One Winter's Night

by Brenda Jackson

  “Hi. Thanks for the flowers. You are spoiling me.”

  “You deserve to be spoiled. I just want to make sure we’re still on for tonight.”

  “Most certainly. I always enjoy any meals you cook.” They would be dining at his place and, as usual, she would be spending the night.

  “I have a special dish for you.”

  She chuckled. “What is it?”

  “A surprise.”

  She liked his surprises. “All right.”

  “Good. I left work at noon today to come home to get things together, so I’ll come and get you—”

  “There’s no need for you to do that, Riley. I can drive over to your place…unless you have a problem with my car being seen by anyone.”

  “Why would I have a problem with it?”

  “I’m staying the night, remember. I wouldn’t want your family to—”

  “What I do is my business. Trust me, they know we’re involved and have probably seen your car here overnight before. Do you have a problem with them knowing?”

  “No, I don’t have a problem with it, not at all,” she said.

  “Good. In that case, I’ll see you when you get here.”

  She hung up the phone, thinking that even if she had a problem with it, it was too late. Time wasn’t on her side and she wanted to spend as much of it with Riley as possible.

  * * *

  Riley had just finished everything and had put the stew on to simmer when he heard the sound of his doorbell. He glanced at his watch. He wasn’t expecting Alpha for another hour or so and hoped it wasn’t one of his relatives dropping in without calling first. Some of them could smell his stew from miles away and thought it was their God-given right to invite themselves over for a free meal.

  As he walked out of the kitchen toward his front door, he couldn’t help but smile. He was looking forward to Alpha coming over because, at some time before she left in the morning, he wanted to tell her just how he felt. The holiday party was in three days, and he needed to hear from her that although she might not have fallen in love with him yet, the idea was possible.

  Without checking to see who his caller was, he snatched open his door. A deep frown settled on his face when he saw Paula standing on his porch. “Paula, what are you doing here?”

  She smiled brightly. “I came to see you, of course. I have some information that I think you need to know.”

  Riley doubted it and was about to tell her so when she quickly slid by him to enter his house. Closing the door behind him, he crossed his arms over his chest and watched her look around like she’d never been here before, and then he remembered she hadn’t. He had broken things off with her before the affair had gotten that far. “What information do I need to know?”

  She turned to face him and threw her hair back from her face. She was wearing knee-high leather boots and a light blue mini sweater dress that was so tight it appeared glued to her body. “Mmm, something smells good. Don’t you want to invite me to dinner?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips to draw attention to her small waistline.

  At that moment, he admired Alpha even more. During the time they’d spent together, she’d never found any reason to flaunt her attributes. They were noticeable without her having to show them off. “Sorry, I’m expecting company in a few hours.”

  He saw the frown settle on her face. “I take it that you’re still involved with that party planner,” she said with a sneer.

  He tried keeping his anger in check. “What of it?”

  “You must like her a lot to include her in one of your family dinners. Not too many women get that privilege from Riley Westmoreland. I didn’t. And I know how much you pride yourself on your reputation and the family’s name and all that.”

  He wondered what she was getting at. “If you have something to say, Paula, just say it.”

  “All right, then.” She paused a moment and then slid down to sit on his sofa uninvited, crossing her legs, deliberately showing plenty of thigh and said, “I’m sure you’ve heard I’m seeing Samuel Porter.”

  Not that he cared, but he wasn’t surprised. Sam was and always had been a party animal, and Paula liked having a good time and getting wild and crazy. And he’d heard Sam was into over-the-top stuff in the bedroom, like group sex and all that. “And?”

  “And I was going through Sam’s collection of special videos one night to pick out one I thought we would enjoy watching together. Get my drift?”

  Riley did get her drift and didn’t have to ask what Sam’s special videos were. He’d heard the rumor years ago that Sam had a cabinet filled with porn. He drew in a deep breath, still not sure where she was going with all of this. “And?”

  “And…” she said, smiling, pulling something out of her purse, “I came across one, and the woman looked so familiar that I took a second look. You might want to take a look, as well. I’m sure you’ll recognize her.”

  He took the DVD she offered and glanced at the picture of the couple, mainly the woman who was stretched out spread-eagle on a four-poster bed very naked. His heart nearly stopped beating, and he forced his hand to stop trembling. He looked at Paula, fighting to keep his teeth from gnashing together in anger. “What are you trying to insinuate?”

  “That your girlfriend used to have a naughty past.”

  He tossed the DVD on the sofa next to her. “I think you’re about to set yourself up for a lawsuit you can’t afford. This is not my girlfriend on this DVD jacket, just someone who favors her.”

  Paula lifted her chin dubiously and smiled. “You sure of that?”

  Riley’s gaze narrowed. Yes, he was sure. The porn star on the DVD jacket was not Alpha.

  “Positive. In fact I’m so positive that if I hear about this from anyone else, I’m going to assume you’re the one spreading vicious lies and malicious gossip, and I will sue you myself for slandering her name.”

  The smile quickly disappeared from her face. “You wouldn’t do that.”

  “Try me.”

  She drew in a deep breath. “I know what I see.”

