Lovestruck Read online

  Jeffery had no right to treat her the way he did. Her major responsibility as his assistant involved straightening his office. But she'd forgotten this morning, because she'd spent so much time chatting with Tonya and Mike. Jeffery's office was always a mess and even though he'd never admit it, he needed her to keep control of his paperwork and files. A neat freak like Jenny couldn't understand Jeffery's pack rat ways and why he liked clutter. On a normal day, she found the time to clean his office while he took his lunch break. But Jeffery didn't take his usual two hour lunch today because of his bundle of nerves over his meeting with the CEO. The minute he saw his desk was pretty much as he had left it, he called in Jenny and gave her another reprimand.

  Even with the door closed, Jenny knew the others behind the front desk could hear him yelling at her. Jeffery left in a huff afterward, and Jenny gave the office a quick cleaning before her tears blurred her vision and she could no longer see. She rushed to the nearest bathroom as soon as she put everything in order, not even stopping for Mike when he called out to her.

  Thanks to the older, attractive woman, who'd been kind enough not to be annoyed by her crying fit and nice enough to lend her makeup, Jenny felt in better spirits. She grew flushed thinking of the striking blonde, who seemed vaguely familiar.

  I've seen her before, she thought. But where?

  Mike was on the phone when she walked behind the front desk, lost in thought.

  He finished his call and held out his arms. "Quick, while no one is looking," he said.

  Jenny hugged him and they stood like that for a few moments. Mike kissed the top of her head and she patted his back.

  "Are we okay?" He pulled away and wiped his thumb down her cheek.

  "As good as I can be. Do I look like I've been crying?" She wiped again at her eyes.

  "I can tell, but only because I've seen you cry before and know what you look like when you do. Don't sweat it. Screw him."

  The phone rang again and Mike answered it. Jenny looked to see if Jeffery lurked nearby, and then breathed a sigh of relief when she found the coast was clear. The lobby was empty for the moment.

  Mike hung up the phone. "Sure you're okay?" he asked, pushing away a few stray hairs that had come loose from Jenny's clip.

  "Yeah. Today royally sucks."

  Mike leaned his back against the desk.

  "Be careful. Jeffery is on the war path," she said. "If he catches you lounging around like that, you'll be in deep shit."

  Mike faced the front again, but crossed his arms. "Jeffery is such an asshole. He has no right to treat you that way. Maybe Jennings will fire the dick wad."

  Jenny swallowed a laugh, looked down at the computer and typed in her password. She wanted to look busy. "Please. He's related to The Barracuda. He gets a free pass. They're like two peas in a pod. I bet she has a stick up her ass too."

  "There's the snarky spirit. We'll see soon. Jeffery mentioned The Barracuda wanted to have a meeting with the staff sometime today."

  Jenny wanted to bang her head against the desk. "Perfect. Just perfect. Not only do I have to finish up my paper from hell, but I need to stop at the library and drop off some overdue books. I'm so done with this day."

  Mike gazed out into the lobby. "Now this is interesting. Bane is over there talking to a woman in a ferocious suit. And she doesn't look pleased."

  Jenny checked some of the available rooms for the week. She looked up and back down. After a heartbeat she glanced up again. A lightheaded feeling washed over her and her stomach turned. Jeffery and the woman from the bathroom were engaged in an animated conversation.

  "M-Mike. You don't think that's . . . ?"

  The phone rang. Before Mike picked up the receiver, he whistled a few bars of the Jaws' theme song and winked at Jenny.

  Jenny froze and continued to look at Jeffery and the woman who'd caught her crying, who were busy talking in the middle of the lobby. She couldn't believe she'd embarrassed herself the way she did in front of The Barracuda. She put her hands against her mouth and gasped. Oh no. Had she bad-mouthed Jeffery? A bead of sweat ran down the side of her face, and when Jeffery and the blonde began to walk toward the front desk, a sense of dread came over her. The Barracuda, considered to be one of the richest and most powerful women in New York City, stared right at her and looked like she wanted to chew her up and spit her out.

