by Pamela Yaye
What if he hurt her? Or betrayed her trust?
Was he having the same concerns? Is that why nothing had happened between them since they’d reconnected in New York, except one kiss last night?
More questions flew fast and furious around her troubled mind. Brianna wanted to confide in Azure but feared what her friend would say if she knew the truth. Just the thought of admitting she’d had a torrid affair with Collin in Paris made her cheeks burn in shame. “I guess you could say we’re friends.”
Friends who’ve seen each other buck naked, quipped her inner voice. Just admit it, you want Collin Childs any way you can have him—in his car, in your bed, in his posh, luxurious office. That’s why you’ve been cranky all week. You want him, and you want him bad!
“Friends don’t play kissy face at Colicchio, so cut the crap and dish the dirt.”
“W-W-Who told you I was at Colicchio last night?” Brianna stammered, forcing the question out between her dry, parched lips.
“No one. I saw your picture in the Post.”
Brianna felt the blood drain from her face. Hot and cold sensations coursed through her veins, causing her to sweat and shiver at the same time. “There are pictures of me in the paper?”
“Not paper,” Azure corrected. “Papers. Your picture is everywhere!”
Brianna shook her head, refusing to believe it. “No way. You’re kidding. It can’t be.”
Azure opened her handbag, took out a crumpled newspaper, unfolded it and held it up in the air. She pointed at the picture, a proud look on her face, as if she’d been the one who shot the image. “I love your dress, and from the looks of things, so does Collin Childs.”
Brianna snatched the newspaper out of Azure’s hand and slumped against the living room wall. She stared incredulously at the picture, astounded that someone had captured the intimate, private moment she’d shared with Collin last night during dinner. And more shocked still that she hadn’t noticed anyone taking their picture.
Her thoughts slipped back in time, to the exact moment Collin had kissed her. After dessert, as they were sharing a glass of wine, he’d leaned over, touched a hand to her cheek and brushed his lips ever so gently across her mouth. The kiss had stunned her, taken her by complete surprise, but the second their lips met, she’d collapsed against his chest. Hungry for more, she’d kissed him back, deeply, fully, with all the passion pulsing through her body. It had been two weeks since their Paris rendezvous ended, but it felt like months since they’d kissed and held and caressed each other. Brianna would have loved nothing more than to spend the rest of the night kissing Collin at their intimate table at the back of the restaurant, but when it had closed they’d had no choice but to leave. Brianna had considered inviting Collin back to her apartment for a nightcap—and a quickie. But before she could warm to the idea, reason kicked in. She didn’t want Collin to think she was desperate for him—even though she was—and inviting him back to her apartment screamed needy and pathetic.
“I’d like to do an exclusive, sit-down interview with you and your new man.”
Brianna returned to the present instantly. “You’d like to do what?”
“My boss called me this morning, buzzing about that photograph and pitching all sorts of ideas,” Azure continued, her eyes wild with childish delight. “He wants you and Collin to be on the cover of our annual Valentine’s Day issue. Isn’t that awesome?”
“No, it’s not,” Brianna snapped, marching into the kitchen. Flipping open the trash can, she tossed the newspaper inside and slammed it shut. “And for the last time, Collin Childs is not my man. We’re friends.”
“With benefits,” she chirped. “And I don’t blame you. Collin Childs puts the F in fine, and if I wasn’t a happily married woman, I’d be all over him!”
For the first time all morning, Brianna laughed. It was true. Collin was fine. And romantic, and attentive, and such a damn good kisser.
“Is Collin here?” Azure peered down the hallway. “Did he spend the night?”
“No, of course not.”
“Good, then you can give me the 411 over breakfast because I have a feeling there’s a lot more to the story than you’re telling me.” Azure sniffed the air and gestured to the kitchen. “Something smells good. What are you making?”
“Turkey bacon.”
Licking her lips, she slowly rubbed her stomach. “It sounds like the baby and I came at the perfect time!”
