~ Cece

 

A week wasn’t nearly enough to prepare myself to span twelve years of time, but the time passed, whether I wanted it to or not. By the time the next Thursday rolled around, Jim was all but shoving me out of the office. I had a plane ticket to Savannah the next morning - where Rhett’s plush, sprawling mansion was located. Though I’d visited Savannah my fair share of times, I couldn’t ever recall seeing so extravagant a building.

I packed as lightly as I could for a month, telling myself I had no one to impress. As long as I dressed professionally, everything should go smoothly enough. I chose a loose sweater and leggings for the plane, anticipating the crush and claustrophobia that came from an hour-long flight in coach.

When I arrived at the airport, however, I was surprised to be taken away from the commercial boarding gates and to the portion of the immense building set aside for private airlines.

“Mr. Wilder has arranged for his plane to fly you out to the estate, Ms. Warner.” When one of the airport employees told me what was going on, I almost felt the need to protest. I was one person. Savannah was less than an hour away and I could hardly condone something this extravagant. “It’s no trouble at all. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s had this done,” she reassured me with a smile that I guessed must have cost a small mint.

I didn’t know if that made me feel any better. The plane was a small, sleek craft right off the pages of The Richest, and, though I couldn’t deny that the plush leather interior was probably the most luxurious travel accommodation I’d ever experienced, it was a bit ostentatious for me. I was offered a glass of champagne before we took off by a single stewardess that looked like she was carved of marble and took it with extreme reluctance.

It was...nice. Far too much fuss for a single person and a trip I could have taken by car, but nice. No one would dispute that.

If this was really the way Rhett lived on a day-to-day basis, his lifestyle couldn’t be more different than mine. I was lucky if I had a chance to make myself a cup of coffee in the morning - I was pretty sure this plane had its own coffee maker, along with a host of other amenities that would never fit into my small apartment.

When the stewardess returned to take my empty champagne glass, I was struck, for the second time, by just how gorgeous she was. Long blonde hair, icy blue eyes and perfectly full lips. She was what every fashion designer imagined when they came up with their spring wardrobes - much like the airport worker who’d led me onto the tarmac in the first place.

Frowning, I took out a cosmetic mirror to assess my own reflection. Though I’d gotten my coffee in that morning, I hadn’t bothered to put any makeup on. I assumed a few hours of travel would ruin it. Thusly, I was faced with my own dark circles, freckles and glum scowl.

Hardly a contribution to the great beauty that seemed to pervade Rhett’s life.

With a sigh, I shoved my mirror into my bag and grabbed a magazine to read during take-off. I started to see Rhett’s image gazing back at me from the cover. Now that I’d been assigned to interview him, the man seemed to be everywhere. Every store I passed had him in their front window and every TV channel had some segment or the other centered around him.

This magazine in particular wasn’t very different that The Burner - a gossip rag clinging to the private lives of celebrities. Rhett had made the cover arm-in-arm with some Russian supermodel and I rolled my eyes at the sight of them together. Though I had done my best to ignore the mention of his name over the years, it was common knowledge that he’d been around the world - and then some. Though he’d never actually been tied down, he’d been connected with everyone from politician’s daughters to even a pop princess- but he never stayed with any of them for more than a couple of weeks.

I didn’t like the thought of the sweet, caring boy I’d once known becoming an international gigolo, but none of that was any of my affair. Rhett wasn’t a child - the pictures of him emblazoned all over every form of print that existed were more than proof of that.

I ran my fingers lightly over the blonde Adonis on the magazine cover. As handsome as he’d been as a seventeen-year-old boy, as a man, he was devastatingly gorgeous. It made perfect sense that women fell all over him everywhere he went.  Rhett had grown into the kind of man that made a woman’s knees weak and her heart flutter. Hell, my heart fluttered looking down into those startlingly blue eyes, and I wasn’t even face to face with him yet.

This couldn’t bode well.

The flight was far shorter than I might have liked, and no sooner had I stepped outside at the Savannah airport than I was whisked into a gleaming black car headed for the outskirts of the city. Despite the pep-talk I had been giving myself for the past week, I found myself distinctly nervous.

