The Cowboy Who Strolled Into Town (93 page)

CHAPTER 4

Jade's legs were still trembling as Brenton led her to his car, which he had hastily parked on the road just outside the alley. The sleek red vehicle's engine              was still running, and the bassy rumble of the powerful engine seemed to vibrate the concrete beneath their feet with its depth and strength.

              “Are you sure you don't need to get to a hospital?” asked Brenton. The tone of his voice was soft and kind; far different to the cool, flat tone of indifference he had spoken to her with earlier that afternoon.

              “No, I'm-, I'm fine,” Jade managed to stammer. “They didn't hurt me. I'm j-, just shaken up.”

              “Are you sure? Is there anything you need? Anything at all?”

             
A pair of strong arms around me, holding me close, telling me that it's all going to be okay. A powerful torso to curl up into and feel protected by. The deep and rich scent of manliness to drown in, to fall asleep in. That's what I need. I'm so tired of being alone...

             
“No, nothing. I-, I don't know how to thank you,” she replied.

              “It's nothing. I'm just happy that I got there before anything bad happened. Look, at least let me drive you home. You can't feel too safe walking the rest of the way after what just happened.”

              Jade nodded slowly.

              “Alright. If it's no trouble for you, of course. I mean, It's only six blocks-”

              Brenton raised a finger to silence her.

              “It wouldn't matter if it was six
hundred
blocks, Jade. I'd still drive you.”

              Both of them paused suddenly; something
else
was going on here, something beyond the mere kindness of a good Samaritan. Brenton's blue eyes met Jade's chestnut eyes just for a second, and invisible sparks jumped and flashed between them in the night.

              “Here, please,” stammered Brenton suddenly as he opened the passenger door of his Maserati for her.

              Jade climbed in, and for a second her coffee-colored hand brushed against the pale skin of his hand, with its wispy, pale brown hairs. She could swear she felt electricity jumping from his skin to hers, like a brief charge of static.

              If he noticed anything, however, he didn't show it. He closed the door behind her and walked around to the driver's side of the car and climbed in.

              “Okay Jade,” he said cautiously, “Are you sure you're alright? Where am I taking you?”

              “I live just down the avenue, straight for six blocks. It's really easy to find. Thank you so much, Brenton. I really, really appreciate it. It's been a real bad end to an already difficult and disappointing day.”

              Brenton's face reddened with embarrassment at this last sentence, and Jade suddenly felt a flush of regret rushing through her veins. She wished she hadn't said that.

              “I hope, er, I hope that my, um, rejection of your proposal didn't have too much to do with that,” he stammered, following it up with an awkward chuckle as he began driving.

              “No,” she lied. “There was a lot more to it than just that.”

             
Actually, your callous rejection of my proposal had
everything
to do with why my day turned out so bad. I had so many hopes and dreams resting on that proposal, and you just tossed it aside, threw it away as if it were nothing but trash.
 

              She felt as if she should be angry at Brenton, and in a sense, part of her still was, but at the same time she could hardly hold a grudge against the very man who had just saved her life. And she could not deny the powerful, almost animal attraction she felt toward him. Even now, she allowed her eyes to roam over his powerfully-muscled arms as they gripped the steering wheel, and the memory of his heroic actions earlier, performed with such skill and confidence, got hot blood gushing through her veins.

              “Hey,” he said suddenly, “you ever been in a car like this?”

              “I've been in a Porsche, once,” she replied.

              “Which model?”

              “I don't know, I don't know anything about cars, really,” she replied.

              “Oh yeah? Well how did it compare to this?”

              She couldn't lie; this was by far the most expensive and luxurious vehicle she had ever had the pleasure of riding in, but a part of her didn't want to give him the satisfaction of admitting that.

              “It was kinda similar, really. I don't know. I mean, this is a really nice car, but, I'm not really the kind of girl to be impressed by such things.”

              “Really? Even by this?” he asked as he suddenly dropped a gear and floored the accelerator.

              The supercar's engine howled and the vehicle surged suddenly forward like a rocket, throwing Jade back into her seat and keeping her body pressed there with the force of the vehicle's acceleration. Brenton laughed loudly and whooped with glee as the car ripped through the New York streets, and Jade, even with everything terrible that had happened thus far, could not resist letting out a shriek of delight at the vehicle's mad speed.

              “Wait! Wait!” she shouted as the outside scenery flew past in a blur. “You're gonna blow right past my place like this! It's right there, coming-, no, you've blown right past it!”

              “That isn't a problem,” laughed Brenton. “See, I'll just do this!”

