Substitute Seduction (Sweet Tea And Scandal Book 1)

by Cat Schield

  “The best part is their menu. They have an excellent chef. Unfortunately, there is no elevator, so the space is only accessible by stairs. I only mention it in case you have any guests who can’t make the climb.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

  Harrison found an open spot along the curb a half block up from their destination and parked. They then walked back toward the venue. As Harrison held the front door, allowing her to pass, she noticed his slight frown. The first floor of the narrow building was occupied by a wine bar.

  “Don’t let the size down here fool you,” she said, waving at the manager. “Upstairs is fifteen hundred square feet and feels much more open and airy. There’s plenty of room for all your guests and even an outdoor patio if the night is mild.” She broke off to greet Jim Gleeson and introduced the manager to Harrison. “Jim has helped me with several corporate functions over the last two years,” she explained.

  The two men shook hands and then Jim led the way upstairs. “We can set up the space however you envision it,” the manager said over his shoulder. “And the room is big enough that we can divide it into a cocktail setting with high tables or couches on one end and large round tables on the other for dinner.”

  “I think that would be nice,” London said.

  They’d reached the second floor and Harrison wasn’t evaluating the space, but rather, his attention was focused on her.

  “Since we’d talked about a jazz band,” she continued, determined to treat him like a client in this setting, “we could place them near the bar as people first enter.”

  At the moment the room was set up for a cocktail party with a freestanding bar at each end and high-top tables scattered along the perimeter.

  Jim’s phone buzzed and he excused himself, leaving the pair alone.

  Somehow as soon as it was just the two of them, the massive room became oddly intimate. Or maybe it was the way Harrison was looking at her as if he intended to penetrate her professional mask and get to the woman beneath. London couldn’t stop herself from recalling how disappointed she’d been on Saturday night that he hadn’t tried to kiss her good-night. Or the way they’d leaned toward each other on the plane ride back, sharing the armrest as he’d shown her the camera footage from inside his race car.

  “What I really like here is all the period details,” she began, taking refuge in professionalism to avoid Harrison’s hot gaze. She walked away from him, gesturing at the exposed brick and white wainscoting. Her heels clicked on the polished pine floor and echoed off the gleaming wood in the original coffered ceiling. “Isn’t this fireplace fantastic?”

  “I think you’re fantastic.”

  “I’m picturing ten tables of ten. With big glass vases holding candles and filled with glass beads in the center. Since it’s December, we could do evergreen centerpieces, but maybe that’s too predictable.” Aware that she was rambling, London continued. To stop meant she might give in to the longing pulsing through her. “Or we could do glass pillars with layered candies like peppermints and foil-wrapped chocolates in red and green. Unless you think he’s too sophisticated and would prefer crystal with white and silver.”

  While she’d been going on and on, Harrison had been stalking after her, his expression intent, his gaze narrowed. Now, as she approached the door leading out to the rooftop patio, he set his hand on the doorknob before she could reach it, halting her retreat.

  “I think you’re fantastic,” he repeated, compelling her to stop dodging him. “Everything about you interests me.”

  “I like you a lot,” she admitted, surprising both of them with the confession. “What you do is dangerous and exciting. I never imagined...”

  Oh, what was she doing? It was on the tip of her tongue to spill everything about the riotous, treacherous emotions driving her actions. To share how disappointed she’d been Saturday night because he hadn’t tried anything when he’d brought her back to her hotel room. Confessing her developing feelings for him was the absolute wrong thing to do. So how was she supposed to get out of the verbal corner she’d backed herself into?

  * * *

  Harrison watched a dozen conflicting emotions race across London’s features. Most of the time she’d demonstrated a sphinxian ability to keep her thoughts concealed. Her need to keep herself hidden frustrated him. He wanted her to open up and share what made her tick.

  “I’ve also had great success with hurricane holders filled with rice lights and Christmas balls,” she stated in a breathless rush, returning to the earlier topic of centerpieces. “Or glass bowls with candles floating above holly sprigs.”

  “Never imagined what?” Harrison prompted, ignoring her attempt to evade the real subject.

  She shook her head. “This really isn’t the place for this conversation.”

  “Where would you like to go?” He hoped she’d suggest her place. Or his. It was past time he got her alone.

  “I set aside my afternoon to help you find a venue for your brother’s birthday party.”

  “London,” he murmured, cradling her head in his palm, thumb caressing her flushed cheek.

  “Yes?”

  Her voice was equally soft and it seemed to him a trace of desperation colored her tone as if with each thump of her heart she was losing the fight to maintain control. It echoed how he felt when they were together. Each moment in her company tested his willpower. He knew better than to pressure her like this. As much as he wanted to go in with guns blazing, she needed to be coaxed. Wooed. Enticed. But damn if he didn’t want to feel her surrender beneath his touch.

  “I don’t really care what venue we choose,” he said. “The only reason I’m here today is to spend time with you.”