He probably won’t remember you. I started up a mantra to calm myself as we drew closer and closer to the manor. And if he doesn’t, you won’t say a word. It’ll make your job easier. Just get the info you need, be a polite houseguest and then get out.

How did I sense this was going to be easier said than done?

I’d seen plenty of pictures of Rhett’s estate before I arrived, so I thought I’d be prepared by the time we rolled up the sprawling drive.

I was wrong.

It was probably one of the most gorgeous traditional houses I’d ever seen - even if it had been obviously renovated. An old plantation mansion across forty acres of carefully tended gardens, complete with guest house and pool. The building fit perfectly into its Savannah backdrop, all white roman columns, red brick and regal bearing. When I got out of the car, I took a moment, outside my nervousness, to appreciate the architecture and sheer beauty of the place.

This, unlike a private plane, seemed like quite the investment.

I didn’t see the dog until it was all but on top of me, and by then, it was too late. Two massive paws hit me somewhere around my waist and I went toppling onto the grass with a yelp of surprise a moment before my nostrils filled with the pungent smell of dog saliva.

“Mason! Christ, Mason, get off her!”

The massive, furry animal - some kind of German shepherd mix- seemed pretty damned enthusiastic about having guests. So much so that I couldn’t help but laugh as he proceeded to bathe my face in his particular brand of canine affection. “Mason!” It was a good minute or so before he was hauled from me so I could breathe and I got a good luck at my rescuer.

My heart stopped.

Fuck. Fuck.

Rhett Wilder himself stared down at me, looking every bit a tall, cool glass of lemonade on the blaring summer day. A pair of khakis hugged his long, long legs and a navy polo just managed to encompass a chest that was even more massive than the pictures could express. He had Mason by the collar, his blue eyes reprimanding, chiseled jaw set into a stern line as he tugged the dog backwards. “You know better, Mason. Heel.”

I’d be lying if I said the authoritative tone of his voice didn’t do something to the most sensitive parts of me. My throat dried as I swallowed thickly - and realized that Rhett was seeing me for the first time in twelve years covered in dog spit and grass stains.

I could have died of embarrassment. “Christ, are you alright?” The moment he managed to get the dog off me, Rhett bent down to offer his hand, his expression pained. “The gardener usually puts him inside when people come. I don’t know what happened.”

“I’m fine.” I managed, allowing him to help me up. I didn’t expect Rhett’s grip to be so strong, however, and when he pulled, he all but yanked me up and into his arms. “He’s...um...really into strangers, huh?”

It was, in all honesty, the lamest greeting I could come up; but to be fair, I was pressed flush against the most solid chest I’d encountered in my twenty-seven years on earth. And Rhett smiled like heaven - a mixture of spicy cologne and the outdoors that made my heart stutter in my chest.

“Into everybody, really. He’s still a puppy. He hasn’t learned caution yet.” The man was doing nothing at all to separate our bodies, and so I pushed back from him to steady myself, doing the best I could to brush grass and leaves from my leggings.

“That’s a puppy?”

Rhett chuckled, his eyes gleaming with devilish mirth. “Seven months. I have the papers to prove it.”

It was then that I realized that I hadn’t yet introduced myself. I extended my hand with a smile that I hoped was congenial enough, despite my haggard appearance. “I’m Cecily, by the way. Cecily Warner.”

If anything, the glint in Rhett’s eyes only grew brighter as he stared at my hand for a moment before reaching out to wrap his fingers around it warmly. “I know who you are, Cece. How could I forget?”

While my mouth was still open in surprise, he took the liberty of lifting my hand to his mouth to kiss instead of shake it, and a thrill of sensation skittered up my spine. “Wait...what?” I slid my hand quickly from his before I could get too absorbed in the sensation of his mouth against my skin. “You knew it was me. Exactly me?” Jim had forgotten to mention that little tidbit.

Of course he had.

“Damn straight I did.” Rhett chuckled, running a hand through his hair in what I supposed was an attempt at humble sheepishness. It only made my mouth water. “I specifically requested that you be the person to interview me.”

For a good ten seconds, I forgot how to breathe. He had requested me? “How...did you know I worked at The Burner?”

