Pretending with the Playboy

by Tracey Livesay

  “I loved your parents. Jennifer was like a sister to me.” She stared at the framed Matisse Lauren’s mother had convinced her to purchase over two decades ago.

  “She loved you, too. They both did.”

  “I was always worried you wouldn’t feel like a part of the family. By marrying Carter, it’ll be official. He’ll loosen you up and help you live life to the fullest. You can ground him and give him a place to feel safe. It’s a perfect match.”

  The pleased expression on Dorothy’s face didn’t engender that same feeling inside her. Guilt that Dorothy’s happiness was based on a lie agonized her. But did it matter, especially when that lie would save her life?

  “I want you to know how much I’ve enjoyed having you in my life and playing a small part of your becoming such a special young woman,” Dorothy said. “Carter is lucky to have you. Don’t ever forget that.”

  An outpouring of affection rushed through her. Lauren pulled her hands from her pocket and clasped Dorothy’s. “I was the lucky one. I had you. And I’ll never forget that. Now, if you need anything, I can be here in less than three minutes. I timed it.”

  “Of course you did.” Dorothy smiled. “Is the night nurse here?”

  “Not when I came in.” Lauren checked the laminated schedule on the nightstand. “It’s supposed to be Tricia.”

  Dorothy lifted her shoulders. “Oh, good. She sneaks me chocolate.”

  “She does not!”

  Dorothy’s eyelids slid shut. “You keep believing that.”

  Kissing her good night, Lauren dropped the iPad and other papers off in Dorothy’s office and exited the French doors at the back of the house. She slipped off her sandals, smiling when the velvet grass tickled her toes. She strolled across the vast lawn until she reached the arched, wrought-iron gate nestled in the five-foot-high groomed shrubs. Lifting the latch, she stepped onto the heated stones of the patio.

  Beams from the submerged LED lights dappled across the water’s surface. This far from the city, away from the skyscrapers and the pollution, the stars playfully revealed themselves in the inky night sky. She stood for a moment, letting the calm of the night sweep through her body, seeking, and then eradicating the lingering tension from her conversation with Dorothy and her date with Carter.

  Discarding her cover-up, she put on the waiting swim cap and goggles, took one, two steps, and dove into the pool. She let the water envelop her, blocking out the sounds that clouded her mind. Surfacing, she rotated her head to the right, inhaled a short breath, and began the fifty laps that comprised her exercise routine.

  She made quick work of the circuit, her strokes slicing through the water, propelling her across the length. After her final lap, she burst from the water and gulped in a huge breath. Pushing her goggles up on her head, she was shocked to find Carter sitting by the edge of the pool, his arms wrapped around both knees.

  Despite all the water around her, her mouth went dry. He looked sexily disheveled and her treasonous fingers wanted to tame every wavy strand into its previous position. Knowing he waited at the end of her swim would encourage any woman to swim faster and shave minutes off her time.

  “I didn’t see you,” she said, gliding back several feet and putting more distance between them.

  “I know.” He motioned at the pool with a flick of his wrist. “That was impressive.”

  She was having difficulty catching her breath. From the exercise or from his presence? “Thanks.”

  “You’ve been swimming for a while?”

  “Tonight?”

  He shook his head. The house sat behind him, the lights casting an eerie glow. Behind her was an amazing view of Lake Michigan. They were all alone.

  “Oh, about eight years.”

  He tilted his head back and stared at her through his lashes. “Forget milk, swimming has definitely done your body good.”

  His voice laved her secret places and she shivered. She looked down at herself. “You can’t tell that.”

  He arched a brow. “It’s water, not lead. And I already saw it on display last night, in that great dress, remember?”

  Her body swelled and her nipples puckered against the wet fabric of her high-performance swimsuit. It contained more fabric than the micro bikinis populating South Beach, but his words made her feel exposed. She jerked her arms to propel herself backward.

  He flinched as water sprayed on him. “Damn, that’s cold.”

  “Sorry. It’s not that bad if you get your whole body wet.”

  His eyes gleamed. “Is that an invitation?”

  She ignored the spark of heat that flared in her core and flicked her gaze upward. This was getting to be a bit much. “Would you be serious?”

  “Never,” he said.

  His teasing presence eroded any peace she’d managed to acquire by swimming. She wouldn’t be anyone’s plaything. Impulsively, she splashed him with water.

  “Hey,” he barked and scrambled to his feet.

  She laughed at the incredulous look on his face. Did he think he would melt?

  He pulled his soaked shirt away from his body and stared at it before whipping it over his head in one smooth, quick motion. She got brief impressions of golden skin, a broad chest, and narrow hips before he dove into the pool, surfacing in front of her.

  “Now, would you care to do that again?” he asked, his voice low.

  Her stomach fluttered. She turned to swim away.

  Strong arms gripped her waist from behind and lifted her out of the water, tossing her a few feet away with ease. She sank like a stone, but came back up, sputtering and laughing. She set off using a freestyle stroke, heading for the opposite side of the pool. She was fast, but he was strong and his powerful strokes quickly ate up the distance between them. When she reached the edge of the pool and tried to lift herself out, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back in.

