Bedazzled (The Beguiling Bachelors Book 1)

by Madison Michael

  Keeli could hear the garbled voice of an unhappy man on the other end of the line shouting as Wyatt held the phone several inches away from his ear, mimicking the disembodied voice.

  “Relax, Father, really. You will give yourself another heart attack. I missed a meeting. The world will not end and the deal will close. I promise. I know this is important. Yes, Father, I am aware. No Father, I have not forgotten. Yes, Father, I understand my responsibilities. I will call their office and fall on my sword. It will be fine. I promise. Go catch your train, read a magazine or something and I will make it all okay.”

  Wyatt sounded like he was talking to a petulant child, repeating the same phrases over and over, calming his father. The voice grew fainter; the rage apparently over, and after more of the same, Wyatt disconnected the call with a frustrated mutter, running his hand through his hair.

  “My father. He seems to think I belonged somewhere other than your place this afternoon.” His voice was heavy with irony, his smile disarming, but Keeli was not fooled. Wyatt had work to do today and instead he had been in bed with her. He did not strike her as the type of man to blow off work, quite the opposite in fact.

  “I’m so sorry.” She didn’t not know what else to say, feeling somehow at fault, although she certainly hadn’t lured him to her place. “I know how important your work is.”

  “Are you? I’m not sorry at all. Not at all,” and with one sentence he recaptured the earlier mood. Wyatt made a sharp turn into the underground garage of a luxury condominium building just off Chicago’s “Magnificent Mile”. She had a vague idea of where Wyatt lived but could not help being impressed now with the location.

  He kept making hairpin turns lower under the building until he effortlessly slid the Panamera into a tight parking space between the SUV and an imposing concrete post.

  Keeli grabbed her hobo bag from behind the front seat along with the beautiful flowers, while Wyatt took the food and a gorgeous leather briefcase. Keeli was anticipating Wyatt’s condo with some trepidation.

  Another way to highlight our differences. I hate being reminded.

  Feeling insecure already, Keeli knew that her apartment juxtaposed with his condo would not be helpful. She knew that the relationship was a whim for him, but she wanted it to last as long as possible. She wanted to know this man and she lived in fear of his leaving her. One night had felt like a lifetime already. Now that she had experienced Wyatt in bed, she knew she would be devastated when he left.

  Ultimately he will have to be with someone from his social circle – some skinny bitch like Sloane. Yeah, probably Sloane.

  Keeli knew that Wyatt leaving would be hard enough let alone picturing him with Sloane. She tried to have Keeli fired and Keeli would never forgive her for that. Keeli hoped when the time came for them to part that she would be gracious about Wyatt falling in love and marrying. She knew his family expected it, that he wanted it.

  She wanted it too. Someday. And with a man just like Wyatt. He was tender, smart, funny and incredible in bed. Keeli, when she was honest with herself, knew that Wyatt could break her heart.

  I am totally falling for Wyatt. No matter how hard I try not to, no matter how many times I remind myself he will leave me, the guy is just captivating to me. He is storming his way right into my heart.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Keeli was roused from her thoughts by the elevator bell signaling their arrival at the 28th floor. There were four doors opening off the wide hallway and she waited to see which way to go. Wyatt took her hand in his, doing those lazy thumb circles that drove her to distraction as they walked to the end of the corridor and he entered a code on a keypad to open the door.

  “These two are mine.” He indicated the door he was opening and one halfway down the hall.

  “Two?” Keeli could not afford a closet in this building and he owned two units.

  “I wanted the extra space so I put two units together. It gives me a good guest room, plus an office and some privacy. You’ll see.” He announced all this as if it was nothing but Keeli’s trepidation was growing by leaps and bounds. How could she ever have thought she might fit in his world?

  As they entered, he indicated a heavy marble table in the foyer for her purse then moved straight ahead into a large kitchen, dropped the food on the counter and took the vase of flowers from her to place them prominently on the counter. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a slow, thorough kiss that left her pulse fluttering.

