Sin

by Deborah Bladon

  I’ve had my quota of surprises for this year.

  I smile and wiggle my brows. “Give me a little hint.”

  He taps the tip of my nose and I instantly know that any spark that might have caught fire between us has been extinguished. Forever.

  The finger on the end of my nose is a classic move.

  My dad has done it to me since I was a little girl.

  He reaches for my hand and I let him take it while I run through the ‘ we should be friends ’ speech in my head.

  I’ll need to give it before the end of the night, so it doesn’t hurt to rehearse mentally.

  We push our way through the line of people near the front door. I have no idea why Roland thinks he can leapfrog to the front, but I don’t complain because I haven’t eaten anything but a bagel all day.

  I’m famished and thirsty. I need a burger and a glass of wine.

  “Over there.” Roland points as soon as we enter the restaurant. “Look over there, Linny.”

  I do.

  My empty stomach sinks.

  Jeremy Weston, looking as hot as ever in black pants and a gray lightweight V-neck sweater, is standing in my direct line of sight. Wrapped around his forearm are a woman’s hands.

  I can only see her profile, but that’s enough. Tight black dress, sky-high heels, long blonde hair and curves for days.

  I look over at Roland and shrug.

  Is the man a mind reader? Did he figure out that I’m stuck on West and not him?

  “I’m not sure what,” I pause because the only thing I’m sure of is that I don’t want to be here.

  “Look again. She’s coming this way,” Roland says, his finger waving in the air again, right toward where West and the blonde are.

  I look because I have nothing to lose at this point.

  “Oh my god, Linny,” Harmony screams as she races at me. “Surprise.”

  I grab hold of her when she takes me in her arms, grateful for the familiar face. I scan the area behind her for West, but he’s gone.

  It’s probably for the best. He was with someone else. Why did I think he would chase after me forever? I’ve spent every second we’ve been together pretending I’m not the woman he took to bed in Vegas.

  I had one night with the man. That’s all I’ll ever have.

  ***

  “It looks like you two are hitting it off.” Harmony beams with pride, her gaze volleying between Roland and me. “You were holding hands when you walked in. How adorable is that?”

  I shoot her a look, but she misses it because she’s too caught up in congratulating herself for setting the two of us up.

  “Linny is everything any guy could ever want.” Roland wraps his arm around my shoulder. “She’s beautiful, smart and she loves surprises.”

  Harmony giggles. “Linny loves surprises? Since when?”

  “Since never.” I sigh. I wish I could step out of Roland’s reach, but I don’t want to embarrass him.

  He went out of his way to arrange this evening for me. I had no idea that Harmony was going to be at Nova tonight. When she texted me earlier to wish me a great second date with Roland, she didn’t give anything away.

  “Do you like my new dress?” She twirls in place.

  It’s pretty. Royal blue suits her. The fitted sheath dress matches the color of Rueben’s tie perfectly. They went to a lot of trouble to get ready for this, so I need to brush off what I’m feeling about seeing West with another woman and get my head back in the moment.

  “It’s beautiful.” I reach for her hand. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

  “Let’s get these ladies some wine.” Roland pats Rueben on the back. “I’m sensing they need a little private girl time.”

  Rueben grunts and tosses Harmony a wink.

  She leans into me, waiting until the men are out of earshot before she speaks. “Rueben is so getting lucky tonight. Is Roland?”

  I narrow my eyes. “Not with me.”

  She laughs with such force that for a second I think it’s fake, but it’s not. I can tell because of the snort that escapes her.

  “Harmony,” I say her name, my tone firm and low. I should tell her right now that I’m not interested in Roland, but he deserves to hear that from me and not her. I need a few minutes to think without anyone around. There’s only one place in here that I’ll find that kind of solace. “I have to use the ladies’ room.”

  Technically, I don’t have to use it.

  I’ll go in and stand in a stall until I catch my breath and get over the initial shock of seeing West with another woman.

  Why is it bothering me this much? He’s a handsome man. It only makes sense that he’d be out on a Friday night with an attractive woman.

  A woman he’ll take home by the end of the night to fuck.

  “I’ll be right back,” I spit out before Harmony has a chance to invite herself along.

  I weave through the crowds, heading straight for the restrooms.

  Once I reach the quiet corridor that leads to the ladies’ room I breathe a sigh of relief and rest my back against the exposed brick wall.

  I cover my face with my hands, willing myself to forget the image of West with the blonde.

  “Angel? Are you alright?”

  My hands drop. I turn my head to look at him standing next to me.

  He’s alone.

  “West,” I whisper his name; the name I called him that night in Vegas.

  He takes one step closer, his eyes darkening. A ghost of a smile touches his lips. “It’s about fucking time.”

  Chapter 24

  Jeremy

  Finally.

  Linny Faye is finally admitting that she remembers what happened in Vegas. I have no idea if seeing the tiara pushed her to this point, or if it’s the sheer weight of the constant denials.

  She nervously looks past my shoulder to the end of the corridor. The restaurant beyond is bustling with people.

