Temptation

by K. M. Scott

  Rachel shook her head. “No, he hasn’t been mine for a long time. And just in case you’re wondering who left who, he left me.”

  I couldn’t hide my surprise at that bit of news. “Really?”

  She flashed me a million dollar smile. “I bet you didn’t think any man would ever leave someone like me. Not true. Cassian left me and he had good reason to.”

  Nothing like being humble. “I can’t imagine what that could be.”

  “I cheated on him with his brother Stefan.”

  Suddenly, all the nasty looks and comments Cash had made about his brother made sense. No wonder he hadn’t wanted me to spend any time around Stefan. “He obviously forgave you. You’re still in his life.”

  “I don’t think he’s ever forgiven either of us, but Stefan is blood. I don’t know why he kept me around for so long.”

  “I think it’s a bit disingenuous to sit here and tell me you don’t know why your husband kept you in his life, Rachel. He still loves you. It’s that simple.”

  She shook her head and frowned. “No, he doesn’t. I wanted to think he still loved me all this time, but it was too easy for him to tell me he didn’t want me in his life anymore when he met you. I never had a chance once you showed up on the scene.”

  A sudden laugh escaped from my throat, and I quickly covered my mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh at what seems to really bother you, but you never had a chance once he met me? You’ve got to be kidding me. I have eyes, you know. No man would choose me over you.”

  “He did. He told me a while ago that he wasn’t interested in having me in his life anymore. I think he might have kept me around all this time just to punish me, or maybe it was to punish himself. I’m not sure. All I know is that he told me he didn’t want to see me anymore, and I knew by that look in his eyes that he was crazy about someone. He told me you were different from anyone he’d ever been with, and I knew I’d lost him for good this time.”

  “When did you two separate?”

  “Right after he caught me with Stefan five years ago. You should have seen him before I did that. The Cassian you know who’s so cold and controlled all the time didn’t exist back then. God, he was so incredible. I fell in love with him the day I met him. He was so sweet. That’s the only way I can describe him then. He fell hard for me, and I felt like the luckiest woman in the world.”

  “And then you cheated on him with his brother.” I couldn’t stop myself from showing her my disgust. She’d had an incredible man, and she’d thrown him away, just like I imagined she threw away whatever else she didn’t give a damn about. Women like her saw everything as disposable, including people.

  For a moment, Rachel’s perfect face twisted in what looked like pain but then the façade returned along with that fabulous smile. “Not exactly. We fell in love and married. He was young and wealthy and I’d snagged one of the hottest guys in town. Then everything changed. He wanted a family, but I liked our life like it was. You see, our Cassian isn’t by his nature the man whore he’s been for so long. He wants a wife who’ll give him children so he can escape the life he has to live at work, but I wasn’t that woman. I wanted the man he’d been when I met him—wild and sexy and devoted to me.”

  “Why Stefan then? Because he’s a player who wouldn’t get serious?”

  “I don’t know. We were thrown together so often and it just happened. Before I knew it, I’d cheated on my husband and he found out.”

  “Then why didn’t he divorce you if he didn’t want you back?”

  “One word. Pre-nup. He never had me sign one. He was so in love that he never even asked. I think he believes if he divorces me I’ll make damn sure I get as much of that club as I can.”

  “Wouldn’t you? It looks like you can afford the best lawyers in town, so you’d probably keep him and his brothers in court with that for ages, all the while making his life and theirs a living hell.”

  “I don’t want that club of his. All I wanted was him, but that’s not going to happen.”

  “So you still love him?” I asked, needing to know, even though it didn’t matter anymore.

  “I do. I’d take him back in a heartbeat. I’ve always loved him, but I ruined what we had. I know that. I’d just always hoped he wouldn’t find anyone else and we’d get back together eventually. I thought that was going to happen since all he’s dated since me were women he just wanted to sleep with. Until you. Once you came along, I knew any hope of us getting back together was gone.”

