Chapter Seven
“Finally, everything makes sense.” Dee sidled next to him at the bar of the charity wine auction. “I was beginning to think I’d lost my touch.”
Jake turned to face the room full of other well-dressed guests while she ordered her martini. These functions would be so much easier to get through once Lily was at his side. He clutched his glass in his hand, wishing he’d ordered a double.
“She’s very pretty, younger than I expected. But then I guess that might be why it’s so easy for her to manipulate you.”
He swirled the ice in his glass. “Are you finished with this conversation? I’m not having it with you.”
“Oh, sure you are. You’ve made me part of this game the two of you are playing. She thinks we’re together. And I know you. You have a reason.”
“Lily Harris is none of your business, Dee.”
“She may think she’s better than people like us, but I know she has designs on you. She’s a spendaholic looking for a financial savior. She wants you to recreate her life so she can go back to being the perfect princess, complete with the castle.”
Jake closed his eyes, wishing anything about Lily was as simple as Dee made it out to be. He turned to look at her, noticing how low-cut her bright-green dress was tonight. Usually, she went conservative for the events he asked her to attend with him. Damn. If Dee had decided to make a play for him, the whole situation could get sticky.
“You don’t like the dress?” She placed a hand on her hip. “You’ll have to stand closer to me if you want to make the Scene and Heard column.”
“Why would I want to do that?” He was here to write a check and talk to a few clients, not publicize his involvement in the charity.
“For the same reason you haven’t told the princess you’re my silent partner and friend, not my lover. That we’ve never been lovers. You want to make her jealous.” Dee stepped closer, tilting her head so her hair flowed over her bare shoulder. “Whisper in my ear when you talk. It will get a picture in the paper. You want her to see us together.”
“No, I don’t.” Jake set his glass on the bar. Lily’s worries about his relationship with Dee were all in her head. He wasn’t going to pander to her jealousies, but he wasn’t about to feed into them, either.
Dee shrugged her shoulders. “Yes, I’m sure our little dinner party this weekend will be quite cozy. I don’t know what she’s trying to pull, but I don’t trust her. Is she trying to show you how much better she’ll fit in your new life than I do?”
If only. “She’s gone through a lot in the last month. Cut her a break.”
“If you swear to me you’ll have an iron-clad pre-nup. That girl has gold digger written all over her.”
He leveled his gaze at her. “You have got to be kidding.”
“I wish I were. It’s obvious you’re taken with her. I thought it was out of some sense of duty to her father, or maybe you like the idea that a kid from the projects can snag himself a society bride. I know I’d be tempted if someone with old money wanted to legitimize me.”
“You really need to stick to creating clothes. The stories spinning in your head are unbelievable.” He pressed his fingers to his forehead, trying to ease the ache building there.
“She wants you. Trust me, women can see these things. And you are falling for it, and for her.”
“Still none of your business.” He checked the messages on his phone, not sure what to make of his latest text.
“If you think that girl isn’t playing you, you have a lot to learn about how women get what they want.”
“You need to work on the silent part of silent partnership.” He set his empty glass on the bar and stepped into the fray. Dee used all of her assets to get what she needed, but she came from a different world than Lily.
Jake crossed the room and stopped at the round high-top table he’d been summoned to. He didn’t have many people in his life he considered friends, but David Strong was one of them. In addition to running the largest collection of fitness centers in the country, he’d recently taken on the most daunting task known to men. Planning a wedding.
“Drink.” David motioned to the flutes of champagne lined up in the middle of the table. “One from each row.”
“Why am I doing this?” He moved around the table next to David so he could watch the room.
“Because you punked out on the Grossman deal. And because Sophie’s buying cases of this stuff for the wedding, and neither of us really drink it.” He was built like a guy who owned gyms, so the champagne flute looked ridiculous in his thick hand.
“And I do?” On the odd occasions when Lily drank, she chose bubbly. He tried the first option, the cloying sweetness calling up a memory. “Always opt for a dry sparkling wine. Guests who prefer it sweeter can add fruit or liqueur.”
“Do I want to know how you know that?” David tried to drink from the flute, but the entire production looked ridiculous.
“This one.” Jake slid the third flute forward. Now if he could just—
“This is easily the worst business decision you’ve ever made. I need to put that out there.”
“Are we talking Grossman?” The investment club they’d both belonged to since college had one rule—all in or all out, majority ruled. “I’m not the only one who voted it down. The fund is high. We need to wait for it to dip and buy in before it corrects.”
David gave him a pointed look. “How’s she doing?”
