View Park, page 26
“Didn’t you hear me calling you?” he asked, coming up behind her.
He wrapped his arms around her waist watching as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes slowly closed and he was already hard. His hands slid down her hips, dipping under her satin nightgown. Slowly they slid up and she wasn’t wearing any panties.
She leaned forward, grabbing the edges of the sink as he spread her legs apart. She arched her back as he lifted the nightgown, waiting not so patiently as he unzipped his pants. Men loved it from behind. It made them feel powerful. A lot of women pretended otherwise, but Haley knew they loved it just as much.
“Come on, baby.” She lowered her head, ready.
He didn’t make her wait any longer.
When Avery saw Carter through her peephole, her heart jumped. She hadn’t seen him since Vegas and even though she told herself she didn’t want to, she knew the truth. Every day, she waited for him to call or come by, but he hadn’t. She hoped he would stay away just long enough for her to get out of Los Angeles. Then time could just work through everything.
She opened the door a bit, leaning against the post.
“I need to talk to you.”
“I wish you would stay away.”
“I already told you that’s not gonna happen and I don’t think you really want it to.”
She flung the door open. “Who do you think you are, telling me what I want?”
“Why do you need me to stay away from you?” he asked.
“Because I know what you’re intentions are, and—”
“Bullshit, Avery. It’s because you don’t think you’re strong enough to stay away from me.”
“Good-bye, Carter.” She reached for the knob, but Carter pushed the door open wider and invited himself inside. He turned back to her. “You can close the door now.”
She slammed the door shut.
“I’ve stayed away from you since Vegas,” he said. “I’ve given you time to work things out with Alex.”
Avery couldn’t believe this man’s arrogance. “So, one kiss from you and I’m throwing away the last three years of my life? I don’t think so.”
“So what do you plan to do? You can’t avoid me, Avery. We gravitate toward each other.”
“In your huge, huge head we do. Carter, it was one moment of weakness and—”
“More than one.”
“However many times there were.” She hated the smug look on his face. “It was all a reaction to what was going on in other areas of my life and that’s all over. Craig is going to jail, my debt is paid off and I have enough money to start a new business. Alex and I are—”
“Spare me.”
“You came over here, Carter. As much as you like to listen just to the sound of your own voice, you had to know I was going to say something.”
“I didn’t come over here to watch you struggle to make your affection for that man seem genuine.” He helped himself to her living room sofa, looking around. “I came to make you an offer. What’s with the boxes?”
“We’ve already done our business.” She cleared her throat, not relishing telling Carter the truth. It might give him time to change her mind.
“The boxes, Avery.” He had a bad feeling about this.
“Alex and I are mov—”
“Do you think that’s going to help things?” he asked, feeling too pensive to even let her finish. “Moving in with him isn’t going to solve your problems.”
“Stop it!” Her hands clenched in fists; when she reached him he leaned away. It was good he thought she would hit him because she wanted to. “Since when have you been an expert on relationships? You go from woman to woman, Carter. Everyone knows about you.”
Carter held his chin up, his eyes setting on hers. Her fire turned him on and Michael’s words chipped away at him. “I came here for business, Avery.”
“You came here to piss me off,” she said. “You want to punish me for not falling under your spell. Your ego is bruised, Carter. You’ll get over it.”
No need to get over something that wasn’t finished. “I came here to offer you a job.” She sat down across from him and he appreciated being able to shut her up for once. “It’s with Chase Beauty. My father is looking for someone to run the salon chain. You have the experience and you have a business degree. You have an understanding of what’s important to the clients and my father needs that to balance his hunger for the bottom line.”
“Your father wants me to work for him?” Avery couldn’t believe that. She couldn’t believe she actually liked the sound of it either.
“He doesn’t know yet, but bear with me.”
“He hates me,” Avery said. “You know that.”
“Well, you hate me, so that’ll make you two best friends.”
“That’s not funny, Carter.” She did hate him for making her feel compassion for him. “You don’t understand. Alex and I are—”
“The salary is one hundred grand, with bonus and a car because you’ll have to be traveling to the salons a lot.”
“Don’t tell me any more.” Please don’t.
“I know what you’re going through,” he said. “I felt the same way when I came back home. I was supposed to go work for my father. It was what I was groomed for. All the years and money was meant for one thing, like you and the shops. When the time came I wanted something else. So I compromised.”
“What do you mean?”
“I followed my dream of opening up my own law firm and I made Chase Beauty my first client. That way I could have a little bit of the old dream with the new one. You can keep the dream you had with Essentials, but in a new venture.”
She couldn’t think of words to say for a moment, she was too busy trying to convince herself this didn’t sound perfect. “Carter, I—”
“I’m barely there, Avery. You won’t have to see me.”
“It’s not you, Carter.” It was him. Everything seemed to be about him and that was the point. “It’s me. I’m leaving L.A.”
