Unexpected Pleasure

by Dara Girard

  When Rosemarie saw them embrace, her stomach dropped as the sight of them gave answer to her question. She had to face the truth and its consequences.

  Chapter 29

  Dillon found his sister in the kitchen, sitting at the empty table with her head buried in her hands. He’d already spent ten minutes trying to assure his son that the world wasn’t coming to an end because his grandmother was missing and now his sister was falling apart on him. He walked over to her, resting a tender hand on her shoulder. It wasn’t like her to break down, but the strain of the unknown was getting to all of them. “It’s going to be all right,” he said. “We’ll find her.”

  Rosemarie let her hands fall to the table with a thud and shook her head. “That’s not what’s bothering me. I can’t believe you were right.”

  Dillon took a seat in front of her, confused. “Right about what?”

  “I just saw Tanna and Doran alone together.” She covered her face again and groaned.

  “So what?”

  She mumbled something.

  He leaned in closer. “What did you say?”

  She looked at him. “I said it’s real. They’re really engaged. They’re really in love.”

  Dillon couldn’t stop a smile, happy for some good news. He’d won the bet. “Fortunately, you can write me a check.”

  He couldn’t sleep. Doran stood on the pier and stared into the lakes dark waters, the evening warm although his body felt cold. Where was she? There had been no reports of accidents, hospital visits or unclaimed bodies at the morgue, for which he was thankful, but it didn’t ease his concern. His mother had to be somewhere. The police had pinpointed her to one location, but she’d been moved—why or by whom they didn’t know. They felt as if they’d missed her only by a couple of hours. They believed she was still alive, but there were still more questions than answers. He took a deep breath and inhaled the light scent of perfume. A fragrance that was familiar, but not his mother’s.

  “I was going to call,” a female voice said behind him, “but I thought I’d find you here.”

  He spun around and saw Megan coming towards him, her heels tapping against the wooden boards. “What are you doing here?”

  “I had to see you.”

  “That’s not a good idea,” he said ready to walk past her.

  “Please, don’t,” she said desperate. “I need your help.”

  His brows shot up. “My help? At a time like this? My mother—”

  “I know. I’ve done something awful and I don’t know what to do,” she said in a choked voice. “You’re the only person I could think of to help me.”

  Doran paused. He knew that look, that tone…it wasn’t good. “Megan, what did you do?”

  She held the side of her head and closed her eyes. “She drove me to it. I just couldn’t get her to stop.”

  “My mother?”

  She nodded.

  “Tell me what happened,” he said in a gentle tone.

  She let her hands fall and met his eyes. “She was blackmailing me. She promised to help bailout my father’s company if you and I got back together. You know how much my father’s company means to me.”

  “Yes,” he said in a grim tone.

  “I was desperate. Losing his business will kill my father, I had to do something and I thought it would work. I do like you Doran and we do—did—make a good match.”

  He folded his arms. “You’re starting to lose my sympathy. Tell me what happened next.”

  Megan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with a trembling hand. “The night of the party she called me in a rage telling me that I had to get you away from Tanna. That she was a gold digger. I told her that there was nothing I could do. That’s when she said she knew about Adam.”

  “What about him?”

  “Somehow she found out he was stealing from the business. She threatened to expose everything.”

  “You’re still in love with him,” Doran guessed in a flat tone. “And had to protect him.”

  She nodded, looking miserable. “ I couldn’t let your mom hurt my father and him so I…snapped.”

  Doran rested his hands on his hips, beginning to lose patience. “What did you do?”

  “I met her over there,” she said, pointing to the wooded path, “and…and knocked her out. Adam helped me move her to a secret location. I thought I could convince her to change her mind—”

  “But she won’t,” Doran finished, knowing how his mother would act.

  “I thought if we let her suffer a little with no food or water she’d come around, but she kept making threats and Adam…I think Adam’s ready to do something drastic. So I moved her and hid her from him.” She stepped towards him, a tremor touching her lips. “Now I don’t know what to do next. You’ve got to help me. I never meant for it to come to this.”

  She wanted his help? They’d kidnapped his mother and she wanted him to help them? An image of them kissing, touching, laughing in the castle hallway flashed in his mind. He remembered the pain of their betrayal. He could get his revenge now. He could have them charged and put away, but he wouldn’t. He didn’t need revenge. He’d already proven he was the better man, he knew his life was better without her.

  He needed to use the situation and turn it in his favor. But first he needed to know one thing. “Where is she?”

  Chapter 30

  She was alive! Vanessa slowly opened her eyes, feeling the soft touch of the hospital pillow under her cheek, the hard surface of a mattress beneath her. She hadn’t thought anyone would find her. From what she’d overheard from the nurses, she’d been severely dehydrated and close to death. That witch had nearly killed her! She would get back at Megan and that man of hers, but first she had to regain her strength. Every part of her body hurt. She would have to request better sheets. These were too scratchy against her skin. And she’d want her bed moved so that she could face the window at a better angle.

