by Tami Lund
“I have people stationed here twenty-four-seven. I like my privacy when I’m not on the job.”
I wondered if he lived in Lovejoy, or in one of the myriad of other small towns around the area. Maybe I’d do a little investigating, see which rental properties had recently been rented. One of the good things about living in a small town is it’s hard to hide something like a new person moving to town.
I was vaguely surprised I hadn’t already heard that a handsome new man moved to town. But then again, I’m not as into gossip as so many other locals are, and I’ve been rather preoccupied lately with trying to keep a job that actually paid my bills, and still allowed me time to hang out on the river with my friends. Probably I’ve been doing too much of the latter, since the former always ended up being a miserable failure for me.
We reached the edge of the gardens that wrapped around the ballroom’s flagstone patio. Waist high hydrangea bushes lined the patio, and I could tell by the light pouring out of the French doors lining the ballroom that the blooms ranged from pink to blue to white.
I knew, from when I was a kid playing in the yard while my mother tended to her garden that the landscapers had to alter the soil to get the color of the blooms to change like that. Rusty nails in the soil turned the blooms blue. I couldn’t recall how you turned them white. Probably, The Resort’s landscapers used more high tech methods than my mother did. I inhaled deeply, because I loved the faint scent of hydrangeas, and then I turned towards the ballroom.
I could hear the strains of music from a band, and the murmur of hundreds of voices, chattering away, just a few feet away. I suddenly felt nervous. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“Would you like to fix your lip-gloss before we join the party?” Carter looked at me blandly, but I could hear that damn hint of amusement in his voice. It hadn’t been there when he’d growled at Joey and Dave and it hadn’t been there when he spoke with the guy in the shadows. But it was always there when he spoke to me.
“I might have changed my mind,” I said, licking my lips and realizing that he’d kissed off all of my lip-gloss, just as he insinuated. I was trying really hard to put that kiss out of my mind, so I didn’t appreciate his reminder.
“You can’t turn back now. You’re here. You’re on the other side. The food alone is worth it.”
He was laughing at me again. In a huff, I pulled my gloss out of my purse and reapplied. I took a deep breath, smoothed the front of my dress, and Carter tugged me forward.
We stepped through the flowers and onto the flagstone, and then I let him lead me and we somehow managed to blend in with the crowd. I was pretty sure no one even realized we’d entered via the gardens. And I was just as sure that none of Carter’s security guards would let anyone else do the same.
There were white twinkle lights and white pillar candles everywhere. I could hear the river, gurgling past in the distance. Tiki torches were set up every few feet along the boardwalk that ran along the riverbanks. Servers in tuxedos and white gloves carried trays, some laden with food, some with champagne flutes.
I knew how hard it was to carry those champagne flutes, since I’d dropped three trays before my former boss declared I was only allowed to carry food trays. Joey wandered past and Carter pulled two champagne flutes off his tray. Joey winked at me before wandering away. Carter handed me one of the glasses and I drank half of it in one swallow.
“Nervous?” he asked in his amused voice.
“Are you letting me stick around just because I amuse you?” I snapped, and then I swallowed the rest of the champagne.
Hell yes, I was nervous. There was more money and power on this patio than I could even begin to fathom. These people were paying more per night to stay at The Resort than I’d ever made in a single month. I wasn’t sure how I was going to pay my next car note and these people probably had ten cars in each garage, and every single one had been purchased with cash. I’d purchased my car used, it was eleven years old, and I still had almost a year’s worth of payments on it.
“Something like that,” Carter murmured. I let the comment slide. I was already getting used to the fact that he probably wouldn’t ever give me a straight answer. He handed me his still-full champagne flute and I put mine on a nearby table. He crooked his arm into a V and I slipped my arm through it and allowed him to escort me through the room.
