A MATTER OF TRUST

by Kimberley Reeves

  “Trust me, sweetheart, I’d much rather stay home and make love to you than go talk business for two or three hours.”

  Maddy’s fingers began to work his tie loose, a sexy, wanton gleam in her eyes. “How much time did you say we have before you leave?”

  Being the quick study that he was, Chase wasted no time in following her lead and started peeling off her clothes. A low guttural moan vibrated in his chest as he settled himself between her silky thighs and plunged deep inside of her, his male pride bolstered by the fact she was already wet. Maddy’s heat surrounded him, her inner muscles contracting around his throbbing erection, milking him, coaxing him towards that one explosive moment when they reached the heavens together then clung to each other as they plummeted back to earth.

  It was always like this with Maddy, always so powerful, so consuming that it left him feeling mindless and weak, as if his bones had melted in the passionate heat making it impossible to do anything but collapse over her until he regained enough strength to lift his crushing weight off of her. She didn’t complain, not ever. Instead she kept her arms wound tightly around him, whispering soft words of love, pouring her heart out to him and giving him what he needed most; the assurance that she was his, that she would always be his, and that nothing would ever tear them apart.

  ****

  Chase was still feeling the tingling afterglow of sex as he got in his truck and headed into town. Even the quick shower he’d taken hadn’t dispelled it, and he was anxious to get the meeting over with so he could go back home and crawl into bed and hold Maddy in his arms as he’d been unable to do before he left. There’s been something brewing behind those blue eyes of hers as she walked him to the door, something that was troubling her, but when he’d asked if anything was wrong she’d only laughed and told him it wasn’t important and could until he got home. He’d hugged her to his chest, instinctively knowing she needed to be comforted and he’d been right because the smile she’d given him was nothing short of radiant and it was love, not apprehension, shinning from her eyes when she waved good-bye to him from the porch.

  Chase pulled into the hotel parking lot and secured a spot close to the door. It wasn’t unusual to meet his clients in their hotel room or even in the bar or restaurant since most of them were high-powered executives or politicians who were too busy during the day to come by his office. It was a little out of the norm for a first time consultation however, and he would have preferred to meet at his office where his assistant was on hand to take notes and provide him the necessary contracts for his client to sign. Now he’d have to take the notes himself, adding even more time to a meeting he wasn’t thrilled with having in the first place.

  Shoving his irritation aside, Chase gathered his briefcase and the shoulder bag containing his laptop and forced his mind back into business mode. Reaching into the pocket of his jacket, he pulled out the paper his secretary had given him and read the name and room number; James Lawson, room 520. The man must have money because the fifth floor housed the Deluxe Suites which were just shy of being an actual apartment. Chase’s attitude didn’t improve as he entered the hotel and rode the elevator up. Unfortunately, money equated to a lot of assets and investments and that meant he’d probably be tied up with Mr. Lawson for at least three hours.

  Chase put on his best game face as he stepped out of the elevator and made his way down the hall. One thing was for sure, they were going to have to step up the wedding because until he made Maddy his wife, he wasn’t going to be able to keep his mind focused on anything else. Hell, he doubted he’d ever have that sharp edged business sense he had before he met her, but somehow it just didn’t seem to make any difference.

  He’d made his first million before he was twenty-five and his business had thrived over the year. He’d made wise investments and branched out into real estate which had only added to his wealth. If he never worked another day in his life he’d still leave his children one hell of a legacy. Chase liked that idea, he liked it a lot. It didn’t take him two minutes to figure out spending time with Maddy and the half dozen kids he intended to have with her was more important than accumulating additional money he’d never live long enough spend.

  It was a genuine smile Chase wore when he rapped on the door and waited for James Lawson to answer. Except it wasn’t Lawson that opened the door. The smile froze on his face when Angela, dressed in nothing but a sheer black negligee, launched herself at him and ground her mouth into his. At first he was too stunned to do anything, then his brain finally began to function again and it registered that if anyone saw them it might get back to Maddy. It would devastate her to think he was having an affair with Angela and he’d never be able to convince her it hadn’t been planned. Chase tore his mouth away, recoiling in disgust when she buried her face in his neck and continued to kiss him.

  Dropping his briefcase, Chase gripped her by the waist and tried to pry her off of him. “For God’s sake, Angela, have some respect for yourself!”

  Laughing, she backed away just far enough so he could get the full effect of her translucent attire and the voluptuous body beneath. “Oh come on, Chase, let’s have a little fun. I went to an awful lot of trouble to set this up, surely it must impress you that I went to such lengths to get you alone.”

  “No, I…” Chase stopped, certain he’d seen movement at the end of the hallway but when he looked, there was no one there. Turning back to Angela with an angry scowl, he grabbed his briefcase and shoved her inside. “No, I’m not impressed in the least. I’m mad as hell, in case you haven’t figured that out.”

  “But why? I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m not even asking that you see me again after this. I just want one more time with you, Chase, just a few hours of hot, wild sex and then I’ll be out of your life forever.”

