“Isabel takes her good reputation for granted,” Sean said. He couldn’t believe that she would throw away something so valuable for sex.
Mind-blowing sex, sure. She had been spellbinding. Her bold and sensual moves had rendered him speechless when she’d taken control. That part still unnerved him. He was always in charge, except for that night.
Keith frowned. “What did you say?”
Sean’s body clenched as his blood ran cold. What had he said? “Isabel has enjoyed a stellar reputation for decades,” he said hurriedly, “but she doesn’t understand that one mistake could cost her. Once her reputation is lost, she can’t regain it.”
He had learned that lesson well. As an angry boy, Sean had gotten into a lot of trouble at school, at home and in his neighborhood. But when he finally cleaned up his act, no one believed it. They only saw the young man he used to be, not the one he had become. No one would give him a chance and he’d had to leave everything he knew for a fresh start.
Now Sean understood the value of a good reputation. He spent years developing one in Seedling by exerting a rigid control over himself, and he would protect that reputation at all costs. Isabel needed to do the same.
“Exactly, and around here, a reputation is more valuable than currency.” Keith rubbed his hand over his chin. “I’m glad to hear that you agree with me, Hawkins. Which is why I’m asking you for a favor.”
There was something in his boss’s tone that put him on alert. It wasn’t unusual for Keith to ask him to take care of personal matters, but this request sounded as if it might be beyond the call of duty. “What do you need, sir?”
“Find out what’s going on in that book club.” The older man set his mouth into a grim line. “I bet you that Laura Dawson is part of it. She has always been a bad influence.”
“You want me to go to the meetings?” Sean wasn’t sure it was in his best interest to spend more time with Isabel. He was already having trouble keeping his hands off her.
“I want you to do whatever is necessary to rein Isabel in.”
No way. He immediately squelched that wayward thought. As much as he enjoyed watching her bloom as she explored her sensuality, Isabel was heading for trouble. So was he. He didn’t feel like a gentleman when he was around her. He felt primitive and uncivilized, ready to claim her in a very public way. Her newfound rebellious spirit proved that his transformation was only skin deep.
The sooner Isabel started to behave like her old self, the easier it would be to reclaim his image and the faster he would find his peace of mind. After a lifetime of upheaval, Sean was determined to live a tranquil future.
“I’ll see what I can find out,” Sean promised. “You can count on me.”
* * *
“ALL RIGHT, MISS DORIS,” Isabel said quietly so her voice didn’t echo in the library. She turned the computer screen so the older woman could see it. “I’ve ordered the book and it should arrive by the end of the week.”
Doris frowned as she slid her glasses down her nose. “That many days?”
“I’m sorry, but all the copies in the library system have been checked out. I take it this is for the reading circle?”
Doris nodded. “The selection committee highly recommended the book. Have you read it?”
“Yes, when I was in college.” It had been a struggle to get through the depressing book. It was one tragedy after another. In other words, the reading circle’s idea of a good time.
Doris rested her arms on the circulation desk and leaned forward. “What is your book club reading?”
Isabel hesitated. It wasn’t a secret but she was tired of being judged for her reading preferences. It was a new development for her. In the past her choices had never been questioned. Now she was causing raised eyebrows and comments about how she was becoming just like her mother.
But she wasn’t ashamed of what she was reading. She wouldn’t conceal the book covers or make apologies for reading something other than a “literary masterpiece.”
Isabel leaned forward on the desk, echoing Doris’s stance. “We’re reading a book written by a madam who ran a brothel.”
Doris pushed her glasses back up. “Really?”
“It’s a how-to book on seducing a man.”
“I’d rather read that than this tearjerker.” Miss Doris gave her a thoughtful gaze. “Does anything this madam says work?”
Isabel gave an awkward shrug. “I wouldn’t know.” Her attempts last night hadn’t worked on Sean but she was sure she just needed more practice.
“Sweetie, what’s the point of reading about seduction if you’re not going to do it?”