But tonight, his plan may have been ill-timed.
“Jaxon, you slick dog.” Richard descended out of nowhere and whacked Jaxon on the back. “I had no idea that you’d decided to make an honest woman out of Ms. Kitty.” He tilted his glass of brandy before adding, “I don’t know about anyone else but I’m certainly going to miss your act down at the Velvet Rope.”
Debra Stinson, Sylvia’s oldest and best friend, inquired with a silver knitted brow. “The Velvet Rope?”
The other men in the group glanced around as if they were suddenly fascinated with the mansion’s high ceilings.
Everyone except Richard. “It’s a gentleman’s club,” he answered, smiling. “And the best one in Manhattan I might add.”
Mrs. Stinson gasped as her eyes widened. “You mean…” She swung her head back toward Jaxon.
Still cool, Jaxon returned her smile. “What can I say? I’m a man who sees what he likes and goes after it. No matter where it is.” He glanced across the room.
“Well, I, it’s… Oh, dear.” Ms. Stinson’s hand fanned herself while her face darkened.
If Richard’s goal was to embarrass Kitty or Jaxon, he was sorely disappointed as the newly engaged couple wrapped their arms around each other and shared another tender kiss. “It doesn’t bother me what Kitty does for a living. As long as she brings all those fun little costumes home.”
Mrs. Stinson’s voice spiked. “You mean that she still, um, dances?”
Kitty’s smile ballooned. “Of course I do.” She glanced up at Jaxon. “And my baby here is still my best tipper.”
Mrs. Stinson looked scandalized, blinking and spluttering. “D-does your grandfather know about this?”
“Carlton?” Jaxon’s lips quirked up. “He’s thrilled about the whole thing.” He lied, but again his gaze flew over Kitty’s head and toward Zora Campbell. To his surprise, her eyes locked on him, as well.
To his right, Richard followed Jaxon’s stare. “My, my, my,” Richard said awestruck. “Is that who I think it is?”
A few more heads whipped in the ex-supermodel’s direction.
“Zora Campbell.” Richard’s whiskey voice hugged the name a little too much to Jaxon’s liking. He then cocked his head at Jaxon as if he was recalling a memory. Most likely an old frat party memory where Jaxon had drunkenly admitted that he thought Zora Campbell was hands-down sexier than Tyra Banks or Halle Berry any day of the week. Finally a small smile curled Richard’s lips. “Excuse me,” he said. “But I think Ms. Campbell looks as though she could use some company.”
Jaxon clenched his jaw, but could do nothing but watch this smooth snake slither across the room.
“She’s here,” Melanie whispered into Sylvia Landon’s ear after sprinting across the room in a pair of red Manolo Blahniks.
“Where?” Sylvia’s head whipped around the room, her eyes wide as she scanned the perimeter. In no time flat her gaze zeroed in on the supermodel on the opposite side of the grand room. “Oh. She’s even more stunning in person,” she complimented. “Jaxon should love her.” Sylvia glanced over at Melanie. “Do we know whether he’s seen her yet?”
“I don’t—”
“Oh, he’s seen her all right.” Veronica dipped into the conversation, having popped up out of nowhere. “Everyone’s gossiping about how his tongue damn near rolled out of his head outside.”
Melanie and Sylvia turned toward Veronica. Sylvia with hope and Melanie with dread. If Zora had already run into Jaxon, there was a good chance that she’d also run into his date.
Sylvia fluttered a hand over her heart. “Good. We may actually pull this off.” She looked as if she would swoon with relief.
Veronica confirmed Melanie’s fears. “It’s also circulating that his fiancée wasn’t looking too pleased, I might add.”
“That’s also good news,” Sylvia said with a roll of her eyes.
Carlton noticed his wife’s distraction. “What are you young ladies talking about?” His eyes twinkled as he slid an arm around his wife’s slim waist.
“Oh, nothing, dear.” Sylvia kissed his cheek and hoped that he wouldn’t pry any deeper into their conversation. It was a rare night for him to be in a good mood. The last thing she wanted to do was spoil it. Nothing could do that faster than a discussion about their rebellious grandson.
