Deacon (Starkis Family #1)

by Cheryl Douglas

  ***

  The club was crowded, making it nearly impossible for us to find our friends in the sea of sweaty bodies and groping hands. Perverts. We finally found them at a table near a bank of windows overlooking the dance floor. They were surrounded by guys, and the table in front of them was full of shot glasses, some full, some empty. And it was only ten o’clock. This would be a wild night.

  “There they are!” Edie shrieked as she stumbled toward us.

  I laughed as she hugged me so hard that we both nearly ended up on the floor. She’d already kicked her high heels off under the table, making me wonder how long they’d been there.

  “Jesus,” a tall, handsome, dark-haired guy said, elbowing his friend as they gave Eleni and me a thorough once-over. “This just keeps getting better. I can’t believe our luck, meeting Alabaster’s models. Our buddies will never believe it.”

  I tried to suppress my eye-roll but couldn’t. Guys thought dating a lingerie or swimsuit model was a badge of honor. I’d never met one who didn’t care whether she was a bitch who emasculated him as long as he could tell his friends he’d banged her. Sad but true. Which meant I’d watched my friends turn into serious man-eaters. Eleni claimed I was missing out on a great opportunity to get even with the opposite sex on behalf of women everywhere, but I didn’t get off on bringing others misery, no matter how much fun Eleni said it could be.

  “My name’s Jamie,” the dark-haired one said, offering his hand.

  “Nice to meet you.” I smiled politely. “I’m Mia, and this is my friend Eleni.”

  “Shit,” the sandy-haired, musclebound friend said, gripping his beer bottle. “You know who this is, Jamie? She’s the cover model, the one in the white bikini.”

  He was right. I had been wearing a white bikini on the last cover.

  “Good memory,” I said with a tight smile. The way they were ogling me made me feel as though I’d been a naked centerfold. Trying to ignore their intense perusal, I made my way around the table to hug each of my girlfriends.

  “What are you drinking?” Jamie asked, standing close enough to brush shoulders with me.

  “I’ll just grab a glass of wine when the waitress stops by.” I was trying not to be rude, but I’d come there to catch up with my friends, not ward off a jerk’s advances all night.

  Eleni reached for a full shot glass on the table as she winked at me. “You’re wasting your time. She’s banging Alabaster’s head honcho. You won’t get anywhere with her. Me, on the other hand…”

  “Shut the hell up!” Edie said, grabbing my forearm. “You and Deacon? Since when?”

  All of the girls, who suddenly looked stone-cold sober, turned to me for answers.

  “We’ve just been… uh… getting to know each other for a little while.”

  “Wait a minute,” Christie, a tall, slim blonde, said, shaking her head as though she were trying to clear out cobwebs. “What happened to Drew? I thought he was the love of your life.”

  “We broke up.” I wanted to avoid saying more since the two guys were hanging on our every word. “Just decided it was time to move on.”

  “So you and Starkis?” Melanie was a fiery redhead with bright green eyes and flawless creamy skin. “I can’t believe it. You were the last one I thought would get mixed up with him.”

  Eleni smiled at the two men. “Uh, boys, we need a little girl time. Why don’t you come back and see us in a bit?”

  After a bit of grumbling, the two men departed.

  Melanie divvied up the shots on the table, five apiece. “Okay, we want details. Tell us how it happened.”

  “He emailed me after a shoot a few months ago to tell me he was pleased with it. It just kind of evolved from there. We emailed and texted for a while but just met recently.” I threw back a shot of Sambuca. I’d need a little liquid courage to get through their inquisition.

  “So you’ve slept with him?” Edie laughed when I nodded. “He’s wild, isn’t he? I swear, that guy ruined me for all other men.”

  I ignored the painful burn of both the liquor and Edie’s words as I reached for another glass.

  “Yeah, me too.” Mel giggled, elbowing Eleni in the ribs. “The man is a master. In every sense of the word.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

  When I tossed back the second shot, I feared it might come right back up. My stomach churned in protest. I wasn’t a big drinker. I knew shots were a bad idea, but I had to obliterate this conversation from my memory somehow.

