Hidden Heart (Windy City #1) Read online

  Dark Desires

  Measha Stone

  Copy Right 2014 by Measha Stone

  Orzel Publishing

  Kindle Edition

  Hidden Heart

  Copyright © 2014 Measha Stone

  Editor: Andrea Grimm

  Cover Artist: Double J Book Covers

  Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a produce of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 0-9905816-2-8

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9905816-2-8

  Authors note: All characters in this novella are over the age of 18.

  DEDICATION

  To Billy, TJ and Tom.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I am extremely lucky to have a husband who supports my love of writing. Without him this novella would not have been written. Thank you for always pushing me to chase my dreams!

  CHAPTER ONE

  The Meet

  True love was a myth spread among generations of single women to encourage them to continue their search for the man of their dreams. Jessica Stanley knew better. She’d called off the hopeless scavenger hunt a year after turning twenty-five.

  Men weren’t what the romance novels promised. Jake had educated her about the death of chivalry during their six months together their senior year at UIC. Harrison had explained with each lying breath how honesty and honor no longer made the modern man. Several others had taught her the same lessons over and over until she finally closed up shop and decided it was better to remain single.

  This wasn’t to say Jessica didn’t love men. She did. They brought many physical attributes to a relationship; however, those could be replaced by quality batteries and well-crafted machinery.

  No, she would stick to nights out with good friends and lonely weekends buried in books.

  Friday nights were reserved for dinner out with old friends. A small group that banded together during college and still lived near the city. Alex was one of her closest friends, so she was able to forgive him for being a part of the male cult of society. He had nursed her through several break-ups, and never once did he mutter the words I told you so, even though—more than once—he had in fact told her so.

  It was Alex’s pick for dinner, and Jessica was thankful he chose the Italian restaurant down the street from her apartment. She hated fighting for a cab on the weekends with all of the newly twenty-one crowd jumping from bar to bar. The walk to the restaurant provided a nice release from her day at the law firm. The grind of working as a paralegal for one of the partners had left her mentally drained. The crisp air of autumn calmed her and cleared away all of the stress of the previous week. She was ready for relaxation and fun.

  Most of her group beat her to the restaurant. The hostess pointed her in their direction, the back corner of the bistro, hidden from most of the restaurant. Jessica wiggled between chairs and tripped over someone’s coat before she managed to get to them.

  “Jessica!” Erin, her old roommate at UIC, stood up and threw her arms around her. White Diamonds perfume enveloped her as much as Erin’s arms did.

  Jessica took a deep breath through her mouth and grinned.

  “I wasn’t sure you’d make it! Alex said you were working on some big case this week.” Erin took her seat.

  “It’s nearly finished, and I’m not thinking about it tonight.” Jessica shimmied out of her coat and took a seat beside Jonathan, Erin’s fiancé.

  “I hear Alex is bringing a new guy tonight.” Kelly, Erin’s perpetual third wheel, chimed in after a long sip of her appletini. Her tone suggested more than an offering of information.

  “I think he mentioned something. I haven’t really talked to him this week. Maybe you’ll find your true love.” Jessica rolled her eyes at Kelly, who seemed to perk up at the idea.

  “You aren’t still thinking to stay celibate the rest of your life, are you?” Jonathan asked as he tried waving down a waiter with his empty beer bottle.

  “No. I’m just not wasting time on searching for the catch of my life.” Jessica smoothed down her windblown chestnut hair.

  “Look at us.” Erin linked her arm through Jonathan’s and smiled. “We’re happy. It is possible to find a great guy who makes you happy.”

  Jessica rolled her eyes at the sappy sentiment, fully ignoring her own twinge of envy pulling at her heart. Jonathan continued his search for a waiter.

  “Ooh, now that is a good looking man.” Kelly straightened her shirt and rushed a finger comb through her thick red curls while keeping her eyes fixed on her prey.

  Jessica followed Kelly’s stare. Alex was pushing his way through the tables toward them, a man walking behind him. A tall man. A tall man with undeniably handsome features. A tall, hot man, wearing a suit and looking very much a like a character straight off the set of Mad Men. His hair was a dark shade of brown, too dark to be brown and too light to be black. Whatever the name of the color, it accentuated his azure eyes.

  Jessica found herself holding her breath and had to remind herself to breath. He was just a guy.

  “Sorry we’re late. The damn cab got lost. I had to get him back here. Did you order appetizers yet? I’m starving!” Alex plowed through a small crowd of people and burst out at their table. He shrugged off his coat and threw it over the back of a chair. “Everyone, this is Royce Bradford. Royce, this is everyone. Jessica, Erin, Jonathan, and Kelly. I need to piss. Jess, get me a beer would ya?” Alex disappeared before anyone could react to the new member of their group.

  “Whirlwind, that guy.” Royce broke the awkward silence. Kelly laughed like a nervous high school girl. Jessica mentally vowed if Kelly started to bat her eyelashes she’d throw water at her.

  “You can sit, you know.” Jessica waved a hand at the empty seat beside Alex’s coat. “He’ll be back in a few minutes and will completely monopolize the evening.”