  “I don’t believe this,” he muttered, raking his fingers through his hair. “Listen to me, and listen well because this is the last time I’m going to tell you. I love Maddy, I’m going to marry her, and there’s not a woman on earth that could lure me away from her. There was never anything between you and me but sex, Angela, and it’s time you accepted that.”

  She smiled beguilingly and closed the distance between them. “You can’t tell me you don’t want me.” She took his hand and placed it on her breast. “No man could resist this…” Angela’s eyes widened when Chase jerked his hand away. “You can’t be serious. You’re really turning me down?”

  “Yes I am, and quite frankly I’m at a loss as to how I can get through to you. You need to get over this obsession and move on with your life, and you need stop trying to ruin my relationship with Maddy.”

  Angela’s voice came out in a vicious hiss. “Your precious Maddy is nothing but a little gold-digger who’ll never be in the same league as I am.”

  “You’re right about that,” Chase said, retrieving his briefcase and turning back to the door, “you and Maddy aren’t in the same league at all. She’s much too classy for that.”

  Angela let out a shriek of indignation. “Don’t you dare walk out on me, Chase Malone!”

  He didn’t even bother to look back her. With hand on the door knob, he made one last stab at ridding himself of her, despising the necessity of using cruelty to achieve that goal. “How can I walk out on you when I was never with you to begin with? I don’t want you, Angela, I never did. You were only mildly enjoyable the first time I slept with you and if I’d had any plans at all that weekend, I wouldn’t wasted my time or energy on the second performance.”

  “You bastard! Do you have any idea how many men would have killed to be in your place? There are men who would pay handsomely for the chance to sleep with me!”

  Chase glanced back at her with a harsh laugh. “Oh believe me, I’ve paid dearly for it.”

  “You haven’t even begun to pay,” she spat.

  “No, I’m done with it. I won’t tolerate any more of your games, and I won’t hesitate to file charges for stalking. Stay away from me Angela, t
his is your last warning.” The door had barely closed behind him when it was flung open again. He whirled on her, the anger in his eyes turning to astonishment. “What the hell…”

  Angela stepped out into the hallway, naked as the day she was born. With a wild laugh she threw herself at him, locking her arms around his neck and winding one leg around his thigh. Once again his briefcase hit the floor, and for several insane minutes, Chase struggled to loosen her grasp and separate their bodies. Her arms felt like a vice and if he hadn’t been afraid of hurting her, he might have freed himself sooner but it was his misfortune to have an inbred revulsion at manhandling a woman. By the time he finally did manage to grip her wrists and push her back inside the room, Angela was panting heavily from the struggle but the expression on her face was triumphant.

  She wrenched herself free, giving him a dismissive wave of her hand. “Go on then. Go back to your little housekeeper while you still can.”

  Suspicion and perhaps a touch of fear made him ask, “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing,” she shrugged. “I just don’t see it working out, that’s all.”

  “I really don’t care what you think, but in case you have any foolish ideas about telling Maddy I slept with you tonight, don’t bother. She trusts me, and she wouldn’t believe any of your vile lies if you told her.”

  He didn’t wait to hear Angela’s reply, he’d had all he could stomach and just wanted to go home to Maddy. His briefcase was just where he’d left it and Chase heaved a sigh of relief as he grabbed it up and strode toward the elevator because the hallway had remained blessedly deserted and he’d never have to tell Maddy what happened here tonight. It wasn’t as if he was being dishonest with her, he reasoned, he was doing it to protect her. When all was said and done, that’s all that mattered.

  ****

  Chase drove around for an hour before heading back to house so Maddy wouldn’t question why he was back so early. His resolve not to tell her what happened began to wane on the drive home, however, because he had to consider the possibility Angela would find a way to get to Maddy. It would seem suspicious if he didn’t say anything and then Angela was able to relay not only that he’d been at the hotel but exactly what time he’d arrived. The problem was it would be even harder to refute that he’d spent only a few minutes with Angela since he hadn’t returned to the house right away. But the truth was far less damaging than the fibs he’d been about to tell, and Maddy would appreciate that because she was so honest herself.

  “You’re home early,” Maddy exclaimed when he joined her on the balcony.

  Chase drew her into his arms. “God, I missed you.”

  She buried her face in his chest, allowing herself these few moments of closeness before she began to speak. She’d spoken with Lydia shortly after he’d gone and been rebuked for not providing a list of the people she wanted invited to the wedding and she’d promised to hand it over the following day. But if she was to keep that promise, Maddy needed to tell Chase about her father first. She’d been rehearsing what she’d say as she started writing out the list, but now that the time had come to tell him she couldn’t remember one single word of it. Regardless of whether she was prepared or not, it couldn’t be delayed any longer.

  Tilting her head back, she offered a timid smile. “I’m glad you’re home, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

  “Sounds serious.”

  “It…it’s about my parents.”

  “Ah, so you’ve finally decided it’s time we meet,” he teased.

  “You can’t meet them yet.” Maddy pulled away from him. “Maybe we should go inside.”

