“Just don’t tell anyone my weakness.” she whispered conspiratorially behind her hand.
“Never,” he agreed with a wink.
The drink was exactly what she needed.
Frank moved down the bar to help an older gentleman in an expensive suit who nodded to her before placing his order.
A friendly looking, grandmotherly type approached her side and sat down. “Acacia, everything is perfect. The party is sublime, just like always.”
Jackie McMahon was her personal assistant, and had been her father’s as long as Acacia could remember. She was like the grandmother every child wanted. She was soft and sweet and doted on Acacia at every turn.
Acacia swiveled on her stool, setting her glass back on the counter as she smiled at her right–hand woman and replied, “Of course it’s perfect, you helped me put it all together. So there was no option other than utter success.”
The woman with the soft gray hair and warm green eyes beamed back at her. “You spoil me.” Her cheeks turned a slightly darker shade of pink and she thanked Frank as he set a glass of wine in front of her.
“Quite a few more years of spoiling and I’ll be nowhere close to even with you. You’ve spoiled me since the day Dad hired you. You’re the rock around here, and the rest of the staff doesn’t call you Steel Britches for nothing.”
Jackie let out a wonderful laugh, “They’d better not forget it either.”
Both women smiled and watched the crowd for a moment. Jackie cleared her throat. “Have you seen him yet?”
Acacia caught Jackie’s eye for a mere moment then averted her gaze, trying to hide how much she wanted the answer to be yes. She took another drink, trying to swallow her heart again.
“He’s already been asking about you.”
Acacia’s head snapped around so fast it was amazing she didn’t bite it and fall off her stool. “Did you see him?” she asked, all breathy, before she could stop herself.
“Yes,” was all Jackie said, behind a knowing smile.
“That bad, huh?”
“Worse,” was the only word that passed her lips, and she refused to meet Acacia’s eyes.
“Great,” Acacia grumbled.
Good looking didn’t come close to describing how attractive he was. Devastating came close. Panty dropper? Yeah, that one worked, too.
Jackie took another sip of her wine, and someone motioned to her from the kitchen entrance.
“Okay dear, I’ve got to get back to it. Go mingle and don’t be a hermit with Frank all night long. And stop being nervous about…well, you know.” She cast a glance around to make sure no one could overhear and leaned in close. “You look ravishing tonight, so use it to your advantage. The Good Lord gave you that head for a reason, and a body to distract all the stupid arrogant men not smart enough to know what hit ’em. And they’ll still thank you for everything, nice or otherwise, since it shows up in such a nice package. Now scoot,” she ordered, as she walked away.
Acacia watched the older woman as she stood, then she took one last wonderful drink, and had the unfortunate luck to turn around to face her uncle Chuck and his bitch of a wife Cassie–Ann. They always seemed to appear out of thin air. Like Ebola.
He was much older than her father would have been and he had small, beady brown eyes, and a sharp nose that accentuated his hard features.
His wife, on the other hand, was much younger and she would have been pretty, if not for the way she seemed to look down her nose at everyone.
She plastered a smile on her face that didn’t reach her eyes. “Uncle. Cassie. Are you having a good time?”
“Yes, child, we are,” Chuck answered, as he looked down at her.
Acacia was already way past the point of being called a child from her years and experience. She hated it when he called her that and he knew it. Everything that came out of his mouth was an insult of some kind. Some blatant and others twisted with sugary sweet comments. “Good, I’m glad you could both make it.”
Cassie batted fake lashes which matched her false enthusiasm. “The invitations didn’t seem to make it out on time, at least not for the notice I would have given my guests, but we rearranged our schedule so we could come support you, dear.”
The blood rushed in her head, but she kept the fake smile tilting her lips, as she tried to excuse herself. “Please, help yourselves to the wonderful food and enjoy the rest of the evening.”
She turned to walk away, as a hand curled around her upper arm. Her gaze fell to that hand, then back up to her uncle’s accusatory glare as he demanded, “I’d like a word more with you. Now.”
The determination in his eyes had swayed lesser women, and men for that manner, but Acacia’s eyes flashed with nothing but fury.
“There isn’t anything you could say to me at this moment that I see as appropriate for this setting. Unless you have something else to complain about, since nothing ever meets with your supposed standards.”
“My standards are what this magazine needs and I think this is the perfect setting for you to tell me what the hell that letter you had sent over two days ago was all about.” He snarled each word in her face.
All of her self–composure came into play, so she didn’t forcefully throw his hand off of her, and stalk away from them. She knew several pairs of eyes had caught the altercation brewing and she wanted to diffuse the situation as swiftly as she could.
“I believe it was quite clear actually, which I’m sure your attorney told you. It informed you that your consulting work for the magazine will no longer be required. We don’t get along, and I won’t jeopardize the magazine by trying to work alongside someone that doesn’t have the same vision I do. Now, remove your hand, Chuck, or I’ll have security show you to the door.”
You would have thought she had physically burned him with how fast he released her. Cassie, not so silently, gasped. “Well, I never,” fell from her grief–stricken face, as she clutched at her heart. As if anything still resided there. It was hollow, for as much as everyone saw of it.
