Isabella - Book One

by Thompson, Jamie Brook

  She presses her hand against the back of my head to pull me close again. “Ah, my darling little girl, with the money Mr. Vanguard has offered up it will cover the entire cost of your father’s mortgage. I made sure to negotiate that part in the deal. And I wouldn’t settle for less than vyou having plenty leftover to pay for college or beauty school, or whatever you desire. I just need you to hold your temper long enough to finish out the account. I don’t pay my girls for disappointed customers. I’m a referral-based company.” She lifts my chin. “Let’s not have you forget that.”

  I lift my head, seriously confused. “Why would a rich man like Mr. Vanguard want to pay for almost a year’s worth of dates? There must be women flocking at his feet. I’ve heard his brother is a pig. Why can’t he ask his brother to set him up?”

  “His brother is the one that gave him the referral.”

  I narrow my eyes.

  What is she talking about? I can’t remember anyone looking like Reef coming in here. I’m not sure I want to believe in a creator that designed another man to be that handsome. It seems far too cruel to the female race.

  “May I give you a bit of advice?” X pulls herself up from the couch. “I believe you should use everything I’ve taught you since you came to me as a baby with your heart broken. I want you to crush this man. He doesn’t desire a relationship. This is an easy account. I just need you available.”

  I think about it for a second and nod. Only because she’s right. My father needs the money. This would free up his land and maybe I could move back and start helping him design new flower species.

  “Make him regret he ever invested money on frozen ground.” She winks. “He’s already paid full in cash.”

  My eyes widen. “I’m paid for?”

  “Yes, you’re my only trophy to have her final year paid in full and then some.”

  I stand up and straighten my upper body. It does feel good to know I can relax. “Please allow me to walk Mr. Vanguard to his vehicle. I would like to thank him personally.”

  “I always knew you were my little ice queen.” The playful expression tugging at her lips assures me she’s well pleased with my performance.

  A little bounce follows my steps as I wander out front to where Reef is sitting in the chair. He’s engrossed in a magazine with a whale on the front. Marine Life. I’ll keep this in my mental memory for when I need to falsely impress or play mind games in the future.

  “Can I help you to your car?” I say as slow and sensual as I can possibly get the words to slip out.

  “I see you’ve had a change of heart.” He smiles.

  “Just a reality check is all.” I try not to stare at those gorgeous dimples. Curse you Reef Vanguard, and that gorgeous face that’s probably never heard the word “no” in your life.

  “Well, I’ll take anything I can get.” He jumps from the chair and reaches for my hand.

  I shake my pointer. “Uh, uh. That’s against the rules, remember?”

  “And now you’re toying with me,” he jokingly mumbles as he wanders to the front door, holding it open for me.

  “Thank you,” I politely say. I’m not up to playing his games, but there is so much riding on this I can’t afford to walk away.

  “You’re welcome,” he breathes down my neck before his hand lightly touches the swell of my back. My body tingles. Maybe if I had anticipated him doing that I could’ve replaced the excitement with anger. I’d rather be upset at a time like this.

  “Please allow me to join you in your vehicle for a moment so we can have a private conversation.” I curse myself for not noticing it when I first got here. Right now I just want to strangle his throat for making me feel so bothered.

  “I think a private conversation could clear everything up.” He walks over to the dark vehicle and opens the door for me, making me frown.

  “It’s a black car with ivory interior.” I shake my head. “What is your deal with ivory?”

  “It’s not a kid-friendly color.” He nudges my ribcage as I step inside. I can almost hear a cruel stream of cackles playing from his chest as he rounds the vehicle and climbs in next to me. I’m beginning to realize Reef Vanguard is just like the others. A rich man only interested in one thing. Well, he’s in for a big disappointment. I might have been playful with my dessert, but he’s about to learn you don’t pay for a well that’s gone dry. That’s what my father always says anyways. A man can never be truly happy when he’s forced to go thirsty.

