Pride and Passion

by Jenna Bayley-Burke

  “She’s very pretty, younger than I expected. But then I guess that might be why it’s so easy for her to manipulate you.”

  He swirled the ice in his glass. “Are you finished with this conversation? I’m not having it with you.”

  “Oh, sure you are. You’ve made me part of this game the two of you are playing. She thinks we’re together. So do most people, but you haven’t done anything to clue her in. And I know you. You have a reason.”

  “Lily Harris is none of your business, Dee. She’s nothing like you. Don’t bother trying to drag her down.”

  “She may think she’s better than people who’ve worked for what they have, like us. But don’t think she doesn’t have designs on you. She’s a spendaholic looking for a financial savior. She wants you to recreate her life for her so she can go back to being the perfect princess, complete with the castle.”

  Jake closed his eyes, wishing anything about Lily were as simple as Dee made it out to be. He turned his gaze on Dee, noticing how low cut her bright green dress was tonight. Usually she went conservative for the events he asked her to attend with him. Damn. If Dee had decided to make a play for him, the whole situation could get sticky.

  “You don’t like the dress?” She placed a hand on her hip. “You’ll have to stand closer to me if you want to make the Scene and Heard column.”

  “Why would I want to do that?” He was here to write a check and talk to a few clients, not publicize his involvement in the charity.

  “For the same reason you haven’t told the princess you’re my silent partner, not my lover. You want to make her jealous.” Dee stepped closer, tilting her head so her hair flowed over her bare shoulder. “Whisper in my ear when you talk. It will get a picture in the paper. You want her to see us together.”

  “No, I don’t.” Jake set his glass on the bar. Lily’s worries about his relationship with Dee were all in her head. He wasn’t going to pander to her jealousies, but he wasn’t about to feed into them either.

  Dee shrugged her shoulders. “Yes, I’m sure our little dinner party this weekend will be quite cozy. I don’t know what she’s trying to pull, but I don’t trust her. Is she trying to show you how much better she’ll fit in your new life than I do?”

  If only. “You don’t know what you are talking about, Dee. She’s gone through a lot in the last month. Cut her a break.”

  “If you swear to me you’ll have an iron-clad pre-nup. That girl has gold digger written all over her.”

  He leveled his gaze at her. “You have got to be kidding.”

  “I wish I were. It’s obvious you’re taken with her. I thought it was out of some sense of duty to her father, or maybe you just like the idea that a kid from the projects could snag himself a society bride. I know I’d be tempted if someone with old money wanted to legitimize me.”

  “You really need to stick to creating clothes. The stories spinning in your head are unbelievable.” He pressed his fingers to his forehead, trying to ease the ache building there.

  “I wish it were a story. I’d make up a happy ending for you. But I don’t think this has one. She wants you. I can tell by looking at her, trust me, women can see these things. And you are falling for it, and for her.”

  “I can take care of myself, Dee. You don’t need to worry about me.”

  “Somebody needs to, Jake. You may work well with women in business, but if you think that girl isn’t playing you, you have a lot to learn about how women get what they want.”

  Jake rolled his eyes. Dee used all of her assets to get what she needed, but she came from a different world than Lily did. Always reliant on status and money, Lily had never thought of herself as an asset until now. That’s why he was trying so hard to be up front with her about what he wanted. He couldn’t help it if Lily jumped to conclusions, especially if those assumptions made her see him as something she wanted for herself.

  Lily tried to convince herself Jake bringing his mistress to the house was a good thing. Dee Gibson was attractive, successful and determined. With a little encouragement, Lily knew Dee was more than capable of twisting Jake’s arm until his focus was solely on her. When he was enamored with another woman he’d leave Lily alone and she’d be free of his pursuit and proposal. It was a great solution, and she refused to think about why it made her so uncomfortable.

  Lily busied herself with setting the house for guests. The idea of a designer redecorating the house pained her. She couldn’t imagine the house looking any other way, so she’d made sure everything was perfect. Maybe then she wouldn’t have to hear about any remodeling plans.