“Remarkable, considering.” The joy of public records and real estate transactions. He’d paid almost twice the market value for the Harris estate, so he wasn’t surprised it had caught someone’s attention.
“Should you be buying cases of this stuff, too? That’s a hell of a lot of money on a maybe.”
“The money doesn’t concern me.” It was a gift. A horrible misuse of liquid assets, especially to the members of their elite investment club. They spent money to make money, and their success spoke for itself. “I know paying off someone else’s debts is a waste of money. And in this case, worth every penny. It’s her home, not an investment property. She’s lost enough.”
“So have you, man. So have you.”
…
Lily tried to convince herself Jake bringing his mistress to the house was a good thing. Dee Gibson was attractive, successful, and determined. Lily knew Dee was more than capable of twisting Jake’s arm until his focus was solely on her. When he was enamored with another woman, he’d leave Lily alone, and she’d be free of his pursuit and proposal. It was a great solution, and she refused to think about why it made her nauseous.
Lily busied herself with setting the house for guests. The idea of a designer redecorating it pained her. She couldn’t imagine the house looking any other way, so she’d made sure everything was perfect. Maybe then she wouldn’t have to hear about remodeling plans.
She’d finished creating a festive autumn-leaves-and-gourd centerpiece on the dining room table and was heading upstairs to dress when the front door opened.
She turned to see Jake highlighted in the entry, a playful smile on his face. He so rarely smiled, it froze her in place. Obviously, he hadn’t been dreading the evening the way she had. She reminded herself to remain aloof, to never reveal how each time she saw him he incited more of a reaction in her than the last.
“Have you been expecting me, angel?” He towed a small case behind him, a bottle of champagne beneath one arm, and a bouquet of flowers in his hand.
She shook her head. “I was heading upstairs to change. I don’t want to be unprepared when your girlfriend arrives.” She turned and took a step up the stairs.
“Lily, wait.” He caught her wrist, tugging it so she had to turn and face him.
She slanted her head in inquiry, not wanting to say anything too revealing. Something was stirring inside of her at the thought of him bringing gifts into her home to give to Dee. It was stupid and prideful. She couldn’t let it show.
“I brought you these for your room. It needs some color.” He held out the bouquet. She looked down at the vibrant arrangement of heart-shaped Peruvian lilies in different shades of pink, orange, and white. The brilliantly colored blooms made her smile, and she quickly checked the reaction. She had to stay on task, or everything would be for naught.
“Good idea. If I had them out, Dee might get jealous. Unless you brought something for her as well? She strikes me as the type who likes long stem red roses,” Lily said, a crisp edge to her voice.
“Are we starting this already? Need I remind you this dinner was your idea?”
Lily clenched her jaw against the words she wanted to spew at him. Every syllable would make her seem jealous, and she couldn’t afford to be. It was a silly reaction, and one she needed to keep in check.
Instead, she rolled her eyes and tugged herself free of his magnetic pull. Safely behind her bedroom door, she let her guard down and gave herself a moment to wallow in frustration. She was starting to have feelings for a man who could destroy her, who wanted her to be a puppet on a string he could yank about. Her only hope of escaping him with her pride intact was a woman who obviously couldn’t stand her.
Lily rang the intercom down to Emmaline, asking for a vase for the flowers and then set to work getting ready. Getting dressed was a chore when she remembered the snide barbs like, “How old are you, honey?” She didn’t want to look provocative and risk peaking Jake’s interest, but she didn’t want the fashion designer he was sleeping with offering her wardrobe tips, either.
She settled on a strappy empire dress in black. The scooped neckline and crisscross straps in the back definitely made her look like a woman, but the pleated knee-length skirt kept her well-covered.
A knock on the door turned her from her self-inspection. “It’s open,” she called to Emmaline as she made a last check of her appearance in front of the full-length mirror. “Thanks for bringing the vase up. I know you’re busy.”
Lily gasped as she caught Jake’s reflection in her mirror. She spun around. “What are you doing in my room?”
“You said the door was open. If that’s not an invitation—”
“It wasn’t. I thought Emmaline was at the door.” Lily turned back around, trying to look everywhere but at his reflection. “She’ll be here any minute.”
“With this?” He lifted the vase in his hand, catching her gaze for the first time. “You’re welcome.”
“Can you go now?” She didn’t want him in her room again. It was too confusing to have him here.
He shook his head and took a step closer. His entire demeanor reminded her of an animal on the hunt, all lithe covertness and lethal determination.
