Seduction's Stakes

by Claire Ashgrove

  He stretched his legs over one end, leaned his head back against the other, and closed his eyes. But his back wouldn't accept the awkward position. He scooted down farther into the overstuffed pillows trying to accommodate his large frame, only to have his neck protest violently. Curling his legs up almost to his chest, he tried lying on his side, and swore. He could hardly breathe squashed in half like he was. Of all the damn things, there was absolutely no way he would sleep even a few minutes on this torture device.

  Muttering, he returned to the bedroom, tossed back the comforter, and threw himself into the bed. Exhaustion swept through him. His muscles protested his lack of sleep, and his head drummed a steady beat. He closed his eyes. In moments, he fell fast asleep.

  * * * *

  Maddie woke up with a start, Nate's words echoing in her head. The same phrase he always said, the same empty look in his eyes, the same sense of foreboding had her heart racing again. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them, breathing deeply to steady her erratic pulse. If only she could figure out what it meant. She felt certain if she knew, it wouldn't scare her like it did.

  Damn, her hands were even shaking.

  She glanced to her right, hoping she hadn't awakened Sybil, but found the bed empty, and frowned. Where the hell was she?

  With an exasperated shake of her head, she checked the time. Three in the morning. Wherever she was, she wasn't coming in tonight. Scott must have joined up with them. Damn, why hadn't Riley phoned if so or stopped by? As the thought occurred, an uneasy feeling crept down her spine and tightened her chest.

  She picked up the phone and dialed Riley's room number. If he were awake, she'd tell him she was coming down, that she didn't feel like being alone. She'd tell him she had that dream again and ask if he cared if she stayed with him. He wouldn't. He'd practically begged her to do so anyway. But it gave her an excuse to call.

  After six rings, she hung up and stared at the phone. She didn't like this at all. Three in the morning and Riley and Sybil were still out together. Not exactly what she'd expected, and certainly not something she wanted to accept.

  With a heavy sigh, she tossed the covers back, wandered into the sitting room and rifled through the basket of instant beverages. Finding a package of hot cocoa, she grabbed a cup from the mini bar and filled it with hot water. Unlike coffee, cocoa always settled her nerves.

  Hot drink in hand, she plopped down on the sofa, trying to push the images her insecurity brought to her mind. When she said goodnight, Riley had been aroused. What if Sybil fed that arousal? Maybe she was still feeding it right now.

  She sighed and put a hand to her temple. She was being silly. Riley wasn't interested in Sybil. He'd even told her she had nothing to worry about. Hell, when it came down to the truth, she didn't even have a reason to care what Riley did. They hadn't exactly discussed the terms of their involvement.

  To hell with it.

  She set her mug on the end table and stalked to the bedroom where she rummaged through her suitcase and pulled out a thick sweatshirt. Yanking it over her head, she shoved her feet in her tennis shoes, grabbed Riley's room key and stalked out the door.

  She was a grown woman. She could go to Riley for whatever reason she wanted to. Scared like she was—regardless of why—or not. Right now, she wanted to feel his arms around her, listen to him tell her the dream was nonsense ... and make sure Sybil couldn't set her claws into him further.

  She no longer cared if Sybil found out. If her best friend didn't feel she needed to come home, then she could learn things the hard way. Maddie was done with the games. Riley belonged to her, and she didn't intend on giving Sybil Tenteth any room to think otherwise.

  As she waited for the elevator, her heartbeat accelerated. Riley was going to think she was crazy if he came in and found her there. She'd have to explain why. Sure she had the dream to discuss, but if she was looking for comfort, staying in his empty room didn't match that excuse. She didn't want him thinking she'd put herself there just for sex either.

  Oh, God, this was insane. If she were smart she'd turn around, go back to her room, and wait until morning. Wake him up like he'd asked her to do.

  The elevator door opened, and she stepped inside.

  Riley wouldn't care, she reminded herself. Riley wanted her there with him.

  She focused on that down the two—floor descent, clinging to it in an effort to curb her rising apprehension. Sybil and Riley should not be out together until three in the morning. Not when Riley's filly was running tomorrow morning.