  “And I know what I know, but if you want to play your hand, go ahead, I dare you. I won’t stop until I make you not only a laughingstock but destitute. Now, I want you to leave and not come back. And remember what I said. If I get wind of any lies you’re spreading, I will make sure you regret it.”

  She jerked up off the sofa and angrily headed for the door, opened it and slammed it shut behind her with enough force to make his windows shake. It was only then that he noticed she’d left the DVD behind, whether accidentally or intentionally he wasn’t sure.

  Picking up the DVD he headed for the bedroom to take a shower. His dinner guest would be arriving within the hour. And he knew just as sure as the forecasters had predicted snow for the weekend that at some point during the course of the evening, he and Alpha would have a long talk.

  * * *

  “We need to talk, Alpha.”

  Alpha glanced over at Riley. Something was wrong; she could feel it. Although dinner had been great and she enjoyed his company as usual, she was chilled by the feeling that something just wasn’t right. More than once during dinner she had caught Riley staring at her only to quickly look away. What was going on?

  A part of her didn’t want to know, but still she couldn’t stop the what-ifs from swimming through her head. What if he wanted to bring a date Saturday night and had decided he wanted to end his affair a few days early? He had been so adamant about her having dinner with him this evening and now she couldn’t help wondering if it was one of those break-up meals. Men had a way of thinking a woman preferred to get dumped on a full stomach. Hadn’t Eddie taken her to dinner the night before he’d given her the ultimatum about Omega?

  “Alpha.”

  She took a sip of her wine before placing her glass down on the table. She was a big girl and could handle anything that came her way. But she didn’t want to do it now. If he wanted to make this their last night together then she wante
d it to be special.

  Easing up off the sofa, she slowly crossed the room to where he sat in a leather wingback chair. With his legs stretched out in front of him, he was sipping his own wine while his dark, penetrating gaze watched her every move. And with good reason, she thought, since she was discarding her clothes, piece by piece. His attention was definitely being held the way she wanted it to be. They would have their talk but it would be later. Much later.

  By the time she had reached his chair she was totally naked. He pulled her down in his lap and cradled her in his arms. “You like tempting me, don’t you?” he asked huskily, leaning close to her lips.

  “Umm, it wouldn’t be any fun if I didn’t.” And she wanted him to remember all the times she had tempted him and he had tempted her. She wanted him to remember everything, especially when they were no longer involved. Because she would. Her memories would sustain her when she buried herself in her work to forget him.

  It would be hard being involved with Megan’s wedding. She expected to run into him, but hopefully, she would have gotten over him by then.

  Yet how could a woman get over a man she truly loved?

  “Baby, we need to talk.”

  She leaned in close to him, and swiped the tip of her tongue across his lips. “And we will talk, Riley. Later. Now I want you to take off your clothes so we can have fun,” she said, easing off his lap and pulling him up from the chair.

  “Fun?” he asked her, reaching out and running his fingers across the tips of her breasts while letting his gaze roam all over her body.

  “Yes,” she said, looking up at him as she pulled his belt through the loops of his jeans and then began unbuttoning his shirt. “What do you say about that?”

  He reached out and swept her off her feet and headed toward the stairs to his bedroom. “Then I’d say, let’s get started.”

  * * *

  Alpha stretched out her legs in bed the moment she opened her eyes. It was daylight, and through the window she saw it was lightly snowing. Just her luck, what with those last-minute details she had to handle to get ready for the party tomorrow night.

  She turned over in the empty bed, wondering where Riley was. It was then that she saw the note pinned to the pillow where his head had lain the night before.

  Didn’t want to wake you, but I had an eight o’clock meeting at work. I know you probably have a ton of things to do today to get ready for tomorrow, but make yourself at home until you’re ready to leave. Riley.

  She held the note to her chest, thinking that at least he hadn’t mentioned anything else about them talking. She flopped back down in bed as a smile touched her lips. She’d deliberately made him forget. All it took was for her to glance around at the rumpled bedcovers to know just where Riley Westmoreland’s concentration had been last night and during the early hours of this morning. She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, which wouldn’t be bad if she didn’t have a million things to do.

  She looked around the room for her clothes and then remembered she had removed them last night in the living room. The last thing she intended to do was parade around Riley’s house naked. He mentioned that he never locked his doors and his brothers or cousins were known to just drop in. Easing out of the bed, she knew he had a robe around here someplace. When she didn’t see one, she figured one of his T-shirts would have to do.

  She recalled just where he kept them and opened the top drawer to his dresser. Her breath caught. Lying on top of his stack of T-shirts was a DVD, but not just any DVD. It was one of her sister’s, titled Time to Play. Where did he get it? How long had he had it?

  Alpha stood there staring at the DVD as a thousand questions flowed through her mind. Did Riley assume like LeBron had at first that it was her on the DVD and not Omega? Or did he figure like LeBron had later that if he couldn’t have his ideal porn star then her twin sister would do?

  She angrily shoved the drawer closed as fury ripped through her. No wonder he had wanted an affair with her.

  But then why was she getting angry anyway? She’d known it was nothing but sex with no commitment all along. Nothing more.

