Tempting Taylor

by Beverly Havlir

  Cooper didn’t even blink an eye. “And why would I do that?”

  “I will make your life a living hell.” When he didn’t reply, merely crossed his arms over his chest, she leaned toward him. “I will do everything I can to ruin you.”

  He stared at her coldly. “Do it.”

  “You think you’re untouchable, don’t you?” she sneered. “But people don’t know the real you. I will make sure the truth comes out.” She straightened, wiping imaginary lint off her skirt. “You know exactly what I’m thinking about.”

  “Enlighten me.”

  “I wonder how people will feel about the great Cooper Hathaway when they find out you’re a bastard? That your mother foisted you on an unsuspecting Mason, passing you off as his son? She was nothing but a w—”

  “Be very careful what you say about my mother,” he warned softly.

  “But of course that juicy little tidbit doesn’t have to become public knowledge. Ten million dollars buys my silence. We will go away quietly and never bother you again.”

  Anger rose to choke him but Cooper sought to control it. “You’re crazy if you think I’m giving you a cent.” Bettina was a hateful, greedy bitch, and stupid if she thought he was going to give in to her blackmail. “Do what you want. I don’t care. I have already won. I took my mother’s company from you and that’s all that matters to me. Now get the fuck out.” Cooper pressed the button that summoned security.

  Bettina’s face contorted into ugly lines with anger and she let out a scream. “I hate you. I wish you’d never come back into our lives. Mason never loved you, you know. He hated you!”

  Rich finally moved, putting his arms around his mother. “You’ll regret this.”

  The door opened and two uniformed men came in.

  “Escort them out of the building,” he ordered, watching dispassionately as Bettina struggled against them, throwing their hands off her.

  “Don’t touch me,” she snarled. Before walking out the door, she turned to Cooper once again. “You’ll be sorry,” she promised, the malevolence in her voice clear as she disappeared down the hallway.

  Alone, Cooper jammed his hands in his pockets and stared out the window. He’d never before felt such anger for anybody, a cold fury that he’d carried with him for years. Up until now, he’d directed his energy toward securing the company his mother had poured her life into. He’d used cold calculation and business strategy to make sure that he pulled the rug out from under Bettina’s feet. Anger had driven him to succeed. He needed power and money to achieve his goals and when he did, he’d taken such pleasure from watching Bettina lose her hold on the company Mason Hathaway had left her.

  That didn’t even matter to him. He didn’t want anything of Mason’s. All he had wanted from the beginning was the company.

  Bettina and her son could go to hell.

  * * * * *

  Taylor hummed under her breath as she chopped red and green peppers, broccoli and carrots. Cooper had casually mentioned that Greta and Eamon were going out of town and maybe she wanted to go to dinner. On the spur of the moment, she’d left work early and decided to swing by the grocery store and cook for him so they wouldn’t have to go out. She knew he preferred quiet dinners at home and she persuaded Greta to delay her departure a bit and wait for her so she could get in the house. The housekeeper had been more than happy to do just that, and had showed Taylor where everything was in the well-equipped kitchen.

  She’d agonized over what to make. Something simple and foolproof. In the end, she’d settled for one of the recipes previously featured in the e-zine, a no-fail stir-fry beef with rice pilaf. It was amazingly easy, and even a novice in the kitchen like her had no problem following the recipe.

  Her cellphone rang. Fishing it out of her purse, she saw that it was Cooper calling and pressed the button to answer. “Please don’t tell me you’ve been delayed at work,” she said without preamble.

  “Where are you, Taylor?” There was a faint hint of irritation in his voice.

  That gave her pause. “Where are you?” she asked, though she had a suspicion.

  “I’m right outside your apartment but it seems nobody’s home.”

  She grinned. “Well, it seems we’re at cross purposes.”

  “Taylor—”

  “Cooper,” she countered in a mock serious tone. “I am standing here in your kitchen making you dinner and—”

  Click. The line went dead.