Carlton’s eyes narrowed but a playful smile tugged his lips. After sixty years of marriage, he knew when his wife was lying. Given the occasion, his twinkling eyes let her know that he was going to let her get away with whatever scheme she was cooking up—for now. “How about I just refresh your drink, dear?” he asked.
“That’s an excellent idea.” The look and smile they shared radiated a deep love that had sustained them for more than a half century. A lot of the guests caught the intimate moment, elbowed one another and shared knowing smiles.
At eighty-two, Sylvia was still the envy of most of her friends—mainly because all of them had suffered through at least one divorce. Love in the rich lane was usually short-term. As far as their friends were concerned, Sylvia and Carlton had somehow pulled off a miracle.
Once Carlton left to refresh her drink and was out of earshot, Sylvia quickly turned toward Melanie. “Okay. So what do we do?”
“Well, first thing we need to do is unhook Jaxon’s current fiancée from his arm so I can properly introduce him to Zora,” Melanie said. Of course her brain was still scrambling for an explanation for Jaxon’s fiancée. She had hoped to clear up all the hiccups for this hook up, but that no longer looked like that was viable option.
Sylvia winked. “I know just the thing. I’ll signal you when the coast is clear.”
Before Melanie could question her further, Sylvia gathered one side of her silver gown and made a beeline toward Jaxon and Kitty. Melanie noted that for an eighty-two-year-old, the woman still moved pretty quickly.
Carlton returned, carrying two flutes of champagne. He glanced at Melanie and then looked around as if double-checking to see if this was the spot he’d left his wife. “Now where did she run off to?”
Melanie just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. The best thing to do in her position was to play dumb. “Won’t you excuse me for a moment, Mr. Landon?” Instead of waiting for an answer, she hightailed it the opposite direction.
“Jaxon, baby. You made it,” Sylvia said, easing her way in between him and his date.
Jaxon jerked his gaze from the back of Richard’s head. His usually stoic face softened with a genuine smile. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss against his grandmother’s upturned cheek. “Happy anniversary, Grans.” He reached inside his jacket pocket and removed a thin ivory box with a glittering blue bow.
“Oh, bless Janine’s heart,” she said, taking the gift. “I’m sure that she was able to get us something wonderful. She has exceptional taste.”
Jaxon chuckled. There was no use in pretending that he had anything to do with picking out the gift. His grandmother would see straight through such a lie. “You know I love you, Grandma.”
“Of course I do, sweetie.” She leaned into his side to revel in the warmth of his love. She took great pleasure in being one of the few people Jaxon showered with genuine affection. On Wall Street he showcased his cutthroat, take-no-prisoners side. As far as friends were concerned, Jaxon believed the fewer of those the better. Of course, he had the opposite view when it came to women.
Reluctantly, Sylvia turned her attention to Kitty, but she made sure that she kept her smile at all the appropriate angles. “Kitty, darling. Now that you’re going to be a part of the family soon, what do you say that I give you an official tour of the house?”
Kitty blinked. “What? Now?” She glanced around the crowded room. “I wouldn’t want to take you from all of your guests.”
Sylvia waved off the comment. “Don’t be silly. It shouldn’t take us long.” Only about an hour. “Plus, I can introduce you to some important people—make sure you meet
all the right people. It’s important if you’re going to become a Landon.”
“Well, I, uh…” Kitty glanced up toward Jaxon for guidance.
He only shrugged. “You might as well go. Grans never takes no for an answer.”
Kitty’s mouth dipped with disappointment.
“Don’t act like I’m the only one,” Sylvia said, waving a finger.
Jaxon laughed. His devastating smile drew female gazes like moths to a flame.
“C’mon, dear.” Sylvia took Kitty’s arm and looped it through her own. “I can’t wait to show you some of the precious artwork we have in the east wing.” She led the young beauty off while surreptitiously finding Melanie Harte in the crowd and giving her a “Coast is clear” head nod.
Melanie smiled at the sly fox and then turned to look for her own target.
