Lush Page 2

  “Come sit by me,” Michael had said with a huskiness that she could still remember clearly when she closed her eyes in the dark and concentrated, even all these years later.

  “Michael,” God, how she’d loved saying his name. “Why now?”

  “Because I’ll be leaving to for London in less than a month and I can’t go without telling you something very important.”

  She took her seat next to him as if in a trance, staring into his glorious blue eyes. Eyes that were darkened to amber tones in the dim light, but so full of promise.

  He didn’t say anything for the longest time. He simply brushed his fingers over her arm in circular motions that ran from her shoulder to her wrist. Igniting fires in her blood and stirring riots of butterflies in her belly.

  “You’re a beautiful girl, Julia.”

  “Th– thank you.”

  He inched closer. Pressing her down onto the luxuriously cushioned deckchair.

  She was still half dazed by the wonder of it all when she realised that he was lying partially over her, one of his long, strong legs pressing between hers.

  “Jules,” he murmured, his smile pure temptation. “What would you do if I kissed you right now?”

  “I– I don’t know. I’ve never been kissed before.” And it was the truth. She’d had countless opportunities but something very precious always held her back. She wanted her first kiss to mean something. She wanted her first kiss, and every kiss after it, to come from Michael. It had always seemed like and impossible dream, but in that moment, on that soft deckchair...

  “Really?” his eyebrows rose in surprise. “What about Mark?”

  Mark Green was a boy one year ahead of her who’d been trying to get her to go out with him before the summer break, but her parents’ No-Dating-Till-You’re-Sixteen rule had given her the perfect excuse to decline his offers. Even though a small part of her wanted to discover if all the rumours about his kissing skills were true she liked having her parents’ regulations to hide behind. She was only fifteen and she knew that Mark would definitely have moved on way before she even got close to turning sixteen. That birthday was still six months away. Besides, kissing Mark wouldn’t mean anything. Only Michael’s kiss would mean something. It would mean everything.

  “Will you go out with Mark if he asks you to?” Michael pressed.

  “It’s not like I can,” she confessed honestly. “My folks would ground me till I’m fifty if I went anywhere with him. You know how insanely strict they are.”

  “And what if Mark did something like this; snuck up here and asked you to meet him?”

  She blushed so profusely that she had no doubt she was turning beet-red. The only thing preventing her from turning away in embarrassment was the knowledge that the reduced light quality was on her side. How would she work up the courage to tell Michael that he was the only guy she had any interest in being with?

  Suddenly he covered her mouth with his own, seducing her tenderly, enticingly. Eliciting needy moans of longing that she had not known herself capable of till that moment. The kiss soon changed. She’d opened her mouth to take a breath and he slipped his tongue past her lips.

  That marked the end of her conscious thought processes. Instinct as old as time took over and she returned the kiss with a hunger that had been eight years in the making. She arched her back, rubbed her body against the evidence of his arousal, and she knew in that moment that if he asked her, even if he didn’t, she would give him her virginity. She would give him everything she had to give. She loved him that much.

  He made her feel more alive in those glorious moments than she had ever felt in her life. If heaven was a physical place she had discovered it. All she needed was to hear him say those three simple words and mean them.

  A blinding flash went off just as she barely opened her eyes to see if everything she was experiencing was real. And then she truly startled, opening her eyes fully against the intrusion just in time to be blinded by another blaze of light.

  As it turned out Michael had staged the liaison so that his best friend, Roger Campbell, could capture incriminating, photographic evidence to blackmail her with. He’d learned of his sister’s foray into womanhood with Rory last month and decided that Julia needed to be deterred before it was too late.

  “Michael,” she pleaded on the verge of tears, feeling confused and hurt. “What’s going on? What are you– Why are you doing this?”

  His unexpectedly harsh voice nearly deafened her as he commanded Roger to leave so that he could speak with her in private.

  Once they were all alone he pulled away from her completely and said, “I’m doing this because I had to buy my sister a Morning After pill this summer and I sure as hell don’t intend to do the same for you. Now that you know how easily you could lose your mind, how very easily you can be manipulated, you’d better stay the hell away from any guy until you are ready to face the consequences on your own. You’re lucky I chose to teach you this lesson. I’d hate to see you wreck your life the way Kirsten almost did. If you decide to start messing around with guys you’d better get yourself on the pill and make sure the fucker uses a condom. And most importantly, make sure I don’t find out about it. You hear me, Julia?”

  Utterly stunned by his tirade she cowered into the cushions and blocked her ears, but he quickly moved back into her personal space and pulled her hands down, forcing her to look at him.

  “Listen to me, Jules,” he hissed angrily. “When you started high school your dad asked me to look out for you and I promised him that I would. You’re my friend and I care about you, but if you insist on playing grownup games without taking precautions, and I find out about it, I will send the photos Roger just took and this recording —” he leaned over her and produced a tape-recorder that had been sitting on the ground. “— to your folks so that they know I did all I could to save you from yourself.”

  “Jesus, Mike,” she cried in hurt anger. The sense of betrayal almost too much to endure. “What have I ever done to you? How can you treat me like this? Why? Why are you doing this to me?”