  Edie grasped Christie’s hand across the table. “Remember that night at his place? That was a first for me. I never thought I’d get off just watching, but that was seriously hot.”

  “Hmmm.” Christie closed her eyes as though trying to recapture the memory. “Yeah, and then he—”

  “You said this happened at his house?” I reached for shot number three. That lying bastard! It wasn’t bad enough he’d had kinky threesomes with my friends and I had to hear about it, but he’d lied to me about where it had happened?

  “Yeah,” Christie said, her head bobbing. “That is some place he’s got. I mean, I knew he was a billionaire, but you don’t really get that until you see the way he lives. Did you know he has fifteen cars? Fifteen freakin’ cars! I mean, seriously, who needs that many cars?”

  I should have been grateful we’d ventured into safer territory, at least for the moment.

  “So he called me a couple weeks ago and told me to come to his office.” Christie grinned and ran her tongue over her teeth. “I was downstairs, so I made it up there in record time.”

  “Seriously?” Mel asked. “What did he want?”

  “What do you think he wanted?” She laughed. “Gave me some story about it being a rough day and said he needed a little stress relief.”

  Eleni’s eyes met mine across the table. Ugh. I knew that look. She felt sorry for me—sorry I’d been taken in by a lying son of a bitch who’d claimed I was special. Well, screw him! He wasn’t the only man in the world.

  Jamie slipped his arm around the back of my chair. “We made ourselves scarce as long as we could, but we couldn’t resist the temptation to come back and at least offer to buy another round of drinks for you lovely ladies.”

  Melanie laughed as she gestured at the full shot glasses. “We have to work our way through these ones first.”

  “Well, let us help you with that.” Jamie picked up one of the glasses in front of me and downed it.

  He really was handsome in a super-jock kind of way. I reached for my last shot, ignoring the warning look I got from El. My best friend was just trying to look out for me, but I didn’t need a babysitter. I needed someone who could remind me how good it felt to be young and free.

  “Wanna dance?” I asked, tipping my head up to meet Jamie’s eyes. They were blue, like his. No! I would not think about Starkis. After everything I’d learned about him, I didn’t care if I ever saw him again—so long as he continued to sign my paychecks. A girl had to eat!

  “I’d love to.” He took my hand and led me onto the crowded dance floor.

  Four shots felt as if I’d had the whole bottle. I guessed it was my fault for throwing them back in ten minutes on an empty stomach.

  Jamie laughed when I stumbled, and he had to catch me before I did a face-plant on the dance floor. Eleni was right—I couldn’t hold my liquor. I was grateful it was a slow song and I could rely on Jamie to hold me up. I didn’t think I could trust my legs to support my weight.

  “So you and this guy… is it serious?” he asked.

  “There is no other guy.”

  “But I thought your friends said—”

  “He’s an asshat.”

  Jamie grinned. “Well then, it seems my timing is perfect.”

  I closed my eyes as his hands cupped my butt and his lips skimmed my neck. He was already aroused, not that I was surprised. I didn’t want this or him. I just wanted to forget the pain of being deceived.

  I tipped my head back to give him better access, and my
arms circled his neck as I tried to pretend he was someone else, someone who turned me on. His lips collided with mine in a hungry possession that abruptly ended my fantasy. He smelled like cheap beer and cigarettes, and his taste made me want to wretch. Before I could break free, someone’s hand came down hard on his shoulder, pulling us apart.

  “Miss Barnes,” Barry said, “I’m going to have to ask you to come with me now.” He thrust my purse into my hands.

  “But I just got here,” I whined, leaning into Jamie’s chest. “I’m not ready to leave yet.”

  “I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.”

  I would have argued, but I felt nauseated, and I didn’t want to make a fool of myself by puking all over the dance floor or my dance partner. “Fine, but I have to tell my friends I’m leaving. Just gimme a minute.”

  “I’ve already told them I’m taking you home. I’ll come back to pick them up later.”

