“Wait… what?”
It was my turn to go stiff at Grayson’s question. Once again, I’d completely forgotten. I looked to Sophia and Daphne for help, but they were too busy enjoying the show to engage. The traitors.
“They’re doing a bachelorette auction tonight,” Cybil offered. “They’ve agreed to offer themselves up for a date to the highest bidders. Isn’t it a wonderful idea?”
The dark look he gave me said he thought the idea was anything but wonderful.
Seemingly unaware of the thundercloud that had suddenly taken residence over our little gathering, Cybil turned to my friends and said, “You know, there are a few gentlemen here tonight with some pretty thick wallets. Why don’t I take you ladies around and make introductions? Help drum up excitement before the auction starts?”
“What a wonderful idea,” Daphne chirped, hooking her elbow through Cybil’s.
“Definitely,” Sophia added with a side-eye look in my direction. “Let’s do that right now. Grayson, you’ll keep Lola company, won’t you?”
I was going to murder her in her sleep.
“You don’t need to worry about that,” he replied with a gruff, unhappy rumble.
Uh-oh.
The three of them scuttled off, leaving me to my doom. A quick peek through my lashes showed he was not happy. “Gray—”
“You think that maybe you should’ve mentioned you’re offering yourself up as a date for money tonight?”
Yep, so not happy.
“Honestly, I totally forgot about the auction until your mother mentioned it.”
“Christ, Lola,” he grunted. It was then that I noticed he was holding a tumbler of amber-colored liquid. He lifted the glass to his lips and downed the entire thing in one short swallow.
“It’s really not a big deal.”
He let go of my waist and turned to face me full-on with a menacing glare. “Other men are going to be bidding on you, Lola. How the fuck is that not a big deal?”
“It’s for charity?” I offered quietly.
“Not helping. And don’t be cute when I’m pissed off.”
I took that as an opening and stepped close, pressing our chests together as I smiled demurely. “You think I’m cute?”
“You know you are. Don’t change the subject.” He was still scowling, but I could see his hold on his anger was beginning to slip.
I opened my mouth to speak when a familiar, unwelcome voice spoke from beside us.
“Hey, shorty.”
My head dropped back. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I snapped at the ceiling, in search of divine intervention.
It didn’t come.
I straightened my head and narrowed my eyes at my brother. I had to hand it to him, he looked good in a tux, but… WTF! “What are you doing here? How are you here?”
“I bought a ticket,” he replied with a smug grin. “You aren’t the only one in the family who’s loaded, you know.”
“Please, God, tell me you don’t have Ma with you.” Because that would be fucking perfect.
“No. Turns out she had a date with that doorman of yours. When I left, she was humming a Frank Sinatra song and getting dolled up.”
Fuck my life.
I chose to ignore the fact that my mom getting close to Maury did not mean good things and asked, “Why are you here?”
Dominic had the good sense to look contrite, but that didn’t matter for shit when he responded with “Look, I know you’re going to be pissed, but—”
“No!” I snapped, shoving my index finger in his face. “No. Don’t you even go there, Dom.”
“I have to, Lo,” he answered earnestly. “I have to at least try.”
“What’s going on?” From the corner of my eye, I could see Grayson’s head bouncing back and forth between my brother and me, but I refused to take my eyes off Dominic.
“You don’t have to try anything. This is neither the time nor the place, Dom. Sophia doesn’t want to see you.”
“Ohhhh” came Grayson’s mutter of understanding. He remembered me telling him about Sophia and my brother dating. He also remembered that it hadn’t ended well.
“Listen, I’m not going to make a scene, I swear,” my brother said beseechingly. “I won’t approach her if I think it’ll make trouble. I just… I have to see her, shorty. I can’t be in the same city and pretend she isn’t here. I tried.”
“Gah!” I tugged at the hair on the sides of my head before throwing my hands up. “Could this night possibly get any worse?”
