“The fuck it doesn’t!”
“Your language, boy.”
“Grandmother, I mean Mrs. Delany…Maam… Whatever you’re thinking, I’m not gay.”
She squeezed my fingers. “It would be all right if you were, Damon. I wouldn’t judge…”
I yanked my hand away. “I like sex! A lot. I fucking crave it as a matter of fact.”
“All right,” said Delia with a smile, her voice calm and even. “But if your choice of mate is…”
“I’m not gay. I fucking like women!”
I saw Tabitha grinning like a Cheshire cat. I would have loved to wipe that smirk off her face with the back of my hand.
“All right, all right,” Delia said.
“Sheesh,” groaned Tabitha. “They heard you on the Pacific coast. Can we get back to the meeting now?”
“This is a business meeting. Not the Dating Game,” I said. I could feel my face growing all shades of red.
“Yes,” Delia crooned looking straight at me. “Now what are your ideas, darling? And they better be good because whomever takes over in my demise is not going to destroy what I’ve worked so hard to create or I will come back to haunt you. Both of you!” She gave me a coy smile and I smiled back, knowing that where my grandmother was concerned that might be a real threat. Nothing got under Delia’s skin more than someone wasting her money.
“Um…well…”
“Don’t tell me you don’t have any,” shouted Tabitha from across the room. “I came all this way form Philly when I could have just…
“Of course I have ideas. Just nothing concrete. I have to iron out the details. Just like you. That’s all.”
Delia straightened in her chair looking regal as ever in her candy apple red tailored suit jacket and matching hat. A matching purse with sequins sat on the table. “I don’t need to know the details, Damon. Just tell me what’s on your mind, dear.”
“I was thinking of two things actually. I had a look at the books and there’s only a month or six weeks at the most, where we aren’t running in the black. Specifically around the holidays. Not much we can do during those blackout dates to attract clients except maybe lower our rates, but that doesn’t really work for the customers we attract so…” Delia leaned forward with rapt attention. “So we make the Delaney Club into a camp for…”
Tabitha looked at me like I had two heads, horrified when I said the word, “children.” Tabitha wasn’t into kids. She thought them unruly, dirty, and rude. Probably why she never had any.
“Not all the time, mind you,” I continued. “Just in the off season when business is slow. We could use all those empty rooms for the kids and have counselors to stay with them. Maybe build an indoor pool too.”
“How many kids are we talking?” Delia asked.
“Not that many. Maybe fifty or so kids so that our usual clientele aren’t bothered. I think an indoor pool would keep them busy.”
“Something to think on. I remember you did tell me that the one we have hardly gets used,” Delia said. “We could offer swim lessons too.”
“Right,” I said smiling, gratified she was listening to me as much as she had to Tabitha. “I’d teach swimming lessons to the younger ones and at night when they’re asleep, the bar would be open around the pool. In addition to that, we could bring in entertainment for the teenagers. Maybe a band or something like that.”
“What makes you think you can get somebody’s rich kids to come here?” asked Tabitha.
“Oh, I’m not talking about the upper classes. I’m talking about foster kids and kids in that shelter on the edge of town.”
Tabitha’s mouth dropped open. She looked as if she’d just eaten something rancid, her face twisted in disgust.
“And in the busy season?” asked Delia.
“I haven’t gotten that far yet.”
“I see.” One of the suits delivered an envelope to me and my sister.
I cringed. “What’s this?”
“Your contracts.”
Tabitha and I looked at each other, frowning.
“For what?”
“Just read it over, Damon. You’ll find its pretty much everything we discussed earlier. That you both have three weeks to figure out how to improve the Delaney Club and then I’ll make my decision on who inherits.”
“Three weeks,” we each screeched in unison.
Tabitha pulled some papers out of her envelope. She glanced them over and then waved them in the air. “Mrs. Delaney, you can’t possibly…”
“Oh, but I can. Did you forget I own the controlling interest? I can do whatever I want.”