  She giggled and then sobered when she realized she had to get everything ready. Twenty minutes later, when he walked to the kitchen, she had finished cooking.

  “Hi.”

  “Rough day?” she asked as she noticed the faint lines of strain around his lips.

  He shrugged. “No more than usual.”

  Faint concern filled her at his vague answer. She was beginning to know him better, slowly learning to read his moods. But she refrained from asking him what was wrong. “Dinner was supposed to be a surprise,” she pouted, attempting to lighten the mood.

  “It smells good,” he murmured before claiming her lips in a toe-curling kiss.

  “Hmm,” she said when he let her up for air. “That was nice. Hungry?”

  He pulled her close and let her feel his erection. “Oh yeah.”

  “I meant for food.”

  He sighed. “Let me go take a shower and then we’ll eat. Unless I can persuade you to take a shower with me?” He smiled for the first time since he arrived.

  She chuckled and pulled free from his embrace. It would be too easy to give in. The man was sex on legs. “No thank you. We’ll never eat dinner if we do that.”

  Reluctantly, he let her go and went upstairs to take his shower. By the time Cooper came down, she’d set the table and had the food laid out. He picked a wine to go along with the meal and they sat down to eat. The beef was perfectly cooked and the vegetables fresh and crisp.

  “Delicious,” he declared.

  Taylor laughed. “It’s a foolproof recipe. Even I can’t mess it up.”

  “Thank you. This was a really nice surprise.”

  She blushed. “It’s no big deal, really.”

  “How was your day?”

  “Crazy busy. Emily’s wedding is coming up in a few weeks, and I’m helping her with last-minute details and preparations.”

  “You’re very close.”

  She smiled, fiddling with her wineglass. “You have no idea. Being friends with Emily saved me. She was a tomboy and I was into dolls and playing dress-up, but we clicked.”

  He leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed. “Now that I believe.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “We got along so well together. We were like sisters. Emily’s always been good at sports. She tried to teach me how to swing a bat and shortly after that, declared me hopeless.”

  Reaching out, he tucked a curl behind her ear. “You didn’t play sports at all?”

  “No.”

  His eyes gleamed with amusement. “Cheerleader, I’ll bet.”

  She snorted. “Way off base.”

  “What then?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Whatever sport Emily was playing, I persuaded the coach to let me help. Kind of like an assistant coach.”

  “Assistant coach?” he repeated, one of his eyebrows rising.

  “Sure. And in high school, I simply became the team manager. I took care of the team uniforms, made sure everyone had their schedule, equipment and stuff.”

  He chuckled. “Now I think I’ve heard everything.”

  “It was fun. I was very good at it. It made me feel useful even if I was horrible at sports.”

  With a grin, he listened to Taylor talk. He stretched in his chair, relaxed and mellow. He’d had a shitty day, especially with Bettina and her son showing up in his office demanding money. He’d gone straight to Taylor’s apartment after leaving the office, and was pissed when she wasn’t there. He didn’t even question why he’d automatically sought her out. All he knew was that he’d wa
nted to see her, to be with her. After talking to her on the phone and finding out where she was, he broke speeding laws in his haste to come home. And when he’d walked into the kitchen and seen her standing over the stove, all his tension had washed away.

  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this content. Taylor had a sharp sense of humor. She was smart and witty. And unbearably beautiful but without all the artifice that usually came along with stunning good looks. The women he’d previously gone out with played up their looks and draped themselves in designer clothing. Conversation with them was superficial and practiced. No spontaneity.

  Taylor was different. She often spoke what was on her mind and could be charmingly direct. She could be wearing jeans and a plain shirt and he would still drool over her. She had a way of putting up her hair that looked sexy as hell to him. He let her invade his personal space willingly, which was one thing he had never before allowed. He liked his solitude. He liked his space. But he gladly let Taylor in his life and his home.

  He was happy.

