Читать книгу The Garrisons: Parker, Brittany & Stephen: The CEO's Scandalous Affair - Sara Orwig - Страница 10

Parker left the office early, met off-site with Brandon and made it to Brittany Beach well in advance of his “date.” At seven, the sprawling veranda that overlooked the white sands of Miami Beach was already jammed with the beautiful people ready to blow off summer steam and partake in the edgy atmosphere.

He strode across the whitewashed planks, his sunglasses hiding his observation of a young woman in a bikini top so small a strong wind would loosen it. His sister Brittany had taken a lukewarm restaurant that had little going for it but a primo location and turned it into a fairly sizzling place to dine and be seen. Although Adam’s Estate was the late-night destination for the younger club-going set, Brittany Beach had potential.

However, the potential Parker saw was primarily in the fact that the restaurant was located on one of the last waterfront parcels in SoBe still zoned for condos.

Still, Brittany was squeezing what she could out of the restaurant business. Unless it was pouring, the elegant Haitian cotton sofas under cabana tents were populated with self-absorbed Euro models and the men who liked to buy them drinks and dinner. This evening was no different.

“Hey, Parker. Over here.” He turned at the sound of Stephen’s voice, to see his brother sitting comfortably on one of those sofas, with no model in sight. There would be, eventually.

“‘Sup, Stephen.” Parker ambled over, offered his knuckles in greeting and took the silent invitation to join him. “You having dinner here?”

“Just stopped by to see how Brittany’s doing. Have you seen her?”

“No, but I just walked in. She’ll be around.”

A pretty blond cocktail waitress in a revealing halter top and low-slung sarong sidled up to their table and flashed a smile. “Hi, guys. What’ll it be?”

“I’m having dinner,” Parker said, “but not for a few minutes, so just a bottled water for me.”

Stephen ordered a light beer and asked if Brittany was around.

“She’s in the kitchen,” the waitress said. “You’re her brothers, right? I’ll tell her you’re here.”

When the waitress left, Parker slipped off his shades to look at his brother.

“How was the water this weekend?” he asked, knowing that Stephen, although he was as much of a workaholic as Parker, spent every free minute on his elegant cruising yacht.

“Gorgeous. A great escape from the mess that has become Garrison.”

Parker acknowledged that with a puff of disgust. “You got that right. I talked to our newest sister today.”

Stephen yanked his own sunglasses off. “And?”

“And she’s added Garrison to her last name.”

“Oh, man. What did she say?”

“In a nutshell, she won’t rescind her shares, won’t sell them outright, doesn’t want a family reunion and would like to be left alone to run her property.” Parker crossed his ankles and peered at the blue-on-blue horizon. “Brandon’s filed the legal papers. I’m contesting.”

“I don’t know if you need it legally, but you have my support.”

Parker nodded. “Thanks, bro. God knows if I’ll have the others’.”

“Adam will back you. And Brooke. I think, anyway.”

“What do you mean? What’s up with Brooke?” Parker had a well-known soft spot for his sister. “Is she still upset about the will?”

“About the fact that Dad had another family, oh yeah. I tried to talk to her about it, but you know Brooke. She’s private.”

“I’ll give her a call,” Parker said.

“You know, I think she’s seeing someone, too.”

“Really? Did she mention that at the Sunday dinner I missed?”

“No, in fact, she denied it,” Stephen said. “But I know I saw her at the Grand last Thursday.”

“The day of the will reading?”

“That night, actually. I saw her across the lobby, and some guy had his arm around her. Then he disappeared around the corner with her.”

“And you never saw him before?” Parker leaned forward, his brotherly protective streak ignited.

“I only saw him from the back and when I asked her about it on Sunday, she said I must have confused her with someone else.”

“Brittany?”

“Brittany was here that night.”

Brooke wouldn’t lie, so Stephen must have been mistaken. “I’ll have to talk to her, but still, I think she’ll support my decision to contest the will. Not sure about her evil twin, though.”

Stephen laughed softly. “Brittany’s always a wild card.” He glanced around as though just mentioning their sister would conjure her up. “I guess it depends what Garrison, Inc. wants to persuade her to do with this restaurant.”

Parker shrugged. “I know this is her baby, and I was just thinking she’s done a fine job bringing this place into the twenty-first century.”

“It’s profitable.”

“On paper, yes. But do you have any idea how many more millions we’d get if we used this slice of land for condos?”

Stephen conceded that with a nod, saying nothing as the waitress delivered their drinks.

“She’d be devastated if we go that route,” Stephen finally said. “You’d have to evict her, technically.”

