Vote Then Read: Volume II

by Lauren Blakely

  Five minutes alone with Wainwright. That was all Troy wanted. And Emily. Cutting up her charge cards would do the trick. “I wish I could say or do—”

  “I don’t want you to do anything,” Cassie interrupted. “I wanted you to know, that’s all. I don’t want to get hurt like that again. I couldn’t handle it. Just like I can’t handle the engagement party.”

  Troy raised her chin with his fingertip. “I would never purposely hurt you.”

  The edges of her mouth turned up slightly. “I needed to hear you say that.”

  He brushed his lips against hers. “Then I’ll say it again.”

  “I don’t trust what Emily will do at the party. I can’t go.”

  “Not now.” He wanted to ask her to change her mind, but he couldn’t. Not tonight, possibly not ever. He understood where she was coming from now. What happened between her, her sister, and her ex-fiancé explained so much. He also needed time to understand his growing feelings toward Cassie.

  He paid the parking-lot attendant, received an exit ticket, and kissed her cheek. “You need to get home.”

  The rest could wait.

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  The next morning at work, Troy sat behind his desk. He’d been reading the same document for the past twenty minutes, but he hadn’t comprehended a single word.

  He wanted to take a day off. Call it a mental-health day or a vacation day, but he didn’t want to work. He wanted to be with Cassie.

  Leaning back in his chair, Troy closed the document. He’d been thinking about Cassie since he dropped her off last night. Thinking he wanted to keep seeing her after they called off their “engagement.” She might not be perfect, but maybe his perfect image of a future spouse was overrated. She was beautiful and good for him. He wasn’t in the market for a wife. Why couldn’t she just be his girlfriend?

  No other woman had been as good for him as Cassie. With her, he could loosen up and relax. Being with her made him feel free and more alive than he’d felt before. She made him laugh and want to be a better man.

  Last night had only been the beginning. She’d opened her heart and shared her secrets. He wanted to know more. He wanted to know everything about her.

  Troy didn’t understand his feelings, but he felt an overwhelming urge to protect her. Seeing her so vulnerable shredded his insides. Canceling the engagement party was the only solution.

  So what if he missed out on meeting and partying with the movers and shakers of Silicon Valley? There would be time for that after he had his partnership. Troy was already so far ahead of his plan because of Cassie. He could handle the rest on his own.

  The phone rang on his desk once, signaling an internal call. He picked up the receiver. “Troy McKnight.”

  “Go to Mick’s office,” Della, Mick’s assistant, said. “He wants to see you now.” She emphasized the last word.

  “Be right there.” Thankful for the distraction, Troy grabbed his tablet. Mick would get him motivated to work.

  The door to the office was open. Troy glanced in. “You wanted to see me?”

  Mick stood in front of his desk, dressed in a navy pin-striped suit and flashy purple tie. He smiled, waving Troy inside. “Have a seat, Troy.”

  He sat in the comfortable leather chair.

  Mick leaned against his desk. “I want to congratulate you.”

  Yes. I got the partnership. No reason to have the engagement party. Troy clenched his hand and pumped his fist slightly.

  “My wife wanted to know why I kept your engagement a secret. Heather was thrilled when she found an invitation to your engagement party in our mailbox yesterday.”

  No partnership. Yet. Troy flexed his fingers.

  “I hope you can come.” He hoped the answer was no.

  “We wouldn’t miss it,” Mick said. “Though I was surprised. With the hours you work, I had no idea you were dating anyone, let alone engaged.”

  “Cassie understands about my job.”

  “I’m sure she does.” Mick grinned. “I’m looking forward to meeting her, and so are the other partners.”

  A boulder settled in Troy’s stomach. “Other partners?”

  “They’ll be coming to the engagement party, too.”

  Canceling the engagement party would be tricky now, but Troy had to do it—for Cassie. He ignored the urge to tug on his tightening collar.