  I saw her the second she walked in holding tight to the hand of the guy she was having dinner with the other night.

  Roland. Fucking Roland.

  “Were you with him when we fucked two months ago? Is that why you’ve been playing the amnesia game for so long?”

  “I’m not playing a game.” She straightens, her hands moving to smooth out the skirt of her dress. “And it’s been days, West. It’s only been a few days.”

  She’s right, but it feels like weeks, longer if I’m honest.

  “You didn’t answer my question.” I cross my arms over my chest and look down at her. “Were you with Roland when we fucked?”

  She’s sexy as sin in the red dress she’s got on. It’s low cut enough that I am getting a perfect bird’s eye view of the top of her breasts.

  “How do you know his name?” She takes on the same defensive stance as me, but it only makes me want to touch her tits more. They’re pressed together now above where she’s crossed her arms.

  “You two were having dinner here last Saturday.”

  “Oh my god, you’ve been following me.” Her hands drop to her hips. “What the hell?”

  I thought she was beautiful when she was beneath me, languid and serene after coming, but the way she looks right now takes it to an entirely new level.

  She’s hot as fuck when she’s angry.

  “I was having dinner with my business partner and thought I recognized you,” I answer calmly, staring into her eyes. “I asked the server if he knew your name, but the only name he caught was your boyfriend’s. Roland.”

  She gives her head a curt shake. “I can’t believe this. You saw me before you walked into the conference room on Monday?”

  “Were you sleeping with Roland when we fucked?” I press for an answer to that question because it’s too damn important to ignore.

  Her gaze searches my face for something. “I’m not like that. I would never cheat on a man.”

  Disappointment. That’s what’s swimming in her vivid green eyes. She’s disappointed tha
t I asked, that I assumed that she’d fuck one guy while another was waiting for her back in his bed.

  “This is our second date.” Her hand jumps to the center of her chest. “Tonight is the second time I’ve seen him.”

  Fuck. Just fuck.

  She had her first date with him two days before I saw her in the conference room at Faye & Sons? I just missed my chance.

  “Are you going to see him a third time?” I ask because I want Roland out of the picture.

  “Linny?”

  As if on cue, a guy’s voice calls her name from behind me.

  Roland’s timing is impeccable, his taste in women too, but that won’t stop me from shutting down whatever is happening between them.

  “I’m here, Roland,” she says loud enough that her soft voice carries through the long corridor.

  “Is everything okay?” Heavy footsteps accompany the words.

  Fuck this guy.

  I lock eyes with her once more before I turn on my heel. He’s headed straight for us.

  “I’m fine,” she says as she steps around me. “Mr. Weston and I were just talking business.”

  His hand is outstretched before he’s in front of me. “Roland Elgar. It’s good to meet you.”

  “Jeremy Weston.” I take his hand in mine because being an asshole won’t get me what I want. Charm will. “I was just about to invite Linny back to my table. I’d love if you both joined us.”

  “We’re here with friends,” he says, his hand dropping mine to grab hold of Linny’s. He brings it to his lips and feathers a kiss over her knuckles. “We should get back to them.”

  “Stop by my table if you get a chance, Linny.” I smile past the envy. I don’t want his lips touching any part of her. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

  Her eyes narrow slightly. “I’m sure your date would prefer to have you all to herself tonight, Mr. Weston.”

  Jealousy looks even better on Linny than anger.

  I want to push her against the brick wall, kiss her hard and fuck her even harder.

  “You’re talking about the blonde woman in the black dress?” I inch my brow up. “You noticed the two of us together?”

  Her hand comes up to her hair, tugging on a strand. “She’s lovely.”

  “I was talking about introducing you to my business partner, Rocco Jones.” I ignore Roland and keep my gaze on her. “The woman I brought with me tonight is my cousin. Her name is Cindy.”

  The look on her pretty face is priceless. It’s relief mixed with confusion.

  “We should get back to Harmony and Reuben.” Roland pulls on her hand. “It was good to meet you, Jeremy.”

  I can’t say the same, so I don’t say anything at all. The nod of my head does all the talking for me.

  I watch them walk away, my gaze pinned to Linny’s ass. I chuckle because I may not be going home with her tonight, but Roland isn’t either.

  The way she turns back to get one last glance at me is all the reassurance I need. She still wants me and now that we’ve established that we’ve fucked, it’s only a matter of time until it happens again.

  Chapter 25

  Linny

  The only productive thing I did all weekend was telling Roland that our second date was our last.

  I couldn’t bring myself to do it Friday night. I was emotionally exhausted from coming clean to West.

  I knew that when I said his name, he’d take it as an admission. It was.

  There were so many people at the Nova tasting party that after Roland and I left him in the corridor, I didn’t see him again.

  When it was time to leave, I told Roland I’d text him on Saturday. We said goodbye outside the restaurant the same way we did a week before. Our hug this time wasn’t any less stilted or awkward.

  Harmony watched from where she was standing a few feet away with Reuben.