He blinked before he could catch himself. “You’re running away from me?”
“I’m not,” she answered. “Alex is getting transferred to the Phoenix office.”
She turned away from him, unable to handle the blank stare on his face.
“This is convenient.” Carter knew he was never going to let that happen.
“It’s not a coincidence.” She ordered the magazines on the coffee table, trying to keep her hands from shaking. “We’re making a fresh start.”
“Your family is here, Avery. That has to mean everything to a person like you.”
Whatever he meant by that, he was right. The thought of being away from her family, especially her mother, was killing Avery, but she’d made a promise to Alex and if this was what it took, this was what it took.
“I need you to leave, Carter.”
“We all need a lot of things.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his business card. He plopped it on the table even though she knew exactly how to reach him. “Call me when you come to your senses.”
Carter was driving with the top down even though it was chilly outside. He needed the air. He was selling his soul to the devil and it wasn’t settling well with him. Neither was the idea of going out by letting a man like Alex beat him. The man wasn’t even worth a thought, let alone his resentment. As he headed for the expressway to downtown, he hoped Lisette was still staying at The Westin.
“He’s here to see me.” Leigh nodded to Jay, the only bodyguard left at the house who generally stayed either inside or outside the front door.
This was why she had asked Leo to come to her house and she had no intention of letting him get out of Jay’s sight. She had broken up with guys before, but she had a feeling that Leo wasn’t going to be happy. He hadn’t done anything to make her think that way. It was just the way he looked at her the last time they were together. That look was why she refused to be alone with him ever again.
Leigh rushed to the car as a confused Leo stepped out. “Shouldn’t I just come in?”
She opened the passenger-side door. “Let’s talk here. There are a lot of people in there.”
Back in the car, the eager look on his face made Leigh feel like she was the worst person on earth. She swallowed hard and apologized a few times before he asked her just to come out with it. When she told him she couldn’t see him anymore, she expected him to get angry but he didn’t get anything and that worried her more. He went expressionless, as if he were barely awake. If it weren’t for his eyes boring into her, Leigh wouldn’t even believe he had heard her.
“Why?” he asked in the same voice he would greet a stranger.
“I’m just not feeling this,” she said. “I think you’re moving so fast…”
“I can slow down.” A little crack in his voice slipped through.
“It’s not you.” She felt bad for even suggesting that he was the reason this wasn’t working. “You’re great, Leo, but I’m just not interested in seeing you as anything more than a friend.”
Leigh bit her lower lip, waiting for something as he turned away and faced the front of the car. She glanced to her right to make sure Jay was still there. When she turned back, Leo had closed his eyes and his breathing was picking up. When he started slamming his head against the steering wheel, Leigh’s reaction was to reach out for him, but he wouldn’t stop.
“Leo! Please, stop it. Leo!” She looked back at Jay, who wasn’t paying the least bit of attention to them.
“You little bitch!” When he turned to her, the words spat out of his mouth, his eyes turned to slits and blood trickled from his left eyebrow.
Leigh gasped, but wasn’t about to argue with him. She reached for the door handle, but just as she put her hand on it, she heard the click of the locks.
“Unlock the door, Leo.” The way he stared at her made Leigh shake all over. He looked like a completely different person. “Unlock it now!”
“It’s Richard, isn’t it?” he asked.
Leigh froze. “Who?”
“Don’t play games with me. It’s Richard, right?”
“How do you know him?”
“Through you.” His smile was a straight line, not showing any teeth. “I’ve seen you with him; at his apartment. You never even gave me a chance.”
Leigh couldn’t take any more. She turned to the window and began pounding on it, screaming for Jay to come to the door.
“You women,” Leo said as if she wasn’t in a panic. “You call us dogs, but you treat us like dirt with a smile and an apology. You think that’s enough?”
Finally Jay noticed her and after leaning to the side, he rushed to the car.
Just before he reached them, Leigh heard the locks click and didn’t hesitate. Jay caught her falling out of the car.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Leigh jumped out of the way as Leo did a quick circle around her and Jay and sped out of the driveway.
“Do you want me to go after him?” Jay asked.
“No!” She grabbed him since he was already heading for his car. “Don’t. It’s okay.”
“Was he locking you in there?”
“We were just arguing,” she explained. “I was being dramatic. I’m sorry.”
Jay didn’t seem to be buying it. “You looked like you were scared to death.”
“It’s okay,” she said, trying to pull herself together.
It wasn’t okay, but Leigh wasn’t going to do anything. This was her fault and she’d paid the price. It was over and that was all that mattered. As she ran into the house, she decided to keep this to herself.
CHAPTER 14
Carter ignored the women who rubbed against him as he walked through the strip club. Even though The Playground was Los Angeles’s highest end strip club, he couldn’t get past the amount of female customers in the place. Times were changing. The women here were as hot as any he had ever seen, but all the money in the world couldn’t make this place more than a strip club and it just didn’t do it for him.