  Royce took his seat with a smile. Not an awkward smile but a controlled, casual grin. Kelly was close to drooling on her plate.

  “Royce. That’s an uncommon name.” Kelly rested her chin on her fist with a wide smile from across the table.

  “I’m afraid my mother may have read one too many romance novels before I was born.” He rewarded her with a grin that showcased his perfectly white teeth.

  “Uhg! Forget it.” Jonathan dropped his empty beer bottle on the table. “This place is too busy. Alex always picks the busiest places.”

  “It’s Friday night in Chicago. Every restaurant is too busy.” Jessica pointed out.

  Royce turned in his chair and raised his hand. A short blonde waitress wearing too much makeup arrived at their table. Jonathan watched in awe, barely able to sputter out his order. Jessica pretended not to notice the eagerness of the waitress, or how she fawned over Royce. The buttons on her blouse threatened to burst off and injure one of them if she pushed her chest out any further at him.

  Alex returned to the table as the drinks arrived. “Jess, I was afraid you wouldn’t make it tonight. You said you’ve been buried all week.” He sipped at his beer. “Jess works at McCannis and Son’s firm. Trying to take down some big corporation for screwing with the employee’s 401(k)s.”

  Royce raised an eyebrow in her direction. His blue eyes darkened. “Not another Enron, I hope.”

  “No, nothing that serious. Just some corrupt b
astards messing with balances and withholdings.” Jessica waved a hand in the air. “I’m just a paralegal, not the attorney. Alex makes everything I do sound more important than it is.” She felt the blush spread over her cheeks and cursed herself.

  “Oh, please!” Alex rolled his eyes. “You carry that asshole you work for. If it weren’t for you, he’d have lost his partnership and most of his cases last year.”

  Jessica laughed off his praise and squeezed his hand. “The big brother I never had.” She changed the subject by looking over at Kelly and asking about her day.

  Kelly worked at UIC; however, she was now the professor, instead of the student. Kelly loved to talk about her job. Royce made the perfect new audience, and Jessica relaxed back in her chair and watched the show.

  Kelly grew more desperate by the day to find her soul mate. She wanted a family, the perfect husband, and exactly two children, one boy and one girl. It was her life’s goal. By achieving that, her life would be complete.

  Royce listened dutifully, occasionally glancing at Jessica to gauge her expressions. Jessica tried to ignore his stares, but she couldn’t lie to herself that his glances weren’t making her warm under the collar.

  He was very attractive; she couldn’t lie about that either. Too attractive. He would be interested in only one thing, and then he’d leave, or he’d not be interested in her from the start. She tried to focus on Kelly, but having heard the rant a dozen times before, Jessica found it very difficult to concentrate.

  “What do you do?” Kelly finally turned the conversation over to Royce.

  “Oh, he’s the new VP of marketing.”

  “Alex, he’s a big boy. Let him answer.” Erin reached over the table and playfully slapped Alex’s hand.

  Jonathan watched her with an odd expression.

  “Well, he’s right. Just moved here from New York.” Royce scanned the menu.

  “You don’t have an accent.” Jessica pointed out with skepticism. She couldn’t help herself. She shrugged off the glare from Alex.

  “No, I’m originally from here. Well, the northern suburbs,” he explained with a casual tone, his eyes locked with hers.

  Jessica tore her gaze from him and looked at Alex. “I thought you were up for that promotion.”

  He shook his head. “No, I’m up for the advertising department.”

  “Isn’t it the same thing?”

  “Yes and no.” Alex shrugged. “Let’s talk about something not work related.” He looked over at Jonathan for his assistance.

  The talk turned casual. Jonathan and Alex made plans for tailgating during the football season. Kelly smiled like a star-struck teen at Royce, who continued to be polite, while stealing glances at Jessica.

  “You are in sales or the craft of advertising?” She found herself asking over her latte. The meal was well past gone and the dessert plate Alex had ordered for the table remained in the center of the table scarcely touched.

  “I prefer the craft. I went to school originally for writing. Advertising didn’t seem too far off from writing fiction at the time. However, business being what it is, there isn’t much in the way of craft anymore. Now it’s all about projections, sales numbers, and profit margins.” He sounded forlorn. She suspected he longed for something he’d left behind in the past. She knew that feeling intimately.

  “So you started out as a writer and ended up VP of Marketing. Not too bad, I guess.” She could hear the sarcasm in her own voice and chastised herself for not being better at hiding her annoyance for the opposite sex. Alex reminded her relentlessly that not all people of the male persuasion were bad, and she’d do better in life not to hate men in general.

  “Royce, how is it that you have not been snatched up by some beautiful woman? I mean New York is crawling with them.” Kelly blurted out and didn’t even have the decency to look embarrassed over her statement.

  “Kelly, not everyone is out looking for the one and only,” Jessica interjected. “I’m sure there were plenty of women in New York who Royce enjoyed the company of, but that doesn’t mean he had to settle down with any of them.” She maintained her composure surprisingly well when Alex kicked her shin with the tip of his booted foot.