Acacia could feel the perspiration gathering on her back, as she straightened to her full height in her four–inch heels.
“I will not be brushed aside as easily as you think,” Chuck spat at her. His voice and lecture, as well as his derision, gained in volume as he spoke.
A smile graced her lips, and finally her eyes as she laughed. “Actually you will. When Dad died he left the magazine to me. Me. I believe it specifically left you out. I will run it exactly as I see fit, and no one else, least of all you, will have a say in it. You are more than welcome to make an appointment with my secretary to speak with my lawyer about it, but it is all plainly stated in the letter you received.”
He turned a dark shade of red, and took a step toward her, raising an open palm toward her face.
A hand shot around from behind her, latching onto her uncle’s wrist before he could connect with her cheek. From the way her uncle’s head whipped over as he stared behind her, he was caught unaware by the presence of her savior.
Acacia caught a glimpse of the hard lines of a man’s face and the fall of perfectly messy blond hair across his brow.
Radigan.
He was just inches from her as he spoke. “Our hostess has already asked you very nicely to hold your tongue or leave. Since it seems you can’t get a handle on your temper, in front of all these lovely people…” He cast a glance at all of the other partygoers whose eyes were now trained on the foursome standing at the bar. He turned his blue steel gaze back to her uncle and continued, “Then I suggest you take your wife and call it a night.”
Chuck jerked his hand away. “You don’t have the right to ask me to leave.”
A warm masculine hand rested on the small of Acacia’s back, and her mouth suddenly went dry. Her eyes flicked up to Radigan’s for the briefest of heartbeats. He stared at her and then her uncle again.
“No, I don’t, but the two security guards behind you absolutely do, since you can’t seem
to find your manners this evening.”
Acacia then noticed the two large men standing behind her uncle and his wife. They turned at the same time, and she could see her uncle grinding his teeth at the rather embarrassing predicament they now found themselves in.
“Good night.” Acacia brushed them off.
“This isn’t over,” he replied gruffly, before catching his wife by the elbow and brushing past the security guards on their way to the door.
Cassie cast Acacia a disparaging look as they rounded the last corner before leaving the ballroom.
Acacia let out a pent up breath as soon as they disappeared, and she wanted to run, or hide, or jump the man behind her. Strong hands turned her so she stood face–to–face with him. The one man who could bring her to her knees.
“You all right?” he asked softly, as the rest of the guests slowly began enjoying themselves again, since apparently the show for the evening was done.
“Yes,” she breathed out.
“Who was that?” he asked, leading her back to the bar, as he motioned something to Frank.
“My uncle and his wife,” she answered, as she kept her gaze focused on his chest, which was covered in a tux that made him look like the movie star he most certainly was. It did him justice and she couldn’t keep her knees from shaking at his close proximity.
He helped her sit on the bar stool she had inhabited not that long ago and said, “Here drink this,” as he shoved a small glass that Frank had set before them into her hand.
She took it blindly and looked at the contents before throwing it back, and swallowing the strong liquid. Whatever it was burned all the way down and she was glad for it.
A slight grimace crossed her face, and she shook her head slightly as she set the glass down and finally looked up to make eye contact with her protector.
Kellan Radigan.
No one called him by his first name though. To everyone he was just–Radigan.
Her hands shook as she let go of the glass, and it had nothing to do with the altercation of moments ago.
Fame had named him the hottest man alive last year, and she realized his free hand was holding one of hers as he downed the contents of another glass set before him.
The way his lips caressed the glass sent a shiver down her body, and she stared at his mouth when his tongue peeked out and licked his bottom lip. He returned his glass to the bar and set it next to hers.
She knew the way his mouth felt on her hot skin, as she fought the multiple climaxes he tore from her body. His tongue, his hands, his breath. She knew every inch of his body and couldn’t think of a thing to say.
Well, at least nothing constructive.
Please can we go upstairs where I can suck your cock? Not exactly keeping it professional.
Do you come here often? wasn’t exactly the most riveting ice breaker she could come up with, but he rendered her speechless, or stupid, or something else that made her feel equally inept.
She tore her eyes from his perfect mouth and stared at their glasses, sitting next to one another. The look of them lined up made her happy, and she frowned at her idiocy.
“I didn’t recognize them,” she said absentmindedly, and tugged her hand free of his.
“Didn’t recognize your uncle and his harpy?” he questioned, as he took a seat next to her. He traced the back of her hand, along her pointer finger and off the tip.
She put her hands in her lap, hiding them from him. Just because she wanted to crawl into his lap had nothing to do with her trying to come up with a reason to bail.
Her head gave a slight shake, and she tried to face him again. “No. I meant the two security guards. I’m a bit of a stickler when it comes to all of my employees, and especially the security guarding my guests at these parties. I didn’t recognize either of them. Come to think of it, they didn’t have the right uniform on either.”
“Actually they don’t work for you,” he stated, with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Acacia narrowed her eyes on him and asked, “How do you know that?”
