Don't Tempt Me (5 page)

"No. That is the reason I look so guilty. I don't have a clue who would go to the trouble of trying to frame me... and for what reason?"

"I have to ask you this, so please don't get angry with me," Jenna warned. "What about your husband? Are you having problems? This
is
his father's company..."

"Craig and I never argue, and we aren't having problems. If he wanted to get rid of me, he'd just have me fired," she said with certainty, but then her dark eyes filled with doubt. "Do you believe me, Ms. Fields?"

"Yes, I do," Jenna said firmly as she got to her feet. She handed Jenna a card. "If you think of anything, or if anyone contacts you regarding this case, call me immediately. Don't answer questions for anyone, including your bosses here, and definitely do not discuss this case with anyone at all. I'll do your speaking for you, Nadine. Is that understood?"

Nadine nodded, and she suddenly looked very afraid. "I'm scared."

"Try not to worry, Nadine. I'm on your side, and I won't rest until I find out who is trying to frame you and why."

* * *

"You're quiet this evening, Jenna. Is something troubling you?" Will asked.

"Nope. I'm fine," she fibbed. "Just thinking about a case."

"Something I can help you with?" he offered. He didn't have any upcoming cases with her in his Court.

"Nope. I'm good," she fibbed again.

"Jenna, I can tell something is troubling you. What is it?"

"Nothing," she fibbed for the third time.

"I'm going to ask you a direct question, and you'd better tell me the truth," he warned. "Are you still upset with me over Mrs. Pratt?" The incident occurred nearly a month ago, but knowing his little wife like he did, something had her upset and it was the only thing he could think of.

"No, we buried that," she grinned. "Would you like some more cheesecake, Will? I think I hear it calling me from the kitchen."

"Not until you tell me what's wrong," he insisted.

"Damn it, Will! Am I not allowed to have a private thought of my own any more?" she snapped angrily. "I told you that nothing is wrong."

"And you fibbed to me," he stated, refusing to back down. When she just glared at him, he nodded, "See? You can't deny it. What is wrong?"

"Client attorney privilege!" she turned up her chin, and when Will started to say something, she shook a finger at him. "Don't you try it, Buster! I'm not talking, even if you bring out the rubber hoses!"

"What about the flat of my hand on your sweet bottom?" he demanded, and then pulled her over his lap on the sofa and smacked her butt hard.

"Ow! Not fair!" Jenna cried out. "Let me go!"

"You annoy the crap out of me with that thirties' gangster talk, Jenna!" he growled, and smacked her butt once more.

"I've been talking that way for years! My Dad watched gangster movies all the time!" she wailed. "I am too old to change!"

"No you aren't," Will insisted, spanking again and then again. "I don't like it when you call me 'buster' in that tone of voice, Jenna." Will continued to spank her, and when she struggled to get free, he took the time to yank down her shorts, and her panties came with them. "Now we're getting somewhere," he said, and started spanking in earnest.

"Owwww! Will, stop! I have to be able to sit down tomorrow!" she declared.

"You say that every time I spank you, Jenna," he reminded her, paying no attention to her claim.

"It's true! I have a three hour drive... Please... Owwwwww! Honey, stop!"

"Where are you going?" Will asked curiously.

"I have a case in Chicago." He stopped spanking here. "Is that what has you upset?" he wanted to know.

"Honey, please. I can't discuss this case with you, no matter how much I might want to."

"Are you hiding something from me, Mrs. Cole?" Will asked suspiciously.

"No, honey," Jenna fibbed again. Will brought his hand down on her bare fanny several more times, while she cried and kicked her feet. But, try as he might, she didn't admit to anything being wrong... but he knew in his heart she was hiding something, and he was determined to find out what it was.

* * *

"Hi Jenna, this is such a nice treat!" Mary Parker said breathlessly as she took her seat across from Jenna in the busy restaurant. "I'm glad you called me and got me out of the house today. I was feeling a bit bored.

"I want to pick your brain, Mary," Jenna admitted sheepishly, "and I want to ask you to keep it confidential."