“Well...I guess I have to be honest: I might have typed your name into Google just to see what came up.”

It was all I could do to keep from gaping. He’d been looking for me? I could think of very few reasons why a billionaire with all the resources and women he had would do such a thing. “It’s scorching out here. Why don’t we go inside?” Before I could ask any further questions, his arm was around me as he ushered me towards the front door. “I’ll have someone grab your bags for you.”

There was no way I could protest with his muscular arm draped over my shoulders. I’d had my fair share of men in my time, but none of them had overly impressed me. I tended to go out with guys more on the merit of their intelligence than their looks - I could look past a beer gut or a lazy eye if it meant a man was a good conversationalist. Rhett was on an entirely different level - his entire body one hunk of solid muscle.

Considering that we hadn’t seen one another in twelve years, it was mighty forward of him to get so close to me. That, and being this close to a man built like him was enough to make any woman lightheaded. I ducked from beneath his arm before he could open the door, gaining a safe few feet in which to catch my breath.

I knew how Rhett was with women - and I was not going to be one of them, no matter what his expectations were. “I’m alright, Rhett. I can walk on my own.” I held my head high, meeting his gaze levelly and trying to ignore the heat that his slow smile sent weaving through my gut.

“My apologies.” He held up his hands in surrender. “Didn’t mean to invade your personal space. Much.”

I might have let fly the retort that was on the tip of my tongue - lectured him before he got too caught up in the idea of charming me into his bed. But Rhett opened the door to the manor, and the view from the foyer took my breath away.

Sure, I tended to look down my nose at people that spent their money frivolously, but no one could deny that the house was absolutely gorgeous. The foyer was done completely in marble, with a double staircase winding up in either direction to the second floor. From the front door, one could see all the way through the kitchen and formal dining room to the backyard, where a full-sized pool offered relief from the summer heat. I was so busy gawking at the beauty of the architecture that I didn’t notice the telltale jingling of a dog collar until it was all but on top of me.

“Oh no you don’t.” Luckily, Rhett grabbed the massive animal before it could stealth attack me again, swinging the puppy into the house in a smooth motion. “Heel, Mason. We don’t jump on women. At least, not on the first date.” When he winked at me, I almost smiled.

Almost - until I remembered that Rhett had, no doubt, done just that. With more women than I could possibly hope to know about.

Thankfully, Mason seemed to know when he was beaten and slouched off to lounge by the foot of the staircase. I cleared my throat, forcing my thoughts away from all the women Rhett had probably brought in through this same door. “Your house is gorgeous. Did you save the exterior detailing?”

“Yeah. Couldn’t stand to redo it entirely. That said, the interior has all the modern amenities - and a few extras. Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour.” When he held out his hand, I hesitated. How the hell could the man just act as though there weren’t twelve years of distance between us? Like I wasn’t here to do a job?  “I won’t bite you, Cece. Just want to make sure you don’t get lost.”

I could feel my face burning.

I took his hand just to prove a point. I wasn’t afraid of Rhett. Intimidated by his wealth and the unknown, perhaps, but he was just a man. A hot-as-hell, incredibly successful, very charming man...and I was alone with him for the next month.

Heaven help me.

At first, I thought he was being sarcastic with his comment about my getting lost, but I soon found the house was massive enough that it might just happen if I wasn’t careful. Seven bedrooms, eight and a half bathrooms, a game room, massive kitchen, living room and theater - and this all excluded the guest house and the garage.

While the house itself was beautiful, there were a few features that were so extravagant that I had to wonder what purpose they served. A mini bowling alley, a few drink and snack machines that looked as if they’d be more at home in a sci-fi movie than a southern mansion, and sleep number beds in every room. Rhett was showing me the extensive wine cellar - built under the kitchen with a spiral staircase that led down into a cylindrical room filled with hundreds of bottles of wine, when I found I couldn’t keep quiet any longer.

“Do you really need all this?” I finally managed, a weary edge to my voice. All this and we hadn’t even gotten to where I was supposed to be staying yet. It was obvious that he was trying to impress me with all this opulence, and it wasn’t working. I’d seen enough TV programs to know how the ultra-rich lived, and that had never really been my goal in life.

