The Score (Massey Security Duet Book 2)

by S. Nelson

  I should still be furious with him for the stunt he pulled with his buddies, but being taken, and thinking I was in real danger, pushed away all my false bravado and terrified me. He made me see a side of myself I didn’t want to confront. I’d tried not to show weakness, but my body told me to fuck off and took over, reacting in a way I believed most people would. Thankfully, it had all been a setup, but the happenstance was enough to jolt me into the reality that I should step outside my bubble, the one where I thought nothing bad could happen to me, and take a good look around.

  I portrayed a woman who hadn’t been affected by what Ford had done, but I truly had been. I’d never profess as much to him, however, because I thought that might give him a smidge of satisfaction.

  “You two look beautiful,” my dad complimented. “And I hear you made both of your outfits.” His eyes were pinned to mine, and if I wasn’t mistaken, I saw a shimmer of pride residing behind them. A look I hadn’t seen from him toward me in longer than I cared to acknowledge. My heart swelled and I beamed, foolishly so, but I didn’t care.

  “She spent the past week working like a nut to get them done.” Emily fluffed out the skirt of her dress. “She did an amazing job.”

  “She certainly did.” My dad threw his arm over my shoulder and pulled me into him, planting a kiss on my temple before releasing me. “Well, now, if you’ll excuse us, your mother and I have to mingle. I’m looking for my next lead, so I have to see if there are any viable candidates here.”

  “Always working,” my mom grumbled but grinned, entwining her arm with his before they walked away.

  The four of us were left standing by the bar, Ford and Owen a few paces to the side and talking amongst themselves. The younger of the two smiled as he chit-chatted, but his older sibling was straight-faced and looking right at me. For some inexplicable reason, the way he eyed me made me look down at myself in question. Was there something wrong with my outfit? I looked right at my chest first, thinking maybe my nipples were still hard, but they weren’t. Then I glanced back over at the two of them and thought that maybe whatever Owen had said was the reason why Ford was staring at me. But even if I asked, he’d never tell me what they were talking about, so I pushed my curiosity aside and focused on having a good time, instead.

  As I gossiped with Emily about all the people who’d showed up, I saw Steph walking toward us, talking to some man with salt-and-pepper hair. They were far enough away that I couldn’t make out who he was; then they separated before I could get a better look. She proceeded walking our way and was next to us in no time.

  “Thank you so much for coming.” We embraced, and I hated it had been so long since we’d been able to connect in person. Her shoulder-length, chocolate-colored hair was styled down and straight. Steph had always had such a cute face, with a smattering of freckles across her nose. I had envied her trait but it was only as an adult that she had learned to love them, no longer choosing to cover them up.

  As a grown woman, she was beautiful. Not the standard type of beauty plastered all over the magazines, but the small bump in her nose and the two-inch scar on her chin from a trampoline accident added to her appeal. I couldn’t explain it, but those characteristics, mixed with the fact she was an amazing and giving human being, made her attractive. Inside and out.

  Her rose-colored, strapless dress flared out at the waist, much like Emily’s, but hit her below her knee.

  “Love your dress.” I reached forward and touched the material, fascinated with the way it shimmered at certain angles when she moved. “What is that made of?” I couldn’t determine the exact fabric, and suddenly it was all I focused on.

  “I don’t know. I just saw it in the boutique and bought it.” She laughed when my eyes remained glued to her dress, touching my shoulder to try and break my concentration.

  “You two look stun—”

  “Cara made our outfits,” Emily interrupted, fluffing out her dress like she’d done earlier. Her pride in my work pumped up my confidence and filled my heart with even more love for my sister.

  “You did?” Stephanie’s eyes narrowed briefly before widening. “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  “She knocked them out this week. Both of them.” Emily’s enthusiasm was borderline embarrassing, but not quite there yet.

  “Really.” That time she hadn’t posed her response as a question. She bit her lip and tilted her head. “I think there is someone you should meet.”