  “I can’t wait for everyone to meet Cassie.” The words tasted bitter, and he regretted them the moment he spoke.

  “Have you set a wedding date?” Mick asked.

  “Not yet.” Troy pictured Cassie in a wedding gown. He liked the image, including her bare feet. Maybe he needed to take life less seriously. “The spring or summer might be good.”

  “Keep me posted. Heather’s going to want to know the details. You know how women are.”

  Nodding, Troy was relieved Cassie didn’t care about gossip.

  Mick rubbed his hands together. “How would you like to go with me to visit InterTalk?”

  InterTalk? The Austin firm was one of the hottest startups around. Their video chat app with digital filters had investors salivating. Troy scooted to the edge of the chair. “They turned us down.”

  Mick smiled. “That was before we teamed up with Daniels Venture Group.”

  Teamed up with Dixon’s group? Troy’s heart fell to his feet. Cassie had warned him, but he hadn’t wanted to listen. Now…

  “Dixon and I have had several telephone conversations recently,” Mick said. “He’s approached us with a unique opportunity.”

  Us? Troy didn’t feel any relief. His collar got tighter.

  “He’s giving us the chance of a lifetime,” Mick continued. “I want you in on the deal.”

  “Thanks.” I think.

  “To be honest, serious questions have been raised about making you a partner in the new fund.”

  Troy gave up and tugged on his collar.

  “Experience counts,” Mick continued. “But contacts and connections are invaluable.”

  It was worse.

  He swallowed the lemon-sized lump lodged in his throat. It didn’t help. No matter. If he choked to death, he wouldn’t have to worry about the engagement party or anything else.

  “None of us knew you had Dixon Daniels in your corner,” Mick said. “We’ll take that into serious consideration. We don’t want to lose you to Dixon and his group.”

  Troy’s partnership wasn’t dead, but he would have to go through with the engagement party. Surely Cassie would understand, even though she wouldn’t be happy about having to be one half of the perfect couple on parade. A few more hours. That was all he was asking. “I’ve enjoyed working here.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Mick said. “Getting married and starting a family are life-altering events. You’ll have to consider all of your options.”

  Options? Troy knew one option—to return to his parents’ farm. He imagined cold rainy days, mud- and manure-soaked jeans, and aching muscles. Okay, he was being melodramatic. There were other options—such as finding a new job or returning to management consulting, but those things hadn’t been part of his master plan.

  Feeling his shoulders slumping, he straightened. “I do have my future to consider.”

  “This deal will be a good experience for you. You’ll be working with Dixon and me.”

  Troy should feel lucky. Grateful. He didn’t. Forget going to Austin. He would need to swallow an entire bottle of antacid tablets to survive the rest of the day.

  And what would happen after the engagement party? After he and Cassie were no longer engaged? Troy wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.

  Mick cracked his knuckles. “It’s going to be busy until we leave on Sunday.”

  “Long hours don’t bother me.”

  “What about your fiancée?”

  “Cassie is extremely supportive,” Troy said. “She runs her own business and understands the necessity of putting in extra time.”

  “She sounds like quite a w
oman.”

  “She is.”

  How would Cassie feel when he told her they couldn’t cancel the engagement party?

  Maybe flowers would help. He could have them delivered to the bookstore. No, she would see the gift as a bribe. And it would be. She deserved better.

  “Don’t look so worried.” Mick patted Troy’s shoulder. “I’ll have you home in time for your party on Saturday night. We have our partners’ retreat on Sunday, so no one is going to want to start the weekend off tired.”

  “Great.” Troy tried to muster some enthusiasm. Knowing he might be a topic of conversation at the retreat didn’t help. He felt torn between his dreams and Cassie. It wasn’t a good place to be.

  “You know, Troy. I knew you had ambition, but I didn’t know how badly you wanted it. I considered you our farm boy from Missouri—a worker bee. I see now I was way off base.” Mick chuckled.

