"With just last night's checks, so far we've pulled in over two hundred thousand with monthly pledges at sixty thousand. I'd say that's a great start." Brent flipped though his notes as he sat in the leather chair opposite of Jacqui. "Since it's a non-profit, we'll do a fundraiser every year and keep the center in front of people's minds. With your name attached to it, I'm sure it'll keep the money coming in."Jacqui nodded as she watched him. Brent always grew excited talking about numbers, any numbers, really, but especially financial figures. With the preliminary results from last night, he was practically giddy. She wished she felt his enthusiasm, though. Two hundred thousand was a decent start, but they needed more. Much more. "We'll need to think about how we can get people to donate throughout the year. I'll have Miss Anderson come up with some sort of marketing campaign we can send out quarterly."He nodded. "Just don't overdo it. Too hard of a push or too much spam mail coming
Morgan flipped open his calendar, a habit he did at the end of every day just to get a glimpse of what to expect the next day. This Hump Day had been quiet, so far. He really needed to fix that, or things were going to get boring soon. When things became boring is usually when he wound up in trouble. Two interviews tomorrow afternoon were added to his schedule in Kari's handwriting for more office help. He did a double take when he noticed one of the names was a male. He gave a shake of his head. Times are changing. Then he chuckled to himself. You really are one sexist bastard, Morgan Brewer.He stared out at the afternoon sky, thoughts of Vince chasing after Jacqui bouncing around in his head for the hundredth time that day. She had made it clear that she didn't want her former business partner. Of course, that hadn't stopped Vince from giving it the old college try. Still, Morgan doubted it was just Vince Jacqui was rejecting, but rather the whole male population. She exuded a tou
Jacqui locked her office door behind her as she left, wishing Miss Anderson a good evening as she passed her personal assistant's desk. She felt as if she had wasted an entire afternoon. Since Brent had left her office, she kept finding herself distracted with thoughts of Morgan and Vince, both. It was keeping her frustrated in a moist sort of way and, if she was honest with herself, she wasn't sure how to cope with what she was feeling. Since her indiscretion with Vince, she had managed to keep herself like a nun, focusing on her service to Biloxi and not her own desires and needs.Yet, Morgan was not about to leave her alone. He seemed bent on keeping her off guard and thinking of him. Add to that the reemergence of Vince Andrews and no matter how much she fought it, her panties stayed perpetually wet. It was intoxicating as well as infuriating. Realizing she wasn't going to get anything accomplished, she decided a nice drive might clear her head. The day was practically over anyway,
There were two billiard tables off to the left of the main entrance and three dart boards hung on the back wall. The bar was a deep wood finish with stools of black leather perched in front. The bartender offered her a smile and a wave as Jacqui forced her way closer to the bar. The men leered at her as if she were fresh meat and the couple in the corner hadn't even noticed she entered the bar."What can I get ya?" The bartender placed both hands on the wooden bar, her breasts falling back down to a normal position, and smiled as she waited. "Club soda, please."The woman gave her a curious look. "Playing it safe tonight?""I, uh, I don't drink." Jacqui reached to her right where a plastic container holding perfect white napkins rested. She pulled one out and tore off the corner."Ah, meeting someone special then, huh?""I can be someone special," the man sitting closest to her offered. He wore faded jeans and a baggy T-shirt. He had short, dirty-blond hair and hands that needed a goo
Morgan walked into The Karston Foundation Friday morning with the goal of getting Jacqui Karston out on a date. He had been dwelling about it since Wednesday afternoon, and finally decided to just go for it. His life needed some challenge in it, at the moment. It was going to be a risk, of course, keeping her from running to Neal about his inappropriate employee, but that was part of the game. It was a rush to do what you know you shouldn't do. Besides, with Dustin back in Orlando and Erin, his usual distraction, not around, he needed something new to keep him entertained. Morgan didn't do boredom too well. He didn't do it at all, actually.He made it past the first receptionist barrier at the elevators and wandered down the hall to where he knew the second wall to the domain of Jacqui Karston waited. He couldn't get over how hard Jacqui made it for people to reach her.Jacqui's young assistant sat behind her desk, her dark hair framing her face and drawing out her hazel-brown eyes. He
She was furious with Sophia. The woman should have known better than to take her father back to his house without someone there to watch what he was doing. She knew Sophia was only trying to make her father happy and, knowing him, he probably whined and badgered her until she gave in just to shut him up. Her father could be very persistent when he wanted something. She was going to have to talk to Sophia about being in better control. It was vital that Sophia was the sensible one when it came to Bert Clydesdale. As the elevator began its trek to the ground floor, Jacqui took a deep breath, suddenly feeling worried about the housekeeper. She knew the woman would be beside herself with worry and blame. To be honest, Jacqui blamed her father more than she blamed Sophia. He was a cantankerous old man, used to getting his way and manipulating people into doing what he wanted. Jacqui had fallen for his manipulations several times, too many times.But he could have really hurt himself this t
The few days turned into a year and Bert Clydesdale was becoming restless. She should have taken him to his house and allowed him to putt around. She just became too busy with the community center project and days had turned into weeks which added up to a year. Now he was in the hospital and it was all her fault. The thing she had tried to avoid came to fruition and her father was hurt. This is exactly why she couldn't go out and have fun like Brent and Lily suggested. She simply had too many responsibilities, people depended on her.Jacqui stopped at the emergency room nurses' station at the Biloxi Memorial Hospital. A young lady with short brown hair and a patient smile sat behind the desk, typing in some statistics. "Excuse me," Jacqui said, leaning over the counter. "I'm looking for my father, Bert Clydesdale.""Stop sticking me with that damn needle!"Jacqui took a deep breath. "Never mind. I can follow the yelling." She turned towards the room from which her father's voice bellow
Morgan watched as Jacqui disappeared around the corner toward the elevators. While he could understand her being upset because of her father's fall, she was definitely not making it easy to be friendly toward her. She liked keeping everyone at arms distance while she stared down at them from her lofty office window. He had never seen anyone hold onto grief so long that it paralyzed them socially. There was no doubt her business life was a giant success. She had accomplished everything she set out to do and from what he saw at the fundraiser, she was respected by everyone who knew her. It was her personal life that had crashed and burned, still smoldering on the wreckage of her husband's plane crash.He turned to the dark-haired woman behind the desk. "Is she always so aloof?"Lily nodded. "She keeps things awfully close to her chest. She has dozens of acquaintances, but only a handful of what I would classify as friends, and all of them are business connections. I don't even think she