  By the time she reached his room, her hands were shaking so badly it took four attempts to get the keycard into the damn slot. An eternity passed before the lock blipped green.

  She eased the door open to find the room dark.

  Stepping inside, she took a deep breath. They were still out. Which meant they weren't likely yanking each other's clothes off. Good Lord, she could be an absolute ninny at times. She should have known better. Sybil just...

  She shook her head and started for the bedroom, anxious to sink into Riley's bed, curl up with his pillow, and fall asleep again with the scent of him enveloping her.

  As she nudged open the partly closed door, she froze, unable to accept the scene before her. Sybil. In Riley's bed. Wearing nothing but a bathrobe, and as Maddie looked closer, naked underneath. Riley, under the covers, evidently naked as well. Their clothes were thrown haphazardly on the floor.

  Maddie's world fell apart. Her gut twisted violently at the same time something clamped down around her heart, stilling it. Oh, God.

  Fighting back a rush of tears, she turned and fled.

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  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Inside her room, Maddie threw herself on her bed and gave in to tears. Riley was no different than she'd believed from the get go. Charming, handsome, and full of pretty lies. As he'd always been. She'd been a fool to ever think a guy like him could be different. To think she might be different than the rest of the women who followed him around and tumbled through his bed.

  Damn it, he'd known exactly what to say to get her right where he wanted her. How had she been so foolish?

  And Sybil. It wasn't Sybil's fault, exactly. Sybil had no idea she'd set her sights on the man Maddie had inadvertently fallen for. Sybil was just being herself. Beautiful, sexy, let's-go-fuck, Sybil.

  Maddie drilled her fists into her pillow. Goddamn him.

  Damn her. She should have stuck with her convictions to not date racing men.

  She curled up on her side, clutching at her pillow and willed the tears to stop. Crying wouldn't solve anything. It never did. Tears couldn't fix the scars inside. They didn't bring Nate back, and they damn sure wouldn't erase Riley's betrayal.

  As for Sybil ... Maddie didn't even want to look at her. In time she'd get past it, but for now, she didn't want a thing to do with her. All Sybil would do was remind her of tonight.

  Swiping away the last of her tears, she sat up and stalked across the room to Sybil's solitary bag. If Sybil wanted Riley, she could have him. Hefting it over her shoulder, Maddie went to the door and set the bag outside.

  Then, when she was well and truly alone, Maddie went to the tub to wash away the memories of the last day and a half.

  * * * *

  Sybil stretched lazily as the morning sun washed across her face. She'd had fun last night, and that kiss—wow. Riley was something. Maddie didn't know what she was missing out on.

  A rush of cool air brushed across her breast, and she glanced down, surprised. The last thing she remembered was Riley's amazing mouth. How in the hell had she ended up in his bed and unclothed? Confused, she flipped over on her side only to find the other side of the bed empty. Damn. If she'd slept with him, she didn't remember it. How could she not remember something that must have been amazing? How utterly disappointing.

  Oh well, if she'd slept with him once, chances were he'd be equally willing later, and this time she didn't intend to be under
the influence of anything but him.

  Sitting up, she raked her fingers through her red curls and blinked against the dull pounding in her head. Way too much beer last night. Now, where was he?

  She slid out of the bed and went to the sitting room. But as she passed the clock, she noticed it was a little after ten o'clock, and quickly deduced he was at the track. Hadn't he mentioned something about his filly racing? Yes, he had, she recalled with a decisive nod.

  Well, she'd just get dressed, go down to her room, change, and catch a taxi to the track. Chances were Maddie was already there, anyway. She fully intended to let Maddie know that she'd been an absolute fool not to snatch up Riley Jennings.

  A nagging sensation tugged at the back of her mind. She had the vague impression Riley had said something important amidst his barrage of questions about Nate and Maddie, but damned if she could remember what it was. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that it distinctly involved Maddie somehow. Something important about her.

  With a little frown she wandered back to the bedroom for her dress. But as she searched around, she couldn't locate it. Strange. She pushed open the bathroom door, and stopped short as her gaze settled on a deep purple Chanel makeup bag that looked distinctly like the one she'd given Maddie for her last birthday.

