by Stacy Hoff
She was a person in her own right. Kind. Loving. Desperate to be loved. It took her parents witnessing her broken engagement before even they truly realized she was her own, independent person. One to be valued for her own beliefs and desires.
If it took her own parents years to realize this, could it be possible a man she just met could truly value her? Value her simply because she was herself? And not for what she could do for him?
A stinging sensation made her realize she had bitten down on her lip.
Focus, Cat, come on, you can do it. Because before she got truly caught up in this man she had to test him out. Find out his reaction when he learned her true last name. Or whether, unbeknownst to her, he already knew who she was. He had money and probably a dozen investigators he could hire if he really wanted to find out about her and her land. She’d know from his reaction whether he cared about who she was related to, or who she was as a person. Deep inside her mind, a tiny version of herself sat in the dark crevices of her mind, praying hard the latter was true.
It was time to find out. “Okay, Ty, I’ll be honest. I do want to be with you.”
He let out a slow, seductive smile that quickly turned into a Cheshire cat grin. “That’s all I needed to hear.”
“Almost.”
“Almost?”
If she wasn’t so tensed up, the speed at which his smile turned to a frown would have been comical. She placed her hand on his chest. Whether to soothe his concern or push him away, she wasn’t sure. “Ty, I think there’s something we should discuss first.”
Ty took a step toward her. She could swear heat radiated off of him. Melting her. Making her dizzy. Dissolving her wherewithal to do anything other than throw herself in his arms.
“I’m interested in your mouth. But right now, not for your words.” His words, like his voice, sounded full of desire. Deep. Rich. Throaty. And desperate.
She opened her mouth to protest, tell him they needed to talk, but his lips were already on hers. Sucking her lower lip into his mouth. Running his tongue over it, fast, smooth, and tormenting. Until her tongue came out to meet his, and the two danced as if they were tiny lovers. Miniatures of what they themselves would become.
Any thoughts, and words, were quickly lost in a swirl of sensation. She knew nothing but the feel of his hands as they skimmed up the sides of her body. Hot. Smooth. Silky. She heard nothing except the sounds of their quickening breath. Fast and shallow. Knew nothing except for his taste. Sweet and salty. Like caramel. The hot, rich, sugary, tangy, liquid dripping into her mouth. Slowly. To be savored.
Then his hand reached up to cover her breast, swollen and heavy with need. Oh, God . . .
Her hands reached up around his neck. Bringing his lips down harder. Demanding more from him. Claiming him. Wanting him.
“Cat,” he groaned. “I want you. Badly. But I want to give you a chance to back out, if you want to. If you do, you’d better do it now.”
She shook her head. “No,” she whispered. As she leaned forward to kiss him, a loud clashing of songs filled the air.
Her forehead crinkled. “Are we going to answer our phones?”
“Nope. Choco can work out whatever problem the company is having by himself.”
She giggled. “Explains why your phone’s playing Willie Wonka music.”
“The tune makes me laugh. Believe me, I could use a good laugh in my workdays. Which are basically all day every day. But I wouldn’t be too quick to make fun of me. Your phone is playing the theme song to Working Girl. Am I right?”
“Yeah, it’s my ring tone for Vanessa. I swear she thinks she’s my mother. Despite the fact she’s only in her fifties and we’re not related. Oohh, thank God, our phones have finally shut up.”
“If we can get Choco and Vanessa to hook up, maybe they’d leave us alone. A solution for all of us.”
“Hmmm. Is Choco cute?”
“I was only kidding, of course.”
“I’m not. Is he cute?”
“Sorry,” he said in mock seriousness, “I don’t judge other guys’ looks. Doubly true for family.”
“Yeesh, okay. But I’m not hooking Vanessa up with anyone who is ugly. No offense to Choco. Well, regardless, if he’s two years younger than you, then he’s not in his fifties. I’m not sure Vanessa is into the cougar thing.”
“You already know my age?”
“Yeah, I know how old you are. You’re thirty-three.”
His mouth twisted into a smirk.