I perused the document on the table, skipping over all the legal mumbo jumbo until I got to the real meat of it.
“What the…? Oh no. No fucking way, DD…Delia…whatever the hell! I’m not about to get married in the next three weeks. How can you even ask me such a thing after, after…”
“After you nearly got your dick cut off?” said Tabitha, laughing hysterically. “Let me see that.” Yanking the paper out of my hand, she tore a tiny corner off when I didn’t let go easily. Then, taking her glasses out of her handbag, she perched them on the end of her nose. A slow devious smile spread across her face. “Holy shit! You aren’t kidding. You’re actually going to make him go through with this?”
I shot venom from my eyes. “What do you mean, I have to go through with it? If I have to get married, so do you.”
“No she doesn’t,” said Delia.
Tabitha was practically glowing.
“Okay, I know she’s already married, but we both know her divorce is in the works.”
“So,” Tabitha said.
“So, you have to get married again too.”
“This stipulation is for you and only you, Damon,” Delia said.
“This is bullshit!” I flung the papers upward and they flew into the ceiling fan, scattering to bits. “Why the hell not? This…this isn’t fair! You know it isn’t.”
Delia inhaled deeply, shaking her head. “We both know what a fiasco a marriage would be for Tabitha. So, no. No, she does not have to marry again.”
“Seriously? But you don’t mind ruining my life? May I remind you I had a failed marriage as well.”
You don’t have to do it,” Tabitha said sweetly. “Just sign your stocks over.”
“Fat chance of that, sister.” I could hear several of the suits whispering to each other but when I pounded my fist on the desk, the room went completely silent. I lowered my voice. “Delia, you know what I went through with my wife. You know how it destroyed me.”
Her smile faded. “I do know, Damon. I know that very well, but what you fail to comprehend is you need someone. Someone kind and sweet. Someone who brings out your passionate nature. Like your grandfather did for me. Damon, I see what you do all day, but it’s not a life. Not the life I want for you. Sweetheart, you’re drowning in this place. Drowning.”
“Well, it’s my death,” I said storming out.
Chapter THIRTEEN
Elizabeth
I must have been out of my mind when I said Jason could set me up with a man of his choosing. It felt…wrong somehow. Like I would be cheating on Damon, but that was ridiculous. Even though I liked him. A lot. I’d caught him flirting with the blonde. And why shouldn’t he? We were not a couple. I was nothing more to Damon but another client. I had to accept that.
It was my own fault.
Apparently, I still had the annoying habit of falling for pretty boys. And we were totally wrong for each other. Plus he was unavailable. No way could I compete with the multitude of women he probably went through. With that gorgeous body and those ripe kissable lips, what woman wouldn’t want him?
Still, it had been worth it. My core pulsed with fresh blood and my nipples stiffened at the thought. From being told I was sexless and unworthy by every other man I’d ever met to having five orgasms in a single day made me feel like a sixteen year old. How does one recover from all that?
; ***
I met Jason on the edge of the pool while I was practicing not freaking out in the kiddy section.
“Well, lookee how fearless you are around the water these days,” he said, squatting to talk to me, hands clasped between his thighs.
“Very funny. What you want, Jason? I thought you were playing poker or…some other manly thing you guys do.”
“Done.” He pulled a hand out from behind his back and flashed a wad of cash at me. “See?”
“Good. Now leave me alone and go away.”
“Don’t you want to know why I’m here?”
I knew exactly why he was here. I was trying to avoid him and failing miserably.
“I found you a guy, Liz. I found you a gem. A diamond in the rough. Now listen, he does have money, but not as much as the rest of the guys around here, and no felonies or drug charges on his record.”
“I doubt this is the sort of place that attracts that kind of man.”
“Maybe not, but as we know little sister, you do.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
He chuckled making me even more annoyed with him.
“Sorry. Anyway, got any plans for later this evening? He wants to get together asap.”
