Tempted by Scandal

by Karen Booth

  “Of course.”

  With Liam in tow, Teresa wound her way through the crowd. When she spotted Nadia and her boy toy standing near the dance floor, she saw an opportunity to help things get started a little quicker. “Come on. You two should dance.”

  Nadia looked at her date and he didn’t hesitate to take her hand and follow along.

  Teresa might have been in charge of their route, but when they reached their destination, Liam took control, coming to a stop and pulling on Teresa’s hand and twirling her into his arms. He placed his hand on her back and drew her close with a definitive tug. His cologne filled her nose, and the feeling of his form pressed against hers made every nerve ending in her body come alive. She’d forgotten what it was like to be in a handsome, sexy man’s arms. It had been far too long. He started their rhythmic sway and Teresa did her best to relinquish control and let him lead. It was very, very difficult for her to let someone else be in charge, even a man as commanding as Liam.

  “You’re a surprisingly good dancer,” she said, raising her chin and speaking right into his ear.

  “Why is it surprising?” He kept the side of his face close to hers. That stubble she’d been admiring scratched her cheek, and she enjoyed it a little too much. “Years of cotillion at my mother’s insistence. She’s very big on social skills and propriety.”

  “You just seem a bit buttoned-up, that’s all. In my experience, men like you have a hard time letting go when it comes to anything that involves their body.”

  Liam cleared his throat and pressed even more firmly on her lower back. “Trust me. I have zero problem in that department.”

  A steady stream of warmth encircled her, like someone had drizzled hot honey all over her body. She felt her shoulders loosen. The skin of her chest and neck plumed with heat. “I’ll have to take your word for it.”

  “You never know. Stranger things have happened.”

  Teresa wasn’t sure what he meant by that and was honestly a bit scared to ask. If ever anyone needed proof that she was in over her head, that was it. She was scared of very little. “Why do I have the feeling you’re trying to get something out of me?” she asked.

  He spun her to the middle of the dance floor, and much to Teresa’s delight, five or six other couples joined them. Off in the distance, she could see Gideon smiling. Her plan had worked. Which meant she could focus on Liam.

  “Well, I do have a question for you,” he said.

  She really hoped this wasn’t going to be more about his dad. She’d been clear with him that nothing had happened and the idea of rehashing it was tiresome. “Go for it.”

  “You specifically told me at The Opulence the other day that you’re single, but I’ve heard that’s not true. Why lie about it?”

  “Heard from where?” Teresa attempted to make eye contact, but Liam’s eyes were cast off to the side. She placed her fingers against his cheek and her thumb on the tip of his jaw, forcing him to look at her.

  “People talk.”

  Likely story. “Well, I don’t know who’s gossiping about me, but I am as single as they come. I have no reason to lie about that.”

  “You sure? No special guy in your life? Someone you love?”

  What exactly was he getting at? “Definitely not.”

  “I don’t think I know you well enough to know if you’re telling the truth.” He no longer had any hesitation about confronting her with his gaze, his expression both dark and daring. It made her want to do dangerous, foolish things.

  “We’re in the middle of a dance floor in front of hundreds of people. Everyone is watching us and how close we’re dancing.” Their hips were already pressed against each other, but Teresa wanted to make her point. She angled her hip and rubbed up against the front of his pants. There was a distinct stiffening between his legs, which filled her with some feminine pride. “Do you think I would dance with you like this if I was taken?”

  “That doesn’t prove a thing.” Liam made the mistake of pursing his lips and Teresa was stuck for a moment, staring at them, struck with a curiosity she had to quench. They were so perfect. Full. Firm-looking. And then there was the man behind them. What kind of kisser would Liam be? Reckless? Careful? Determined?

  “Then this will.” Teresa raised her hand again, this time to the side of his neck. She cupped her fingers around his nape and pulled him closer, allowing her eyes to flutter shut while she let pure instinct take over. She laid the softest, sexiest kiss on his lips she could muster. The sort of maddening kiss that kept a man coming back for more.