              He cranked up the handbrake and spun the car into a doughnut turn. The tires screeched and smoked and the whole vehicle swung around 180 degrees, throwing Jade violently against the side of her seat. She couldn't help but shriek again with sheer delight, and as she added a chuckle onto her scream, she saw Brenton grinning at her, his blue eyes alive with life, excitement and... and something
else.
    

             
Is he as attracted to me as I am to him? Could it even be possible that a billionaire mogul, who has been on the cover of Forbes magazine, could be interested in an average girl like me?

             
“You're crazy!” she laughed. It seemed that at this moment, she had forgotten about everything bad that had happened earlier in the day.

              “I prefer to think of myself as 'spirited' rather than merely crazy,” he replied with a devilish grin.

              “Alright, alright,” she laughed. Look, my place is just over there, the entrance to my building is on the left there, on that block we just passed. Damn, how fast were we even going back there?”

              “I believe the speedo did, at one point, touch one hundred and forty miles per hour.”

              “Oh my! You
are
crazy, Brenton Huxley! But I really, really appreciate the ride.”

              Brenton smiled again. His smile made his already handsome face even more striking, with his perfect white teeth that seemed to glow in the gentle light of the inside of the sports car.

              “I'm just happy that I got to see you again,” he said.

              Suddenly though, it seemed that he regretted saying that, and his expression became at once cool and flat.

              “It was the least I could do, as a responsible and decent man,” he added.

              Jade didn't know how to take this. For a few moments, it had seemed that they had been reveling in one another's company, yet all of a sudden he had abruptly switched this off, and become the same cold, distant man she had met earlier in the afternoon. The same cool, uncaring man who had simply rejected her proposal without reason, crushing so many of her hopes for the future.

             
Well, two can play that game. I don't want to give you the satisfaction of thinking that I owe you anything, or knowing how badly I'm attracted to you.

             
Jade made sure that she steeled her own expression over, and she spoke in as cool and flat a tone as she could manage.

              “Well, I'm glad that you've had a chance to exercise your civic duties as a responsible citizen,” she said as she got out of the car. “Well done, sir.”

              “Wait, Jade-” he began, suddenly looking as if he regretted what he had said.

              It was too late. She had already shut the car door behind her, and had started walking up to the entrance of her building.

             
You're not getting any more satisfaction from me.

             
“Jade!”

              She couldn't help herself; she had to turn around and look at him one last time. It may be the last time she ever laid eyes on him, she thought with a sharp pang of sudden sadness.

              He was standing outside of his car, with his hands in his suit pockets. The night breeze was rippling through his blonde hair, and his face was starkly shadowed under the harsh light of the street lamps.

              “I made a mistake earlier. I've changed my mind. I want to work with you on that Chinese solar idea.”

              Jade stopped dead in her tracks, frozen with shock.

              “I'll get my secretary to call you in the morning,” he said as he climbed back into the car. “Keep your schedule open.”

              Jade stood stock-still, staring at the red supercar as it sped away, too stunned to move or say anything. It was only after a minute or two of standing in the silence of the night that what he had said truly hit home.

             
No way. No way! I got it! I GOT IT! And furthermore... Did I get
him
too?

              She shook her head and beamed out an ear-to-ear grin at the empty street, and then, on heels light with joy, she danced up into the entrance of her building. 

CHAPTER 5

Brenton took off his reading glasses and stared at Jade for a while. She didn't know that he was looking at her, as she was busy on her laptop, typing away furiously at the keys with determined fingers. He allowed himself to drink in her good looks, and to feast upon the exquisite curves of her body. He liked the way she dressed; she was a fan of formal attire, it seemed; it was their second meeting now, and both times she had worn a business suit. They had been different suits every time, of course, but each suit had been finely tailored to fit her curvy form exactly.

              She had a fantastic body, and he couldn't stop fantasizing about it. Many of his peers were into girls like his secretary, Claire – skinny white girls with long legs and flowing, silky blonde hair. Brenton had had his moments with Claire, to be sure, but she wasn't his type, and he preferred, even though his blood ran hot through his veins, to keep business and pleasure separate.

             
That
though was proving hard to achieve here, working with Jade. It was easier with Claire, because while she was most white guys' type, she wasn't Brenton's. No.

              His type was right in front of him, typing away at her laptop, seeming oblivious to his wandering, probing eyes as they roved all over her curves.

