My Guilty Pleasure

by Denton, Jamie

  paid a fee.”

  Her little sister nodded slowly, carefully digesting the information. So far, they were both taking the news so much better than she had. She’d nearly come unglued.

  “Why was the invitation sent to Reba?” Brooke asked.

  “Because she and Mom both worked for this agency. I guess Mom didn’t exactly want to leave a forwarding address when she married Dad.”

  “But she didn’t…” Anguish filled Katie’s expressive gaze. “I mean, she wasn’t…God, I can’t even say it.”

  “A prostitute?” Brooke filled in the blank with a slight edge to her voice.

  “No,” Joey said firmly. “But, uh…our Grandmother Breckenridge apparently was a member of the world’s oldest profession.”

  Even staid Brooke appeared shocked at that bit of tarnished news. “You’re kidding.”

  Joey caught her bottom lip between her teeth and slowly shook her head. She’d especially worried how Brooke would take the news. Brooke had already felt the sting of discovering she wasn’t a Winfield by blood. This news could end up separating her even further from her family, and that was not something Joey wanted to see happen. Still, they had a right to know about their legacy, regardless of how notorious or unseemly.

  However inappropriate, Katie giggled. “God, can you imagine what would happen if Great Aunt Jo heard this one? She’d have a stroke for sure.”

  Brooke’s gaze hardened. “It’s none of her business. Or anyone’s for that matter.”

  “I agree,” said Joey. “Especially Evil-Lyn. She’s the last person I want hearing of this.”

  “No wonder Mom never wanted to talk about her past,” Brooke said. “I always wondered. I never understood, but I guess now I do.”

  “So,” Katie asked, hugging the pillow tighter, “how exactly did it all happen? How did Mom end up an escort of all things.”

  Joey returned to the bed and sat where she could see both Katie and Brooke. “It’s not like Mom aspired to be an escort,” Joey said. “Reba told me they were living in Providence at the time. Mom was barely seventeen and had nowhere to go. The night she met Reba, she was sitting in an all-night diner because she had no other place to go. Reba didn’t state specifically, but I got the impression they both were on the verge of turning a few tricks themselves as a matter of survival.”

  “How horrible for Mom,” Brooke said. “No wonder she put up with all the crap Aunt Jo gave her when she first married Dad. It kinda makes sense now when you think about it. The lesser of two evils.”

  Joey agreed, and said so.

  “Where was this Grandma? Too busy turning tricks to care for her own daughter?” The censure in Katie’s tone wasn’t surprising, given the circumstances.

  “Reba wasn’t too clear on that part of it,” Joey said with a shrug. “I don’t know if the passage of time has dimmed her memory, or she didn’t want us to know. It’s probably safe to assume she was no longer in the picture for whatever reason, seeing as Mom was homeless when she met Reba.”

  “Do you think she’s still alive?” Brooke asked.

  “Probably not,” Joey surmised.

  “But how did Mom and Reba get from Providence to Boston? How did they become…you know?”

  “Escorts, Katie,” Joey said a bit snappishly. “It’s not a dirty word. You can say it. Not all escort services are run by Mayflower Madams.”

  “I didn’t mean—”

  Joey let out a sigh. “I know. I’m sorry.”

  At Katie’s nod, Joey continued. “Reba told me she and Mom met a Janice Neely one night when they were hanging out at the bus station in Providence. She supposedly overheard Mom and Reba talking, one thing led to another and Janice told them about the escort service.”

  “God, what do you think they were doing at the bus station?” Brooke asked.

  “Let’s just assume it was a place to get out of the cold,” Joey answered. “Anyway, this Neely woman offered them a roof over their heads, regular meals and a safe way to earn a living that didn’t include selling their bodies for a couple of bucks in a bus station. According to Reba, she and Mom were a couple of poor kids with no prospects in sight, and Janice Neely was offering them a dream come true. A home, a hot meal and they could hold on to their dignity.”

  “Was it?” Brooke asked. “Mom never talked about any of this.”

  “It couldn’t have been all that bad,” Katie said. “Remember that picture we found of Mom? She didn’t exactly look miserable.”

