Promises-Promises: A New Horizon

By Edwina Orth

A recent secretary school graduate, twenty-two-year-old Lenore has just begun her first job as secretary to charming architect Victor Gallianto. But when Lenore's seventeen-year-old brother, Jason, steals three thousand dollars from Victor while visiting the office, Victor's unconventional solution changes all their lives.

The sexual tension between Lenore and Victor is palpable, but he is, after all, her boss. With herself and Jason to support since their parents' death three years earlier, Lenore can't risk jeopardizing her position just because of her feelings. She tries to wiggle out of her agreement to Victor's plans, even though they might be the best solution for her brother. All the while, Victor uses his agreement with Jason to get closer to Lenore.

Just as Jason gets his life on track and begins repaying his debt, Lenore and Victor's love blossoms. But after a number of surprises, their relationship is tested, and all the promises in the world may not be enough to save it

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Aug 21, 2007
• ISBN: 9780595883714

Edwina Orth

Edwina Orth attended Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. She is the mother of four adult children, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Still young at heart, she is an avid reader who now finds joy in writing stories of adventure and romance. Edwina resides in Burlington, Vermont.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Darn. Lenore glanced down and noticed the tiny run in her stocking. She’d be late for work if she changed. Well, she’d just have to hurry. She couldn’t go to the office looking unkempt.

Lenore slipped into a new pair of panty hose. She hopped on one foot, then the other as she stepped into her low heeled, black shoes.

Why did this have to happen today? She really needed this job. If she lost it, she and Jason would really be in trouble. It was bad enough that her boss, Victor Gallianto, kept looking at her a dozen times a day. It made her nervous when she felt his eyes one her. Well, nervous and a little excited too. She was well aware of his dark good looks and that he looked at her as if she were a tasty morsel and he a hungry wolf.

Finally satisfied, she locked the door and hurried to her old, blue VW bug parked at the curb.

She mentally crossed her fingers as she turned the key in the starter. Good girl, she murmured as it fired with a slight shudder. Life was certainly an adventure, she thought, as she drove down Mechanic Street toward the center of town.

Asheville was an attractive city. Surrounded by mountains, it had well laid out streets, a great downtown area, and several interesting Malls. The restaurants offered southern cooking as well as a variety of ethnic menus.

She anticipated getting to the office. Working for Mr. Gallianto was interesting and challenging. For some reason, her heart seemed to speed up whenever he looked over her shoulder at some papers. It was hard to concentrate on her work at times.

There were so many things on her mind. She was either having the ‘bug’ repaired, or money was needed for food or clothes. Her seventeen-year-old brother, Jason, seemed to out—grow his clothes faster than she could buy them.

Jason was tall and lanky, almost five foot nine inches now, and still growing. He was always in a rush, misplacing his gloves or sweaters on a regular basis. Thank goodness he wasn’t fussy about what he wore. Most of his jeans and tops came from her favorite thrift shops. His athletic shoes were the only things she had to buy new.

Lenore frowned. For some reason, he was often in trouble at school, and his report cards reflected a careless attitude. No matter how many conferences I have with his teachers, she thought, it doesn’t seem to matter. He isn’t making any progress.

She put Jason out of her mind as she hurried up the stone steps to the main entrance of an attractive brick building. The sign by the door read, Victor Gallianto—Better Homes by Design. Lenore enjoyed her job as secretary. She had been hired right out of secretarial school six months ago, and had worked hard to learn the office routine.

She recalled her interview and how nervous she had been. She had worn a tan suit with a pale lime green blouse. Her shoes and handbag were a matching tan color. She had paid special attention to her hair and nails. It had been worth the effort, and she knew she had looked her best.

Victor’s dark eyes had studied her carefully. He found her eagerness captivating, as she explained her desire to work for him. After going through all of her references, none of which were from employers, she had sat holding her breath.

You are well qualified, he said quietly, at least from a scholastic standpoint. I see that you’ve had consistently good grades, and only need some experience or on the job training.

Her heart sank certain that he was going to ask her to go work someplace else to get it.

I believe that we can work together, and you’ll soon learn the routine. You don’t seem like a person who’ll spend their time daydreaming. The last secretary I had was in the clouds most of the time. Will you be able to start next Monday? I’ll have time then to show you what needs to be done, and where I keep the office supplies.

