by Maggie Brown
Table of Contents
Synopsis
Praise for Maggie Brown
Other Books by Maggie Brown
About the Author
Acknowledgment
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Epilogue
Bella Books
Synopsis
Corporate lawyer Winter Carlyle is the first to admit that she’s become jaded with romance after a very messy public breakup.
When her bossy aunt asks her to visit a high-end nightclub to check on her young cousin, Winter reluctantly agrees. Poking her nose into her cousin’s love life is the last thing she wants to do. So what if he has a giant crush on Pandora, a lounge singer thirteen years his senior? The cougar just might teach him a thing or two.
For Pandora, the sultry siren with the slinky low-cut gown façade is all an act. It’s showbiz. She dislikes the adulation and the numerous advances, especially from the Russian gangster and the aging playboy. Besides, she has an ulterior motive for being at the club, and romance is definitely off the agenda.
But uptight, reserved Winter is a complication she hasn’t foreseen. And even with the best intentions, love has a way of striking at the most inopportune times.
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Praise for Maggie Brown
Reinventing Lindsey
I’m a total sucker for matchmakers falling in love, so I leapt at the chance to review this one. Despite being into the premise, I was still pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it, and I couldn’t put it down! I was totally engrossed by Lindsey and Daisy and the slow burn that crackles between them. Everything about the writing style worked for me.
—The Lesbian Review
Playing the Spy
The characters in this book were great. It wasn’t just the two mains, but the supporting cast was well done too. Everyone was fleshed out and I remembered all of their names even if they didn’t play a huge role. Brown definitely writes characters well. This is a book that is easy to recommend to romance fans. I really enjoyed this and expect others will too.
—Lex’s Reviews–Goodreads
Mackenzie’s Beat
A fast-paced, well-done detective story. It is exciting and interesting—a classic page-turner that could easily keep you up all night. The plot uses established crime-drama ploys to keep the story moving along, from the gradual piecing together of clues to the detective herself being threatened—and it accomplishes this very well. The main characters are well-drawn, powerful, independent women and they have a wide-ranging, and at times, amusing supporting cast…
—Curve Magazine
In the Company of Crocodiles
This book was great from start to finish. Hard to put down, there was always something happening or about to happen, and I genuinely wanted to reach the end and never let it end in equal measure. Maggie Brown did a superb job of keeping everything so twisted and suspenseful that the revelation at the end was exactly what you want in a good thriller—surprising yet believable.
—The Lesbian Review
Other Bella Books by Maggie Brown
I Can’t Dance Alone
Mackenzie’s Beat
Piping Her Tune
The Flesh Trade
In the Company of Crocodiles
Playing the Spy
Reinventing Lindsey
About the Author
Maggie has now eight published works, which include two GCLS finalists.
She lives in Brisbane, Australia, where the weather is warm, the people are laid-back and the lifestyle relaxed. As well as liking a good joke, her favorite way to relax is to chill out with a glass of wine with friends. Most of the time she sits too long at the computer, drinks too much coffee when typing, and becomes a hot mess when struck down with writer’s block.
Check out her website: maggiebrown-books.com
Copyright © 2020 by Maggie Brown
Bella Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 10543
Tallahassee, FL 32302
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
First Bella Books Edition 2020
eBook released 2020
Editor: Cath Walker
Cover Designer: Judith Fellows
ISBN: 978-1-64247-123-6
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Acknowledgment
Thanks again to Cath Walker for her patience and advice. Take a bow—you’re an awesome editor.
My appreciation to Bella Books for their continuing support in publishing my books.
And lastly, my heartfelt appreciation to Belinda, who battled with me to design my website. After many frustrating hours, we finally managed to produce something that (we think) is eye-catching.
Dedication
To Anna.
Chapter One
Winter stopped briefly at the door of the office to savour the feeling. After nearly two years, the bitter wrangling was finally over.
She was free.
When she entered the room, Lionel Miles QC, her legal representative and one of the finest divorce lawyers in the city, ushered her to a chair. “Welcome, Ms. Carlyle. The documents are ready for you to sign.”
She smiled at the formal title, even though he knew her well. Politeness in a business that brought out the worst in people. When he took the seat next to hers, the leather groaned under the weight of his expanding body. No doubt a side effect, she thought as she eyed the sagging chair, of the expensive dinners paid for by his exorbitant fees. But he had been worth it. Though the settlement had cost her, most of her investments remained intact.
