Exposed

by Naomi Chase

  She flung aside the blouse she’d been clutching. “Yeah, I lied. But only because I was too damn embarrassed to admit that some crazy, paranoid bitch had accosted me while I was peacefully minding my own business. What’s your excuse for lying?”

  “What the hell have I lied about?” he demanded, advancing on her until mere inches separated their faces.“Please enlighten me.”

  She sneered contemptuously. “I was there tonight, Brandon. I saw you and Cynthia together, and it was so obvious that there’s something going on between you two, even a blind man could see it!”

  “Wait a minute.” Brandon stared incredulously at her.“You came to my office tonight?”

  “You’re damn right I did!”

  “What? So now you’re spying on me?”

  “Not quite,” she hissed. “Since you’ve been working so hard and we haven’t had a chance to spend any time together, I thought I’d drop by and surprise you with dinner. But imagine my surprise when I pulled up to the building and saw you and Cynthia enjoying a tender little moment under the stars.”

  Brandon scowled. “It wasn’t like that,” he grumbled, even as guilt stabbed his conscience.“We were just taking a mental break. Kessler was there, too.”

  “He was at first. But what happened after he went inside? Did you and Cynthia follow his lead? Nope! The two of you decided to get nice and cozy on the bench. Anyone watching you would have thought you were about to make out! I sure as hell did!” She glared angrily at him. “So again I ask. Are you fucking her?”

  “No!” he roared.

  “But you want to, don’t you? Admit it!”

  “Go to hell.” Brandon wheeled away from her, savagely yanking off his tie as he stalked across the room toward the walk-in closet. His heart was pounding so violently he thought his ribs would crack open.

  Tamia snorted derisively. “You can’t even look me in the eye and tell me the truth.”

  Brandon rounded furiously on her.“You’re the last person to be lecturing anyone about the goddamn truth!”

  She thrust her hands defiantly on her hips and stared at him, nostrils flaring.“What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that there’s something going on with you, Tamia. I’ve sensed it for a while now, even before you made up that bullshit story about hitting your jaw on a table. Little things have been bugging the hell out of me for weeks, but I let them slide because I didn’t want to start an argument with you.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about? Little things like what?”

  “For starters, the way you got suddenly and mysteriously ill the night we went out for dinner. The way you went AWOL for days afterward. The way you absolutely refused to meet me at your house the night I showed up there.” He stared at her, searching her face for the telltale signs of deceit he’d been trained to detect.

  Nothing.

  “Everything I’ve just described sounds like the behavior of someone who’s cheating,” he continued, keeping his voice level.“Now, I’ve given you every benefit of the doubt because I don’t want to believe you’re capable of betraying me like that. But if I find out that you are …” He trailed off deliberately, letting her infer the rest.

  She held his stare for several tense moments, then exhaled a deep breath and shook her head in grim disbelief.“Wow. It’s even worse than I thought if you have to resort to turning the tables on me.”

  Brandon clenched his jaw.“Tamia—”

  “I asked you a simple question, and instead of giving me a straight answer, you go off on some tangent about my so-called suspicious behavior. Talk about a classic example of deflecting.”

  “First of all,” he growled,“there’s nothing simple about the question you asked. And it wasn’t even a damn question. You outright accused me of wanting to sleep with another woman.”

  She folded her arms across her chest.“And I’m still waiting for your answer.”

  At that, his patience finally snapped.“You want the damn truth? Fine, here goes. Yes, I’ve become attracted to Cynthia. And do you know when it started? After nineteen fucking days of not getting any pussy from you!”

  Tamia gaped at him.“So now it’s my fault that you’ve been thinking about fucking your coworker?” She laughed scorn-fully.“That’s so unoriginal, Brandon. Surely you can do better than that.”

  He scowled. “I’ve been working with Cynthia for two years, and I’ve never found myself attracted to her until now, when things are falling apart between me and you. Something tells me that’s not just a coincidence.”

