by Clay, Verna
Skye glanced at the many women's specials and almost laughed aloud that the woman hadn't included her in the sales pitch. Yep, Kade was going to hit the big time.
He murmured his thanks, but no thanks, and followed Skye toward the back of the store. She had no trouble locating the designer section and scouted the aisles for the best dressed salesman. The one she chose was over fifty, distinguished looking, and immaculately dressed.
With a not-so-happy Kade in tow, she glanced at the salesman's nametag. "Hello Mr. Beaumont, we're looking to buy a couple of your most impressive suits, a formal one and a casual one, probably charcoal for the first and ivory for the second. Also, we need a tux, something popular with the yuppie crowd, and, of course, tailored shirts for the suits. I was thinking maybe the designer labels of Armani, Ralph Lauren, or Canali, might have what we're looking for. Also, could you call someone from your shoe department to fit my friend with shoes for each suit?"
Mr. Beaumont studied Skye for an instant and then broke into a wide smile. Obviously, he recognized a woman with money to back up her demands. He said, "I would be most pleased to assist you in whatever you require. Please follow me and while you're looking at suits, I'll call our shoe department."
With Mr. Beaumont in the lead, Skye turned to Kade and grinned. He just rolled his eyes. When the salesman left for a few minutes, Kade said, "I have a feeling this is going to be expensive. Are you sure about the agent footing the bill? Seems a bit odd to me."
Skye, who was flipping through some racks of suits, kept her eyes averted from Kade's. "Of course the agent is footing the cost. He saw some of your pics; liked what he saw, but as I said before, he wants to see how you clean up. Agents do this stuff all the time when they stand to make a tidy profit off a client. Besides, they don't pay full cost; they have arrangements with the department stores."
Skye really had no idea if agents did this at all, but she was in too deep to retreat. If Kade knew she was footing the bill, he'd never allow it, and he sure as hell didn't have the money to buy the clothing himself. However, the suits were necessary to showcase his versatility. Potential agents had to see that he could look just as sexy in Armani as Levis. Kade would never know about her little white lie.
After an hour of trying on suits, Kade stepped out of the dressing room wearing a Canali silk blend classic fit dark gray suit, and the look on Mr. Beaumont's face solidified Skye's belief that they'd hit the jackpot with this one. She and the salesman exchanged knowing smiles as he rushed forward with his measuring tape. "Exquisite…just exquisite," he gushed. Kade stood in front of the full length mirror looking utterly bored.
Skye said, "I agree, Mr. Beaumont." To Kade she asked, "Do you like it?"
He gave himself another bored glance in the mirror. "If you like it, then I like it."
Skye laughed, "You're too easy to please."
Kade shifted his gaze in the mirror so that he was staring into her eyes. Although she couldn't read his expression, his look made her blush. Quickly, she said to Mr. Beaumont, "We'll take this suit and the third one he tried on, the ivory linen Ralph Lauren. Why don't you go ahead and finish your measurements while I peruse the tuxes. Oh, and we also want the ivory Brooks Brothers dress shirt, along with the one he's wearing now. Also the gray Burberry London tie and the red one, too."
"I wholeheartedly agree with your selections, and–"
"Kade?" a sexy voice purred and they all turned to see a beautiful woman, tall, leggy, and buxom, walking toward them wearing black leggings, six-inch heels, and a fashionable off-the-shoulder, hot-pink silk blouse that floated around her, barely covering her ass. She said, "Oh, my God, you look fantastic! Why didn't you call and let me know you were in Phoenix? It's been a few years since we connected. I'd love to get together with you."
Skye was surprised when Kade actually blushed. However, he said evenly, "Hello Mags. I'd like you to meet my friend, Skye Rutherford." He motioned toward Skye. "Skye, this is Maggie Fairchild, but she goes by Mags."
The woman who had walked up beside Kade, now turned and leveled her gaze down on Skye. Whoever Mags was, she was almost as tall as Kade in her heels. She smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
Skye shifted the hangers of dress shirts she'd been holding and stuck out her hand. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Mags."
The woman replied, "My goodness, I thought you were the sales clerk."
