“That might not be a bad idea, V. If you did that then you’ll appear to be more focused on your company and not so much on seducing women.”
Virgil put the phone on speaker as he removed his shirt, frowning. “I’m a single man with a healthy appetite for women, X. Why should I change my routine?”
Xavier’s deep chuckle sounded through the phone. “Healthy appetite for women? Admit it, V, since your breakup with Kara you’ve taken the word player to a whole other level. Granted, you’re up front with the women and let them know you’re not into anything serious, but still, you’re out there quite a bit. It’s like you’re afraid to give another woman the time and attention you gave Kara.”
“I’m not afraid, just cautious. Once you get burned you’re smart enough not to play with fire again.” He picked up the phone again. “Anyway, I offered Kara a compromise.”
“What was your compromise?”
“That instead of dating one woman exclusively, I decrease the number of women I’m seeing.”
“What did she think of that?”
“I could tell she wasn’t thrilled with the idea.”
For a moment Xavier was quiet, and then he said, “Do me a favor, V, and let Kara do her job. I agree with her that total exclusivity would work better in your case, especially with that Hilton guy trying to be an ass. Fathers get real crazy when it comes to their daughters. In this case the justification for the craziness isn’t there, but still. We all agree you need to clean up your act for a while. You’re not talking about forever.”
“Forever or not, like I told Kara, there’s not a woman I can start seeing steadily who won’t get crazy ideas she might become permanent. I’d rather not deal with that kind of foolishness.”
“I know just the woman who might fit your needs. You’ve dated her before and the two of you hit it off. You won’t have to worry about her getting any crazy ideas and she’s definitely a looker.”
Xavier had piqued Virgil’s curiosity as well as his interest. “Who is she, man?”
“Kara.”
Virgil nearly dropped the mobile phone out of his hand. “Kara? Are you crazy? Why in the hell would I want to start seeing Kara again? For any reason?”
“Dammit, V, I’m right here. You don’t have to yell. What are you trying to do? Destroy my eardrums?”
“Better than getting in my car and going to your place to kick your ass.”
“Calm down and think about it, V. First of all, according to you, there will never be anything between you and Kara again.”
“There won’t be.”
“In that case, what are you worrying about? Kara is a well-respected and well-liked young woman in the community, who also happens to be a savvy businesswoman. When people see you together, they will think it was a smart move on your part. And like I said, she’s a looker so it will squash any man’s notion that you’d be after his wife, sisters or daughters. There wouldn’t be a need when you have a woman like Kara who has both looks and brains. Besides, the two of you know it’s only for show, to clean up your image. You don’t have to worry about Kara getting any designs on you or you on her.”
Virgil knew Xavier had made some valid points. But... “I don’t know, X. I could barely tolerate being with her at dinner tonight.”
“Why? You claim you don’t feel anything for her.”
“And I don’t. I finally told her tonight that I accept her apology. But before you get any crazy ideas about me and Kara rekindling anything, forget it. I’m telling you the same thing I told her. Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting.”
“It should. You need to forgive and forget, V.”
“Don’t think that I can. She believed her sister’s lie.”
“We all make mistakes. Farrah doesn’t have a sister but she and Natalie are best friends. Had Natalie told Farrah she saw me checking into a hotel with another woman, I can bet you Farrah would have believed her.”
Farrah was Xavier’s beautiful wife and regardless of what he said, Virgil knew she would not have believed her husband guilty of being unfaithful. “Kara should have known I would not have cheated on her. Hell, I gave up that lifestyle for her and gave her no reason to think I would be unfaithful. I loved her, X.”
Virgil wasn’t sure why he was trying to convince Xavier of anything. He’d had similar conversations with all his godbrothers. They had liked Kara and felt he’d been too hard on her.
“Kara loves her sister and she had no idea what Marti was capable of doing. Fortunately, I did. If you recall, Marti and I dated for three weeks. That’s all the time it took for me to see Marti Goshay was bad news. I honestly think she has this thing against men.”
Virgil shook his head. “I can’t believe you’d suggest Kara as the woman I should be seen with exclusively.”
“Think about it. It would sure piss Marti off royally if she thought you and Kara had gotten back together. It would serve her right.”
Yes, it would, Virgil thought. Whenever he had run into Marti she’d smiled at him as though she’d taken great pleasure in ruining things between him and Kara. To this day Virgil didn’t have a clue as to why. How could one sibling do something like that to another? It was crazy.
“Now that I think about it, you and Kara as a couple might not be a good idea after all,” Xavier said.
Virgil lifted a brow. “Why?”
“You might run the risk of falling for her again.”
“That won’t happen.”
“It might.”
“It won’t, X. I could never love Kara again.” There was no need to tell his godbrother that the only thing he felt whenever he saw Kara was lust. The same degree of lust that he felt for any other good-looking woman.
