When Beauty Met The Beast

by Khardine Gray

  "I thought I'd take the liberty of getting all the legal business over and done with," he smiled.

  "Yes, you did take a liberty."

  "I meant no harm. I'm the lawyer in the family, after all," he chuckled.

  "Indeed. But if there are any contracts to be made, Ben, it will be me who makes them. I have a whole team of lawyers at my beck and call."

  There was a knock at the door. She would have gotten Gilly to send whoever that was away so she could continue this conversation, but she was done talking. She didn't want to give too much emotion away and let him see that he'd gotten to her. She also didn't want him to see that she had no intention whatsoever of agreeing to this crazy proposition of his. This was her company, and the only people getting access to any part of it were her children.

  The knock sounded again.

  "How about I leave it anyway for you to look at. It's just a contract, Regina. I meant no harm. If you don't like it, we can make a new one."

  "Come in," she called out, instead of answering him.

  It was only when the door opened that she took her eyes from his and turned to see Wade coming through with the biggest smile on his face.

  She gasped, pulling in a sharp breath.

  "Wade," she breathed. Regina didn't give him a chance to answer, she flew out of her chair and threw her arms around him.

  How many times had she dreamed of this day? Too many, and for too long. Very few things made her cry, but tears of joy ran down her cheeks as she held her baby, now a full-grown man of thirty-six years.

  "Hey, Mom," he said, hugging her back with the same love she felt for him.

  Seeing him was the only thing that could subdue her fury. She'd return her focus to unveiling Ben's plans as soon as she could.

  Wade

  He was wrong to think this reunion would be without tears. Five years was a long time to be away from his family. Made worse by his lack of contact.

  Wade felt guilty. His parents were the strongest people he'd ever come across. Strong in personality and strong in mind, but he'd had the ability to wear them both down.

  His mother had barely let go of him in the five minutes that he'd been here. Then when she did, she couldn't stop touching his face and looking at him as if she were trying to work out if he was really here. His father, who he was surprised to see at Runway, hung back looking shaken with emotion. They didn't exactly part on good terms the last time they saw each other.

  Wade left to go traveling. His mission was to conquer his demons, kick his drug addiction, and find himself. There was too much going on here, things that got to him in a terrible way. It was a necessity for him to get away, so he left.

  A few months after he'd gone his father tracked him down in Amsterdam and tried to get him to come home. They had the worst argument they'd ever had and ended with Wade telling him he was a poor excuse for a father.

  "When did you get back?" his mother asked through tears. She was crying so much her make-up was running.

  "This morning. Mom, you have panda eyes. If you don't stop crying you'll have to redo your whole face," he tried to joke. One thing his mother didn't tolerate was tears and anything that damaged perfection. Right now, the mighty Regina Vanderville was inconsolable, and her perfect face was being ruined.

  "That's nothing." She hugged him again.

  Their last meeting was bad, too. He told her to back off, and that he'd contact her when he felt like it.

  He'd felt bad about the way he treated her so he kept in touch with a message here and there every now and again. Just so she wouldn't worry.

  His father, on the other hand, had been badly hurt. Deeply hurt.

  "Mom. Give me a second." He pulled away gently and motioned to his father. She nodded and released him, giving him the chance to walk over to him.

  "Dad. Hey. I was going to stop by your office, but here you are." He didn't want him to think that he wasn't going to see him. It was quicker to come here first from the airport.

  His father looked at him with sad eyes.

  "Dad I—" Wade began, but he didn't get to finish as his father pulled him in for a hug.

  "My son," he said. "Welcome home. Please tell me you're home." His voice shook.

  "I am, Dad. I'm back, and I'm drug-free," Wade replied with a smile. He thought he should let him know.

  His father tapped his shoulder and released him. “Glad to hear it, son. Glad to hear it.” His eyes displayed a wealth of pride and warmth Wade had never seen before.

  Wade looked from his mother to his father and tried to gather himself so he could explain. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was coming back. I just decided it was the right time a few days ago."

  They both looked at him expectantly. They'd changed. Both of them. They seemed more willing to listen now than to try to bend him to see things their way. Wade had gotten himself in so much trouble, and mashed himself down with all the booze, drugs, and loose women.

  He wasn't that guy anymore, and he knew he had a lot of relationships to rebuild.

  "Where are you traveling from?" his father asked.

  Wade glanced at his mother. It was a little strange that she knew where he'd been for the last eight months and hadn't said anything to his father.

  "Japan."

  He was used to his parents' rocky marriage. Looks like things hadn't improved much in that department, and he supposed over the years his problems didn't help.

  "I stayed with a friend there." It was while he was in Japan that he found himself. He'd made his way there from Italy.

  And now he was here. Back and determined to have a better life and associate with better people.

  "I can't believe you're home." His mother beamed with pride.

  "I am, and I was wondering if I could stay with you guys until I get a place sorted out?" He was hoping for a yes since he'd sent his luggage to the house.

  "Yes," they both said at the same time, then looked at each other.

  "Thanks."