  “Why are you telling me all of this, Rachel? Nothing’s changed. You’re still his wife, and he still lied about you.”

  “Because for the first time in years, he was happy. That was because of you. Those beautiful blue eyes that for so long seemed so cold finally had that look back in them that he used to have with me. That was you. You did that for him.”

  I cut her off because I just couldn’t hear any more. “I’m sorry, Rachel. I’m just not—”

  “Maybe I’m hoping that by telling you this he’ll finally be happy and I’ll have some good karma. I never wanted to hurt him, and I certainly don’t want to see him miss out on the happiness he deserves. I’d hoped it could be with me, even after what I did, but I know that’s not possible.”

  I’d heard enough. Standing to show her to the door, I shook my head. “He’s still married to you, Rachel. As long as that doesn’t change, he and I can never be anything.”

  She walked toward me and stopped to open her purse. Reaching in, she took out a stack of papers and held them up to show me. “I’m giving him these tomorrow. As long as he signs them, we won’t be married for much longer. I want nothing from him, so I won’t be dragging this out to hurt him or his brothers. The way is cleared for you. I won’t cause you any problems from now on.”

  I leaned forward to read the words on the paper and saw she was telling the truth. Looking up at her, I asked, “Why are you doing this, Rachel?”

  “It’s just time. I figure if Cassian can find happiness, maybe I can too, but that can’t happen if we stay stuck in the past together. Give him a chance, Olivia. You might just get to see that man he was before I hurt him.”

  I closed the door behind her and remembered how open and gentle Cash had been the last time we were together. I’d already seen that man, and I missed him.

  But could I go back to him?

  * * *

  Josie sipped on her morning coffee and listened as I told her everything, from Jake’s attacking me to Cash having a wife who looked like one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, stopping me every so often just to make sure she understood my story. When I finished, I sat back in my chair and let out a sigh. “So that’s the whole story. Now what do I do?”

  “I have no idea. All I know is that for someone who’s supposed to be so fucking boring, you live one hell of a life. I guess you have to take things one at a time. What are you going to do about Jake?”

  “There’s nothing to do about Jake. I’m done with him. He hated being stuck in the friend zone? Well, now he can fuck himself because I don’t even want to be friends with him. And with what I heard Cash do when I was at his place, Jake’s going to need friends now more than ever.”

  “Did you tell Erin yet? You know she’s had it bad for him forever.”

  “No. How can I tell her the guy she obviously idolizes attacked me? But he said something about being with both of you. Do you know anything about that?”

  Josie sneered at my mention of her with Jake. “No. If she’s been with him, it’s news to me and not good news. I knew he was a shit way back when. His problem has always been the same. He’s spoiled rich and thinks he can have whatever he wants because of it. I hope Cash ruined him for what he did to you.”

  “I think at some point I’m going to have to tell Erin what happened, Josie. What if he tried to do something like that to her too?”

  “Jake’s an ass, but I never thought he’d do something so awful, Liv. Erin just can’t see how mu
ch he’s not that boy from high school anymore. I can’t tell her. She won’t listen to a word from me about him.”

  “I don’t know how I’m going to handle that. I don’t give a shit about his feelings, but Erin is a good friend.”

  “I’d say dealing with her is going to be easy compared to deciding what to do about you and Cash.”

  “I know you aren’t his number one fan. You probably think I should leave him in the rearview mirror, right?”

  She shook her head and rolled her eyes at me. “You always think I dislike your guys, Liv. That’s not true. I just want to be sure he deserves you. He is still married. That fact is inescapable.”

  Looking down at my hands in my lap, I mumbled at her succinct statement of the hardest part of the whole thing with him. “I know.”

  “But unlike other married men who say they’re not with their wives, he actually told the truth. Add to that the bizarre visit and confession from the barracuda, and I have to wonder if the marriage thing is as big a deal as you first thought.” Chuckling, she added, “I mean, it’s not every mistress who gets a visit from the wife pleading with her to go with the husband.”