When the next server walked by carrying a tray of champagne flutes, I drained mine and tried to set it on his tray. The entire thing tipped precariously and then suddenly crashed to the ground. I tried to jump out of the way, but I didn’t make it and my dress was doused with champagne. I glanced at Carter. He was completely dry and looked exasperated. I heard a tinkling laugh and turned towards the sound.
Another woman had been doused with champagne, but she seemed to find it amusing. She looked to be about mid-twenties, and she was stunningly beautiful. She had thick blond hair that was piled on her head in some intricate fashion with little diamonds sparkling here and there that I was willing to bet were real. Diamonds dripped from her ears and a giant diamond necklace nearly made me blind with the way it caught the light from the candles and chandeliers. It was not unlike looking directly at the sun.
She wore a silver gown with a sweetheart neckline and skinny straps, and it hugged her body to her toes, where it shimmered and draped over her silver high-heeled sandals. I estimated that she was six foot tall in the heels, which meant she was probably five-foot-eight without them. She was everything I’ve always wanted to be. It was a little uncanny, but other than the few inches in height, we actually looked a lot alike.
I recognized her instantly. She was Brianna Jefferson, the only daughter of an extremely wealthy and public entrepreneur. Her father created some sort of smokeless cigarette that costs half as much as regular cigarettes and didn’t annoy the people around those who smoked it, and it packed just as much punch as a regular cigarette. He had lots of friends and even more enemies. A lot of people lost a lot of money when he went public with his invention.
Brianna’s mother’s family owned a great deal of land in Texas and had more money than they had sense to do with it. Brianna spent all of her time being a public socialite. She was, essentially, paid to party and get her picture in the gossip magazines. And security guards normally flanked her at all times because lots of people disliked her father, and they weren’t afraid to try to get to her, in order to get to him.
I couldn’t believe she was laughing at the fact that I’d just doused her with champagne. “I’m so, so sorry,” I stuttered.
I stood there feeling utterly helpless, not sure what to do. If she demanded I pay for her gown I’d have to shoot myself. I had every confidence it was worth more than I’d ever made in a year, probably in my whole life.
She giggled and waved a hand as if shooing a fly. “Oh my, don’t apologize. That was quite funny. That poor server’s face was classic.” I looked around. The server had disappeared and was hustling back with a mop and his boss on his heels. My former boss.
Yikes. I lied before. I didn’t really want to see him again.
“Come on, we should go get changed,” I said to Brianna, shocking myself by thinking so fast on my feet.
“Oh, good idea. I’m starting to feel chilled. It gets so much colder here at night than it does in Dallas.”
She turned and began walking down the lighted path that led to the main building and I followed, turning away before my former boss was close enough to recognize me.
I felt a hand on the small of my back and glanced over my shoulder to see Carter following along behind us. “Maybe I should take you home, Allison?” he suggested.
Brianna stopped and turned around. We were nearly to the main building. I chanced a glance towards the ballroom. The server and my former boss were busy cleaning up the mess and not paying any attention to us. As soon as we stepped out of the building, the entire party kicked back into gear, as if we’d never been there. Whew.
&nbs
p; “Take you home? You aren’t staying here?” Brianna asked.
“No,” I admitted. “I live in town.”
“Really?” Her eyes danced as she grinned. “A local! I’ve wanted to go into town since we got here, but my bodyguards won’t let me.” She threw a pout at Carter, so obviously she knew who he was.
“Yeah, well, you aren’t missing much. You guys have the best view of the river here. There are a couple of t-shirt places and art galleries and an ice cream shop and that’s about it. Nothing like this.” I waved my arm in an arch.
“I see this all the time. I’d love to just wander around town, blending in with the locals.” She sounded wistful.
I thought there was no way in hell Brianna would ever blend in with the locals. Her very stature screamed of a type of life that us locals only ever saw on television, at least before The Resort moved into town. She swept her eyes over my dress and said, “Come on to my suite. I bet we’re the same size. You can borrow one of my gowns.”