  Suddenly Tamia was staring at him as if he’d completely lost his mind.“I don’t even think you realize,” she whispered.

  He glared at her.“Realize what?”

  “The way your eyes light up when you talk about her. The way you look at her, the way you speak to her, the way you joke and laugh with her.”Tamia’s eyes grew moist with unshed tears.“Are you in love with her?”

  The question struck Brandon with the force of a tsunami. “What?”

  “I didn’t stutter.”

  “Of course I’m not in love with her! What the hell kind of question is that?”

  “An honest one,”Tamia said quietly.

  “Well, here’s my honest answer: NO!”

  In the ensuing silence, his words echoed loudly and hollowly in the space between them.

  Tamia assessed him for several seconds, then abruptly turned away and resumed packing, now throwing clothes haphazardly into the suitcase.

  Brandon sighed deeply. “I love you, Tamia, even though you’ve been doing everything in your power to push me the hell away.”

  She kept packing.

  “I don’t want you to go. Believe it or not, I’ve looked forward to coming home to you every night. I know it may not seem that way because I’ve been so tired, but I’ve genuinely appreciated having you here.”

  He started toward her, seeking to make amends because he knew that the scene she’d witnessed tonight had not looked as innocent as it should have.“Tell you what. I have to go into the office on Saturday, but I’ll try my absolute best to get out of there by five. We can do something special together. Whatever you want.”

  “I’m going out of town this weekend,”Tamia said curtly.

  “You are?” Surprised, Brandon halted midstep and stared at her.“Where?”

  “I’m going to Virginia to visit my sister at Hampton. She’s been stressed out over her classes, and I’ve been stressed out with work and everything else that’s been going on. So we decided to hang out together and help each other decompress this weekend. We’ll probably end up at Virginia Beach.”

  Brandon nodded slowly, digesting this information.“When are you leaving?”

  “Friday morning. I’ll be back on Monday.” She snapped the suitcase shut, hefted it off the bed, and started from the room.

  Brandon hurriedly stepped into her path, blocking her escape.

  She sighed harshly.“Brandon—”

  “Don’t go home tonight,” he implored her.

  “I told you—”

  “I know what you told me, and you’re wrong. I do want you here.” He gently rubbed her tense shoulders.“I’m going to miss you this weekend.”

  “Don’t worry,” she mocked bitterly.“I’m sure Cynthia will be more than happy to keep you company.”

  Brandon bristled but didn’t rise to the bait. “At least stay here until you leave for your trip. All right?”

  She was silent, eyeing him sullenly.

  He reached down, pried the suitcase handle out of her resistant fingers, and carried it into the closet.

  When he emerged, she was gone.

  He frowned, heading out of the room.“Baby?”

  She stood in the doorway to the guest bedroom, her lips twisted into a sneer.“I think it would be best if I kept my distance from you tonight.”

  And with that, she slammed the door in his face.

  Chapter 27

  Brandon dro
pped Tamia off at the airport on Friday morning.

  It was his idea, but she’d gladly welcomed the offer. She hoped that seeing her ticket itinerary and watching her depart for a flight bound for Virginia would silence any suspicions he may have had about her trip.

  Once aboard the plane and comfortably ensconced in her first-class seat, she gazed out the small window. Her thoughts were instantly transported back to the argument she and Brandon had had on Wednesday night. She’d played the role of aggrieved girlfriend to perfection. By the time she’d finished hurling her accusations at him, Brandon had felt so guilty he’d all but begged her to move in with him.

  But the satisfaction she’d felt that night was tempered by questions that had plagued her conscience ever since.

  Was Brandon in love with Cynthia?

  Was Tamia responsible for driving him away and into the arms of another woman?

  She frowned, deeply disturbed by both possibilities.

  The only reason she’d agreed to Dominic’s indecent proposal was to keep Brandon from learning the truth about her scandalous past. She’d done what she felt was necessary to secure her place as his future wife.

