“Okay.” I nodded and stayed on his arm as we walked up to the bar.
A few of the people that had previously ignored us in the bar area took notice when we started walking towards the door—and I heard a few whispers. It would have probably been better if I had left on my own, but I was supposed to be his date for the evening—as far as Alexis Devereaux was concerned. A few rumors might be enough to keep her far away from Bryant. It wasn’t like anyone there knew who I really was—I didn’t have a name that carried any weight in Carson Cove. I went to school with some of their kids, but most of them ignored me too. I wouldn’t have been able to match the family trees together if they were standing in front of me—and I preferred it that way.
“That’s my car.” I pointed at the Toyota Corolla, which stood out like a sore thumb amongst the luxurious cars that surrounded it.
“Should I pick you up, or will you meet me there?” Bryant turned towards me once I got to my car.
“I’m sorry—what?” I nearly dropped my keys as I pulled them out of my purse and hit the button to unlock my door.
“The auction.” He tilted his head with an expression on his face that indicated I should have known what he meant without needing an explanation.
“I’m not going to the auction.” I quickly shook my head back and forth. “I won a raffle ticket to come to the art show—the auction is for people who actually intend to bid on those masterpieces.”
“People who plan to bid…” He nodded. “…and their dates.”
“I wasn’t really your date.” I looked down and felt my face get warm—I was definitely blushing.
“You are now,” he chuckled under his breath. “Alexis will be at the auction, and I could use the back-up.”
“I think you can handle her on your own.” I looked up at him, and a half-smile formed on the edge of my lips. “You already know that she’s just after you for your money.”
I would prefer not to be on her radar—I’ve heard that everyone who crosses her regrets it. Maybe I should have thought about that before I introduced myself…
“Why risk it?” He shrugged. “Especially when I could have someone as beautiful as you on my arm the entire night.”
Beautiful? Me? Surely, he’s just being nice…
“You really want me to go?” I raised my eyebrows and studied his expression.
“Absolutely.” His response came without a hint of hesitation. “I promise you’ll have fun.”
“Okay…” I nodded. “I definitely don’t have anything going on that night.”
Or any other night—unless I have an assignment for school that I need to work on.
“Then it’s settled. I’ll pick you up at six.” He leaned forward and opened my door—he was so close to me that I could feel the heat resonating from his body.
“Six…” I repeated what he said for no reason at all—and then quickly sat down in my car.
I just agreed to be his date for the auction. I should have declined—I could have done it politely.
Bryant waited until I was seated and then pushed the door closed. He gave me a slight nod—and then started walking towards his car. I tried to process what had just transpired as I cranked up my car and put it in drive. I never expected a man like him to call me beautiful—that was for damn sure. I reminded myself more than once that he was Victoria’s father as I drove towards my subdivision—there was no way anything could ever happen between us. I had a crush on him when I was younger, but it was harmless—I never expected him to see me as anything more than a teenage girl that was friends with his daughter. I wasn’t a teenager anymore, but Victoria was still my best friend. It didn’t matter if my heart raced when Bryant looked at me—or my stomach twisted into a knot when he called me beautiful—he was totally off-limits. Nothing could change that.
I’ll be his date for the auction, but that’s it. Once it’s over, I’ll go back to being the normal girl I’ve always been—the girl that doesn’t exist in the world of the privileged.
Chapter Four
Bryant
Two hours later
I needed to be in bed—not sitting in my living room, enjoying another glass of Scotch while I tried to sort through the events of the evening in my head. The people that worked for me had Sunday off, but I didn’t really get a day to completely shut myself off from Benson Enterprises. There was always something that needed my attention. I might have cut myself a break if I was sitting on my couch thinking about work, but that wasn’t the case. I was thinking about Alexis Devereaux—and the beautiful Taylor that made Alexis seethe.
It was quite satisfying to see Alexis get knocked off her pedestal and storm out of the art show. She wasn’t the kind of woman that just accepted defeat though, and I knew she was already planning her revenge. Taylor wasn’t from one of the so-called privileged families in Carson Cove, so there wasn’t much that Alexis could do to her if she felt like she had been insulted.
Even if she could—I wouldn’t let her.
There was something about Taylor that drew me in like I was a moth circling a flame—and I was going to get burned if I let my thoughts get out of control. Taylor was all grown up. She wasn’t a kid anymore. She was always pretty, but I never saw her as anything more than my daughter’s best friend. I certainly wasn’t attracted to her back then—but the years had been kind to her, while they were cruel to me. The last time I saw Taylor, she was walking across the stage to get her high school diploma—while the woman I loved was clapping alongside me. I had no idea that it would be the last event we attended together as husband and wife. I certainly didn’t realize that I was weeks away from hurling my wedding band into Carson Bay.
Now the memories are just fucking with me. I’m going to bed.
* * *
Two days later
“Did you buy anything at the art show?” Cassie met me at the elevator with a cup of coffee in her hand.
“The auction is tomorrow.” I took the cup of coffee from her. “The art show was just an excuse to get all of the bidders together ahead of time, so we could see everything beforehand.”