  “Reba said Mom never wanted us to know,” Joey told them. “Can you blame her? This isn’t exactly the stuff of bedtime stories. But she swears Mom never took money for sex, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “But our grandmother did,” Brooke said, her tone filled with censure.

  Joey looked at her sister. “You know what I think? I think she wasn’t much of a mother to our mom. That makes her even less of a grandmother to me.”

  “Good point,” Katie agreed. “Although it does make for a pretty damn shocking skeleton falling out of the closet.”

  “There’s something else,” Joey said. “I don’t know if we should tell Lindsay. I’m not sure how she’d take something like this.”

  “I’m still reeling,” Katie admitted. “I can’t imagine how Lindsay would react.”

  “I thought about asking her here today,” Joey said, “but I just wasn’t sure so I decided against it. Brooke, you’re closer to her than Katie or I. If we decide to tell her, maybe you should be the one to do it.”

  “I wouldn’t exactly call us close,” Brooke said thoughtfully. “She is coming around.”

  “She’s a lot more receptive to us than when she first sent us those invitations to join Martinis and Bikinis,” Katie said, then looked to Brooke. “What do you think?”

  “She is family,” Joey added. “She has a right to know, I just don’t know if now is the right time to tell her.”

  “No, Joey’s right,” Brooke finally said. “She is our sister and we share a blood bond, but one thing we’ll never share is our history.”

  “What are you talking about?” Katie asked. “Thanks to Mom, we have one hell of a colorful history.”

  “That’s Mom’s history,” Brooke explained. “I’m referring to our history. No matter how welcome we make Lindsay feel, there’ll always be something missing because we weren’t raised together.”

  “Brooke’s right,” Joey added. She looked fondly at her little sister. “We can tell Lindsay all the stories we want about our childhood, but she wasn’t a part of it. To her, it’ll always be just stories. Nothing can ever change that.”

  Katie angrily tossed the pillow aside. “Sometimes I get really mad at Mom for doing what she did. Why couldn’t she have just kept Lindsay?”

  “It was a different time then, Katie,” Brooke told her. “It couldn’t have been easy for her.”

  Katie looked to Joey, who nodded in agreement. “I think Mom had a lot more courage than you’re giving her credit for,” Joey said. “Can you imagine for one minute what it must have been like for her giving away a child? Based on the things we’ve found, it’s obvious Mom never forgot about Lindsay.”

  “Okay, so I’m a shit for thinking that way.” Katie scooted off the bed. “But so you both know, I don’t always feel that way. Just sometimes.”

  “That’s okay,” Brooke said and stood. She crossed the room and slung her arm over Katie’s shoulder. “Sometimes I get a little angry, too.”

  Katie let out a sigh and offered up a wan smile. “Some legacy she left us, huh?” She looked over at Joey, still seated on the bed. “I guess we just have to deal with it.”

  “It doesn’t change the fact that Mom loved us,” Joey told Katie.

  “I know,” Katie said. “Can we have lunch now? I’m starved.”

  “Good idea,” Brooke said and then looked to Joey. “So, what are you going to do to make things right with Sebastian? Grovel?”

  Joey grinned and came off the b
ed. “If necessary,” she said, and meant it. As her sisters could attest, she never had been very good at groveling, but she’d give it a shot if it meant patching things up with Sebastian. She still hadn’t figured out what to do about their work situation, but she decided to play it by ear for the time being.

  Brooke turned to leave, but Katie rushed over to the closet. She opened the door and peered inside. “All’s clear,” she said cheerfully.

  “What are you doing?” Joey asked her.

  Katie grinned. “Making sure there aren’t any more skeletons hiding in there. We’ve had enough, don’t you think?”

  Chapter 15

  Joey committed an unpardonable sin—she was twenty minutes late for cocktails. She’d waited until the last possible minute, then waited another fifteen before finally giving up hope that Sebastian would show.

  What do you think? Apparently she’d been right in assuming he’d meant no way in hell would he subject himself to a Winfield family dinner. Or more accurately, it’d be a cold day in hell before subjecting himself to her presence again. Did that mean she would also be correct in assuming all that they’d really had was nothing more than a week-long, one-night stand?