  “And who would that be?”

  “James Hollen. Have you ever heard of him?”

  “Uh… yeah.” My face lit up. I wasn’t easily starstruck, but the man was a genius, one of the greatest designers of our generation if my opinion counted for anything. I’d been following his collection for years, occasionally dreaming of being able to one day showcase my designs at Fashion Week, rubbing elbows with him and picking his brain about where he found his inspiration. His color palette never disappointed and his designs were on par for the everyday person, with a hint of flare for the extraordinary.

  “You’ll never believe this, but I ran into him last year when I took my mom to the doctor for her checkup. He was there with his father, and we got to talking while we waited for our parents. I had no idea who he was, but I knew he looked familiar. Coincidentally, I picked up a magazine during a lull in our conversation and there he was, on page ten, surrounded by gorgeous models.” She took a breath and looked like she was lost in memory. Only when I nudged her arm, hungry for the rest of her story, did she continue. “When I showed him the article, he told me to toss it in the garbage. He laughed, but clearly he wasn’t fond of the attention.” She looked around the room, then back to me, like she was going to reveal her biggest secret. I leaned in close. “He’s looking for new designers to work with.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s looking for the new ‘it’ designer. He wants to branch out and help new up-and-comers. Wants to give back or something like that.” She fiddled with the front of her dress, and something told me she wasn’t telling me the entire story of their encounter.

  “You know all this from your one meeting?”

  She puffed out her cheeks before releasing her breath. “We had a few meetings.” Before I could inquire more, she blurted, “He’ll be here tonight. I could introduce you.” Her tactic was a great way to redirect my sudden curiosity about the two of them and circle it back to meeting the man himself.

  “That would be amazing.” I swore if I didn’t stop smiling, my face would be stuck in a constant look of glee. Not a bad look, I supposed.

  Steph’s attention was diverted, and after a quick hug, she flitted through the crowd to mingle, to schmooze and help raise as much money as she could for a cause that was unfortunately near and dear to her heart because of her mother.

  After she was gone, I reached for Emily’s hand and pulled her closer. “Did you hear all that?” I whisper-shouted, afraid if I projected my voice too much, I’d jinx myself and wash away the chance of meeting James Hollen.

  Emily nodded emphatically. “That’s amazing.” My sister’s enthusiasm was sweet. She didn’t follow fashion like I did so she only recognized his name because I’d mentioned it on more than a few occasions.

  I swore I was on cloud nine for the next hour, my only focus on meeting James and nothing else.

  * * *

  Ford

  I was vigilant with keeping my attention on Cara the entire time, only excusing myself for a brief stint when I had to visit the men’s room. Owen had been by my side, both of us trying to blend in with the growing crowd. I’d been sporting my shades before we left the house, but Cara asked me to leave them behind, that she didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention. And since she asked me without a hint of bitchiness, I tossed them on the entryway table.

  Walking back across the large space, I recognized several famous faces, but most of the people were unknown to me. Not being someone who followed pop culture made my job easier. Being
starstruck, like I had been when I first met Walter Dessoye, but thankfully hadn’t shown it, interfered with my duties. If I met someone I was a fan of, I was fearful I’d ignore red flags, a trait that would hamper me being able to protect someone to the best of my abilities. Therefore, I steered clear of the tabloids as much as possible.

  On my walk back toward my brother and the women, I couldn’t help but be irritated at what Owen kept saying before I departed. “Cara looks gorgeous,” and “Are you sure you don’t want to pursue something with her when this is all over?” And my least favorite, “If you don’t snatch her up, some other asshole will.” So, not only was Owen trying to see where my head was at pertaining to thoughts of me and Cara, which there were none, but he’d essentially called me an asshole.

  “All good?”