  "Wade!" Taylor shrieked as she came in. His little sister ran straight over to him and threw herself into his arms.

  "Taylor." He had to take a step back and look at her. Five years had changed her a lot. She looked even more like their mother, with the same vibrant green eyes, same white blonde hair, same everything. They were both beautiful.

  She cried, too, and Wade felt worse. Taylor had always looked up to him. He was three years older than her, and she'd always placed him on this pedestal where he could do no wrong. Even at his worst.

  "I think a late family breakfast at Vitelli's is in order," his father suggested.

  Everyone agreed.

  It was good to hang out with his family and catch up. It was almost like when he was younger. He appreciated that his parents tried to get along, too, although he could sense that something was up. It always was when it came to them. It was one of the things he had come to accept as normal for them.

  Taylor seemed happy, though, which was great, and she babbled on about Richard, the guy she was seeing. Wade planned to meet this guy of hers. He might not have been around in the last five years, but that didn't make him any less protective of his sister.

  After their parents had left he walked her back to her office and listened to her talk about Richard nonstop. He didn't hear half of what she said because she was talking so fast, but it was good to hear her sound so happy. He liked her like this.

  When he left her at her office, he decided that there was one last stop he had to make before he went home.

  With the tiredness he felt added to the jetlag, he probably should leave to catch up on sleep. He guessed he'd also need a day or two to adjust to the massive time difference between here and Japan.

  The last thing Wade should be doing is giving in to temptation and allowing himself to be lured away by the call of a beautiful woman who wasn't even calling to him. It was in his nature, though. He couldn't resist even if he wanted to. The pull was too strong. It always was with this one.
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br />   As he walked down the corridor of the third floor, he looked around and saw how much Runway had changed. Most of this area had been part of the stock room when he was here last. Now it was just as elegant and lavish as the rest of the place. The same marble floors with hints of white and pink ran down the passageway of the corridor. The same glossy white covered the walls and was trimmed with the same patent black along the skirting boards as the rest of the building. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling and bright lights beamed from them. People around him rushed around at their usual pace. That part hadn't changed at all. Runway was still as busy as ever, and this department was particularly busy because it was where all the creativity came from.

  Wade smiled as he walked into the massive warehouse-style room that his mother christened The Closet. It was where all the latest clothes and accessories were delivered. They came here first to be prepped for the next phase.

  This was where the creative team was based.

  Wade proceeded into the room and walked to where he knew she was, and like the trusted sun that came up every morning, there Chloe Matthews was, unloading clothes from one of the plastic crates. She placed them over her forearm with care.

  Good, she was by herself. Everyone else seemed to have gone to lunch and a handful of women milled about at the far end, near the other entrance.

  He stopped by the archway and looked at her. The last time he was here she was only a fashion assistant assisting the creative team. Now she was part of it. Taylor had filled him in on her little friend's achievements, oblivious to Wade's fascination with Chloe.

  He allowed himself a moment to appreciate her wild beauty that always captivated him. His eyes roamed leisurely over her figure, making up for the five years he missed out on. She looked better than he remembered, with her dainty features, flawless bronze skin, slender body, and slim hips.

  He'd always loved her rich, golden blonde locks and had had the privilege of seeing it at different lengths and in a variety of styles over the years. It was long now, just the way he liked it, and hung in graceful curves over her shoulders. The wall lights bounced off it making the smooth strands look like lustrous glass tumbling carelessly down her back. Wade could see himself happily spending the day running his fingers through it.

  She was the only woman he'd ever fantasized about, and he didn't fantasize about anyone or anything. When Wade wanted something, he took it; he didn't yearn for it or wonder what it would feel like to have it. He usually skipped past all of that and took whatever it was he desired, whether it was a woman or a thing.

  However, he'd declared her off limits, unobtainable.

  Until now.

  He continued to watch her, appreciating the way her straight-legged beige trousers showed off her long, sculptured legs and the silky texture of the cream-colored camisole enunciated the full curves of her breasts. Wade admired the confidence she exuberated. It was the kind that radiated from someone who had the complete package and didn't care what effect they created. Unlike most women who used their assets to lure and charm you, Chloe didn't need to try.

  Her charm and lure were just symptoms, something that came naturally to the perfect woman who didn't have to work hard to get attention.

  He didn't know how the hell he could have blown his chance with her. How could he have rejected her willingness to be with him? How he could have said no?

  He must have been crazy, despite his good intentions.

  As she turned and saw him she jumped, startled by his presence. It made her drop the clothes.

  "Jesus, what are you trying to do? Give me a heart attack?" She frowned at him.

  He looked over the delicately carved bones in her flawless oval face, her full mouth that displayed generously curved, parted lips, and the dusty rose of her cheeks that grew rosier as her frown deepened.

  Looking at her, he could see there was one person who wouldn't be shedding any tears of joy for his return.

  She gathered up the clothes, scooped them over her elegant wrists, and glowered at him with those sharp brown eyes that reminded him of autumn. He'd only ever seen colors like that in Japan. Vibrant in the tones and hues. Enchanting to captivate you and entice you to stare. Her lashes swept down across her cheekbones as she narrowed her eyes at him.