  She’d just finished creating a festive autumn-leaves and gourds centerpiece on the dining-room table and was heading upstairs to dress when she heard the front door open.

  She turned to see Jake highlighted in the entry, a playful smile on his face. Obviously he hadn’t been dreading the evening the way she had. She reminded herself to remain aloof, to never let him see how each time she saw him he incited more of a reaction in her than the last.

  “Have you been expecting me, Angel?” He towed a small case behind him, a bottle of wine beneath one arm and bouquet of flowers in his hand.

  She shook her head. “I was just heading upstairs to change. I don’t want to be unprepared when your girlfriend arrives.” She turned and took a step up the stairs.

  “Lily, wait.” He stepped toward the stairs and caught her wrist, tugging it so she had to turn and face him.

  She slanted her head in inquiry, not wanting to say anything too revealing. Something was stirring inside of her at the thought of him bringing gifts into her home to give to Dee. It was stupid and prideful. She couldn’t let it show.

  “I brought you these for your room. It needs some color.” He held out the bouquet. She looked down at the vibrant arrangement of heart-shaped Peruvian lilies in different shades of pink, orange and white. The brilliantly colored blooms made her smile as she took them. She quickly checked the reaction. She had to stay on task or everything would be for naught.

  “Good idea. If I had them out Dee might get jealous. Unless you brought something for her as well? She strikes me as the long-stemmed red rose type,” Lily said, a crisp edge to her voice.

  “Are we starting this already? Need I remind you this dinner was your idea? I won’t have you being rude to her. You’re better than that.”

  Lily clenched her jaw against the words she wanted to spew at him. Every syllable would make her seem jealous, and she couldn’t afford to be. It was a silly reaction, and one she would contain in order to earn her freedom.

  Instead, she rolled her eyes and tugged herself free of his magnetic pull. She sashayed up the stairs, well aware he watched her every move. Safely behind her bedroom door she let her guard down and gave herself a moment to wallow in the frustration of the situation. She was starting to have feelings for a man who could destroy her, who wanted her to be a puppet on a string he could yank about. Everyone would laugh behind her back and her heart would shatter at what she’d be forced to endure. Her only hope of escaping him with her pride intact was a woman who obviously couldn’t stand her.

  Lily rang the intercom down to Emmaline, asking for a vase for the flowers, and then set to work getting ready. Getting dressed was a chore when she remembered the snide barbs like, “How old are you honey?” She didn’t want to look provocative and risk peaking Jake’s interest, but she didn’t want the fashion designer he was sleeping with offering her wardrobe tips either.

  She settled on a strappy empire dress in black. The scooped neckline and crisscross straps in the back definitely made her look like a woman, but the pleated knee-length skirt kept her well covered.

  A knock on the door turned her from her self-inspection. “It’s open,” she called to Emmaline as she made a last check of her appearance in front of the full-length mirror. “Thanks for bringing the vase up. I know you’re busy.”

  Lily gasped as she caught Jake’s reflection in her mirror. She spun
around. “What are you doing in my room?”

  “You said the door was open. If that’s not an invitation—”

  “It wasn’t. I thought Emmaline was at the door.” Lily turned back around, trying to look everywhere but at his reflection. “She’ll be here any minute.”

  “With this?” He lifted the vase in his hand, catching her gaze for the first time. “You’re welcome.”

  “Can you go now?” She didn’t want him in her room again. Not after what had happened the last time.

  He shook his head and took a step closer. His entire demeanor reminded her of an animal on the hunt, all lithe covertness and lethal determination.

  “I need to finish getting ready.” She pressed her lips into a line, trying to keep her breathing steady when she was on the verge of a panic attack.

  “I have something for you.” In the mirror she watched him set the vase on her vanity next to the bouquet. As he stepped closer to her, he slid a hand into his pocket.

  “I don’t want you to give me anything.” She smoothed her damp palms against the cool fabric of the dress.