For the next hour, the two women worked side by side, whipping up a breakfast fit for a queen. Azure chatted about the joys of being a newlywed, how excited she was about moving to New York and her upcoming Christmas-themed baby shower. Brianna tried to listen to her loquacious friend, but she couldn’t stop thinking about that picture. Her parents were going to flip when they saw it, especially her dad. In his eyes, she was still his little girl, and no one would ever be good enough.
“What a lovely bouquet.” Setting the bowl of fruit salad down on the kitchen table, Azure closed her eyes, buried her nose in the vase and inhaled. “Ummm, they smell divine.”
Brianna hid a smile. The bouquet had arrived early that morning, and the second she’d seen the lavish, extravagant arrangement she’d known it was from Collin. He did everything on a grand, over-the-top scale, and it didn’t matter if they were having dinner or at the theater, he went all out. She liked that—a lot. Liked that he took the time to do special things for her. No one had ever done that before. Not even her ex-husband.
“Who are they from?”
“A friend,” Brianna said casually, shrugging her shoulder.
“Yeah, a friend named Collin ‘Sexy As Sin’ Childs!” she shrieked.
The women laughed.
Azure scooped up the gray sketch pad sitting next to the vase and flipped through the pages. “Wow, Brianna, these sketches are amazing and very different from anything you’ve ever designed”
“I’m developing those on my own.”
“Are you unhappy at RHD?”
“No, of course not. I love working with my family.” Brianna put the juice pitcher on the kitchen table. “But I think it’s time I branched out. Bailey’s developing her own signature perfume, and seeing her passion and excitement about the project definitely fueled my creativity.”
“How is Bailey doing? Have you spoken to her recently?”
“I plan to call her this afternoon to touch base.”
Azure tilted her head to the right, a reflective expression on her face and a coy smile on her lips. “And when are you seeing Collin again?”
“Tonight.” Brianna thought about the text message he’d sent her that morning and laughed. “Collin’s real big on surprises, and even though I’ve begged and pleaded, he won’t tell me what we’re doing.”
“Do you think he might be the one?”
Brianna nearly choked on her tongue. Stunned that her friend could ask such an outrageous question, she stared at her, wondering if pregnancy hormones had turned the magazine reporter into a well-dressed crazy woman.
“Azure, don’t be silly. I hardly know the guy,” she said. “Besides, Collin isn’t looking for anything serious, and neither am I.”
“But your face lights up every time you say his name. I know you’re leery of men because of what happened with your ex, but don’t you want to see if you and Collin have what it takes?”
Yes. No. Hell, I don’t know.
The doorbell chimed.
“Are you expecting someone?” Azure asked innocently. “Collin Childs maybe?”
Secretly pleased by the interruption and desperate to get away from Azure and her invasive questions, Brianna jumped to her feet and rushed out of the kitchen.
When she peered through the peephole, she was glad it was her family and not the paparazzi, and unlocked the door.
But the moment she saw the terse expression on Daniel’s face, she thought maybe it would have been better if it had been the paparazzi. He looked pissed, like he was about to blow a gasket, but Brianna pretended not to notice his clenched jaw and stiff posture.
“What are you guys doing here?” she asked.
“I don’t know why they’re here,” Nelson said, thumbing a finger over his shoulder at Kyle and Daniel. “But I came for breakfast.”
“How did you know I was making waffles?”
“I didn’t, but I love waffles!”
Nelson and Kyle strode into the apartment, but Daniel didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Didn’t say a word. “Daniel, come inside,” Brianna said, giving her younger brother a warm smile. He stood over six feet tall, but to her he’d always be the cute, brown-eyed nuisance who used to annoy her when they were kids.
“Brianna, what were you thinking?”
“Please, don’t start,” she pleaded, spinning on her heel and hustling back inside the apartment. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Well, someone has to tell you the truth, and since Mom and Dad are away and Kyle’s too crazy in love to be objective, I’m the only one who can set you straight.”
