A Bet With Benefits (The Eden Empire Book 3)

by Karen Booth

  “Long enough to be in the tabloids more than once.”

  So she was jealous. If that was the case, why hadn’t she tried to beat Valerie Cash at her own game? He would’ve given in without too much of a fight. Okay...a little fight. But now? Months later? He wasn’t feeling generous. “It’s over. That’s all you need to know.” He swallowed hard and prepared himself for the question he had to ask. “How’d you manage to keep your love life under wraps that whole time?”

  Mindy laughed quietly. “Cute, Sam. Real cute.”

  “What?”

  “Nice attempt at digging for information. I’m not about to tell you what I’ve been up to. I’d rather keep the mystery alive. Also, I’d rather ask about the mysterious woman answering your phone.”

  “It’s one of my assistants. My phone has been acting up, so she’s out getting me a new one.”

  Several seconds of silence wound its way through the line. “Oh. Okay.”

  Sam couldn’t help but notice how uncertain Mindy sounded. Had she really been bothered that much by his relationship with Valerie? Had that been what kept her away? “So the wedding. Do you want to just text me the details?”

  “Sure. I can do that. You should know that since the wedding is taking place at the Grand Legacy Hotel, I’m staying there both nights. If you wanted to do that, you could book a room. It would just need to be a separate room. And I don’t know what their availability is.”

  “Right. Friends and all.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I think I’ll sleep in my own bed those nights.” It will save me the temptation. “So how did Sophie take the news that I was coming?”

  “She wasn’t superexcited, but she was fine. Don’t worry about my sister. She’ll be too drunk on love and attention to know what’s going on. You just play the part of model wedding guest and we’ll be fine.”

  “I do know how to behave in social situations, you know.”

  “I know. I guess I’m just restating the obvious.” Mindy blew out a breath of frustration. “I should go. My to-do list is ridiculous.”

  “Oh, sure. Me, too.” For some reason, Sam couldn’t bring himself to say goodbye and he sensed that Mindy was feeling the same way. “Big plans this weekend?”

  “Sleeping, perhaps. Maybe brunch on Sunday. How about you?”

  “Definitely the sleeping part. You know how I feel about brunch.”

  “You’re the only person I know who doesn’t like it.” Despite her words, Mindy’s voice was light and playful.

  “Well, which is it? Breakfast? Or lunch? Make up your mind, brunch. You don’t get to be both. Plus, it’s basically cutting out an entire meal, which is a big downside for me. I will always eat.”

  “I actually noticed today that you were looking a bit skinny. Are you sure you’ve been eating?”

  Sam ran his hand over his stomach. He hadn’t weighed himself in forever, but he had noticed that his pants were getting a bit loose. “Clearly not enough if you think I’m looking scrawny.”

  “I didn’t say scrawny. I said skinny. You’re still all muscle.”

  Sam had to swallow back a groan. The thought of Mindy looking at him that closely was a definite turn-on. One he knew he shouldn’t be relishing too much. “I’m not sure friends should be making comments about each other’s bodies.”

  “It was just an observation,” Mindy retorted.

  “Fair enough. For the record, you looked perfect today.” Every last inch.

  “You’re just sucking up to me because I’m taking you to the wedding of the year.”

  Not really. “You’ve always seen right through me, Mindy Eden. I can’t get a single thing past you, can I?”

  Mindy laughed again, a musical sound that made Sam feel a little lighter. “Nope. So you’d better stay on your toes. I’ll call you next week so we can make a plan for the rehearsal on Friday.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  Sam and Mindy said their goodbyes, but as soon as he hung up, his office line buzzed again. “Mr. Blackwell? There’s a Ms. Parson on the phone. She won’t tell me who she’s with or what she’s calling about, but she’s very insistent that she needs to speak with you.”

  Sam was more than a little annoyed by this. Just when he’d been having fun talking to Mindy, he had to be smacked in the face with a less-than-pleasant call. “Put her through.”