  Troy stared, dumfounded. He may have appeared to be an up-and-coming successful venture capitalist, but no matter how hard he worked to fit the part, others didn’t accept him in that role. Yes, he was still comfortable butchering a chicken for his mother and harvesting crops with his father, but his past shouldn’t define him.

  Yet, it had with Mick. Most likely the other partners, too.

  “I know you can be hardnosed in meetings to get the terms we want, but marrying Dixon Daniels’s little girl… I didn’t know you had it in you.”

  Mick’s words hit Troy like a bucket of ice water being dumped on his head. He’d thought his dreams were in his grasp because of his hard work, but like his and Cassie’s fake engagement, that had been an illusion. Just like him. “I had no idea who she was when we met.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded, unsure if he wanted to say anything else aloud.

  But if Troy had known, would he have done anything differently?

  That was a question he didn’t want to answer, and one he hoped Cassie never asked him.

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  The bell on the bookstore’s door jingled. Smiling, Cassandra looked over from where she was shelving to greet the customer. Her fingers tightened around the books.

  Troy.

  What was he doing here?

  He wore the same navy suit as the night they’d met. As usual when he was around, her pulse kicked up a notch and butterflies filled her stomach.

  “Hello,” he said.

  Goose bumps covered her arms. Too bad turning up the heat wouldn’t help get rid of them.

  “It’s not even late afternoon. Shouldn’t you be at work?” The words tumbled from her mouth. Her cheeks warmed. “What I meant to say is hello.”

  Troy’s charming smile made Cassandra lean against the shelf. Could she spell s-w-o-o-n? Or s-t-u-p-i-d?

  “I’m here because I wanted to give you this, and yes.” He handed her a box of chocolates.

  “Thanks.” She opened the box and popped a chocolate into her mouth. Almost as tasty as Troy.

  Wait a minute.

  “A midday visit during the week and a box of candy?” Something was up. She drew her eyebrows together. “What’s going on?”

  He rubbed his neck. “Nothing.”

  His body was tense. Another sign something was wrong. “Spill.”

  He glanced around the empty bookstore.

  “We’re the only ones here,” she said. “Don’t tell me you took time from your busy work schedule to make a social call and bring me candy?”

  His cheeks reddened. “I have to go to Austin for an important meeting.”

  He was making no sense. “You came over here to tell me you’re going on a business trip?”

  “Yes.”

  “A text would do.”

  Troy’s gaze seemed interested in everything in the store except her. “I also wanted to tell you that I’ll be back in time for the party Saturday night.”

  Huh? She hadn’t imagined their conversation last night. “Didn’t you hear what I said last night? There isn’t going to be an engagement party.”

  “I heard you, and I was going to tell you to cancel the party, but then I spoke with my boss this morning.” Troy paused before he hunched. “Mick and the other partners are attending. I’m on the verge of getting a partnership. They’re having a retreat on Sunday. I need to show them I—”

  “It’s always business with you.”

  “Cassie, please. This is important to me.”

  Her, too. But that didn’t matter to him. No matter how much she wanted him to be different from other men, especially Eric, Troy wasn’t. That told her all she needed to know.

  This was never going to work. They each wanted the other to change. She got upset when he suggested she act unlike herself, but she couldn’t expect him to change his priorities because they didn’t match hers.

  Her chest tightened until each breath took effort.

  What had happened between them was make-believe based on a lie she’d created. She knew that, but some things had felt…

  Real.

  Except nothing between them had been real.

  Not his mind-blowing kisses. Not the security being in his arms brought her. Not the ease with which she could talk with him. Her shoulders sagged from the weight of the reality pressing down on her. She’d wanted all of it to be real.

  Hope filled his gaze. “I need that party to happen.”

  “No.”

  The word only had two letters, but her tone was firm. She had to be if she wanted to protect herself and keep her emotions under control. She wanted to sound annoyed and tell Troy McKnight good riddance. But a part of her also wanted to agree with him, lose herself in the romantic notions swirling in her heart, and melt in his arms like the chocolate had in her mouth. That pissed her off.