Chapter 5
“Ms. Campbell, right?”
Zora turned away from a chatty New York Times writer and toward an immaculate devil, dressed in black and looking as dangerous as the serpent in the Garden in Eden. One thing was for certain, he was handsome. No doubt about it. “I’m afraid that you have me at a disadvantage. You are…?”
“In love,” he countered, reaching for her hand and then lifting it to brush a light kiss against her knuckles.
Zora smiled and said, “Smooth. I’ll give you that.”
“It’s the truth,” he insisted. “I’ve been a fan of your work for quite some time.”
“Thank you.” She removed her hand from his soft grip and was ready to move on.
“Aah.” He bobbed his head. “Strike one.”
“Excuse me?” she said, still managing to hold on to a polite smile.
“I’d say that judging by your reaction that you’ve probably heard that ‘fan of your work’ line at least a thousand times.”
She chuckled. “Actually—more like a million.”
“Awww, man. I knew it.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Well, we can just rewind the clock and start all over.”
“We can?”
He shrugged. “It’s a little trick I learned back in college. Watch.” He turned, straightened his shoulders and then made a slow spin back around on his heels. This time when he faced her, his smile was blinding and his eyes twinkled. “Hello, there. I, uh, saw you from across the room and I just had to come over and introduce myself,” he said in his best debonair voice.
“Oh, is that right?” Zora chuckled.
“Absolutely.” He stepped closer. “You’re easily the most beautiful woman in the room. Mind if I ask your name?”
Laughing, Zora started to answer, but was stalled when he placed a silencing finger against her red lips.
“Don’t tell me. Let me guess.” He pressed. “Your face. Your eyes. That smile. Surely your name couldn’t be anything other than Beautiful. No, no, no. Bella. Italian for beautiful.” He winked. “If I’m wrong, don’t tell me because you will always be Bella to me.”
Zora had to admit that she was charmed by this handsome devil. At least he didn’t appear to have a date with him. “I’m flattered,” she said, allowing him to reclaim her hand for another brush of his lips. “And now that we know who I am…?”
“Richard,” he supplied. “Richard Myers. If you’re with this crowd, I’m sure you may have heard of me.”
Zora winced as her smile turned sheepish.
“Annnd…maybe not,” he corrected with an awkward laugh. “Wow. I guess I just sounded like a pompous ass.”
“Sorry,” Zora said. “I, uh, actually don’t know that many people here.”
“Oh?” He turned as another waiter waltzed by and deftly retrieved two champagne flutes. “Are you here with someone?”
“No. Not really.”
Richard spiked one brow.
“I was supposed to meet someone here.” Her gaze jumped over his shoulder.
Richard followed her gaze and found himself in Jaxon’s line of fire. If looks could kill this whole house would have been taped off as a homicide scene. Richard’s smile bloomed even wider as he shifted his attention back toward Zora, but she was already pretending to be interested in the little tune twinkling from the piano player. “Sooo. You’re a friend of Jaxon’s?” he asked.
“Hmm? Oh, no.” She flashed her million-dollar smile. “In fact, I only just met him a few minutes ago outside. Sort of. I don’t know if you could really classify that as meeting him—more like an awkward hello.” Zora was vaguely aware that she was rambling.
Richard nodded. His gaze lingered as if to weigh whether she was telling the truth. “Well, I suppose that this is the perfect venue to show off his new fiancée.”
“His…fiancée?” she asked, making sure that she hadn’t misunderstood.
From her reaction, Richard concluded the model had lied when she said that she didn’t know Jaxon.
“Yes,” he insisted. His mind was already whirling with different scenarios on how to pluck this beautiful rose right from beneath Jaxon’s nose. “I see you’re just as shocked as the rest of us. I, for one, never thought of Jaxon as the settling down type. You know his motto. ‘So many women, so little time.’” Richard chuckled, despite the fact that he was the only one laughing.
Shocked wasn’t the word that described what Zora was feeling—pissed seemed more fitting. Just then Melanie tapped Zora’s shoulder. Zora whipped her head around and leveled Melanie with a murderous look.