  “Mr. Blackwell?” Ms. Parson asked.

  “I thought I asked you to never call me at the office.”

  “You did, and I’m sorry, but I was unable to reach you on your cell phone.”

  “Yeah. Sorry about that. Long story.”

  “Well, I’m very sorry to bother you during the day. I was as discreet as I could be when I called.” Ms. Parson had always kept Sam’s business with her a secret, at his request.

  “It’s fine. What can I do for you?”

  “I know your involvement with our organization has always been anonymous, but there’s a potential problem with the couple who is underwriting and hosting this year’s big event. Do you know who and what I’m talking about?”

  Sam had heard inklings of this. “The senator and her husband. Something about a sex scandal?”

  “Yes. I’m afraid so. Obviously, if that continues to play out the way it is in the tabloids, we’re going to have to ask them to step aside. Which means we will need a new host for the event. You’d be the perfect person to do it. You’ve been such a big contributor for so long.”

  Sam drew in a deep breath. He’d attended this event many times and was well aware of what hosting it involved—getting up in front of a crowd of five hundred people and asking them to open their wallets, usually by telling a story that caused people to reach for a tissue. “That would require me to step into the spotlight. I prefer to keep my personal life, especially my past, out of the public eye.”

  “I know that, Mr. Blackwell. And we’ve always respected your wishes. Always. But perhaps it’s time to be a bit more public about your involvement. People might benefit from hearing your story, especially since your mother was so young when she passed away.”

  “I’ll think about it. No promises.” Sam hung up, swallowed hard and looked out the window. He didn’t like to think about this. It was too painful. He preferred to write a sizable check every year, try very hard to forget the difficult parts of his past and to remember happier times. Those days were so far gone, it was sometimes hard to believe they’d ever existed. His sister, Isabel, was the only person on the planet still around to remind him that any of it had ever been real.

  Three

  Sam’s driver dropped him off in front of the Grand Legacy Hotel on Forty-Fifth Street, a few blocks west of the bright lights and perpetual hustle of Times Square. The night air held just a hint of cooler fall weather, but Sam would take what he could get. Summer in New York was insufferable. He was glad to see it gone.

  Sam had always admired the Grand Legacy, an art deco jewel brought back to life by fellow real estate developer Sawyer Locke and his brother, Noah. Sam was hoping to get some face time with them both tomorrow during the wedding reception, along with many other notable members of that business circle. Spending more time in New York over the last several months had meant confronting a lot of his earliest misdeeds in business. He could admit that he’d been a little too ruthless more than once. He wished that hadn’t been the case, but when you’d been on your own since the age of seventeen, you became a survivalist. You took as much as you could, even if it meant amassing more money than you could ever spend. Every dollar in the bank was another layer of security. Now that he was thirty-six, he was starting to see the errors of his ways. He wanted to mend a few fences, especially with Jake Wheeler, Sophie’s fiancé.

  Sam stepped into the lobby and straightened his jacket as he scanned the crowd ahead, a throng of people talking and mingling near
the hotel’s grand staircase, which led up to the main bar, the hotel’s speakeasy during prohibition. He’d dressed in a charcoal-gray suit, white shirt and midnight-blue tie—quite a conservative getup for a guy who preferred to wear only the darkest colors, black if he could get away with it. For the first time in his life, he was making an effort to blend in rather than lurk in the shadows.

  It took him only a few seconds to spot Mindy. Being a head taller than most people afforded him the luxury, and he took full advantage of the view. She was simply stunning in a black cocktail dress, her scarlet-red hair framing her flawless face in shiny waves. As he moved through the crowd to reach her, he saw that she was having a conversation with a man he didn’t recognize. He knew that look on her face—her lips pulled tight in a thin smile. She wasn’t happy. The man put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. Mindy recoiled and Sam was ready to push past several people to save her, but she turned her head and spotted him, her eyes flashing bright. She muttered something to the man, then quickly wound her way to Sam.