  It was perfect. But she hadn’t taken the time to calculate his response. His hand pressed against her lower back, making the move she’d made with her hips look like child’s play. He tilted his head and urged her lips apart with his tongue, taking the kiss deep. So very deep. Teresa bowed into him. It was the only thing that made sense, especially when white-hot heat began zipping up her thighs and making everything between her legs ache for more.

  She wanted him.

  More than she’d wanted any man in a long time.

  And that scared her. She wrenched her lips away from his and was jolted back into the present—where hundreds of people she should be entertaining and impressing were likely watching. What was she doing? Had she lost her mind?

  “We can’t do this...” she muttered.

  “You kissed me, Teresa.”

  She stepped back, if only to gain some composure. “I know that. And now I’m not kissing you.” She made only a cursory glance at his face, but she could see that it was colored with confusion. Of course he was confused. She was, too. She had to get to the ladies room and get her act together, ASAP. “I have to go.” She turned and wasted no time hustling off the dance floor, leaving Liam behind to fend for himself. She greeted guests along the way, but only in the most superficial of ways, saying hello and breezing past. She felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest.

  Finally she reached the ladies room and ducked inside. Meanwhile, only one thought was running through her head. I kissed Liam Christopher. Unfortunately, the possible repercussions quickly followed. Liam and Matt Richmond were best friends. They’d come to this party together and Teresa had not only laid a serious kiss on Liam’s lips, but she’d also just abandoned him on the dance floor. What was Liam’s only logical action at that point? To walk back, alone, and join his friend, at which point he would most likely tell him exactly what had happened. She was quite certain that the question of her sanity would be raised.

  How stupid could she possibly be?

  She first peeked under the stalls to make sure she was alone, then wandered over to the sink and peered at her reflection in the mirror, muttering to herself. “You have got to get your act together. You have to.” If anyone asked her why she’d kissed Liam, she would have to say that it was his fault. He’d practically dared her to do it. He was the one who didn’t believe she was single. Speaking of which, who had told him that? And why was he interested at all in her personal life? She already knew that he didn’t trust her, and she was well aware of his loyalty to Matt.

  The bathroom door swung open and in walked Nadia. Teresa straightened, but something about seeing Matt’s assistant made a tear roll down her cheek. Had she just thrown away all of her hard work over one moment of weakness for a man?

  Nadia smiled at Teresa, but it quickly fell. “Oh, my gosh. Teresa. Are you okay?”

  Teresa nodded and bit down on her lip, trying to force herself back onto stable mental ground. “I’m fine. It’s just stress. A lot happened today. The party. Finding a replacement band for the Saturday night gala during the retreat.”

  Nadia joined her at the vanity. “And then you topped it all off with kissing Liam.”

  “You saw that?” The more hopeful parts of Teresa’s brain had thought there was a chance she and Liam had been tucked away in the darkest recesse
s of the dance floor. Apparently not.

  Nadia nodded. “Afraid so. A lot of people did.”

  “Including Matt?”

  “I’m not sure. I haven’t talked to him. But I can tell you one thing. There are zero secrets between Liam and him.”

  Eight

  Nadia would’ve been lying if she’d said she hadn’t been shocked when she’d looked over to see Teresa and Liam kissing in the middle of a room packed with Seattle’s wealthiest, most influential people. Neither seemed the type to let loose with such a public display, and what a display it had been—hands in hair, open mouths and, without question, there had been tongue.

  “What do you think Matt will say?” Teresa asked, seeming a bit desperate.

  “He probably won’t say anything to you, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have an opinion about it. You might want to stay away from Liam as much as possible, at least for a little while. Now would not be the time to slip up.”

