Priceless Treasure(74)

“Jasmine?”

Jasmine turned to find that she’d completely tuned out of the conversation. Normally, she was the epitome of cool — making sure to schmooze with her father’s investors. That was her job at these functions.

More than once she’d had to fend off the advances of some dirty old man. It was a source of contention between her father and her — just one of many.

She wouldn’t sell her soul to the devil, even if the devil was dressed in a hand-tailored business suit. Money had its uses, and she certainly needed a lot more than she had, but she wasn’t for sale, not at any price.

“I’m sorry. I have a slight headache tonight and it’s made me lose focus,” she answered sweetly to the sixty-year-old who was leering at her. She had to fight the shiver threatening to travel down her spine at the lust in his eyes.#p#分页标题#e#

“I was just telling your father that I would love to have the two of you up to my lake house sometime real soon.”

No way in hell! That is what she wanted to say.

“That sounds like a very pleasant weekend. Make sure you have my father notify me of when,” she answered instead, already planning a convenient illness.

The man beamed at her; his hand came up to rest on her upper arm, and then his finger trailed downward.

“Excuse me. I need some medicine for this annoying headache,” she said, discreetly extracting herself from the man’s slimy grip and walking away. She was on the verge of being sick. How many more of these functions would she have to attend before she’d had enough?

Seeing Derek tonight had been too much. Wasn’t time supposed to heal all wounds? In her case, ten years obviously hadn’t been enough time. Seeing her first love — the only man she’d ever loved — was just too much.

It was time to leave.

Tomorrow would be a better day. That had become her motto for the last decade. One of these days, maybe it would.

As she walked from the party, Jasmine thought back to the day that her innocence had been stolen from her, the day that she’d realized she couldn’t trust her heart, and she certainly couldn’t trust men…





Chapter Three


Arriving home after being out all night, Jasmine felt her knees shaking. As she stepped through the doorway, her father was standing there, his face blotched with color, and spittle flying from his lips.

“I love him, Dad,” she said, firming her shoulders as she faced down the man who instilled the very meaning of the word fear inside her.

“You don’t know what love is. You are only seventeen,” he shouted, stepping closer.

For the first time, she feared he might strike her. He’d never been a caring or engaged parent, but he’d never physically abused her.

“We’re going to get married.” She knew she couldn’t just run away now. If she wanted to be a grown-up, then she needed to make grown-up decisions.

For a moment, his face got even redder, and then his shoulders sagged as he looked at her, anger seeming to fade away as sorrow filled his features.

“Have I been that terrible a father?”

“No, it isn’t that, Dad. It’s just that Derek and I want to be together. His father is starting a new business, so Derek can leave feeling right about it, and he’s going to the city to make something of himself. He will do it, too. He’s smart and strong and brings me such joy,” she said. Maybe her father would really listen to her for once.

Walking over to her, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. “When did you grow up?” he whispered, making her heart leap.

She had never thought he’d be so willing to accept her decision. She’d thought that she would be leaving the house with him hating her, that it would take years for them to reconcile. She loved Derek enough to risk that, but the thought still saddened her.

“I don’t know. Being with Derek is just…just like bees and honey. We fit and he makes me feel grown.” What better explanation was there?

“What is this business his father is attempting? Maybe I can help in some way.”

In her excitement to earn her father’s approval, she never once thought he could be up to no good. This was her dad — the man who had raised her.

“I’m not sure exactly. It’s a computer store, I think.”

“I will speak to the bank, make sure the loan goes through for his new business.”#p#分页标题#e#

“You’ll do that, Dad?” How could she ever have thought her father cold or uncaring?

“There isn’t anything I won’t do to make you happy, princess,” he assured her.

They spoke long into the night. She told her father everything, how she and Derek would meet at the church — all of it. Her dad kissed her goodnight and she fell asleep while still planning the future.