  He placed just the tips of his fingers on her spine. A tremor went through her an instant before she tipped her head back and gazed up at his face. The hunger glowing in her eyes transfixed him. Inching closer, he dipped his head until he could feel her breath on his skin. He grazed his nose against hers, ending the move with a slight bump that nudged her head into a better angle. Smiling at the sigh that escaped her, he slanted his mouth above hers, not quite making contact. Although he’d already kissed her on the street in downtown Charleston, that location hadn’t offered him the privacy to do it right. Plus, it had been too soon to take things as far as he wanted to.

  This time it would be different.

  She made a soft impatient noise in the seconds before their lips met and his world stopped being ordinary. Then another sound erupted from her throat as fire flashed through him. Wildness sped across his nerve endings, setting his heart to pounding. Endless fantasies of her and him naked and rolling over his mattress in hungry, frenzied passion flashed through his mind.

  Harrison didn’t give a damn that the manager might return and interrupt them. The only thing on his mind was the woman making his heart pound and his body heat. Longing had gotten hold of him and wouldn’t let go.

  With one hand coaxing her forward, bringing her torso into contact with chest and abs, he cupped her cheek with the other and deepened the kiss. It nearly killed him to go slow when he wanted so much more. Her lips. Tongue. Teeth. All of her. And when her lips parted and a soft, helpless groan escaped her, he nearly lost his mind.

  In the instant her body melted into his, they were both swept up in a way that Harrison found himself powerless to stop. Despite his best intentions, the kiss went nova too fast for him to rein it in. Instead he surrendered the fight, realizing while he desired this woman more with each encounter, she wanted him just as much.

  This was how a kiss was supposed to be. A give-and-take of sweetness and lust. Pure longing and dirty intentions. He slid his tongue across hers, claiming her mouth and driving her passion harder. Her fingers clutched his hair and dented his leather jacket. It was all crazy, frantic fun with a poignant dash of inevitability, and he never wanted it to end.


  The sound of footsteps on the wooden stairs behind him jolted Harrison back to reality. Cursing inwardly, he broke off the kiss and gulped in air. Without releasing his hold on London, he blinked several times in rapid succession, trying to reorient himself to their surroundings. When had he ever lost control like that? Who was this woman who could make him go crazy by relating details about square footage, color schemes and table layouts?

  “How are we doing?” came a bright voice from the far end of the room.

  London jerked in response to the interruption and pulled Harrison’s hand from her face. She took a half step back, her eyes stunned and wide as they met his. Her chest rose and fell as she put her hand to her mouth, hiding a dismayed oh. Harrison surveyed the hot color of her skin and her passion-bruised lips, unable to resist a smile.

  Damn, she looked gorgeous with her vulnerability on display. All softness and submission. But even as this thought registered in his mind, he could tell she was rapidly regaining her poise. Her features shifted into the cool reserve with which she confronted the world. Only her eyes betrayed her in the second before her lashes dipped, concealing her confusion.

  “It all looks great,” he called to the manager. “I think we’ll take it.”

  “Great,” the man replied. “I’ll get the paperwork started.”

  “You go do that,” Harrison said. “We have a few more things to talk about up here and then we’ll be down.”

  “I have three more properties to show you,” London reminded him in a harsh whisper, regaining her voice even as the manager’s footsteps retreated down the stairs. “You can’t make a decision without seeing all of them.”

  He skimmed his fingertips over her cheekbone, admiring her delicate bone structure. “Do you really want to spend the rest of the afternoon pretending to look at properties while what we really want to do is get to know each other better?”

  “I...” Her eyes narrowed. “If you think one kiss means I’m going to sleep with you, you’re wrong.”

  No doubt she’d intended to make this declaration in tart tones, but her voice had lacked conviction.

  “You have a dirty mind,” he scolded, giving her an affectionate tap on her perfect nose. “I like that in a woman.”

  “I don’t have anything of the sort.”

  “Really?” He raised an eyebrow. “I say I want to get to know you better and you assume that means sex.”

  “Well, sure.” She gnawed on her lip and frowned. “I mean...”

  “Table that thought,” he growled, dropping his head and giving her a firm, brief kiss on the lips. “What I meant by getting to know each other better was more about how you came to Richmond this weekend to watch me race. I thought it might be nice for you to show me a little of your world.”

  It had occurred to him after being dropped off the night before that London McCaffrey had learned way more about him than he’d discovered about her.

  Her gaze remained glued to him as she gestured toward the room. “This is it.”

  “What? Do you mean work? There has to be more to your life than just this.” When she shook her head, Harrison nodded. Obviously they were two of a kind when it came to their careers. “So we’ll continue to plan the party. We’ve chosen a venue. What’s next?”

  “The menu. Flowers. Invitations. A theme.”

  A theme? Harrison kept his thoughts hidden with some difficulty as he imagined the challenge in finding something that would appeal to his brother. Maybe his mother would have some ideas.

  “So, let’s go downstairs, sign the contract, plan the meal and then go buy some flowers.”

  She regarded him skeptically. “Really? You want to do that?”

  “I want to spend time with you and see what you enjoy doing. If that involves flowers and invitations, so be it.”

  For several heartbeats she remained undecided, but instead of pushing, Harrison stayed silent and let her sort through whatever it was she was grappling with. At last she nodded.

