by Lauren Wood
With a pained heart, she turned to face him. “I thought Spencer Harker was my friend. When he invited me over that day, he did so out pretense of a job. He invited the press. He set me up. He’d discovered that his wife cheated on him, and he wanted to humiliate her. He later claimed that he had no idea what it would do to me, but he refused to deny our fake relationship. I lost my career because I trusted the wrong person. And now I can count on one hand the number of people who really know who I am. I thought that you, of all people, would know not to believe everything you read.”
She climbed out the window and shimmied down the ladder before he could respond. Tears burned in her eyes as she slipped through the park in the back and called Lizzie for a ride.
For some reason, the accusations of Charlie Connor hurt worse than the accusations of the rest of the world.
***
Charlie stood dumbfounded as he watched the breeze blow through the curtains of the open window. Of course she wouldn’t have called the press. Why would she have wanted that attention after what she had been through?
And how could he have stood there and accused her like that? As soon as the words had left his mouth, he’d regretted them. But he didn’t want her to think of all the other women that he’d been with. He didn’t want that to be an issue between them.
He didn’t want there to be any issues between them.
Moving across the room, he hit the button on his intercom that connected him to security. “There are more than a dozen reporters at my door!” he barked.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Connor,” the bewildered voice stated. “But you authorized clearance to anyone who wanted to come in today.”
“I sure as hell did not!”
“I took the call myself,” the guard insisted. “You said to let everyone in between the hours of four in the morning and noon. You gave me the password.”
Password. Only a handful of people knew Charlie’s password for the security gate. And since he didn’t think his family would pull a stunt like this, that only left one person.
Frustrated and angry, he grabbed his phone and dialed his public relations agent. “What the hell have you done?” he snapped.
“Charlie?” the man said sleepily.
“You know damn well who this is. Why are there reporters at my door?”
“What did you expect would happen? You didn’t show up at your party. They wanted to know why.”
Charlie pinched the bridge of his nose. The man sounded drunk or hung over. “But no one knows where I live, Jackson. You gave them my address. You called the guard to let them in. Why the hell would you do that?”
“I planned the biggest party of the year for you, and you didn’t even attend,” Jackson snarled nastily. “I had to get something out of it.”
“For me?” Charlie snorted. “You didn’t do it for me. I didn’t even know half the people there. You did it for you, and you didn’t once ask me what I wanted. You’ve risen to the top of your company on my back, and you couldn’t even give me one night of peace and quiet? You’re fired, Jackson.”
“What?”
“Fired. And I’ll be sure to let your boss know what kind of stunt you pulled!” He hung up on Jackson’s protests and leaned against the wall. He felt a fist close around his heart, but it had nothing to do with Jackson or the press.
He’d been so quick to judge her, and now he regretted it more than anything else in his life. For some reason, his one night with Gemma meant more to him than anything else.
He had to fix it. And it would take more than just an apology.
***
Harkers Recants Story. Says He and Model Gemma Darling Never Had Affair. Gemma nearly dropped the magazine as she read the story. “What?” Photographer Stephan Harkers admits that Gemma Darlings was an unwitting accomplice in scheme to make his wife jealous. “I made a horrible mistake that has ruined the life of a friend. I let my own feelings get in the way of logic, and I never meant to hurt anyone.” Stephan goes on to explain that after finding his own wife having an affair, he set a plot to publicly humiliate her. Only it was America’s Sweetheart Gemma Darlings that suffered the consequences. Darlings could not be reached for comment.
“That explains why my phone was blowing up yesterday,” Gemma said as she dropped the paper down on the counter. “I can’t believe Stephan would admit the truth. After all this time, that’s just so bizarre.”
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Every company that fired you is going to look like assholes now. They’ll be beating down your door to have you come back,” Lizzie said as she yawned. “Coffee?”
Gemma shuffled across the tile to make her friend a pot of coffee. “I wouldn’t have even seen this had you not brought it over. Since when do you read these kinds of magazines anyways?”
“Since months went by before I knew that my friend was in trouble,” Lizzie said as she wrinkled her nose. “I get so wrapped up in work that I sometimes forget other things are happening in the real world.”
“I know exactly how you feel.”
“So Charlie Connor called me and told me that there was a problem with his processed payment. Apparently he wanted to tip more for the extra service that was provided,” Lizzie said casually as she watched the coffee. “Exactly what service did you provide for him?”
Gemma’s ears burned with embarrassment. Four days had passed since her night with Charlie. She certainly didn’t want to talk about it now. “He mentioned that the delivery included extra service. Tableside service. Since I’m not sure of your operations, I didn’t want to get you in trouble. So I plated the food, and I cleaned up when we were done.”
“Uh-huh.” Lizzie’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Gemma, that’s not included. All you had to do was drop it and leave. And Mr. Connor was well aware of that.”
Asshole. That was one more thing she would add to his list of sins. “Well, too late now.”
“Right. And when you said that we were done, you meant what exactly?”
Oops. She’d walked right in that one. “He mentioned that it was his birthday, and that he didn’t want to spend it alone. He insisted that I join him for dinner,” she muttered as she ducked his head.