  She knew better. “I don’t want to keep pretending.”

  “I know. I don’t, either.”

  “Then why are you asking me to go through with the party?”

  He shifted his weight between his feet.

  Something more was going on. He wasn’t acting like he normally did. She had a feeling there was more to this than the party. “Tell me the real reason you’re here.”

  He unbuttoned his suit jacket. A second later, he buttoned it again.

  “Troy?” she asked.

  His eyes darkened. “The only reason I’m being considered for a partnership is because of you.”

  That wasn’t what she expected to hear. “What do you mean?”

  He rubbed his face. “Today, my boss, Mick, called me into his office. He made it clear that he sees me as a farm boy from Missouri and the only reason they’re considering me for a partnership is because of my connections to your family. Well, your dad.”

  She tried to make sense of his words. “But you work so hard.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Nor do the suits I spent too much money on. I can dress the part, but…” Troy half-laughed. “I learned my work ethic from my parents, but according to Mick, my work ethic seems to be holding me back. He said he thought I was a worker bee.”

  That was so disrespectful. She was incensed on his behalf. “Your boss sounds like a jerk and not someone you should be working for.”

  “I wasn’t expecting to hear him say that.” A vein twitched at Troy’s jaw. “If there was any other way to show him and the partners…”

  But there wasn’t.

  The party was the last thing she wanted to do, but she couldn’t leave Troy on his own. This wasn’t about him not listening to her. He was grasping at anything he could to keep his dream alive.

  “Fine. I’ll go.” And she would. Troy might want to rethink his dream if pretending and lies were the only way to get there, but that was for him to figure out.

  The tension evaporated from his face. “Thanks.”

  “The party is the last time we act like an engaged couple.”

  “No more pretending after that.”

  She wished he hadn’t agreed so readily, but why wouldn’t he? This was what he wanted. “I hop
e you get everything you want.”

  His heart’s desires were easy to list—a partnership, introductions to high-powered players, money. Only one thing was on her list now—him—but all she’d wind up with was a massive headache, a broken heart, her parents continuing to meddle in her life, and oh, a box of chocolate.

  He walked closer. “I’ll make this up to you.”

  You can’t. “I’m not going to dress like my mother and Emily.”

  He moved closer. “Wear what you want.”

  Staring at the width of his shoulders, she gripped the counter. “I’m not going to be forced to wear a strand of pearls or something equally subdued.”

  “Fine. Wear a necklace made from candy.” He stood next to her.

  She ignored the urge to nuzzle her face against his neck and inhale his intoxicating scent. Boy, did she have it bad for him. “And I’m not going to wear my hair in a French twist.”

  “Do what you want with your hair.” Troy put his arms on her shoulders. “And I will make this up to you. I promise.”

  The color of his eyes darkened to a midnight blue. She knew that look. He wanted to kiss her.

  A warning sounded in her brain, but she didn’t want to follow reason. She wanted to ignore common sense and forget all about the consequences of her actions. She might as well have F-O-O-L tattooed across her forehead, but she didn’t have much more time with him.

  Troy lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed her gently, as if he were testing her reaction. Cassandra didn’t want gentle. She wanted all of him. Opening her mouth wider, she pressed harder against his lips.

  Pulsating sensations of pleasure raced through her, erasing any lingering doubts about what she was doing. She wanted this, wanted this now.

  Troy deepened his kiss, ravishing her lips with a hunger she understood. So good. Cassandra arched against him. She wanted only to taste him, to feel him.

  This isn’t real. She ignored the blast of reality.

  His kisses were real enough for now.

  The bell on the front door rang. Troy pulled away from her so quickly she nearly lost her balance. A woman pushing a baby stroller entered the bookstore.

  “We both need to work,” Troy said. “I’ll call you from Austin.”