Without another word, he placed the papers on the desk and handed her a pen. After a quick perusal, she
scrawled her signature on the dotted lines at the bottom of the three pages. With a satisfied nod, he gave her arm a pat before he slid the documents across the polished top. A long slender manicured hand reached over to take them. For the first time since her arrival, Winter looked directly at the woman opposite who was co-signing the agreement.
At the sight of Christine, she was surprised how quickly old resentments came rolling back. Even though Winter had moved on with her life, she couldn’t forget what happened. Not that she had cared for her by then—it had been a minor miracle they had lasted five years. But the shock to her self-esteem and pride had hurt like the devil. All she wondered was how the hell their relationship had deteriorated to such trash.
It had been easy to be charmed by Christine Dumont. As soon as Winter met her, she had been captivated. The TV presenter was perfectly groomed, with a mature attractive face and slender body that turned heads. But it wasn’t only her looks that had claimed her attention—it was the way she could converse with wit and intelligence. It wasn’t surprising she was so articulate, for over the years she had interviewed everyone imaginable: prime ministers to royalty, murderers to millionaires.
Their dating had been mostly social events and dinner parties to fit in with Christine’s lifestyle. After a year, she had given up her inner-city apartment to move in with Winter.
Maintaining their relationship was another thing entirely. The woman she admired and respected soon proved a figment of Winter’s imagination. Christine was the master of pretence and an expert in emotional manipulation. Whether it had been love Winter had felt for the TV star was immaterial, for all feelings were systematically destroyed by the games Christine was adept at playing. But ultimately, it was infidelity that finished their relationship.
Winter could never—ever—forgive that day when everything blew up. Two thirty in the afternoon to be precise.
Funny how she remembered the trivial details. They seemed just as indelibly etched into her mind as the scene in the bedroom.
* * *
Two years ago, the first of March hadn’t been a pleasant day. The city sweltered in the summer’s muggy heat, and dark grey storm clouds were already forming on the horizon when Winter exited her office building. She rubbed her temple to lessen the headache that still throbbed behind her eyes even after two painkillers. The morning’s meeting had been a bitch. The merger negotiations hadn’t gone well, and it had taken all her diplomatic tact to calm frayed tempers. By the time the meeting was over, she was mentally exhausted. Though it was rare for her to take time off, she figured the logical, sensible thing was to go home to lie down.
She ignored the surprise on her personal assistant’s face as she said briefly on her way out the door, “I’m off home, Nancy. Only ring if there’s an emergency. See you tomorrow.”
When she rolled her dark Lexus sedan beside the red Lamborghini in the garage, she glanced over at the other car in surprise. Christine always left for the studio by noon. Damn! So much for peace. She wouldn’t have come home if she had known she was still in the house. For a moment she simply sat to enjoy the quiet, knowing she was going to get a frosty reception after their row last night.
An argument that wasn’t new.
She’d learned through bitter experience that Christine hated to be told she didn’t have free rein with Winter’s money. Nor did she seem to understand that Winter’s sizable savings were the result of hard work and astute investments and weren’t Christine’s to squander. Christine liked the good life—the very good life—and expected to be provided with the expensive things she couldn’t afford even on her own lucrative salary.
As quietly as she could, Winter crept through to the kitchen. Relieved to find it empty, she made herself a sandwich before she slipped out the back to the area beside the pool. With a contented groan, she pulled her hair out of the French twist with quick flicks of her wrist and stretched out on a deck chair. She closed her eyes to let her head settle. After the throb finally subsided, she turned to her lunch.
The sandwich was half-eaten when her gaze latched on to a discarded bikini top on the pavers. Winter’s vision wavered in the heat and she blinked to clear it. Another flash of red— the other half of the bikini, she presumed—was further down past the end of the pool in front of the guest bungalow. She continued to doze in the chair until she was woken by the rumbling of thunder. Time to go inside. By the darkening sky, the storm wasn’t far off.
She glanced at her watch. Nearly two thirty—Christine should have definitely left by now. On the way, she made a detour to pick up the bikini, but when she scooped up the bottom half, she caught snatches of sound inside the bungalow. Puzzled, she peered at the small building. No one had used the place since Christmas. It had also been the subject of one of their most bitter arguments. As far as she was concerned, it was just another extravagance of Christine’s that was unnecessary. Six bedrooms were enough to accommodate any friends and family.
