Lady in Red

by Mel Teshco

  He drew in a long, steadying breath. He’d hoped the week she’d taken off on her own volition would make her see what he knew she felt, if only she’d admit it.

  She loved him as much as he loved her.

  But it seemed it’d had the reverse effect. And little wonder. He’d turned his back on her when she’d needed him most. He’d presumed the worst of her, believed the sack of shit, Calvin, over her. By doing so he’d rejected the goodness she carried inside her like a torch, the same goodness that’d attracted him to her right from the start.

  Though few people saw the vulnerability beneath her worldly outer shell, he’d always seen it. He’d had no excuse to throw her vulnerability right back in her face. He could only guess that by doing so, her battered emotions had pushed her right back into the ingrained habits she’d spent half a lifetime grooming, probably from the day she lost her virginity.

  But did she really think those habits would stave off whatever demons she carried around from her past?

  He’d had the rest of her history thoroughly investigated in the week she’d taken off work…in the week he’d gone out of his mind with wanting her. At least now, everything about her made sense. Aside from the fact that she loved sex, it was little wonder she’d fallen into the role of call girl.

  She faced abandonment issues few people could understand. First, her father walked away from his family, and then her mother took her own life. On top of it all, she’d had a childhood of bullying to contend with. Little wonder she didn’t trust easily. Didn’t love easily.

  As a call girl, she was in control of the situation…the man. She was the one who walked away—always. She was the beautiful woman clients didn’t want to lose, not the other way around.

  A flash of red caught his eye, startling him out of his reverie.

  Kate. And her client.

  The Count, a renowned playboy and party animal, snagged her close as they stopped at a bank of elevators. Blaine’s heartbeat quickened. The surroundings dimmed, his focus all on Kate. She looked beautiful, elegant and sexy. But he knew her well enough to see she hid her true feelings. She was every bit as wretched as he was right now.

  His limbs moved before he’d even formulated a plan.

  There was no time for thinking. Only action.

  “Kate!”

  *

  Brandy stiffened, causing her client’s arm to tighten around her.

  Blaine?

  No. Impossible.

  The elevator doors glided apart. She stepped inside the carriage with Pierre, determination filling her. Finally alone, she could tell the man who was supposed to be her client the truth.

  Then she heard a much louder and more desperate shout.

  “Kate, stop!”

  “Someone’s got it bad,” chuckled the Count, his arm once again tightening around her waist. “I wonder who the elusive Kate is?”

  Brandy held her breath, fixated by the elevator doors as they silently began to glide shut. At least, until a pair of hands took hold and put a halt to the automatic function.

  A total sense of unreality swept over her as the doors held, then re-opened, framing Blaine, who stood outside the elevator. Dizziness assailed her. She shouldn’t be surprised. Deep down, she’d known it was him the moment he’d called out her name.

  A muscle jumped in Blaine’s jaw. “You’re wearing red.”

  She swallowed. Managing a nod, she uttered inanely, “Yes, it’s…I’m so used to the color…”

  “Kate, don’t do this,” he said softly, though every atom inside her body perceived he was hurting.

  The Count peered down at her, his face perplexed. “Brandy?”

  Her attention stayed fixated on Blaine. “I can’t be your mistress, Blaine.”

  What she’d known all along—if she’d only admitted it to herself—struck her like a lightning bolt. Blaine was all or nothing. She couldn’t accept him any other way.

  He shook his head, as though disbelieving her logic. “That’s not what I want either. I only offered you that because that’s all you seemed willing to give.”

  She blinked. Was he for real? Did he seriously want more from her?

  “I want all of you, Kate. Not just what you can give me in the bedroom. I want to have a home with you…a family. Everything.” He smiled a slightly lopsided smile. “After I’d coerced you into attending the fundraiser, I’d planned to do this whole romantic proposal thing once we were alone—”

  Proposal?

  Her breath caught in her throat as hope bloomed and spread. “Wh…what?”

  A crowd was beginning to gather outside, watching the spectacle unfold.

