by Sabrina York
He sighed. “I can’t. Not with Jess here.”
Lisa’s eyes burned. “Maybe you just can’t, period. I’m beginning to wonder after last time.”
“I’ll see you early in the morning.” He closed the door on her, trying to maintain a tenuous hold on his emotions. Anger flooded him, but also shame. He had failed to perform last time they were together and had rejected her tonight. Was there more to his inability to make love to her than his illicit attraction to Caris?
Color swept across his cheeks as he remembered his body’s reaction to his mental wanderings a short while ago. He wasn’t physically incapable of taking Lisa. It was the emotional distance that had sprung up between them holding him back. He couldn’t make love to someone he didn’t even like very much at the moment.
He resolved to tell her during their trip tomorrow. Their confrontation would have to wait until after her party, out of courtesy, but then they would sit down and talk. Dom didn’t think she would graciously accept him terminating their relationship, so it would be best to keep it confined to her apartment. A reluctant smile broke across his face as he realized he was within twenty-four hours of being free of Lisa. He felt a twinge of guilt accompany the giddy feeling sweeping through him and tried to push both emotions away.
Once in her room and out of the seductive red outfit, Caris didn’t know whether to giggle over her flirtations or cringe from embarrassment. What had she been thinking, to have done that? Anger had clouded her judgment, and she had set out to prove Lisa wrong without thinking of the consequences.
A tiny voice in the back of her mind nagged at her, making her wonder if there hadn’t been more to it than that. Hadn’t part of her wanted to elicit a reaction from Dom, just to prove she could? She had enjoyed touching and flirting with him—in front of Lisa, no less.
She crawled into the bed, forcing back a sigh. She shouldn’t have given into impulse. Teasing Dom was wrong, especially when she couldn’t follow through. Her situation was too precarious to allow emotions to rule her head, or desires to rule her actions. She had to get their relationship back on a professional footing before she did something stupid that cost her Jessica forever.
Dom scanned the crowded apartment, looking for Lisa. It seemed that every square inch of the condo’s luxuriously furnished interior was taken up by someone dressed to kill and posed to show off. The Persian carpet under his black dress shoes provided the perfect backdrop for the many colors worn by the guests, as did the art deco antiques and stark white, silk walls. Somewhere amid all the glamour lurked Lisa, and he was anxious to find her. His watch read two A.M., and he was ready to leave. If he didn’t find her soon, he would go without her.
“Pardon me,” a tipsy blonde purred at him as she accidentally stumbled on the carpet and ended up pressed against him.
He carefully righted her. “Forget it.”
She smiled. “Your Lisa’s, aren’t you?”
Dom tried to hide his discomfort at being referred to as Lisa’s. “Have you seen her?”
She waved in the general direction of a dark corner. “I think she’s with her manager. Probably talking about the new contract she’s angling for.”
He surrendered his nearly empty glass to a circulating waiter and nodded to the blonde. “Thanks.”
She touched his arm. “You don’t have to run off, honey. Lisa will be a while.”
He closed his eyes for a brief second, and then shrugged off her hand. “Good night.” Dom cut his way through the crowd, seeking out Lisa’s shade of blonde amid the sea of bottled-blonde heads filling the room. He finally caught sight of her in the corner, with her head bent low against Sergio’s. His arm was around her waist, and their posture seemed more than cozy. Dom was unsurprised by his antipathy as he walked up the few stairs leading to the alcove. As he neared, he caught part of their conversation.
“Your image is so important for this contract, darling. You know what kind of person Mr. Heally seeks for his new line of clothes.”
Lisa nodded. “I know what’s required, Sergio. It’s well in hand—” She broke off as Dom approached, summoning a smile that looked forced. “Hello, darling.”
He inclined his head to Sergio. “We should be leaving.”
She shook her head, sending waves of blonde cascading down her back. “You haven’t met Aushon yet, Dom. You simply must before we leave.”