  Teresa snatched a tissue from the dispenser on the countertop and dabbed at her cheek. She’d stopped crying, thank goodness. “I think I’m being sabotaged. Liam thinks I lied about being single. He asked if I had a special guy in my life, and he hinted that someone is talking about me. I don’t know who it could be or how that would even come up in the first place.”

  Nadia debated whether she should fess up to her misdeeds. Perhaps it was best to just let Teresa know that eyes were on her and she needed to be a lot more careful. “It was me.”

  Teresa blinked several times. “Excuse me?”

  “I overheard your conversation in front of The Opulence. I heard you say, ‘I love him. I don’t want him to end up in jail.’ I’m sorry, but I had to say something to Matt. This is his first time working with you and the anniversary retreat is immensely important to him.”

  Teresa folded her arms across her chest, pursed her lips and sucked in her cheeks. For a moment, Nadia wondered if Teresa was tempted to deck her. Nadia was not a cat-fight-in-the-ladies’-room sort of girl. “Can you keep a secret? Between us. I mean, you can’t even tell your boss.”

  Nadia had to think about that for a minute. “You have to understand that my first loyalty is to Matt. If you’re about to tell me something that could hurt him, I can’t promise to keep it to myself.”

  Teresa nodded slowly as if she was taking it all in. “Okay. I get that. Just know that the man I was talking about on that phone call was not a romantic interest. I was talking about my brother. He has a habit of getting in trouble and I’m afraid he’s done it again. I’m really his only safety net.” Teresa’s normally strong voice began to shake. “My mother just isn’t able to deal with stressful situations like this and so it all falls on me. I’m all he has.”

  Nadia and Teresa weren’t close at all. In fact, they’d already had moments in their short working relationship that had been downright adversarial. But if Nadia understood anything, it was the pull of family, the deep need to do anything to keep them safe and okay at all costs. She stepped closer to Teresa and wrapped her arms around her. Teresa immediately lowered her head on to Nadia’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I promise. I won’t say a word.” She rubbed Teresa’s back softly. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  Teresa stepped back and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Not right now. I have someone watching out for him and we’ll see how it goes. The big thing I could use right now is knowing that I can lean on you when it comes to the retreat. I can’t afford for anything to go wrong and I know you feel the same way. Can we help each other? Will you be my ally?”

  Nadia nodded eagerly. “Yes. Absolutely. Anything you need, please don’t hesitate to let me know. We both want the same thing. For Matt to be happy. Liam, too, I suppose.”

  “Yes. Their big announcement.”

  A woman walked into the ladies’ room and Nadia smiled, but she knew she had to shut her mouth. Nobody could find out about the Sasha project. “Is that going to make it difficult for you to stay away from Liam?”

  Teresa shook her head. “We’re supposed to have one planning meeting about the presentation, but that’s it. Otherwise, I’m going to stay as far away from him as I can. Apparently I lose all good judgment when I’m around him.”

  The woman who’d joined them in the bathroom emerged from a stall and came over to wash her hands. Nadia and Teresa took their chance to step into the adjoining lounge.

  “So, who’s the hottie you’re with tonight?” Teresa asked.

  Nadia chuckled. Women had been asking her that all night, any time Hideo went to the bar to get them a drink. “Old high-school friend. We were never a couple. Just good friends. From the chess club if you can believe that. We also did the mock UN together.”

  “So the beauty queen was also a brain?”

  Nadia cringed at the label. “I don’t know about being a brain, but school and hard work were always important to me. The pageantry was to make my mom happy.”

  Teresa nodded. “You and I have a lot in common. Most things I’ve done in my life have been to please my mom. Or to just help her get by. My dad died when my brother and I were young and I don’t think she ever recovered from it.”

  Nadia had to admit she was getting a bit wistful thinking about her family. “My mother is an incredibly strong person, but the pageants were one of those things she had always wanted to do herself but never had the chance. I think she lived vicariously through me. It was fine, but it’s just not how I want to be defined. Beauty fades. And I know I’m a lot more than some makeup and good hair.”

