Rayna cocked her brow. “Uh-huh. You had that list memorized as the cars pulled into the lot, categorized by license plate. No, it looked more to me like you were staring at Benjamin Swayne.”
Sara smoothed a trembling hand down her red satin gown. Kyle had bought the dress for her for the engagement party because he knew she would wear a business suit if she could get away with it. How was it possible to feel naked in a dress that covered her from chest to ankles?
“I was not staring at Benjamin. He’s just…well, he and the Brazilian cover model are making quite a spectacle of themselves out there. If you’d wanted your engagement party at a sleazy club, I could have arranged it at a sleazy club.”
“Hmm…” Rayna narrowed her eyes in speculation.
“Hmm what?”
“Kyle told me that you have a problem with Ben. He isn’t sure why, but Ben is his best friend, Sara. And you’re like Kyle’s…little sister. It bothers him that two people he loves can’t get along.”
“Little sister? Kyle Ashford is my boss.”
“And you two grew up under the same roof. Don’t pretend like you aren’t part of the family. He loves telling stories about when you were little.”
She shrugged. “Like cousins, then. Twice removed.”
Rayna chuckled at that. “Fine. But it still makes him sad. He doesn’t have many friends, and Ben is special to him. Matter of fact, Kyle’s chosen him as best man for the wedding.”
Sara’s top lip arched in disgust, like she just sucked on a lemon. A rancid, moldy, fermented one. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. Ben’s going to plan the bachelor party and everything.”
At the thought of this impending catastrophe, the blood drained from Sara’s upper half and pooled in her feet. Oh hell no. “That’s a really bad idea. You have to trust me. You don’t know Benjamin Swayne like I do. You couldn’t count on him for a teaspoon of water if you were dying of dehydration.”
“What?” Rayna took a step back. “Why would you say that? What do you know about him that I don’t?”
Plenty. “Nothing. But I mean, look at him. Everywhere he goes a lingerie model follows. He might as well have her on a gold leash like a show dog.”
Rayna shook her head. “Hey, I’m new to this world, but you grew up around all this money. I’d think you would be used to the glitz and glamor by now. Dating models might mean Benjamin’s shallow, but I’d say we were just as shallow if we judged his date because of her disturbingly perfect…everything.”
Rayna was right. Not about Benjamin, but about his date, at least. “Sorry. I really don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight.” To Sara’s utter horror, her eyes watered up until the lights of the party made striated stars in her vision.
“Aww…come here.” Rayna pulled her in for a hug. “If there’s anything you want to talk about, I’m here to listen. Okay?”
Sara was a couple of inches taller than Kyle’s fiancée, which might have made for an awkward hug if she wasn’t so familiar with Rayna’s touchy-feely side by now. The Ashfords weren’t big on affection, but Sara was getting used to this new dynamic Rayna brought to the family. Sara quickly dabbed at her eyes when Rayna squeezed and released. She needed to get her act together, and fast. Tonight was not about her—no matter what it did to her insides to see that two-faced, two-timing asswipe out on the dance floor.
“You know…” Rayna began, looking thoughtful, “I can’t say I’m not a little worried about the bachelor party now that you brought it up. You tend to have good instincts about these sorts of things, and Kyle’s been getting enough crap from the press for asking me to marry him. I don’t want him embarrassed at the bachelor party by anyone.”
“Don’t give it a second thought.” Sara beamed a smile at Rayna that had been perfected by hours of practice in the mirror—a smile designed to put even billionaire tycoons at ease. It was capable. It was confident. It said everything is going to be fine. “This wedding is about you and Kyle, and if it will make Kyle happy to see me bond with his best friend, then that’s what’s going to happen.”
Rayna looked hopeful. “Really?”
Sara nodded. “Absolutely. And I bet Benjamin could use some help planning that party.”
Sara’s gaze traveled the courtyard. The botanical gardens had started off just fine, but Sara had had two hundred and twelve rare orchids and four pallets of fragrant blooms shipped in from around the world. There wasn’t a leaf out of place, not a light that wasn’t polished and shining—all 137,000 of them…approximately. The food was decadent, the guests were content and having a great time, and she had planned it all herself.
Party planning was beyond the scope of Sara’s job as Kyle Ashford’s personal assistant, but she’d volunteered. She took Kyle’s—and now by extension, Rayna’s—happiness very seriously. No man-whore with the initials of B.S.—clearly a bad omen to begin with—was going to muck up Kyle’s engagement with expensive prostitutes or lap dances that ended up as front-page tabloid photos.
“You’re going to…help Ben plan the bachelor party?” Rayna clarified.
Sara clutched the tablet tighter and refocused on Swayne who now had his hand moving over the scantily clad ass of the woman dancing beside him. She would bite the bullet and she would do this. For Kyle. For Rayna. For the good of humanity.
“Yes, I am.” It would take an act of God to stop her now.
Rayna bit her lip and adjusted the tiny, elegant hat covering the back of her head. “And you’re sure he wants your help?”
Well, if he didn’t want her help simply based on the fact that Sara excelled at event planning, she wasn’t ruling out good old-fashioned blackmail. After all, what she had on Benjamin Swayne would certainly buy her a little party tampering.
“Oh, yeah. I’m sure.”
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Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
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Nobody’s Fool
Copyright © 2015 by Barbara Meyers
ISBN: 978-1-61922-577-0
Edited by Noah Chinn
Cover by Kendra Egert
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First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: January 2015
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