Seduced By A Steele (Forged of Steele #12) - Brenda Jackson Page 0,10
your parents?”
“I did.”
“And they still wanted you to marry the guy?”
“Yes. I’m their only child and the marriage between me and Harold would help them with a business merger.”
Mercury shook his head. It was hard to believe people actually thought that way. Although his mother had been notorious for wanting all six of her sons happily married, but all along the key words were happily married. She would not have forced them into anything, not that they would have let her.
“So, I decided to leave Ohio and stay with Priscilla. I found out this morning that my parents put a hold on my bank account and I can’t get any cash right now. And they canceled my credit cards.”
“They actually did that?” he asked, amazed at how far her parents were taking things.
“Yes. They figure sooner or later, without the financial resources I’m used to, I’ll run back home to do whatever they want me to do.”
“Which is to marry that prick?”
“Yes.”
At that moment, Mercury knew he couldn’t leave her here. He had a huge condo, but he couldn’t take her there either. His home was sacred, and other than female relatives, he didn’t invite women over the Mercury Steele threshold.
“I will give you a chance to go back in the house and grab anything I might have missed bringing out,” the woman called, as if she was doing Sloan a favor.
“Go on,” he said to Sloan. Although she was trying hard not to show it, he could still detect how upset she was. “You might as well take advantage of her so-called generosity. I will help you get your things repacked.”
She slumped her shoulders. “Thanks. And then what?”
“And then we load the stuff into my car and get the hell away from here.”
“And go where? I don’t know you well enough to go to your place.”
“I don’t remember inviting you to my place.” In a way, he was glad she wasn’t suggesting that he do such a thing. “I’m taking you to where you’ll be okay for the night.”
“Where? To a homeless shelter?”
“No.”
“Then where?”
He hesitated briefly before saying, “I’m taking you to my mom.”
Sloan tried not to dwell on the fact that this was the third time today that she was being taken somewhere by Mercury Steele, and if he was taking her to his mother’s like he said, it wouldn’t be the last.
She couldn’t believe that she’d broken down and told him everything. The only reason she could think of for doing so was that she needed him to understand that being needy wasn’t her choice, but a situation being forced on her.
Now, of all places, he was taking her to his mother’s. His mother. If Sloan hadn’t needed a place to stay for the night, she would have refused. Priscilla’s reply to the text she’d sent had said there was no way her check had bounced and that she would contact her bank about it. Priscilla wished she could send her money to tide her over, but she didn’t have any extra cash.
Sloan glanced over at Mercury. “Are you sure it’s okay with your mom to have an unexpected overnight houseguest?” She figured that would be all the time she needed to come up with a plan B, and she had already sent a text message to Lisa Hall, another friend from college, who was living in Miami.
The car had come to a traffic light and he glanced back at her. “Yes, I’m sure she won’t mind.”
Sloan raised a brow. “Have you done this sort of thing before? Taken strangers to your mom for the night?”
“No. But I know my mom. She has a heart of gold.”
Sloan’s mother had a heart of gold, too, but not in the same sense. Both her parents thought money was everything and the only important thing in life was more of it. “Tell me about your mom.”
He chuckled. “I’ll let you get to know her on your own.”