Shira

by Tressie Lockwood

Whisper did a spin. Her dress extended just a bit longer than Shira’s, but it was no less sexy. The style and vibrant color played up Whisper’s generous figure and set off her big breasts. Shira looked down at her own and sighed. Oh well, it is what it is.

  They left the bedroom just as the doorbell rang. Shira drew back, sudden nerves stirring in her belly, but her friend had no such reservations. Shira had noticed Whisper seemed lonely when she wasn’t with Alec, and they called or texted constantly when they were apart. She’d never seen two people more in love.

  When Whisper threw open the door, she launched herself into Alec’s arms, and he whipped her around as if she weighed nothing. “You didn’t even look through the peephole,” he complained. “It could have been a dangerous stranger.”

  “I knew it was you,” Whisper assured him, and they were lost in a kiss so hungry Whisper would have to redo her lipstick when it was over.

  With a sigh of impatience, Max stepped around his brother and Whisper into the apartment. Shira smoothed her moist palms over her dress. “Hey,” she said.

  He stared. His expression was so blank, she couldn’t tell if he thought she looked a mess or he liked what he saw. “Well?” she demanded to cover her nerves.

  His gaze swept her from head to foot. “You look fine. Isn’t that a bit too much skin showing?”

  She swung away about to return to the bedroom when he was all of a sudden behind her, grabbing for her hand to keep her where she was. He stood too close, which meant he had to hear her racing heart. Damn him.

  “You don’t have a bra on,” he said softly.

  That was obvious because the back of her dress was cut low. One couldn’t wear a bra with it. “Is that all you can do? Complain? If you don’t like it, you don’t have to be seen with me.”

  His warm breath stirred the loose tendrils at her nape. “Let me make this plain. The only reason I haven’t already ripped that dress off of your hot, little body is because I have business to take care of. But you knew the impact dressing like this would have on me, didn’t you? Let’s go.”

  Shira blushed. Max’s compliment was rough, even angrily given, but the impact was way more powerful than if he’d just said, “You look nice.” She couldn’t help being pleased with it. Yeah, he has the charm ability all right.

  The party was being held at the mansion of the man Alec and Max wanted to do business with. As soon as she and Max pulled up in his car, Shira lost her breath. The fact that it was nighttime did not hide the beauty of the place. Outside lighting flooded the circular driveway, and when they stopped, a valet moved forward to park the car. Shira tightened her hold on Max’s hand as he helped her from the car.

  “Am I dressed right for something like this?” she worried.

  He smiled, and she was lost. “You look perfect. Will you fish for compliments all night?”

  She rolled her eyes at him, but his dig had done the trick. Her nerves fluttered away, and she was able to walk into the house without too much care.

  All around them were other guests dressed to the nines and looking like they were born with money. To her surprise, Max stayed close while she and Whisper were introduced to their host.

  “Alec, Max,” a thin, balding man in a dark suit called out. “Good to see you, and who are these two beauties?”

  Alec put Whisper forward. “Corbin, this is my fiancée, Whisper Price. Whisper, this is Corbin Mancini.”

  Corbin shook Whisper’s hand with a friendly smile, but he turned right away to Shira. “And you are?”

  Max spoke before she could. “This is Shira Hill, her friend.”

  Embarrassment crept up Shira’s back. He’d put her with Whisper even though he stood at her side. Pissed off, she stepped away from him toward Corbin and held out her hand. “How are you?”

  He took her hand and tugged her a little closer than necessary. “Very well now. So this one didn’t claim you for himself?”

  “Claim?” Whisper blurted as if it was some kind of key term. Alec shook his head, and Shira wondered what the big deal was.

  “You can be my special guest tonight, my lovely lady,” Corbin told her and tucked her hand on his arm to lead her farther into the house. He called over his shoulder, “Alec, Max, Whisper, enjoy the party.”