  Not caring anymore if anyone saw her naked, she raced downstairs and saw Riley had picked up her clothes off the floor and placed them on the sofa. She quickly dressed, grabbed her purse from the table and left. For the first time since moving to Denver, she didn’t notice the cold.

  What she noticed more than anything was how deep her heart was hurting.

  Sixteen

  Riley walked into the ballroom of the Pavilion Hotel and stopped short. Wow! Alpha had miraculously transformed the room into one winter’s night, just as the theme declared.

  The color scheme was silver, blue and white. Large white columns had been erected, connected by swathes of white netting. The ceiling looked like a midnight sky with the moon and dots of stars. Miniature mounds of snow lay in one area and props of snow-covered mountains were strategically placed around the room.

  “Welcome.” A hostess dressed as a snow maiden greeted him. “And here’s your gift from Blue Ridge Management,” she said, handing him a snow globe with a replica of the Blue Ridge Management building inside.

  “Thanks.” He couldn’t resist shaking it up and watching snow float all around. A huge smile touched his lips. His woman had definitely outdone herself. Imagine.

  “Your girlfriend did a bang-up job, didn’t she?”

  He turned and looked into Bailey’s smiling face. He could tell she was equally impressed. “Yes, she did.”

  Bailey tilted her head. “So, she is your girlfriend?”

  He paused, thinking that Bailey was the second person in two days who had referred to Alpha as his girlfriend. He hadn’t denied it then, and he wouldn’t deny it now. “Yes, she’s my girlfriend.”

  She stared at him. “Of all the women you’ve been involved with, I’ve never known you to claim any of them as anything other than a sleeping partner.”

  He grabbed a glass of wine from the tray of a passing waiter. Everything, including the outfits the waiters and waitresses wore, looked festive and right in keeping with the party’s theme. “She’s different.”

  “In that case, I hope you intend to treat her differently.”

  He already was, and would continue to do so. In fact, starting tonight, he intended for them to take their relationship to a whole new level, but first they needed to talk. He had left several messages, but she hadn’t found time to return them. He knew how hard she had worked and planned for the party tonight, often staying up late and getting up early. But tonight she had to be proud of her accomplishments. He was, and was certain the rest of his family would be, as well.

  “You look good, by the way,” Bailey said, giving him a once-over. “You Westmoreland men clean up well.”

  He couldn’t help but laugh. “So do Westmoreland women.” He glanced around again. “Have you seen Alpha?”

  “Yes. She’s around here someplace, making sure everything is running smoothly. At some point, I hope you make sure she slows down to enjoy herself. She’s worked hard for tonight and it shows.”

  It was a half hour later before he got a chance to see Alpha, and it was from across the room. He had been standing in a group talking to Morris Caper, one of the oldest employees at Blue Ridge, along with the man’s wife, Canyon, Stern and two other couples, when Alpha came into his line of sight. His breath caught when he saw her. She was wearing blue, the same shade being used at the party.

  He nodded a few times, trying to pretend to listen to the speaker, when in reality his attention was on Alpha. He began wondering why she wouldn’t look his way. Surely she knew he’d arrived. However, he had to remind himself that tonight wasn’t about him. She had a job to do. But he had a niggling discomfort that something wasn’t right.

  He was about to look back at Mr. Caper when Alpha finally glanced his way. He was about to give her a smile and a thumbs-up when the look she gave him made him go still. What was that glare all about? He lif
ted his brow, and she quickly turned to head toward the room where food was being prepared.

  “Excuse me for a minute,” he said to the group before walking off in the direction Alpha had gone. Something was going on, and he intended to find out what.

  He walked through several rooms and was stopped by a number of people before he finally came within a few feet of her. She looked up, saw him and was about to walk away when he increased his pace and touched her arm. “Everything is above my expectations, Alpha, but I’d like to talk to you for a second.”

  He was very much aware that with others around, she couldn’t deny his request. After all, his family was the one paying for this affair.

  “All right.”

  To anyone else it would appear she was acknowledging his request, because, unless you were standing as close to her as he was, you couldn’t see the sharp daggers in her eyes or the tightness of her lips. What the hell?

  “Privately, please,” he said, taking her arm and leading her to an empty room in the back, far away from her staff, his employees or his family members.

  He closed the door behind them and then turned to her. She was looking at everything in the storage room but him. And he could feel her tension. Her anger. “Now. Would you like to tell me what’s going on?”

  Her brows furrowed, and she lifted her chin. “There’s nothing going on, at least nothing you should be concerned about. This is our breakup night anyway, right? What did you say when we started out, that you didn’t stay with any woman past six weeks? Well, your six weeks ended today, no sweat.”

  Riley gritted his teeth. “What’s this about, Alpha?”

  “Nothing, and if you don’t mind, I have a party to run and—”

  “Your assistant can handle things until you get back. And I intend to keep you here until you tell me what’s wrong, even if it takes all night.”

  She placed her hands on her hips. “I don’t owe you any explanations.”

  He crossed the room to where she stood in a furious stance with her gaze flaring, spine straight and head thrown back. “Yes, you do. When I left you in bed yesterday morning it was with a smile on your face, so what’s with the venom tonight? Are you mad because I left without waking you?”