  “I realize now what I should have a long time ago. The most precious things in life can’t be bought. Baby, your love is priceless.” Blaine dug into his jacket pocket. He sank onto one knee, an opened jewelry box with a gorgeous gold ring encrusted with diamonds sitting snugly inside. “I want a lifetime with you, Kate. As my wife.”

  Someone in the crowd oohed.

  Blaine’s attention remained fixed on her. “Will you marry me?”

  She was speechless. Stunned. She’d gotten him so wrong! She’d experienced prejudice as a call girl, and yet she’d been so incredibly judgmental herself on so many levels. When he’d shown her the harbor-side mansion, it wasn’t because he’d wanted her there as his mistress. She had no doubt in her mind right now that he’d planned to reveal it after he’d proposed.

  It was what he’d wanted to talk to her about before his cell had interrupted the conversation. Then she’d left his house before he’d come home.

  She squeezed her eyes closed. If only she’d damn well stayed the night, then maybe all the heartache, the misunderstandings and pain could have been avoided.

  When he’d told her he was saving the romance for later, he’d really meant it.

  She opened her eyes to view his gorgeous face. Her voice cracked. “Yes, Blaine. A million times, yes!”

  He grinned, his stare adoring and inconceivably damp. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” she whispered, everything inside her overflowing with devotion for the man before her. The man she would marry. The man who’d spent quite some time already on one knee.

  He slipped the beautiful ring on her finger. When he straightened, she stepped away from Pierre and into Blaine’s arms, only half aware of the smattering of applause and heartfelt sighs outside the elevator.

  No more doubts, no more insecurities. She’d love Blaine with everything she had and then some. She did love Blaine with everything she had. She looked up at him with tenderness filling her from the inside out. He’d pushed her out of her comfort zone and made her see she wasn’t really living, just existing on life’s fringes.

  Sex couldn’t replicate love, no matter how much she enjoyed the act.

  Blaine tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes alight with adoration as he bent his head, and his mouth slanted across hers, sealing the deal. She leaned into him, deepening the kiss, not wanting to ever let him go again.

  Someone cleared their throat. Blaine pulled back first, however reluctantly, and glanced at the Count.

  The other man shook his head. “And to think I had such grand plans for tonight.”

  Blaine tucked her closer. She tilted her head up and smiled at her future husband, aware this time his possessiveness felt right. Good.

  Blaine dragged his stare from her and back to the other man. “I’ve already ensured that you’ll be compensated for your trouble.”

  The Count emitted a heavy sigh. “I don’t want your money—”

  Blaine looked out the elevator doors and jerked his head. Two dark-haired beauties sashayed forward in gold-spangled micro dresses—twins, if Kate wasn’t mistaken.

  She couldn’t stop the peal of laughter bursting free. Only Blaine would make up for the Count’s loss, twofold!

  “While I know no one else could ever make up for Kate, I didn’t want your being alone on my conscience.”
Blaine nodded to the twins. “Ladies, meet Count Pierre Moretti.”

  The Count broke into a grin. “Hello, pretty little ladies.”

  Blaine winked at her, before he took her hand in his. “Let’s go home, Kate.”

  Back to the harbor-side mansion he’d bought for the two of them.

  Something shifted inside her chest. Brandy Alexander had been a huge part of her life, but Kate wouldn’t be sad to say goodbye to her. No, it was past time she shed her armor and reveled in just being herself.

  Plain old Kate Matthews.

  Loved and adored by the one man she loved and adored back with all her heart.

  It seemed the life she’d once secretly dreamed of having was about to come true after all.

  Epilogue

  ‡

  Kate Waymann smiled at Elaine as she accepted the proffered glass of orange juice. Taking a sip, she awkwardly sat back on the red lounge that was positioned next to windows with priceless views of Sydney Harbour.

  Though the mansion Blaine had purchased eighteen months previously had cooling breezes from the water, it was an unseasonably hot autumn day, with a storm forecast for later in the day.

  Blaine’s mother returned her smile. “So how’re you feeling, Kate? Not overdoing things, I hope?”

