A Man Without Mercy

Jack could not hide his surprise that his mother would go out at all, let alone accept a date from a man.

‘Yes, yes, I know,’ she said. ‘It’s been a long time coming. But I finally got so sick of myself last week that I started talking to Jim over the fence when we were both outside gardening. We have spoken before, but only to say hello. Anyway, he was just so easy to talk to, and when he asked me over for a cup of tea I went. It was then that he asked me out to dinner and I said yes. I know he’s a good few years older than me, but he’s just so nice, and I thought, what have I got to lose by going out with him?’

‘Absolutely nothing, Mum. I think it’s great.’

‘Do you?’ she said as she brought his mug of black coffee over to the table. ‘Do you really?’ she repeated as she sat down opposite him.

‘Of course. Jim’s a decent man.’ Jack had got to know Jim over the years his mother had lived in this house. He was always out in the garden and happy to have a word or two.

‘I’m glad you approve. Because this isn’t the first date I’ve had with him. We’ve been going out to dinner every night for almost a week.’

‘Wow. No flies on Jim.’

When his mother blushed, the penny dropped.

‘Wow again, Mum,’ Jack said. ‘And good for you. Good for you both, actually.’

‘We don’t want to get married,’ his mother confided, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. ‘We just want company.’

‘I haven’t seen you this happy in years,’ he said.

Her blue eyes sparkled.

His mother astonished him further by lifting her chin and looking him straight in the eye. ‘Now, I have to go put my make-up on, Jack. Stay and finish your coffee by all means but I would prefer it if you’re gone by the time Jim comes to pick me up. I don’t trust you not to say something embarrassing.’

‘Who, me!’ Jack exclaimed, doing his best to stop himself from smiling.

‘Yes, you. You can be extremely tactless at times.’

‘Who, me?’ Now he was grinning widely.

‘Oh for pity’s sake,’ she said, rolling her eyes at the same time. But she bent and kissed the top of his head. ‘You’re a good son and I love you dearly, but may I suggest you ring before you just pop in next time? I might have a visitor and I wouldn’t want to shock you.’

It wasn’t until Jack left the house ten minutes later that he stopped smiling and started thinking again. Not about his mother and Jim but about himself and Vivienne.

As he drove at a snail’s pace back towards the city and home—rush-hour traffic had more than arrived—his thoughts ran over the events of the day, right up until that last moment when he’d kissed Vivienne goodbye. That had been the moment when it had hit home to him—with considerable force—that if he took Vivienne up to Francesco’s Folly tomorrow there was a very real danger of his doing something which would spoil their working relationship for ever.

Jack didn’t want that to happen. He valued Vivienne as a business colleague and respected her as a woman. But there was no denying that she’d stirred a lust in him today that was almost beyond reason. He’d imagined he’d got it under control back in the restaurant, but then he’d kissed her and all hell had broken loose.

‘Worse than hell,’ he muttered aloud, recalling how the second his lips had brushed over hers he’d been instantly besieged by the most violent urge to sweep her into his arms and kiss her properly. His struggle not to succumb to the temptation had almost exhausted his will power, so much so that he doubted he would be able to resist a second time.

Of course, he would not be stupid enough to kiss her a second time. That was a given. But it was still likely that he’d be plagued by ongoing thoughts about doing a lot more than just kissing her. Which would result in his getting turned on again.

Jack didn’t want to spend tomorrow with a hard-on. So he guessed it was off to a club tonight, and sex with a virtual stranger.

Such a scenario would have excited him once upon a time. But no longer, it seemed. What Jack really wanted was to have great sex with a woman he knew and liked. A woman with gorgeous green eyes, long auburn hair and breasts to die for.

Jack banged his hands on the steering wheel, swearing in frustration.

His frustration grew all the way across the Harbour Bridge, reaching a furious peak by the time he let himself into his apartment. There, he stripped off all his clothes and jumped into a steaming hot shower. After a few minutes, he turned the tap abruptly to cold and stood there under the icy shards of water till his body was numb. Not so his brain, however. Nothing was going to rid his mind of the annoying reality that he wanted Vivienne as he had not wanted a woman in his entire life.