“Need all what?” He turned back to look up at me from lower down the staircase, his expression surprised.

I raised my hand to indicate the hundreds of bottles stored in alphabetical order around us. “Three hundred bottles of wine. Seven bedrooms. A mini-bowling alley. Are you ever really home to enjoy it?”

Rhett had the grace to look somewhat taken aback. “You don’t like it?”

“Like it?” I sighed, shaking my head slowly. “Of course, I like it. It’s every luxury anyone could ever dream of. But do you need it? I mean...isn’t it a bit much?”

I wasn’t being fair, I knew. It was his money - he had every right to do exactly as he pleased with it. But, somehow, I couldn’t reconcile the image of Rhett I’d maintained in my memories with the man that stood before me. Certainly, he’d matured. He’d grown into one of the most attractive and successful men on the planet...but my Rhett had been simpler. Purer and more earnest. He would never have tried to impress me with empty gestures and a house full of gadgets.

It was...disappointing, to say the least.

“Well, I might have gone a bit overboard.” Rhett laughed, breaking the terse moment between us as he rubbed at the back of his head self-consciously. “But why not? When I come home, I like to relax knowing everything I need is close at hand. Isn’t that allowed?”

He was making me sound like a fussy school teacher, and the worst part was, I didn’t really have a leg to stand on. With a sigh, I shook my head. “I suppose not. It is your house.” That said, I begin climbing the stairs back upward towards the kitchen. “Do you mind showing me to my room? I’d like freshen up a bit before we start the first interview.”

It was the first mention either of us made of work, and it saved me from being lost in memories better left forgotten. “Right.” When Rhett emerged from the wine cellar and the sun caught his careless blonde waves, I swallowed a groan. It was completely unfair that the man was so attractive. Certainly, he’d been a beautiful boy but Rhett as a man was probably capable of making ovaries the world over spontaneously implode.

A bitter voice in the back of my mind reminded me that I didn’t have to worry about that before I shoved it back where it belonged. “I fixed up the guest house for you. Should have everything you need.”

Funnily enough, I felt a little twinge of disappointment that I wouldn’t be staying under the same roof as him. It was a disappointment that was completely unjustified, especially assuming that I was willing to jump all over the man for simply enjoying the luxuries in life- for growing up and becoming successful.

Way to go, Cece. An hour in the man’s house and you’re already putting up walls that shouldn’t be there.  As I reprimanded myself, I followed Rhett out through the expansive garage - doing my best not to gape at the luxury cars there - and towards the guest house, set just on the other side of the pool. “Here we are.” Rhett unlocked the door before opening it for me and I stepped inside.

The first thought I had was that the accommodations were fit for a queen. There was a full-sized kitchen, a living room with gleaming leather furniture and a huge TV, and a hallway that led to a full bath and a glorious bedroom. Up until that point, I had never even seen a canopied bed in real life, let alone slept in one. But there it was, the centerpiece of the large bedroom, draped in green and yellow silk.

“It’s a collector’s piece,” Rhett explained, when he caught me admiring it. “Used to sit in a famous castle in England. Had to snatch it up.”

I couldn’t even fault him for it. It was a gorgeous piece of furniture - I almost couldn’t stand the thought of sleeping on it.

“Linens and fridge have been stocked, but dinner’s up in the main house at seven. I’ll be in and out over the course of the next few weeks, but I keep one of my favorite cars in the guest house garage, so don’t freak out if you hear me tinkering. I guess I’ll leave you to get settled.” There was that smile again - devastatingly charming and sexy as hell all at once. “Let me know if there’s anything you need. Anything at all.”

I forced myself to take a deep breath. I was here for work. Work. “Right, I will. Thanks, Rhett.”

There was a beat of hesitation before he turned to leave - a moment in which the man stood in my bedroom, inches away from an actual bed, with my libido screaming that it was injustice for me to stand there and do nothing. When he finally did go, however, I couldn’t breathe a sigh of relief until I heard the door shut behind him.

Dear God.

I collapsed onto the bed and, for a moment, I was swept away. The damned thing was even more comfortable than I’d imagined it might be. Precious few seconds passed until I remembered that I still on Rhett’s estate, and that I would be for the next few weeks. If I was lucky, maybe I could sequester myself away in the guest house for most of that time, but there were at least ten interviews that I had to do.