  “Come on, I’ll show you around. Then we’ll eat cause I am famished. Somehow or other I managed to work up quite an appetite,” he lifted a single brow and gave Keeli a leering grin. She couldn’t help but laugh.

  Standing in the modern kitchen, Keeli was overwhelmed already. The kitchen seemed to be the size of her entire apartment, or at least it felt like it, all open space and stainless steel. It had a high ceiling and a view over the tops of buildings all around them. One wall held cabinets and what appeared to be a brand new double oven. The next wall had the sink, dishwasher and refrigerator, also looking shiny and unused. In the middle was an enormous wood and stainless island with a gray countertop reflecting the five lamps hanging above it.

  The entire room looked like something out of a magazine.

  “How about some wine?” Keeli looked to see Wyatt holding up a bottle that he must have extricated from the wine refrigerator right behind him. She nodded yes and he pointed to a cabinet near her, asking her to get two glasses. Instantly she went from feeling like an observer to a helper in the kitchen. Keeli felt her nerves ratchet down a notch.

  Keeli looked past the cabinet to see a second island containing another oven and a wet bar. Grabbing two glasses from the bar, she turned to Wyatt, catching a glimpse of a glass and metal dining table centered in the dining room. Walls of windows on two sides and the entrance to a balcony on the third all reflected her mane of red hair surrounding a pixie face with her mouth hanging open. Shutting it immediately she schooled her features and admired the sense of the table hanging over the city on air.

  “Whoever designed this place did an amazing job,” she admitted trying to contain her awe.

  “That would be me,” Wyatt replied, a hint of pride in his voice. “Except the living room. I hate the living room, but it was designed for a magazine article, so I just left it when they finished shooting. You’ll see.”

  He poured some fragrant red wine into the stemmed glasses, handed one to Keeli and took her hand.

  “I’ll give you the ten cent tour.” He started leading her from the room. “Obviously this is the kitchen, and the dining room is over there.” He was pointing toward the ‘floating’ table and then pulling her from the room. The gray tile floors sparkled, the white and wood cabinets kept the space from being cold. It was large and modern but inviting somehow.

  Impressive.

  “We’ll come back to the living room in a sec,” Wyatt explained as they walked past the opening to the dark room. Moving down a corridor lined with modern paintings and sculptures, Keeli’s feet sank into a gorgeous blue oriental rug. Somehow the contemporary and traditional worked perfectly together alongside deep, rich wainscoting. Walking past two doors on the right, Wyatt flicked on and off the lights quickly and said succinctly, “guest room, guest bath,” before opening the last door on that side.

  “This is my home office. Nothing personal but it is hands off to guests, so I would appreciate you respecting my privacy on this. I have client financial reports and the like so I am protecting their privacy as well.” The statement could have been construed as cold and suspicious but he said it so matter-of-factly that Keeli just understood that this was his sanctuary.

  “Sure, of course, I respect that completely.”

  Wyatt closed the door to the office after Keeli got a brief peek into the dim space. More dark wood, many books and a massive desk covered with two computer monitors and stacks of papers. She thought she saw a low white sofa, maybe leather, against the wall but the door
closed quickly and Wyatt was moving away.

  Opening the door across the hall he announced “our room” as he thumbed the light switch and the two bedside lamps lit gradually.

  Our room? Did he just say our room?

  Again, the room was huge, dominated by a large bed with a gray leather headboard with brass studs all around it. The bed had a crisp white quilt bordered in gray and the bedside tables were pale gray wood. One was empty; the other held a small stack of papers and books. Gray curtains in a heavy fabric covered the large windows that ran from floor to ceiling along one wall. A low, long bookcase overflowing with small artifacts and books ran the length of the windows, more modern art was displayed on the walls and Keeli was itching to look at all of it more closely.

  Wyatt had crossed the large room, pulling her along to another door.

  “This place just goes on and on, doesn’t it?” Keeli was overwhelmed. “It’s enormous.”