  “You’re here!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him forward until he had no choice but to kiss her square on the lips. “We’re going to have to abandon that whole just-friends thing,” she muttered against his mouth.

  Sam reflexively wrapped his arms around her waist, his lips buzzing from the kiss. Mindy flattened herself against his chest, making everything in his body go tight. “What happened?” he asked, mumbling into her ear. Her silky hair brushed his cheek. Her skin was so soft and warm. He knew then that no matter what she said to him next, this wedding was going to be a test.

  Mindy released him from her embrace but quickly tucked herself under his arm, placing her hand on his stomach. “See that guy I was talking to?” she asked out of the side of her mouth.

  Sam cast his sights down at her, loving the view the deep V of her neckline gave him. “I couldn’t help but notice. He seems to like you.” Sure enough, Sam casually glanced at the man, who was narrowly watching them while he stabbed ice cubes in a glass with a cocktail stirrer.

  “That’s Gerald Van Dyke. One of the groomsmen. For some unknown reason, he has a big thing for me. I keep telling him I’m not interested, but he thinks I’m kidding. Like he can’t seem to fathom it.”

  “He’s a good-looking guy. He’s probably not used to women turning him down.”

  Mindy gazed up at him. “And he’s loaded, too. So I’m sure he thinks I’m nuts for not being interested, but he’s just not my type.”

  “I wasn’t aware that you had a type.”

  Mindy shook her head at him. “Take a look in the mirror and you’ll know exactly what I have a big weakness for.”

  Sam appreciated knowing that he was at least physically what Mindy wanted, but that almost cast their past in a worse light. Had it been nothing more than sex to her? Her propensity for ordering him out of her apartment made him think yes. “Do you typically kick guys who are your type out of your life?”

  “I had no choice when you were messing with my family. Especially since none of them are particularly fond of you because of it. And I still don’t buy your excuse that you were trying to make me happy.”

  Sam knew then how little Mindy understood him. “Why? Do you truly believe that I don’t care about the happiness of others?”

  “It’s not that so much as you don’t seem like the kind of guy who would try to save someone. Especially more than once.”

  “There are lots of things you don’t know about me, Mindy.” He’d have to leave it at that.

  “Yeah? Because I feel like you’re an open book.” She again made eye contact, her expression nothing but clear conviction. “It’s one of the things I like most about you. You always tell me exactly what you’re thinking.”

  Not even close. Out of the corner of his eye, Sam could see that Sophie and Jake were making their way closer to them. “This might be a conversation for another time.”

  “Right. Well, regardless, you and I need to pretend like we like each other a lot. Just until Gerald gets on a plane back to Miami.”

  Sam leaned down and kissed Mindy’s temple, hoping Gerald would take the hint. “I think I remember how to do that.” I have a lot of practice.

  “Good.” Mindy faced him again and smoothed her hand across his chest, sending a tidal wave of warmth through his body. This no-longer-friends plan of hers might kill him. “I hope you can keep it up for a few days.”

  Sam settled his hand in the small of her back and pulled her against him. Their physical proximity was doing more than make him miss what they’d had before. He felt almost desperate to reclaim it. If only for one night. “You know I can keep it up long enough to make you very happy.”

  One corner of her luscious mouth pulled into a smile. “Clever. I also forgot to mention that you might have to stay here with me tonight and tomorrow.”

  Now Sam knew he was truly in trouble. He and Mindy wouldn’t last two seconds behind closed doors. It was a miracle they hadn’t torn off each other’s clothes a week ago in his office. “I feel like you’re breaking every parameter of our agreement.”

  “I’m sorry, but Gerald’s room is across the hall from mine. I’m not sure a do-not-disturb sign will be enough to keep him from knocking on my door or slipping creepy notes under it.”

  “So you need me to be your muscle.”

  “I prefer to think of you as a stunt boyfriend.”

  Sam laughed at the joke, but these were dangerous waters to be wading into with Mindy. Why did he have to be so drawn to the one woman who was most likely to take everything she wanted from him with absolutely no guarantees of anything else?