  “Thank you, but if we can never call me that again, that would be good.”

  Josie reached over and slapped my knee. “Oh, come on. It’s got a sexy, reality TV show vibe to it, don’t you think? Olivia, the mistress, is visited late one night by the wife, Rachel Barracuda, hell bent on convincing the other woman to take her man, no matter what.”

  “Really? No, thank you, and if it had been reality TV, there would have been hair pulling and screaming. Sorry to disappoint, but all we did was talk.”

  Josie’s eyes lit up with excitement. “And one of you would have ended up naked just in time for him to walk in and join you both.”

  I nearly choked on my coffee. “Uh, that’s porn, not reality TV, Josie!”

  “Sorry. I told you I’m living vicariously through you these days. I guess I need to get out and get my own life, huh?”

  “Could we get back to my mess and deal with your lack of a life later? What would you do if you were in my shoes?”

  She took a deep breath and blew it out until there was no more air left to expel. “I’d go back to him, especially since you know Rachel is filing for divorce. I’m never a fan of lying, but it’s not like he had a little wife at home with some kids he was stepping out on. That relationship has been dead for a while. Plus, you need that job, Liv, and you like it there.”

  “I can get another job.”

  “Okay. Then it’s all about Cassian.”

  That had been the truth since the first moment I laid eyes on him. “I can’t get another Cash.”

  She smiled sweetly. “Then there’s your answer, Liv.”

  “Now I just have to find the courage to go back to my job in a few hours wearing my heart on my sleeve. No sweat, right?”

  Standing, Josie took her mug out to the kitchen and returned to where I sat to grab her purse. “The course of true love never did run smooth.”

  “Shakespeare before nine a.m.?”

  She flung her purse over her shoulder and shrugged. “I know. I’m a wild woman today. Call me with all the details, but remember, you got this. The guy’s crazy about you, Liv. Now you just have to show him you’re crazy about him. You two can work this out.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’ll call you later.”

  I finished my coffee and with caffeine coursing through my veins, I summoned the courage to go back to my job and Cassian March. At least I could believe it wasn’t as if his brothers knew everything that had happened between us. This was between Cash and me.

  Why didn’t that make me feel any better?

  Chapter Twenty

  Olivia

  I parked my car in my usual spot outside of the Club X building and closed my eyes to calm my nerves. My stomach had been doing somersaults from the moment I left my apartment, and now that I sat just yards away from where Cash was, I thought I might throw up from fear. What if he’d changed his mind after I sent him away? I’d tried to call him three times that morning, and each time my call had been sent to voicemail.

  Checking out my look in the mirror, I tried to reassure myself that Josie was right. Cash was crazy about me. Now I had to show him I was crazy about him.

  You can do this.

  I hoped that Beck’s Loser playing on the radio at that moment wasn’t a sign or bad omen. Pushing that silly thought out of my mind, I took one last deep breath and headed toward the front door. I could do this. This was the new Olivia, Version 2.0, and she could handle this, no problem.

  The bar area looked empty as it always did when the club was closed, and as I walked through I looked for Stefan or Kane, but they didn’t seem to be anywhere nearby. All the better. I wasn’t in the mood to make small talk. I’d practiced what I would say to Cash half a dozen times on the drive there, and I didn’t want to forget it all by getting stuck in some distracting conversation, particularly with Stefan.

  As I approached my office, I saw a box sitting next to my door. I got closer and realized it contained everything from my office. He’d taken me seriously when I said I quit. My bravado sank to its lowest point. This was not going according to plan already.

  Cash’s door was slightly ajar, so I knocked lightly and peeked my head in hoping to be greeted by his typical workday smile. He looked up from his laptop and instead of seeing a smile, all I saw were his eyes ice cold staring back at me.

  “Do you have a minute? I’d like to talk to you, if you’re free.”