Then I heard her voice. It was like Karma was laughing directly in my face, saying, “Sucks to be you!”
“Hi, Lola.”
I turned woodenly, my gaze landing on the auburn-haired stunner.
Fiona.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the seventh circle of hell.
Lola
I’D HAVE GIVEN anything for a hole to open up beneath my feet and suck me down into a dark abyss. Anything. Even my favorite Kate Spade handbag. The very same one I’d gotten into a knock-down, drag-out fight with some soccer mom bitch for last year during a Black Friday sale.
No such luck.
“I like your dress. It’s beautiful.”
It took me several seconds for my brain to engage and actually comprehend what she’d just said.
“Uh… thank you.” She sounded so sincere, but I wasn’t buying it. I examined her expression like someone would stare at a slide beneath a microscope, looking for any signs of manipulation. I found none. Instead of sneering or shooting me scathing looks like she had that afternoon at the Lockharts’, she was looking back at me with what appeared to be such stark remorse in her eyes that some of the ice in my veins actually began to thaw. “You… look really nice too.” The compliment felt awkward on my tongue, especially considering how I’d felt about this woman the past few weeks, but it felt like the right thing to do.
She smiled genuinely at me, her gaze bouncing between Grayson and me before she spoke again. “Could I…?” She fidgeted nervously for a moment. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but… do you think I could speak with you for just a minute?”
Grayson’s arm wrapped around my waist in what could only be described as a protective hold. His arm was like a steel band tied around me, pulling my back flush with his chest.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Fee,” he spoke for me.
Unlike some women who would’ve found the possessive gesture to be insulting, I found it kind of swoon-worthy, albeit slightly annoying. I was more than capable of answering for myself, after all.
Her eyes traveled back to Grayson, but only for a second, and it was then that I realized she wasn’t staring up at him with the same lovesick adoration in her eyes. “I’ll only take a moment. Please.”
I peeked up at him to see a concerned frown marring his handsome face. “It’s fine,” I whispered, placing my hands on his arm around my waist and giving it a reassuring squeeze. His jade eyes flickered with uncertainty and… fear? I wasn’t certain, but whatever the emotion behind his gaze, it warmed me to my very core. “Really. I’ll be okay.”
“Lola,” he growled warningly, causing me to roll my eyes.
Spinning around in his hold, I grabbed the lapels of his jacket and brought his face closer to mine.
“You and I need to have a conversation. Not right now, but later tonight. There are some things I need to tell you, but right now I’m asking you to trust me when I say I’ll. Be. Fine. Can you do that?”
He closed his eyes and inhaled briefly, and when he opened them again, so much love was shining down at me it made my knees weak. God, I love this man. “Okay,” he whispered, “but only if you promise to come back to me when you’re done.”
Yep… totally swoon-worthy.
“I promise.”
“I mean it, Lola. I’ll track you down if I have to.”
Standing on the tiptoes of my killer heels, I placed a gentle kiss to his lips and looked him right in the ey
e as I declared, “You won’t have to. You have my word.”
That seemed to placate him because his arm loosened, allowing me to walk away.
Fiona and I moved silently through the ballroom and through a set of French doors that led to a quiet, empty terrace away from prying eyes. I wasn’t sure what she had to say to me, but I knew that, whatever it was, it was best said in private.
White fairy lights wrapped around the scrolled iron railing, providing enough light against the dark backdrop of the starlit sky for me to see her face clearly. I stood with my arms crossed over my chest and waited for her to speak first. When she finally did, her words took me by complete surprise.
“I’m so sorry, Lola.”
“You… huh?”
“I’m sorry,” she repeated, stepping up to the railing and leaning her hip against it. “I treated you terribly when we first met, and I had no right. I was just… I was jealous. Grayson never looked at me the way he looked at you, and I handled it poorly. You didn’t deserve that.”
I was trying not to swallow my tongue as shock whipped through me. “…Thank you.”
“And I want you to know, those pictures that were posted were totally out of context, I swear.”