  “Let me go,” she squealed, as she struggled against his tight grasp.

  “Not until you apologize.”

  She was laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath. She wriggled her body against him, trying to shimmy her way free when she felt the hard length of him against her ass.

  She froze. Was that because of her?

  His arms were bands against her breasts and her nipples tightened in delicious pain. Several seconds passed and still, neither of them moved. She held her breath, not sure if she wanted him to push away or thrust closer. Then he pressed his lips against the curve of her neck. She sighed and tilted her head, granting him permission and offering him better access. His tongue swept along her skin and she shivered. With a groan, he spun her around and wrapped her legs around his waist so that she was straddling him. His hands cupped her bottom as his mouth took hers.

  She melted and wound her arms around his shoulders. He. Tasted. So. Good. Her tongue tangled with his and her thighs clenched around him, almost climbing him like a tree in her fervor to get closer. This moment had been ten years in the making. She was back in his arms again. Not as a prank, but because they both wanted it.

  He yanked on her swim cap and goggles and tossed them onto the patio. Her hair flowed onto her shoulders, the water causing the trapped strands to curl. Tangling his hand in her hair, he pulled her head back and began sucking on her neck, each tug suctioning heat to her tingling nipples, her belly, and her core. His lips trailed back up and recaptured her mouth. She rubbed herself against him, seeking release, caught up in a sexual trance. His fingers slid beneath her swimsuit, near her throbbing center.

  “So hot, Lauren. I never knew.”

  His words broke the spell and she wrenched her mouth away from his and pushed against his shoulders. “Stop.”

  Of course he never knew. He’d pushed her away before he could find out. He said he’d done that to protect her, but she had no guarantees she wouldn’t end up hurt. Despite Sophie’s words, she couldn’t throw caution to the wind and have sex with him. What would be the fallout? The consequences? Would they be
able to look at each other afterward? Act normally? How would it affect their plan to help Dorothy?

  He stared at her with glassy eyes, his breath coming in huge gulps. “What’s wrong?”

  She pressed the heels of her hands to her forehead. She needed to think, but he acted as an incubus, sapping away all of her common sense. Her mind was foggy and her blood was racing. “We shouldn’t do this.”

  “Why not? We both want to.”

  “We’re not hedonists. We’re more than our baser instincts,” she said. There was an inverse correlation between his touch and the strength of her brain functions. “Just because something feels good doesn’t mean we have to do it.”

  He leaned forward and licked her shoulder. “But if it feels good, why wouldn’t you want to do it?”

  Dammit, she’d have to start from scratch. She pushed away from him and swam to put some distance between them.

  He exhaled audibly then dunked under the water. Coming back up, he floated over and rested his arms on the edge of the pool. “Is that the same pool house? It looks different.”

  She relaxed, tension ebbing at his obvious change in subject. She was grateful for his consideration…and confused by her inability to pinpoint his character. She floated on her back, weightless, her eyes focusing on the stars. “Dorothy had it renovated for me about five years ago.”

  “Renovated? You live there?”

  “Yes.”

  “Even in the winter?”

  “It’s fully insulated and I have the same utilities as the main house.”

  “But you’re so…separate.”

  “I know.”

  He was quiet. The water lapping against the side of the pool was the only sound between them.

  “Have dinner with me.”

  Yeah, right. She wasn’t falling for this again. She needed to keep her distance from him.

  “Why? Is it too far for Amanda?” She kept her tone light and continued lazily moving her arms. From now on, the only intercourse between them would be witty repartee.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The woman you were flirting with at PE, the one you invited for dinner.” When he didn’t respond, she sighed. “What do you want from me, Carter?”

  “You don’t want me to answer that, Lauren.”

  “Yes, I do. I need to understand—”

  “It’s simple. Last night, that chemistry, we both felt it. I haven’t experienced anything close to that in a long time. I think we owe it to ourselves to see where it’ll take us. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together, we might as well enjoy it.”

  Had he and Sophie had a strategy pow-wow behind her back? A campaign to get Lauren laid? “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

  “The better we get along, the better it looks to Dorothy. This morning she asked me why we weren’t spending the day together. I made an excuse about work, but we can’t always rely on that going forward. We want her to believe we’re happy. We don’t want her to get any inkling that we’re having problems. That would defeat the purpose of the ruse, right?”

  Now he was using Dorothy’s condition? She bet he was stellar in the courtroom.

  She floated to the steps and got out of the pool. She could feel his eyes following her, but she forced herself to walk normally. She reached for one of the towels and wrapped it around her body. He had a point about Dorothy, and for her sake they did need to find a way to get along. But not like he imagined. The best plan for effectively dealing with Carter was to ignore him. She got the feeling he liked getting a reaction from her. She wasn’t going to give him one.

  Carter joined her and grabbed the extra towel.

  “Look, Lauren, I promise I won’t let you seduce me until our third date.”

  Jerk.

  She pushed him into the pool.

  So much for no reaction. She heard the combination of splashes and his laughter as she walked across the patio. When she reached the door to the pool house, she turned to see him pull himself and his soggy towel out of the water.