  The hairs along the back of her neck lifted. Surely Maddie hadn't been here—had she? She went to the bag and peeked inside. What she saw had her backing away from the bag and out of the bathroom in horror. Maddie's lipstick, Maddie's perfume, and Maddie's deodorant. It even had Maddie's annoying Scooby-Doo toothbrush inside.

  Holy shit, what had she gotten herself into?

  She heard the door open, and wheeled around, the questions on the tip of her tongue. This was not happening. For whatever reason Maddie hadn't wanted her to know, and she had not just stumbled into the wrong man's bed. She couldn't have.

  She gnawed on her lip as the footsteps neared the bedroom door and swallowed heavily when Maddie, not Riley, entered. Oh, God. There could only be one reason Maddie had a key to this room.

  "Maddie?” she squeaked.

  Her blond head whipped up from her feet. The look in Maddie's eyes made Sybil cringe. Anger glimmered back at her, fringed with a touch of hurt.

  "I won't be a minute. I left my makeup bag here.” Maddie pushed past her into the bathroom.

  Rooted in place, Sybil watched speechlessly. Riley had told her something important, and she better figure out what it was damn quick.

  "Maddie, I..."

  "You ought to get dressed, Sybil. It's going on noon, and your suitcase is in the hall waiting on you. You can stay up here with Riley. I need to be alone for a while."

  Sybil's gut wrenched into a tight knot. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying when she opened them again, this would all be a bad nightmare. Maddie wouldn't be standing in front of her looking like she had when Nate died, and she wouldn't be speaking in that flat, unemotional tone that told Sybil she was deeply upset.

  It didn't work. Only, Maddie wasn't standing in front of her, she was marching toward the front door again.

  "Maddie, wait!” She managed to get the message to her feet and rushed after her.

  With one hand on the doorknob, Maddie stopped to turn around. “What?"

  "You didn't tell me,” Sybil began, then quickly shook her head. No, it sounded too accusatory. “I mean, I didn't know until just now."

  Maddie snorted a little, a derisive sound that matched her disdainful smirk. “Why doesn't that surprise me?"

  Sybil frowned, uncertain whether the remark was meant toward her or toward Riley. “Maddie, sit down, we need to talk. I'm not letting my best friend storm out of here after she's just told me she's kicked me out of my hotel room."

  Maddie let out a heavy sigh, and her shoulders slumped in defeat. She turned around and trudged to the couch, where she perched herself on the arm. “I don't think there's much to talk about Sybil. I'd appreciate it if you'd get dressed so I don't have to look at the evidence."

  "I'd love to get dressed, Maddie, but I can't find my damn clothes. They aren't here."

  That at least seemed to surprise her. “They were on the floor by the bed at three in the morning."

  Sybil gaped. Maddie had been here last night? She'd walked in on ... Damn and double damn. This was too terrible to be true.

  "Well they aren't there now."

  She lifted her gaze and fixed Sybil with a look that pierced through her heart. Where anger had glimmered in her eyes, hurt now shone brightly. “Did you sleep with him, Syb?"

  Sybil eased down on the edge of the table, tugging on a stray curl as she fought back her own pain. The last thing she'd ever want to do was hurt Maddie. In sixteen years of friendship she'd steered clear of anyone Maddie was even remotely interested in. Knowing she'd somehow damaged something Maddie obviously wanted, felt like she'd stuck a knife in her own gut.

  "I don't know."

  "You don't know? How can you not know, Sybil?"

  She shook her head again. “I was drunk. Spring Break in Jamaica kind of drunk, Maddie. All I remember is kissing Riley."

  Maddie recoiled. Her expression twisted for a brief moment. “Well, I guess that answers that.” She started to rise.

  Determined not to let her leave on a sour note, Sybil bolted to her feet and grabbed Maddie's wrist. “No, you're going to listen to me. Because I don't think I did sleep with him. If I did—I have absolutely no idea how it happened."