“Hey, it pays to know your opponent,” she defended. “It’s important in business to always be prepared.”
“Did you like what you learned about me?”
“I didn’t learn much. There was hardly any useful information.”
“I value my privacy. I pay well to protect it.”
“Is my being in your hotel room invading your privacy?” she teased.
“No, it’s invading my mind. I want to be with you, Cat. Badly. Where were we when our phones so rudely interrupted us?”
The question hung in the air as both phones simultaneously restarted their cacophony.
“Uggh,” Cat groaned.
“Sonofa . . .” Ty’s words trailed off as he walked over to the cocktail table where his phone was vibrating. “If Choco’s calling me like this, there must be something important he needs to tell me. Why don’t you take your GM’s call as well? If we answer them, they’ll go away.”
Cat shoved her hand into her purse for her phone while Ty grabbed his. “They’d better,” she heard Ty add, grumbling.
Cat answered the phone, breathless. “Vanessa? What’s up?”
“I wanted to make sure you came back safe from your date. You didn’t pick up before, so I was starting to worry. Another ten minutes and I would have called the police.”
“I’m fine, Vanessa, thank you.”
“How fine are you?” Vanessa coaxed. “Did your date with Mr. ‘I Want Your Land’ go well?”
“Actually, I’m still on it.”
“Really? I’ll assume it’s going real well then. Er, you didn’t agree to sell, did you?”
“No.”
“Oh.” Silence. “Forgive me for saying this, Cat, but you don’t think he’s romancing you to get your land, do you?”
Cat paused. “No,” she answered firmly. But Vanessa’s comment managed to creep in.
“Be careful with your heart, Cat. And be careful with your land. I worry about you. I only want to make sure you don’t get taken advantage of.”
“I know.” Cat sighed. “Thanks. Have a good night.”
“Night, Cat.”
Cat pressed the ‘end’ button and looked up to see Ty was already off the phone. His head was tilted to one side as if he was carefully considering her. Maybe Choco had told Ty something similar to what Vanessa told her. And maybe Ty was reconsidering whether Cat should spend the night.
“Did Vanessa tell you to get out of my room while the getting’s good?” Ty inquired, his eyes intent.
Cat tried to gauge his expression, whether he was amused, annoyed, or simply assessing whether she’d changed her mind about staying with him. “Yeah, she did. I told you, she’s like a mother hen. A super-mother, in fact. My real mom doesn’t even watch over me like this. But I know Vanessa cares. We’ve worked together since the day I started running my inns.”
“A good relationship to have. Sounds like she likes watching after you.” He paused. “Look, Cat. I don’t want to rush things between us. Maybe we should spend more time with each other before we, well, do what I’m pretty sure we were going to do.”
Emotions welled up inside her, flooding her with contrasting feelings. Everything about this man seemed so perfect. Her heart was telling her she could run into his arms and trust him.
If only her head agreed. Once bitten, twice shy. “I want to stay with you, but maybe we should wait . . .”
Ty walked over and kissed her hand. “You are definitely worth waiting for.”
She smiled up at him. This guy was too good to be true. “Did Choco tell you to hold off? If so, we really ought to get him and Vanessa together.”
“I didn’t bring the topic up. I don’t discuss my sex life with him.” He sighed. “Of course, he always offers his opinion anyway.”
“What advice did he give you?”
“He told me I must be crazy to be involved with you when this land deal is still on the line.”
Cat bit down on her cheek and felt her brows furrow. “It’s not ‘on the line.’ I thought we were done talking about it.”
“I only promised we’d ignore the elephant in the room until midnight.”
She glanced at his wristwatch. The timepiece’s elegant gold hands dimly illuminated from the faint light in the room. “Five minutes past midnight. I hope our relationship really hasn’t turned back into a pumpkin. I was enjoying our time together. Can you get past the business aspect?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. Your land is important to me.”
“Funny, my land is important to me, too.”
“You don’t know how important it is to me.”