  Chase followed her into the living room, a little uneasy as he took his place beside her on the sofa. “What is it? Are you worried we won’t get along?”

  “No, it’s not that. The truth is…I haven’t told them about the baby yet.”

  That admission knocked him for a loop. “You haven’t…for God’s sake, Maddy, why not?” He gripped her hands in his, desperately trying to squash the fear churning in his stomach. “You’re not having seconds thoughts are you? Because if you think I’m only marrying you just because of the baby, you’re dead wrong. Or is it because you think that’s what your parents will believe? It doesn’t matter, honey. I don’t care what anyone thinks as long as you…”

  “I’m not having second thoughts. Chase, I love you with all my heart and there’s nothing I want more than to be your wife.”

  “Then why haven’t you said anything to your parents about the baby?”

  “Because when I told my father we were getting married, he asked if we were rushing it because I was pregnant and I told him no. But there’s another reason I haven’t brought you to meet them. Chase, you know him. He’s one of your clients.”

  His brows drew together. “But I thought…”

  “I know,” she said softly. “You thought I came from a family that had little money.”

  Every muscle in his body tensed at the look of guilt that washed over her face. “I don’t understand. That car…and you only have a handful of clothes, and…”

  “I know I misled you a little, but in my defense you just assumed I had no money because of those things. I never actually told you that.”

  “So you’re not the struggling artist I believed you to be,” he said rigidly.

  Maddy shook her head. “No, I…I’m Alexander St. Claire’s daughter.”

  Chase gaped at her as if she’d sprouted an extra head. “Senator St. Claire?”

  “Yes.”

  “But you told me your last name was Sawyer.”

  “Sawyer is my mother’s maiden name. I didn’t want the St. Claire name to influence the directors of the art galleries I took my paintings to, surely you can understand that?”

  Chase rose from the sofa, wondering if he’d ever known her at all. How could he, when everything they had together was based on a lie? “You should have told me. You should have trusted me enough to tell me who you really were.”

  She looked up at him, her eyes pleading with him to forgive her. “I’m sorry, Chase.”

  “You’re sorry,” he said bitterly. “You wait until our wedding is only a month away to tell me the woman I love isn’t who I thought she was?”

  Maddy jumped to her feet. “But I am the same person you fell in love with. Just because my last name is St. Claire doesn’t change who I am inside.”

  “It’s not about your name, it’s about trust.” He turned his heated gaze on her. “You’ve had plenty of time to tell me and yet you chose to keep it a secret. Why? I’m a wealthy man; you couldn’t possibly think I’d be intimated by your father’s money, or yours for that matter.”

  “Not intimidated, but…” Maddy wrapped her arms around her waist, chilled to the bone by the icy stare he was giving her. “You don’t know what it’s like being the Senator’s daughter, always having to pretend to be someone you’re not. I was afraid that if you knew, you’d be disappointed. I know you like taking care of me and if you knew I had money…”

  “I’d see you in a different light.”

  “Yes.”

  “So you lied.”

  “No, I…I just omitted to tell you who my father was.”

  His tone was accusatory. “Omission is the same as lying, Maddy.”

  “Chase, please…”

  “Please what? Forgive that you’ve lied to me from the beginning? Pretend you’re the same woman I fell in love with? I’m sorry, Maddy, but I’m not even sure I know who you really are. I’m tired,” he said abruptly. “I’m going to bed. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

  Maddy watched him walk away, feeling more miserable than she’d ever been in her entire life. She wandered back outside, numbed with the fear that her dishonesty might have cost her Chase’s love. And how could she blame him? How could she expect him to love someone who lied to him and betrayed his trust? It was quite some time before she trudged upstairs, no closer to figuring out how she�
��d make it right than when she’d first asked herself the question. The heaviness in her heart only intensified when she found Chase curled up on the edge of the bed, as far away from her side as he could possibly get.

  Maddy backed out of the bedroom, the pain so raw she barely had the fortitude to stumble across the hall to the guest room she’d slept in when she first arrived. She fell across the bed, and in spite of her determination not to cry, a harsh sob tore from her throat followed by a steady stream of tears. The fact that he’d told her they’d talk about it tomorrow did little to comfort her because she knew it would have to wait until he got off work. And the message he’d sent by sleeping on the edge of the bed had been loud and clear; he didn’t want any physical contact with her. How was she going to get through the day knowing this was between them? For that matter, how was she going to get through the night?

  Chapter 12

  Chase drummed his fingers on the desk, thoroughly disgusted with himself for the way he’d handled things with Maddy last night. Omission is the same as lying, he’d told her, but wasn’t that exactly why he’d driven around for an hour after the ordeal with Angela? Hadn’t he given serious thought to keeping the whole sordid story to himself so Maddy wouldn’t give any credence to the playboy image he’d had before he met her? Even worse was the nagging feeling that he’d grabbed at the chance to argue with her just so he could forestall the inevitable. No, that was wrong. The worst part was waking up to find that Maddy had spent the night in the other room.