Lizzie abandoned her post at the coffee machine and grabbed her purse. “So that would explain this headline?”
A streak of panic went through Gemma as she reached over and snagged the article. Gemma Darlings Spends Night with Charlie Connor.
“Shit,” she moaned. The picture showed her with tousled hair and bedroom eyes. “From the frying pan and into the fire.”
“Catering deliveries also don’t include over night stays,” Lizzie said as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “What happened?”
“Sex happened.” Gemma tossed the magazine to the floor and sighed. “We had a few beers, and we were talking. He seemed lonely. I was upset. And suddenly we were naked and making out like teenagers.”
“My god. You slept with Charlie Connors. Tell me it was good.”
“It was more than good,” Gemma admitted. “It was better than anything that I’d ever had. But it doesn’t matter because it’s never going to happen again. I’m such an idiot that I actually felt like we’d connected that night. But when the press showed up, I accused him of calling them, and then he accused me of calling them. Things got dirty quick. He’s one of the biggest jerks I’ve ever met.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that just yet,” Lizzie said. Gemma watched in disbelief as she pulled yet another magazine out of her purse.
“What else do you have in there?” she demanded.
“This is the last one. I swear,” her friend laughed.
“It better be,” Gemma grumbled. Unrolling it, she realized that it was a reputable women’s magazine. This type of magazine did more than just troll celebrities.
The hook was right there on the first page. Charlie Connors Reveals All. Apparently, he’d written a letter to the editor. Her legs shaky, she sat down as she began to r
ead.
Recently there have been rumors circulating my involvement with model Gemma Darling. Because she has already been scrutinized enough by the public, I thought I would come clean with our so-called relationship. Ms. Darlings, wanting to help out her friend Elizabeth Towney, arrived at my doorstep with my order from Towney Catering. Amazing food, by the way. I was hiding from a birthday party that wasn’t really meant for me, and she was hiding behind a public judgment that had been unfairly cast on her. She and I had more in common than I could ever even being to imagine. The only difference is that she is one hundred times better than me. My label as a scoundrel is well deserved, but she lost everything trying to rise above a ridiculously humiliating situation. There is a pureness in her that I can’t even dream of ever achieving, and I have to admit of being attracted to that. More than attracted.
I’ve upset people in the past, and those ghosts have come back not only to haunt me but also to haunt Gemma as well. One night with her, and the public has already written her off as a harlot. She’s anything but.
My time spent with her meant more to me than I could ever imagine. And I very much hope that perhaps she’ll want to award me with even one more moment of her time.
So before you take a look at the picture that’s circulating and start to whisper, keep in mind that I’m the scoundrel in all of this. And this scoundrel may have just finally met the person who could make him better.
Gemma’s lips trembled as she finished reading the letter. “They’re calling it the sweetest love letter every written,” Lizzie said gently. “Of course, you’d know that if you’d turn on the television.”
“Do you think it’s just a PR stunt?”
Lizzie came over and took the magazine from her hands. “I think Charlie Connors is very powerful. I think he’s powerful enough to get Stephan to tell the truth. And I think he’s powerful enough not to give a damn about one picture floating around. He didn’t do this for him, Gemma. He did it for you. You said you thought there was a connection? Well here is your proof.”
“What do I do now?” Lizzie said as she looked up.
“Ball’s in your court. If you want to turn that spark into a flame, then I suggest you let him know.”
Lizzie didn’t need any more prompting. She didn’t bother with her usual disguise. She didn’t even bother changing out of her pajamas or throwing on make-up. She raced across the room and flung open the door.
And ran straight into a hard body.
“Whoa.” Charlie’s hands shot out to steady her. “Are you okay?”
“You’re here,” she stuttered as she looked up. He was clearly dressed for work. His dark grey suit was cut close to his figure, and she wanted nothing more than to slide her fingers between the buttons of his crisp white shirt.
“I am here,” he said awkwardly. “I did this thing yesterday, and I thought you might get in touch with me. And when you didn’t, I thought you might be mad at me. So I came over so you could yell at me.”
“You came over so I could yell at you?” she repeated stupidly. She was getting lost in those blue eyes.
“Yes. Are you going to yell at me?”
“What?” She shook her head as she tried to regain her composure. “No. I’m not going to yell at you. I just got the article. Literally. I tend to avoid everything these days. Lizzie brought it over.”
“Thanks for the exposure,” Lizzie called from inside the apartment.
His shoulders straightened, and he smiled. “Well, you don’t want to yell at me. So what do you want to do?” he murmured.
“Did you mean it? What you said? Or were you just trying to be nice?”
“I meant every word.”
Gemma took a deep breath. “I felt something that night, Charlie. And I’d like to see where it goes. But I don’t think it’s going to be easy. We both attract way too much attention.”
“I don’t need it to be easy, Gemma,” he said softly. “I just need you to be on board with me.”
“I’m on board,” she said as she smiled. She thought her heart would burst from excitement. He bent down to kiss her, and it felt right. As she wrapped her arms around him, she knew that this was only the beginning. They could forge something truly beautiful together.
She’d started the week broke, depressed, and in the arms of the most notorious rake in the city. And now she was about to give him her heart, and she knew that she’d never look back.