  “Yup. Nothing much goin’ on here except some ass kissing.” Owen pointed toward Walter and the young guy standing next to him. I had no idea who he was, but my brother did. My philosophy of trying to remain as oblivious as possible when it came to well-known people wasn’t something Owen adapted. He didn’t purchase the magazines, but I often caught him watching TMZ. His excuse was that just in case our firm reached the notoriety where celebrities would search out our services, he wanted to be prepared. I’d brush off his pipe dreams, but it looked like his dream had come true. Having Walter as a client would open doors for Massey Security Inc., and I was still undecided if I was prepared for the fallout, or fortune as Owen would put it.

  “Is that someone we should be concerned about?” I watched the interaction between the guy and Walter intently in case my brother answered the way I feared.

  “You really have no idea who that is?”

  “No.”

  “You really are oblivious.” Exactly.

  “All I care about is whether you deem him a threat in any way.”

  “Only if you had a woman here.” Owen and his damn riddles.

  “What the hell does that mean? And don’t speak in more code because you’re giving me a headache.” I leaned against the wall and clasped my hands in front of me.

  “That’s Cody Caverly.” I shrugged in ignorance. “He’s only the biggest womanizer in the business.” Again, no acknowledgeable reaction from me. “He’s in high demand and as such, he’s worth big bucks.”

  “Why would I give a shit?”

  “Because your woman is walking toward him.” To be fair, I saw Cara headed toward her father, but my brother’s comment about her being mine irked me. Not as much as when he laughed at me when I growled under my breath, giving him the illusion that I agreed with him calling her my woman. Because she most certainly was not. Don’t you want her to be, though?

  I shoved that asinine thought from my brain as quickly as it formed and moved toward Walter, Cara, and the bastard who leaned in to kiss Cara’s cheek. I was next to them in seconds, startling Cara with how close I stood behind her.

  “Is there a problem?” Walter eyed me with a frown, but before he freaked out over nothing, I shook my head, easing some of the tension from his face. “Good.” He was going to say something else to me, but his daughter beat him to it.

  “Do you mind?” Cara turned her head to the side, partially facing me. She kept her smile in place, but her tone belied her expression. The only reason I could think as to why she hadn’t openly berated me for crowding her was because she was trying to either impress Cody or give the illusion that she wasn’t a bitch. Harsh word, I realized, but Cara fit the trait when she wanted, although not as frequently as in the beginning.

  I leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Only doing my job.” When I stood up taller, she took a step back and bumped into me, that’s how close we were.

  “Will you excuse us?” she asked, touching Cody’s upper arm before she reached back and smacked my leg. She never said another word as she walked away, each step she took purposeful and hurried. I gave her father a shrug before I followed, silently scolding myself for overreacting to her being so close to the guy Owen referred to as a womanizer not moments ago. What did I really think would happen between them with her father standing there? And because I couldn’t decipher why I acted like I did, I braced myself for the tongue lashing coming my way from one pissed-off socialite.

  Cara waved to a few people as she passed but continued to head toward one of the hallways, reminding me of the last time we ended up in one. She’d kissed me. Then I kissed her back with eagerness before separating and telling her what a huge mistake it was.

  But it wasn’t a hallway we found ourselves in this time. It was a dining hall, dimly lit and empty. Not a good combination.

  “Just what are you doing?” She folded her arms over her chest, and I couldn’t help but look down at her tits, trying to see if her nipples were still hard. But I couldn’t tell with her arms shielding them. Perfect placement. When my eyes found hers, she looked fit to be tied. “Don’t you dare embarrass me tonight, Ford. I’m serious.” Gone was the abrasive curl to her words, replaced with genuine concern I would somehow humiliate her. Her voice was softer, the look in her eyes worrisome.

  “I don’t know who that guy is.” I closed my eyes after I spewed my pathetic excuse, but I didn’t know what else to say.

  Understandably, she called me out on my weak excuse. “Nice try, but that reason is getting old. You know damn well nothing is going to happen here tonight. There are too many people, and it’s too open of a space. And I have no doubt you’ll be following me whenever I stray from the herd.” Sarcasm cut the edge of her words, and deep down I couldn’t blame her. That didn’t mean I’d change my ways, though.