“I know, and I won’t unless we’re forced to. As long as she’s turning a real profit here—and I mean a significant profit—then we can wait. But Garrison, Inc. owns the land, even if she owns the restaurant. If we wait, all that’ll happen is that the cost of building will rise, and we’ll charge five million for a condo instead of four. But if her business starts to falter, which, knowing the cyclical nature of the restaurant trade, it inevitably will—”

Behind him, a small but firm hand landed on his shoulder.

“Nothing is inevitable.” Brittany’s voice was as cold as the water he sipped. “Except that yet another poor, unsuspecting fool is up at the hostess stand asking for you. Haven’t I seen this one before, Parker?”

She’d heard everything. He knew it. He’d just effectively put his sister on notice. What would that do when it came time for her support in contesting the will? He planted a smile and stood to greet her.

“Of course you’ve seen her before,” he said, reaching to give her a brotherly, if cursory, hug. “She’s my administrative assistant.”

Brittany ignored his outstretched hands by putting hers on her slender hips. “That’s Anna?” She frowned deeper. “She looks different.”

“So is this a date or a business meeting?” Stephen asked.

Parker pulled his sunglasses back on. “A little of both, my friends. A little of both.”

They both opened their mouths to speak, but he slipped away with a half salute of goodbye before they could bombard him with questions he didn’t want to answer.

Anna saw his silhouette before she could make out Parker’s face as he walked toward her, backlit by the early evening sun reflecting off the water. He moved like an athlete, so strong and in control of every muscle. He held his head high, his broad shoulders erect, his expensive suit draping perfectly over the body it was cut and sewn to fit.

When, she wondered, would this man stop taking her breath away?

She’d taken the job as his assistant knowing full well that she found him attractive. That hadn’t seemed like something that would be crippling. She thought it would add a nice, interesting dimension to her job—the handsome boss.

But she hadn’t counted on him being so down-to-the-bone appealing. And she certainly hadn’t thought he’d ask her to travel with him and then kiss her senseless.

Of course, to be fair, she had kissed him first.

And there had been nothing senseless about it. She’d distracted him. And it had worked. But now they were going back to a strictly business arrangement that would stifle her attraction, and protect her from his digging into secrets that had to remain buried.

As Parker approached, his gaze dropped, quickly but clearly, and his eyebrows twitched in a silent compliment.

“You changed,” he said with a smile. “I like that dress.”

She’d chosen something black, simple, ladylike. But the way he inspected her, she wondered if he could see right through it. “I had a little time, so I took a run when I got home.”

“How long have you been running?” he asked.

From the past? Darn near five years. “I started in high school,” she said. “Got hooked on the endorphin rush.”

His lips tipped in a smile. “I know the feeling.”

“But you get it from work,” she replied.

“I get it from a lot of things,” he said, his voice so low and rich with implication she actually curled her toes as a hostess approached them.

“Inside or out, Mr. Garrison?” she asked, her sky-blue eyes trained on him flirtatiously.

But he didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he put a confident hand on Anna’s back and spoke to her. “I suggest we eat indoors because it gets a little raucous on the patio. Unless you’d prefer outdoor air.”

“Inside is fine,” she said.

“It’s more private,” he added, stepping a little closer. “Since you wanted to talk.”

Yes, she did. And she couldn’t let that glint in his dark chocolate eyes or that sexy, musky scent distract her from what she’d come here to tell him.

In a few minutes, they were seated in an alcove more like a bed than a booth, with a sheer privacy drape and a low table that practically begged the occupants to lie down and eat.

“Yeah, this is private, all right,” she said, tugging at the skirt that rode up her thighs as she situated herself.

“We can leave the drape open, if you prefer,” he said, shaking off his jacket and loosening his tie. She tried to swallow, but her throat had turned bone-dry and her hands itched to undo that tie even farther.

“Need a drink, Anna?” he asked as if he noticed her problem.

“Just water, please. I’m not drinking tonight.” She needed every last wit to deal with him.

He ordered them both bottled water, which was delivered with tall, free-form cobalt-blue glasses of ice with curls of lemon and lime. While they sipped, he made small talk, mentioning that he’d seen his brother outside, telling her how the restaurant had changed since his sister had taken over ownership.

“Are you close to Brittany?” she asked, suddenly curious. “She doesn’t call you much.”

“We have our moments,” he told her with a wistful smile. “She’s definitely the more opinionated of the twins.”

He told her a story from their childhood, something that proved his point about the difference between the twins, and Anna tried to concentrate on the details, but every minute or so her mind would drift to study the full shape of his lips, the marked cleft in his chin so like the ones all his siblings had.