Dom kept the grimace off his face as Lisa kissed Sergio’s cheek and slipped her arm around his waist. He glanced at his watch again, hoping this introduction would be the last obstacle to getting out the door.
Sergio mimicked a phone with his thumb and forefinger. “Call me when it’s all set, darling.”
“Of course.”
He allowed himself to be steered back through the assemblage until Lisa paused and pulled on his arm, leading him toward a middle-aged couple. The woman was one of the few normal-looking women in the room, with short graying-brown hair and a plump figure. She wore a simple black dress that didn’t try to hide her voluptuousness. Her hand rested on the tuxedo sleeve of her companion. He was in his early fifties, with steel-gray hair, an ascetic face, and a sturdy build.
“Aushon, Doreen.” Lisa dragged him forward so she could bestow air kisses on Doreen’s cheek and touch Aushon’s arm. “How lovely to see you again.”
“We didn’t see you earlier,” Doreen said. “I wasn’t certain you had made it.”
Aushon cleared his throat. “It must be difficult to find time to socialize with a little one at home.”
Dom’s eyes widened at his words. To his knowledge, Lisa hadn’t told any of her friends about Jessica. His lip curled. She only told a national publication when out with one of her boy-toys.
Lisa nodded. “It is, but we took a night for ourselves. The nanny is a whiz with the…Jessica.”
A frown marred Aushon’s features. “It isn’t good to let the nanny do all the raising.”
Lisa shifted, looking discomfited. “You’re absolutely right, Aushon. I really prefer to care for her myself, but sometimes duty calls.”
Doreen frowned at her husband. “So it does. You can’t devote your entire life to a child.” She shook her head. “And to think she isn’t yours. I really admire you, dear.”
A real smile flashed across her face. “Thank you. It really was no bother. She’s so sweet.”
Dom had grown increasingly puzzled as the conversation progressed. Surely, Lisa wasn’t speaking of his niece? She had hardly spent more than an hour in the baby’s company since Jessica first came into his life.
“Who’s this?” Aushon asked as he waved his glass in Dom’s direction. “Not another one of those men like I saw you with in that gossip column last month, I hope?”
Color swept across Lisa’s face. “Of course not.” She looked down at her shoes. “It was a bit of an adjustment when we first became responsible for Jessica, but I’m so happy I stuck it out.”
Dom’s mouth fell open at that. When had Lisa become responsible for his niece? Had everyone fallen into some alternate reality, and he was somehow the only one with a memory of how things had been?
She continued with a forced smile, as if straining to smooth things over. “This is Dominick McNeil.”
He automatically took the hand Heally extended. “How do you do?”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. McNeil. I’ve heard great things about you.” Aushon nodded to emphasize his words. “I admire how you stepped in after your father’s death when you were so young.”
“I was twenty-six,” he said. “Not so young.”
Aushon shook his head. “My son is thirty-one, and I wouldn’t let him touch my company. If we died tomorrow, our business would fail if it fell in his hands.”
Dom resisted the urge to shift his weight and continue to protest he hadn’t done much. “It had to be done, sir.”
“Very good. I like responsibility in youngsters.”
Dom almost laughed, biting back the reminder that he was thirty-four and
no youngster. “It is refreshing.”
“I like a nice, moral family unit.” He shook his head. “I don’t approve of this living together business.”
“Hm,” Dom said, struggling to remain non-committal. He plucked a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and took a sip to avoid any further comment.
Lisa suddenly gripped his hand, pulling him closer. “We’ve discussed that too, Aushon.” She thrust her left hand forward, displaying the large diamond resting on her ring finger. “Dom proposed to me, and I said yes.” She cuddled closer to his arm. “We’re getting married.”
He was halfway convinced his jaw had detached from his skull and fallen to the floor when she made her announcement. Dom couldn’t tear his eyes away from the expensive solitaire resting on her hand. Where had it come from? He couldn’t get beyond its magical appearance. She hadn’t worn it earlier, when they left her apartment before the party. He scrunched his brow, trying to remember if she wore it the last time he had seen her in the crowd, about forty minutes ago. His mind drew a blank.