Virgil glanced at his watch. His favorite television show would be on soon. “I need to go, X. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Hey, wait! There’s a reason I called.”
“It better be good. You’ve wasted twenty minutes of my time already talking about that Kara foolishness.”
“It’s good,” Xavier said chuckling. “Farrah and I are having another baby.”
Chapter 7
Frowning in irritation, Virgil stepped off the elevator to the executive floor of Bougard Enterprises. Why had he allowed Xavier to put that foolish notion into his head about Kara stepping into the role of his exclusive love interest? And what bothered him more than anything was that he’d been giving it serious consideration. How crazy was that?
He hadn’t been able to sit and watch his favorite TV show for thinking about the possibilities...especially how the thought that he and Kara were back together would irk Marti to no end. But what really had him twitching in the gut was his attraction to Kara. Last night’s dinner showed she could still raise his desire to an unprecedented level. It had taken every bit of control he had to concentrate on the taste of his steak and not allow his mind to be flooded with memories of the taste of her.
However, like Xavier had pointed out, such a move had its advantages. But just like there were pluses, he could think of several minuses.
He walked into the lobby adjacent to his office. “Good morning, Pam.”
His administrative assistant gave him a huge smile. “Good morning, Mr. Bougard. Your father is waiting for you in your office.”
Virgil’s smile faded. “He is?”
“Yes.”
Virgil assumed his parents would stay in Houston for at least another month. In addition to Leigh and Chad, his father’s family still lived there as well as a few high school pals he’d stayed close to over the years. That was one of the reasons his parents had purchased a second home in Houston.
“Hold my calls for a while, Pam.”
“Sure thing.”
He walked into his office to find his father standing at th
e window staring out. “Dad, I hadn’t expected you back in Charlotte for a while.”
His father turned around and smiled. “And I hadn’t expected to come back. Rhona remembered she agreed to be commencement speaker next weekend at UNC Charlotte. She wanted to return early to concentrate on writing her speech.”
“I see.” Virgil wondered if that meant his father would be hanging around Bougard Enterprises while he was in town. His father’s next words gave him hope that would not be the case.
“Rhona suggested I fly back to Houston tomorrow. A few of the guys—former high school classmates of mine—planned a fishing trip this weekend.” Matthew chuckled. “Your mother needs to work on her speech and claims I’ll be a distraction if I am here.”
“And I agree,” Virgil said smiling. “You know how quiet Mom likes it when she’s in her Dr. Rhona B. Bougard mode, Dad.”
In all honesty, Virgil was proud of his mother, who had earned her PhD in education before he had started high school. She had been the president of Johnson C. Smith University for years before retiring two years ago.
Matthew nodded. “I definitely don’t want to distract Rhona and there’s really no reason to hang around here. I got a copy of Kara’s action plan. It seems the two of you have everything under control.”
Virgil moved toward his desk to place his briefcase on top of it. If his father assumed that was the case then he would let him. “I take it you looked over what she proposed.”
“Yes. Her recommendations are on point. I can see how they will improve your image. Having a steady woman and making yourself more visible in the community where it counts are good strategies.”
Virgil figured now was not the time to tell his father that, although he intended to be more visible in the community, he had no intention of having a steady woman of any kind.
“Well, I’ll be going now. I’m flying back to Houston tomorrow for that fishing trip.” Before heading for the door Matthew said, “I’ll see you when I get back next week, and I’m looking forward to meeting your lady.”
Virgil raised a brow. “What lady?”
“The one you select to be seen around town with on a consistent basis. And it would be nice if you brought her to UNCC’s commencement to hear your mom’s speech. I anticipate a lot of people will be there and it will be a great place to be seen with her. For you to bring her around your parents will give the impression the two of you are serious.”
Matthew glanced at his watch. “I need to run. Can’t keep my queen waiting.” And then he opened the door and was gone.
Virgil sat down at his desk and stared at the closed door for a long moment while thinking that some days it didn’t pay to get out of bed. He built a steeple with his fingers while leaning back in deep thought. His father naturally assumed he would fall in line with every one of Kara’s recommendations since he expected his son to put the needs of Bougard Enterprises before his own.
Virgil knew there was no good reason for him not to go along with everything Kara had suggested. And taking everything into consideration, he also knew Xavier was right. Kara would be the logical choice if he did so.
He stood, walked over to the window and shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked out. How would she feel if he suggested such a thing? For all he knew she was already in a relationship with someone. He hadn’t made it his business to keep tabs on her since their breakup. As far as he’d been concerned, the less he knew about what was going on with her, the better.
He had to admit that rekindling an affair with Kara would seem more believable to people than for him to suddenly develop a deep interest in one of his lovers. Why did the thought of having to spend so much time with Kara twist his insides into knots? Considering their strained relationship, could the two of them even pull such a thing off?