  Another twinge of lust hit Barbara between the legs as she walked over to the front desk where Jennifer stood. As soon as Barbra exited the bathroom, Jeffery had seen her coming and put on the charm. He was her third cousin on her father's side, and she saw the man a few times a year, and every time they ran into one another he acted like a major suck up. He looked nervous, which led her to believe he thought his job was on the line. Although a relative, he'd be treated like the rest of the staff. No special treatment for him.

  She listened with half an ear as Jeffery droned on. She dreaded sitting in his windowless office. Barbara had a fear of closed-in spaces. Her own office and home had many wide open areas, and there, she was good at keeping her claustrophobia under control. She wondered, after this day from hell, how long she'd last in Jeffery's tiny cubbyhole.

  Jennifer and a man who looked to be close to her age acted as if they were swamped. Barbara let out a small snort.

  "I'm sorry, did you say something?" Jeffery asked.

  "Ah, no. Just going over some things in my head," Barbara answered.

  "Like the employee meeting later?" he asked in a booming voice. Both Jennifer and the other employee looked his way.

  Barbara tried not to cringe. She glanced at the two curious faces.

  Jennifer bit her lip, and Barbara thought she looked delightful.

  "Of course, Jeffery. Would you mind introducing me to your two co-workers?"

  Barbara motioned with her hand toward the front desk.

  Jeffery gave her a look, as if he couldn't believe she'd even want to know their names, but he followed along. "This is Michael MacGillicuty and Jennifer Caffey. They run the front desk."

  Barbara noticed Jennifer's small frown again before she replaced it with a neutral look. Her curiosity piqued now, Barbara intended to find out why Jennifer seemed displeased with Jeffery. For a second, she wondered if they were more than just co-workers, but then brushed off the idea. Jennifer didn't seem to be the type who'd be interested in a man like Jeffery. Perhaps she didn't find the male gender attractive?

  Barbara smirked, thinking it would be too good to be true if that were so.

  "Hello, I'm Barbara Jennings, the CEO of St. Jennings." She held out her hand.

  Mike stepped forward and shook enthusiastically. "A pleasure, ma'am."

  Barbara hid a frown over the "ma'am" thing. She pulled back her shoulders and nodded. She turned to Jennifer and held out her hand, waiting to see if she'd feel the same zing again when their hands touched.

  Barbara grabbed Jennifer's hands in hers. Not as much of a zing as before, but definitely something.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Jennings," Jennifer said, licking her lips.

  Barbara had the urge to either hug her or nibble on the cute young thing's mouth.

  Barbara held onto her hand. "It's nice to meet you also, Jennifer."

  For a moment, they stared at one another and didn't break eye contact until Jeffery cleared his throat.

  "Now that you have these introductions out of the way, why don't we go into my office?" he said. "We'll order some lunch while we talk. Jenny can place the order for us.

  Right, Jenny?"

  Jennifer tried to pull her hand from Barbara's, but she held firm. A split second later, Barbara realized her slip-up and let go.

  "Sure, Jeffery. Whatever you and Ms. Jennings need, I can do," Jennifer said with a broad smile.

  What I would love for you to do is lay on this desk, open your legs and let me stick my tongue . . . . Barbara blinked and tried to dispel the sexual scenario playing out in her head.

  She glanced around, bu
t no one seemed to notice her zoning out. Jenny didn't look at her. Jeffery moved away to have a whispered conversation with Mike, who looked bored as Jeffery talked to him. She wanted to chat with Jenny some more, but Jeffery finished speaking with Mike and gestured with his hand toward his office.

  "Shall we, Cousin?' he asked and reached out, placing an arm around her shoulder.

  Barbara swallowed a wise-ass retort and gave Jennifer one last look. The girl looked sympathetic, as if she knew how Barbara felt about this intimate meeting.