  Shira was tempted to look back at Max, but she straightened her shoulders and raised her head. Why should she cling to him when he didn’t want her? This man thought she was beautiful, and even if he didn’t do it for her, hell, he could be fun for the time being.

  Face after face zipped by her as Corbin introduced her. Shira had learned the art of conversation in a way that kept most of the attention on the person talking to her or the man at her side. Sam had drilled the skill home, so she had no trouble keeping anyone from knowing she was a housekeeper and a college dropout.

  Dancing started up in a room set aside for it, and Shira was surprised to find she didn’t lack partners. She scanned the room for Whisper and located her at the side of the room looking slightly bored and holding a glass of wine. Alec and Max stood a few feet away speaking with several other men. A man approached Whisper looking too eager. He said something to Whisper, and she smiled but shook her head. Shira almost laughed when she pointed out Alec and the guy took in Alec’s heated glare. He backpedaled and almost fell over his feet to escape. Shira sighed. No one would care about her that much.

  The song ended, and she extricated herself from her dance partner. She couldn’t remember his name. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a break. Thank you for the dance,” she said.

  The man, who extended only to her shoulder, held onto her hand. “Can I find you later?”

  “Um…”

  “Shira.”

  She jumped at the voice because it was so unexpected. Her mouth went dry, and she spun slowly to her left. Sam approached her. This was too much of a coincidence. This city wasn’t so small that they had to rub shoulders at every opportunity. “Sam, what are you—?”

  “Doing here?” He grinned, and a raised eyebrow sent her dance partner on his way. Right then, she’d be happier with the squat man than Sam. “Did you forget how many people I know, Shira? Maybe you forgot what I told you.”

  She gritted her teeth.

  He took her hand just as another song started up. She was about to snatch it away, when he spoke again. “Corbin Mancini is a good friend of mine. Imagine the conversation he and I held regarding Max Macgregor.”

  She froze. “You don’t… You couldn’t have…”

  He led her into a slow dance, a palm at her lower back while he clutched her hand in a grip she couldn’t escape. “Did you think I would walk away so easily? I told you if you wanted to defy me, I would ruin that bastard’s life. I have already begun. If he thinks he’s making a deal with Corbin, he will be sorely mistaken.”

  “Sam, don’t do this,” she begged. “Max has nothing to do with me. I work for him. That’s all, and when I find something else, I won’t see him. He doesn’t even like me.”

  He scowled, his face crumbling so much that it made him ugly and shook her to her core in its evil. “Yet I see desperation to save him in your eyes. If I thought that you loved him—no, that’s impossible. Did you fuck him, Shira?”

  Her fingers spasmed under his. “None of your damn business.”

  “Which is a yes.” He squeezed her hand until she gasped. She would not give him the satisfaction of crying out. Never again.

  “Let go of me.”

  His response was to draw her closer until their bodies touched. Memories of their nights in bed together flooded her mind and made her sick. She wished she could block out the past and never think of it again.

  “You still want to fight me?” He tsked. “Where is this coming from? Him? Did opening your legs for him make you bold, Shira? Tell me, did he say he loves you, that he’ll protect you from me?”

  She looked away. Of course Max had never said that. Hell, he’d denied even bringing her as his date tonight. He wou
ldn’t protect her. She had only herself to depend on, and yet, she couldn’t let Sam punish Max because of her. Tears filled her eyes, and she did everything she could to blink them away. Whatever hope she’d been feeling about her life fizzled. How had she thought she could stay in town? Whisper’s friendship had made her think she could stick around, and on some level, she had resolved to enjoy seeing Max’s face even if she couldn’t be with him.

  Sam’s threats weren’t empty. Although he was a doctor, she had seen him destroy men before. Not because of her, but because they had crossed him in some way. He had influence in ways she could only imagine until she’d seen them first hand. His family came from money, too, and his father had political ties. Sam had never backed down from using every resource available to him to get to people. Max might not be the poor man she had first assumed him to be, but he was still just a real estate businessman. He couldn’t hope to match Sam’s influence. She had to do what she could to protect him, especially since it was her fault that Sam had turned his evil in Max’s direction.