“I figured you would still find a way to take a few pieces home.” She shrugged. “Like the Rembrandt you’re going to hang on the wall behind my desk…”
“That’s not going to happen, Cassie,” I growled under my breath. “Let it go.”
“Fine…” She rolled her eyes and sighed. “You’ve got a meeting at nine—the notes are on your desk.”
“Thank you.” I nodded and walked towards my office.
Cassie was a secretary with dreams of doing more than fetching my coffee and organizing my calendar. She just didn’t have the drive to make it happen—she expected things to be handed to her. If she could have conquered the world by pouting, she would have been crowned queen a long time ago.
Unfortunately, people like her were a dime a dozen in Carson Cove. She was good at her job, so I put up with her antics most of the time—but she knew where the line was, which set her apart from most of the others that had sat behind that desk. I knew she was mostly joking about the Rembrandt, but there was a tiny sliver of hope that I would just cave and give her what she wanted—that’s what her father always did. Her family never had much, but they spoiled her, and she expected everyone else to do the same damn thing.
She’s the perfect example of what happens when you give people something for nothing—that’s why I raised my kids to work for what they got even though they didn’t have to.
My day was spent tending to things at Benson Enterprises—just like every other day. There was nothing glamorous about running an investment firm in Carson Cove. I grew up idolizing my father because he seemed to be the most popular man in town—everyone loved him, and they treated him with respect. Then I got to see the ugly side of the people that pretended he was their best friend when a recession hit—it was an economic downturn that he couldn’t control, but they certainly acted like their losses were all his fault. The stress took
a toll on my father, and I had to bury him long before his time because of it. I thought the day I took over as CEO of Benson Enterprises would be a joyous one—instead, it just left me with a bitter taste in my mouth for all of the clients that became my responsibility.
It was only a matter of time before that bitterness spilled over into my personal life—I just didn’t realize it would destroy my marriage until it was too late.
* * *
The next day
Mr. Wellington called me before the auction to make sure I got his email with the itinerary for the evening. Everyone in Carson Cove that had enough money to make a serious bid got one of those calls. Mr. Wellington was pushing seventy and had an old school mentality when it came to customer service. That was part of the reason he entertained my requests when it was time for another auction. I could have approached the people who wanted to sell the paintings personally, but I preferred to let Mr. Wellington auction them off. It ensured that some of the profits went to charity and kept the museum in business. I believed in giving back to the community—even if there were a few residents that I wasn’t entirely fond of due to how they treated my father.
“Why are you still here?” I adjusted my tie as I walked out of my office and was surprised to see Cassie sitting at her desk.
“I was just working on a few things for tomorrow—I’m leaving early, remember?” She looked up at me.
“Ah, that’s right.” I nodded as I remembered her asking to leave early for an appointment—hair or nails if memory served.
“Good luck at the auction. I hope you get some good pieces.” She turned back towards her computer.
She must actually be trying to get some work done if she isn’t going to make one final plea for a Rembrandt to hang over her desk—or maybe she realizes that the joke has run its course.
My office wasn’t that far from the Mandalay Subdivision where Taylor lived. I had dropped her off after a weekend at my place enough to remember which house belonged to her family. I started to get a worried feeling in my stomach when I made the right turn on Cherry Street—if I was picking her up for a date, it was usually customary to knock on the front door. I had no idea how Mrs. Abernathy would feel about me showing up at her house—with every intention of taking her daughter on a date. Taylor wasn’t a kid anymore, but she was still her mother’s little girl. Her gorgeous curves didn’t change that—as tempting as they were.
It looks like I might get to avoid that meeting after all—Taylor is waiting on me in her driveway. Damn, she looks even better than she did the other night.
“I hope you haven’t been waiting long.” I looked at my watch as I stepped out of my car—I was one minute early.
“No, I just figured it would be easier to wait for you out here—for obvious reasons.” She smiled and started walking towards my car.
“That thought did cross my mind.” I walked around my car and opened the passenger side door. “I don’t think your mother would approve of this—date…”
“She hasn’t made it home from work yet.” Taylor leaned forward and sat down in the passenger seat. “You’re in the clear.”
We both seemed to have a fundamental understanding of the fact that the date was inherently wrong, but that didn’t erase the mutual attraction. Maybe I was more attracted to her than she was to me, but there were looks—lingering stares—I noticed them out of the corner of my eye. I kept my eyes on the road for the majority of the drive, but I couldn’t help letting them wander a couple of times—her dress was shorter than the one she wore to the art show—and the neckline showed off a hint of cleavage.
“What’s the game plan when we get to the auction? Should I just stay on your arm all night and flash Alexis Devereaux a dirty look if she tries to talk to you?” Taylor looked over at me and smiled.
“That should work,” I chuckled under my breath. “I think she’ll realize she doesn’t stand a chance when she sees you in that dress. You’re going to make a lot of women think about calling their plastic surgeon before the night is over.”