My heart leapt at the thought, even as my brain screamed no! I’d probably drop a cream puff on her gown and then I’d have to pay for two of them. I still wasn’t sure how I would pay for the one she was wearing. Carter answered for me.
“No. It’s time for Allison to go home.”
Brianna rolled her eyes and grabbed my arm. She turned and began walking toward the main building, dragging me along behind. I threw a helpless glance at Carter and scurried to keep up with her.
“Thanks for getting me away from him,” I whispered and Brianna laughed again. Her laugh sounded like tinkling bells.
“He’s a bit of a stuffed shirt, isn’t he? How’d you end up on his arm, anyway?” She chatted with me as if we were old friends. I stole another glance at Carter. He followed us at a short distance. His eyes caught mine and I gulped. He really looked like he wanted to throttle me.
“I was sort of trying to sneak into the party and he caught me,” I admitted.
Brianna laughed again.
“I’m Allison Bell, by the way.”
“Allison Bell, such a pretty name. I’m Bree Jefferson.”
“Bree? I thought your name was Brianna?”
“It is. My parents hate Bree, so I’m Bree.”
Huh. I could understand exactly.
We swept into the lobby and I was pretty sure my head rotated on my neck, a’ la The Exorcist, as I craned to try to take it all in.
The largest chandelier I’ve ever seen hung in the middle of the lobby, dripping Tiffany crystal that tinkled quietly whenever the door opened. We walked across plush carpeting that swallowed half my foot as I walked. I wanted to take my sandals off and walk barefoot because I bet it felt great. The front desk ran along one wall and was surrounded by a cherry wood counter that curved in and out in smooth lines.
The staff behind the counter were perfectly groomed and wearing navy blue uniforms with silver piping. There was a multitude of seating areas. All of the furniture was upholstered in neutral earthy tones that both calmed the senses and blended with the natural and a bit rustic surroundings.
Bree swept past all of this without even glancing side to side and dragged me up the stairs. I wanted to take the elevator because my feet were starting to hurt from wearing four-inch heels all evening, but at the same time I didn’t really want to be in a small, enclosed space with Carter.
We turned left at the top of the stairs and I followed Bree down to the end of the hall. We stopped short at a door where another man in black stood, blocking our entrance. His arms were clasped in front of him and he almost looked at ease. He didn’t speak until Carter caught up to us.
“I’ve already done a sweep, sir. All clear, unless you’d like to double check.”
“I would,” Carter said shortly. He pulled a key card out of his pocket and slipped it into the mechanism on the door. Bree tapped her foot impatiently while he was inside, even though it was less than a minute before he was back, holding the door open for us to enter.
“Come on,” Bree said, and she dragged me across the parlor and through a door, into a bedroom. I glanced back before she closed the door. Carter had positioned himself in front of the balcony in the parlor. Bree walked over to a wet bar and pulled a bottle of champagne out of the mini fridge. She expertly popped the cork and poured two full glasses. She handed one to me, and then walked into the bedroom, carrying both a full glass of champagne and the bottle. She slammed the bedroom door and then turned and asked me to unzip her dress.
I did, and she let it fall to the floor. She was buck naked underneath. I gaped at her and she laughed. “You aren’t attracted to women, are you?”
I shook my head. That didn’t necessarily mean I was comfortable standing in the same room with a naked woman. “That’s good. How about Carter the security guru?” she asked.
She set the champagne bottle on the counter in the bathroom, stepped into a walk in closet and began rifling through dresses. The closet was bigger than my entire apartment, and she had more cocktail dresses than I had underwear.
“What about him?” I asked uneasily. I took another gulp of champagne. I’ve only ever had champagne for New Year’s Eve and very special occasions, and it was always cheap and too sweet, so I’ve never been in danger of drinking too much. This stuff was delicious and way too easy to drink. Since I haven’t eaten, I could feel its effects, but I wasn’t inclined to stop drinking.