Winter had lost the argument of course.
Curious, she jogged up the three steps and pushed open the door. The kitchen cum living room was deserted, but an empty bottle of wine, two glasses and the remains of a plate of cheese and antipasto sat on the table. From the cries coming from behind the closed door of the bedroom, the action had moved there. It didn’t take any imagination to know what was happening. Christine was always vocal during sex. Tightness crept into Winter’s muscles and a drop of perspiration trickled down her back. Her brain went into overdrive as she tried to come to terms with what was happening. She was being cuckolded and she didn’t have a clue who was in bed with the woman who shared her life.
She knew their relationship was in big trouble, but that Christine was unfaithful had never entered her head. Mentally she tried to tick off the possible women who could be the other party but gave up in the end when she realized with a dejected feeling that they hadn’t socialized much together the last couple of years. While in the beginning they made time for each other, now they didn’t bother or care. As their lives became busier, they had become strangers living in the same house. She couldn’t even remember when they had made love tenderly or held each other through the night. Sex had become as impersonal as it was infrequent.
In two minds about what to do, Winter looked at the door. By the shouted words of pleasure from within, Christine was reaching her climax. She could wait in the kitchen until they came out, but that would save them humiliation, not her. Aware that if she caught them in the act it would be irrevocable, she hesitated. But then she had wanted out of the relationship for some time now. As much as the cheating clawed a hole in her insides, a feeling of release was also there. She could be free.
For some reason in the midst of her turmoil, her mother’s words floated into her mind as if she had prophesied this very scenario. “When a woman acts without constraint, it always ends in tears.” There was no way this wouldn’t end in tears. Any good memories would be lost in the recriminations to follow.
Moisture filled her eyes. She brushed it away irritably, squaring her shoulders, reclaiming her anger. She knew she had better make sure she had watertight proof. Christine knew how to shift blame and was malicious if crossed. Winter reached into her pocket for her phone and set it ready to take photos.
Time to sever the ties forever.
Not giving herself a chance to second guess, she opened the door with a determined twist of the knob. As her eyes focused on the two people in the bed, she had to steady herself on the doorframe to keep upright. Christine had her back to her, her head thrown back, her hips pumping with abandon as she straddled someone on the bed.
Winter snapped off two photos before her gaze settled on the legs under her. She gave an involuntary cry, “What the hell!”
Christine’s head whipped around at the sound and her eyes widened in alarm. She scrambled off, then tried to jerk up the sheet. It was too tangled to cover them. Winter took another photo before she realized who the other person was. She stared in disb
elief. It was their yard and pool handyman. Furious, she bared her teeth. The woman was having an affair with a young man in his early twenties.
God damn the bitch!
Winter pulled herself together with an effort. “Get out of here,” she barked at him, “and don’t ever set foot on my property again.”
Christine finally reacted, her eyes darting in panic. “You’d better go, Jason. I’ll call you later.”
He didn’t hesitate. After hastily dragging on his underpants, he bolted out the room with the rest of his clothes bundled in his arms. When the door clicked behind him, they glared at each other. Winter’s hands formed into fists. She couldn’t remember when she had been so angry. Given her place in the corporate world, her temper was something she could control, particularly if it accomplished nothing. But the emotions she was experiencing here were another matter. Anger seeped across her skin, into her mind, through her bones, until it took all her willpower not to slap the woman.
With a deep breath, she shifted forward until they were face-to-face. “I expect you to be gone in half an hour, Chris,” she said coldly. “Take what clothes you need for the night and I’ll have the rest packed and sent to you. Email your forwarding address and leave your keys to the house on the dining room table on your way out.”
Christine paled. “Damn you, Winter. I won’t be tossed out like this. I have my rights. This is my home too.”
“Not anymore. You forfeited that right. It’s my house and you’re not welcome here.”
“And if I don’t?”
Winter smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “There’s no use arguing and you know it. I’ve photos to prove it. If you have any brains, leave with some dignity left.”
“Screw you.”
“No, Chris. That’s what this is all about. You screwed someone else. A man. A young one and an employee. How could you?”