  His chest tightened. Not with pain. Not with fear. It was certainty. Taylor meant a lot to him and became increasingly more important every day they were together. Having her in his life didn’t rattle him. He’d had women who gave his dick a workout. But out of bed, he had no desire to spend time with them. Those relationships inevitably ended quickly. If somebody had told him that he would be happy as a clam being with Taylor, he would have laughed. He didn’t believe in fucking happily ever after.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked softly as she sat down on his lap. “You seem so far away.”

  He sighed with pleasure as she began a gentle massage on his scalp. “Work stuff. Did I thank you for making this wonderful dinner?”

  She placed her lips next to his ear. “Yes, you did. And again, you’re very welcome. How about you and I share a shower later and I’ll see if I can take your mind off work?”

  Cooper slid his hands up and down her back. “What a great idea.” He swooped in for a kiss.

  Happy ever after now seemed like a very real possibility.

  He was so screwed.

  Chapter Six

  “Should I even ask what you’re doing?”

  Taylor looked up from her desk, quickly smothering the pleasure she felt at seeing Cooper standing in the doorway of her office. “This is a precise task that must be done carefully,” she answered solemnly. “Separating all the yellow peanut M&Ms from the other colors is very important.”

  He strolled into her office. “I’m scared to ask why.”

  “Because yellow is for sunshine and it must be on its own.” She continued picking out the yellow from the bowl of candies in front of her. “What? Doesn’t everybody do this?” she asked innocently, and then spoiled it by chuckling. “It’s one of my quirks.”

  “I see.” He sat down in front of her desk. “What do you do with the others that were unfortunate enough to be colored differently?”

  “I put a bowl out by the coffeemaker in the kitchen. Trust me,” she said dryly, “they don’t last long.”

  “I read your article.”

  “What do you think?” she asked casually, keeping the anxiety off her voice.

  He stared at her for long minutes. “I like it.”

  Releasing the breath she’d been holding, she narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack? I thought you hated it or something.”

  Cooper threw back his head and laughed, appearing boyish and more attractive, if it were possible. “I appreciate you letting me see it before publication. And thank you for not making it too personal.”

  She shrugged, pleased that he liked her article. “You’re welcome. I respect your privacy. Besides it was geared toward our readers, who are ninety-five percent female. They just want a glimpse of the real man.” Which had not been easy, she thought. She tried to put in as much information in the article without breaching his privacy.

  “Have lunch with me,” he invited.

  Heat suffused her body. She knew that look, that tone of voice. “I don’t think lunch is what you have in mind.”

  He leaned forward, his suit jacket parting to reveal the pristine white of the dress shirt that molded against his torso. “Tell me, what are you wearing under that dress?”

  Her cheeks flamed. “You know exactly what I’m wearing. You saw it this morning.”

  The look in his eyes was hot enough to melt her bones. “Just imagining you wearing that thong is killing me. And that bra—what kind did you say it was?”

  Between her legs, desire pulsed. “It’s a demi cup.”

  “Yeah. The kind that barely cover your nipples.”

  As if on cue, her nipples hardened into two tight points against the lacy cup of her bra. His eyes slid down to the bodice of her top, as if he could see them.

  “Stop it,” she breathed.

  “Come with me,” he invited again, his dark eyes aroused.

  “I can’t,” she choked.

  “Let’s go to your apartment. Or my house.”

  Taylor closed her eyes. “Cooper.”

  “Do you know when I lick your nipples they turn red?”

  Her womb contracted sharply as if he was already licking them. She caught her breath.

  “And so delicious I can suck on them for hours. And when I taste your p—”

  She groaned. “Okay, I get it. Please. You’re making it difficult for both us.”

  Cooper expelled a harsh breath. He leaned back, looking over her shoulder, obviously trying to get himself under control. A moment later, he shifted his attention back to her. “How about a game of Jeopardy tonight? I’ll go easy on you.”

  Relieved at the change of subject, she rolled her eyes. She’d found out, quite by accident, that he was a veritable master of that game. One night in her apartment, he had brought financial projections with him to review. While she waited for him to finish, she’d switched on the popular game show. Without even looking up from his laptop, Cooper had answered every clue that was asked on the show. She’d been flabbergasted. “Uh, I don’t think so. Now that I know you’re some kind of Jeopardy savant.”