  “My friend Sophie is having a party on Wednesday. We’re going to hang out for a little bit then catch a Cubs game. You can join us if you want,” she said.

  He grinned and heat darted through her. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

  She turned away. “If you don’t want to go…”

  “I’ll go,” he said. He threw his wet towel on the ground. “This is useless. Do you have an extra one?”

  “Sorry, that was it. There’s plenty up at the house. Oh, and make sure Maria doesn’t catch you. She hates it when people track wet grass and dirt on her floors. Good night.”

  She slid the glass doors closed behind her, cutting off his curse.

  Chapter Nine

  Carter looked across at Lauren and her friend Sophie, both swaying side to side as they waited for him to start the match. He served, the ball soaring over the net. Lauren rushed into action, hitting the ball back. In front of him at the net, Sophie’s date, Kevin, hit a drop shot and the ball skimmed the net, landing on the other side where Sophie was unable to reach it in time.

  “Yes,” Kevin cried.

  Carter laughed and he and Kevin chest bumped each other.

  Lauren swatted at the air. “They just met an hour ago, now they’re acting like they’re childhood besties.”

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “You boys are so immature.”

  Kevin pointed at Sophie. “Don’t be a sore loser.”

  “How can we be sore losers when we’re winning?” Lauren shot back. “It’s 30-40. We just need one more point.”

  “Which you haven’t been able to get with the last two serves,” Carter said. “The tide is turning.”

  “I wish it would pull you under,” Lauren muttered.

  “I heard that,” he said, smiling.

  They settled into position, everyone intent as he raised his arm.

  Lauren returned the serve, lobbing the ball back across the net. The jiggle of her breasts beneath her shirt distracted Carter and pulled his attention from the game. The ball landed near him, within his reach and in bounds.

  “Yes!” Lauren pumped her fist.

  The women hugged each other, jumping up and down and laughing with their victory.

  “Dude, that was your ball,” Kevin said.

  Carter shrugged, his focus on the titillating by-product of Lauren’s victory dance. “It’s a game.”

  “I hate losing, but I’m digging this celebratory thing you’ve got going on. Just go ahead and make out already,” Kevin declared. “No, seriously. You two beautiful ladies make out. Don’t mind Carter and I.”

  Sophie frowned. “You’re an idiot.”

  Kevin grabbed the remote and pressed a button, rendering the eighty-inch screen dark. “There. Now it’s gone.”

  “You can turn it off, but it still happened,” Sophie said. “We beat you in Wii Tennis.”

  “It was all Carter’s fault. If he’d kept his eyes on the screen and off Lauren, we may have pulled out the win.”

  “Lauren shouldn’t have worn that shirt,” Carter said.

  She looked down at herself. “It’s a basic white tee!”

  The shirt was unembellished, but there was nothing basic about it. The color was crisp against her skin and the round neckline was the perfect frame for her creamy cleavage. Since their interlude in the pool, he’d been unable to think of little else but another interactive experience with her body. A longing that had intensified when she’d stepped out of the house, wearing dark blue jeans and that shirt. Sure, on the surface, the clothes were simple, but no one with vision would make the same claim about the body to which they were molded.

  “So you’re blaming me for your loss?” she asked, a hand on her hip.

  “Uh-huh.” He reached out and wrapped one of her curls around his finger. It was one of his favorite things to do. “You wanna make it up to me?”

  “Uh-uh,” she said, shaking her head and mimicking his tone. A reje
ction of his suggestion and his touch. She retreated to Sophie’s side, turning her back to him.

  Which was fine. He could stare at her ass in those jeans all night.

  This was a game night in the true sense of the word. About fifteen people from Sophie’s office were gathered in her Wrigleyville town house, playing an assortment of video games, board games, and card games, all while waiting for the main event.

  “The Cubs game starts at seven-fifteen, which gives us another forty-five minutes before we head up to the roof,” Sophie said.

  Lauren smiled. “I can’t believe your firm rented out the entire rooftop for the game,” she said, referring to the Chicago tradition of gathering to watch the Cubs play from stadium seats constructed on the rooftops of the residential buildings that surrounded Wrigley Field.

  Sophie shrugged. “They love me, and the fact that they own the building is the only reason I live here. Plus, it’s not a big game. Can I get you guys another drink?”

  “We’re driving back tonight,” Lauren said. “It may not be a good idea.”

  “C’mon, Lo, loosen up. You guys can always call a car service.”

  Lauren rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll take another glass of wine. The Riesling, please.”

  “I’ll have another one,” Kevin said.

  “What about you?” Sophie asked Carter.

  “I’m good,” he said.

  “Okay. Can you give me a hand with the drinks?”

  He raised his brows. At the challenging look on Sophie’s face, he smiled. “Sure.”

  They went into the kitchen.

  “You have a great house,” he told her, admiring the light walls, dark floors, and matching built-ins.

  “Thank you.” She was a beautiful woman, with dark intelligent eyes that missed nothing. She studied him, a bemused smile on her face. “I was surprised when Lo called to say she was bringing you.”