  “Yeah, it is a lot of space for just me, but I wanted this configuration. Besides it was a great buy in the right neighborhood, and I am in real estate, so…”

  “Location, location, location,” Keeli quoted the mantra of all real estate agents before stepping forward into a bright white space.

  “Now I see why you said we would shower here. This is a little nicer than my place.” Keeli’s understatement got a smile from Wyatt. The bathroom was enormous - a marble palace the size of Keeli’s living room. The walls were stark white with recessed lighting reflecting off every surface. Keeli wandered further into the room, running her fingers lightly over the long countertop. The two square sinks sunken into it were spotlessly clean and the countertop was bare of toiletries. Turning around she drooled over a two-person tub that resembled a small swimming pool, with the updated version of a chandelier hanging in the private alcove.

  Next to the tub, surrounded by dark wooden shelves overflowing with towels, was a shower big enough for a sports team to share. Inside were a thermostat, too many handles to count and at least three showerheads. There was even a marble bench large enough to lie down on.

  Ooh, we could have some serious fun in here.

  “OK, now I am suitably impressed, Wyatt. I could live in this bathroom if you could arrange for a small refrigerator and microwave?”

  “Yeah, it’s pretty nice. There is a small refrigerator in that corner,” he pointed to a cabinet across the room. “Just kidding.”

  Keeli gave his triceps a friendly punch allowing Wyatt to take her in his arms again and kiss her soundly.

  “Let’s eat,” he surprised her by saying while dragging her back to the kitchen.

  Wyatt was a whirlwind in the kitchen, grabbing plates, silverware, refilling wine glasses, setting out placemats and even lighting a pair of candlesticks all in a matter of moments. He scooped the food from its containers to beautiful china plates and carried it all to the table, tasking Keeli only with grabbing napkins from a nearby drawer. In less than three minutes they were seated at the dining room table, her flowers a lovely centerpiece, for a candlelit steak dinner.

  “This must be the best restaurant in town, Wyatt. Thank you so much,” Keeli took Wyatt’s hand, squeezed it lightly and looked into his eyes. She wanted to be sure he understood that she took none of this for granted and his proud smile in return indicated to her that he did.

  Raising his glass to her, Wyatt spoke softly, “To many more dinners together. To many more lots of things together,” he added with a mischievous grin.

  “To lots more,” she responded sipping the fine wine. He dug into his steak heartily and they ate with limited conversation for several minutes until he finally put his fork down when his meal was half gone.

  “Keeli, you know how to give a man a serious appetite.” Wyatt realized the double entendre after a moment and started to laugh. She took another moment to understand the joke before joining him sputtering “my pleasure”.

  “I didn’t mean it that way,” he backpedaled finally, catching his breath. “Or maybe I did.”

  “So, tell me something about yourself, Wyatt.” Keeli was determined to get to know this man on every possible level. “I know you have a birth mark just above your butt, that you play a mean game of hockey, but I don’t know what makes you happy, or sad, or proud. I don’t know your favorite color, your interests, your likes and dislikes, except steak.”

  “Not true, you know a lot about me. You know I collect art, you have met or seen most of my friends and family, you have seen where I live. You know more about me than I do about you,” he accused.

  “Oh no, you are not going to do this to me again. You always manage to turn the tables so I end up talking. Not happening. Start with something simple. Tell me about your plans for your new business.”

  Wyatt cringed slightly, stalling while he took a huge bite of steak and chewed thoughtfully. “That is anything but simple. Right now that is something of a sore subject for me actually,” he began slowly. However, he put his utensils down and Keeli could tell he was about to open up to her.

  “I think I have told you that I want to run a technology business. I was a closet geek in college, did you know that? I was afraid it would ruin my jock image, make it harder to get girls. What did I know? Anyway, I am supposed to meet with potential backers in a few weeks, venture capital folks who might be prepared to fund my new company, and I have yet to tell my father that I am leaving. How do I tell him now, when he is sick? I was about to tell him when he had a heart attack.” He jumped in to reassure Keeli before she could ask. “A mild one, but still. So here I am caught in this mess.