“Should I have worn something different?” She looked down with a hint of worry in her pale green eyes.
“No.” I shook my head back and forth. “You look beautiful—hell, you’re fucking gorgeous.”
And you’re even more beautiful when a compliment makes you blush.
I managed to draw a line in my head between the girl that I used to know, and the woman Taylor had become. They might have been one in the same, but I let my attraction blind me to everything except for the woman sitting next to me. I hadn’t been on a date with anyone since my divorce, but Taylor made me feel things that I thought I would never feel again. The world seemed to be a little more vibrant—the air tasted cleaner—and the bleakness in my soul didn’t crush my spirit like it normally did. Alexis Devereaux couldn’t compete with that—nobody could.
Unfortunately, the reality of the situation was too strong to just ignore the fact that she was my daughter’s best friend. She was my date for the auction, but that was all she could ever be. Once the night was over, I would have to accept that—one date with Taylor was all that I would ever be able to have—and it was a fabricated one, designed to keep Alexis Devereaux at bay. Her charm might have captivated me in high school, but I wasn’t stupid enough to believe that she was after anything more than another rich husband she could plunder in an expensive divorce. She would have annoyed me for a little longer at the art show if Taylor hadn’t walked over, but she wouldn’t have gotten what she wanted.
“Valet parking?” Taylor raised her eyebrow as we pulled up to the curb outside of the museum. “They didn’t have that for the art show.”
“Mr. Wellington likes to turn it into a grand affair,” I chuckled under my breath.
We were early—technically. The itinerary said the auction was supposed to start at seven o’clock, but the first piece wouldn’t be brought out any earlier than eight. That gave people time to have a drink or two—and lower their inhibitions when it was time to bid. I didn’t need to have mine lowered—I already knew what I was going to buy.
Taylor and I got drinks from the bar and waited for the auction to begin. I was kind of relieved when I didn’t see Alexis anywhere in the room. She was a great excuse to get Taylor on my arm for the evening, but it would be even better if she didn’t show up at the auction. She was a fierce bidder, and her careless attempts at beating me for a piece of art had forced me to pay more than I expected a few times over the years—although I wasn’t sure how she was doing financially since her last divorce. She was one of the few people in Carson Cove that didn’t use my firm to manage her investments—it was probably because she blew her money so fast, she didn’t have any to invest—she never was the type to plan for the future.
“I see Alexis Devereaux’s blonde friend.” Taylor squeezed my arm and motioned to a woman that was mingling with a couple of people in the crowd.
“Ah, yes.” I nodded. “That’s Gina Harrington. They were best friends in high school.”
“Harrington?” Taylor raised an eyebrow. “I remember a couple of Harrington’s from high school.”
“Probably her brood,” I chuckled under my breath. “She got married right after high school and has somehow managed to avoid the divorce-curse in Carson Cove.”
“I think they’re about to bring out the first piece of art for the auction.” Taylor motioned to the stage.
“Yes, it looks that way. Ready to sit down?” I pulled out my phone to check which two seats had been assigned to me.
“Sure.” Taylor smiled—but then the smile faded from her face as quickly as it appeared. “She’s here…”
I followed Taylor’s gaze and saw Alexis Devereaux walk into the room. There was a time when every eye in the room would have been on her the instant she made an appearance, but she didn’t seem to get that kind of reaction anymore. Gina noticed her arrival and went scurrying to her side, just like she used to do when they were in high school togeth
er. It only took me a couple of seconds to realize that Gina had been sent to the auction early to spy on us—because she whispered something to Alexis and then they both looked our way. I decided that the best course of action was to just ignore them and tried to pull Taylor towards our seats, but she didn’t budge.
“Don’t give them any attention. That’s what they’re looking for.” I gave Taylor’s arm a gentle tug.
“I thought she would back off after the art show…” Taylor finally turned towards me and sighed.
“That’s not her style, but I can handle Alexis. Let’s just enjoy the auction.” I shrugged.
“Maybe she needs a little more motivation to stay away from you…” Taylor lifted her head and grinned.
“She’ll set her sights on someone else once she realizes that I’m not interested. She wants an easy target—I’m not it.” I shrugged again.
“Let’s see if we can speed that process along…” Taylor bit down on her bottom lip—and then she reached up to grab the back of my head.
I didn’t realize that Taylor was going to kiss me until her lips were already moving towards mine. I could have pulled away—but deep down—I didn’t want to. I had been thinking about those soft, pouty lips since the moment I laid eyes on them. They crashed into mine, and I didn’t hesitate to kiss her back. I pulled her close—turned that sweet little kiss into one that crushed her lips and didn’t stop until our tongues were intertwined. Her nails dug into my arm—she melted into my embrace—and by the time our lips broke the seal that had formed, we were both gasping for air. I didn’t look to see if Alexis noticed—I didn’t give a fuck. I just wanted to taste those lips again—no matter how wrong it was.
That look in Taylor’s eyes says she wants the exact same thing—and more.
Chapter Five
Forbidden Kiss: Carson Cove Scandals Page 3