  “I want you to have it.”

  He stood behind her, so close the heat of him pressed against her back and pushed the air from her lungs. She struggled to breathe, hating the way her chest heaved with a gasp.

  “Relax, Lily. I’m not here to make love to you. There isn’t time for that.” He rubbed his hands on her bare arms and prickles of desire, fiery and heavy, ran through her body.

  He removed his hands and Lily closed her eyes against the sense of loss. She couldn’t do this much longer. There was something hypnotic and addictive about the man, something she was completely susceptible to. She had to get free of him soon or she’d never be able to.

  Cold metal slid against her throat and she opened her eyes, watching as Jake fastened an exquisite diamond necklace about her neck. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen, a sweeping design of curls and loops in a wistful and feminine pattern. The design incorporated sparkling baguettes surrounding shining round stones and dripping with pear-shaped diamonds. Her hand lifted to touch it of its own accord.

  She had lots of jewelry from her father and even some from her mother. She’d never put much thought into it, but those pieces were either classic or suddenly seemed very simple, nothing as exquisite and modern as this.

  “I’m glad you like it. I knew you would.”

  “I can’t,” she said, the words barely audible. He’d draped her in thousands of dollars of diamonds, an exquisitely beautiful collar to choke her with.

  “I insist. I saw it and knew it was made for you.”

  “But it wasn’t. And you shouldn’t buy me things.”

  He wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned his head against hers, their gaze meeting in the mirror. His eyes gleamed like glassy obsidian and in that moment she saw the future he dreamed of. They did make a striking couple, his strong, dark features a compliment to her soft, light countenance.

  “Then don’t think of it as for you. It’s for me. So I can watch you tonight and know you are wearing the necklace I gave you.”

  “But it must cost a fortune.”

  “I can afford it. And more. When I see something that suits you I’ll buy it, and I want you to accept it without objection.”

  “You want me to thank you for it.” A vision of just how he likely expected to be thanked flashed in her mind. It thrilled her even more than the jewels around her neck.

  He kissed her temple. “It made you happy for a second before you overthought it. That’s all I wanted.”

  She believed him for a moment, believing maybe there was more to him then she’d ever fathomed. But just as quickly as that thought came to mind, so did the realization they would not be alone for dinner.

  “Did you buy this to spite Dee?” Her stomach twisted, her skin cooling as a shiver crept into her bones. She was so outmatched in these games.

  “Oh, Lily.” Jake chuckled and released her, stepping back. “You really know how to ruin a moment.” He turned and left her room, closing her door behind him.

  She let out the breath she was holding and met her own gaze in the mirror. Her eyes widened at the changes she saw there. The dress was the same and the necklace had nothing to do with it. Her eyes shone, her flushed skin providing a glow that hadn’t been there before. When she’d seen herself earlier she’d been teetering on the edge between latent adolescence and womanhood. Now there was no doubt she’d crossed the threshold. Her heart squeezed knowing Jake Tolliver had made it happen.

  Dee Gibson was absolutely stunning. It was more than the off-the-shoulder silk dress in exactly the same blue as her eyes, more than the soft waves of red hair, more than the way she knew how to move so every curve of her body was on display without showing anything. She epitomized everything Jake needed in a wife.

  The observation should have made Lily happy. She had prepared herself for being outshone, had planned on it, but watching the comfortable way they spoke to one another made her stomach feel as if it were lined with lead.

  Through dinner she played with her food, unable to eat anything while watching the spectacle. Dee had come to show Jake how compatible they were, how much better she fit in his life. And she did it brilliantly from the astute talk of business to the flirtatious energy of their interaction. It was exactly what Lily needed, but it felt like the opposite.

  Watching them together filled her brain with all kinds of snarky remarks. Yet she couldn’t comment on the flirting and the flattery. She needed it, needed Dee to spin her web of seduction so tightly Jake couldn’t help but be caught up in it.

