He released my hand, and I almost had my freedom for the night...until he moved in for a kiss. My honed reflexes didn’t fail me, and I pivoted my head just enough that the kiss landed on my cheek.
Pierce pulled back and stared down at me. “This weekend.”
“We’ll discuss it when you call,” I said. “Have a good night, Pierce.”
I waved, quickly turned, and headed for the parking garage.
I waited until Pierce as out of eyeshot, slipped my recording device out of my clutch and hit the stop button, confident I had from tonight’s dinner and our previous conversations to present to his wife.
When she hired me, Gloria Reid suspected the extra hours her husband had been spending away from home hadn’t been due to this supposed business deal as Head of Finance for a growing sports company here in Williamsport.
“Boy, was she right,” I mumbled, stepping into the elevator.
As I rode to the third level, I stuffed the recorder back into my bag and pulled out my cell phone. The elevator came to a stop, and I stepped off before pressing the button to dial my office. My assistant, Hallease, answered on the second ring.
“Jocelyn,” she said.
“Hey. Thanks for remaining in the office. Man, let me tell you, this guy, Pierce, is a piece of work. He’s a charmer, like Gloria said. She’s going to have a field day ripping up that prenup. I wish I could be there when she tells him she knows what he’s been up to. Men think they’re so slick.”
I sucked my teeth and shook my head.
“Jocelyn...”
“They are not to be trusted. This is why you can’t bank on love for any type of security. Not if you’re a woman in today’s world. Granted, a lot of women recognize this, but somehow so many smart, savvy, capable women keep getting trapped into these men’s webs of lies.”
“Jocelyn...”
“Take Gloria, for instance. She’s beautiful, was working her way up the corporate ladder. Then she got pregnant and chose to stay at home to raise their children. Admirable. But what does her husband do? Does he appreciate all she’s doing to keep their family going? No. He’s out here telling me how beautiful I am and trying to kiss me.”
I huffed and shook my head.
“Jocelyn!”
I jerked my head at the urgency in Hallease’s voice. “Yeah?”
“I’ve been trying to call you.”
I pulled the phone from my ear and my eyes bulged when I noticed the three missed calls. Two were from Hallease, and one was from my mother.
I stiffened. “What happened?” I asked in a shaky voice.
“It’s Corey. There’s been an accident.”
Awhooshof air left my lungs.
I pressed my palm against the window of my car door. It was as if someone had punched me in the gut. Those four words were one of my biggest fears.
Corey. My brother. My twin.
I blinked away the water filling my eyes. I couldn’t fall apart. Mama had called me, which meant she already knew what happened. She would need me to be strong for her. And Corey, he would require me to be strong for him even if he would never admit as much.
My voice came out strangled. “Wh-where is he?”
“Williamsport Central.”
“Okay.” I hung up without a proper goodbye.
I yanked the car door open, tossed my clutch and phone into the passenger seat, and pulled out of the parking space as fast as I could.