His cell phone rang and from the ringtone he knew it was York. He and his wife Darcy lived in New York. Pulling the phone out of his pocket, he clicked it on. “Yes, Y?”
“Just giving you an update. I’ve been gathering information on Whitney Hilton’s past as you requested, but you might want me to take a look at her old man’s, as well.”
“Marv Hilton? Why?”
“I’m finding stuff on him that’s rather interesting.”
Virgil nodded. “Interesting enough to use as leverage to make him back off?”
“Possibly. He’s a businessman. One who’s well thought of in the community. I’m sure he wouldn’t want anything from his past to resurface that could tarnish his image like he’s trying to do to yours. What’s the saying? Don’t try cleaning up somebody else’s house unless yours is spotless.”
“I see what you mean. Let’s see what we can find that could possibly stop him in his tracks.”
“Will do.”
After hanging up the phone, Virgil leaned back against the windowsill. If York was to find some damaging information on old man Hilton, then...
Virgil knew he couldn’t get his hopes up on that possibility. Even if York was onto something, it might take weeks before Virgil received a final report. So he was back to square one. The action plan Kara had devised.
He knew what he had to do. Drawing in a deep sigh he walked back over to his desk and picked up his phone. “Yes, Mr. Bougard?”
“Pam, please get Kara Goshay on the line.”
* * *
Kara looked up from her documents. “Yes, Janice?”
“Someone is here to see you and he doesn’t have an appointment.”
Kara raised an arched brow. “Who is it?”
From the tone of Janice’s voice, it was apparent whoever had dropped by without an appointment was standing within listening range of their conversation.
“Mr. Virgil Bougard and he says he needs to speak with you immediately.”
Kara frowned. Virgil had called twice today already, but at the time, she hadn’t had the inclination to talk to him and had told Janice to tell him that she would call him back by the end of the day. She’d taken as much of him as she could at dinner last night. Dealing with him had left her emotionally drained and she wondered what was so important for him to seek her out today.
“Okay, Janice, please send him in.”
Kara stood, not wanting to remember Virgil’s last visit to her office and all the scandalous things they had done in here. It had taken months, or rather years, to wipe the memories from her mind and the last thing she needed was for them to resurface. But they were doing so anyway.
She had been working late one night and Virgil had surprised her with takeout dinner. She would never forget the moment she had looked up from the stack of papers on her desk to find him standing there with a delivery bag in his hand. The aroma of the food had gotten to her, but it was the look of heated desire in his eyes that had really set everything inside her throbbing.
She wasn’t sure how they got through their meal. Needless to say, after finishing off the food, they had then proceeded to finish off each other. She wasn’t sure who’d made the first move that night, nor had she cared. The main thing she remembered was that they’d both stripped naked and made out all over this room. After that night she hadn’t been able to sit down at her desk and not remember the time he’d made love to her on top of it.
The door opened and Virgil walked in. Her breath caught with every step he took into the room. He had a serious expression on his face but that wasn’t the primary thing holding her attention. As usual he was male perfection, immaculately dressed and handsome as sin. She really didn’t like the way her body was responding to him and fought hard for control.
She watched Virgil close the door behind himself and glance over at her. “Thanks for seeing me, Kara.”
Coming around her desk, she leaned back against the front of it. “What’s this visit about, Virgil? What’s so urgent that it couldn’t wait
until I could return your call later today?”
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’ve changed my mind.”
She lifted a brow. “Changed your mind about what?”
“Your recommendation that I date a woman exclusively.”
She was definitely surprised to hear this. But she also knew him well enough to know there was something more to it than him having a mere change of heart. “What made you change your mind?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. It was as if he needed to make sure whatever words he spoke were given much thought. “I realized nothing is more important to me than Bougard Enterprises, and that I would do just about anything to ensure its continued success. Even if it means making sacrifices.”
She nodded. “I think you’re making the right decision. And like I said yesterday, if you’re not comfortable with dating someone you know already, I have a friend who owns a legitimate escort service. One that has a good reputation for being discreet. I can call—”
“That’s not necessary. I have someone in mind.”
She really shouldn’t be surprised that he did, although he’d claimed otherwise yesterday. “Fine. Then I’ll let you take care of that part of things. You don’t need me for that.”
“Oh, but I will need you.”
She was confused. “Why would you?”
He crossed the room to stand in front of her. “Mainly because I want you to be that woman. The one I will be dating exclusively.”
Chapter 8
Kara stared at him. She figured he had to be joking but the intense look in his eyes indicated he was dead serious. And considering his attitude at dinner last night and the things he’d said, that made her angry. “You have some nerve coming here and suggesting something like that. If I remember correctly, although you accepted my apology, you made it clear you would never forget about what I accused you of. You stated without batting an eye that we could never be friends. And I know the only reason you’re even tolerating me is because of Matthew.”
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