Oh god.
“No,” I lied. I actually had plans for a swim lesson with Damon, at six, but the more time away from him the better. Or so I told myself.
I huffed out a breath, not wanting to agree, but knowing I owed it to Jason to give this guy a chance. How bad could he be? I’d already married, dated, or screwed the worst of the assholes in the world.
“Okay, where do I meet him?”
“Right here.”
“In the pool?”
“No, silly. He wants to meet you under that palm plant over there, the one by the piano. You know, the place where you made your famous swan dive?”
“Don’t remind me. What’s his name? Tom. Tom Swanson.”
Oh great.
***
When I told Damon I had to reschedule our swim lesson because I had to get ready for a date, I thought he was going to be disappointed. Actually, I was the one who was disappointed. He told me he understood, almost like he didn’t care. I tried to get him to react. I talked about getting a massage to limber myself up. Naked. And a long hot bubble bath to make my skin smell pretty. Also naked. He hadn’t batted an eyelid.
He wished me luck.
Fucking wished me luck with another man! He either didn’t care or was thinking about the little blonde he had back in his room. Fucking player!
When Tom picked me up at my door, instead of under the tree like Jason told me, I didn’t know what to think at first. I wasn’t even done with my makeup. With an armful of red roses, he looked the complete gentleman, but something was off. Maybe it was because he was early. I did not like to be rushed. One point against him already.
I let him inside my room, knowing it was probably a bad idea since I didn’t even know the guy and the way he was scanning me up and down had me wondering if the mace I used to carry in my purse was still there. Just in case.
“Could you do me a favor?” I asked while he tested out the bed by bouncing his fat ass up and down on it.
“Sure sweets.”
“Could you…um…put those in water while I finish getting ready.”
“No problem.”
“I’m afraid I don’t have a vase,” I called out. “But I’m sure there’s a pitcher somewhere that you can fill.” As I left him to scout around my room, I wondered what I had got myself into. It was clear this guy wasn’t my type. And not just because he wasn’t very good looking. He didn’t seem to be able to carry a conversation either. He just kept looking at me like I was some sort of meal that he’d just received the last order of and he wondered if it were fresh.
“We’re going off campus for dinner, if that’s okay,” he called from the other room while I put on mascara.
When I came out of the bedroom, he was moving the zipper on his fly up and down. Seeing me, he blushed and then buttoned up his coat. Weird. “What do you mean by off campus?”
“Off campus. You know. In the city. I want to take you to this great bistro in the city if that’s okay.”
“Um…” I had thought we would just stay at the club, have a nice dinner and I’d make some excuse about having to get up early the next morning. It wouldn’t have been a lie. Not exactly. I was nursing a sleep deficit because I’d stayed up late reading. Turned out the books Damon gave me were phenomenal. Another thing I hadn’t expected about Damon hot-as-hell Donovan. He was a reader. Just like me.
I must have been looking distracted or anxious because the next thing I knew Tom blurted out, “You know you wouldn’t be the first woman who backed out on a date with me. I wouldn’t hold it against you.”
Now I felt like a bitch.
He looked a little loss, biting his lip, as if he knew what I was going to say. I was sure he was used to rejection from women who thought they were too good for him. I didn’t want to be one of those women. “A bistro in the city sounds lovely.”
His face brightened and his nose actually turned a little red. I took one of the roses, broke the stem off and popped it in the button hole of his suit jacket.
His chubby face beamed. Maybe I misjudged the guy. Beauty was in the eyes of the beholder, right?
***
My instincts had been correct.
The air conditioning was frigid and I’d forgotten my sweater in the limo. Tom neglected to call ahead for a table, so we waited for a full hour to get the only table available by the kitchen. Every time those swinging doors flew open, a whoosh of air blew over me, sending shivers up ad down my naked arms. I could barely think among all the clatter and rich smells all mixed into one made my stomach tumble.