  “I’m not going back to his house,” she offered in a low tone of resignation. “I’ll tell him I quit and never see him again.”

  “Of course you will.” The confidence in Sam’s voice grated on her, but she didn’t say a word. He continued laying down the directives. “You will move out of that girl’s apartment and come to me tonight.”

  She started at his words and looked up at him. He chuckled.

  “Did you think I didn’t know where you were? I let you get comfortable, give yourself enough rope until I was ready to jerk you back where you belong.”

  “I have to go to the restroom.” If she didn’t get out of there now, she was going to cry in front of everyone, and that would be worse. Sam would be embarrassed and make her life even more of a living hell. “Please, I have to go.”

  He turned her, and as calm as if they were taking an evening stroll, walked her toward the room’s exit. When they drew up to it, Max stepped in front of them. He stood with easy confidence, one hand tucked into his pocket. A smile graced his sexy full lips, but she picked up on the anger in his eyes and the tension in his shoulders. “You’ve been busy all night, Shira. I think this is my dance.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but Sam cut her off. “You’re mistaken. My fiancée dances only with me.”

  Max’s nostrils flared. “Since when is she your fiancée? My understanding is she dumped your sorry ass. Couldn’t get it up or something like that. She hasn’t had any complaints since she came to live with me.”

  Shira gasped, and Sam went red. His fingers dug into her lower back. That’s all she needed was for Max to confirm that they’d been lovers. Even if it was only once, that was one time too many for Sam.

  “Tell him you’ve agreed to be my wife, Shira,” Sam said.

  Max’s gaze slid from Sam’s face to hers. She could read him with no problem right now. His expression said all she had to do was say the word and he’d wipe the floor with Sam. She suspected that was only an excuse because he didn’t like Sam, not because he cared about her.

  She drew in a deep breath and raised her chin. Hey, if they could act, so could she. “He’s right. Back off, Max. Sam and I are getting married. I don’t need you anymore. I won’t be coming back to work. Thanks for everything.”

  Her mask was about to crumble, so she ducked around Max and beat a hasty retreat out the door. The bathroom was too busy with women, so she found the nearest exit and jetted outside. Cool air eased the heat in her face but did nothing to calm her emotions. The tears fell.

  She ran along the drive, but when she heard laughter from other guests who had wandered outside, she left the paved drive and hurried into the trees. The mansion must lie on several acres, and she was glad of it. She could disappear until she pulled herself together.

  She found a tree to lean on and sobbed her eyes out. Seeing Max again was impossible, but returning to Sam’s wasn’t an option. She couldn’t go back into that nightmare now that she had tasted freedom. I won’t go back. I can’t!

  Chapter Nine

  Shira took a step in the direction of the street. If she could make it to the main road, she could flag down a taxi and get to Whisper’s apartment to pack. Then she would catch a bus out of town. With any luck, Sam would think she was in the bathroom, or maybe he and Max were still arguing. She heaved a sigh remembering the many times she had run before.

  “Shira.”

  She stopped and turned. The moon had passed behind clouds, so there wasn’t much light. She just made him out standing in the trees.

  “Where are you going?”

  “What do you care?” she demanded.

  He strode closer just as the moon reappeared, and her heartbeat picked up seeing his handsome face. Why did she have to long for him when he didn’t give a crap about her?

  Max stopped in front of her and ran a finger down her cheek. She turned away, but he made her look at him. His touch burned, making her desire him like no other man. He had to know what he did to her.

  “I-I have to go,” she whispered.

  “Where?”

  She was so lost and so scared, she closed her eyes willing everything to go away, including Max. He didn’t budge but wrapped his arm around her waist. A sob escaped her, and she struggled to hold it in.

  “Don’t,” she pleaded.

  He kissed her lips, and she clung to him. His tongue found its way into her mouth, teasing her with his flavor and making her crazy with need. Shira pulled away and pushed at his chest. He didn’t let go, but his hold loosened.