“Is he hot or what? I’ve known him for years but he’s never been anything but a stiff suit. I would love to get him naked and roll around between the sheets. I bet he’s an animal in bed. He has to be, after being so stiff all day long.”
Since I’d been trying really hard not to imagine Carter naked, I declined to respond. I watched as Bree pulled a black gown that was shot with silver beading out of her closet and slip it on. She stepped up to me and I zipped her up. Then she walked back into the closet.
Bree pulled a shimmering peach gown out of her closet and held it up for my inspection. “This would look fabulous on you.” She shoved it towards me. “Try it on.”
I touched the fabric. It slipped through my hands like water. I really wanted to feel this gown on my body, but I hesitated, because this just wasn’t my place.
Bree made an impatient noise. “If you’re worried about ruining it, don’t be. It’s not one of my favorites. I actually had it on earlier and then changed my mind and changed. You can keep it, if you like it.”
I gaped at her again and she laughed. Why did everyone laugh at me? She drained her glass of champagne and stepped up to me. She twisted me around and frowned. “Where’s the zipper?”
“It’s a wrap.” I turned and pointed at my side. “This button essentially holds everything together.” Bree reached over and popped the button and the kimono fell open. Bree tugged it over my shoulders.
“Sexy underwear. They have Victoria’s Secret way out here, huh?”
No, but there was an outlet mall two hours away.
Bree frowned. “I’m not sure the red will work under this gown, though.” She stepped back into the closet and came out holding a flesh colored bra and panties. “Here, put these on.” She pulled the champagne glass out of my hand and stepped into the bathroom, presumably to refill our glasses.
I tried to change as quickly as I could, while her back was turned. I wasn’t embarrassed by my body. On the contrary, I was pretty darn proud of my body. It was just that I was uncomfortable being naked in front of a virtual stranger. Apparently, Bree did not have the same problem.
I had just fastened the bra strap when Bree accidentally dropped the champagne bottle with a deafening crash. The bedroom door flew open and Carter stood there, staring at me. My face flushed and I instinctively covered my chest with my arms. His eyes swept the room, noted the broken bottle on the ceramic tile floor in the bathroom and then slid back to me. I tried to look defiant but I’m sure I failed miserably.
Without taking his eyes off me, he said, “I’ll call housekeeping to clean th
is up.” And he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Bree was suddenly next to me, pressing a glass of champagne into my hand. “He just looked at you as if you were lunch and he hasn’t eaten in a week,” she murmured, and then she drained her glass. I followed suit, not at all sure what to think about that comment.
When Bree and I finally emerged from the bedroom, fully dressed, makeup and hair touched up, we were both giggling like schoolgirls. Nothing like shared clothing and a bottle of champagne to bring two girls together. We were practically BFF’s.
Carter cocked an eyebrow at us but said nothing. He opened the door to the suite, nodded to the man still standing outside, and allowed us to walk by. Bree and I skipped down the stairs, across the lobby and outside, down the path to the ballroom, holding hands and with Carter walking sedately in our wake.
It’s amazing what half a bottle of quality champagne will do for a girl’s self confidence. I suddenly could care less what everyone in that room thought of me – except Carter, maybe – and so I followed Bree’s lead as she skipped across the dance floor and flirted with the singer in the band.
I watched as he slipped a piece of paper to Bree, and then he started playing a song with a fun, upbeat tempo. Bree dragged me to the dance floor and I glanced over her shoulder to see Carter holding up the wall, in the shadow of a fichus tree, those black eyes watching us with an unnerving intensity. I sort of felt like we were dancing for his pleasure, and the thought made me a little more than warm in places that I knew I shouldn’t be associating with Carter the Security Detail. After tonight, I’d likely never see the man again. And if I did, I hardly expect he’ll ask me out on a date.
“Come on,” Bree said as the song ended. “I’m hot. Let’s go check out the river.”
“Okay,” I said, because I felt a little overheated myself, and the river always helped calm me down.