Her eyes shone as she replied, Thank you, Mr. Gallianto. I’ll do my best. You won’t be disappointed.

I know I won’t be. He replied.

For some reason this reply and the tone of his voice made her knees shake as she moved away.

Lenore must have pleased Mr. Gallianto, since he had kept her on when the month’s probation ended. Two weeks ago he had given her a raise as well as health insurance benefits. Now, she wouldn’t have to worry about Jason’s medicines. His mild epilepsy and allergies were under control, but it took lots of effort.

Thinking of Victor Gallianto made Lenore’s heart beat a little faster. She imagined he was about thirty-four years old, and to her a rather forbidding figure. He was tall, broad shouldered, with dark brown eyes and black hair. Victor took command of situations with an air of confident self-assurance. He worked hard and expected her to do so as well. Lenore feverishly tried to keep up with his demands, and at the end of the workweek his, Well done, Lenore, was high praise.

She often watched him as he leaned over his drafting board. He had a nervous habit of rubbing his temples when he concentrated.

Lenore hurriedly opened the office door to find Victor already at his drafting table. He didn’t speak, but just raised his eyebrows. His glance lingered on her dark brown curly hair and wide gray eyes. He then perused her dark gray suit, with its soft pink blouse that showed off her slender, curvy figure. His gaze traveled down to her black handbag and shoes. Lenore felt as if his fingers had caressed her gently. He then looked up. Her heart drummed rapidly as his gaze held her captive. He finally nodded, and turned back to his paper leaving Lenore feeling breathless.

Lenore felt a funny sensation inside when he looked her over like that. It made her want to melt. There was a yearning to be close to him, to complete that desire that welled up inside her. Then common sense made her clamp down on her emotions. He was a man of the world, and very sophisticated. He had experience in dealing with women, while she had none whatsoever with the opposite sex. She had the feeling that if she let him he would take over completely. You’d better keep this relationship on a strictly business-like basis she scolded herself. You’re having enough trouble dealing with Jason right now, and don’t need anything more to complicate life. She hurried to her desk to find the phone lines ringing.

Victor’s office was large and airy, with lots of windows. He had decorated the reception room with comfortable chairs in forest green leather. The walls were painted a soft light tan and several pictures of houses in a country setting completed the feeling of being close to nature. He had created a warm comfortable atmosphere.

Lenore, who had dreams of someday becoming an interior decorator, had to approve.

Victor’s office continued the color scheme of soft tan walls, and there was a large drafting table, lamps, and plenty of storage space for his blueprints.

Tuesdays were always busy, and by three o’clock Lenore was ready for a cup of fresh coffee. She sat at the tiny table in the cheerful kitchenette just outside her office. She looked out the window at the cold March sky, noticing the dark gray clouds hovering over the mountains in the west. She eased off her shoes and tried to relax, but found her thoughts wandering. She was soon engrossed in looking at how her life had changed.

For the past several years she’d had the responsibility of caring for her younger brother, Jason. With no one to guide her, she often felt out of her depth. She didn’t have much time to be with him since she had accepted this job. Jason should be graduating from High school in three months, but so far he did not come near to making his grades. She hoped he wouldn’t have to repeat the year. It had been hard enough to keep him going to school as it was. His friends all seemed to be older then he and several of them were dropouts. He didn’t bring these new friends home, but met them at the bowling alley or a fast food place after school.

Quite often she felt inadequate to the responsibility of looking after her brother. She was twenty-two years old, and had been caring for him ever since their parent’s death three years ago. Jason had been fourteen, and Lenore just nineteen.

Jason resembled their father. He had dark blue eyes, and sandy hair. He was often moody, and hard to understand. With no male role model, Lenore knew he needed a stronger hand at discipline. She had done her best, but had it been good enough? No, she thought with a frown thinking of his recent scrapes—not at all.

She had made a promise to her mother that she would let nothing keep her from doing her best for him. So far she’d been able to keep her promise, and he was almost finished with high school.