“I could say the same thing right back.” She paused, frowning. “I’m sorry, maybe Vanessa and Choco were right after all. We shouldn’t be doing this.” Straightening, she grabbed her purse and slung the straps over her shoulder. In seconds, she would be out the door. Away from him. Her heart safe. If she were smart, she’d once again make sure to stay that way. Nothing good came from being involved with a man.
“Don’t go, Cat. Please.”
It was the ‘please,’ said in a low-pitched, pleading tone that almost made her stop and turn around. To jump back in his arms. Wrap her legs around his waist. Press her lips to his hot skin. To feel her passion returned. A physical acknowledgment he actually wanted her for the woman she was.
But she reached the room’s door handle and twisted.
Like Cinderella, the clock had struck midnight and the magic was gone.
She felt the cool air of the hallway. Heard the faint sound of the elevator whirring a few yards away. The same elevator that would whisk her down to her own room. Away from him. Shutting the suite’s door behind her, she briefly shut her eyes. When she opened them again she started on her way.
Everybody wanted something from her. First her parents. Then Rudy. She’d be damned if she’d be giving herself, her land, or any more time, to Ty Orland. I need a man who wants me for who I am, and not a man who wants me because of what I’ll do for him. I’m through being a people pleaser. The elevator announced its arrival with a ding. She stepped in and punched a number much lower than the penthouse floor she was on. A slow tear trickled down her cheek. With a hard swipe of her hand, she wiped it away. Nobody cares about what I want out of life. My goals. My ambition. Damn it, I am more than a puppet!
With another loud ding, she was back on her own floor. Oblivious to her actions, she managed to navigate to her room and stick the key card in the door. Mechanically she went through the motions of getting ready for bed. Brushed her teeth. Closed the curtains of the room, which were a heck of a lot less impressive than those in the penthouse. Here was where she belonged. Here was where she was going to stay.
Chapter 9
Cat’s dream felt so real she might as well have been living it.
Her dream self was hiding in the shadows of the second-floor balcony of her parents’ Beacon Hill showplace, peering down at the swirling masses below. She froze. God, how many people did her parents invite to her engagement party anyway? Thousands? All of Boston? The gallery was packed with more people than South Station during rush hour.
She knew she should have listened to the Mini-Me screaming in her gut. She should not be getting engaged to Rudy Reizman. Ever, let alone tonight. And yet, here she was in her ten-thousand dollar engagement dress . . .
With a jolt, Cat woke up, sweat pouring down her brow. Her heart beating fast. The sheets, damp and stuck to her body, quickly peeled off. Where am I? Her gaze darted around the dark room. Oh, right. Vegas. I’m in my hotel room. She reached out to click on the nightstand’s lamp. Squinting, she did her best to adjust to the sudden influx of light.
Her heart rate may have slowed down but her memories hadn’t. They flooded in as strongly as a storm at sea.
She had been too young to marry. She’d only celebrated her twenty-first birthday a month before, for God’s sakes. Barely beyond playing with Barbie dolls and wishing she was a mermaid. More importantly, she knew she didn’t love Rudy. She had loved him at one point. Maybe. He had seemed like a nice guy. He set up romantic dates. Once, he’d arranged for a picnic on the beach, catered by a celebrity chef. Another time, he flew her to Aspen for a surprise ski-trip. He had seemed fun and lighthearted. Until she really got to know him.
Her parents had assured her she should ignore her trepidations. They promised love would eventually grow. First comes marriage, then comes love, the same way their own marriage had started out. To please Cat’s grandparents, her folks married to strengthen the families’ business ties. The result was a happy merger, both professionally and personally.
If it worked for them, they argued, why not for her? They were older and wiser and knew what was best. If she only listened to them. Unlike the time she was five years old and snuck over to the pool despite their having told her “No.”
It had been hard, however, for Cat to understand why her parents wanted so badly for her to marry Rudy. Her family already had more money than anyone needed. But Cat spent lightly. All the fancy clothes and precious jewelry she owned were gifts from her parents, or other family members, or him.