He continued the story and she caught a few snatches, but her gaze slipped to his hair, which was short but thick and a little longer in the front, so that when he lowered his head, a single lock would fall on his forehead.

And his hands. God, she adored those hands. Like the feet, they were all size and strength. She watched his fingers close over the base of the water glass and remembered how they’d felt on her thigh, branding her with heat and desire.

“Can’t you just imagine a seven-year-old girl doing that?” he asked.

A little wave of panic dried her throat again. She had no idea what he’d said. “No,” she replied, hoping it was the right answer.

His smile was slow and teasing. “No, you can’t imagine, or no, you didn’t hear a word I said?”

Did he have to be so damn charming? That wasn’t making this any easier.

Before she could answer, he leaned on one hand, the one that was perilously close to her hip, and trained that hot, dark gaze on her. “So, what’s on your mind, sweetheart?”

Sweetheart. The endearment almost ripped her in half. Pulling up all her inner strength, she opened her mouth to say, “We have to be friends,” just as Brittany Garrison arrived at the table, carrying a plate of sushi appetizers.

“I hate to interrupt this obviously important business meeting, but my chef has outdone himself in your honor.” She set the plate between them, but looked at her brother. “We wouldn’t want to falter in the kitchen now, would we?”

Parker plucked a tuna roll and winked at her. “No, we wouldn’t, Britt. Do you remember my administrative assistant, Anna Cross?”

Anna reached out to shake Brittany’s hand. “Hello, Brittany.”

Brittany gave her a thorough assessment. “Of course we’ve met,” she said warmly. “But you only worked for him then. How long have you been dating?”

“We’re not—”

“Go away, Britt,” Parker said, shooing her with a tuna roll. “It’s bad business to annoy the patrons.”

She merely shot him a sideways glance. “I need to know what night you want to reserve this place for Mother’s sixtieth surprise bash.”

He popped the sushi and chewed, wiping his mouth with a linen napkin and nodding in approval. “Nice, fresh fish, Britt. Compliments to the kitchen.”

“What night, Parker? I have a business to run so I need to know when I can and cannot accept reservations.”

“Accept everything. We’re not doing it here. Adam’s having it at Estate.”

Brittany’s elegant, sculpted jaw dropped and she snapped her arms across her chest. “We decided—”

“Adam convinced me.”

“Or you made another wholesale decision without discussing it with anyone else.”

He shrugged. “It makes way more sense to have it there. The party is a critical PR move for the family.” For a moment, he paused and glanced at Anna, as though he wasn’t sure he wanted her to hear that. “So, we’re having it there.”

Brittany’s eyes narrowed, Anna obviously forgotten in the midst of a Garrison family squabble. But Parker didn’t even notice. Because his decisions were made and abided, Anna thought. And never second-guessed.

By anyone.

Just like, she thought with a sickening wave of clarity, Michael Montgomery. Reminding her of why she’d come to this restaurant with this man: to stop any personal relationship before it started.

“Have a tuna roll, Anna,” he said, sliding the plate closer to her. “Let’s take this up in private, Britt. This isn’t fair to Anna. How ‘bout the house special tonight. Would you handle the ordering for us, so we can talk?”

Brittany nodded. “Of course. Enjoy your dinner,” she said coolly. “And your date.”

Anna sat up a little straighter. “This isn’t a date,” she said, her words making Parker freeze in the act of reaching for sushi. “But I’m sure we’ll enjoy your lovely restaurant.”

The corners of Brittany’s mouth curled up and she gave Parker a raised eyebrow. “You do that.” Without another word, she left the table.

In a move so smooth and fast, Anna almost didn’t see it, Parker flipped the drape and shrouded them in gauzy privacy.

“What do you mean this isn’t a date?” he asked, his voice only half-playful.

For a moment, she thought he was going to punctuate that question with a kiss, as though that would prove it was most certainly a date.

“I guess it’s time for us to talk,” she said, squaring her shoulders even more. “And please don’t interrupt me.”

He just lifted a brow, silent.

“I’ve given this a lot of thought,” she started. “Since… Saturday. Since London.” Since we kissed. But she didn’t need to say that. The thought was reverberating through the small, tight space they occupied. “I think what happened was…” Amazing. Provocative. Tempting. “Not a great idea.”

Still, he said nothing, focusing on her so intently, she could feel it singe her skin.

“I like my job,” she continued. “I actually love my job. And I’d like to keep it. So, I want to… forget what happened. I’d like to be friends, of course. But you are my boss and I work for you and anything else is out of the question.”

