Free Intimate Kiss (Bend To My Will #3) by Emily Jane Trent Page A

bed. Both had been risks, and threatened to give Vivienne false hope. There was no question that she would accept romantic dates, if he offered such. Lest he disappoint her, Jacob needed to be more careful. But Vivienne had a way of getting to him.
    *****
    On Monday, Jacob put the erotic weekend with Vivienne out of his mind, or tried to. She wasn’t far from his thoughts, but he had business matters to attend to. When he arrived that morning, Jacob called Meg in to give her instructions for the day. Plus, he needed to wrap up the project from last week they’d gone over, since Friday had been so busy that they hadn’t resumed that discussion.
    His assistant wore a skirt and jacket that flattered her trim form. Her deep red hair was swept into a trendy ponytail. Jacob could see why Vivienne had been jealous. He smiled to think of it. “As soon as you reach the restaurant owner, put him through,” Jacob said. “We are close to securing that deal. I’m already envisioning our wines in his establishments…worldwide.”
    Meg nodded. “I will. Right away.” But she didn’t leave.
    “Is there something else?”
    “Not that it’s my business, but who was the gorgeous blonde that came to see you?” Meg stood in front of his desk, waiting for his reply. It was a fair question, since Jacob didn’t normally have women dropping by his office unannounced.
    “You’re right,” Jacob said. “It’s not your business.” He frowned to let her know it wasn’t a subject that he preferred to discuss at length, and he wasn’t about to reveal anything about his private life to Megan. “I met her recently. Her name is Vivienne Lake. She owns Vee’s Perfumes.”
    That seemed to be a sufficient answer. Meg wouldn’t know whether it was business or pleasure. “Okay, just wondering. I knew you didn’t have any appointments on the schedule late that day.”
    Jacob studied a document on a stack of papers, and after a moment, Meg headed toward her desk. “I’ll get to work,” she said, not inquiring further about Vivienne. That was just as well, because it wasn’t a door he cared to open.
    Jacob’s sexual lifestyle was private, and he intended to keep it that way. Not even his family knew of his preferences, nor did they need to. He was often seen at events with escorts, which was good enough. The fact that he hadn’t settled down with any one woman was attributed to the long hours he worked, and the amount of travel involved.
    Yet Megan’s curiosity had stirred conflicting emotions. Jacob had kept his business separate from his pleasure, or that was how it had been. Once the weekend had ended, no matter the woman who had shared his playroom, it was over and he returned to business.
    It had been easy to separate the two, and for Jacob to keep his mind clear during the week, in order to devote his attention to his company. It was frustrating that Vivienne wouldn’t stay in the part of his life where she belonged. Either she appeared unannounced, or the mere mention of her name clouded Jacob’s focus.
    Enough of that . There was a pressing issue Jacob needed to address. His frustrations with a certain woman would have to wait. He had scheduled a meeting with Stephen Walsh, hoping his investigator had insight into the distributor problem.
    Normally, Jacob held meetings in the conference room, but this was different. It was better for Walsh to have access to his computer, because he had cutting-edge programs at hand. The quick access for information was advantageous, and avoided having to wait for answers.
    The investigations room was busy. Importing wasn’t as simple as it sounded, not when the company had grown to the level of Rinaldi. Smooth operations depended on reliable information in many areas. Jacob walked through the room, nodding at one of the staff members who looked up.
    At the back of the room, Jacob knocked on the door, then opened it. “Good morning, Walsh.”
    Stephen Walsh was early thirties, and had a