  “I’m trying to figure you out.” I maintain eye contact. “It’s like you have this fantasy of being the rich guy who wins over the poor girl with all his money. Am I right? Is this the game you want play?”

  “Whatever you’re up for.” He smiles. “But I’m liking that the attitude is back, mi amante picante Hermosa.”

  I am not your beautiful, spicy lover. I glare at him.

  “I’ve been taking a course on Spanish since Cabo.” He kisses his finger and presses it against my lip. “I don’t want a language barrier between me and your family.

  “My family?” I gasp. What is he talking about?

  “We have plenty of things in common is what my counselor tells me. I just need to trust how I’m feeling, and have the courage to do what I know is right.”

  “Is this some sort of joke?” I want to kick my legs and throw a tantrum that he’s not listening, but I remain calm and pull away. “Well, there’s one thing your money can’t buy and that’s my love. There’s a sense of pride in that.”

  “Sounds fair.”

  “Fair?” I’m not expecting his response.

  I sit there for a minute thinking of something to say.

  I’ve just made a fool of myself again. He’s not interested in my love. A man like him only wants what he can’t get from me. I shake my head. I’m frustrated and tongue-tied. I sit there and imagine slitting his throat with an ice-cold dagger of words he’ll never forget.

  “Reef Vanguard this might surprise a rich man like you,” I say and his body stiffens. You better prepare for reality check. I can see he’s listening with no distractions. “You can buy all the land the world has to offer and even take away every bit of my freedom, but you will never own my heart. It’s not for sale.”

  He softly rubs his large hand over mine. “I thought you were going to say something that would hurt.”

  I glance down to make sure my body isn’t deceiving me from the gentle strokes he’s brushing over my hand.

  It’s not.

  “What are you doing?” I snap my hand away.

  “Isabella, I don’t intend to own your heart. I just want to occupy a special place that you only share with me.” His voice is full of sincerity. It’s soft and fabulous and maybe a dream come true, but the terrified side of me is afraid this is all a joke set up by his brother because men aren’t this genuine. He’s a pig just like his brother. He proved that today at the garden center. “It’s my job to make you fall in love with me. That’s something I don’t want you to worry about. Just relax and let me do my job.”

  I sit there with my mouth open.

  Where the hell is this coming from? He sure wasn’t like this at the garden center. What happened to me sleeping with his brother?

  I’m flabbergasted that Reef’s this good at playing women. I honestly didn’t see this side of him until now.

  “You’re impossible,” my voice cracks. “Do you know that?” I jump out of his vehicle before he can stop me, and I don’t bother to see the expression on his face as I spin around to head for my car. I can’t handle the sight of him laughing at me over some stupid bet he probably has with his brother. No amount of money in this world is worth that. Ugh! This is exactly why it’s better being the ice queen. How did I allow myself to screw up this bad?

  He turns over the motor and I listen to him backing up.

  The sound of his window rolling down makes me cringe.

  “So, tomorrow, I’ll pick you up here around noon? I have a lunch date planned at th
e park. I figured you couldn’t get motion sickness if we’re sitting on a blanket next to some palm trees and playground equipment.” A wicked smile tugs at his pale pink lips, and those blue eyes flash as crystal clear as the photos of some island resort he probably owns.

  “But that’s a date.” I rest my hands on my hips over the blue apron. “I can only entertain you on a formal engagement where I pose by your side to entice your customers to believe you’re a man worth being next to. I think you’ve mistaken the boundaries of the rules.”

  “And I think you’ve mistaken that you’re paid in full.” Those perfect lips of his blow me a kiss and I want to take it in the air and rip it into a million little pieces. “So I guess I’m getting the last laugh.”

  Trust me, Reef Vanguard, this is far from over. I turn away and jump in my car so he can’t see how upset I am that he’s changing all the rules in the game. I just want to know why he’s doing this. He probably has dozens of women he can torture with his money and charm. Why me? Why won’t he leave me alone?

  CHAPTER TEN

  “I’ve never been to this park before,” Isabella says, staring at the cluster of palm trees blowing in the warm breeze.