Which meant that I couldn’t hide forever.

I rolled onto my back to stare up at the rich fabric of the canopy above me, reminding myself that this was for my career. Just one month of endurance and then I could be a real reporter - and I’d never have to see Rhett Wilder again.

With that thought I got up and made my way to the shower. Someone had already brought my things in, so it was a simple matter to get changed so I didn’t look like I’d been traveling all day. It was, however, going to take a little more effort to get the dog spit out of my sweater. I was going to put on a pair of slacks and a button up - perfectly acceptable clothing for an interview. Then, I remembered how decadent Rhett looked in his polo and khakis. The least I could do was make myself look half as mouthwatering - not for him, but for me. With that in mind, I picked out one of my favorite dresses in a light yellow color that complimented my skin tone and put my damp hair up in a loose bun. A quick layer of lip gloss and I deemed myself ready for the main event.

I locked the door behind me using the key Rhett left for me and was, once again, faced with the majesty of his estate. The man might have a crap ton of unnecessary bells and whistles, but the land was worth every cent of what he paid. It was just close enough to Savannah for easy access without being in the downtown area, and you could probably get to the beach in half an hour.

For that alone, I was a little bit envious of him.

I strolled past the pool, admiring the sparkling, cerulean water before stepping onto the patio to take in the manor from outside. The back porch gave you a view straight into the kitchen - where Rhett was making drinks for us.

It was easier to watch him when I knew he wasn’t watching me back. My hand on the sliding door, I paused for a minute, taking in the easy way he moved around the kitchen. He might be rich, but this wasn’t a man that let his staff do everything for him - that much was easy to see. When he reached up to a higher cabinet to withdraw a bottle of bourbon, his shirt crept a few inches up his flat, toned stomach and heat flared low in my belly.

What right did a businessman have to be built like Rhett was? When did he find the time to work out? From the look of things, he was making an alcoholic version of sweet tea that had my mouth watering in anticipation.

Even though I’d have to refuse. There was no way I could drink while I was working - it would be highly unprofessional. Not to mention who knew what I would say to Rhett under the influence of alcohol. Best for me to keep my wits about me.

Clearing my throat, I stepped into the kitchen and made my presence known. When Rhett looked up, his fingers faltered on the whiskey bottle and he barely managed to avoid dropping it, his blue eyes widening almost imperceptibly. I swallowed the part of me that was secretly pleased with his reaction before arching a brow. “You alright?”

“Fine.” His reply was quick - maybe a little too quick. “Just making us a little spiked tea.” When he tilted the whiskey bottle over the pitcher, a low sound of protest escaped the back of my throat.

“Maybe we should just stick with the tea.” I tried for light, but my suggestion came out as a little more desperate than I would have liked.

“Oh, come on. Just a little. It’ll spice things up a bit.” I might have mentioned that I didn’t need things to be any spicier - Rhett was already hot enough; but the man was already pouring spiced whiskey into the tea - to the tune of half a bottle.

Dear Lord, I was in trouble. “Make yourself comfortable in the living room. I’ll be there in two seconds.”

Inwardly berating myself, I made my way to one of the leather couches to sit on the edge primly. I would have one glass of tea and I would sip it slowly. That was the only way I was getting through this. As I was looking around the living room, my gaze fell on several plaques. Almost all of them were awards for manufacturing excellence, but I also spied a business degree and a masters from Stanford.

The school that had separated us.

He really had become just as successful as I thought he might be. The thought both warmed my heart and made me a little melancholy.

“Here we are.” The man entered the living room balancing the tray like a pro. I was reminded, briefly, of the days when he’d worked in a diner just outside the city for pocket money. He used to try and impress me then in much the same way, balancing more plates than anyone could carry in good conscience. “Hope you’re hungry.” There was a plate of sandwiches on the tray with the tea and I wondered if they’d been prepared beforehand or if he made them himself.

I assumed that Rhett would take a seat across from me but he surprised me by sinking down right next to me as soon as he put the tray down. He was so close that his thigh touched my bare one, and I found myself shifting to put a few inches between us. When Rhett reached out to pour my glass of tea, his arm brushed past mine and my breath hitched.