  “Olivia, your things are in the box outside of your office. Your last paycheck will be direct deposited in your account, as usual.”

  And with that he returned to typing away on his laptop, effectively dismissing me. I stood there with my cheek pressed up to the side of his door in shock. Why was he acting so cold toward me? What had changed?

  I pushed the door open and stepped into his office, closing it behind me so we could have this discussion in private. He looked up as the door clicked closed, but again returned his attention to his work, leaving me standing there feeling awkward and unwanted.

  “Cash, about my resignation. I’ve thought about it and I’d really like it if we could sit down and talk about things,” I said quietly, my plans barely holding up under his frigid reception.

  Without even looking up, he said, “I’m not interested in talking about anything. Your things are outside in the box.”

  His tone was so cold, so distant, that I stepped back feeling like I’d been slapped across the face. This man who’d been so wonderful now refused to even acknowledge my request to speak to him. What had happened?

  “Why are you being like this? I thought we could…that you…What’s changed between us, Cash?”

  He spun his laptop around to face me. “This changed between us, Olivia.”

  I sat down in front of his desk and began reading an article on the club written by Ciara Danson. Somehow, she’d found a way to get information only available to members, and she’d gone to town ripping Cash and his brothers as “owners of a modern day whorehouse” and “overgrown boys who used their business as a front to satisfy their own depraved desires.” The entire article smacked of ignorance and petty jealousy, and by the time I finished reading what Ciara had written, I understood what had changed.

  He thought I’d betrayed him and everything we’d had together.

  I looked up and saw his expression full of hatred for me. “I didn’t do this, Cash. You can’t believe I’d ever do something like this to you and your brothers.”

  “Tell me that doesn’t sound exactly like something you’d say. That it doesn’t sound like what you wanted to say to me when you left my place the other night.”

  “No, I was hurt. I’ll admit that, but I wouldn’t do that to you. I care about you. You have to know that.”

  He turned his laptop around toward him and stared over it at me. “I don’t know anything like that. All I kn
ow is that reporter wrote things only a member could know, and of all the members, you’re the only one I see with a reason to want this place closed.”

  “No! That’s not true. I came here today to tell you I wanted to keep working here…” I stopped and tried to collect my thoughts as my mind reeled from his hurtful words. “I came here because I wanted to tell you that I miss you. I’d hoped we could try again.”

  “There’s nothing more to try.”

  I fought back the tears as his words felt like they were cutting into my heart. This time he didn’t turn away but just stared at me with a look full of hate. My emotions began to spin out of control, and I scrambled for anything that would convince him I wasn’t the one who’d betrayed him.

  “Don’t do this, Cash. I swear I never spoke to her, except that day right here in your office. I wouldn’t do that, no matter how hurt I was about what happened the other day. You have to believe me. I didn’t do that.”

  He sat there saying nothing, his expression emotionless like everything he’d felt for me had hardened over. I’d never felt so alone just inches away from another person in my entire life.

  “Cash, please listen to me. I thought about what you said last night and you were right. I don’t want to throw away what we have. Please…”

  My words weren’t getting through. He sat there just staring at me, his blue eyes so icy I wanted to look away. All the sexiness and tenderness they’d held in the past were gone. When he finally spoke again, his words crushed me.

  “Go home, Olivia. There’s nothing here for you anymore.”

  I stood to leave, stunned at how distant and uncaring he’d been and unsure what to do next. I couldn’t leave things like this, but he wasn’t even listening to me. I walked out to collect my things from the cardboard box and couldn’t hold back the tears any longer when I saw the nameplate he’d had made for me right after I began working for him. Running my fingers over the gold outline of my name, I cried as I remembered how wonderful things had been then.

  A voice behind me quietly said my name, and I looked up to see Kane standing over me. I lifted the box and struggled to wipe my tears away so he didn’t see me falling apart right there outside my former office.