  “You know I work for my dad, and you know I want to leave to start my own company, but I am not sure how if you understand how hard it will be telling my father that I want out. My father worked for his father and my grandfather worked for his father, and it was always believed that I would continue – and grow – their legacy. As the eldest son, I would be expected to protect the business and use it to provide for everyone in the clan, to be the patriarch someday. Telling him I want out is a very big deal and right now my father is not in the best of health, which makes it a bad time to leave and a bad time to tell him I am leaving. It’s just a lousy combination.”

  “I am sorry to hear he is unwell,” Keeli murmured.

  “Yeah, thank you for that.. Real estate is okay, don’t get me wrong, and we certainly are a successful company. There is even a lot of opportunity but…”

  Wyatt went silent, his words hanging between them while he idly twirled the stem of his wine glass, lost in thought.

  “Oh Wyatt, how awful for you. I think I finally understand the pressure you are under but I am sure your dad will be supportive of your dreams. He is your dad after all.” Even as she said the words, Keeli knew she was not sure at all. Wyatt had spoken repeatedly about his family’s traditions and expectations. He was in a tough spot.

  “The ironic part of this whole thing is that you were right when you suggested that my sister Regan might want to run the business. I believe she really does. I haven’t discussed it with her, and obviously, I haven’t discussed it with the rest of my family. Except Missy. She knows everything about it. She and I have no secrets.”

  “I have one month to figure it out and everyone has been walking on eggshells around my father since his attack. The doctor says he is fine now and he is back at work part time. He is getting out, but we all still worry. My mother would fall apart if something happened to him.”

  “I am sure he will be fine Wyatt. I saw him at the gala and he looked very fit. So did your mother. They make a great couple.”

  “They should. They have been married nearly forty years. They can finish each other’s thoughts. He takes care of her and she supports his goals. Both of them put family honor and tradition first. They make a unified front. Family is absolutely everything in our house and I worry that if I go out on my own, it will be considered a betrayal.”

  “Come on, really? It’s the twenty-first century.” Keeli trie
d not to sound skeptical or judgmental but a bit of cynicism crept into her voice. “I would think your family would love to see your pioneering spirit, your willingness to take a chance.” Keeli wanted desperately to be supportive to Wyatt in his venture, to see him succeed.

  “I know you think you understand, Keeli, but you really don’t,” Wyatt responded dejectedly. “You do not know my family. Loyalty, family, closing ranks, we are born understanding these things. Each generation passes the torch to the next whose responsibility it is to go to the right schools, know the right people, marry the right girl, and live in the right neighborhood. Of course you must continue the empire that supports it all, make it larger and more successful with each generation. We are like the Kennedys – lots and lots of money, lots and lots of expectations.”

  “You’re right,” Keeli jumped in, “I don’t know what it’s like to be born with a silver spoon in my mouth and a lot of traditions to uphold. But I do understand the price you pay for breaking with family, for failing to live up to their expectations.”

  Wyatt rolled his eyes at Keeli, so she rushed to continue. “I understand family, I really do. My brothers all work the farm my father worked before them. My mother still hounds me to come back home. She thinks I am some kind of lunatic for leaving Gilman. I belong at home with my family, she would say, married to a Gilman boy.

  “You want to know what that life would look like? I would get a job or help on the farm days and make more babies to carry on the tradition. She thinks my jewelry designing might be a nice little hobby, something I do in my spare time. I could sell my ‘beads’, as she calls them, at the country fair, but make a career at it? No way. My family has no intention of entering the twenty-first century and they are angry that I defied them to do so.” Keeli shut up realizing she had hijacked the conversation again.

  “Anyway, I just said that to show you I understand,” she continued. “Notice, Wyatt, I left anyway to pursue my dreams. I walked away from their expectations to live up to my own. And I had a lot less going for me than you do. You can do this, I am sure of it. I bet you are a genius.”