“Set me straight?” Brianna whipped around and propped her hands on her hips. “I don’t need your help, Daniel. I’m a grown woman, and I can take care of myself.”
“That remains to be seen.”
“What are you even doing here? You’re supposed to be at the office working on the print ads for the menswear collection. Have you forgotten that they’re due to marketing on Monday?”
“The computers are down.” His eyes were narrowed, and his tone was cold enough to freeze every drop of water in the Hudson River. “The IT department is doing everything they can to get rid of the virus, but it could be several days before the system is up and running normally again.”
To get away from Daniel and his hostile glare Brianna strode past the kitchen table, where Azure and Nelson were seated, and stalked over to the fridge. She needed a cold drink, preferably something with alcohol in it, but knew that popping opening a bottle of wine at nine-thirty in the morning would send Daniel off the deep end.
“Sis, do you mind if I turn on the TV?” Kyle scooped the remote control off the coffee table in the living room, pointed it at the flat-screen TV and started furiously flipping channels. “Zoe’s doing an interview for Eye on Chicago, and I promised her I’d watch.”
“Dude, you are so whipped!” Chuckling a hearty laugh, Nelson shook his head as if he was about to scold a delinquent child. “A month ago, you were a player extraordinaire, and now you have so many stars in your eyes you can’t see straight!”
Everyone in the room cracked up.
“I’m starting to think Harper and I should quit apartment hunting and just buy a condo in this building,” Azure announced, popping a piece of cantaloupe into her mouth. “Think of all the fun we’d have and all the free babysitters I’d have at my disposal.”
“Speaking of Harper, where is he?” Nelson asked, heaping waffles onto his plate.
Azure wore a sad smile. “When I left the hotel he was on the phone with your mom.”
“Oh.” Nelson stabbed his fork into a piece of Italian sausage. “That explains why he hasn’t called me back. Mommy Dearest is probably begging for his forgiveness again.”
Feeling the tension in the room, Brianna asked her cousin about his new reality show and laughed when he made fun of his loud, gossip-loving producer. The mood lightened, jokes flew and just when Brianna thought all was right in the world, Daniel started asking her questions that were none of his damn business.
“When did you start getting cozy with Collin Childs?” he demanded, unzipping his lightweight jacket and chucking it on the love seat. “You’ve only been back from Paris about two weeks, and prior to your trip I don’t recall you mentioning him.”
Kyle glanced away from the TV. “She met him last week. I had to check out wedding venues with Zoe, so she went to Childs International on my behalf.”
“Last week?” Daniel growled. “You made out in public with a guy you’ve only known since last week? Are you out of your damn mind?”
Brianna opened her mouth to correct him but swallowed the truth. Her relationship with Collin was nobody’s business, and she resented Daniel taking her to task in front of their family.
“As usual, Daniel, you’re blowing things way out of proportion. It was a kiss—”
“Yeah, a kiss seen around the world,” he snapped, cutting her off midsentence. “I go out on dates, too, but you never see pictures of me playing tonsil hockey in five-star restaurants.”
“That’s because your heart’s made of stone,” Brianna grumbled.
“You’re supposed to be keeping a low profile, not creating more negative publicity for the family. Don’t you care how this photo makes you look? How damning it is to your reputation?”
“You’re the only one who has a problem with it, Daniel. No one else gives a damn.”
Daniel glanced around the room as if searching for backup, but Kyle, Azure and Nelson kept their eyes on their plates and their opinions to themselves. Smoothing a hand over his mustache, he stared her down, his gaze as deadly as a three-alarm fire. “Do you really want to be with a guy who’s screwing other women?”
“What?” The word exploded out of Brianna’s mouth in a deafening shout before she could stop it. She heard her cell phone ring and knew it was somewhere in the kitchen, but she wanted to hear what Daniel had to say, wanted to know what he knew about Collin Childs.