Just the mention of the photos sent a spike of pain through my chest. I had to close my eyes for a second and breathe through it. “He said—”
“We talked about you the entire time,” she interrupted. “He was so desperate to make things right after the pool. He spent the entire lunch asking me what he should do to get you to forgive him.”
“I didn’t know,” I whispered, placing my hand against my chest and unconsciously rubbing at the ache behind my breastbone. “He told me it wasn’t what I thought, but I didn’t realize…” that he’d been telling the truth. God, I was such an asshole.
Fiona surprised me by moving closer and taking my hands in hers. “He loves you, Lola. In a way I’ve never seen in all the years I’ve known him. I’ll admit that it stung, seeing him look at you in a way I never experienced,” she said, a sad smile tilting her lips, “but I shouldn’t have taken that out on you. I think I confused what I feel for him now with what we used to have. Does that make sense? I still care for him greatly, and he’s one of my best friends. But I’ve been gone for so long, and seeing him again… I think it was more nostalgia than love.” She spoke quickly, like she was trying to talk through everything going on in her head. “He’s been a part of my life for so long, and seeing him with you, I felt threatened that I might lose him.”
“Fiona,” I started, cutting through her rambling, “I’d never do that.” I gave her hands a squeeze, hoping she could see my candor. “I know you two were friends before, and that you remained that way after you broke up. He told me the history. He’s important to you, and you’re important to him too. I’m not going to lie, knowing you two….” I trailed off, struggling to say the words. “It’ll take some adjusting for me, knowing you two were together, but if there really are no deep-seated feelings lingering, then I don’t see why we can’t all move past it.”
“There aren’t. I promise. Like I said, I just got wrapped up in the past. I’m not that girl, Lola. I know it may be hard for you to believe, considering how we met, but I’d never purposefully try to sabotage a relationship. All I want is for Gray to be happy. And you make him happy.”
“He makes me happy too,” I responded with a smile.
“Do you think… is there any way you could forgive me? Maybe we could start over? I’d like us to be friends.”
“I’d really like that,” I found myself answering honestly.
Her relief was palpable, and when she released my hands and took a step back, she looked like a massive weight had just fallen from her shoulders. She extended her hand outward. “Hi. I’m Fiona Prentice, an old friend of Gray’s. It’s nice to meet you.”
I took it with a small laugh and gave it a quick shake. “I’m Lola Abbatelli. Nice to meet you too.”
For the first time in weeks, I felt light, happy, like everything was going to be all right.
“So, friends?” she asked.
“Friends,” I replied. I suddenly wanted to tell her about Deacon, about the fact that he was in love with her, but something held me back. It wasn’t my place, and my gut told me that those two were going to have to find their way to each other on their own. But I was comforted by the fact that I’d be able to sit back and enjoy as everything played out. And with the way Deacon had looked at her with such acute longing, I had no doubt it eventually would; I just had to hope she was smart enough to see what was standing in front of her when the time came.
“I guess we should be getting back. Gray’s liable to have a heart attack if I keep you much longer.”
She took a step toward the doors, but then something dawned on me. It might not be my place to intervene with her and Deacon, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t give them a little nudge in the right direction. “Wait.” I grabbed her arm, staying her movement. “I need a favor.”
“Sure. Whatever you need.”
Oh… this was going to be so good. I couldn’t wait.
Grayson
I WAS GOING out of my mind, ready to jump out of my skin. If Lola wasn’t back in the next three fucking seconds, I was going after her. I wanted to trust Fiona not to ruin things for me, but my foundation with Lola had been rocky from day one and it was hard to believe she wouldn’t get spooked again. I saw something in her eyes just before she wandered off that gave me hope. I just wasn’t sure if I could believe it — not yet, anyway.
It wasn’t until I saw the two of them enter from the terrace, smiling at each other, that I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, that relief was short-lived.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Dominic growled from my side. I turned to find him scowling at something across the ballroom, the muscle in his jaw ticking like crazy.