Solid muscle.

His hand lingered on mine when he passed me the glass and I could feel the heat rushing to my cheeks as his gaze rose to my face. “It’s really good to see you again, Cece. You have no idea how much I’ve thought about you over the years.”

I’d sworn there was nothing this man could say that would surprise me. I’d dealt with womanizers before and found they always seemed to operate on the same level. But that caught me off guard. So much so that I didn’t notice that his thumb was stroking slowly over the back of my hand for a full minute.

The moment the sensation did break through, however, I pulled away, suddenly breathless, to put my glass down and reach for my bag. What the hell was I supposed to say? I’d been pining after him too?

That would be a lie. The truth of the matter was that I’d done all I could to try and put Rhett from my mind. There was no use dwelling on the past - especially adolescent romances that, more often than not, amounted to nothing at all. “I’ve got a recorder.” I changed the subject abruptly, willing my heart to stop hammering in my chest. “And today’s questions already planned out.”

Why did he have to be so goddamned close?

I set the recorder on the table, feigning ignorance when Rhett’s gaze dropped to the swell of my cleavage. I’d chosen this dress because I told myself it wasn’t overtly revealing - but now I was starting to rethink my tactics.  “You didn’t even try the tea.” He offered me the class again with a charming smile that made my heart flutter. “I’m crushed.”

I took a sip just to placate him before setting my digital recorder on the table. Up until that moment, I’d forgotten just how thirsty I was, and I was startled to find that, despite the fact that I’d seen Rhett put near half a bottle of whiskey in the pitcher, I could hardly taste the alcohol. “This is good.” The exclamation escaped me before I could help myself and Rhett’s smile only widened.

“Secret family recipe.” I took another long sip before extracting my notepad. I’d divided the questions Jim approved into ten sessions, each marked by notes where I should place the most emphasis. I might not be the most enthusiastic when it came to my work but I was certainly thorough. When I raised my gaze to find him staring at my mouth, I cleared my throat softly.

“Ready to start, then?”

His gaze snapped upward, and the heat in his blue eyes was enough to make me light-headed.

Or maybe that was the alcohol. “Fire away.”

There were about twenty-five questions to get through that day, starting with the mundane and getting steadily more controversial-or juicy, as Jim called it. There were, of course, the customary inquiries about where he got the ideas for his business, who had been his first investors and how he felt about the huge accomplishment of becoming one of the youngest billionaires in the world at the tender age of thirty-one. Rhett answered all these questions without blinking. He had, no doubt, heard the same thing hundreds of times. He could probably get through one of these interviews on autopilot.

“Is there anything you particularly miss about your old life? Before you made your money and ascended to the celebrity status you have now?” By the time we were nearing the bottom of the list, I found that, against my will, I had relaxed somewhat. It was unavoidable, considering I had finished my first glass of spiked tea and was halfway through a second. I hadn’t intended to drink nearly so much, but merely being around Rhett was enough to make me nervous.

“Well, I missed you, Cecily.”

I stared at him as my heart crawled up the back of my throat to cling there, my fingers tightening on the pad I held. I reached out to press pause on the recorder. If he was going to sweet talk me, I hardly needed a record of it, but Rhett continued before I could reach the button. “I’m serious. I don’t think you understand how hard it was in Cali, alone. For the first six months or so, I was a fish out of water. I missed you...how pretty you looked in your summer sundresses.” His eyes slid over my body in a long, appreciative stare that sent a shiver of awareness down my spine. “You’ve only gotten prettier.”

There was no way this was actually getting to me. I had to blame the alcohol, because my cheeks were pink and my belly was somehow warm.

I broke his gaze to concentrate on my notepad once more, my pulse pounding in my ears. “Um...the next question is…”

“You know, we could change locales, if you want.” He interrupted me, his voice low enough to make my womb clench. “I’ve got a little vineyard at the back of the property - put up a lovely gazebo there. We could have a glass of wine and continue this in a more picturesque setting.”