She paused, long enough for him to respond. But still, he just looked at her, his gaze wicked and direct. Until it dropped to her mouth and threatened to take her breath away.

“Don’t you agree?” she finally asked.

“No.” He dipped his head, the word almost lost as he lowered his head, slowly, intently, and kissed her, leaning so far into her that she almost fell back on the bedlike seat. His tongue teased her lips apart as he wrapped both arms around her and pulled her into his chest, the hammering of his heart as shocking to her as the complete ownership his mouth had taken.

Finally, after her ears sang with pounding, pulsing blood, he released her.

“I don’t agree,” he said, a sneaky smile tipping his lips just before he kissed her again, gently this time, mouth closed, eyes open. “I do not agree at all.”

“Don’t make this hard for me,” she whispered. “You know I like to kiss you. You know I’m attracted to you. But I want to keep my job.”

He backed away, just an inch, the playfulness gone from his eyes as he studied her. “Why is that so important to you?”

“Because it’s how I make a living.”

“Is that the only reason?”

She frowned, confused. “Yes.”

“You’re not…” He leaned his head in question. “Involved with another man?”

She shook her head, regarding him warily. “I wouldn’t have even kissed you in London if I were.”

“So there’s no other man in your life.”

Parker was a possessive man. Was that the reason he was forcing this angle? “No,” she assured him. “There hasn’t been for a long time.”

“And you have no other source of income?”

She blinked at him. “Of course not. I make my living working for you.”

“All right, then, I understand what you’re saying.” He reached for another sushi and gave her a wistful smile. “But I don’t have to like it.”

She sighed with relief. “I appreciate your respecting my concerns. I know you’re a man who gets and takes whatever he wants.”

His eyes flashed at that. “If I were, I would have taken what I wanted Saturday night. I wanted…” He closed his eyes in correction. “I want you.”

“I wanted you, too,” she admitted softly, resisting the urge to put it in the present tense. “But I want my job more.”

He took a bite of the sushi, still studying her intently. “It’s not the only administrative job in Miami, you know,” he finally said. “I could help you find another just as good if you really want… to remove that obstacle.”

The comment tore her in half. On one hand, the compliment ran deep. He really did want her—enough to try to help her past the hurdle that kept them apart. But on the other hand, she didn’t want to risk the search into her background, the hassle and worry of getting another job.

She’d landed this one with the help of a trustworthy friend, but what might get revealed if she hit the job market?

Still, it seemed like a magnanimous gesture on his part. “Would you do that just so we could sleep together?”

“Trust me, there’d be very little sleeping involved.” His smile was sinful.

“No.” She shook her head in determination. “I want to work for you. I want to stay where I am. I’m learning a lot.”

“You’re learning a lot,” he repeated slowly, the disappointment clear in his expression. “Well, if you change your mind…”

“You’ll be the first to know,” she assured him. “In the meantime, let’s stay focused on business.”

His smile was tight and forced, as if he didn’t like what he was hearing at all. Another compliment. “Yeah,” he said drily. “So you can learn more.”

He opened the drape with a slow swipe as the waiter approached with their dinner. When it was served, Anna felt the strain of silence.

“You know,” she said conversationally, “I was so busy this afternoon I forgot to check your calendar before I left. What’s on it tomorrow?”

As he took a sip of water and swallowed, she watched the wheels turning, probably visualizing his PDA screen.

“I have an early-morning meeting with some developers of that North Miami property I’ve had my eye on.”

“Really?” She tried to picture his calendar for herself. “I don’t remember arranging that.”

“You didn’t.” He studied his food intently, that stray lock falling on his forehead, tempting her to touch it. “I set it up myself.”

“Oh. So you won’t be in until, when? Ten?”

He gave her a quick look through his thick lashes. “Yep. Enough time for you to shower in peace.”

She laughed softly, grateful for his humor. He may like to be in charge, but Parker had another side to him. A side that was much more human and tender than a man like Michael Montgomery. A very attractive side.

He held a forkful of his roasted duck toward her. “Want to taste?”

It wasn’t entirely professional, and it wasn’t a move that “friends” made, but she couldn’t resist. She ate off his fork and the intimacy of the act pulled at her most feminine core, twisting a pang of arousal exactly the way his demanding kiss had.

As he held her gaze and fed her, she couldn’t help feeling that he knew exactly what he was doing to her insides. And he liked it. With Parker Garrison, knowledge was power.

Power she had no doubt he would use—and use creatively.

She knew she’d made the right decision, but she just couldn’t escape the sensation that she just might have made her life even more complicated.