Radigan broke eye contact and rubbed the back of his neck, and Acacia could feel her heart pounding in her chest at the sight of his hands. “They’re my security guys actually. And personal assistants, and two of my best friends. They weren’t with me last time.”
Despite her urge to flee, she turned in her seat to face him, her knees brushing his thigh. Self–righteous indignation seemed much preferable to horny inability to focus, so she ran with it.
“My people were more than capable of handling the situation, Mr. Radigan. I was fully capable of dealing with them and didn’t need a knight in shining armor.” She stood to leave and said, “Thank you for the help, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the party.”
He was out of his seat quicker than she would have thought possible for how tall he was and, as she turned to leave, his arm came around her side. His large hand settled on her stomach, holding her against his chest.
No one but Frank could see how familiar he was with her. How close. How intimate. But she felt as if they were being broadcast on the jumbotron at a sporting event.
Her breath caught in her rib cage as the overwhelming urge to lean into him almost capsized the resolve she clung to. She couldn’t give in to him again. Not even for a second.
She stood still as a statue, clenching her hands into fists.
“Why are you running away from me?”
“Because…” is all she got out while feeling his words tickle her ear. His fingers caressed her abdomen, which was now rippling with need.
Standing in her house, in front of her bar, in the ballroom filled with hundreds of guests that she had come to know and respect over her lifetime, she could think of nothing but the lips that whispered over the side of her neck.
“Acacia, where are you, are you all right? I heard someone let some riffraff in.” Jackie’s booming voice asked, snapping Acacia out of her reverie. She stepped out of Radigan’s embrace, looking around to make sure her encounter wasn’t seen by anyone else. She breathed a sigh of relief when no eyes seemed to be on them, just as Jackie came around the corner of the hallway. Her worried gaze found Acacia’s flushed face and seemed to relax slightly.
She wrapped her in a tight hug, and said, “I just heard what happened, and made sure security had them escorted out and that their vehicle left the property. I can’t believe they had the audacity to show their faces here, much less make a spectacle of themselves after what they did. Ingrates. You’re flushed, are you all right?”
Acacia was quite glad her back was still to Kellan, who she could almost feel smirking behind her. Jackie didn’t know why her cheeks were rosy, and she had no intention of giving Radigan the satisfaction of admitting it was him that had caused her reaction.
“I’m fine. Mr. Radigan was kind enough to diffuse the situation for me,” she said through clenched teeth.
The older woman seemed to still, and the smile that graced her lips was pure joy, as she finally noticed the tall, gorgeous man standing behind Acacia.
“How lucky you were that he was here tonight. Thank you, young man, for taking care of her.” She wrapped him in a tight hug normally only reserved for friends and family.
Radigan took it all in stride and hugged the woman back, as if he’d known her for years.
“You are very welcome, ma’am,” he said earnestly.
Acacia had always imagined him a pompous prima donna, too full of himself to acknowledge anyone outside his realm of stardom, but he stood there with his arm casually wrapped around Jackie’s shoulders, as they spoke to one another with great interest.
She came back to reality as she overheard Jackie say, “…and my girl was just telling me a few days ago how pleased she was you would be here tonight. Didn’t you, Acacia?” Jackie winked at her, and smiled widely.
“No I didn’t.” I was freaked the hell out he would come because he was the last one to see me do just that. Come.
Yup. Sh
e wanted to crawl into a hole and hide for another year, when she saw the look of surprise on Radigan’s face. It quickly morphed into a smirk and he turned to face her. He eyed her up and down and she swore she could feel his teeth on her clit again.
“Is that right?” he drawled, as Acacia tried to think of something to say so she didn’t die of embarrassment.
“Not exactly.”
“Not exactly? Then what did you say?”
“Well…I–” is all she got out before she heard a crash somewhere behind her.
They all turned to see John, the waiter from earlier, red as a beet, leaning down, trying to pick up wet pieces of broken crystal and place them back on the silver tray he still held.
“If you would excuse us,” Acacia said happily, as she yanked Jackie behind her and they made their way through the crowd. Most barely noticed anything had happened. They were all quite use to commotion.
Jackie waved at Radigan, and called over her shoulder, “See you later, dear,” as she allowed Acacia to pull her farther into the guests.
“What are you doing?” Acacia whispered harshly.
“Since you don’t seem to know when a man is interested in you, I decided to help you out a bit.”
“Men like that are only interested in two things,” she said, as they continued walking. “A different girl every night, and a great role to keep them in the press for as long as possible.”
They reached John, and he started stammering apologies right and left to both of them.
“Oh John, it happens to the best of us,” Acacia replied, as they picked up the rest of the broken glass. Two more people arrived from the kitchen to clear the tiny shards and mop up the spilled liquid.
As they moved toward the kitchen she asked, “What happened?”
John looked mortified. “I was passing out champagne and Ms. Roberts turned around and took one. She said thank you and smiled so big, I just kind of forgot I was holding the tray and it came crashing down. I’m so sorry.” He opened the door and held it for them as they all moved into the kitchen.
Brought to His Knees-Tough Guys Laid Low By Love Page 55