THE END
ALPHA’S HEART
There was a chill in the air and a light, wet haze covered everything I could see in the pale moonlight. My senses guided me through the trees as I clutched my rifle close to me. For once, the field was quiet, but I knew that was only because we hadn’t been spotted yet. As soon as me or one of my men made the wrong move the whole land would come alive with an uproar of bullets and blood.
Thankfully, I was the only one still in human form. I usually was, but only because my job was the most precious. As soon as we neared the base I had to take the sentry out while my brothers, still in wolf form, took the base. This time, however, I knew it wouldn’t be so easy. Vampires are never easy. Then again, taking out the cold-blooded freaks would be even harder to do for a ‘normal’ person. Normal people… Do they even really exist?
The entire reason my unit was made was to take out those leeches. In some ways, I could be grateful to the men who made it possible, but for my boys and I, something about the whole thing was just…unsettling. Night after night we’d stalk the fallen remains of battlegrounds long after the winners and losers were decided. Do they think we’re cowards? I wondered, eyeing a wolf’s tail and then another on my opposite side. We’re wolves, not vultures.
I growled, feeling my wolf stirring and clawing at my heart. Just a few feet ahead, I could see a dim light coming out from a short structure in the distance. As we neared the clearing, I slowed down and then stopped completely. I held a hand up to tell the others to stop and all at once, the air was still. Very faintly, I could hear my pack’s breaths. The slow, controlled breaths we had to do in order to keep the vampires off our tracks.
Where are you…? I wondered as I scoped out the base with my night vision binoculars, looking for a trace of movement. Perched atop a tower overseeing the whole base, I could make out subtle movements. I raised my rifle and took aim, but as I slid my finger onto the trigger and peculiar scent graced my nose. After giving my head a firm shake, nearly knocking my helmet off, I readjusted my hold on the weapon only for it to falter again. Out of frustration, I growled and tried to pin the scent to a memory. The sweet, Earthy scent reminded me of something, but I couldn’t remember what.
My ear twitched on upon reflex as someone shifted back into human form and walked up behind me. I could tell it was Jack based on his heavy, musky scent now covering the old scent’s. Growing more frustrated, I snarled at him, but he put one of his heavy hands on my shoulder.
“Hey, what’s the hold up?” he asked in a whisper right into my ear.
I tapped his hand twice, signaling him to let go. As his hand slipped off, I replied, “There’s something weird about that guy up there. He doesn’t smell like a normal vampire.”
Jack coughed up a dry laugh. “So? Take him out.”
A part of me wanted to reach back there and punch Jack right in the shoulder. No matter what we did, he always had to be so short sighted. No, there has to be more to it than that. “I want to investigate,” I stated, taking a step forward. I turned around as the other wolves walked up beside Jack. “I’m going up there to check it out for myself. I’ll give a signal when it’s safe to go in, all right? If you don’t see the signal for a while, well then…”
Jack crossed his arms, glaring at me. “I hope your hunch is right, Ross.”
I smirked and said, “Hasn’t steered me wrong yet.”
The soldier wearing only a few weapon belts and a large backpack nodded to me and the wolves around him scattered into various sections of the forest—surrounding the
base. I took a deep breath and turned to the structure. Just the size of it made my heart skip a beat, but I was determined to see why I couldn’t pull the trigger.
In the back of my mind, I didn’t truly know whether this was the right choice or not, but as I ascended the tower, I felt surer in my decision. It was easy to convince the others that I was confident, but much harder to convince myself. I climbed up the tall, thinly built structure with one hand since the other was holding my rifle, but eventually I made it to the top.
Standing before me, back facing me was a soldier unlike any other. The scent that rolled off of them was sweet—almost like perfume and they weren’t the size of a regular soldier at all. They were big—bigger than I thought their uniform could fit them, and yet, I found myself enjoying the size. They wore a tight outfit of cameo, but part of their midsection was exposed. I knew it’d be too easy to kill them, so I figured that I could do them a favor and spare them since I had the choice.
I crept up behind the unsuspecting soldier, pulling out my knife to hold against their throat as I raised my foot to kick the gun out of their dangling hand. The solder flailed in my grasp and it was difficult to keep a hold of them, but digging into my werewolf muscle helped to keep them secure.
“Pl-please! Oh, please! Have mercy!” cried a feminine voice, making me stop for a moment.
Am I hearing things…? “What was that, soldier?” I asked for confirmation.
“I… I…” The voice choked out, making me release my grip a little. “I don’t want to die…”
Oh my God! A woman… A woman…here? Of all the places. It’s weird. She doesn’t smell like them… She’s even feels warm. I clicked my tongue disapprovingly. “Hey now, no one’s killing anyone.”
“Yeah…?” she asked weakly, now trembling in my hands.
“Yeah,” I replied as I pulled my knife away, but pulled her weapon to me with my foot. Just in case you decide to change your mind… I thought as I looked down at the pistol. She turned around to mouth the words, ‘Thank you,’ but I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. Looking around at the other stations, I asked, “So, where is everyone else? Looks like it’s just you.”
