Breath of Scandal(88)
She had seen all she needed to see, but she was irrationally reluctant to lower the binoculars. His separatism intrigued her. His bearded face never smiled. She'd never seen him without his opaque sunglasses. He was wearing clothes similar to those he had worn yesterday and the day beforeold Levi's, a faded red tank top, boots, and work gloves. His arms were sleek and well muscled, the skin baked to a dark bronze. The temperature was mild, typical of Southern California, yet through the powerful binoculars she was able to see that sweat had dampened his dense chest hair and had formed a triangle in the cloth of his top.
As she continued to watch, he removed his hard hat only long enough to rake back a mane of sun-streaked brown hair that almost reached his shoulders. Then, just as he was about to replace his hat, he turned his head and looked toward the hotel. As though she had beckoned him, he seemed to be looking straight at her window. It sent a jolt through her.
Guiltily, she dropDed the binoculars and jumped away
Breath of Scandal
245
from the window, even though the glass was tinted and mirrored from the outside. He couldn't possibly have seen her, yet she was shaken. If his stare behind the dark sunglasses was as intense as his stance, he was a man who wouldn't appreciate being spied on.
Her palms were damp. She wiped them on her skirt. Her tummy felt weightless. She quickly poured herself a glass of water and drank it. She couldn't imagine what had come over her. For years, the sexes had been homogenized in her mind. Her attempt to have a romantic relationship with Hank had ended in heartache for both of them. Professional counseling hadn't helped.
After months of therapy, the female psychologist had said, "We know what caused your condition. How you deal with it is up to you. In order for healing to take place, Miss Sperry, you must participate in the process. "
Jade's candid reply had been, "I can't. I tried, and only ended up hurting someone I care about a great deal." "Then I'm afraid we're at a impasse. It's going to take
courage on your part to establish another sexual relationship. "
Jade didn't lack courage, but rather the selfishness to break another person's heart. Because there were no guarantees that she would ever be "cured," she refused to take chances at another's expense. That's why her very real physical reaction to the man in the binoculars stunned her. She sat down at the small writing desk and made another notation in her notebook. Her energy was generated by something much stronger than a potent sex drive. Robbed of the privilege of ever completely loving a man, or of accepting a man's love, she was more determined than ever to seek restitution. No one in Palmetto would have to endure the injustices the Patchetts had chosen to perpetrate. After all these years, she was very close to achieving her goals.
The days in L.A. had been well spent. After observing and analyzing for three days, she was convinced that Dave Seffrin had found the contractor for TexTile. Tomorrow she would come out from behind the binoculars and introduce herself.
246
Sandra Brown
Breath of Scandal
247
Standing before the mirror on the door of her hotel room, Jade analyzed her image. She had observed her thirtieth birthday two years before. Time's ravages had been slight. She had maintained a youthful slenderness without compromising any feminine curves. There was still a natural rosiness in her cheeks. Her hair was glossy and dark, with no signs of graying yet. Her eyes, as blue as ever, were still her most arresting feature.
Her favorite wardrobe color was black. She wore it frequently. The smart, two-piece suit she had chosen to wear today was black, but lightweight enough to feel comfortable in the Southern California climate.
As she left the hotel, Jade recalled all the years since her graduation from Dander College that had led her to this point. She had stayed at the job in Charlotte, North Carolina, until a better one in Birmingham, Alabama, had come along. Her duties had been in purchasing, but she was hired in a middle-management position. There followed a series of other jobs, although she stayed within the area of textile and clothing manufacturing, taking with her the knowledge she had gained under Miss Dorothy Davis's tutelage.
She, Graham, and Cathy, who became a member of the family, relocated several times. Intuitively, Jade knew when she had acquired all that her current position could offer and it was time to progress. Her employers always regretted seeing her leave. The only exception was one whom she was forced to threaten with a charge of sexual harassment. Because he was her superior and didn't take her threats seriously, she left after only six months.
Most of her experiences had been rewarding. Along the way, she had learned the technical aspects of the business, marketing strategy, and how to maximize production efficiency. Her ultimate goal, however, exceeded the boundaries of these comparatively small industries. Her scope was much broader. When the right opportunity came along, she would be prepared for it.
She studied. She faithfully perused business magazines,
so she was well acquainted with GSS long before she read The Wall Street Journal article that would have such a pivotal effect on her future. She already knew that GSS was one of the largest and ever-growing conglomerates in the world. The focus of the article was on GSS's recent acquisition of three textile plants, which, according to the vice president being interviewed for the article, were currently albatrosses.