by Fallon Hart
I sighed. Rich people, indeed. The thought of taking this to Griff made me want to run in the opposite direction from the club. However, I’d have to tell him about Hayley anyway. “Great.”
“Griff never loved her.”
Realizing Amelia thought I was worried about Griff having feelings for Kiersten I shook my head. Having lived with Griff for months I couldn’t imagine him having feelings for any woman. His love was his club and his career. He’d said so himself. “I’m not worried about that.”
“Good. And you know Kiersten has only set herself up for gossip here. Everyone will be talking about how she’s not over Griff.”
“Hayley won’t tell anyone she did this.”
“No, but I will.”
“Amelia, don’t.”
“You’re my friend, Scarlett, and no one tries to harm you or make you sound the way you sound right now. You haven’t lived in this world your whole life and you don’t know how to play the game. Frankly, you don’t need to. But I know how to play and that spiteful little cow is going to rue the day she came after my friend.”
I laughed a little nervously, at once warmed by her loyalty and a little anxious about the entire situation. “I’m glad you’re on my side.”
Amelia laughed. “Now go tell Griff. He’ll take care of everything else.”
By the time we hung up, the driver pulled up to The Patrician. The club was open. As I walked inside there were some members standing talking to each other by the seating area in the grand foyer. They looked over as I strode in. Up until recently they would have smiled, said hello. Now they just watched me curiously before exchanging knowing looks with one another.
Fighting a blush, I gave them a small nod in hello and walked past them to the elevator. Up in the penthouse I knocked on Griff’s office door but got no reply. Growing more agitated by the second, I made my way down to the third floor and knocked on the office he used for meeting with club members.
There was some noise from inside and then Griff opened the door. He frowned at me and stepped outside, shutting the door behind him. “I’m in a meeting. What is it?”
Wondering if he was hiding whoever he was in a meeting with from me, I scowled. “Something’s happened. We need to talk.”
His frown deepened. “Give me a few minutes. I’ll meet you upstairs.”
I nodded but when he opened his office door I took the opportunity to look inside. I got the impression of an older man sitting in the chair opposite Griff’s desk and relief moved through me.
“Scarlett, upstairs.”
I glanced up at Griff and blushed when I realized he’d caught me being nosy.
Nodding, I dashed up the back staircase and waited for him in the sitting room.
Ten minutes later he marched into the room. “I’ve called for tea and coffee.” He loosened his tie and practically threw himself on the armchair adjacent to me. He slanted a look my way. “It’s been a bugger of a day. Is it about to get worse?”
For a moment I could barely talk. This was the most relaxed around me he’d ever acted. “What happened?”
“Aren’t I supposed to be asking you that?” He leaned forward on his elbows and studied me. “Here we’ve been talking about me trusting you all this time and you still don’t trust me. I saw you checking in the office. You thought I had a woman in there.”
I tried not to blush at being caught and failed. “Maybe.”
He sighed and dragged a hand through his hair before settling back against the chair. There was a weariness in his eyes I hadn’t noticed before. “I’m not going to fuck this arrangement up. There will be no other women until the inheritance is mine. I promise.”
The thought of him with another woman was like a knife slash across my chest.
Ignoring the hurt, I said, “Speaking of. Hayley, our wedding planner, called to remove us from her client list this morning. Apparently, Kiersten Van De Beer is also her client and she made it clear that she would find another wedding planner if Hayley didn’t break her association with me.”
Griff stared at me, expressionless.
“I called Amelia and she explained to me who Kiersten is. She thinks this is spitefulness.”
My fiancé shook his head and muttered a curse under his breath. Before he could speak Wells knocked on the door and entered the room with a trolley. It had a coffee pot, a tea pot, and an assortment of sandwiches and cakes on it.
“Thank you, Wells.”
He smiled widely. At least he and Xavier were treating me the same as they always had. “You’re welcome. Sir. Madam.” He nodded. “If you need anything else, I’ll be in the kitchen.”
“Thank you.” Griff dismissed him. As soon as the under butler was gone Griff turned to me. “I can’t believe this of Kiersten.”
Surprised, I reared back. “Why not?”
“Because one of the reasons our relationship lasted as long as it did was because she never acted like a bratty society girl.”
Jealousy pierced me. Had I been mistaken? Did Griff genuinely have feelings for this woman? “Amelia seemed to think differently. And some women hide who they really are to get a man exactly where they want him.”
“Yes, you’d know all about that.”
Hurt, I flinched.
Griff waved his hand impatiently. “I meant because of your sister. Not you.”
“Oh.”
“Christ.” He scrubbed his face. “What else did Amelia say?”
“She said that Kiersten was probably angry that you apparently are capable of settling down and horrified that you chose someone of a lower social status than her to do it with.”
He grimaced. “Right.”
“She said that she’s going to use this opportunity to blacklist me from society and turn this into a bigger scandal that it really is.”
Griff cocked an eyebrow. “That sounds a little extreme for Kiersten.”