Doreen hugged Lisa. “Congratulations, Lisa. I’m so pleased for you.”
Aushon extended his hand again, shaking Dom’s vigorously. “I’m glad to see you’re a level-headed young man. This is a wise decision.”
“Thank you,” Dom said in a thick voice. He was numb and unable to counter Lisa’s statement. What was happening? It was all a joke, surely. Someone would jump out and yell, “Surprise,” at any moment.
Aushon clapped his hands together and raised his voice to be heard above the murmur of the partygoers. “Attention, ladies and gentleman. Tonight is more than an anniversary party for myself and Doreen. Lisa Bonham and Dominick McNeil have just announced their engagement.”
Dom accepted the myriad congratulations with a sick smile and few words. He prayed for a hole to swallow him up, but his plea went unanswered. Somehow, he endured the well-wishers with his smile in place and his gut churning with nausea. How had things gotten so far out of his control?
Chapter Eight
Dom threw Lisa’s keys on the table when they entered her apartment. As soon as she closed the door, he whirled to face her. “What the hell was that?”
She looked surprised as she laid her purse on the table and shrugged off a light wrap. She walked into the green and gray living room and sprawled on the couch before answer. “What, dear?”
Dom’s mouth opened and closed. “Our engagement.”
Lisa shrugged. “The timing’s right.”
“No, it isn’t. We haven’t settled anything about Jessie yet. Nor had we ever talked about getting married.”
“We knew we would. As for the child, you have a nanny. In a couple of years, she can go to boarding school.”
Dom blinked. “A couple of years?”
“I don’t know. Maybe four? What’s the difference?”
“The difference is I have no intention of sending her away. She’s part of my life now, Lisa.”
Lisa held out her arms and patted the cushion beside her. “I was here first.”
Dom shook his head and took to pacing. “It doesn’t work that way.”
“You’ve changed since she came into your life.”
“Jessica didn’t—”
“Not the brat! That nanny. You’re infatuated with her.” Her lips trembled. “I won’t share you. She has to go.”
Dom ran a hand through his hair. “No. Jessica bonded with her.”
“Dom, I’m telling you to choose.”
Dom stopped in mid-step. “You’re telling me?”
She nodded, looking angry. “We have a good thing. Don’t throw it away because of that girl. I swear I’ll get used to the kid, but she has to go.”
He stared at her for a long moment. Her lips were parted, and she had a pleading air. She held her clasped hands pointed at him. Everything about her demeanor perfectly suggested resolve and desperation—everything but her eyes. They were the same cool blue as ever, without a hint of emotion.
“This isn’t going to work,” he said with a heavy heart.
“What?”
“You’ll have to fix what you did tonight. I’m not covering for you.”
She frowned up at him. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s over, Lisa. I think it’s been over for a while. Probably before Jessica came into my life, even. If we were really in love, we would have gotten married months ago.” Dom walked to the phone, intent on calling a cab.
Lisa jumped up and blocked his way. “You can’t do this to me. I need you.” Her eyes reflected her desperation this time.
He felt a twinge of pity, but didn’t allow her voice to sway him. “I have to go.”
“You can’t just drop me like this. Please, Dom.”
He shook his head and reached around her for the phone.
“You don’t understand. Aushon Heally wants a family woman for his new clothing line. He wants the whole pretty package. Sergio told me he plans to do photo shoots of an attractive family doing various activities while wearing clothes from the Heally Collection.” She grasped Dom’s jacket lapels. “I need this assignment. It will give me enough to fund my agency.”
He pushed her away. “I won’t be used, especially for a job.” Dom abandoned the idea of calling for a cab from her apartment and took a step back. She followed, and he frowned. “Move, Lisa.”
“I hope you rot in hell, you bastard. You and your whore.” She raked his cheek with long acrylic nails, and then gave a high-pitched laugh when blood dripped from the wound. “I don’t need you. By the time I’m finished, the world will feel sorry for me and hate you.”