  It would be the cruelest irony of all if she ended up losing him in the process of trying to keep him.

  After attending a meeting at the district attorney’s office that afternoon, Brandon found himself driving around the corner to the JPMorgan Chase Tower. It was the tallest building in Houston, but more important, it was home to Archer Foods International—the company owned by Dominic Archer.

  Brandon’s brief elevator conversation with the Crucian businessman had been nagging at his conscience for the past three weeks. He’d found himself mentally replaying the exchange and analyzing every word, every nuance, every vocal inflection. But what stood out the most in his mind was the image of Dominic’s smirking face as the elevator doors had closed. Brandon couldn’t shake the feeling that Dominic had been laughing at him—and he wanted to know why.

  So there he was, riding the elevator up to the sixty-third floor of the Chase Tower based on some gut instinct. He hadn’t decided what he was going to say, but that wasn’t a problem. As a litigator he’d become adept at thinking on his feet and improvising whenever needed. So lying had become second nature to him.

  Moments later he stepped through the double glass doors leading into the reception area of Archer Foods International. An attractive, thick-boned woman wearing a phone headset sat behind the glass desk. She eyed him appreciatively as he approached.

  “Good afternoon, handsome.”She greeted him with a musical Crucian accent.“What can I do for you?”

  “Well, now, I don’t know,” Brandon drawled, winking at her.“What can you do for me?”

  Her eyes widened.“Lawd have mercy.” Grinning, she fanned her face with her hand and looked heavenward. “You do answer prayers!”

  Brandon laughed softly. “Actually, sweetheart, I’m here to see Mr. Archer.”

  “Are you now?” She propped her chin on her hand and gazed up at him.“Do you have an appointment?”

  “Not exactly. See, Mr. Archer and I met at a recent function and got to talking about the latest trends in wholesale food distribution. Since I’m in the same line of—”

  “You look so familiar,” the receptionist interrupted.“Have we met somewhere before?”

  Brandon was used to the question. “Afraid not, sweetheart.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.” He smiled lazily. “I never forget a beautiful face.”

  She beamed with pleasure. “You are just too good to be true, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.” She paused.“Now, what were you saying?”

  Brandon grinned. “I don’t remember. You’ve got me all distracted.”

  While she giggled and blushed, he asked smoothly,“Is Mr. Archer here, by any chance?”

  “Umm hmm,” she confirmed.“He is—”

  A wave of relief washed over Brandon.

  “—but he’s in a meeting right now.” She eyed Brandon hopefully.“Do you want to wait for him? He shouldn’t be too much longer.”

  “No, that’s all right. I can try him another time.” Brandon paused.“Actually, does he have any openings on Monday?”

  “This coming Monday? He—”

  Suddenly the phone trilled, cutting off the rest of her response. Giving Brandon an apologetic smile, she pressed the blinking button and answered with a lilting “Archer Foods International, bringing a taste of the Caribbean to your dinner table. How may I help you?”

  While she was on the phone, Brandon idly surveyed his surroundings. The reception area featured bright, contemporary furnishings and lush watercolors that captured various images of St. Croix—white-sand beaches, quaint shops meandering down a cobblestone street, multicolored costumes worn by Carnivale revelers, a sailboat drifting lazily across the shimmering surface of the ocean.

  Brandon felt a pang of regret, thinking of the romantic weekend getaway he and Tamia had discussed but never got around to scheduling. Now that he was in the thick of trial preparation, taking a trip was out of the question. At least Tamia would enjoy some fun in the sun this weekend, he mused.

  Seconds later, he turned at the sound of voices approaching.

  Dominic Archer was escorting two suit-clad businessmen down the corridor. When he saw Brandon standing at the reception desk, he did a double take.

  After ushering his clients to the elevator, he returned to greet Brandon, smiling affably and shaking his hand. “Coun-selor. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

  “I had a meeting in the building,” Brandon said casually, “so I just thought I’d stop by and say hello.”