  “This is not what you want,” he told her.

  “How do you know?” She turned her back on him and walked a couple of paces. Everything inside of her wanted him to stop her and for him to tell her she couldn’t leave him. Max wasn’t the type to throw himself at her and make wild declarations of love, but here she was hoping for it. Girl, seriously, wake up to reality.

  “If you choose to quit working for me, that’s fine,” he said. “We don’t ever have to have sex again.”

  Her heart clenched in pain.

  “But you’re a fool if you marry him.”

  Shira didn’t think twice. She whirled on him and smacked his face as hard as she could. “And you’re an asshole!”

  She took off running through the trees, swiping at branches that clawed at her face and hair. Several times, she tripped, and once she fell. She scrambled to her feet and ran some more. She had no idea of the direction she took, whether she headed to the road or back toward the house. All she knew was that she had to keep moving.

  When she came to a wooden fence that blocked her path, she stopped. The scratches on her arms burned, and she was so upset that she didn’t care if the one on her face left a scar. Her chest hurt from running, and a stitch had started in her side. She panted, trying to recover. A sound in the darkness to her right had her calming heart rate kicking up. She stiffened, and then from the shadows came the leopard.

  “It’s you,” she exclaimed. “How did you find me out here?”

  She was still nervous around the animal, but with the mess of the humans in her life, the leopard seemed like a welcome relief. She dropped to her knees feeling the cool earth under them and knowing she probably looked a hot mess. The leopard came to her with gentle grace. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her face in his fur. The sobs she’d held in check came unbidden, and she let the tears fall for a long time.

  After some time, she raised her head sniffling. She scratched the cat behind his ears, and he purred. “I’m not going back,” she said. “To either of them.”

  The leopard pulled from her hold and turned away from her.

  “You’re leaving me too?”

  The way it bobbed its head she could have sworn it told her no, but she decided she was seeing things. The leopard paced toward the trees away from the fence and then stopped. She figured out that it wanted her to follow. She stood up and went after him. They walked fo
r what felt like hours. She dug the cheap cell phone she had purchased out of her purse and saw that it had been forty-five minutes. Missed calls reminded her that she had put her cell phone on vibrate earlier and hadn’t taken it off. Whisper had phoned three times, but Max hadn’t. She sighed. He didn’t give a damn, so why should she?

  The leopard led her out to the road, and she couldn’t believe he was smart enough to have done that. She stooped and kissed his head. “Thanks, sweetie.”

  She started to walk along the street, but the leopard crossed in front of her, blocking her path. She stopped. Behind her, she heard a car coming, and she shrank back to the tree line in fear. She considered running the way she had come, but again the leopard blocked her. Lights blinded her when the car pulled to a stop. Her heart raced.

  “Shira,” a man called. At first she thought it was Max, but then she realized it was his brother Alec. “Come on. Get in.”

  She wondered why he didn’t say anything about the leopard, but maybe he couldn’t see it in the shadows. She waited to see if the animal would stop her again, but he didn’t. Exhausted, she had no choice but to take the ride. Maybe Alec could run her to the apartment and then take her to the bus station.

  Alec got out of the car and walked around to open the passenger door. She sighed and got in. He shut the door and then opened the back one. Shira’s eyes widened when he held it until the leopard got in, and then he hopped in on his side. Her throat was dry as they rode down the street.

  “You know him?” she asked after some time.

  “Yeah.”

  She waited for an explanation, but he didn’t offer one. “Um, I was wondering if you could take me to Whisper’s apartment to pick up my things and then take me to the bus station.”

  The leopard growled in the back, and Alec gave him a look that appeared to be a warning. The animal fell silent.

  “Is that what you really want?” Alec asked.

  She frowned. “Does it matter?”

  “I heard… I mean my brother mentioned to me that you were planning to marry your ex. My understanding was that relationship wasn’t the best.”