Mr. Beaumont, standing off to the side, coughed and politely excused himself to check on the tailor's schedule.
Returning her attention to Kade, Mags stepped back a pace, and exclaimed, "My God, you look scrumptious! What are you doing in Canali? Are you modeling for a magazine spread?" she joked. Without waiting for an answer, she stepped until her body was pressed against Kade's and mashed her lips to his.
Skye was overjoyed when he didn't reciprocate the kiss, and when Mags broke away, she looked flustered. Turning a questioning gaze on Skye, she asked, "Ah, are the two of you…ah…seeing each other?" Clearly, to her, the idea was ludicrous. Before Skye could answer, Kade responded, "Something like that."
Mags regained her composure and lifted a beautifully manicured index finger to graze down Kade's cheek. "Too bad. After the nights we spent together…" She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was as clear as mountain stream water. She faced Skye, pursed her pouty lips and said, "Send him back to me when you're tired of him."
Skye couldn't believe the woman's audacity and replied without thinking, "I don't foresee that happening."
The woman gave Skye a smile that was actually genuine, and winked. "I know exactly what you mean." Lifting her hand in a backward wave, she strutted away on her ridiculous heels. Skye watched her retreat and when she was out of earshot, said, "You didn't actually date her, did you?"
Again, Kade blushed.
Skye just shook her head in disbelief.
Kade defended himself. "Hey, I was going through a bad time and she was just…there."
"It must have been a really bad time."
"Can we drop the subject, Skye?"
Mr. Beaumont returned and halted further conversation.
Chapter 17: Revelations
Mr. Beaumont made another notation on his notepad for alteration of what Kade now knew to be a Gucci pleated front tux shirt and a Dolce & Gabbana three-piece woolen tux. He sat down to remove the Gucci black patent leather Oxfords to be worn with the tux, but was waylaid by the shoe salesman kneeling to do it for him. Kade had to bite his tongue to keep from saying something rude. He was sick of hovering salesmen and the tedious task of putting clothes on and taking them off. He was also sick of listening to the inane conversation between Skye and Mr. Beaumont about the clothing he'd tried on.
But what he really hated was Mags showing up. The woman was a self-centered airhead and the fact that Skye now knew he'd once had a relationship with her, irked the hell out of him. In his defense, he'd broken off the affair after a couple of weeks. And the only reason it had happened was because he'd been so pissed at his girlfriend, Ashley, that he'd reacted with his dick and not his head when Mags came on to him. The fact that she was a close friend of Ashley's had been the deciding factor. He'd wanted to hurt his girlfriend the way she'd hurt him. A final thought in his defense was that he'd been in his early twenties and stupid as hell.
Kade suddenly realized that Mr. Beaumont was excusing himself to help another customer awaiting his expertise. Thank God.
Skye said, "Mr. Beaumont is putting a rush on the alternations and will ship the clothing overnight in two days." She glanced sideways at Kade and said tongue-in-cheek, "Unless, of course, you want to return and do a final fitting."
Kade gave her a withering look and then grinned. "If you want me back here, it means an extended ride on the back of my Harley."
Skye shook her head. "If the sleeves of your tux are too short, we'll improvise. I'm in no hurry to ride past eighteen wheelers on the highway again."
Kade chuckled and returned to the dress
ing room. Back in his own clothing, he grasped Skye's elbow and led her from Macy's. "Let's find a place to eat."
"Good idea. I'm famished. Trying clothes on is exhausting."
Kade glanced down at her. She was teasing and he grinned. Suddenly, he felt the need to explain Mags. "When I dated Mags, I was much younger and irresponsible, and I'd just come out of a relationship that I'd thought would end in marriage."
Skye's expression turned serious. "I want you to know, I'm not judging you. Sometimes my mouth overtakes my brain and I say things that…uh…shouldn't be said."
Kade bent his knees until his eyes were level with hers. "I like that about you; you don't mince words."
A surprised expression flickered across Skye's face and Kade had a sudden desire to lean in and whisper something intimate in her ear. He quickly straightened. "Is there any favorite restaurant you'd like to eat at?"
