"You'll be doing this with people you don't know. You don't know their history, if they're good, dependable, anything. You know nothing about this town or its people. What the hell were you thinking telling her you'd be the only outsider coming here?" Neal didn't even wait until the car had started before launching into his rant. Morgan thought the veins at his boss's temples would explode. "This is our first job in Biloxi, and we need it to go smoothly. We need people we know can deliver. Now is not the time to wing it."Morgan tried not to smile, knowing it would only infuriate Neal more. "We got the job, didn't we?""Yes, but will we be able to keep it?""If you didn't think I could run this project, Neal, why did you bring me up here?""I brought you up here to organize one of our crews, get them on their feet until you picked your replacement, not to create a crew from scratch. What the hell were you thinking?""I was thinking we'd get the contract we came out here to get," Morgan
The drive didn't take long, and Stacey Rogers stood outside a cream-colored building with faded paint and dirty windows. There was nothing faded and dirty about Stacey, however. She was a short woman, barely over five-feet tall, with short dark hair, a slender frame, and hips Morgan would love to grip. She smiled, watching them as they exited their car, her eyes twinkling and her blouse buttoned low enough to tempt a man's gaze. Morgan quickly put on his Sunday-Go-To-Meeting smile and allowed his eyes to roam over her curves. Neal would be all business, so Morgan was free to be all male. Cedar Lake was a busy road full of small businesses, churches, and easy access to I-10. The building Stacey showed them was a small fenced in office with a warehouse and parking in the rear for larger trucks, which would keep Neal happy with the way he preferred to stock up on supplies and tools.Introductions were made, Morgan holding her warm hand longer than necessary as he smiled into her emerald
I don't want any damn orange juice." Bert Clydesdale pushed the glass away from him, almost causing it to tip over.Jacqui took a deep breath to keep from snapping at her father and his belligerent attitude. "Well then, what do you want, Dad? You don't want coffee or water or anything else I've laid in front of you.""I want to get out of this damn house, that's what I want. I want to go wherever I want to go, whenever I want to go."Jacqui rolled her eyes. Sophia, their housekeeper, must have told him no at some point today and sent him into this recurring tizzy of his. Her father had never been one to depend on anyone, and here he was, trapped in a wheelchair, yearning for the freedom he enjoyed just a little over a year ago. She wished she could give it to him, too. While he survived his head-on collision with a drunk driver, Bert Clydesdale had been paralyzed from the waist down. Since Sophia already lived with the Karstons, Jacqui brought her father home to live with her once he w
I don't want any damn orange juice." Bert Clydesdale pushed the glass away from him, almost causing it to tip over.Jacqui took a deep breath to keep from snapping at her father and his belligerent attitude. "Well then, what do you want, Dad? You don't want coffee or water or anything else I've laid in front of you.""I want to get out of this damn house, that's what I want. I want to go wherever I want to go, whenever I want to go."Jacqui rolled her eyes. Sophia, their housekeeper, must have told him no at some point today and sent him into this recurring tizzy of his. Her father had never been one to depend on anyone, and here he was, trapped in a wheelchair, yearning for the freedom he enjoyed just a little over a year ago. She wished she could give it to him, too. While he survived his head-on collision with a drunk driver, Bert Clydesdale had been paralyzed from the waist down. Since Sophia already lived with the Karstons, Jacqui brought her father home to live with her once he w
Morgan picked up the tiny form of Stacey Rogers and pressed her back against the wall. Her legs wrapped around his waist as she snaked her arms around his neck, fingers sliding through his hair. Their lips meshed, and their tongues danced as they ground against each other, his hardness stroking her through their clothing, clothing they needed to shed. He slid his hand up her thighs and under her skirt, sliding the material up her legs so his hand could grab her bare ass. He loved thongs. Their lips parted, and Stacey's head fell back against the wall as her breathing and moans filled the furnished apartment. He felt her hand start to pull at his pants, trying to free his manhood, tired of waiting. Allowing her feet to touch the floor, he gave her room to reach her target, a smirk on his face as he watched how fast she moved. He felt the button as it was freed and heard the zipper as she yanked his pants open.Kissing her neck, he lifted her back into his arms and carried her over to th
Although Jacqui was tempted to run the contracts through the shredder, they sat on the corner of her desk, waiting for Rutherford's signature at dinner tonight. Hiring a company outside of Biloxi just seemed like a betrayal to what Marc and she had committed to after Katrina, and she had betrayed him enough by not being with her family when the plane crashed. Yet, according to Brent in their conversation after the business lunch yesterday, it was their best opportunity to get the community center started. "He's willing to do it as cheap as possible just to showcase what he can accomplish," Brent said back at the office. "You want the community center to be a nonprofit, and to be honest, with the economy the way it is, The Karston Foundation can't afford to carry it. Even with the fundraiser planned in a couple of weeks, we need to cut corners without sacrificing quality. Neal Rutherford is your best chance of doing that." "Marc would never have gone for it.""Jacqui, Marc isn't here
Once she reached Marc's gravesite, she knelt and set back on our heels, her hands fidgeting with one of her husband's handkerchiefs she carried with her, knotting and unknotting the corners. Maggie's grave was on his left and to his right was a plot reserved for Jacqui. A pang of guilt tugged at her that she was not already lying beside them. It was only because of her recklessness that she wasn't. Her friends told her it had saved her, but she didn't agree. Her place was beside her husband."Hey, Maggie, baby," she said, tears already pooling at the bottom of her eyes. "Mommy misses you so much. Do you remember the community center I told you about? Well, I hired the company that'll build it today. Well, actually, it'll be tonight when they sign the contracts, but we're closer. Mr. Wellington is really excited. He says they are used to building fun things for children, like four-story slides right inside the building. You're going to be so proud of it." Jacqui swiped at a tear that sn
"I really wish you were staying behind to sign those contracts," Morgan said as he unloaded the trunk of Neal's luggage. "Jacqui Karston likes you. She wants to deal with you. Not me." Morgan didn't mind doing the work, but he wasn't overly fond of coddling the clients. When it came to employees, they either did the job or they were fired. You couldn't fire the people you worked for, and Neal would kill him if he quit. It wasn't that Morgan couldn't schmooze with the best of them. It was just that he hated the hypocrisy of it all. Neal was much better at playing politics and smoothing the ruffled feathers of the people who hired Rutherford Construction. Morgan didn't have the time or patience for the nonsense. If he was anything, he was honest about his motives. Kissing anyone's ass was just never his style.Neal lifted the lever of his luggage on wheels and slung the strap to his briefcase over his shoulder. "Who she wants and who she likes is beside the point. This is why I brought y