Melanie’s eyes widened as she took a step back. “Is there a problem?”
“You’re damn right there’s a problem,” Zora hissed but then pivoted back toward Richard with a sweet-as-honey smile. “Could you please excuse us for a moment?” she asked Richard.
“No. No. Not at all.” He stepped back and then suggested, “I’ll see about wrangling up some hors d’oeuvres.”
“Sounds great.” Zora smiled, but then dropped it when she snatched Melanie’s hand and led her a few feet away. “What in the hell is going on? Is this some kind of sick joke?”
“Okay. I know that you might be a little angry right now,” Melanie said gently, hoping to smooth over this unfortunate hiccup.
“Engaged?” Zora hissed, ignoring Melanie placating tone. “Are you kidding me? The man is engaged?”
Melanie’s eyes widened like a little girl caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “Okay. I know that might seem like a little snag—”
“A snag?” Zora reached over and literally knocked on the woman’s head. “Hello? Is anybody in there? A snag would be if the man was running late for our date or that he talked with a lisp. A fiancée is more than a snag, it’s a major problem.”
“All right. Just calm down.”
“I can’t calm down.” Zora jerked back. “What? You were trying to keep it a secret? Oh, God, did this man hire you because he’s—he’s what?—looking for some chick on the side?” Then she was hit with another possibility. “Are they swingers?” she gasped. “Was I supposed to be both of their dates?”
“What? No.” Melanie waved her hands as if that would help erase the notion from Zora’s head. “It’s nothing like that at all. It’s—”
“You know what? I don’t care.” Zora shook her head and started to move away. “I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to this. Next time, I’ll follow my instincts.”
“Wait, Zora. Let me explain.” Melanie reached for her hand, but Zora jerked it out of her reach and kept it moving.
“Damn it!” Melanie stomped her foot. Her plans were blowing up in her face even before she could put them to work.
Now untangled from his fiancée, Jaxon watched Zora Campbell and Melanie Harte with a growing interest. Well, more like he was watching Zora with interest. Clearly she was upset about something because it caused these two little cute lines to bunch over the ridge of her nose.
Next thing he knew, she was on the move—and fast. Her long legs carried her to the front door in a blink of an eye. He covered the same distance in a close second. “Leaving so soon?”
<
br /> Zora stopped cold, causing Jaxon to slam against her back. The impact propelled her into motion again, but a quick-thinking Jaxon extended an arm and caught her around the waist. She gasped at what felt like a steel band latching around her waist. When she was pulled back against a solid wall of muscles, she lost the ability to get her legs or her mind to work properly.
“Easy now.”
Zora closed her eyes at the way his buttery baritone drifted over the shell of her ear. Another delicious quiver shimmied up her center. What kind of man could make a woman come just by the sound of his voice?
A dangerous man.
The answer should have been enough to get Zora to hightail it out of there. Yet again, there was some faulty wiring between her head and her legs because she remained rooted where she stood. Of course it might have something to do with the fact that his arm was still locked around her waist—not to mention she could feel her own effect on him rising up against the curve of her butt. Needless to say she was impressed.
Very impressed.
“Are you all right?” he asked, amused.
Zora’s body temperature spiked a good ten degrees. He knew that she could feel his hard-on against her ass and he was clearly waiting to see what her next move would be. She knew what it should be, but damn, the last thing she felt like doing was the right thing.
Finally, she drew a deep breath and pushed at his arm for him to release her.
He complied, allowing his arm to swing down to his side. When she turned around, like he knew she would, he was propped comfortably against a white marble pillar and staring at her like a predator playing with his food.
“Jaxon Landon,” he introduced.
“Zora Campbell.”
“Nice to officially meet you,” he said. His gaze took its time climbing her every curve. When it finally rested on her face, a soft smile eased the corners of his lips and unbelievably his eyes grew darker. “Had I known that we had such a beautiful friend of the family, I might’ve come home more often.”
She smiled, mainly because it was the only thing she could manage to do and even that had her worrying whether she was beginning to look like a plastic idiot.
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