  He choked on a laugh. “I’m not.”

  “You got all the answers right. Even the final clue.”

  He shrugged. “When I was young I used to hang out at the local library to put off going home as long as I could. I read a lot of books, that’s all.”

  “And apparently retained all that information in your brain,” she added dryly. “How many people know about this particular talent of yours?”

  “None. And I will deny it if asked.” With a grin, he leaned back in a deceptively casual pose. “How about we play tonight and make it interesting?”

  She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “How interesting?”

  “If I win, you’ll perform the dance you did for your strip club article.”

  Oh. My. God. Electricity raced along her skin and just like that, she was aroused. She met his unblinking gaze, drowning in the heat simmering in the dark-gray depths. “You still haven’t forgotten that?” she asked huskily.

  “It’s been driving me crazy.”

  “You do know from reading that article that I didn’t end up naked after the dance was over.”

  “For which I am eternally grateful. I don’t think I would have liked the thought of you bare-assed on a stage.”

  “It was a high-end gentleman’s club and,” she held up a finger, “Emily’s brother, Alex, was there with me to act as my bodyguard. Aside from club security, of course.”

  He frowned. “He watched you dance?”

  She shook her head with a brief laugh. “Heavens no. He’d argued the entire way to the club and almost didn’t go with me. Inside he stood with his back to the stage and watched the men in the audience with a scary look clearly designed to discourage any untoward behavior. Nobody dared toss any money my way.”

  “I’m relieved to hear that,” he stated seriously. “But for o
ur wager, I’d insist that you alter your routine to be entirely naked.”

  His words washed over hotly. How on earth could this man turn her on with such ease? Here she was, sitting in her office with her panties getting wet. She was tempted to say to hell with the bet; she’d perform it for him anyway. But that would be too easy.

  “And what do I get if I win?” she asked huskily.

  “What do you want?”

  Oh what a loaded question. Where to start? She couldn’t think of anything at the moment. All the circuits in her brain were fried. “How about I reserve the right to decide later?”

  His gray eyes glinted with promise. “You’re on. I’ll see you tonight.”

  When he left, Taylor leaned her forehead on her desk, her task of sorting the colorful candies all but forgotten. Cooper was playing havoc with her equilibrium. How was she supposed the work for the rest of the day when all she could think about was tonight?

  * * * * *

  Taylor stared at her reflection in the mirror and tugged at the low-cut bodice of the French maid’s costume. Even in the muted light of the en suite bathroom’s recessed lighting, it looked too brief, too revealing. True, it was demure compared to the outfits the other dancers wore at the strip club, which consisted of nothing more than strategically placed triangles of material that eventually came off. She’d chosen this one because of all the costume designs that Trixie, the star of the club, had shown her that night, the French maid uniform was the only one that covered the…err…necessities. Trixie had taken her to a seamstress who had agreed to sew a costume for Taylor. And to top it off, the woman had fashioned a mask to afford her anonymity. After the performance, Taylor had taken the costume and mask home with her, mementos of the night.

  Now she wasn’t sure she should have agreed to the wager Cooper had proposed. Of course she’d lost the game. And now she had to pay up.

  Muttering under her breath, she tried once again to tug on the almost indecent cut of the bodice. The night she’d danced, she had taken a couple of shots of tequila for liquid courage. The bouncer, a big beefy guy named Pauly, had sat at one end of the stage, promising to keep an eye out. Alex, Emily’s brother, had stood on the opposite end with his arms crossed over his chest, looking menacingly at the men in the audience, even if the club had a strict no-touch policy, which had reassured Taylor. Out of sheer determination, she had been able to perform the dance Trixie had taught her, with a few of her own modifications. It helped, of course, that she couldn’t see beyond the stage to where the audience sat. It had been the longest minute and a half of her life.