  “Why the hell do you think? I don’t want to see you end up like my mother. Mark is a jerk! He is a total pig! He’ll play you till he gets what he wants, and trust me; he won’t care if he ruins your life while he does it. He’ll drop you like my biological father dropped my mother the second he found out she was pregnant. Only you might not be as lucky as she was. You won’t meet a guy like my dad who’ll marry you and love your bastard child as if it’s his own. You’re pretty, kid, but you’re not that pretty.”

  Then, leaving her to cry her eyes out all alone on that darkened rooftop, he gathered his things and walked out of her life.

  ***

  Chapter 2

  Michael spun around as his office door opened, ready to give hell to whoever was daring to interrupt him just minutes before he was about to host his first Rapid-Fire Date Night at Lush, and stopped in his tracks.

  Who on earth was the raven haired, green eyed goddess standing next to his kid sister in a sexy, thigh-high, silver wisp of a dress and killer heels that just might bring her close to his height of six-four? God, she was gorgeous. She looked familiar. Vaguely.

  “Kirsten,” he said, far more collectedly than he felt. “You should be downstairs getting registered. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “Yeah, I know, but Jules and I wanted to quickly use the restroom to freshen up. You know, pick the salad greens from our teeth and all that.”

  “Jules?” he asked a little stupidly. Maybe even very stupidly. It was the kind of thing that happened to a guy when he was completely awestruck.

  “Yep, Jules. As in Julia Kincaid.” She cocked her head towards the statuesque goddess. “My best friend since forever?”

  Oh Christ! That was Julia? Of course it was Julia. He’d recognise those eyes anywhere. He’d dreamed of those eyes every night for years after he’d kissed her. He’d wanted... almost... it didn’t matter. Those dream
s belonged to a boy who no longer existed. Only right now time was slipping back and he was that same boy again.

  Taking a deep breath he gritted his teeth against those old hopes and dreams. They were foolish. He was being ridiculous.

  Both women stepped forward, but Julia was the one to speak since Kirsten bypassed him and headed straight into his restroom with typical breeziness.

  “Hi Mike. Sorry to just barge in like this, but your sister wants to make sure her war paint is still intact and it seems that all the other ladies you roped into this dating fiasco had the same idea.”

  It took him a second to see that she was holding out her hand. He shook it by rote then almost hit the deck when his knees buckled.

  Whoa! Was the feel of her amazingly smooth, piano player hand really about to floor him? Was he actually feeling electricity sizzle up his arm and ignite in his groin?

  Yeah. Yeah he was. He was getting hard.

  Forget the passing of time. He wasn’t being ridiculous. She still held the same power over him that she’d held more than ten years ago.

  It had been perilously dangerous back then, but now that time was finally on their side he no longer had to run from her. It was finally acceptable to show her how much he desired her. All the dreams he’d smothered under work and an iron-will started taking on new life.

  Without releasing her hand he leaned a hip against his work-cluttered desk and slowly pulled her towards him. “You look incredible, Julia. My God, you’re... you’re breathtaking.”

  She smiled, but it didn’t come close to reaching her eyes. “Oh come on, Mike. Sure, I’m pretty, but not that pretty.”

  “Excuse me?” he felt struck stupid for the second time in as many minutes. How could such a magnificent woman have such a low regard for herself? Where was the Julia he’d fallen for back when he was seventeen?

  “Oh, you’ll figure it out eventually,” she said, pulling her hand free and strutting into the bathroom like she owned the place. And who could blame her? She certainly owned that walk.

  Clarity hit him between the eyes with the slamming of the door.

  Damn it! She’d changed in the worst possible way.

  As was often the case with beautiful women, Julia had developed into a femme fatale. She was playing him, but he sure as hell was not the kind of guy who’d sit back and let himself get played. Not anymore. Not since Allison with her obsessive need to be the centre of attention; her need to be adored and worshipped no matter who she hurt, what vows she broke.

  He would just have to show Jules that he was not interested in those games. He was not some schmuck who’d pander to female vanity.

  But the way she’d made that remark about not being pretty did not match the modus operandi of a heartless coquette. More importantly, it was a bizarre way to fish for compliments. It lacked poise and self-confidence. The Julia he used to know had never been unsure of herself. Never even pretended to be unsure. He remembered how as a kid she had been fully confident in every aspect of her life. With her amazing, loving parents it had been a given that she would grow into a well-adjusted woman. What had happened to her in the years since he’d last seen her? She seemed... almost cynical.

  According to his sister she had done very well for herself. After graduating from high school as valedictorian she had studied marketing at NYU on a full academic scholarship. Immediately on receiving her degree she’d landed a job with one of the top branding agencies in the country. Then two years ago she had opened up her own marketing firm and she now represented a very select number of highly affluent clients. That wasn’t the norm for a woman who lacked in self-assurance. Jules was a hugely successful competitor in the big leagues of branding and advertising. She had nothing to be bitter about. No reason to be unconfident. But what then? What was her angle?