  Teresa dropped her chin. “Honey. You are way more than that. You are the total package. Brains and beauty.”

  Nadia smiled. “You, too. Friends of a feather flock together.”

  * * *

  After the things Matt had just witnessed from his vantage point near the dance floor, he needed a drink. He wound his way back to the bar, holding his phone to his ear. He wasn’t placing a call. He simply didn’t want to be stopped by one of the many guests, any of whom could ask him a potentially uncomfortable question. Is it true you’re sleeping with your assistant? Or is she with the ridiculously handsome guy she brought to the party? Who is that woman Liam was kissing out on the dance floor?

  “A shot of Don Julio, please.” Luckily, Gideon spared no expense at his parties, which meant Matt’s favorite top-shelf tequila was available. He stuffed his phone back into his pocket and fished a hundred-dollar bill out of his wallet, tucking it into the tip jar.

  “Wow. Thank you, sir,” the bartender said.

  “No. Believe me. Thank you.” Don Julio was for sipping, but Matt knocked back the drink and shook his head. It was a jolt of warmth he needed, and smoothed his unusually ragged edges. Matt prided himself on rarely getting rattled, but watching Nadia slow-dance with her “old friend” had done something to him. The guy’s hand had settled far too easily on the small of Nadia’s back as he’d snuggled her close. They’d talked and laughed, every second of it an excruciating test of Matt’s patience. He wasn’t sure he’d ever had such a purely irrational and visceral reaction to anything. Even now, just thinking about it, made his pulse race and the blood course through his body like a raging river. All he’d wanted to do was march out onto that dance floor and claim what he wanted—Nadia.

  But she was not his. She’d been very clear about that. Crystal clear. But even knowing that, he’d still had to force himself to turn away. He’d had to talk himself through not making a scene. Was he losing it?

  He turned and ran right into Shayla.

  “Great party,” she said.

  “Fantastic. Teresa does an incredible job.”

  “She did quite a job on your best friend a few minutes ago. What’s up with that?”

  Matt had really hoped he’d been one of the only people to notice, but, of course, Shayla had seen it—she had a knack for catching people at their weakest. Or most
embarrassing. “I do not know. And frankly, it’s none of my business.” Although it really was his business. Teresa was working for him. He needed her focused on the job at hand. And as for Liam, well, Matt had never seen him so much as hold hands with a woman in public, so seeing him kiss Teresa had been a true shock to the system. Liam had offered no explanation, either, and had simply told Matt that he was calling his driver and heading home. Matt would’ve gone after him if Liam hadn’t made it clear that he needed to be alone.

  “Nadia seems to be having a great night with that male model,” Shayla said, her voice dripping with innuendo.

  Matt was not about to take the bait. “How could she not? The band is really good.”

  “Hideo Silva is even hotter in person than he is in pictures.”

  Shayla could be frustratingly transparent when she was trying to get in her digs. “That’s not really my call.” Of course, the mention of it had brought the vision right back into his head—Hideo lowering his head and speaking into Nadia’s ear, holding her close. In his mind, Matt could see her laughing, tossing back her mane of thick blond hair, the one he loved running his fingers through. He recalled every lovely inch of the stretch of her neck. Kissing her buttery soft skin was one of the most sublime experiences he’d ever had. Matt was not the jealous type. He had no reason to be envious of anyone. He had the world at his feet. But in that moment, he had been certain that if the world hadn’t been watching, he would have lumbered right over to Nadia, taken her hand and led her far away from the handsome guy she was dancing with.

  Across the room, Matt spotted Nadia, making her way from the ladies’ room back to Hideo, who was standing at the one of the high cocktail tables, staring at his phone.

  “You’ll have to excuse me,” Matt said to Shayla, not offering any further explanation. He walked double-time, not bothering with the charade of his phone. He had to talk to her before she reached her date. “Nadia.” He grasped her arm, but quickly let go, even though he didn’t want to.