  Vanessa’s gaze moved from the window to the figure sitting near her head. Her heart lifted at the sight of her son. Her dear boy Dillon who was her pride. The one she could always depend on; who always did what he was told. Too bad he’d had such a disastrous marriage and useless son, but that wasn’t his fault, poor thing. She would make sure he found a new wife. She lifted her gaze to meet his eyes and her joy dimmed. It wasn’t Dillon, it was the other one.

  The other one who’d found her. She’d overheard that too. How he’d called the ambulance after finding her, why did he have to be her rescuer?

  “It’s too late, Mom,” Doran said with heavy irony. “I know you’re awake.”

  Maybe if she pretended to have a headache…

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Doran said as if reading her mind. “We need to talk.”

  Wouldn’t he give a sick woman some space?

  “Tanna told me about the bribe.”

  Damn. “Did she tell you what she said?”

  “Of course. She wanted to see what you would do.”

  “She called your business ‘hair salons.’”

  He nodded undisturbed. “Mimicking you exactly.”

  “I will never accept her.”

  “Yes, you will.”

  “I may have been wrong about Megan and once I’m through with her and her family--”

  “You’re not pressing charges.”

  “What?” Vanessa said on the verge of a laugh. He couldn’t be serious.

  “Megan tried to protect you. She was worried Adam might harm you so she moved you from the boathouse where they’d kept you, to the crawlspace underneath the porch of the house across the lake.”

  “The one for sale?”

  He nodded.

  “And I’m supposed to be grateful for that? That she had be tied, gagged and dragged like a sack of flour?”

  He shook his head. “I didn’t say you needed to be grateful, only that you’re not pressing charges.”

  “What?”

  “Did you lose your hearing while being kept unde
rneath the porch?”

  Vanessa reached for the call button. “Go. I’m getting a nurse.”

  Doran moved it out of reach. “You’re not pressing charges and I’ll tell you why.”

  Vanessa laughed even though it hurt. “Look at you trying to stand up to me. Do you think any other mother would deal with your failings as graciously as I have?”

  “There’s no reason to bring that up,” Doran said in a soft voice. “That was seven years ago.”

  “It could have been seventeen years. It was a moment I’ll never forget. How could I forget the day my son made a laughing stock out of me? Everybody saw you have a meltdown, opening and closing a door nearly twenty times!”

  “I’ve gotten better—”

  “But you’re not cured and do you know why? Because you’re stupid and you’re weak. How I abhor a weak man. And now you’re trying to use my vulnerable state against me and tell me what to do. It won’t work. I will press charges because I do what I want to. And you will not marry Tanna because if you do, you’ll regret it.”

  “Mom,” he said with a patience she’d never heard before. “I’m not here to convince you of anything. I’m here to see you one last time.”

  She paused. “What?”

  “I’m saying goodbye. Once I walk out that door I’m never going to see you again.”

  Panic gripped her. Was he serious? He couldn’t mean it. He would choose that woman over her? “You can’t do that. I’m your mother. After all I’ve given you and sacrificed—”

  “You haven’t sacrificed a thing.” He stood and squeezed her arm. “Bye,” he said then turned.

  “Wait!”

  He spun around, his eyes blazing with controlled rage. “Why should I wait? Why should I wait to walk out that door and finally be completely happy? Why should I wait to spend my life with a woman who doesn’t see me as stupid and weak?” He pointed to the exit. “Outside that door is the woman I love and the life I want. I have nothing left here.”

  “Doran, families always have their differences. But we stay together no matter what.”

  Doran shook his head. “The price for staying in this family is too high…unless you’re willing to make a few concessions.”

  She blinked, stunned. “Me?”

  He nodded.

  Vanessa bit her lip conflicted. He was winning this round and she didn’t know how to outmaneuver him. He was not the man she knew, there was a new fire in his eyes, a new confidence in his stance. Was Tanna the reason for it? She had been wrong about Megan. Dreadfully wrong, but it galled her to think that Tanna could be the right choice. “I’ll listen, but that doesn’t mean I’ll accept.”

  “Fair enough.” He sat back down next to her bed, a glint of humor in his gaze and she realized he’d made her do exactly what he wanted. “First, you’re not going to press charges.” He held up his hand before she could speak. “Unless you’re willing to publicly admit to blackmail. Remember you have a reputation to maintain. You leave their punishment to me. Agreed?”

  “I have to think about it.”

  He glanced at the clock. “This offer lasts about thirty seconds.”

  “I want to—”

  “Twenty-five.”

  “All right. You handle them, but I want to know everything.”

  “You will.”

  Vanessa shifted in her bed. When had he gotten so sharp and savvy? She used to run circles around him. “Is that all?”

  “Of course not. You will accept Tanna. You don’t have to like her, but you will treat her cordially.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  His tone turned to ice. “Try me. I’m only giving you one chance.”

  She sighed, then shrugged her shoulders with impatience. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”

  “Not if you want to see me again.”

  “I don’t even know why I do.”

  He kissed her on the cheek. “Because you love me.”