  * * *

  Mindy was digging herself a deeper hole with every passing minute in Sam’s very capable arms, but she had no choice. She’d never be able to enjoy her sister’s wedding if Gerald was pestering her. However much she and Emma had complained about Sophie while she’d been planning the wedding, they both very much wanted it to be a perfect affair. This was a time for celebration.

  “Sophie and Jake are coming this way,” Sam mumbled into her ear.

  Unfortunately, staying away from Gerald by staying close to Sam was only going to convince Sophie that Mindy had fallen under his spell again. For the moment, Mindy was stuck between the rock that was Sam and the hard place that was her sister.

  “Jake. Sophie. Congratulations.” Sam gave Sophie a quick hug, then shook Jake’s hand. The two men were quickly locked in a steely-eyed staring contest.

  “Thank you, Sam,” Sophie said, bugging her eyes at Mindy. “Don’t you two look cozy over in this quiet corner.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.

  “The lobby is packed. Everybody’s cozy,” Mindy countered, knowing she’d have to explain to Sophie that she and Sam were canoodling in public only out of necessity.

  Jake stood back and put his arm around Sophie. Sam stuffed his hands into his pockets. Mindy felt an urgent need to remedy the distinct lack of conversation. “The rehearsal went well. I’m sure tomorrow will be amazing.”

  Sophie smiled, but Mindy could see the unease on her face. Was it prewedding jitters or did she truly despise Sam that much? “I hope everything goes off as planned. I don’t want to have to stress at all.”

  “Everything will be perfect,” Mindy replied. “If there are any problems, Emma and I will deal with them.”

  “So, Jake, how’s business these days?” Sam asked. For a moment it felt as if they were all holding their breath, waiting for the answer.

  Jake allowed the corners of his mouth to turn up, but it wasn’t even close to being a real smile. “Better than ever, although I’m surprised you’d ask. It’s one thing for you to show up at my wedding as Mindy’s date, and quite another for you to ask about business. As if you actually care about that part of my life.”

  Mindy was shocked by Jake’s ton
e. She knew he didn’t like Sam, but this was more biting than she’d ever heard from him. She looked to Sophie for answers, but her sister was pursing her lips and avoiding eye contact.

  “Come on, Jake,” Sam replied. “That was a long time ago. You shouldn’t hold on to animosities for so long. You’re getting married to an amazing woman. This should be a happy time.”

  Before Mindy had a chance to figure out what was transpiring between Sam and her future brother-in-law, Jake had dropped his hold on Sophie and was nearly toe-to-toe with Sam. “You don’t get to tell me what to do. Especially not about my work or my personal life.”

  “Jake. Stop. What is going on with you?” Sophie tugged on Jake’s arm.

  He cast an uncharacteristically mean-spirited look at Mindy. “Your sister brought a jerk to our wedding. That’s what’s wrong.”

  “Hey. Jake. That’s not cool,” Mindy said. “And don’t talk like that. You’ll just upset Sophie.”

  Sam reached for Mindy’s hand. “No. No. It’s okay.” He then turned to Sophie while Mindy thought her heart was going to punch a hole in her chest. Her pulse was racing. “Sophie, apparently Jake never told you that he and I were almost business partners at one point. A long time ago.”

  “We were more than possible business partners, Sam. We were friends. And we never became partners because Sam talked me out of going in with him on what ended up being his first big deal. He made a mint and completely cut me out of the profits.”

  Was this the root of the dissension between Jake and Sam? It certainly sounded like something Sam would do. A person didn’t get a ruthless reputation by being anything less than cutthroat.

  From across the room came the sound of clinking glass. “Ladies and gentlemen, if you can all begin moving into the restaurant’s private dining room, we’ll be serving dinner soon.”

  “Look. We have to go.” Sophie seemed nothing less than flustered, which Mindy hated seeing. “I guess we’ll see you two later. Just, please, no drama.”