              And curves they were; just how he liked them. The model look was almost a turn-off for him, in fact. Skin and bones were simply not attractive in his eyes. No, he liked women like Jade. Not that she carried much weight herself; she was slim around the waist, and her limbs were shapely and light, but she had full, round curves in all the right places. He stared hungrily at the curve of her hips, her breasts, and her especially round buttocks, pressing so tightly against her tight skirt as she sat and typed. He chewed slowly on the end of his Visconti pen as he stared at her – dropping the pen abruptly as she looked up from her computer and caught him staring. He felt a blush reddening his cheeks – an unusual feeling for an alpha like Brenton, as he rarely felt embarrassed.

              What was that in her eye? A sparkle? A flirtatious gleam?

              Then it was gone.

              “I've just finished writing up an email to the Chinese SolarTwo representative. Would you like to have a look at it before I send it across to SolarTwo?”

              Brenton smiled and leaned back in his chair.

              “Sure, let me have a gander at that.”

              Jade stood up and walked across the onyx floor of his office to Brenton's desk, carrying her laptop. As she leaned over to put the laptop on his desk, he caught a glimpse of her cleavage down her skirt, and at the sight of those firm, round breasts, only barely constrained by her brassiere, his heart started racing. He looked up quickly, not wanting her to notice that he'd been sneaking a peek.

              He put his reading glasses back on and pushed them up onto his nose as he began to read.

              The words seemed to be passing before his eyes as a blur; now that Jade was this close to him, all that he could focus on was her scent, her exquisite smell, and the volcanic heat that seemed to be radiating from her skin and firing up his blood.

              “Is it okay?” she asked.

              “Perfect,” he replied.

             
Perfect, just like you...

              “
Excellent. I'll send this off then.”

             
Don't you notice how I've been looking at you? Can't you see how badly I'm attracted to you? Can't you sense the raw, animal attraction between us?

             
Jade clicked 'send', and then stood up to go back to her chair. Brenton couldn't help but stare, biting his lip as he did, at the curve of her hip and the roundness of her buttocks as she walked. Her curvaceous thighs and calves, accentuated perfectly by her red high heels, glowed with a gentle gleam upon her coffee-colored skin under Brenton's subtle and tasteful lighting in this office of his.

              “What else needs to be done for the SolarTwo project?” he asked as Jade sat down on the Italian black leather chair.

              “Nothing for the moment,” she replied. “We'll need to wait on SolarTwo's response before doing anything else. We could, I guess, start compiling a chart of projected sales figures and profit margins,  adjusted for-”

              “Hold that thought,” said Brenton, interrupting her with a single raised finger. “We've been working on this project all afternoon and all evening. Don't you think it's time that we get a bite to eat? I don't know about you, but I'm pretty famished.”

              Jade closed her laptop and beamed a smile at Brenton with her brilliantly-white teeth.

              “That sounds like a great idea,” she replied. “I was so focused on this work I forgot entirely about dinner. I don't know this area well, though,” she said. “I'm not sure what the options around here are like.”

              The truth was, the restaurants in this area of New York City were all far too upscale for what Jade could generally afford. Only the elite of the city – people like Brenton Huxley – were able to afford the prices charged by the chic designer restaurants that abounded in this part of town. She, however, didn't want to admit this Brenton, and neither did she wish to give him even more leverage over her by accepting an offer to take her out to one of these outrageously expensive places and spending a whole lot of money on her – even if he
was
a billionaire.

              Thus, it was with complete surprise that he heard his suggestion for dinner.

              “You know Jade,” he said, “to tell you the truth, I don't know that much about the restaurants in this area myself. I sometimes eat at them for business lunches with high profile clients, but most of the time, my preference is for much more simple fare.”

              “Oh?” she managed to gasp, taken aback at this statement, which went completely against everything she had heard about the man.

              “Yeah, seriously. In fact, what do you think about lasagna?”

              Jade grinned and her eyes sparkled with glee.

              “I love lasagna!” she exclaimed. “It's one of my favorite dishes!”

              “Great, it's one of mine too. And I know just the place to get it. There's this little Italian joint, deep in the Bronx, a proper mom-and-pop operation, that I've been going to since I was a kid myself.”

              “Oh yeah?”

              “Yeah. Best lasagna in the city, hands down.”

              “I'll be the judge of that,” she replied with a warm chuckle.

              “Yes you will, and I'll bet you'll rule in my favor, Judge Jade!”

              Jade giggled.

              “I don't have my own courtroom TV show yet, mister!”

              “I can make it happen, Judge Jade. I do own majority shares in a major broadcasting corporation, you know,” he said with a wink.

              Jade scratched her chin, pretending to consider the notion.

              “Judge Jade huh? I think it has a ring to it. It just might work...”

              “Might? Nah. Will! Definitely.”