I very nearly said yes. An affirmative answer was all but on the tip of my tongue when my rational brain broke through the alcohol haze that was beginning to cloud my mind. A vineyard? He was suggesting that we casually move to a private vineyard for an interview?

We were already in his ornate, beautifully decorated home, sipping whiskey that I was sure cost more than I made in a month. Going to a vineyard just because it was pretty was overkill - something that he had obviously mentioned purely to impress me.

The gesture tugged at my heartstrings not because there was pure emotion behind it, but because Rhett was probably treating me like every other woman he’d ever brought into his home - right before bedding them and sending them on their way.

For a long beat, I stared at his handsome visage, uncaring that we were wasting space on my recorder. Who was he? The Rhett I’d known as a girl stole affection wherever and whenever he could get it. The moment Jeb left the house he was tugging me into his lap, whispering how we should climb the huge oak tree in my front yard so we could be alone to see the stars together. The Rhett of my childhood had been dirt poor, but he hadn’t needed the trappings of wealth to impress me. He’d been in a league all his own without it.

The Rhett before me was, on many levels, a total and complete stranger.

“You know, I’m not like them.” I finally reached out to turn the recorder off, ire bubbling in my gut.

Rhett’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Pardon?”

When I raised my head to meet his gaze, I did my best to hide my frustration. “Like the women you parade in here to impress with your money. I’m not like them. I never cared about how much money you had, Rhett. I still don’t.” The surprise on his face might have been funny if I wasn’t genuinely hurt by his callous overtures.

“Cece-”

“I’m here in a professional capacity only. We do our interviews for the article and I leave. No funny business - no charm. No falling into bed with you because I’m so overwhelmed by your very presence.” That wasn’t the complete truth - Rhett’s presence did overwhelm me, but the effect was lessened seeing how easily he thought he could work his way past my defenses. “So, please, just don’t. Neither of us has the time to waste.”

I was brusque to the point of callousness - half of me expected he might toss me out of his house on my ear for speaking exactly what was on my mind - you could certainly thank the spiked tea for that. Most of all, however, I was disappointed. Though I hadn’t expected Rhett would recognize me, I certainly hoped he’d have enough respect for me as an old friend to realize I wasn’t just some fly-by-night floozy.

To my surprise, however, the corners of Rhett’s mouth turned up into an indulgent, amused smile that gave me the sudden urge to squirm in my seat. It was the look a cat gives a canary right before he pounces. “Alright, alright. You win.” He raised his hands defensively, much the same way he had when I first entered the house. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m sorry I just...seeing you after so long has me thinking - and that’s the honest to God truth.”

When he looked at me like that - leaning forward, the spicy scent of him enveloping my alcohol-dulled senses - I could almost believe him. I knew if I stayed any longer he would convince me much more quickly than I gave him credit for.

“I think we’re done for today.” I grabbed my recorder and notepad, slipping them into my bag as I stood. It was probably better I left my second glass of tea half-full anyway - God knows I didn’t need any more liquor coursing through me. It might make me do something stupid, like give into the gorgeous man before me. “I’ll type this up and we can do the next interview whenever is convenient for you.”

“Of course.” I hadn’t expected him to stand with me, but if there was one thing that hadn’t changed about Rhett, it was his southern gentility. “I’ve got a few meetings but I should be free sooner rather than later. I’ll let you know.”

He all but towered over me, even in my three-inch heels. His sheer size made me feel small, vulnerable, and, somehow, hotter than I could remember ever being. “Alright.” The word left me on an undignified squeak before I turned on my heels to rush towards the patio door.

I hadn’t made it more than three strides before his velvety baritone stopped me in my tracks. “It really is good to see you, Cece. It’s been way too long.”

I merely nodded affirmatively before fleeing the room, wishing I had worn more comfortable shoes so I could flat out sprint.

I thought I could handle this. A few weeks with a man I hadn’t seen in over a decade seemed like a small price to pay to jump-start my career. But I had obviously underestimated Rhett’s sheer sex appeal. He might have been acting like the typical womanizer, but I found myself strangely vulnerable to his tactics. Maybe because I remembered a simpler time with less bravado. I remembered the boy who’d jumped naked with me into the nearest lake on a dare and given me my first and most perfect kiss.

And lamented what he’d become.