"No. I don't know the area well. I only drive through Phoenix occasionally when traveling across country. Is there a place you like?"
"Actually; yes. It's an Italian restaurant named Christo's."
"Okay, I'll plug the restaurant into my GPS."
"Better yet, let me drive us there."
Skye reached into her purse and produced her keys, tossing them at Kade. Fifteen minutes later he pulled into the restaurant's parking lot.
Skye said, "Oh, I smell garlic toast even out here. It's wonderful. I already know what I want, spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread swimming in butter."
Kade held her elbow and guided her to the front door. "You're an easy date." When she didn't respond, he wondered if she'd taken offense at his words, but when he opened the door for her, she jabbed him in the ribs and said, "And you're a good sport." He looked questioningly at her, and she explained, "Trying on all those clothes. I could feel your pain. I didn't mention it before, but I consider clothes shopping a necessary evil."
Inside the foyer of the restaurant the hostess was helping an elderly couple in front of them, so Kade continued their conversation. "And here I thought you were enjoying yourself."
Skye smiled up at him. "Oh, I most definitely was. I don't mind someone else shopping; it's when I have to do it for myself that I hate it."
The hostess returned from seating the couple and asked, "Two?"
Kade answered, "Yes. And could we have one of the more private tables in the back?"
The pretty young woman said, "Let me check on that. I'll be right back."
Kade replied, "Thank you."
Almost immediately the hostess returned, lifted two menus off her stack and said, "Follow me, please."
* * *
Skye twirled spaghetti noodles around the tines of her fork and lifted the delicious pasta to her mouth. She closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them she saw Kade staring at her mouth and her heart started that erratic staccato again. Lifting her napkin to blot sauce that had dripped onto her chin, she grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I just love spaghetti and this restaurant is fabulous. I'll remember it the next time I travel through Phoenix."
Kade bit into a garlic breadstick and said, "I discovered this place when I lived here."
"When was that?"
"In my early twenties during a couple of years at Arizona State."
"What was your major?"
"Liberal Arts because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I considered becoming a teacher like so many of the men in my family, but after my sophomore year I changed my mind and moved back to Oasis. I opened the garage shortly after returning home."
Skye bit into her own breadstick. "Would it be too nosy of me to ask why you quit college?"
Kade shrugged. "There are a couple of reasons, actually. My grandmother was getting up in age and having some health problems and it killed me not to be home with her. The other reason..." he paused while taking a bite of his ravioli, chewed, and said matter-of-factly, "was because of a broken heart. The woman you met today was a close friend of my college sweetheart."
Skye formed an "O" with her mouth. "You don't have to talk about this."
Kade chuckled. "It was a long time ago and in retrospect, I made the right decision by returning home. I've never regretted it. I love my town and my grandmother is dear to me. My garage pays the bills and I've even developed a reputation as being an excellent customizer and restorer of motorcycles. Much of my clientele comes from the Phoenix area."
Skye was holding her breath hoping he'd talk about his ex-girlfriend, but he changed the subject, and asked, "What about you? Did you attend college? How did you get started in photography?"
"I attended about a year of college and then chucked it to become a photographer. My mother bought me my first camera when I was five and the first picture I took was of Max. Well, actually, it was Max's hand."
Kade chuckled. "Only his hand?"
Skye grinned at her memory. "Not exactly. It was Max's hand holding a lizard. Max was nine at the time and he'd just captured a finger-size lizard in one of our flowerbeds. He was so proud of the darn thing that he wanted me to take its picture. So he held it out and I snapped a photo, well, many photos, and when they were developed, he and I selected the best ones and made paper frames for them. We tacked them all over our bedrooms. We even felt gracious enough to post one on our stepbrother Bertram's bulletin board. After that, he was nice to us for a few days before becoming the brother-from-hell again."
"So, what happened to Bertram? Do you stay in contact with him?"
"Several months back I talked to him via cell phone when I was trying to locate Max. And now that he's head of Rutherford Enterprises because my grandfather gave Max…" Skye stopped talking abruptly. She'd almost told Kade that Max owned Oasis. Rather than finish her sentence, she said, "Now that Bertram heads up Max, Sr.'s company, I expect I'll see him occasionally in New York. Over the years I've become friends with some of my grandfather's employees and I stop by corporate headquarters just to say hi when I'm in the Big Apple."