To make matters worse, all Tom wanted to talk about was the plight of the narwhal. With great pride, he’d informed me that he set up a nonprofit to not only study the endangered creature, but also to market all sorts of toys to raise awareness all over the world, and an animated film starring Neddy the Narwhal was set to air in Australia this Spring, followed by China, Japan, the UK, and finally the United States. At first, I found this interesting. His enthusiasm delightful. Tom was an entrepreneur. A trait I admired in almost anyone, but then he started telling me about stocks, distribution practices, the cost of materials, and my eyes glazed over so fast I thought I would fall asleep. When he switched to explaining how narwhals affected the ecosystem, I found myself zoning out, thinking about everything and anything except what he was telling me. It was a good thing I wasn’t eating soup because I could so see myself plunging my face into a bowl.
I wanted to tell Tom I didn’t give a fuck about narwhals or anything else that had a horn sticking out of its head, but that just wasn’t me. It wasn’t like he was being rude or anything. I could have changed the subject, but I’d barely entered the conversation at all because I was actually dog tired. Tom was sweet natured, but in a dorky kind of way. I was about to suggest we talk about something else when I looked across the room and just—froze.
Tom followed my gaze. “Ex boyfriend?”
“My stepfather.”
The poor guy brightened, threw down his napkin and jumped up. “Well, I’ll be… We must invite him over to join us, Liz.”
Was he kidding? Didn’t he see the look of horror on my face?
He made to flag the monster over when I pulled him back into his chair. Roughly. “No, Tom! Please. Sit down. Will you just sit?”
I slunk down in my chair holding the menu in front of my face. Tom looked at me, but then back sat down, brows furrowed. “I screwed up?” he asked like a small child.
“No. He didn’t see you. Or me. Thank god.” When I saw the hostess lead Jake and a tall busty brunette in six inch stilettos to the other side of the restaurant, I breathed with relief. “Can we just leave? Are you finished? Maybe we can take that with us.”
“No. I mean, yeah. Sure. I’m finis
hed.” But he wasn’t finished. I could see he’d barely eaten half his meal. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, Liz. We can go.”
Tom threw down a few hundred-dollar bills on the table.
I sat rooted to my chair. Watching from across the room. Still watching the man who’d sold my virtue into a sort of slavery at the age of twelve. I shuddered. What the hell was wrong with me? I wasn’t a child. My stepfather couldn’t hurt me anymore so why was I running like a damn jack rabbit?
“That should take care of the tip,” Tom said, making a sweeping motion after he pulled out my chair. He followed after me toward the door and then we both stepped out into the sunshine.
Unfortunately, as we were waiting for the limo, my father stepped outside as well. While we waited for the limo to pull up, he lit a cigarette and blew the smoke in our direction.
Chapter FOURTEEN
Damon
I watched from behind that damn potted plant like a peeping Tom.
Flowers! He brought her fucking flowers. Expensive ones too. Why hadn’t I thought of that? Because you don’t want a relationship, you asshole.
As I watched the fat little man in the three piece suit follow Liz to his limo, all I could think about was how this wouldn’t be a fair fight if I laid the fucker out flat, dragged him into the bushes, and then comforted Elizabeth when she realized she’d just been stood up.
Definitely not her type anyway. I saw that right off by the pained expression on her face when she looked at him. She was kind though. It would be just like her to put on a happy face. I guess he wasn’t that terrible. And he obviously wasn’t a player. I mean, how many women could he possibly have dated in his lifetime? Four? Five maybe, tops. Unless there was more to the man than met the eye. I wasn’t jealous. Not really. I simply didn’t want him near my girl.
My girl? Did I just think that? How could I not? The lady brought sex appeal to a whole new level for me. With skin like soft velvet and a pussy like melted butter, my cock hardened to fucking granite just thinking about her. Liz was more than that though. She didn’t take shit from anyone. Not even me. Add brains to that description and I could imagine her running her own business some day.
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