  “Lily’s necklace is certainly different.” Dee’s words pulled Lily into the conversation she’d been intent on avoiding. “A bit more whimsical than what I like to design, but it makes use of shapes like I’m thinking of doing.”

  “You should stick with clothing and shoes. You don’t want to diversify too widely. If you need to expand quickly you’ll have to bring in other investors and you hate to have to answer to anyone.”

  “Oh honey, I know someone willing to give me whatever I need.” Her voice was smooth and seductive and made Lily want to tell her exactly who had bought the necklace she was admiring.

  Made her want to mention how he’d fastened it against her throat, how he’d kissed her last week. A small part of her wanted to test him right now and see whose bidding he was willing to do. Her back tightened as she realized just what she was doing. She was justifying her jealousy, trying to see if, when it came down to it, he’d choose the mistress or the fiancée. Not that she was.

  “Where did you get the necklace, Lily? It looks real. Maybe I’ll look into carrying the line in my boutiques.”

  She knew how she wanted to answer, but didn’t trust herself to hold the cattiness in. Instead she stalled for time by taking a long drink of the fruity red wine Jake had brought.

  “It looks real because it is. I bought it for her.” Jake cast Lily a disapproving glance. Her heart sank. He had bought it to make Dee jealous.

  “Honey, really. Why would you embarrass her like that?” Dee’s saccharine smile did nothing to sweeten her sour tone.

  “Embarrass her?”

  “You can’t say no when a man gives you a gift that expensive.”

  Lily swallowed hard, recognizing the double meaning. She hadn’t denied the gift, and now it would be assumed she wouldn’t deny Jake. Even with as beautiful as the necklace was, she should have ripped it from her neck and tossed it back at him. And now she couldn’t hold her tongue, couldn’t let him think she agreed.

  “Jake has been very kind to me, looking after me now that my father is gone.”

  “Of course he has.” The bitter edge to Dee’s tone sliced like a blade. “His partner’s young daughter is lost and vulnerable, all alone in the world. What she needs is to live in his house, work at his company and wear his diamonds. Don’t you think?”

  Lily was torn between tossing what was left of
her wine in the cow’s face or starting to cry at how right she was.

  “Dee, really. You shouldn’t talk about things you know nothing about.” A rough thread of warning wove through his voice.

  Lily looked up at Jake’s defense of her. Instead of a sympathetic gaze she found nothing but the dark, cold stare that had been chilling her to the bone for the last two years.

  Lily closed her bedroom door behind her and slumped against it, flipping the lock with a flick of her wrist. When she was alone with Jake Tolliver, sometimes she forgot who he was. Lucky for her, he had no problem showing his true colors.

  He was a perfect match for the hard edges and biting remarks of Dee Gibson. They deserved each other. So why was she shaking because she’d caught sight of Dee’s arms around Jake in the foyer?

  She refused to think about it. She’d done what she had to tonight. She’d held her tongue, buried her pride and let Dee turn the heat up under Jake. Hopefully it was enough to have him rethinking his marriage demand. She couldn’t live in a relationship like this. Not without homicide being an option.

  Lily pushed off the door, crossed her room and then pulled back the painting over her wall safe. She worked the combination with ease and slid out her jewelry case.

  She had no intention of keeping the beautiful necklace from Jake, but she thought something so lovely should be treasured and protected until she could return it. She set the box on top of her vanity, right next to the colorful bouquet of lilies.

  Being near him was the worst kind of emotional torture. Such a dichotomy of what she craved and what she loathed. She flipped open the lid of the box, noticing how the jewels glittered in the light.

  A thought skittered across her mind. She could sell everything in the box and probably have enough money to be rid of Jake, to finish school and stay in an apartment until she could secure a teaching position. She could, except how much were her mother’s pearls worth? She fingered the strand, wondering if anyone would care that the pink pearls were one of the few things she could remember her mother wearing. Eventually she could buy herself another diamond tennis bracelet, but it wouldn’t be the one her father had gotten her for her high-school graduation.