  As much as it hurt to do so, she couldn’t ignore the truth. Sebastian’s silence all weekend spoke volumes.

  Working together would be uncomfortable, but she’d be damned if she’d give up her position at the firm just because she’d been stupid and had a reckless, albeit brief, affair with her boss. She didn’t want to believe it really could be over after one silly argument that never should’ve happened. But since she hadn’t heard from him all weekend, what other conclusion could she possibly draw?

  Yeah, and what if you are pregnant? What then? She tugged her long wool dress coat a little tighter around her and tried not to think about it. She’d have the answer to that all-important question in about ten days. Until then, she was going to take Brooke’s advice and try not to worry until she had something to actually worry about.

  A brisk wind kicked up, so she quickened her pace and hurriedly walked across the grounds of the estate to the main house. Instead of using the back door to slip in through the kitchen, as was her habit, she walked toward the front of the elegant Georgian brick mansion to the front door. If she was going in alone, then dammit, she’d do it with her head held high, not slinking in through the service entrance as if she had something to hide.

  Like a broken heart.

  She’d known it would happen. That first night with Sebastian, she’d seen the writing on the sheets. Tall, dark and a sense of humor. Her favorite combination. But even knowing she’d end up with broken heart hadn’t stopped her. She loved the man. Now she had to deal with it. She only wished it didn’t hurt so much.

  As she rounded the low trimmed evergreen shrubs, she came upon the brick parking court. The safety lights turned on as she passed the motion detector, and she skimmed her gaze along the row of vehicles parked there.

  The usual suspects were all in attendance, including her Great Aunt Josephine and cousin Eve. She didn’t see Brooke’s car, but there was a spiffy-looking Ferrari she believed belonged to David.

  Joey managed a smile. Brooke hadn’t said a word to her yesterday about coming to dinner tonight, so she had no idea when her sister had even spoken to Grandmother. She was just glad to see that her grandmother had taken the first step in repairing the rift between them. Lindsay’s car, however, remained noticeably absent.

  Oh well, she thought. One pride-swallowing moment at a time.

  She stopped, spying a large silver SUV parked at the end of the row. She couldn’t miss it. Those Florida plates stuck out like a sore thumb amid all the Massachusetts plates. Her heart skipped a definite, hopeful beat.

  “Oh my God,” she muttered and picked up her pace. She couldn’t believe Sebastian would willingly walk into the lion’s den alone. Good heavens, she could only imagine the interrogation her family was putting him through without her to run interference.

  “Joey!”

  She stopped abruptly and turned at the sound of Sebastian’s voice, chiding herself for the ridiculous sense of relief coursing through her. He shut the door to the SUV and started toward her.

  Like a dummy, her heart took off like a rocket at the sight of him striding toward her. He didn’t look as if he’d shown up just to dump her, so she took that as a positive sign. In fact, he looked positively delicious. Beneath a cashmere blend coat, he wore a dark navy suit, pristine white shirt and a patterned tie in subdued hues. Even his shoes were highly polished.

  “Why didn’t you come to the carriage house?” she asked when he approached. Certainly not much of a greeting, and not exactly what she’d planned to say when she saw him, either. “I’m sorry” being at the top of her list, quickly followed by “I love you.”

  “I was running late, so I figured you’d already be at the house,” he said. “Joey, listen. I’m—”

  “No.” She lifted her hand and covered his lips with her gloved fingers. “I’m the one who owes you an apology. I wanted to take Gilson to trial and I overreacted. I made it personal and that was wrong. What can I say?” she added with a shrug. “Katie’s always accusing me of being pissy. I guess my inner bitch really is alive and well.”

  The chilling wind blew her hair into her face. She pushed it away and looked up at him. His expression remained bland, and that made her nervous.

  “I never should’ve said what I did,” she continued in a rush. She was starting to ramble, but anything was better than silence. “That crack about Emerson was uncalled for, Sebastian. I’m sorry.”

  He shook his head slightly. Her heart took a nosedive. “It’s no longer important,” he said.