  I hesitate to tell her where we’re at because of her little blow up yesterday.

  Should I tell her the truth or will she be angry I brought her here?

  “I don’t want to piss you off gain so I’m going to tell you the truth.” I inhale the sweet smell of her perfume. “It’s not really a park.”

  She blinks.

  “It’s my place,” I admit, with my heart beating a million miles an hour.

  “Oh,” she sighs, but doesn’t put up a fight as she glances over at the girls swinging on the playground.

  “And those are my brother’s kids,” I pause just waiting for her to flip out, but she seems to be taking it all in. “The house is up there a ways.” I point to the hill with a concrete pathway.

  “Must be nice to have so much money.” She acts completely uninterested, and turns her head to focus at helping me set out the blanket.

  Is she putting on an act like she does for all her customers? Or did I shake her up with what I said yesterday? This is driving me crazy that I can’t read her like a book like most women I’m around.

  “Look, I just wanted to take you somewhere familiar so I could be comfortable. I swear I have no other intentions. It’s just I’m a nervous damn wreck around you, and—”

  “You don’t seem nervous,” she interrupts.

  “Trust me this is an act I use on all my customers. I just wanted us to be somewhere familiar today and see where things could go.”

  “I’m a customer? Is that how you see it?” She bites at her bottom lip as though I’ve struck a nerve. “Because you’re sort of confusing me.”

  “No, I don’t see you like that. Damn. This is hard. I’m confusing the hell out of myself.” I can feel a bead of sweat rolling down my back. “It’s just that I’m constantly worried about saying the wrong things because I have no idea what you’re thinking. I don’t know if you’re acting half the time, or being yourself. And I like all of it. You gotta believe me when I tell you I’ve never been the guy to worry about what a woman’s thinking about unless it was my mother. And then you come along and blow that all to hell.”

  “Well, I haven’t been myself either. I’m freaking out over the small things when that isn’t me at all. I was a mess yesterday. I need to apologize for that. I don’t know what’s come over me.” She crinkles her nose. “Do you think we should have a start over?”

  I let out a heavy breath. “That would be awesome.”

  “I’m Isabella. The girl that you’ve completely mind boggled.” She holds out her hand and chuckles.

  “I’m Reef, it’s nice to meet you.” I play along. The funny thing is its sort of working. The energy between us feels new and exciting like a good first date. “You hungry?”

  “Starving,” she admits and quickly gathers the flowing edge of her one-piece minidress to take a seat on the blanket.

  I would’ve liked her to wear something with a waistband. Ever since Cabo I’ve toyed around with the idea of playing with her stomach again. Maybe fiddling with the button on a pair of her shorts wouldn’t seem as intrusive as resting my hand against that turquoise dress.

  “Do you always have your nieces around?” She glances back at the girls as they squeal with laughter while making a train to go down the large yellow slide.

  “Nah, my brother’s in town on business and he brought the family.” I fiddle with the large cooler I set out before I picked her up. “He was actually wondering if you might want to join us for a Lakers game on Thursday night.” I toss that in to see her reaction.

  “That’s in four days,” her voice hedges.

  “I understand if you already have plans.” Of course I’ll have you cancel them.

  “It’s just… Is this the brother?” Her eyes squint, telling me she’s uncomfortable.

  “Yep, the one and only Rexton. He’s the guy in high school that everybody called Sex Pistol. He played ball for a couple of years, but quit shortly after I started playing.” I nudge her arm. “It’s tough on the ego when your little brother can school you at the game.”

  She smiles with her lips closed and pulls her coppery-brown hair to the side of her head so it gathers over her shoulder. “Don’t you think it would be kind of awkward? I’m not really sure if I’ve been on a date with him.” She reaches out to grab my arm. “I promise I haven’t had sex with him.”

  I press my finger over her lip. “Don’t. I need to apologize. I was a total idiot that day. I just couldn’t handle myself after I got his phone call. He always knows how to rile me up.”

