Unforgiven(8)

Slinging my oversized handbag onto my shoulder, I take the moving walkway that drops me at the exit where I know Jack will be waiting. I descend on the small groups of people clustered around waiting for loved ones to arrive and locate Jack with his cellphone pressed to his ear, barking orders to his assistant.
“There you are.” He pulls me into a side hug before shoving his phone into his pocket. “How was the flight?”
“Long,” I grumble as I pull away from him. Jack stands almost a foot taller than me and is built like a linebacker. He’s broad shouldered and has a shock of silver hair that stands out against his dark blue eyes that look nearly gray against his backdrop of fair skin. Jack intimidates me. Hell, he intimidates everyone. His voice is deep and demanding and there’s no arguing with him. I hired him for this very reason, because he’s a pit bull—he doesn’t give up and will fight like hell for his clients in this cutthroat industry.
“You look like hell,” he observes, taking me in from head to toe.
“Thanks.” I offer him a sarcastic smile. “I moved to hell, so I only thought it was fitting to look like my surroundings.”
“I didn’t force you to take the job, Lindsay…”
“No, but you told me I’d be making a huge mistake if I didn’t,” I cut him off. He sighs and I notice his jaw muscles flexing as a flush crawls across his face, turning it bright red. He’s most likely pondering a brilliant, yet snarky comeback laced with curse words, and it looks like it might damn near kill him. Our foul mouths are so similar one could quite possibly mistake him for my father.
“I’m excited about this opportunity, Jack, but at the same time… I left everything and everyone I’ve ever known or cared about in North Carolina. I have nothing here but this job.” My voice is quiet… tired. I see his face soften slightly when I share my fears.
“It’s a one-year contract, Lindsay. That’s it. If you hate it, you can move closer to home. I can’t guarantee that WXZI will have anything for you, but maybe we can get you to Raleigh or Charlotte.” He looks away from me, most likely annoyed at the prospect that I’d take him up on that offer right about now if I could.
“One year,” I whisper.
“One year,” he repeats and nods his head.
Shoving his hands into his front pockets, he pulls out a key chain that has two keys attached. “Keys to your downtown condo.” He drops them into the palm of my hand. “Twenty-second floor, one down from the penthouse level. It has a great view of the Phoenix skyline. You’ll love it. It’s fully furnished and ready for you.”
I nod my head and look at the two keys in my hand before tossing them into my handbag.
“Let’s get to baggage claim and get your suitcase. I need to get you to the car dealership so you can get your lease since I’m on an afternoon flight back to Chicago.” He begins walking toward the escalators that will take us down to baggage claim before turning back to look at me. Raising his eyebrows, he shakes his head, but keeps walking. “Let’s go, Lindsay,” he orders me, and I fall into step behind him.
 

 
“How do people fucking breathe in this heat?” I complain as the stifling Phoenix heat all but collapses my lungs. Jack lifts my suitcase and sets it into the back of his rented Cadillac Escalade.
“You’ll get used to it. It’s a dry heat,” he smirks at me as he pulls his Ray Bans from the top of his head and pushes them onto his face. “I guess a convertible is out of the question for you?” He chuckles to himself. The trip from the airport to the car dealership takes no more than ten minutes. I study the blue sky that is covered in a light brown layer of smog, but not enough to detract from the beauty of the brown mountains and palm-tree-lined streets. Even though it’s August and pushing one hundred and fifteen degrees, people are out and about and not bothered by the extreme heat.#p#分页标题#e#
I don’t even notice we’ve arrived at the dealership until Jack cuts the engine and opens his door. I follow him inside and take a seat in the modern lounge. Jack is the master negotiator. He knows what I want and, since it’s a lease, it’s basically just formalities and paperwork. One hour later, Jack is tossing my suitcase into the back of a silver Lexus IS 350 and sending me on my way to the new downtown condo I’m renting.
“Go get settled. Be positive. You’re going to love it here. I promise,” he says as he rests both of his hands on my shoulders. “Everything is set up at the condo. All you have to do is get some groceries.” He glances at the time on his phone. “I have to get going or I’ll miss my flight. Call me if you need anything.” I nod and swallow hard. Even though Jack is generally an asshole, he’s the only person I have at this moment. He slides into his car and gives me a short wave as he pulls away, leaving me on my own.