  She shook her head, and glanced pointedly at her husband flipping steaks and sausages for lunch out on the balcony barbecue. “Are you kidding me? Blaine is making sure I don’t move an inch unless I have to.”

  Elaine chuckled. “Yeah well, it’s not every day a woman is blessed with being pregnant with twins.”

  Kate put a hand on the swollen basketball shape of her belly. She still had two months until she hit full-term, but the way Blaine coddled her, she’d make it there without any problems. “I know.” The room shimmered as she fought back sudden tears. Her damn hormones were turning her into an emotional wreck. “I truly am blessed in every way.”

  Elaine reached out a hand to cover Kate’s. “I’m only glad my son found you. I’m not lying when I say I’ve never seen him this happy. You’re his perfect match in every way.”

  Kate sniffled and swiped at her eyes. “It means so much to me to hear you say that.”

  “It’s the truth.”

  Kate’s smile wobbled. She was aware that the other woman wasn’t just telling her what she wanted to hear. Elaine might be well-mannered and refined, but she was also uncompromising and straight down the line when it came to her son.

  When Kate had married Blaine in a small, private ceremony just a week after she’d flown back with him from Paris, his mother had shown her nothing but unreserved love.

  “Your part of the Waymann family now.” Elaine’s eyes glistened, the high emotions of the moment seemingly catching. “The daughter I’ve always wanted.”

  Kate swallowed past the lump in her throat. “My past…?”

  “Stays in the past where it belongs,” the older woman affirmed. She leaned forward, taking Kate’s hand in her own. “Sometimes life throws us curve balls and we do what we have to just to survive…even thrive.”

  Kate stared. Was Elaine hinting that she too had done things that had been morally questionable?

  “Is everything okay in here?”

  Kate dragged away her consideration of Elaine to look up at Blaine as he strode inside, a tray of cooked meat in hand. Though his query had been controlled, when he glanced at his mother, his eyes revealed undercurrents of disapproval.

  Damn, how had she been so lucky to get with a man who loved her unconditionally? A man who’d give her everything he had, and then some, to keep her happy.

  “Women’s talk, nothing more,” Elaine announced before she straightened. “Now let me take that tray to the table for you and I’ll get the salad out of the fridge.”

  When Elaine did just that, her heels retreating into the kitchen, Blaine turned his full attention to Kate. “Baby, seriously, is everything okay?”

  Kate sighed, so damn content and in love with her husband it was almost a crime. “Yes, everything’s fine.” She smiled up at him. “Everything couldn’t be more perfect.”

  The End

  More by Mel Teshco…

  Her Dark Guardian

  Included in

  Seduced: An Erotic Valentine Collection

  A woman traumatized by her past. A man waiting to heal her.

  When supermodel Lacey Morgan fled a violent marriage, she also left behind the one man she couldn’t have and can’t forget. Kane Sampson fills her fantasies even as her husband and Kane’s half-brother, Leeroy, fills her nightmares.

  She returns home to face her past so that she can put it behind her. Except her attraction for Kane hasn’t diminished over time, it’s intensified. Just as Leeroy’s hate and possessiveness has also festered.

  This time she won’t run. But has she left it too late to claim the only man she’s ever wanted?

  Buy Now!

  About the Author

  Mel Teshco’s gypsy-like upbringing saw her living in many places along Australia’s east coast. Each new home stimulated an already over-active imagination, where she spent as much time dreaming about fantasy worlds as the real world – the fantasy sometimes being much better.

  Now living on a beautiful rural property with views of the mountains keeping her two horses, three cats and one hyperactive Belgian shepherd happy, she is happily married with three gorgeous girls and two cheeky grandchildren.

  She is a multi-published author with a love of the written word along with a short attention span that sees her juggling a variety of genres and heat levels in her stories. From contemporary to paranormal, inspirational to erotic, she hopes there’s a little of something for every reader out there to enjoy.

  Visit her website at MelTeshco.com

  Join her mailing list here

  Follow her on Facebook and Twitter @MelTeshco

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