When she went to rake him again, Dom grabbed her wrist and applied pressure until her arm weakened. When she dropped it at her side, he hurried around her. He looked back only once. Her eyes burned with rage, and there was a predatory expression on her face. He watched as she ripped the diamond from her finger and brought back her arm. He opened the door and stepped through just in time to hear the diamond bounce off the wood. Then he walked down the hall. Soon he was running, and then sprinting for the elevator. He shivered as he remembered the look in her eyes when he stepped into the cab. He wondered what she planned to do. He wasn’t afraid of her, but he had never suspected she was unbalanced.
When Dom arrived home early the next morning, he found a courier package on his desk. He ripped it open, and the contract his attorney had prepared fell in his lap. He flipped over the envelope and saw a note from the company saying Mr. McNeil didn’t reside at that address.
Dom sighed as he dropped the contract into a desk drawer. On top of everything else, he had to track down Brendan so he could get the custody papers signed. It was too important to let his brother get out of it.
He looked up at a noise in the doorway. Caris stood there in the short toweling robe. She held a bottle of formula in her hand. Her hair was disheveled, and she wasn’t wearing a stitch of makeup. To him, she was more beautiful than Lisa could ever be, even after a day of pampering and wearing the latest haute couture. He found a small smile for her. “What are you doing up so early?”
She held up the bottle. “Jess is awake. I thought you would be back later in the day.”
Dom shrugged. “I didn’t stay the night.”
She came into the study and perched in the chair across from his desk. “What happened?” She pointed to the cut on his cheek that had begun to crust over.
He looked past her to the wall. “Lisa and I broke up.” There was no need to bore her with the details, he decided.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, it was my idea.”
Her mouth dropped open. “But, why? She’s everything you could ever want.”
He chuckled. “Not really. She’s not sweet and caring, and she doesn’t love my niece.”
“She’s beautiful. Isn’t that all a man like you wants in a wife?”
He frowned. “A man like me?”
“Rich, powerful, ambitious.”
Dom leaned forward. “I didn’t know I was a man like that. If that’s what I’m supposed to want, no thanks.”
Caris licked her lips. “So, what do you want?”
He didn’t answer for a long moment, as his eyes slid up and down her body. Then he stood up, noticing how she tensed as he got closer. Dom sat on the edge of his desk, within inches of her. He tilted her head up when she bowed it. “She should be beautiful.”
Caris pressed her back into the chair. “The baby—”
He ignored her words and leaned forward until they were the same distance apart again. He moved his hand from her chin to her arm. Then he picked up her hand. “Inside and out. She should love my niece.”
“Uh—”
“She should be interesting to talk to and easy to spend time with.” A grin curved across his mouth. “She should make every nerve ending in my body come alive just by being in the same room.”
A blush stained her cheeks, and she seemed to be avoiding making eye contact.
“Do you know anyone like that?”
Mutely, she shook her head.
Dom shrugged again. “I do.” Before she could protest or slip away, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Dom clutched the arms of her chair to maintain his balance as his mouth explored hers. At first, she remained rigid, but then her lips softened. He heard a tiny sigh issue from her as he traced her lower lip with his tongue.
Dom slipped from the desk and onto his knees before her chair. He wrapped his arms around her back and pressed close to her. She whimpered when he shifted and pulled his lips away. He quickly obliged her by returning his lips to hers. He slid his tongue into the moist recesses of his mouth, gently stroking his across hers. His head pounded, and his heart raced as feelings he had never experienced surged through him.
He brought a hand around to her waist and settled it under her breast. Dom gently flicked his thumb across the nipple, but couldn’t feel it through the robe. He suddenly needed to touch her more than anything. He wanted to be close to her in a way he hadn’t been with any other woman. When he reached for the sash to push open the lapels, Caris pushed him away so vigorously he reeled back and caught his shoulder blade on the edge of the desk. “Ouch.”