  He’d thought of everything, hadn’t he? Not that I was surprised. Deacon was undoubtedly paying him a small fortune to be his eyes and ears. That’s when realization dawned on me. “Why are you in here? Why weren’t you waiting in the car? Did Deacon tell you to keep an eye on me?”

  Stone-faced, he said, “I’m not at liberty to discuss my employer’s directives with you, Miss Barnes.”

  I could tell he was disgusted with me. Last night he’d been amiable and friendly, but tonight he was short and abrupt, as though he could barely stand the sight of me. I wanted to tell him that Deacon was the lying cheat, not me, but I didn’t want to belabor our conversation any longer than I had to.

  Jamie’s arm circled my waist. “I can take the lady home, boss. You take the rest of the night off.”

  Barry scowled as he reached for my hand. “I don’t think so.”

  “Hey!” Jamie shouted when Barry pulled me away. “At least let me get her number!”

  Barry hustled me into the car without a word, slamming the door with more force than necessary. How unprofessional!

  I closed my eyes and let myself drift off. I just wanted to forget everything that had happened tonight. Maybe I would wake up and realize the whole thing had been an awful nightmare.

  I woke when I felt a blast of air on my bare legs. It took me a moment to realize Barry was holding out his hand, waiting to help me from the limo. I slipped out, surprised I felt a little steadier on my feet than I had when I’d left the club. The fresh air and catnap must have helped.

  When I realized where I was, a fresh wave of nausea washed over me. Barry had brought me to Deacon’s house. Damn it! I should never have fallen asleep. “I want to go home. Now!”

  As though he hadn’t heard me, he guided me up the steep steps to the front door. “Sorry, I had specific instructions to bring you here.”

  “But—”

  Before I could argue, he bounded down the stairs and opened the driver’s door of the waiting limo. Coward. As I watched his taillights disappear, I realized I didn’t have a choice. I’d have to face my lying, deceitful ex whether I wanted to or not.

  I didn’t bother knocking. I knew he’d be expecting me.

  He was sitting in a leather chair in front of the fireplace, his feet up on an ottoman, and drinking from a glass of amber liquid. A chill ran through me at the sight of him. His expression was impassive, but the tension emanating from him indicated he was livid.

  I closed the door quietly and slipped off my shoes. I still wasn’t too steady, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself by stumbling on the limestone tile. “Barry said you wanted to see me.” My voice was shaky, my rage melting with fear. I knew he was volatile, and I had no idea what he might be thinking or planning.

  He looked at me a long time, his eyes swiping me from head to toe and back and again. “There’s something I’d like you to see before we talk.” He nodded at an iPad on the coffee table between us. “Have a look at that.”

  I picked up the tablet, my hands shaking. I hit the button to bring the screen to life. I couldn’t say I was surprised Barry had taken a video of me kissing Jamie and sent it to Deacon. It looked hot and erotic, not at all the way it felt. Jamie’s hands were on my ass, grinding my pelvis into his arousal as he devoured my mouth. In spite of what had been going through my mind at the time, I appeared to be eager for his kiss, inviting more. I set the tablet on the table, unsure what I should say or do in response.

  “Explain.”

  “You first.”

  He glared at me, his grip on the glass tightening. “Excuse me?”

  “You said you’d never invited another woman to your home. You said you hadn’t been with anyone else in that bed.”

  “I haven’t.”

  “You’re a liar.”

  His eyes narrowed, fury emanating from him. “Be careful, theia. I am in no mood to deal with your unfounded accusations right now.”

  “You had a threesome with Edie and Christie here.” I tried to keep my emotions in check, but verbalizing that brought the pain to the surface again.

  His expression softened a touch, as though he was beginning to fit the pieces together. “I host a party here every year for Alabaster’s. The girls were here, but the… incident… you’re referring to happened in my pool house, not in my bedroom, and it wasn’t a threesome. I was with Christie and Edie walked in on us. When I realized she was there, I asked her to leave.”

  Oh. That made it marginally better, I supposed. But the thought of him with other women still felt like a dagger inching through my stomach.