"So…after that first experience of taking pictures, you were hooked?"
"Yeah. I used to beg my mother to buy me the latest cameras and equipment."
"Did she?"
Skye placed her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand. "Well, yes and no. My mother, although wealthy, is a workaholic. Most of her life has been consumed by charity work, so much so, that, as you know, she even missed her own son's wedding. As children, Max and I were often hurt by what we considered her lack of interest in us, but we later came to understand that she's driven. We've come to believe that in some way she feels she's carrying on our father's altruistic work. He was always traveling the world involved in a cause. After he died and she married Bertram's father, I think she soon realized it was a mistake, so charity work became even more important as a means of escape. When our stepfather died nothing changed. Perhaps it's her way to escape loneliness. My mother is very complicated.
"Anyway, years ago Max and I discussed our relationship to her and decided to forgive her. She is who she is, and in her own way, she loves us very much.
"But back to your question, she made me work for my cameras. Often, I'd have to help our cook or the laundress. To this day, I hate peeling potatoes and folding clothes." She reached for her wineglass.
Kade's eyes registered surprise and Skye glanced at him over the rim of her glass. "Does that surprise you?"
He lifted his own glass and sipped. "What? You peeling potatoes and folding clothes?"
"Yes. The fact that I didn't have everything I wanted just handed to me."
Kade set his glass down and leaned forward. "Honestly, yes, it does surprise me and I'll tell you why."
For some unknown reason, Skye's heart pounded. Quietly, she waited, swirling two fingers around the lip of her glass.
Kade leaned back in his chair. "Remember the ex-girlfriend I mentioned—the one who broke my heart?"
Skye's gaze remained on Kade's face. "Yes."
"Well, she was rich beyond belief and spoile
d as hell. Anything she wanted, she got. At first I didn't realize how self-centered she was; she played me perfectly and I fell in love with her. I even contemplated marriage."
Kade's eyes suddenly reflected anger as they held Skye's in their blue depths. Again, she quietly waited while her heart pounded, hoping he would continue his story. He did.
He said, "While attending college I rented a small studio apartment and worked part-time at the Harley Davidson store. Anyway, I had a weekend free, something that rarely happened, and my girlfriend stayed with me at my place. We made love, cooked, and then made love again. I was in heaven."
Skye almost gulped audibly at his revelation.
He sipped his wine, glanced across the room, and then back at Skye. "When I took her home, her parents were there. They were always pleasant and friendly to me, so I never gave a second thought to the disparity in our social statuses. We talked for awhile and then I excused myself to go to the restroom. When I returned, the door I thought I'd closed was cracked and I heard my name mentioned, which made me pause. And now, thinking back, I thank the heavens that I did. If not, I don't know how long the woman would have deceived me as to her true nature. Anyway, the gist of the conversation they were having about me was that I was a nice diversion for Ashley, but totally unsuitable for anything permanent."
Skye sucked a breath and reached across the table to place her hand over one of Kade's. "That's horrible," she whispered.
"Yes. But worse than her parents' statement, was Ashley's response. She just laughed and said, 'Mom, Dad, you can trust me. I'm not going to marry Kade. He's just a cute distraction'."
Skye tightened her hand over Kade's. "Did you confront them?"
In an unexpected gesture, he turned his hand over and entwined his fingers with hers. "No. I did something I'll always regret. I got even." His gaze finally slid away from hers as he confided, "That woman you met today at the department store was my revenge. I used her and made sure Ashley arrived at my apartment the next morning. When she saw Mags, I just shrugged, leaned over and whispered in her ear, "She's a cute distraction." Kade glanced back at Skye. "I was a total asshole. And to make matters worse, I kept up a relationship with Mags. It wasn't until I woke up one morning with her beside me that I realized I was behaving just like the people I despised for my own selfish reasons. It was then that I returned to Oasis." Kade gave Skye's hand a final squeeze and then removed it, reaching to pick up his wine glass.