  “That’s cool, my man. It’s good to see you.” Dominic’s smooth smile broadened. “Did Melody offer you anything to drink? Want some coffee, juice, water?”

  “No, thanks. I’m good. This is a really nice setup you have,” Brandon remarked as they gravitated away from the reception desk, where Melody was efficiently manning the phone lines. “I was just admiring the paintings of St. Croix. Gorgeous island.”

  “Yes, it most certainly is,” Dominic proudly agreed.“I have a big, beautiful home in Frederiksted, where I spend a few months out of the year.”

  “You’re a very lucky man.” Brandon smiled lazily.“Speak-ing of which, how’s your lovely wife doing?”

  “She’s doing well. You know, keeping herself busy with her volunteer activities and charity work.”

  “Too busy to monitor your comings and goings?”

  At the sharp glance Dominic gave him, Brandon flashed a conspiratorial grin and elaborated, “If she keeps herself too busy, she won’t complain and nag you about the long hours you work.”

  “Right, right.” Dominic laughed, clapping him compan-ionably on the shoulder. “You’re one step ahead of the game, mehson. Now you just need to get married.”

  “Eventually,” Brandon said blandly.“There’s no rush.”

  Dominic raised a brow at him.“Does Tamia feel the same way?”

  “Probably not.” Brandon grinned ruefully.“But you know how women are. They always think they’re ready for the next big step, whether it’s moving in together or walking down the aisle. But men are different. We’re more honest with ourselves.”

  Dominic looked vaguely amused.“You think so?”

  “Absolutely. See, we know our limitations. We know it takes a special kind of man to be a husband. To be committed to one woman. Monogamous. Faithful.”

  Their eyes met, stares locking.

  Suddenly the air between them crackled with challenge.

  After several moments Brandon laughed, breaking the tension. And then he clapped Dominic on the shoulder, reciprocating the gesture.“I’m sure Isabel counts herself very lucky to have found one of those special, commitment-ready men I was talking about.”

  Dominic smiled slowly. “Actually, we both realize how lucky we are to have each other.”

  Brandon grinned.“
Good answer.”

  His cell phone vibrated. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked caller ID. It was Tamia. She’d promised to contact him once she was situated with her sister.

  He tucked the phone away, letting the call go to voice mail as he returned his attention to Dominic. “Well, let me run. I know you’re a busy man, so I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”

  “No problem.” Dominic smiled congenially as he began escorting him from the reception area.“It’s always a pleasure to see you, Brandon.”

  “You, too. Oh, hey, that reminds me. After you left, your wife and my sister really hit it off at the mayor’s fund-raiser dinner last month. Brooke mentioned something about being invited to a charity luncheon at your house next week.”

  “Really? That’s great. Isabel gets homesick a lot, so the more friends she makes here, the better. But tell your sister the luncheon’s tomorrow.”

  “Really?” Brandon frowned. “I could have sworn Brooke said next week.”

  “Nope. Tomorrow.”

  Brandon nodded, pressing the elevator call button.“I must have gotten the dates mixed up. My sister has the most active social calendar of anyone I know,” he added with a wry chuckle.

  Dominic smiled somewhat distractedly.

  “So is the wife forcing you to attend this luncheon?” Brandon asked with a sympathetic grin. “Or are you gonna make yourself scarce for the day?”

  Dominic hesitated, meeting his gaze. “I’ll probably disappear for a while.”

  “Smart man.” Brandon backed into the elevator and pushed the button for the lobby. “Catch you later, bruh. And whatever you do … stay out of trouble.”

  Dominic stared at him.

  Brandon stared back.

  This time he was the one smirking as the elevator doors closed.

  Chapter 28

  St. Croix was even more beautiful than Tamia had imagined. It was a sun-drenched island paradise complete with swaying palm trees, white-sand beaches, sparkling turquoise waters, and steep green hillsides dotted with old sugar plantations.