              They both laughed at this – and neither of them failed to recognize the invisible heat of attraction building between them. For a few seconds they locked eyes, and a look of such intensity passed between them that Jade was forced to look away. She felt her pulse starting to race and her pulse quickening – and she wondered whether Brenton was feeling this same rush of emotion pulsing through his own veins. If he did, he didn't show it. Instead, he leaned over and grabbed the keys to his Maserati.

              “Come on then,” he said with a boyish grin. “Let's get going.”

              Forty minutes later they had arrived at the restaurant. It was around eight in the evening, and the streets of New York city were alive with life. Crowds of people were moving about, hustling and bustling; businesspeople coming home from work, young couples out on dates, groups of friends looking for parties, and bands of tourists going sightseeing, bright-eyed at the brilliant lights and color of the city's night lights.

              The restaurant itself was a tiny, hole-in-the-wall place located in a back alley off one of the main streets; it really was, as Brenton had said, a true 'mom-and-pop' operation. The walls were simply decorated with old, faded photographs of an Italian family in Sicily, and the small tables were covered with simple red and white checkered tablecloths, while in the background old, soothing crooner tunes from the 1950s played on a dusty LP player.

              As Jade approached the table they were to be seated at, Brenton hurried around and pulled out her chair for her, indicating with a warm smile and a sweep of his powerful arm that she should take a seat.

              “Thank you,” she beamed, feeling her cheeks warming with a blush.

              “I'm old-fashioned, sometimes,” he said.

              Between them, on the table, a candle burned and flickered, illuminating each of their faces with its gentle glow.

              “You really look stunning in this light, Jade,” said Brenton as he locked his eyes into hers.

              “Why, th-, thank you,” she managed to stammer.

              The candlelight served to bring out Brenton's rugged, handsome features quite impressively as well, but before Jade could say this, an old Italian-American woman shuffled over to them. She looked as if she were at least eighty; her back was hunched over, and her heavily-wrinkled skin looked as thin and delicate as old vellum parchment. On her prominent nose sat a pair of thick coke-bottle glasses, which magnified her large, dark eyes almost disconcertingly.

              “Brenton, my boy!” she exclaimed in a warm, husky voice, sounding like a delighted grandmother seeing her favorite grandchild. “It's so wonderful to see you!”

              Brenton laughed warmly.

              “It's only been four days, Mrs. Stagliano!”

              “Four days too many!” she chuckled in response with a wink and a smile. “And who's this lovely lady with you? C'mon, don't be rude now, introduce us!”

              Brenton smiled.

              “Jade, I'd like you to meet one of my oldest and dearest friends, Mrs. Linda Stagliano. Mrs. Stagliano, this is Jade Gillie, my-”

              “New girlfriend?” asked Mrs. Stagliano with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

              Brenton laughed, but it seemed that he couldn't meet Jade's eyes when she said this.

              “No, no. Jade is working with me.”

              “Well, she's so pretty that she
should
be your girlfriend! Take my advice for once, why don't ya?”

              “Alright, alright,” laughed Brenton.

              “I'm very pleased to meet you,” interjected Jade. “You have a lovely place here.”

              “Why thank you, dear! It's been in the family for three generations, you know. And this Brenton here, he's been eating here since before he could even walk or talk. You should try our lasagna Jade, it's-”

              “Legendary!” interrupted Brenton with a great, beaming grin. “We'll have two of your special lasagnas, Mrs. Stagliano.”

              “Done! Anything to drink?”             

              “A bottle of dry red, if that's okay with you, Jade?”

              Jade nodded, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight.

              “Red wine would be fantastic.”

              Mrs. Stagliano smiled and clasped her hands together before shuffling off to take care of the order.

              “Have you really been coming here since you were a little boy?” asked Jade.

              “Since I was a baby. My mom and dad used to come to this restaurant all the time. I grew up in this neighborhood, you know.”

              “You grew up here?”

              “Yeah. I wasn't always wealthy, Jade. In fact, I grew up in a very small, modest two-bedroom apartment. My dad worked as a doorman at a nearby building, and my mom used to sew and knit to make ends meet. We didn't have much growing up, but we did have a lot of love in my family.”

              “And where are your parents these days? I'm sure they must be happy to have such a successful son, right?”

              A look of sudden sadness flashed across Brenton's face, and he looked away quickly. It seemed as if tears had begun to rim the edges of his eyes.

              “They... They're not around any more,” he said softly.

              “Oh,” responded Jade, somewhat awkwardly. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up-”

              “It's okay,” he replied, speaking more confidently now. “Don't worry about it, you couldn't have known. Besides, it happened a very long time ago. It's just that... Well, they passed away when I was only fifteen. Car crash. They never got to see me become a success.”