Captive

Black Wolf Gorge 3

GALE STANLEY

Copyright © 2011

Chapter One

“Ladies, it’s one minute to countdown.” The way-too-cheery bandleader looked straight at Janis. “Grab your dates.”

Where is my date?

Janis’s cherry-pie red acrylic nails dug into her palms. She tried to look nonchalant while she scanned the hotel ballroom.

Dammit,
Roy
. Where the hell are you?

One minute he’d been standing by her side eating stuffed mushroom caps and mini-hotdogs, and the next, he had his cell phone to his ear, already walking away and mumbling something unintelligible.

Shit! Shit! Shit!
Her first real New Year’s date in eons, and she was destined to stand in the corner alone at midnight.

The floor-to-ceiling windows framed fireworks that lit up the sky, and over her head, multicolored balloons swarmed, waiting for their cue. But the magical night had all but lost its luster.

Janis felt like Cinderella at the ball. At the stroke of twelve, the spell would be broken, and instead of a prince by her side, she’d be alone like always. She should have known that having a man like
Roy
interested in her was too good to be true.

“Ten!”

A drink would help. She made her way to the bar and asked for one glass of champagne. The bartender gave her a pitying look as he handed over the flute. Did everyone here feel sorry for her? The last thing she wanted on New Year’s Eve was a pity party. Screw them. At least she wasn’t working.

“Nine!”

Janis took a sip and peered over the rim of her glass. She spotted
Roy
headed her way, and her eyes went heavenward.

Thank you, Lord!

She plastered a smile on her face and promised herself she wouldn’t bawl him out.

“Eight!”

Roy
blithely sidestepped other partygoers in his haste. Maybe he did have an important call. She really had to stop belittling herself.

“Seven!”

She downed the rest of her champagne and set the glass on the bar. Determined to be by
Roy
’s side at midnight, she started walking toward him.

He really did look handsome in his black suit. The lab coat he usually wore over khakis and a button-down shirt didn’t do him justice. And the air of confidence about him added to his allure. He looked like he was in his element, whereas she was definitely out of hers.

“Six!”

Suddenly, a hand reached out and clutched
Roy
’s arm, stopping him in his tracks. His head swiveled to see who’d waylaid him. A stunning redhead with Mae West curves flashed a big smile, grabbed the back of
Roy
’s head, and glued her mouth to his.

“Five!”

Janis clenched her teeth so hard she swore she heard the enamel crack. She wanted to pull the skanky bitch off her date and slap her silly.

“Four!”

She’d seen the woman once before. But she’d been wearing a white nurse’s uniform instead of a strapless black cocktail dress that fit her like a second skin. She sat at a reception desk in front of
Roy
’s office and acted like his guard dog.

“Three!”

Maybe
Roy
needed a guard dog. His status at
Philadelphia
Hospital
had grown since some mysterious benefactor funded a new addition. With the building complete,
Roy
had been named head of the Foundation for Infertility and Reproductive Medicine.
The FIRM turned out to be a major
coup
for
the hospital. The sprawling complex that had once been a
public charity hospital had gained new respect and became
a major player in the world of research.
Roy
had high hopes of achieving a major breakthrough in the treatment of infertility.

“Two!”

She’d been so thrilled when
Roy
asked her to be his date. He’d chosen to share his success with her and show her off to his colleagues. Now it looked like she was being played as his second fiddle.

“Happy New Year!”

At the stroke of midnight, popping balloons sent streams of confetti pouring over the excited crowd. She lost sight of Roy and the redhead, and she bit back hot tears.

The crowd shifted, and Janis caught a glimpse of
Roy
. She watched the redhead pull a tissue from a tiny beaded purse and dab at his face. She wanted to claw the woman’s eyes out.

The woman had given her a hard time the day she’d stopped at
Roy
’s office. She’d made a big show of checking
Roy
’s calendar and letting Janis know she wasn’t on it. If
Roy
hadn’t stepped out of his inner sanctum, Janis might not have gotten to see him at all.

He’d brushed off her questions about the redhead. He paid the woman to screen his visitors. She had only been doing her job.

Had Janis been stupid to believe him? Her inner critic said
yes.
The subversive voice berated her.
What did you expect?

She’d known
Roy
was out of her league as soon as she met him. His dark good looks drew glances wherever they went, but more than that,
Roy
was husband material—a doctor. The nurses probably swarmed over him like bees to honey. No wonder he rarely asked her to meet him at the hospital.

She’d been a fool, running out to get her hair and nails done. Buying a new dress. Suddenly she felt dowdy and unattractive. She smoothed the taffeta over her hips. The full skirt couldn’t compete with the redhead’s short, slinky model.

She tried to look invisible. Not that anyone would notice her. They’d all paired off, lip-locked and groping each other in an erotic celebration of the New Year.