  “But first,” he said, turning her around until they were both staring through the glass door leading outside. “Let’s talk about this patio.”

  “Okay.”

  Her expression as she glanced back at him reflected her puzzlement. Keeping her off balance was part of his plan to discover all the little things she kept concealed.

  “How do you see us using the space for Tristan’s party?” As he spoke, he grabbed her wrists and slid her hands to the wood portion of the door before pushing her palms flat against the narrow panel. “Keep your hands right there. Now, tell me your thoughts.”

  She shivered as he ran his hands up her arms to her shoulders before moving aside her hair, exposing her neck. “They can string lights and put out couches.”

  “What else?”

  He dusted a kiss just below her hairline, hearing her breath stutter as his lips continued to play over the fragrant flesh of her neck and run along the neckline of her dress. He dipped beneath the fabric with his finger, baring the top of her spine, claiming her shoulder, collarbone and nape with soft kisses.

  She pushed back into his body and moaned as her backside came into contact with his erection. The sound inflamed his already fiery desire and he murmured encouragement as he kissed the shell of her ear and nipped at her earlobe.

  “What else?” he repeated. “How do you envision the scene?”

  “Um,” she said, her breath coming faster. “We could have them set up a bar. Oh, that feels good.”

  This last was in response to his hand sliding over her stomach and splaying as she rocked her hips, rubbing herself against him.

  “How many people do you think could fit out there?” he quizzed, dipping his hand beneath the hem of her dress and running his fingertips up her thigh.

  “A couple dozen. Oh.” Her head fell back against his shoulder as he grazed the inside of her thigh. “What you’re doing to me...”

  “Yes?” he prompted.

  Did she have any idea she’d parted her legs to give him better access? He raked her neck with his teeth, dying to touch her, to find out if she was wet for him.

  “Don’t stop.”

  “Besides the lights and couches, how would you decorate?”

  He ran his fingers over the cotton panel of her panties, noting the damp fabric.

  “Please.” She was panting and rocking against his hand, making low, incoherent noises, trying to ask for more.

  “How would you decorate?” he repeated, sliding his fingers beneath he elastic of her panties and cupping her for a long second before dipping his finger into her wetness. With a heartfelt groan he stroked her, absorbing her shudders as he discovered just how she liked to be touched.

  “Candles.” She ejected the word like a curse. “Lots and lots and lots of candles.”

  She was coming. Hard. Her hips rocked and bucked as her spine arched. The sounds emanating from her stopped being coherent. A storm was rising and it fed his own pleasure. In that moment they were no longer two people but one being, both focused on driving her into a mind-blowing orgasm. And then he felt the first wave of it rush over her. Felt her start to shatter against him.

  “Give it to me, baby,” he said. “Let me take care of you.”

  Her nails dug into his thigh. He’d been so focused on her he hadn’t even realized she’d gripped him there. But now her touch, so close to his aching erection, caused him to harden to the point of pain.

  “Oh, Harrison.”

  Her words ended in a shudder that seemed endless as she climaxed and he held on, easing his strokes as the last of her pleasure dimmed. Panting and limp, head bowed, she braced herself with one hand on the door frame and sucked great gulps of air into her lungs. The other hand eased its death grip on his thigh and she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

  “God, I love making you come,” he murmured,
easing his hand from between her legs. He placed his palm on her stomach, keeping their bodies together while he dipped his head and kissed her neck.

  “Not as much as I love coming,” she retorted with a shaky chuckle.

  He found his breath wasn’t altogether steady as he said, “I’ve never known anyone like you.”

  “Really?” Her head swiveled just enough to give him a glimpse of her skeptical expression.

  “Really.”

  Beneath her show of reserve—and he now realized that was all it was, a performance she’d played all her life—lurked a wild woman, unsatisfied with all the restrictions placed on her by society and expectations. He looked forward to coaxing her from hiding.

  “You haven’t gotten other women off in public?”

  “Most of the women I’ve been with know the score. They’re with me because of who I am and are willing to do whatever I’m into.” He turned her around and put his hands on her shoulders, waiting until she met his gaze before continuing. “You are with me in spite of who I am. What just happened was all about you. For you. I’m incredibly honored just to be a part of it.”

  “I can’t believe I did that,” she murmured, disbelief in her tone. “That wasn’t at all like me.”

  “I think it was. You just don’t want to admit it.” He paused a beat, noted that she remained unsure and finished, “You were incredible.”

  “Don’t expect that it will happen again.”

  But they both knew it wasn’t the end. He recognized the truth in his gut and saw acknowledgment in her eyes.

  “Whatever you want to happen will.”

  And as she frowned at him, trying to interpret what he meant, Harrison knew that party planning had never been so sexy.

  Seven

  Chip Corduroy was the sort of Charleston insider London had begun cultivating long before she’d started her event planning business because he knew everyone’s dirty secrets and could be counted on to trade information for favors. The slender fifty-year-old had a proud pedigree and expensive taste. Unfortunately, that meant he mostly lived above his means, which was why he loved that London “treated” him to spa days, shopping excursions and dinners out at the best restaurants in exchange for leads and introductions.