“I need to finish getting ready.” She pressed her lips into a line, trying to keep her breathing steady.
“I have something for you.” In the mirror she saw him set the vase on her vanity next to the bouquet. As he stepped closer to her, he slid a hand into his pocket.
“I don’t want you to give me anything.” She smoothed her damp palms against the cool fabric of the dress.
“I want you to have it.”
He stood behind her, so close the heat of him pressed against her back and pushed the air from her lungs. She struggled to breathe, hating the way her chest heaved with a gasp.
“Relax, Lily. I’m just here to give you a gift. There isn’t time for anything more.” He rubbed his hands on her bare arms, and prickles of desire, fiery and heavy, ran through her body.
He released her, and she closed her eyes against the sense of loss. She couldn’t do this much longer. There was something hypnotic and addictive about the man, something she was completely susceptible to. She had to get free of him soon, or she’d never be able to.
Cold metal slid against her throat, and she opened her eyes, watching as Jake fastened an exquisite diamond necklace about her neck. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen, a sweeping design of curls and loops in a wistful and feminine pattern. The design incorporated sparkling baguettes surrounding shining round stones and dripping with pear-shaped diamonds.
She had lots of jewelry from her father, and even some from her mother. She’d never put much thought into it, but those pieces were either classic or suddenly seemed very simple, nothing as exquisite and modern as this.
“I’m glad you like it. I knew you would.”
“I can’t,” she said, the words barely audible. He’d draped her in thousands of dollars of diamonds, an exquisitely beautiful collar to choke her with.
“I insist. I saw it and knew it was made for you.”
“But it wasn’t. And you shouldn’t buy me things.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned his head against hers, their gaze meeting in the mirror. His eyes gleamed like glassy obsidian, and in that moment, she saw the future he dreamed of. They did make a striking couple, his strong, dark features a complement to her soft, light complexion.
“Don’t think of it as for you. It’s for me. So I can watch you tonight and know you are wearing the necklace I gave you.”
“But it must cost a fortune.”
He kissed her temple. “It made you happy for a second before you overthought it. That’s all I wanted.”
She believed him for a moment, believing maybe there was more to him then she’d ever fathomed. But just as quickly as that thought came to mind, so did the realization they would not be alone for dinner.
“Did you buy this to spite Dee?” Her stomach twisted, her skin cooling as a shiver crept into her bones. She was so outmatched in these games.
“Oh, Lily.” Jake chuckled and released her, stepping back. “You really know how to ruin a moment.” He turned and left her room, closing the door behind him.
She let out the breath she was holding and met her own gaze in the mirror. Her eyes widened at the changes she saw there. The dress was the same, and the necklace had nothing to do with it. Her eyes shone, her flushed skin providing a glow that hadn’t been there before. When she’d seen herself earlier, she’d been teetering on the edge between latent adolescence and womanhood. Now there was no doubt she’d crossed the threshold. Her heart squeezed knowing Jake Tolliver had made it happen.
…
Dee Gibson was absolutely stunning. It was more than the off-the-shoulder silk dress in exactly the same blue as her eyes, more than the soft waves of red hair, more than the way she knew how to move so every curve of her body was on display without showing anything. She epitomized everything Jake needed in a wife.
The observation should have made Lily happy. She had prepared herself for being outshone, had planned on it, but watching the comfortable way they spoke to one another made her stomach feel as if it were lined with lead.
Through dinner, she played with her food, unable to eat anything while watching the spectacle. Dee had come to show Jake how compatible they were, how much better she fit in his life. And she did it brilliantly, from the astute talk of business to the flirtatious energy of their interaction. It was exactly what Lily needed, but it didn’t feel right at all.
Watching them together filled her brain with all kinds of snarky remarks. Yet she couldn’t comment on the flirting and the flattery. She needed it, needed Dee to spin her web of seduction so tightly Jake couldn’t help but be caught up in it.
“Lily’s necklace is certainly different.” Dee’s words pulled Lily into the conversation she’d been intent on avoiding. “A bit more whimsical than what I like to design, but it makes use of shapes I’m thinking of doing.”
“You should stick with clothing and shoes. You don’t want to diversify too widely. If you need to expand quickly, you’ll have to bring in other investors, and you hate to have to answer to anyone.”
“Oh, honey, I know someone willing to give me whatever I need.” Her voice was smooth and seductive and made Lily want to tell her exactly who had bought the necklace she was admiring.