  Once she was back at her hotel for the night, she sent me a text message telling me that she’d made a mistake thinking Roland was the guy for me.

  On Saturday, over brunch at Crispy Biscuit, I told him that I thought we’d make better friends than lovers. He agreed with a confession.

  Our first date at Nova was supposed to be his fifth date with another woman.

  He’d made the reservation more than a month ago and when she broke off with him that afternoon, he asked Harmony to see if I was available.

  We parted with the promise that we’d stay in touch, but it won’t happen. I won’t reach out, and I doubt Roland will either.

  “You’re here bright and early, Linny.” My dad walks into my office with two cups of coffee in his hands. “I picked up your favorite from the café around the corner.”

  My dad still thinks I drink my coffee the same way I did back in high school, with five teaspoons of sugar and almost as much cream.

  I’ve scaled it back since. I order it without anything added since all I’m really looking for each morning is a caffeine jolt.

  I take the cup from his hand and sip it. I can almost feel my teeth decay as I swallow.

  “How was your weekend, dad?”

  He scrolls through the messages on his phone. It’s his usual morning routine. He doesn’t look at his phone until he’s in the office, instead devoting the earliest moments of his day to his wife.

  “We had dinner with some friends.” He tips his head to the side. “Diane’s friends. It was good.”

  He still makes the distinction, even though they’ve been married for years. They brought two lives together, complete with kids and homes. It’s taken time for them both to adjust to their new normal of building a life together.

  “I spoke to your sister yesterday.” A smile blooms on his lips.

  I did too. Bethy called me just as I was leaving the diner after saying goodbye to Roland. I saw no reason to mention him to her. I know my sister. She would have told me to turn back around and reconsider the relationship.

  “I wish she’d come home,” I say quietly. “I miss her.”

  It’s not a lie. We may have fought with everything we had while we were growing up, but the last few years, we’ve become closer than ever. When she was offered a temporary position with a pharmaceutical company in Australia, she took it immediately.

  My sister’s passion is travel, so being handed the opportunity to spend a year on another continent was too good for her to pass up.

  “I miss her too,” he chimes in. “She’ll be back when the time is right.”

  That may be never. She hopes to land a position in New Zealand once her current job wraps up.

  I could use my saved vacation days and visit her, but that would give Mitchell an advantage. I need to keep my feet firmly planted in Manhattan until my dad makes a decision about the next CEO of Faye & Sons.

  “What’s on your agenda today?” I ask before I take another sip of the sugary sweet lukewarm coffee.

  “Mitchell and I are meeting with a potential new client.” He doesn’t look up from his phone. “It’s one of the major players in footwear.”

  My mouth drops. I’ve been waiting for that call for months, and I’ve somehow been left out of the introductory meeting.

  I’m the one who stalked the owner to pitch our ideas for their upcoming winter boot campaign.

  “I’ll clear my schedule so I can be there,” I offer with a smile.

  He finally looks up, his eyes bright. “No need, sweetheart. Your brother and I can handle it.”

  My stomach knots the way it always does when he refers to Mitchell that way. I don’t consider him my brother.

  He’s a guy who is gunning for the same promotion as me, and it sounds like he’s taking things to a new level.

  “I want you to sit down with Trent and Jeremy and go over their campaign.” He picks up his coffee cup before he darts to his feet. “Why don’t you call Rizon and set up a meeting for later today? I’d like an update by tomorrow morning on where things stand with that account.”

  I’d like an update on wher
e his head is at regarding the CEO position.

  I studied marketing because I expected to take over the family business one day. I never imagined that the only child of his second wife would swoop in and threaten that.

  “I’ll take care of it.” I paste on a smile. “If you need anything for your meeting let me know.”

  Translation: I can be in the conference room in thirty seconds flat. Ten if I kick off my heels and sprint.

  He leaves my office without so much as another word.

  I pick up my phone and text a message to Trent.

  Linny: Are you available for lunch? Let’s meet and go over the campaign.

  His reply takes less than a minute.

  Trent: Spent the weekend with my brother’s family. Six kids. All with the flu. I’m stuck in bed. I’ll set up something for you and Jeremy at noon. Details to follow.

  I drop my head onto my desk, resting my forehead against the wood.

  Great.

  That conversation West and I started to have in the corridor at Nova is about to continue over lunch today.

  My Monday just went from bad to worse.

  Chapter 26

  Jeremy

  My Monday just went from decent to fucking spectacular.

  Trent’s text message telling me that he was sick shouldn’t have been the best news I’ve heard all day, but it was.

  Linny Faye wants a meeting with my Brand Manager and since he’s stuck flat on his back in bed, I’m stepping in.

  I arranged for lunch to be delivered because I want her alone now that she’s finally dropped the façade and admitted that my cock was inside of her two months ago.

  A knock on my office door draws me to my feet. I straighten my gray tie and button my navy blue suit jacket.

  “Come in.”

  The door swings open and Blythe steps in. “See what I did there? I knocked.”

  I fold my arms across my chest. “It’s about time. What do you want?”

  “You get right to the point, don’t you?”