“What?”
“This has got to be a fucking joke.”
Before I could question his sudden outburst, Lola slid up against me, linking her arms through mine. “Hi.” She smiled up at me brilliantly, stealing my breath and making my cock twitch. Christ, she was beautiful.
“Hey,” I said softly, leaning down to bring our faces closer. “Everything good?”
“Everything’s perfect.” She planted her lips against mine and I couldn’t help but agree. The outward display of affection on her part was unexpected, but no less welcome. I was sure I’d never get enough of this woman.
“Shorty,” Dominic butted in, pulling us from the moment. “I hate to break up the love-fest but….” He lifted his chin in the direction he’d been scowling, and Lola and I followed his gaze. A man in or near his sixties was walking our way. The cut of his tux screamed money. But the bleached-blonde on his arm who’d been nipped and tucked past anything a plastic surgeon should ever have agreed to, and the blatant arrogance on his face, alerted me to the fact that, while he might be rich, he certainly lacked class.
“Oh my God.” Lola sucked in a sharp breath, and I felt her go so stiff it was a wonder she didn’t break into a million pieces.
“Who is that?” I asked, not liking the way the light dimmed from her amber eyes one bit.
“My father,” she exhaled.
Fuck. I knew from everything she’d told me that she and her father didn’t have a good relationship. I also knew from the sudden shift in her demeanor from happy to upset that seeing him was a complete surprise… and not a welcomed one.
“I’ll take care of this,” Dominic growled before stalking off in the man’s direction.
“Hey,” I whispered, using my free hand to tip her chin up. The pain in her eyes tore me in two. “Talk to me, baby. What’s happening in your head right now?”
“I don’t like him,” she said, sounding sad and broken. “He’s not a nice man. He’s a cheat and a liar, but it’s worse than just that,” she said, her voice near frantic. “When I was five, he took me and Domi
nic to the pool in our building. It’s one of the only memories I have of him doing anything even remotely fatherly with us. I didn’t know how to swim, and I was too frightened to get off the steps, and I guess that annoyed him. He said I was too old to be scared, and that I was acting like a baby. So he picked me up and threw me into the deep end.”
Rage blanketed my vision with a red film as she spoke. Her voice trembled with stark fear as she recalled the memory.
“I was terrified. I couldn’t keep my head above water. Dominic started to swim to me to pull me up, but my dad yelled at him, telling him it was the only way I could learn. I finally managed to kick my way to the edge and pull myself up. Dominic was so mad,” she whispered. “I remember thinking he was going to punch him, but instead, he just grabbed me by the hand and took me back to our apartment. I couldn’t stop crying. I’d been so scared, and all my father could talk about was how I’d been weak, how I embarrassed him by making such a ridiculous scene.”
My chest tightened painfully as I pulled her into my arms, trying to ward off the trembles that were racking her body. “That’s why you’re scared of water.”
“Yeah. I know it’s stupid. I should be over it by now—”
“It’s not stupid,” I growled. “Your father was a first-class prick for doing that to you. It’s not your fault. It’s his.”
“He… he called me when he saw our picture in the papers. He never calls me unless he wants something. But he saw that I was with you and thought he could use me to try and get closer to you and your father. I told him never to call me again, but I guess that’s why he’s here now. He has an investment firm. He wants to use your family’s name to his company’s advantage. I told him no. I swear, Gray—”
“Hey, hey.” I reached up and ran my knuckles along her jaw in an effort to soothe her. “It’s okay. I believe you.”
“I can’t believe he’s here.”
“I can.” I cupped her cheek, needing to feel her skin against mine in any possible way. “Lola, I’ve known men like him my whole life. Money-hungry leeches who ride other people’s coattails to the top are a dime a dozen. You don’t need to worry about keeping him away from my father or me. Trust me, we’re more than capable of handling assholes like that.”
Seducing Lola Page 23