  “Actually, there was one woman in New York. I only lived there for three years. She and I parted ways a few months back.” Royce kept his eyes focused on Jessica as he answered, then swung a carefree smile toward Kelly.

  “You’ll have to forgive Jessica. She doesn’t believe love exists anymore.” Erin pushed her dessert plate away.

  “Perhaps she hasn’t met the right sort of man,” Royce stated in a flat voice.

  “That’s probably right.” Alex looked at his watch. “Well, kids, I gotta run.” He shoved back from the table and whipped his overcoat on. “Do you want to share a cab?” he questioned Royce.

  “No, thanks. I don’t live too far from here, maybe five blocks or so. I think I’ll hoof it while the weather holds out.”

  “Fair enough. Jess, I’ll call you in the morning.” Alex leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek before waving to the rest of the group and taking his leave.

  “Did he just stiff us with the bill?” Kelly watched Alex leave.

  “No.” Jessica laughed. “He’d never do that. He’s going to stop at the front and pay the whole damn tab.” She reached behind her and started to put her arms in the sleeves of her coat.

  Alex earned more money than all of them combined. He found the fact embarrassing and hated to talk about it.

  Jessica felt Royce watching her with fascination as she put her coat on while it remained draped over the chair. She stood from the table, and the coat conformed to her body perfectly.

  “What?” She looked around to see if she had dropped or torn something.

  “Nothing.” He shook his head with a grin.

  “I’m going to head out. I’ll see you guys next Friday. Kelly, your pick, don’t forget. And please, no where crazy. I’m still surprised we didn’t all die from that hole in the wall you took us to last time.”

  “Hey, that Indian place was great.” Kelly pouted.

  “Okay. I’ll see you later.” Jessica waved at the group. She stepped to the side to allow Royce more room as he stood from his chair.

  “It was very nice meeting everyone.” Royce nodded to the group then turned to Jessica. “May I walk you to the door?” he asked in a gentleman’s voice.

  She looked him over and shrugged. No point getting her hopes up. “Sure. We’re both headed that way anyway.” She ignored the scowl on Kelly’s face. She would call her later.

  Jessica walked ahead of Royce and only noticed his presence when he reached in front of her to move a chair from blocking her way. She mumbled a thank you and continued on toward the door. Before she could open it, he reached in front of her again and pushed it open, letting in the sharp, cool air.

  “Hail a cab?” He started to raise his hand, and she had no doubt that several cabs would pull over the instant he did so. He had an air of authority about him, as though anything he commanded would simply happen for him. She’d met very few men who held themselves with such confidence as he did.

  “I walked. Just a few blocks,” she stated as she buttoned her coat, holding her purse tightly between her arm and body.

  “Which way?” He dropped his hand.

  “That way.” She pointed north and was rewarded with a grin that displayed a small dimple on his right cheek, which she hadn’t seen during dinner.

  “Me too. Okay if I join you?” He slid his hands into his pockets.

  She swallowed. “Sure. Why not.” She shrugged again. A walk was harmless.

  They walked in silence for the first block. Neither seemed to know what to say or how to begin a conversation. Jessica felt his eyes on her, but continued to look straight ahead of her. It had been a while since she spent this much time alone with a man.

  Royce broke the silence by inquiring about her work. He gave her his full attention, asking questi
ons when he didn’t understand something she said. He didn’t just nod and daydream like most of the men she’d dated.

  She began to relax by the time they made their way onto her block. She focused on him as he told her about his new position. He hadn’t been looking for an executive job when he’d applied with Alex’s company, and he seemed cautiously optimistic about the new position.

  She paused outside the steps to her apartment building to listen to him finish and noticed a couple coming down the stairs of the next building. The woman, a beautiful brunette, walked with a little limp as though she felt tender with her movements. The man walked behind her as a cab pulled to the curb, and he opened the door for her.

  Then he slid his hand under her hair and cupped the back of her head, pulling her to his lips. They exchanged a passionate kiss, which he broke off, causing her to look disappointed. He laid a hand on a pendant she wore around her neck and said something to her that Jessica couldn’t make out. The woman’s smile spoke of pure happiness—raw joy—as though he had just said the most romantic thing in the world to her.

  Jessica heard the woman say, “Yes, Sir. Thank you,” before she sunk into the cab. The man paid the driver and waved to her as she pulled away.

  “Jessica…Jessica…” Royce’s voice pulled her back to him.

  “I’m…wow. I’m sorry. I was…” She watched the man skip up his steps and go back into his building.

  “You were eavesdropping on that couple.” Royce’s eyes glistened with laughter, his lips curving up at the ends.

  “Yes.” She laughed. “It’s just…they seemed so entwined with each other.”

  “Some couples are actually happy together.” He pointed out, leaning against the railing of the stairs.

  “She didn’t call him by name. She called him Sir. Isn’t that an odd thing to call your lover?” she asked, using her forefinger to push a lock of hair behind her ear.

  Royce’s expression changed. The laughter in his eyes dropped and was replaced with a mysterious look of seriousness, as though her words struck a nerve.