  He was still mulling it over when Julia and his sister returned.

  “Okay, big brother,” Kirsten said with an impish grin. “Lead the way. We’re ready to dazzle the sixteen suitors you’ve lined up for us and report back on the experience.”

  His gaze was immediately pulled back to Julia, who let out a rather unladylike snort and eye roll.

  Again, not the right MO for a vamp.

  “What is it, Jules?” He gave her the most casual smirk he could muster. “You don’t like male attention?”

  “Oh I like the attention just fine, Mike,” she retorted with an acid glare. “What I don’t like is the idea of pretty much having to compete for it along with fifteen other women. No offence, Kirst.”

  “None taken, Julie-bean.”

  “I somehow don’t think you’ll have to do much competing,” he said honestly. Then remembering who he was dealing with he added, “Though you might want to smile a little. You look like you’re sucking on a lemon.”

  Kirsten gasped and slapped his arm. “Hey, bro. You might want to ease up on the flattery. Jules and I are doing you a big favour here.”

  Julia rolled her eyes again, crossing her toned arms in a devil-may-care show of audacity that only served to accentuate her fantastic cleavage. “Oh please. I’m not doing this out of the goodness of my heart; I’m doing this for the All-Star tickets. You’d better not be lying about those, Mike.”

  “Got them right here, Jules.” He tapped the breast pocket of his suit jacket. “Now come along, ladies. Let’s get this show started.”

  *

  The second that Julia marched out of earshot to collect her assessment forms in the VIP lounge Michael pulled his terror of a sibling aside. “What the hell are you up to, little sister? When I asked you to bring a suitable critique partner I meant someone who actually wanted to try speed dating and submit a candid report on the experience. Julia looks like she’d rather face a firing squad.” Yes, he was probably exaggerating slightly, but it was better than broaching the fact that she’d behaved like a total harpy.

  “Well then you should have been more specific,” Kirsten muttered with way too much attitude. “For crying out loud you offered tickets to a softball game as incentive. She’s the only woman I know who’d want to watch a bunch of guys throw and smack a ball around.”

  “It’s not softball, it’s baseball,” he corrected.

  “My point exactly.”

  “Kirst, the baseball tickets were intended as something that your partner could use if she met someone she liked tonight. It would have scored serious points with any guy. Besides, I also offered free drinks and a very substantial dinner voucher to one of the best steak houses in New York.”

  “Well shoot, how was I supposed to know? And that reminds me, why didn’t you offer me a dinner voucher?”

  What the hell? Was she deliberately being obtuse? Rather than insult her intelligence he countered with, “Because I gave you my credit card and you went nuts with it.”

  “Look, Mike,” she stated with brittle coolness. “If you don’t want her here, just say so. I’ll get her and we’ll leave right now. I’ll drop off a check for the stuff you paid for tomorrow.”

  Oh hell, he’d gone too far. Poor thing looked close to tears. Never a good sign. Kirst was the kind of girl who would rather die than show weakness.

  Scrubbing his hands over his face in equal measures of shame and frustration he softened the tone of his voice. “Don’t do that. I’m sorry. I told you to buy anything you wanted and I’m glad you did. I should not have thrown it in your face.”

  “But you don’t want Jules here,” she argued, pure misery etched all over her angelic face.

  How could she think that for even a second? He might never have told her in so many words, but Kirst had to know how he felt about Jules. Letting down his guard he smiled glumly and confessed, “I do want her here, sis. I’ve missed her more than you know.”

  Typical of the fairer sex she pulled a one-eighty and knocked him off kilter yet again. Levelling him with a downright offended scowl, she demanded, “Then why are you being such a jerk to her?”

  “Because she’s being a jerk to me
. Call it self-defence.”

  “Well maybe if you try to be pleasant she’ll stop being a jerk.”

  “Are you kidding me? In case you failed to notice, she hates my guts.”

  “Actually I did notice and I don’t get it. What did you do to her, Mike?”

  “Nothing.” He muttered this under his breath because one of the waitresses was walking by. The last thing he needed was to give those gossips a tasty morsel to chew on.

  “You must’ve done something,” Kirsten pressed. “Jules isn’t the kind of person who holds a grudge for no good reason.”

  “I haven’t seen her in a goddamned decade,” he countered, taking more than a little umbrage at what his sister was implying. Why did women always assume that the nearest man was at fault when one of their cronies was in a shitty mood?

  “Well you must have done something.”

  And off she went again. It had be a serious design flaw in the female genome that made them blind to reason. Digging deep for patience he reiterated, “I haven’t had a chance to do anything since, as you well know, I have not seen her in Ten. Whole. Years. Look, we don’t have time to discuss this now. Go get your nametag and evaluation forms. We’ll talk later.”

  “You bet your ass we will. I’m coming up to your office during the interval and I’m bringing Jules with me. This avoidance shit ends tonight. You guys really need to stop dodging each other. She’s my best friend and you’re my only brother. I need you guys to get along.”

  Whoa. Talk about an earful. “Why is it such a big deal to you if we get along or not?”