  As she walked past with Jeffery, she lightly brushed the side of her hand against Jennifer' s ass. Jennifer gave a little jump. Barbara glanced over her shoulder and looked at the girl for her reaction. Jennifer's face flushed and she fiddled with a pen. Barbara smiled, walked into Jeffery's office and settled back into a chair as he closed the door.

  Before the end of the week her dry spell would be over. She and Jennifer would both be wet as they brought each other pleasure. She would seduce the innocent-looking young woman if it was the last thing she did.

  Jenny felt the sudden urge to run into the bathroom again and throw some cool water on her face. When Ms. Jennings' hand touched her ass, she was shocked but also pleasantly surprised. It had to be an accident, but still.

  "I need to use the bathroom again," Jenny said to Mike and would have rushed away, but he stopped her with a touch on her arm.

  "Oh, no you don't, Caffey. I saw the looks Jennings kept giving you. She wanted to eat you up. Or maybe I should say, go down on you."

  Jenny's mouth dropped open and she punched Mike's arm. "Michael Allen MacGillicuty! Watch your mouth," she whispered. "They could hear you."

  Mike snorted. "The door is closed, and I can bet you Jeffery is too busy running his mouth off. He's such a kiss-ass."

  "You have no shame, do you?"

  "Nope." He shrugged. "Bane keeps asking me out. He just won't quit. And I keep telling him no."

  Jenny could no longer keep silent over what she saw between Mike and Jeffery back in December. "Mike, don't act like you're the innocent party in all this. Remember the Christmas party last year? You and Jeffery were pretty chummy then. And you do tend to flirt with him from time to time."

  "Listen, I blame the alcohol for the way I acted at the party. I learned my lesson pretty well after that," he grumbled and rubbed a hand over his mouth.

  Jenny touched Mike's arm. "What did you—?" Before she could finish the phone buzzed.

  "Jennifer?" Jeffery asked through the speaker.

  Jenny picked up the phone and listened. A guest stood at the front desk and Mike took care of them. Jenny hung up the phone and scribbled on a piece of paper.

  "He wants me to order their lunch from Giovanni's."

  Mike mumbled something under his breath. Jenny grabbed the phonebook to place the food order. "What did you say?"

  "Nothing. I just don't like the way he treats you. You think he would tell The Barracuda you're his assistant."

  Jenny shrugged, not surprised in the least. "Why would I be upset? We both know what type of guy Jeffery is. Plus, even if he told Ms. Jennings I'm his assistant, she wouldn't have cared anyway."

  "I could be wrong, but she seems very interested in you. I can't believe how oblivious you are."

  "Oh, come on. Jennings is one of the richest women in New York City. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if she ruled the whole east coast. I'm a little nobody trying to make my way through school and this job without going crazy. And besides, there's no way she's a lesbian." Jenny whispered the last part.

  "Want to bet on it?"

  "Mike, stop teasing me. I'm busy." She turned away from him and began to call for the take-out. If this were a fairytale, perhaps a woman like Barbara Jennings would go for plain old Jennifer Caffey, but this was real life. Nothing would happen between them even if she did gain the courage to try and find out if Barbara would give her the time of day.

  Chapter Four

  By the time their lunch had arrived, Barbara was starving. She tried to eat as healthy as she could because she didn't have the time to cook homemade meals and knew she could pack on the pounds from the stress and long days at work. While Jeffrey wolfed down a meatball sub with a side order of mozzarella sticks, Barbara dug into her grilled chicken salad. Her mood had improved after Jennifer knocked on the door and came in to give them their food.

  Barbara had tried to look disinterested when Jennifer put the food on the desk and left without a word, but she hadn't been able to resist another peak at the young woman's ass. And God, what a fine ass. She definitely wouldn't mind releasing some tension with the fair Jenny. Barbara appreciated a fine butt as well as the next person, and found Jennifer's posterior as pleasing as her chest. Barbara lost herself in a sexual fantasy starring Jennifer, herself and her Jack Rabbit. It kept her mind off other things, such as the closed door and lack of windows. For the moment, she had her claustrophobia under control. Too bad she couldn't say the same thing about her libido.