Annoyed that he was defending this woman I snapped, “Our wedding planner fired us, Griff, because Kiersten told her to. Now I am not going to spend the next year being the target of a woman you scorned.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw and then he shook his head. “I guess I’m not entirely surprised, really. She was quiet and dignified about the break up in public but she gave me hell in private. At one point I thought she was going to claw my face off.”
“You shouldn’t be surprised at all. Remember. You once told me that people never surprise you.”
He shot me a look and smirked. “You did.”
Feeling pleased about that despite the circumstances I gave a huff of laughter. “I guess I did.”
Griff took a long sip of coffee while I sat waiting on his verdict of the situation. He shot me a look and then lifted a plate of sandwiches off the trolley. “You’ve lost weight. Eat something.”
“I have not.” I frowned taking a sandwich.
“You have.” He studied my face. “Your cheekbones are more prominent.”
I suppose my skirts had felt a little looser lately.
“I haven’t felt very hungry these days.”
Griff continued to study me. “Will you ever come to forgive her, do you think?”
Knowing he was talking about my sister, the sandwich in my mouth turned to ash. I swallowed hard and took a sip of tea to help it go down. My hands trembled as I put the china cup back on the table. “She didn’t come to our parents’ funeral.”
At his silence I looked up at him. He waited for me to continue.
I didn’t know why I brought it up. Maybe I just needed someone to talk to and he was the only person who knew the truth. “I forgave her for that. I told myself that she just couldn’t handle losing them. The same way I told myself she didn’t mean any harm when she pretended to be me and made out with Eric before he and I started dating. The same way I forgave her for nearly killing a woman when she got behind the wheel of a car drunk. And the same way I forgave her for only giving me one day a month out of her life when I’d up and moved to
Massachusetts for her.” I leaned toward him. “Tell me, Griffin, should I keep forgiving her for the rest of our lives because she’s my twin and the only family I have left?”
His eyes blazed and it warmed me to realize the angry emotion in them was all on my behalf. “You bloody well do not. You’re worth more than that.”
I fought back tears and nodded. “That’s what I’ve told myself. That I’m better off alone.”
“You’ll make a new family. One day you’ll make a new family who deserves you. For now,” he reached for the plate of sandwiches and held them out to me, “She gets no more of you and that includes pounds. I know some women believe lean is the way to go but you have a beautiful figure, Scarlett. If you don’t want to lose it, I suggest you eat.”
My breath caught at the compliment and the spark of attraction in his gaze. I took another sandwich and tried to kill the tension with a joke. “Not to mention that closet with about thirty thousand dollars’ worth of clothes in it that won’t fit if I don’t.”
He smirked. “That too.”
We were silent a moment and then he sighed. “As for Kiersten, I’m good friends with her father. If my bride-to-be is distressed then of course I’m distressed and James won’t like that. I’ve never particularly liked the way he controls his daughter but she never made an effort to fight for her independence. One word and he’ll put a stop to her vendetta against us.”
“That’s what Amelia said you’d do.”
He finished his coffee and stood up, tightening his tie. It left it askew so I brushed off my fingers and stood up. “Here.” I gestured to him.
He hesitated a second before he stepped toward me.
Ignoring the heat of his body as I moved in close to fix his tie, I teased, “You can’t let everyone downstairs see you looking disordered.”
“No, never that,” he drawled.
Feeling his gaze on my face, I kept my eyes on the tie, realizing what a bad idea it was to touch him. My breathing grew shallow and I felt an almost compulsive urge to slide my hand down his chest and explore him. And then suddenly I was flooded by recent memories together.
“You have the most gorgeous fucking tits I’ve ever seen in my life.”
He sat back on his heels, stroking himself as he stared at me. “Just touch yourself. With your left hand.”
“Melanie!” he groaned and I watched through dazed eyes as a stream of cum shot out of him. His other hand had fallen against the headboard at the same time, rattling it hard against the wall. “Fuck. Fuck.” He dropped both hands against the headboard now, panting hard as he stared downward.
“Tell me you don’t want me,” he demanded.
I couldn’t. “Get off me.”
Instead he dipped his head to kiss me and I banged mine off the wall trying to escape him. “Try it and I’ll bite you.”
His eyes flared and he reached for my lips.
His fingers sought my sex and he grunted, deep and male, as they slipped over my clit. He dropped his forehead against mine and I felt him tremble. “You’re soaked. So fucking wet,” he kissed me, desperate. “I can’t wait. I can’t take this slow.”
“Then don’t.”
“Scarlett?”
I blinked, coming out of the memories. Looking up at Griff I watched as his eyes flared at whatever he saw in mine. I blushed and stumbled back. “All fixed.” My voice was hoarse with arousal.
Griff smoothed his hand over it, his expression fierce.
We gazed at one another, seemingly trapped in the moment.
Finally Griff cleared his throat. “I better get back to work. I’ll handle the Kiersten situation.”
“And the wedding planner?” I asked as he strode toward the door.
He stopped. “No need to find another. Our elopement is this weekend.”
“People will think we’re eloping because of what Kiersten did.”
“Let them think what they like,” he called over his shoulder as he left the room.
