Lead Me On. Victoria Dahl

drink arrived, and what could she do but drink it? Fifteen minutes later she was cradling Chase’s card in her hands. He had a business card, so maybe he wasn’t just a ditchdigger. Maybe he was a supervisor of some sort. “W. Chase,” it said. His first name must be something horrific. Something like Worthington or Wessex.

      Just Chase he’d kept saying, as if he were embarrassed to be called Mister. And he was right, of course. It didn’t suit him.

      Jane glanced up, accidentally meeting the eyes of some guy two stools down. When he smiled and rose from his seat, she bit back a groan. She wasn’t in the mood. Not for him, anyway.

      “Hi, there,” he said. “My name’s Dan.”

      “Hi, Dan.” Jane didn’t offer her name. He was cute enough, and he was wearing a suit and tie, but he wasn’t her type. None of these guys was. She was hopeless.

      “Do you live here in Aspen?” the guy was asking.

      “Mmm-hmm.”

      “I’m here on business. It’s a beautiful place.”

      “Yes, it’s lovely.” God, why was he even coming on to her? She was wearing her ivory suit and her glasses, not to mention her pulled-back hairstyle. She’d designed herself to look uptight and unapproachable. Maybe she just looked lonely and desperate. An easy lay.

      Dan leaned his elbow against the bar. “Can I buy you a drink?”

      “No, thank you. I’m meeting someone here.”

      That finally drove him off. As he sauntered away, Jane watched his back, thinking that he looked rather…petite. About the same height as her, with the same slight build as Greg.

      Jane was five-eight and curvy. Was a big man too much to ask for?

      She looked at the card again. Chase. He was big. He turned her on. And for whatever reason, he’d asked her out. He clearly wasn’t the marrying type, but did that mean she couldn’t just use him for a good time?

      Mr. Jennings had dated a lot of the wrong women before he’d found Lori. He hadn’t taken any of those relationships seriously. Why shouldn’t Jane do the same?

      And it was almost her birthday. Still, it wouldn’t be smart to sleep with someone from her professional world. It wouldn’t be smart at all, but it would be a heck of a birthday present.

      Didn’t she deserve one night of hard, primal sex with a real man? Just one tiny, delicious detour on her journey to a respectable future? No one knew about her past. No one could point and say, “That girl is just as trashy as she used to be.”

      Jane took out her phone. “You’re tipsy,” she tried to warn herself, but that only made her feel better about what she was doing. “This is a bad idea,” she breathed. “Really bad. But I’m tipsy.”

      Finger shaking, Jane turned on her phone. She reached to press the first number, but she didn’t do it. She set the phone down on the bar. She took a deep breath. And then it rang.

      “Oh, jeez,” she muttered, slapping a hand to her chest. Saved by the bell. Except that the screen was flashing “Mom” again, and that couldn’t be good.

      “Hello?” she answered.

      “Oh, Jane, thank goodness! I’ve got awful news. Just awful!”

      “Mom, what’s wrong?” Her heart leaped.

      “It’s Jessie!” her mom wailed.

      “Oh, no. What’s happened?”

      “He never came home and I’ve tried calling you all day. But, oh, my God, I finally heard something. Your brother is in jail!”

      “Oh.” Jane’s heart began to slow. “I see. For what?”

      “I don’t know. All I’ve heard are rumors. He hasn’t called home. I don’t know what’s going on!”

      “Calm down. He hasn’t called home because he knows Dad is going to kill him.” Glancing around, she lowered her voice. “He was probably picked up for possession. You know he gets high, Mom.”

      “Will you have your boyfriend find out where he is? Somebody said it might be Pitkin County.”

      “Are you—” Jane snapped her mouth closed. Are you crazy? she’d meant to say. “Mom, it’s Friday night. There’s nothing to be done now.”

      “But he’ll be there all weekend if we don’t—”

      “Mom,” Jane said sharply. “Calm down. If he hasn’t broken down and called you, then he’s probably okay. If he doesn’t get in touch before the morning, I’ll do what I can, all right?” But damned if she was calling Greg.

      “But…” Her mother’s voice faded away.

      Jane felt her heart twist with worry. “Mom, is Dad there?” Her stepfather, Mac, was solid as a rock. Her mom would be fine as long as he was home.

      “Yes, he’s here.”

      “All right. What did he say?”

      There was a long pause. Her mom’s voice fell to a whisper. “He said we should let Jessie cool his heels until he got the…nerve to call home and ask for help.”

      Clearly Mac had used harsher language than that, but Jane just nodded. “Okay. It’s going to be fine, Mom. He’s twenty-one years old, and if he’s starting to get into trouble, a few days in jail will be good for him.”

      “It…it just doesn’t seem right.” Her voice went hoarse with tears.

      “No, it’s not right,” Jane muttered before she said goodbye and hit End. It wasn’t right that no matter how hard she tried, Jane couldn’t get away from this life. The life of courthouses and bail bondsmen and visits to jail. It didn’t matter how good she was at her job or how hard she worked. All it took was one phone call and Jane Morgan was right back in the trailer park.

      She picked up the business card and looked at it one last time.

      Yeah, she was spiraling, all right. Might as well enjoy the damn ride.

CHAPTER THREE

      AH, CHRIST. Chase slapped down the visor of his truck in a burst of panic. He’d forgotten to shave.

      “Shit,” he muttered at his reflection, swiping a hand over his prickly jaw. He popped the visor back up with another curse. There was no time now. Jane Morgan had called and asked him to meet her. Even the quick shower had been a risk. He’d half expected to come out of the bathroom and find that she’d left a message calling it off. Now that he was only steps away from the bar he wasn’t turning back.

      He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he damn sure wanted to find out. Chase slammed the door of his pickup and rushed across the street to the bar.

      It took a few seconds to spot Jane. She sort of…blended in to the background. Despite it being Friday night, her hair was still pulled back into a tight bun. She still wore her pricey-looking white suit. As he watched, she took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. Jane was getting sleepy. He was about to miss his chance at a date.

      Chase pushed through the mingling crowd and stopped next to her table. “Hey, Jane.”

      “Oh!” she yelped, slipping on her glasses before she pushed awkwardly to her feet. “Hello.”

      “I’m really glad you called.”

      “I…just… I had your card.” Her hands gestured helplessly, so Chase waved her back to her chair.

      He glanced down to her glass of water. “Can I get you a drink?”

      “Um…sure.”

      Chase caught a