  “So you wouldn’t mind if I slept with your brother.” She tilts her delicate chin. “I mean we’re still talking about the Sex Pistol. Am I right?”

  I laugh.

  “No, seriously,” she says.

  A bird flies overhead and I take in a deep breath of absolute shame from the way I reacted to his phone call. “It’s none of my business who you’ve slept with. That doesn’t change my opinion of you.”

  “Imagine that.” She pulls her knees into that perfectly flat stomach, and I try to avoid taking a peek to see if I can catch a glimpse of her panty line. “Reef, I had no idea you were so—mature.”

  Too bad she has no idea where my eyes are roaming. I open the lid on the cooler and pull out a large Coke Slurpee. “How’s this for maturity?” I hand her a cup.

  She covers her mouth. “That’s honestly adorable you remembered.”

  “I’ll give you the best one of the bunch.” I stare down at the other twenty cups in the cooler, and pick one for myself. “I don’t think they’ve totally turned to liquid yet.” I reach for the silver bag that’s reflecting off the afternoon sun. “And I’ve got a few toasted Everything bagels with plain cream cheese inside this warmer.”

  “You are too much.” She shakes her head.

  “A bagel and a Slurpee.” My brows begin to furrow. “Is that all it takes to impress you?” This woman can’t be real.

  “Pretty much. And that’s on a really bad day.” She wraps her lips around the straw and takes a suck. “The kind where I have to fly on a jet.”

  “Do you think this could be a start at forgiving me?” I keep my eyes on the horizon.

  “Maybe.” She gently kicks my lower leg and bites at her straw with a playful grin. “No actually, it’s gonna take a whole lot more than this.”

  “Slurpees!” Annie’s little voice squeals.

  Damn little niece can’t give me five minutes alone. “Quick, hide the evidence. Those little brats will ruin everything.” I grab her around the waist and pull her next to me. Her cup goes flying into the air and I barely move her out of the way before she has a chance to be the victim of the cold, sticky mess.

  She’s laughing so hard she can barely catch her breath.

  “Uncle Reef, we want a Slurpee,” Annie�
�s voice begs.

  “And so you shall have one just because I don’t want to spill another drop on this beautiful woman.” I reach over to open the lid on the cooler while the little girl giggles.

  “You like her,” Annie says.

  “How can you tell?” I ask staring into Annie’s innocent, blue eyes.

  “Because you’re talking funny and your face tells me so.”

  I wiggle my lips. “Is that better?”

  “No.” She dips her hand in to take out a cup.

  “How about now?” I joke and make a funny face.

  Isabella laughs.

  “You’re being silly because you really like her.”

  Before I can get another word in, the entire herd of all four girls is digging through the blue box, picking a Slurpee. They giggle and shout their hoorays for such a sweet treat.

  “They’re adorable,” Isabella whispers in my ear.

  I shiver at the enticing sensation of her cool, cola breath. “It’s hard to believe he’s disappointed with them.”

  She startles. “What?”

  “That’s why there’s four. They kept trying for a boy.”

  “Oh, that’s awful.” Her tiny little nose flares as her shoulders stiffen. “You don’t have children for the purpose of picking the sex. I’ll take whatever God gives me. I hope you don’t think like that.”

  “Not at all.” I reach out and run my finger over her tummy, wondering if she’s getting the hint of where my mind is.

  She stares at Annie’s sticky face completely oblivious to my intentions. She doesn’t have Vanguard babies on the brain yet, but hopefully I can fix that real soon.

  “How are we ever going to clean this up?” Isabella leans forward and squeezes Annie’s arm. “I’m all sticky too.” She wipes at her leg where tiny splatters I hadn’t seen from our earlier encounter are glistening in the sun.

  “Uncle Reef can we go swimming?” Annie’s eyes grow as big as silver dollars.

  “Not today. I already told you I can’t get in the pool for a few more days.” I pat the newly inked area just below the waist of my khaki shorts. “I’ve got to wait a little longer.”