saw what happened with my own eyes. I saw her get into the limo and I saw her in the lobby kissing you.” She looked around the room hysterically. “I want to go home.”

  “You’re being unfair.”

  Samantha turned suddenly. Her temper sparked. “What would you have done if you walked in and saw me kissing another man the way you were kissing that woman?”

  “I’d probably beat the living shit out of him.”

  “And you think I’m being unfair just because I don’t want to hear all about it?”

  He moved across the room and stopped several feet from her. “I don’t want to lose you again.”

  “You never got me back.” She watched his eyes dart over her shoulder to the bed as he walked toward her. She knew what he was thinking. “James, I can’t explain it. My body wants you but my heart won’t let me forget.” There was no emotion in her voice. She was purely stating the obvious.

  “It’s not just physical, Samantha. I don’t care how much you try to convince yourself of that. You wouldn’t have let me make love to you unless you loved me.”

  “It had been over a year since a man had even touched me. I think that had more to do with it than anything.”

  “Your reasoning isn’t going to work.” For a moment he stood perfectly still. “I love you.”

  Her blood pressure spiked. She could actually hear the blood pounding in her head, pushing through her veins. “How can you stand here and say that?”

  “Because it’s true.”

  “You lying son of—”

  “This is how I can stand here and say I love you.” He pulled a black velvet box from his pants pocket. He held it in the space that separated them.

  Samantha’s hand went to her mouth as she watched James open the small box and take out a solitaire diamond ring.

  “I planned to give this to you the night we made love on the beach.” He tried to control his voice. “I was going to ask you to marry me.”

  She smacked at him wildly. “You son-of-a-bitch.” Her voice was pure venom as she smacked the ring out of his hand. “How dare you? How dare you do this to me?” She pushed his chest hard. “Does she know that you were going to propose to me?” She shouted in his face. “Does she know that we made love? Does she know—”

  “Stop,” he said as he gathered her hands. “This isn’t about her, this is about us. I love you. Don’t you get it?”

  She shook her head and felt her lip tremble as she caught it between her teeth. “I will never forgive you for this.”

  Reaching into his coat pocket he took out his phone and flipped it open. He dialed a few numbers. “It’s Taylor. You need to get over to my house immediately. No, it doesn’t have anything to do with that—this is personal.” He shook his head briskly. “I don’t care about your goddamn policy.” Each word seeped through teeth clamped so tightly they began to ache from the continual pressure. “If you don’t come here, I’ll come there. Take your pick. I don’t give a damn about the repercussions.” There was a pause. “No, that’s out of the question. Fifteen minutes or I’m coming over.”

  When the conversation was over and the phone was tucked back into his pocket he looked at Samantha. “We can wait downstairs.”

  “I’m going home.”

  He reached for her arm. “You’re going downstairs.”

  Exactly fifteen minutes later the doorbell rang. James shot Samantha a stay-put look and went to answer the door.

  The woman, who was dressed in sneakers, jeans, and a white T-shirt, was hot on James’s trail when they walked into the room. Her dark brown hair was pulled gently back into a long ponytail and a look of hard anger lit her jade-green eyes.

  Recognizing her immediately, Samantha stood and headed for the door.

  “Goddamn it, sit Samantha,” James demanded.

  “I’m leaving.”

  “No, you’re not.” He grabbed her arm. “Not until you’ve met Alicia.”

  Alicia looked directly at James, paying no attention to Samantha. “I don’t know what in the hell you think you’re doing. How dare you put me in this type of position?”

  James blew out a long breath. “Al, tell Samantha what you do.”

  “Mr. Taylor, I don’t care who you are, what company you run, or how much money you pay me—we have a contract.”

  “I understand. However, this is important. I promise you—”

  “I don’t want your promises. I want you to abide by the contract you signed.” Her face was an uncompromising stare. “You know how I feel about this.”

  “I can’t let it slide again.” He had slowly died inside the first time for keeping his mouth shut. It would kill him he if he did it again.

  “That’s
not my problem.”

  “It is now.”

  “You signed a confidentiality clause which provides for serious consequences if it is ever breached—”

  “Sue me,” James snapped. “Just tell her who the hell you are.”

  “What’s going on?” Samantha said, desperately looking between the two.

  “I don’t care if I lose everything,” James continued. “She needs to know the truth.”

  “We went over this last time,” Alicia insisted.

  James directed his words to Samantha but continued to look at Alicia when he spoke. “Al is a former U.S. intelligence officer. She retired from the Department of Defense two years ago. She now owns and operates an investigations company, which specializes in corporate espionage.”

  James turned to Samantha. “I hired Al a year ago when I thought my company was being spied on.”

  Samantha felt the color drain from her face. She shook her head in denial. She couldn’t believe what he was saying. There was too much at stake if she did. All this couldn’t just be a simple misunderstanding. “No.”

  “Yes, Samantha. I hired her again, a few months ago, because we have a new product being released very soon and our competitors were trying to find out what it was.”

  “They were trying to steal it,” Alicia reluctantly corrected under her breath.

  Samantha’s eyes were filled with torment and regret when she looked at him. “But she was in your arms. I saw the both of you kissing.” The words fell out of her mouth in dismay.

  James looked at Alicia frantically. “What you say will never leave this room. I swear on my life. You can’t expect me to do this again.”

  “I was undercover,” Alicia said after a very long and thoughtful moment. “I do whatever it takes to get the information.” She took a deep breath and looked over to James and then back to Samantha. “People don’t know who I am. I have to keep it that way. I pretended to be Mr. Taylor’s girlfriend.” She lifted her shoulders. “I’ve also been a janitor, a man, and an opera singer. It’s all a part of what I do. I take on whatever role that allows me to get the information I need.” She cleared her throat. “I was the one who called that evening. I got word that there was a party, which posed the perfect opportunity for Mr. Taylor and I to get near the suspect. Trust me, I got an earful when he told me I interrupted what he said was the most important moment of his life.”