  Jeffery chowed down. "So, Cousin, I'll send the employee files to your email. You can look them over. I'm not sure if you want to meet with everyone individually. I can always take that responsibility off your hands and give you my opinion."

  She grabbed a napkin and handed it to him. "You have some sauce on your face and tie," she said, trying to hide her disgust.

  "Shit." Jeffery wiped off his face and did the same with his tie. The spot continued to spread as he rubbed. "I guess this will have to go into the laundry. I have a spare one in my desk drawer. As you can, see I'm always prepared for the worst."

  Barbara gave Jeffery a weak smile. "I can see." She put down her fork. "I'd like to meet with the staff. It will give me a better sense of the people who work for me. I think we should set up one-on-one meetings over the next few days."

  "Do we tell them about the dismal numbers and what might happen in the next few months?"

  "No. We'll keep that piece of information to ourselves for the time being. I don't want everyone all of a sudden slacking off or searching for other work. I know from past situations, if you tell employees their jobs might be on the line, their work suffers. I still need the St. Jennings to be the best it can be up to the very last day."

  "Ay, aye Captain. My lips are sealed." Jeffery leaned forward and wiped his damp face with a napkin. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you have enough dough to keep this place running for years. Why toss it aside now?"

  Barbara slowly counted to five in her head before she lost her temper. "I understand you have concerns over your own job—"

  Jeffery held up his hands. "It's not that—"

  "I appreciate your input and assistance in this matter, but the reason I may or may not sell is really none of your concern. Unless you are interested in applying for a position as one of my financial advisors, I would recommend you keep your mind on the staff here and doing your best to keep the hotel running to its fullest capacity. Do I make myself clear?"

  Jeffery nodded and swallowed. "Y-yes Barbara. I'm sorry I've overstepped my bounds. It won't happen again."

  "Good." Barbara sat back, wondering how quickly she could get out of there now that she had put Jeffery in his place. She had a million things to do before the day ended. But all she could think about was seeing Jennifer Caffey again.

  Jenny waited around to see Barbara, but as three o'clock rolled around and her shift neared its end, she had no choice but to forgo the pleasure. It looked like the planned meeting fell through. She said a quick goodbye to Tonya and Mike, and with one last glance at Jeffery's closed office door, made her way to the New York City College library to drop off some books as well as pick up some more reading material for one of her classes. At least she had off from work tomorrow. But that meant three classes in a row and then four days of work where she would feel as spread thin as a cracker. Her big plans for tonight included writing the paper for her 9:00 a.m. class as fast as she could, vegging in front of the television then going to bed at a reas
onable hour.

  By the time Jenny left the library, it was going on five o'clock. She checked her cell phone and saw a text message from Tonya asking her to come to The Watering Hole with her and Mike after eight when his shift ended. Jenny sighed, wishing she could. She sat at the kitchen table and typed away at her Economics paper. Her mind kept wandering back to the shocking way Barbara had touched her butt.

  "Stop it, Jennifer Anne," she said. She had no time for romance or a love affair, least of all with a woman like Barbara.

  I bet she has a string of lovers outside her bedroom door every night. Probably all male too. It would be too good to be true if Barbara preferred women over men.

  Snap out of it, Caffey. She refocused on the task at hand, promising herself when she finished her paper she would Google Barbara's name.

  Three hours later, Jenny stretched and let out a loud yawn. She pumped her fist in the air, thrilled she'd finished writing her demon paper. This recent round of stress had passed. She rewarded herself by nuking some leftover pizza. As she ate, she brought up the Internet and typed in Barbara's name. A list of links came up. The first one showed an article Barbara did five years ago for Fortune magazine.

  Jenny clicked on the link and read about her employer. The article went on to praise Barbara for being such a power house in the business world by the age of thirty.

  At twenty-five, the same age Jenny was now, Barbara had taken over the business after her father's death, and in the five years she ruled, her net worth grew to almost a billion dollars.