If anything, Cat had hoped to generate her own income—she wanted to work. Having a job was good. It was the only chance she had to get out into the real world. Be confident. Take risks. Heck, buy tacos from a street cart if she was in the mood. Otherwise, she’d be drinking damned ice water from a crystal goblet at the tennis club every lunch of her life.
There was no doubt business was at least one of the reasons her parents had pushed her so hard. With one quick marital merger, the Demmel-Reizmans would have owned most of the world’s elite micro-hotels’ market share. An empire to dwarf the one Ty Orland had now. Cat winced at the image she conjured up of the family mascot. Godzilla wearing a tuxedo and drinking tea with its pinky up. The monster was polite, refined, and classy, but don’t anger it.
Her father viewed business competition as a personal vendetta. Whether the vendetta extended to herself, she didn’t know. Her father was always telling her that if the Demmel-Reizman merger had happened, the market of micro-hotels would have been shored up. Now Reizman was still his competition, plus they had another competitor because Orland Premier Properties, Inc., managed to pop up, a weed in the garden. The price paid for Cat’s failure. Every time she disobeyed, it was up to her parents to avert tragedy . . .
Right before her engagement party, her and Rudy’s parents had made sure Demmel-Reizman corporate merger contracts were sitting on the lawyer’s desk. Ready to be signed as soon as their children’s personal merger was complete. The paperwork seemed to beckon her folks like a Siren’s song.
Yes, her parents had been in their glory. Rose was convinced the event planner was worth her weight in platinum. The brownstone’s main level was transformed. Somber furniture whisked away. A bar substituted for a couch. Open space created where people could dance on gleaming hardwood floors. Gold backed chairs surrounded damask covered tables. White twinkle lights glimmered from the ballroom balcony, giving off an ethereal fairy glow. Lavender flowers adorned banquet vases on every table, their scent filling the air with light perfume. Fo
r anyone actually in love, the stunning set-up for an engagement party would have been perfect.
Hidden away upstairs from the party, she had looked up to find Rudy staring at her, his thin lips twisted in a frown. His black hair, brushed back against his pale skin, was reminiscent of Nosferatu. An intense gaze added to the intimidating effect.
“Rudy. Hi.” She had smiled shyly, keeping her tension in check as she had long ago figured out to do. “You look very nice tonight. The suit flatters you.”
“It should. It’s Valentino.” He’d stiffened his back as he straightened up, perhaps to show off the full effect of the designer suit. Cat felt her brow furrow, wondering if she would get a compliment, too.
“Catherine, you’ve got to go downstairs. The party is to start precisely at eight o’clock. Not eight-o-one. Not eight-o-two . . .”
“All right, Rudy. I get the concept.” She had to bite back a sigh. Living with him was going to be like living with an anthropomorphized clock. What was his rush? So he could give her the ring, showing it off to the crowd? No doubt the eight-carat solitaire would draw the expectant “ahhh” factor he wanted, regardless of whether this happened at eight or ten minutes after.
“Now. I’m serious, Cat.” He turned without another word and headed downstairs.
At least Rudy sometimes acquiesced to using “Cat.” Unlike her parents. It was clear, however, he didn’t like the moniker either.
He was a dutiful son, making his parents proud by going through with this farce of a marriage, too. Stopping their parents’ juggernaut of a dream obviously wasn’t an option.
Cat had winced, biting down hard on her teeth. Taking a deep breath, she emerged from the second-floor shadows. As they walked down the wrought-iron staircase, all eyes on her as she descended. The room quieted.
She must have been as picture-perfect as the rest of the party furnishings, she realized. Her long blond hair done up in a beautiful, elaborate bun. Her designer gown custom tailored to show off her curves and accentuate her five-foot-four height. Enhance her blue eyes with its cerulean shade. Even the gown’s floor-length, flouncy hemline was crafted to make her look like she floated instead of walked. If only she could have floated on out of there. Instead, a lead weight had tethered her to the ground—an anchor of wealth and privilege with a death-grip.