“Easier said than done,” I whispered, slumping back on the couch.
I winced, feeling the wet between my legs.
It was messed up that I’d give anything for Griff to walk back in here, get on his knees and put his head between my legs. Flushing hot at the thought, I squeezed my thighs tighter together.
If I didn’t have those damn memories of us being together I’d be able to control this foolish attraction! We never should have had sex.
It had ruined everything.
It had ruined me.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The next morning Griff called me into his office and I signed the contract that now had my name on it. I’m not going to lie, my hand shook a little as I did it. I felt his eyes bore into me the entire time. My life had become a crazy storyline in a soap opera, of this I was aware. Life was surreal. I could have walked away after learning the truth about my sister. But for reasons I refused to delve into too deeply, I didn’t walk away.
The contract was signed.
“We leave for Martha’s Vineyard on Friday afternoon. I have a friend who owns a private jet and he’s agreed to loan us it so we’ll fly from Logan to the island. It’s a short journey. I’ve procured the entire use of one of the finest inns in Edgartown called The Bluestocking. A stylist, a make-up artist, and a hairdresser will be there to see to you. I’ve hired a photographer.” At my questioning look he explained, “We need to make this look real.”
“What about witnesses?”
“That’s something I wanted to discuss with you.” He sat down on the edge of his desk. “Now we can make it really easy and it just be the two of us so you don’t have to pretend the entire weekend. Or we can invite Quentin and Amelia to join us and be our witnesses. It’s up to you.”
The first thought that came to my mind would of course be about sex, wouldn’t it.
“But if they are with us won’t they expect to hear us celebrating?”
Griff looked away, staring determinedly at an oil painting in his office. “I’ve hired out the entire inn so I can make sure the proprietress puts them on the other side of the building.”
The thought of having to keep up a pretense for Amelia and Quentin sounded exhausting but at the same time they would provide a buffer and a distraction. Plus, I wanted Amelia to be my friend and I think she might be hurt if we left her out of the wedding.
“Invite them.”
“Fine.” He stood up and rounded the desk. “You’ll need a dress. Preferably a proper wedding gown. Perhaps Amelia can help you with that. I suggest you call her while I call Quentin.”
“I’ll do that now.”
“We’ll return from the island on Sunday evening. I’ll call my father’s lawyers on Monday and I’ll let you know when they set a date for the interviews.”
Feeling a flurry of nervous butterflies at the thought, I nodded. “Okay.”
And then I was promptly dismissed.
Strangely, this wedding wasn’t going to be too different from my last.
Except, of course, the small matter of the bride and groom actually being in love.
***
To say Amelia was over-the-moon to be involved in our secret elopement was underselling it. Within the hour I was whisked away in her Audi to a little boutique in Braintree which was about half an hour south of the city.
“It’s usually by appointment,” Amelia chattered excitedly beside me. “And by that I mean you have to book an appointment six months in advance but Carrie, the owner, loves me. She made my wedding gown and I spent an exorbitant amount of money on it. I just hope we can find you something good enough off-the-rack. And I hope Griff knows he’ll need to pay generously for the seamstress to finish this dress in three days’ time.”
“He gave me his black card.”
She grinned. “Good.”
So that was how I spent the rest of that afternoon. Trying on dress after dress after dress. We finally found the one. Luckily (or not so luckily depending on how you looked
at it) a bride close to my body-shape and size had it bespoke-made only for the wedding to be cancelled at the last minute.
“Just a nip-tuck here and there and it’ll fit perfectly,” Carrie said.
“You can sew this up in three days’ time?” Amelia clarified.
Carrie nodded. “It’ll be tight but we can do it.”
My friend clapped her hands together and beamed at me. “Griff is going to die when he sees you in this.”
I imagined if I was marrying a man who actually loved me she’d be right. The dress was beautiful and a far cry from the vintage nineteen-fifties style ivory dress I’d bought from Goodwill to marry Eric in.
“It’ll cost you.” Carrie grabbed my left hand in hers. She pushed my ring finger up so the large diamond winked in the light. “However, I have a feeling money is no object.”
“You’re absolutely right.” Amelia grinned. “The groom is smitten. He’d buy Scarlett the world if she asked for it.”
“I have no doubt. He’s marrying one of the most beautiful brides I’ve seen since you, Amelia.”
I blushed at the deception Griff and I had created and Amelia confused it for shyness. “So modest. It’s adorable.”
By the time Amelia pulled up to the curb at The Patrician, however, her enthusiasm had waned. I’d realize why when she switched off the engine and turned in her seat toward me. “I have to say you’re not acting like an excited bride.”
I’d, unfortunately, been stewing in my own thoughts the entire time in the bridal boutique and during the drive back to Boston. Exhausted by the lies, and concerned Amelia would see through them with my defenses so low, I decided to err on the side of caution and provide her with some truths. Plus, I needed someone to talk to. “Did Griff mention that Melanie is actually my sister’s name?”
“Quentin said as much.”
“She’s my twin.”
Her mouth made an ‘o’ shape.