  "Sybil, you were dressed in that thing, and Riley was naked in the bed, for God's sake. I'm not stupid. Prior to walking in on that little scene, I tried to phone—which Riley deliberately didn't answer."

  "Sit down and shut up, Maddie,” Sybil exclaimed exasperated.

  With a stunned expression, Maddie dropped back down on the arm.

  "This is what I know,” Sybil began at the same time her feet started to move her across the floor. She paced as she recounted what her memory didn't obscure. “I spent the evening at the carnival with a man who talked about you, non-stop. Every goddamn word out of his mouth somehow related to you. I came back here because he wanted to talk about you."

  "What did he want to know about me?” she asked in a quiet voice.

  Sybil shot her a cautious glance. Better spill it all, or whatever hope there might be of Maddie believing, would vanish. “He wanted to know about Nate."

  Maddie's face filled with color, and she threw her hands in the air. “You told him about Nate?” she cried in disbelief. “What did you say?"

  "That's where everything gets foggy. I remember though, at one point, he asked me if I thought you'd ever go to bed with a man who lived on racing, and I said no. Obviously, I didn't know you had. He looked affected by that. I thought he was disappointed. That's when I kissed him."

  "What's the difference?” Maddie asked with a sharp frown.

  "The difference is he stopped it. Then, he told me something important. Only, for the life of me, I can't remember what it was. Just a feeling I have that gives me the shivers. The next thing I know, I woke up here, like this, and can't find my clothes."

  Maddie's voice came in a whisper, “He has a way with words. I think it's fairly obvious what happened next. A man doesn't just get naked with a woman for no reason. You can have him. I don't want him anymore."

  The way her eyes filled with unshed tears told Sybil Maddie lied. Damn it, this couldn't get any worse.

  "Why didn't you tell me?” Sybil asked in a quiet voice.

  The little snort that came before her response only made Sybil feel worse. “Because I didn't know how to tell you the man I couldn't stand had become someone I could see in my life for a long time, in what amounted to less than two days."

  Her answer hurt worse. This wasn't just a casual affair. Although she knew that the minute she saw Maddie's makeup bag. The worst part was, Sybil didn't want Riley—not beyond an orgasm or two.

  "I'll get over this, Sybil. But I don't want to see you for a little while
."

  Sybil nodded as her own tears welled. “I'll go on back home."

  Without another word, Maddie got up and left.

  After a few moments of vacant staring, Sybil pulled her robe closed as tight as she could and picked up the phone. When the front desk answered, she took a deep breath. “This is Sybil Tenteth. I need to make arrangements for the next flight to Kentucky and a cab."

  "Miss Tenteth,” the woman on the other end of the phone cried in delight. “How good to hear your voice. Your father was just here last week. Let me connect you to Melody, and she'll be happy to help you out."

  Sybil tucked the phone beneath her chin and waited. Sometimes, old family names and endless money had their purpose. Right now, they were the only things she'd inherited from her father she found remotely tolerable. The rest of her genes just broke her best friend's heart.

  As for Riley, she didn't intend to be here. If she had slept with him, he was the biggest kind of pig she could imagine. If she hadn't, he damn sure wouldn't want to see her now. She'd go away for a while, let the two of them have their time alone, and say a couple hundred prayers that somehow they'd get past it.

  If they didn't, she didn't know how she'd ever look herself in the mirror again.

  No, that was unacceptable. If they didn't figure it out on their own, she'd find some sort of trick up her sleeve to force them back together.

  "Hello Sybil, what can I do for you today?” Melody's voice rang in her ear.

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  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  As twilight settled around the barns, Riley stared down toward Infidelity's stall. Where the hell was Maddie? She had yet to make an appearance on the track—something completely out of character for her. She never missed a one of Infidelity's breezes. She wasn't answering her room phone, and when he'd finally convinced Archie to give him her cell phone number, she didn't answer there, either. Even the old man hadn't seen, or heard, from her all afternoon.

  Worry settled into Riley's gut. Had something happened to her? A car wreck on the way to Pimlico? Was she ill? It just wasn't like Madison McCleery to completely disappear the day before one of the biggest races in the nation.