Made her want to mention how he’d fastened it against her throat, how he’d kissed her last week. A small part of her wanted to test him right now and see whose bidding he was willing to do. Her back tightened as she realized just what she was doing. She was justifying her jealousy, trying to see if, when it came down to it, he’d choose the mistress or the fiancée. Not that she was.
“Where did you get the necklace, Lily? It looks real. Maybe I’ll look into carrying the line in my boutiques.”
She knew how she wanted to answer but didn’t trust herself to hold the cattiness in. Instead, she stalled for time by taking a long drink of the crisp, sparkling wine Jake had brought.
“I bought it for her.” Jake cast Lily a disapproving glance. Her heart sank. He had bought it to make Dee jealous.
“Honey, really. Why would you embarrass her like that?” Dee’s saccharine smile did nothing to sweeten her sour tone.
“Embarrass her?”
“You can’t say no when a man gives you a gift that expensive.”
Lily swallowed hard, recognizing the double meaning. She hadn’t denied the gift, and now it would be assumed she wouldn’t deny Jake. Even with as beautiful as the necklace was, she should have ripped it from her neck and tossed it back at him. And now she couldn’t hold her tongue, couldn’t let him think she agreed.
“Jake has been very kind to me, looking after me now that my father is gone.”
“Of course he has.” The bitter edge to Dee’s tone sliced like a blade. “His partner’s young daughter is lost and vulnerable, all alone in the world. What she needs is to live in his house, work at his company, and wear his diamonds. Don’t you think?”
Lily was torn between tossing what was left of her dinner in the woman’s face or starting to cry at how right she was.
“Dee, you shouldn’t talk about things you know nothing about.” A rough thread of warning wove through his voice.
Lily looked up at Jake’s defense of her. Instead of a sympathetic gaze, she found nothing but the dark, cold stare that had been chilling her to the bone for the last two years.
…
Lily closed her bedroom door behind her and slumped against it, flipping the lock with a flick of her wrist. When she was alone with Jake Tolliver, sometimes she forgot who he was. Lucky for her, he had no problem showing his true colors.
He was a perfect match for the hard edges and biting remarks of Dee Gibson. They deserved each other. They were obviously together, so why was she shaking because she’d caught sight of them standing too close together in the foyer?
She refused to think about it. She’d done what she had to tonight. She’d held her tongue, buried her pride, and let Dee turn the heat up under Jake. Hopefully, it was enough to have him rethinking his marriage demand. She couldn’t live in a relationship like this. Not without homicide being an option.
Lily pushed off the door, crossed her room, and then pulled back the painting over her wall safe. She worked the combination with ease and slid out her jewelry case.
She had no intention of keeping the beautiful necklace from Jake, but she thought something so lovely should be treasured and protected until she could return it. She set the box on top of her vanity, right next to the colorful bouquet of lilies.
Being near him was the worst kind of emotional torture. Such a dichotomy of what she craved and what she loathed. She flipped open the lid of the box, noticing how the jewels glittered in the light.
A thought skittered across her mind. She could sell everything in the box and probably have enough money to be rid of Jake, to finish school, and stay in an apartment until she could secure a teaching position. She could, except how much were her mother’s pearls worth? She fingered the strand, wondering if anyone would care that the pink pearls were one of the few things she could remember her mother wearing. Eventually, she could buy herself another diamond tennis bracelet, but it wouldn’t be the one her father had gotten her for her high-school graduation.
She pursed her lips and blinked away the hot tears as she reached behind her and undid the clasp of Jake’s necklace. She dropped it in the box, refusing to look at it as she removed her diamond teardrop earrings. College graduation from Dad.
It was stupid jewelry. Just things. She slammed the lid closed and shoved the box back in the safe. They might be things, but they were tangible pieces of her memories. What was it Jake said? Memories live in your heart? What if it was broken? Might all the memories spill out with your tears?
Lily choked on a sob as she walked into her closet, shed her dress, and left it in a pile on the floor. She didn’t want it anymore, didn’t want anything to remind her of how she’d felt while sitting at a table with Jake and his lover. She slipped on a nightgown and turned off the light. She stood at the window, staring at the dark night. Dee’s car was gone, which gave her some modicum of relief. She wouldn’t have to think about them together in the house. At least if he slept with Dee tonight, he had the decency to do it elsewhere.
She sank down onto her bed and pressed her palms against her damp eyes, trying to stem the flow. Maybe she was as stupid as everyone thought. She was jealous of a woman she never wanted to be, wanted a man she could never actually have.
“Lily?” Jake’s whisper drifted through the door and straightened her spine.