  She frowned. Why? she almost demanded. But for once in her life, she kept her big trap shut. She refused to jump to conclusions.

  Still, she couldn’t help but feel more than a wee bit nervous. Why wasn’t it important, she wanted to know? Because he no longer cared? About her? About them?

  Oh, hell. “Why isn’t it important?” she asked anyway. Apparently she was hopeless.

  “Can we just go inside?” he asked. He rubbed his big hands together. “It’s below freezing out here.”

  She shook her head. “Tell me why first.”

  He let out a sigh. Ice crystals formed in the air. “Because we’ve been busted.”

  Her heart sank. “Oh, shit.”

  “I would’ve called you,” he said, “but I was busy clearing out my office.”

  Her mouth fell open in shock. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “They fired you?”

  “No,” he said with a shake of his head. “I quit.”

  “Oh, Sebastian. No.” This was all her fault. Well, at least partially, Because she hadn’t been able to keep her panties on around him and he hadn’t exactly stayed out of them, either. But now he was out of a job.

  Her mind spun with possibilities. Maybe they could start up their own firm. Winfield and Stanhope. Had a nice ring to it. Being her own boss would make things easier if she were pregnant.

  A cocky half smile suddenly tipped his mouth. “It’s not a big deal.”

  She disagreed. “Of course it’s a big deal,” she said. “You have no job, Sebastian.

  “Not exactly,” he said. “Lionel Kane came to see me yesterday to convince me to reconsider. After he promised me your position at the firm was in no danger, I agreed. I spent most of today moving my stuff back into my office.”

  Joey frowned. Had she heard him correctly? “Wait a minute. My position at the firm?”

  “Johnson Samuel threatened to fire you.”

  “That bastard,” Joey said with a fair amount of distain. As if this was all her fault? Hanging out her own shingle was starting to sound better and better.

  “I’m a partner,” Sebastian said with a shrug. “You, my dear, are but a mere associate in their eyes.”

  “And therefore dispensable.” She crossed her arms and let out a short puff
of breath in frustration. “Those rat bastards.” She stomped her foot for emphasis. She and Sebastian weren’t the first two lawyers to ever have an office romance, and they sure as hell wouldn’t be the last, either. Thanks to Brooke, she even had the Google stats to support her argument.

  Sebastian’s chuckle warmed her. “Something like that,” he said. “So I told Johnston Samuel and Lionel Kane to take their partnership and shove it.”

  “But you’re still with the firm? You’re still a partner?” She couldn’t stand it if she were really responsible for his loss of employment. She’d only worked with him a week, but he was a damn good lawyer. He was only thirty-four and already a junior partner in a major law firm.

  “Yes,” he confirmed.

  She let out a long sigh of relief. “So what happens now?” she asked him. “Am I being transferred to another division?”

  God, please. Not probate and estate planning. “Do we have to sign some stupid nonfraternization promise? You should know, I’ll refuse to sign.”

  That made him smile. The one with just a touch of arrogance she found so incredibly sexy.

  “Nothing quite so drastic,” he told her. “We’re both still in litigation, but I’ll be concentrating on a new subdivision of the litigation group that will cover med mal and other cases we’ll be handling for the county. Bowman’s being promoted with a buy-in option after one year. He’ll oversee more of the litigation division, but will report directly to me.”

  “And I’ll report directly to Dillard Bowman.” She supposed it could be a whole lot worse. Like spending the next ten years drafting wills.

  “Exactly.”

  “I still can’t believe you actually quit because they were threatening to fire me.” She slipped her arms inside his jacket and looped her arms around his waist. She supposed he had a point, but her pride had taken a direct hit and it stung. She looked up at him and frowned. “They were really going to fire me?”

  “Do yourself a favor, sweetheart,” he said and drew her closer, skimming his hands down her back. “Blow it off.”

  He dipped his head and kissed her, taking his time and making her forget about everything but the way his lips moved over hers, the way his tongue teased hers. She’d never grow tired of his kisses, or the way her body came vibrantly alive in his arms. And she planned to spend the rest of her life proving it, too.