Why had
Roy
chosen her when he could have had his pick of so many others? They had so little in common. He’d always lived in the city while she’d grown up in the wilds of
Pennsylvania
. He had degrees up the wazoo while she stopped at a high school diploma.

Why did she feel so inadequate around him? She did a bang-up job managing her brothers’ apartment building, and she’d already signed up for classes so she could become a licensed real estate agent.

She’d given him all the power in this relationship because she’d viewed him as perfect. Obviously, he was far from it. If she couldn’t trust him, then maybe he wasn’t the man for her. Right then and there, she made a New Year’s resolution. From now on she would speak her mind and stand up for herself.

Janis took a step toward the door. She refused to stand alone like some lovelorn loser while her date kissed another woman across the room. If she had to spend her New Year’s in the ladies room, so be it.
 

Suddenly, strong arms circled her waist and pulled her in.
Roy
’s distinctive cologne, a citrus fragrance, flooded her nostrils. Sweet relief filled her. He hadn’t deserted her completely. Suddenly her new resolve kicked in.

Get a backbone, girl!

She would not let him get away with this.

She twisted in his arms, and he planted a big sloppy kiss on her mouth before she could open it to bawl him out.
Ugh!

His kisses never made her toes curl and especially not with the redhead’s saliva still in his mouth. Janis swore she could taste her.

But he held her so tight she had no choice but to endure his enthusiastic smooch. She detected interest in another part of his anatomy. The hard ridge of his cock pressed against her, finding her core like a homing pigeon.

When he pulled back, she lost it. She put her hands on his shoulders and shoved. “Where were you?”

Roy
’s hurt expression almost looked genuine. He backed off and raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, calm down. I’m a doctor, remember? My work doesn’t shut down for the holiday like yours. His brow wrinkled, and his face took on a sullen look that signaled his disapproval. “Research takes priority over a holiday party.” His back rigid, he folded his arms over his chest.

“Really?” She hated herself for sounding like a nagging shrew, but she was determined to stand her ground. “What kind of research were you doing with your assistant?”

“Oh, so that’s what this is about?”

She took a deep breath and folded her arms across her chest.
This better be good,
Roy
.

“You shouldn’t jump to conclusions, Janis.”

“I saw you kiss her.” God, she wished she had some Maalox to stop the acid eating away at her stomach lining.

“No,” he said sternly. “You saw her kiss me.”

“What’s the difference?”

“It’s not my fault if the woman is interested in more than just working with me. I haven’t encouraged her at all, but she’s relentless. Took me completely by surprise just now. You know you’re the only woman I’m interested in.”

“And how would I know that?”

“Because I’m telling you.”

She wanted to believe him. She had met some very pushy women in the city. It was a dog-eat-dog world, and people went after what they wanted with no thought of anyone else.

And she’d really hoped their dates would develop into something more. She’d always thought that by thirty-two, she’d be married to the love of her life and raising two kids. She enjoyed her work, but she’d give it up in a heartbeat if she had a family of her own.

He cupped her jaw and lifted her head so her eyes met his. “Believe me, Janis. That woman means nothing to me.”

He seemed so sincere, and suddenly, she felt like a fool.

“Oh, well…Of course I believe you,” she stammered and turned red. “I’m sorry.” How did he always manage to turn things around so she ended up looking like the bad guy and apologizing?

“Well, no harm done.”
Roy
grabbed her arms and pulled her in close. “Happy New Year. Better late than never.” He stuck his tongue down her throat and ground his obvious arousal against her hips.

Janis threw her arms around him and tried to put some emotion into her kiss, but she couldn’t get the other woman out of her mind.

Roy
pulled back and smiled at her. “Now that’s more like it. Let’s get out of here. Have our own celebration.”

Not quite ready to forgive and forget, Janis hesitated. “I thought we’d have a glass of champagne to toast the New Year.”

“Sure. Whatever you want.” He guided her back to the bar and asked for two glasses.

“To the future.”
Roy
held out his glass.

Her hopes soared. It was the closest he’d ever come to talking about a future for them. She smiled and clinked his glass with hers.

They sipped in silence for a few seconds.

“I hope I didn’t ruin your mood,”
Roy
said. “The night is still young.” He grinned at her.

She knew what that meant. Although she’d forgiven him, the idea of fucking
Roy
right now didn’t excite her even the least little bit. That troubled her more than the redhead.

She’d drunk enough champagne to silence her inner voice, and
Roy
looked amazing tonight. Shouldn’t the anticipation of sex get her a little hot? It wasn’t like they were an old married couple. Even the married couples she knew acted like they were ready to jump each other’s bones at a moment’s notice.

Her brothers had the most unconventional relationship imaginable. They were both married to the same woman. Well, Jude had the piece of paper that made it legal. But his twin, Jonas, was just as much husband to Sable as Jude was.

They’d each fathered one of her twin boys. Evidently she’d released two eggs in her cycle and then had intercourse with both men. Each man had fertilized one of her eggs resulting in fraternal twins with two different fathers.