She listened and waited for him to try the handle, but he didn’t. Instead, she heard his retreating footsteps. The darkness and silence must have been enough to convince him she’d fallen asleep. If only it would be so easy to convince herself she didn’t want him.
…
Jake pulled on a pair of lounge pants and stalked out of his room. He’d been trying to fall asleep for hours. He’d even pulled one of Lily’s Jane Austen books off the shelf, figuring he’d doze off for sure. No such luck. It just made him feel guilty.
He’d indulged himself watching Lily’s jealousy grow in the beginning, and it had hurt her. He had to stop, but he wasn’t in a position to explain everything to her without losing what little advantage he had. Besides, if he started justifying his business relationships to her now, he’d be doing it for the rest of their lives.
He shook his head in disgust. With the way things were going, Lily might actually leave him and run away, no matter the consequences. She had him cornered, and his instinct was to fight. He could easily tempt her until her inhibitions melted, coerce her into accepting things the way he knew they should be. But what he really wanted was for her to realize all they could have if she’d only come to him.
He’d considered going to her tonight. He knew insecurity played a part of her issues with Dee. He’d been very clear that he wanted her, but she was inexperienced. He’d overheard a conversation about her experience—or lack of—and while he admired her for not succumbing to the whims of the idiots she’d dated, Lily might see her innocence as a disadvantage. Besides, a physical release was what they both needed right now. But he didn’t want her thinking he was using the necklace to barter for anything.
The sapphires reminded him of the ocean and holidays visiting his grandmother. It was a sentimental thought, one that started him wondering about introducing Lily to the other woman in his life. It had been too long since his last visit, and he knew his grandmother was eager to meet the young woman he’d told her about. She’d love Lily on sight and ease her worries about his future.
He made his way through the dark house without turning on any lights. The full moon provided just enough illumination to keep from bumping into things on his way to the kitchen. He pushed open the door, reached for the light switch, and flicked it on.
Lily stood in front of the refrigerator, a carton of milk in her hand, at least until she spied him and dropped it with a gasp. His eyes widened at the sight of her in a pale-pink nightie, her golden hair loose about her shoulders. The light material dipped low between her full breasts, delicately revealed the curve of her hips, and gave an alluring view of her bare thighs.
She wasn’t so mesmerized. She cursed, then reached for a towel on the counter and bent low to clean up the spill. Jake pulled his libido back in check and moved to help her. He took the towel from her, and she stood. He had to bite back a groan at how the hem of her nightie came right into his line of sight.
“I’m sorry,” Lily said, walking around him and returning with another towel. “I didn’t expect anyone.”
“Obviously.” He finished the task and stood, enjoying the way her chest hitched with each breath as he looked down at her. “What are you doing down here?”
“Having a glass of milk, or trying to anyway. That’s what I do when I can’t sleep.” She kept her gaze locked on his, except for fleeting moments when it dropped to his bare chest.
He grinned, glad he wasn’t the only one hyper-aware after midnight. “That’s because you sleep alone.”
Her cheeks pinked, but she recovered quickly, narrowing her eyes. “You know, I think you may be right. It’s time I find someone willing to marry the penniless virgin and cure her insomnia.”
She tried to walk past him, but he caught her arm, turned her around, and pulled her flush against him. “You exhaust my patience.”
“While you expect me to understand your need to go through mistresses faster than socks?” She tried to shake off his hold, but he pulled her closer.
“I’ve never claimed to be a saint. But I’m not going to spend my life feeding into your insecurity. I want you, only you, and have from the moment I saw you.
“I watched you, this golden angel gliding across a room, and I wanted you to be looking for me, not one of those worthless idiots you dated. We hadn’t even met, and I couldn’t get you out of my mind. Maybe I did use your father to get closer to you. It seemed like kismet that we were in the same industry. Will became my friend, but he became my partner because of you. I had no other choice. I had to protect you somehow, and you never would have looked twice at me had I not thrown myself in your way at every opportunity.”
“You’ve been watching me?” Her haughty tone cut him to the quick. He was never going to measure up to the vapid boys always trailing after her, never going to be enough for her, simply because he wasn’t from their world.
“And you’ve been watching me, wondering what it would be like if you were only brave enough to step outside your perfect world for a minute and do what you want instead of what you think you should.” He took a step forward, moving them both until she was backed up against the kitchen table.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Her eyes flashed with an emotion he hadn’t seen in her yet.
“What you’ve wanted me to do since you first started watching me. You think there’s something beneath what the world sees. Maybe it’s time I show you what that is.”