Jason had always been a slow learner. He tried hard sporadically, but never seemed to catch up with his classmates. Test after test had been done to find the cause, and finally it was determined last year that he had a slight neurological problem along with some allergies. The doctors said it was a very mild case of epilepsy. It was so minimal that it was overlooked during previous tests. He took medication every day now, and that helped.

It was not the whole answer though, as Lenore knew from experience. He had just barely passed, year after year. So he didn’t have a good background for further education. She realized that he probably wouldn’t be able to go to college, but she had hoped he would learn some skills needed for an occupation that would give him satisfaction as well as a decent income.

When her mother died, Lenore used some of the insurance money to pay for her two-year secretarial courses. Now, luckily, she’d found this job in Asheville, North Carolina, with Victor’s architectural firm.

Victor Gallianto designed functional but beautiful homes that blended with the natural surroundings. His firm was doing well and Lenore loved her job—well just about everything. Mr. Gallianto made her uneasy when he stood close to her desk. He seemed to be looking over her shoulder a lot lately, and his scrutiny made her nervous. Her body was instinctively aware of him whenever he entered the room. Her heart beat with a faster rhythm, and her very skin seemed aware of his presence. A warm feeling that began in her breasts moved slowly down until it filled her whole lower body. A yearning for something more, something to fill this need vibrated through her.

But he could not be interested in her could he? Or was he looking for mistakes? At this thought her heart plummeted. She had better stop dreaming of what could not be. If she lost this job, what would she and Jason do?

The next afternoon, Jason came to the office after school. He seemed nervous and shifted from one foot to the other as he waited for her to look up from her desk.

Hi Sis. He then rushed on before she could say a word. Can I have the car today? Some of the guys are going bowling. I wanna go too, and maybe stop for a hamburger afterwards. I’ve asked Susan to go with me.

Lenore hesitated. This was Wednesday, a night she often had to work late, and the buses did not always run on schedule.

I don’t know, Jason. I may have to work late tonight, and getting home would be a problem. You know they’ve cut several bus runs after seven o’clock on week nights.

Oh darn. This job really stinks. You work such long hours, and I never get the car. What’s the use of me getting my license, he whined, If I can’t ever drive?

Lenore counted to ten. Jason, you have had the car several nights last week and for a whole day Sunday. What more can I say? We can only afford the one car. I have to work or there’ll be no car at all. You’re being unreasonable.

Lenore steadied herself with a deep breath. Look, I just can’t let you have the car tonight. You probably have homework to do anyway. I’m really busy just now. I’ll see you after dinner. There’s a casserole in the fridge that I fixed last night. If you still want to go bowling, I can run you over to the alley after I’ve eaten.

What’s with her? he wondered, as he turned and slammed out of her office his face red with anger. How could he ever get the chance to join the Petro gang? He had never been an ‘insider’ at school. He wasn’t an athlete, nor were his grades in the top percent of his class. Not an outgoing person, he felt left out of most after school programs. Now he had a chance to get friendly with the kids in this gang. Two had dropped out last year before graduating, but two were in several of his classes. The other boy, Ozzie, had suddenly dropped out of school a few months ago. He wondered what had happened to him.

Sometimes they shared jokes, and often their smart remarks were over his head, but they were starting to include him on their bowling nights. They told him that there was an initiation fee to join their gang. If he wanted to be a member he had better come across with some money.

Jason had saved all of his allowance for the month, and offered it to their leader, Pete. Pete had just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. He wanted more. Darn. When he got to be eighteen, Jason decided he’d quit school, and get a part-time job. Then he’d have some money of his own, and lots of time to run around with the gang.

CHAPTER 2

Jason’s feet began to drag as he walked from Lenore’s office toward the exit. As he went by Mr. Gallianto’s large, private office, he noticed that the door was partly open. He turned and peeked inside. Lying on the desk was a green bag about the size of a book. The name, Second National Bank, was printed on the side. He held his breath. Could that be money just lying there? He hesitated, then cautiously slipped into the room. Trembling, he quickly opened the zippered bag and looked inside. Wow! There seemed to be lots of tens and hundred dollar bills as well as checks. This evidently was a bank deposit ready for the bank. If he took a few bills Mr. Gallianto wouldn’t even miss them—what with all the rest of the cash in there. No