  There were a few things I could’ve said in response, but all of them would’ve evoked strong words from her, so I remained silent. A slight nod from me was all she needed to end our discussion.

  I was thankful our encounter hadn’t turned into something explosive, and while I should’ve been thinking of ways to avoid such encounters in the future between us, all I could focus on was the sway of hips and the plumpness of her ass as she walked away from me. The knowledge that there was only a thin layer of material hiding her nakedness riled me, and not in a good way. It was distracting as hell. It nipped at the corners of my control. I was sure anyone who looked at Cara knew that while the jumpsuit was classy and covered every bit of her private parts, seeing no hint of a bra or panties on the sides of her outfit only left one viable option.

  “When do you think they’ll start bidding on Cara?” Owen bumped my shoulder with his, his intention to piss me off landing right on point. I swore if he wasn’t my brother….

  As I opened my mouth to respond, to either tell him to fuck off or shut up, he jerked his chin toward someone across the room. When I turned to look, I saw a woman headed straight for us. She looked familiar but I couldn’t quite place her. All thoughts of his idiotic question vanished, thankfully for him.

  “Do you know her?” I asked.

  “We met her when we went with Cara and Emily to that one club.” He snapped his fingers, as if the action would help him recall. “I can’t remember the name of the place. Anyway, she was the one who was looking to hire security, so I gave her a card.”

  I racked my brain to drum up the memory, but stopped when she stood three feet from me. What the hell was her name?

  “Hi, Ford,” she cooed, stepping closer before running her hand down my arm. Oh, I remember her now. And if my memory served me correctly, Cara didn’t care for this woman. “It is Ford, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  Moments passed in silence, making our encounter awkward, for me at least, so much so Owen jumped in. Otherwise I was set to walk away without so much as a goodbye. For some reason, it felt like I was betraying Cara on some level, which was ridiculous because I wasn’t. So what if Cara didn’t like her. I didn’t like some people, but I’d never demand Owen not interact with them. Not that Cara had demanded anything from me. Oh Lord, my thoughts were running rampant and stressing me out unnecessarily.

/>   “You remember Mrs. Dumont, don’t you?” Owen gave me a look, one that told me not to fuck up the opportunity for a future client. And a famous one at that. Or used to be. I couldn’t remember what Cara had rambled on about the woman.

  “It’s Miss and call me Heather.” I swore if she came any closer, she’d be wrapped around me. Although, I had a hunch that was what she wanted. “You have the most gorgeous eyes I’ve ever seen. Truly, they’re fascinating.” Her compliment was genuine, one I often received, but when I didn’t fawn back with gratitude, she stood taller and thrust out her chest before twirling a strand of her hair.

  “What can we do for you, Miss Dumont?” My demeanor was strictly professional, even though all I wanted to do was pass her off to Owen, but I knew she wanted my attention and not his.

  “What do I have to do to get you to call me Heather?” Her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip. The woman was attractive in a girl-next-door type of way, but she did nothing for me. Besides, something told me she was a handful.

  Speaking of handful, I looked over at Cara who was close by. I knew where she was at all times because it was my job. Her eyes were glued to every movement Heather made, and I swore she flinched when Heather ran her hand over my arm again. Because I didn’t want anything escalating out of control, I excused myself and strode toward the woman who drove me crazy, leaving a potential client behind. No doubt reeling from my abrupt rudeness. But at that moment, Cara had my attention. She was all that mattered.

  * * *

  Cara

  After my brief talk with Ford, I returned to stand next to my dad and Cody, half listening to them discuss working together soon. Some movie about a long-lost love between two high school sweethearts who rekindle their relationship after the guy returns home from war. But I zoned out when I caught a glimpse of someone nearby. Someone I couldn’t stand. Someone who went out of her way to try and hurt me, to destroy my reputation—not that there was much left of it to begin with. Someone who spread lies about me, simply for revenge.