"Oh goody! We are keeping secrets from Allen and Will. Cathy would be so pleased!" the other woman laughed. "What is it, dear?" she asked when she noticed Jenna's serious expression. "Did I upset you by mentioning Cathy? I don't mean anything by it, you know. She would love you to pieces!" Mary was contrite, and obviously worried that she'd made a huge mistake.

"Please, don't worry about talking about Cathy. I love to hear about her, and Will is so darn close mouthed about his life with her... and about Katy. I'd love to know more about her, too!" Jenna admitted with a smile. "Please be yourself when you are with me. I never want us to have an awkward relationship where we can't speak our minds or say what we think without fear of offending. I might be Will's second wife, but it's not like I kicked Cathy out of his life. I didn't meet him until she was gone for several years already," she smiled, and reached across the table to give Mary's hand a squeeze. "I really like you, Mary, and it pleases me to think that you and I and Cathy would have been good friends under different circumstances. I don't resent her, honestly, I don't."

"You are so special, Jenna. Just so perfect for Will. Allen even says so, and he rarely makes personal comments of that nature."

The server came then to take their drink order, and Jenna and Mary gave the menu some serious consideration before he returned so they could place an order, and then hopefully have some uninterrupted time to talk. Once that was done, Mary smiled and said, "Katy was such a pretty girl... and very spoiled. Cathy and Will doted on her and gave her everything she needed and wanted. Will did insist on good grades and that she obey the rules he set for her, but Katy was a good girl, and never much of a problem."

"So what happened to change that? Will refuses to discuss her at all; even last year at Christmas when I suggested we might try to find her so I could meet her." That discussion almost ended in a spanking, and knowing what she did now about her firm husband, it was a true Christmas miracle that she didn't have trouble sitting for her turkey dinner! "He flat out told me to drop it."

"That is Katy's own fault, and I swear, I would shake the daylights out of her if I knew where to find her," Mary declared angrily. "Cathy insisted on hiding her illness from Katy during her last year of high school. She didn't want to upset her, or keep her from having a wonderful year, and like most kids, Katy was self-absorbed and didn't realize how ill her mother was. Will didn't think it was a good idea to keep it a secret, but Cathy was adamant. She truly thought she was going to beat cancer, Jenna, and she fought as hard as she could. When Katy left for college, she didn't have a clue that her Mom was so ill... and when Cathy slipped into a coma and Will had to call Katy to come home, she blamed him. Will tried to be patient with her, but after the funeral, Katy packed her things and left and told Will she never wanted to see him again."

"How awful." Jenna was truly shocked. Will didn't deserve that!

"Yes. The problem is that the both of them are so much alike when it comes to being stubborn... Neither of them would give in if their life depended on it. I could just shake Will for permitting this to go on for so long! If nothing else, he should have put her over his knee and spanked her until she listened to him! But, he got his feelings hurt, and says she'll come to him when she is ready." Mary frowned. "Now then, you said you wanted to keep secrets from Will and Allen, and I am ready. But, let's order dessert, first," she giggled happily.

Jenna grinned, and tried not to squirm on the padded chair. One of the main reasons she chose this restaurant was because of the well padded seats. She didn't really want to sit through dessert, but she couldn't very well hustle Mary out the door, either.

"Will spanked you again, didn't he?" Mary asked in a whisper.

Jenna felt her cheeks turn a tell-tale red. "Yes, she answered. "Did you know he has an aversion to gangster movies and to being called 'buster'?" she asked with a rueful smile.

Mary giggled. "Allen hates to be called 'Mister'," she confided, using the particular tone of voice that was guaranteed to get her spanked. "I sometimes forget, and he is always ready to remind me. Fortunately, the last time was a few days ago, and I am sitting fine today."

"Lucky you!" Jenna laughed. "I wasn't even really angry with Will last evening, and made a silly reference to 'rubber hoses' and I called him 'buster', and I made the mistake of sitting beside him on the sofa and he had me over his knee before I could say, 'No, honey, I didn't mean it!' My bottom is very sore, even on these chairs, and right after lunch, I have to drive to Chicago! I don't think I'll call Will 'buster' again for a long while!" She made a face.

"Poor you!" Mary was sympathetic, and then she added softly. "Will does love you, honey. He laughs again, and that is so wonderful to see. Now then, please satisfy my curiosity. What do you wish to pick my brain about that we need to keep secret from Will and Allen?" Her eyes were full of good humor and excitement.