  “But that was before I met you, so I don’t see how it’s relevant.” He stood and walked to a gilded antique hutch in the corner. After uncapping a crystal decanter, he poured another finger of what appeared to be scotch into his highball glass.

  “Did you call Christie a couple of weeks ago and ask her to come to your office?”

  He threw the drink back in one swallow before facing me, the empty glass in his hand. “I did.”

  “Because you wanted… sex?” I could barely get the words out, they tasted so vile. But I had to know the truth.

  “Yes.”

  My tears were unexpected, a blend of hurt, anger, and frustration. “That’s what I thought. We have nothing left to say—” I screamed when he hurled the glass at the front door, shattering it into hundreds of tiny shards and effectively blocking my exit.

  “I have a lot to say, and you’re going to listen to every goddamn word!” He crossed the room in the blink of an eye. His fingers bit into my upper arms as he shook me slightly.

  “Take your hands off me,” I whispered, almost afraid of what his reaction might be. I’d never seen a man so crazed, and it terrified me.

  “That’s what you should have said to that piece of shit trying to get into your panties earlier,” he whispered.

  His scotch-laced breath tickled my senses, and in spite of my mixed emotions, I was aroused.

  “You should have told him I’m the only one allowed to touch you.” He flattened my body to his, his hands cupping my ass the same way Jamie’s had. “How dare you let him touch you like this.”

  “I was hurt.” I swallowed back the tears, determined to stand my ground. He may not have lied, but what I’d learned about him made me question whether or not I would ever be woman enough for him and if I even wanted to try. “And angry. And confused.”

  “Understood.” He reached under my dress and tore off my lace panties so fast I shrieked. “But when you feel that way, you ask me. You talk to me. You don’t stick your tongue down some punk’s throat hoping to find the answers there.”

  He was right. I knew he was, but I wasn’t ready to concede yet.

  “I can’t change my past.” He tore my dress down to plump and squeeze my breast. “Would I if I could? Maybe, knowing how much it bothers you. But I can’t. That’s who I was. It’s not who I am today.”

  “It was just a couple of weeks ago,” I cried. “I was in your life then. How can I believe you’ve changed so much in such a short period of ti
me?”

  “You may have been in my life,” he murmured, his voice still fierce, “but you weren’t mine. You were his. I had to go home alone every night. I fell asleep in my big empty bed knowing you were across town sharing a bed with him. It ate me up inside until I could barely contain my rage and frustration. So yes, I needed an outlet sometimes. Some men use alcohol or drugs to ease their pain. I use sex.”

  I should have been appalled, but a part of me understood. I’d done the same thing tonight, used alcohol and a warm body to shut out my pain. “I’m sorry about what happened tonight.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I shouldn’t have kissed him.”

  I tipped my head up, hoping he would accept my apology with a kiss, but his lips were firmly sealed.

  He pulled back. “I want you to shower, brush your teeth with one of the new brushes in my vanity, use mouthwash—lots of it—and then bring every article of clothing you wore tonight back here so I can burn it, including the shoes.”

  I gaped at him, trying to decide if he was serious. Then I noticed the fireplace was burning even though it was hot and humid outside.

  “I won’t ask again,” he said. “I intend to erase every trace of what happened tonight from your memory.”

  “If you think I’m attracted to him, that I intend to see him again—”

  He thrust his hands into my hair, holding my face between his palms. With his lips mere inches from mine, he whispered, “You see him again, and I’ll beat him to within an inch of his miserable life.”

  I had no doubt he was serious, making me question whether my nickname for him was a little too apropos. “No one wants to forget what happened tonight more than I do.”

  “You’re wrong.” He closed his eyes. “I do, but I can’t. It’ll take me months of kissing you to wipe that image out of my head.”

  I realized how much damage I’d done. I hadn’t only angered him—I’d crushed him. “Baby, I’m sorry I let him kiss me.” My fingertips caressed his whisker-roughened jaw. “It was wrong. Nothing like that will ever happen again.”

  “You’re right. I won’t let it.”