God, please don’t let it be true. My heart can’t take it....
“Open your eyes, Brianna. His sexual exploits are all over the tabloids.”
“Oh, so that makes it true?” she raged. “You of all people should know not to believe the crap that’s written in those stupid, trashy magazines. According to the tabloids, Bailey is strung out on drugs and shut away in rehab, or did you conveniently forget that while you were digging up dirt on Collin Childs?”
“There are pictures of him in France....”
Brianna couldn’t stop the smile that warmed her lips. For a split second, she considered finally revealing the truth, but she couldn’t get the words out of her mouth. Her Paris rendezvous was secret, a cherished memory, and Brianna didn’t want Daniel or anyone else in her family to know about her time with Collin in the city of lights.
“I know all about his trip to France. He was there on business.”
“Business, huh?”
“Yes, why is that so hard for you to believe?”
“Because there are pictures of him and Evangeline in Gargilesse on the cover of Paris Weekly,” he said, folding his long, toned arms across his chest. “They were inside the W Hotel and I didn’t see a briefcase anywhere in sight.”
Brianna felt her mouth sag open. A wave of nausea swept over her, and the knot in her throat threatened to choke her. “I had no idea.”
“That’s what I figured.” Disgust clouded Daniel’s face, but when he spoke, his voice was full of angst, as if it pained him to speak.
“He’s playing you, Brianna, and if you don’t wise up quick, he’s going to make you look like a fool.”
Chapter 13
A block from the Chrysler Building, in a dimly lit restaurant that would never win any awards for outstanding food or decor, Collin and Brianna sat in a padded booth sharing a bottle of wine and a seafood appetizer. Unlike their previous dates, conversation was strained and filled with awkward periods of silence. The more Collin tried to lighten the mood, the more troubled Brianna seemed.
Laughter exploded behind Collin, drowning out his thoughts. Glancing over his shoulder, he glared at the inebriated brunettes playing drinking games at the bar and shook his head. Coming to Mid
town’s had been a mistake, one he regretted more and more with each passing second. The patrons were loud and the waiters moved at a snail’s pace. He’d planned to take Brianna to a five-star Italian restaurant in Little Italy, but fear of being photographed forced him to change his plans. The paparazzi would never think to look for them at Midtown’s, and their corner booth not only offered privacy but also a clear view of the entrance. If by some stroke of bad luck the paparazzi found them, they could escape through the back door in the blink of an eye.
“I’m sorry, Brianna. I feel like such an ass.”
“Why?”
“For bringing you here,” he said. “If I’d known this place was such a dive, I never would have suggested we come.”
“Collin, it’s fine, really. I’m not fussy. You know that.”
Silence fell across the table. A tense, uncomfortable silence that lasted longer than a Hollywood marriage. Collin tried to catch her eye, tried to read the expression on her face, but Brianna avoided his gaze. She stared at her plate, at the gaudy paintings hanging on the walls, anywhere but at him.
“Brianna, is everything okay?”
She shrugged but didn’t speak.
Dumbfounded by her odd behavior, he leaned back in his seat. Collin couldn’t make sense of how withdrawn and closed off she was. He’d never seen Brianna this way, and quite frankly, he didn’t like it. If he didn’t know better he’d think she was going to...
Fear gripped him, spreading through all four chambers of his heart like wildfire. Sweat drenched his palms and his mouth dried out. Each breath was a fight, a struggle. Had Brianna met someone else? Is that what this was about? Had she come here to break off their...their...Just what were they? They were friends, sure, but there was something stronger between them, something he’d never experienced before.
Something that scared him.
His thoughts slipped back to the day they met, to that fateful night in Paris. The moment he’d laid eyes on her inside the Carrousel du Louvre, he’d felt that spark, that pull, that invisible electric current flowing between them. And making love to her had only increased his desire.