  She frowned. “You’re so irritating.”

  But he was right, she did love him. While trapped and starved she’d been forced to think about her priorities and she’d prayed and hoped to see her family again. She realized how much they meant to her—even him. The one who’d fought with her, pushed her all of his life. And for the first time, as she looked at him, she didn’t see a naughty boy or a rebellious teen, she saw a man. A man with a life she couldn’t try to control anymore.

  “Can I call her by a different name?” Vanessa asked as Doran walked to the door.

  “No. By the way, there’s something else you need to know about Tanna.”

  “What is it?”

  “She can tell us apart.”

  Vanessa silently moaned, remembering the proverb that had been handed down to every twin in her family line for generations Marry the one who can tell you apart, for they’re the one to hold your heart.

  Her defeat was now undeniable. “Will you at least get married in the family church? I’m not interested in any native rituals she may have in mind.”

  “We’ll think about it.”

  Doran left his mother’s hospital room with a smile and found Tanna in the hallway, her eyes wide with worry.

  He took her hand, giving it an affectionate squeeze, unafraid of how much he loved her. There were few things he was afraid of anymore. He looked at the earrings that glittered in her ears, he’d had them designed to match the family ring he’d given her to make their engagement official and she had worn them everywhere. He kissed her on the forehead, not trusting himself to kiss her anywhere else. He looked forward to getting her alone where he didn’t have to behave himself. “It’s all right. She’s agreed to everything.”

  “Did you tell her about Megan and Adam?”

  He’d tell her what he’d done after she was discharged from the hospital. In the three days his mother had been in the hospital, Megan’s father had been forced to file for bankruptcy and as his daughter had feared, he’d suffered an attack and presently was in a rehabilitation center. Adam immediately showed his true nature. He disappeared, leaving Megan to deal with the collapse of her father and his business all alone. He didn’t want his mother’s accusations to compound her grief. She’d been punished enough. “No, not yet. I’ll wait for her to be stronger.”

  Tanna nodded. “You’re right. Now we just have one more problem.”

  His good mood fell. “What?”

  “Aunt Violet.”

  Fortunately, she wasn’t as adamantly against the match as his mother had been, although she hadn’t trusted his intentions were pure until she saw him on their wedding day. It was a lavish ceremony that mixed both cultures. The bride wore a white gown and the groom a tux while her family and friends wore blue and silver aso-ebi. Bright pink and white roses burst from glass centerpieces vases accented by cowrie shells.

  Tantoluwa “Tanna” Joelle Ariyo felt like a queen as she said her vows and exchanged rings with Doran Keenan Gibson, the man who’d stolen her heart. She briefly looked out at the crowd and saw Ambrosia with tears in her eyes, Hallie sitting next to her, no longer looking as fatigued as she had been. She had been diagnosed with malnutrition due to her finicky eating habits. She was on a new diet and her inflamed joints were healing.

  Her gaze shifted to Raymond’s beaming face, a bandage over his eye; he’d gotten hit with a ball while playing tennis. She saw her sisters holding a box of tissues between them and Rosemarie looking as if she still couldn’t believe the ceremony was really happening. Tanna then looked up at Doran feeling a bottomless joy she couldn’t describe, unable to believe she’d been so miserable only two years ago.

  At the reception, a woman Tanna knew by sight but not by name, with rust blonde curls and well endowed measurements, rushed over to her after she and Daron had finished their first dance as husband and wife. “You two make such a lovely couple,” the woman said. She squinted her eyes and pointed at Doran. “And I know I’ve seen him before.”

  Doran grinned. “Yes, you have.”
<
br />   She clapped her hands together pleased. “I knew it. I never forget a face. Tanna, where did you find this handsome man?”

  Doran and Tanna shared a private look before Tanna said, “At a wedding…”

  Also Available

  If you enjoyed Unexpected Pleasure don't miss Dara's other works...

  The Black Stockings Society

  Power Play (Bk 1)

  A Gentleman’s Offer (Bk 2)

  Body Chemistry (Bk 3)

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  Return of the Black Stockings Society

  Playing for Keeps (Bk 1)

  After Hours (Bk 2)

  A Private Affair (Bk 3)

  Return of the Black Stockings Society 3 Book Bundle

  Just One Look (Bk 4)

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  The Henson Series

  Table for Two (Bk 1)

  Gaining Interest (Bk 2)

  Careless Rapture (Bk 3)

  Dangerous Curves (Bk 4)

  Familiar Stranger (an extra)

  The Henson Brothers (Includes the novels Table for Two and Gaining Interest)

  Out of the Past (Includes the novels Careless Rapture and Familiar Stranger)

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  Discover these books and more at www.iloripressbooks.com

  About the Author

  Dara Girard is an award-winning, national bestselling author of more than thirty books including Just One Look, The Amber Stone and Dangerous Curves. Dara loves to travel and hear from readers.

  * * *

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  For more information

  DaraGirard

  www.daragirard.com

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  Unexpected Pleasure