  "Taylor's friend," he teased. "Look at you all woman sized." The taunt widened her eyes and seemed to infuriate her.

  Theirs was a relationship that was always a bit all over the place. When she was little, she followed him around like a love-sick puppy. Literally like she worshiped the ground he walked on. She looked nothing like that girl now.

  "Can I help you with something?"

  "Oh, I just came by so you could tell me how much you missed me."

  Her brows shot up, and she pursed her sparkly pink lips together in distaste. "I'm sorry, did you leave? I wasn't aware," she retorted in cold sarcasm. She was the only woman who spoke to him like that.

  Chloe couldn't stand him. She was right to be on her guard. He was the worst kind of guy for a girl like her. Always was, and while he might have taken her infatuation with him into his own hands years ago and most assuredly broke her poor heart, it didn't stop him from thinking about her. Now more than ever since he'd sorted himself out. He'd never be the candy-coated, classic-movie kind of guy he pictured her with, but he'd kicked the bad stuff. He thought it gave him permission to see what chance he might still have with her.

  "Ouch, doll, you're hurting me." He feigned injury to his heart and laughed. She didn't like that.

  "What do you want?" Her lips puckered with annoyance.

  "I just told you. Also, I was hoping for another offer to rock my world."

  Her face colored fiercely, and her eyes blazed just like they did in the past.

  "Jump up my ass, Wade," she fumed, tossing the clothes on a nearby table and placing her hands on her hips to square off with him.

  "Baby, is that an invitation? Because doll, I'd love to. Your ass looks great today."

  Her mouth dropped, and she glowered at him. "Don't speak to me. Ever." She shook her head and walked away towards the stock room.

  He laughed as he watched her storm off, and he stared shamelessly at her fully rounded behind that looked even better than the last time he saw it. She made him hunger to know what secrets hid inside her soft, tempting body. His fingers yearned to touch her, and his mouth to taste her. Looking only reminded him of when she'd twirled around for him wearing nothing but a pink lace thong.

  That was a long time ago now, long enough to brush under the rug and file as an act of youth. But he didn't want to forget.

  Looked like he'd chosen the perfect time to come back. He smiled to himself as he walked away.

  Chloe

  Her cheeks stung, and she felt like she needed to punch something.

  It was bad enough that she was already on edge about the job, but Wade had the power to test her limits.

  She'd handed in the application half an hour ago. Since then her brain felt like it was going through one of those food processors. The minute she saw Wade she knew he was there to cause trouble. It was the only reason he'd come specifically to see her.

  She didn't know why she let him get to her like that. It was stupid, and she should just ignore him. If she did he'd hopefully leave her alone, but all he had to do was bring up the past and it would make her crazy.

  God, why did she have to be so dumb when she was younger?

  Young and dumb was definitely her. Only someone of that low intelligence would throw themselves at Wade Vanderville, of all people, and that wasn't even the half of it.

  She cringed at the memory of her younger self who'd snuck into his room to wait in his bed wearing nothing but a stupid Victoria's Secret lace thong! That dreadful thing took her months to save up for. Chloe had waited for him to come home, offered her naked self up to him, and begged him to take her virginity. To make the deal even sweeter, she'd promised she'd rock his world. Something evil must have possessed he
r.

  She'd only been eighteen, and while she may have had academic intelligence to get her into Yale, she clearly wasn't very bright when it came to men. It didn't help that her mother had been the arty fairy who floated around the house doing her paintings and sculptures. Her mother believed the way to a man's heart was with cake or some baked product. She wasn't sexy or as sophisticated as a lot of the women that lived in Malibu. She was a sweet, good-natured, bohemian- chic woman who looked like a blast from the height of nineteen-seventies hippiedom. Her mother was the perfect match for her father, the English professor who spent his spare time writing poems about her mother.

  Her parents lived in a world of their own where they were perpetually wrapped up in each other. That was why Chloe had turned to TV for advice, watching shows like Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless.

  She couldn't have been more wrong. It would have been better if she stuck to plaiting daisies with her mother and baking fairy cakes, because what followed her after that crazy idea of hers was the deepest embarrassment she could possibly imagine and years of torture.

  Wade, then twenty-one and in his senior year of college, had laughed her to scorn and told her to run along and play with her dolls. Then he made it his duty to either remind her of the incident in some way or give her that stupid look that told her he was thinking about it.

  She knew he wasn't himself before he left years ago, but during that time he ignored her and just gave her the look. It was the only time that she'd been able to relax. Now he seemed like he was back to his real self. The drug-free Wade who didn't have any compassion.

  Chloe made her way downstairs through the back entrance. She was on her way to see Kelly. If Kelly had already gone to lunch, she'd divert to Wesley. She'd been friends with Wes since elementary school. He couldn't stand Wade, either. Poor Wes had been on the receiving end of Wade's devious ways too.

  Kelly was in her office, so Chloe went in.

  "Hey, do you have plans for lunch?" she asked.