He saw Michael sitting at a table in the front, leaning back, enjoying the show, and sat down next to him.
“What took you so long?” Michael asked.
“Why did you want to meet here?” Carter leaned away from a woman trying to get his attention.
“’Cause this is where I was gonna be.” Michael smiled at a woman who caressed his chin walking by. “Get a drink, man.”
“Hell, no.”
Michael looked at his brother, sighing. “What’s the matter with you, man? This is the nicest strip club in L.A. You’re single. You should be up in this bitch on the regular.”
“Yeah, I’m single. What would Kimberly say if she knew you were here?”
Michael laughed, pointing behind him. “She’s over at the bar getting another drink.”
Carter swung around and there she was, standing at the bar laughing with the bartender and looking better than any woman around her. All Carter could think was, damn.
“Did you do it?” Michael asked.
“You could have asked me that on the phone.”
“I wanted to see your face when you answered me.” Michael didn’t think he looked too good right now, but that was okay. “Did you do it or not?”
Carter nodded, looking away, and Michael shook his head. “What’s wrong?”
“I guess I can’t believe I actually dated someone who would do something like this.”
“You’re someone who would do something like this.” Michael socked him in the arm. “Come on, man. All that matters is that she’s doing it and I wouldn’t call what you did with her dating.”
“Well.” Carter was looking down at his hands trying to clear the cloud in his head. “It’s done.”
“You should be happy that it went that easy; that quick.” Michael slammed his glass on the table. “What’s the matter with you? You’re going to get what you want.”
“You wouldn’t understand. Unlike you, human beings actually experience guilt, regret, and maybe some shame when they do something they know is wrong.” Carter tasted bile in this throat when Lisette agreed to set Alex up after he raised the payment to two-fifty. She wasn’t at all surprised, which made him believe that Michael had already spoken to her, but he didn’t ask. He just wanted to get it over with.
“You’re damn right I wouldn’t understand.” These were the times Michael felt like he was the older brother. “Feelings that don’t help you get what you want aren’t worth having.”
“Is that another one of Dad’s philosophies?” Carter asked, feeling his father all over that deranged sentiment.
“You feel bad now”—Michael shared his attention between Carter and the woman on stage—“but it won’t last. When Avery falls into your bed, things will change. You’ll feel like a God because you’ll know that you can really have everything you want. You’ve proved it to yourself and it’ll get easier the next time.”
“I’m not doing this shit again.”
“You say that now, bro.” Michael leaned toward him. “But just wait until it works. Trust me, you’ll do it as many times as you have to.”
“Which one of you is Michael?” A blonde with long legs and a chest that made her look like she was going to fall forward any second stood between them. She was dressed in a leather zebra striped bikini ready to bust apart. She directed her attention to Carter until he shook his head, pointing to his brother.
“What can I do for you?” Michael asked, leaning forward.
She positioned herself between his legs, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Your wife wants to watch me dance for you.”
Michael leaned back, looking toward the bar. Kimberly waved him over before slowly sliding her hands over her hips. He stood up, glancing down at Carter who had a look of disbelief on his face.
“Anything you want,” Michael said before letting the woman take his hand and lead him toward the private rooms.
Carter shook his head, laughing to himself. He didn’t want everything like Michael did. He just wanted Avery and even though he knew he was going to get her, this feeling haunted him. He was no angel. He had done things that were wrong and immoral. He had been greedy and selfish most of the time. He had been cruel and spiteful, but this seemed different. He was manipulating other people’s lives, their hearts, to suit his own need. He had crossed a line he never believed he would. There was no going back now.
“I have a surprise for you.” Haley opened her bathrobe the second Sean entered the room, revealing a skimpy Brazilian bikini.
“I have something for you, too.” He tossed his holster on the chair and grabbed her in his arms, kissing her. “We think we know where Rudio is.”
“Where?”
“Florida. We’ve been keeping surveillance on his mother for the past couple of days and she’s been acting suspicious, changing her regular schedule. We think he’s there or he’s on his way.”
Haley grabbed Sean by his collar and pulled him to her. “You have to kill him, Sean. No one else will do it. They won’t understand. They’ll just arrest him.”
“I don’t want to go through this again.” He pushed away from her, feeling his frustration mount. “I’m not going to kill him, Haley. Not unless I have to. Jesus, haven’t I broken enough rules for you?”
“I want him dead, Sean.”
Sean walked past her to the room service table showing the remains of a lobster lunch. “What’s my surprise?”
She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She reached down and rubbed him back and forth. “I got something good for you.”
He reached behind him, grabbing her by her hair and pulling her in front of him. He pulled her head back and leaned in to trail his tongue from just above her breast to her chin before planting his lips on hers. A ripping pain hit him as she bit his tongue and he backed away.
“Dammit, Haley!”
