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the last of her makeup. She d never felt so alive in her whole life.
Jackson had been amazing, perfect even. When she thought about the
cowboy who had given her the best birthday present ever, little tingles
spread through her body. She even imagined him coming to visit her
back east, showing him off to Michael and her other friends. God, that
would be so great.
Slow down, Jessica. You re not a teenager. It was only one
night, she said aloud, looking at herself in the mirror for a final once-
over, and smiled. For the first time, she felt beautiful. She prayed for
many more nights with Jackson.
Jessica decided to go to the lobby and wait for her sexy cowboy.
They could eat on the way to the mine. She grabbed her laptop, cell,
and purse and left the room she would always remember as the place
she had her first time with a man. And what a man!
She was disappointed when she got to the lobby and someone else
was at the reception desk other than Maude.
Miss Greene? The guy was good-looking and quite tall. Six-six,
at least. He wore a cowboy hat, T-shirt, jeans, and boots, Wilde s
usual attire for men, she was learning. He had a name badge that read
Kyle.
Yes. She stepped up to the counter.
50 Chloe Lang
I have a message from Austin Wilde for you. He slid an
envelope over to her with her name on it.
Damn. They know I m here. Thank you.
She opened it up. It was on the Wilde Mine s stationery.
Dear Ms. Greene,
I m looking forward to meeting you. I wish I had been made
aware of your arrival, as I would ve been able to clear my calendar.
Unfortunately, my schedule today is fully booked. I have arranged a
tour for you with one of our supervisors.
I ll be happy to meet with you tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. to
discuss what we can provide that will aid in your investigation. As
you know, Wilde Mine has been incident free for many years. I am
certain you will find during your brief time here that we take the
safety of our employees very seriously.
Looking forward to meeting you.
Sincerely,
Austin Wilde
Senior Lead & General Manager
Wilde Mining Enterprises
Jessica felt her temperature rise from the tone of Mr. Wilde s
letter. Such arrogance. Who the hell did he think he was? She
should ve been used to this kind of treatment, but she wasn t. Her
youth and gender typically did cause a bit of a shocked reaction from
mining personnel whenever she showed up. Still, she d earned her job
at MSHA by working long hours and making a difference. Her boss,
the Deputy Director, seemed pleased with her performance, and had
given her this assignment to get her out of headquarters in Virginia
and into the field. If successful here, she might get to stay in the field
and could move up her G.S pay grade significantly. If unsuccessful,
Going Wilde 51
she d be back at her desk at headquarters, shuffling paperwork once
again.
Well, Jackson would have to forgive her. She had to get to the
mine ASAP. I ll leave a message for him that we can meet up later.
Kyle, do you know a guy named Jackson? He s Maude s nephew.
Sure do. I know all the Wilde brothers.
What? Jessica s blood turned icy cold, and her heart sunk to her
toes. J Jackson s last name is really Wilde?
Yup. Here he comes now, Miss Greene. Kyle pointed behind
her.
She turned just in time to see Jackson coming through the hotel s
front door, holding a sack and grinning.
You asshole! Fury raced through her like lightning.
His smile evaporated. Hold on, Jessie.
My name is Jessica! Her mind was aflame, verging on insanity.
Okay. The look of guilt on his face told her all she needed to
know. She d been played.
I m such an easy mark. You happy with yourself, cowboy?
Let me explain. It s not what you think.
Not what I think? Really? Are you, or are you not, a member of
the Wilde family?
He placed the sack on the counter and held up his hands like a
criminal surrounded by the law.
Don t you come one step closer to me. Jessica felt his treachery
in every fiber of her being. How could I ve been so brainless?
Jackson turned to Kyle. Give us a minute, buddy.
No, Kyle. Stay. Jessica felt the acid in her throat. Angry tears of
betrayal stung her eyes. She fought them back. Jackson will not see
me cry, damn it. I need a witness.
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