Chapter Four

"Will's birthday is next month, Mary, and I want to knock his socks off. I thought a surprise party would be fun, but I don't have a theme..."

"Oh, goodness. You know, I do believe we could include Allen in this secret, and get his help. The two men love to go fishing, and we could set up a fishing trip for the two of them... and when you bring Will to drop him off so that he and Allen can leave, we'll all jump out and yell 'surprise!' We'll make sure that everyone comes casual, and brings a favorite fishing story to share... and we'll decorate with fishing tackle... Oh... I'm taking charge!" Mary blushed.

"It's a perfect plan, Mary," Jenna was excited. "If Allen invites Will on this fishing trip, I will gladly pay for it!"

"I don't think Allen will permit that, dear, but I'll ask. If not, it will make the perfect gift from us. By planning this now, we'll have lots of time to come up with the invitations and ... Oh, will you be upset if we don't serve alcohol? Allen has a hard and fast rule about that."

"And I am proud of him. Alcohol is not necessary to have a good, fun party. If people want to drink, they can stay home."

"Oh Jenna, I just love you!" Their desserts arrived then, and they enjoyed every sinful bite before Jenna had to leave for Chicago.

"Mary, thank you so much for joining me today. We'll have to do this again soon."

"I would love that, Jenna. We'll make Will's birthday party a big surprise, and Allen will simply love being a part of it. He can be very sneaky," she laughed.

"It will be fun, and Will will enjoy the fishing trip immensely, too." They said goodbye and within minutes Jenna was driving toward Chicago, her mind on the case and how best to handle it. Today she would talk to other employees and see what she could learn. She was already investigating backgrounds and while almost everyone seemed squeaky clean on the surface, Jenna knew better than to believe they were. Most people had something to hide... Someone was framing Nadine Warner and it was her job to find out who it was and expose the person and clear Nadine. She would begin by speaking to her husband, Craig Warner.

By the time Jenna arrived at Warner Values Exemplified, Jenna was ready. She was given the same conference room as before and promised full cooperation from everyone. After a brief meeting with Nadine, that was mostly reassurances on Jenna's part, she called in Craig Warner. The young man was certainly handsome and his smile seemed genuine as he studied Jenna intently before taking the seat she pointed him to.

"Ms. Fields, I have a question before we start with this."

"Very well," Jenna replied, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Do you believe in my wife's innocence?" he asked baldly.

"Yes, I do," she replied without hesitation.

He nodded and then said, "Dad hired you and said you are the best, but if you aren't one hundred percent behind Nadine, then I would hire someone else; no offense to you or your abilities. I know my wife, and I know she is honest and straight-forward and she has integrity and loyalty. She would never sell information about one of our clients to their competitor. I want to know who is framing her, and why."

Jenna nodded. "That is why I am here, Mr. Warner."

"Please call me Craig. Dad is the Mr. around here."

"Fine; I'm Jenna," she smiled at him. "Why would anyone have a grudge against Nadine, Craig?"

"I don't know. I've racked my brain looking for a reason, but nothing."

"I have to ask this, and you may be sure I will respect your confidence... Are you having an affair, or did you have one and end it?"

"I dated other women before Nadine, but ended all relationships before moving on to another, Jenna. I was raised to have respect for all women and I treated them the way I expected to be treated... with respect. I haven't cheated on Nadine, and I never will. I love her, and I am lucky that she loves me, too." The look in his eyes was earnest and Jenna had to smile.

"I believe you, Craig. Thank you for your open honesty. Now that I know that isn't a possibility, we can move forward. Did Nadine take over a position here, or a client, that someone else thought they should have?"

"That is harder to answer. I know that Dad doesn't play favorites with any of us. We get promoted based on the quality of our work. It doesn't matter what your last name is, either. If Nadine or I wasn't doing our job right, Dad would let us go. The fact that he does love Nadine is the reason you are here. He knows she is innocent. He's made that known to everyone here, too. This is a serious matter. We are being sued by our client, and we need to know who is responsible. Ultimately, Dad will have to settle. But, the one responsible is going to face prosecution."