12
“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, welcome to Lakeside,” Belle said from the raised dais, the microphone carrying her words to the glittering corners of the ballroom. “You’re all going to enjoy an incredible stay at this gorgeous luxury resort, and for you couples here, you’re in for one wild time.”
Mitch watched the nudges spread around the room and grinned. Belle was like a sexy fairy up there on stage, wooing and entertaining his family and friends. She described the features of the resort and the quote-unquote “normal” special events they had planned for the next three days.
“And for those, shall we say, more adventurous among you,” she added, her tone changing from charming to flirtatious, “we’ve got a few special treats.”
Her emphasis on special had the room laughing. “As you know, Lakeside is going to be much more than a posh vacation spot for the rich and famous. Only at Lakeside can paparazzi-weary A-listers come for complete and total privacy. For relaxation. For romance. And best of all, for great sex.”
At her last words, the entire room broke into applause. Belle waited for the wave of chatter to die down before going on to describe some of the more exotic extras the resort would offer. She also listed a choice a few of the guests would be able to sample for themselves tonight.
Mitch’s grandma elbowed him in the side and lifted her champagne flute. “Good job, sweetie. She’s got style.”
“She came up with a great plan for the success of the resort,” he said, unable to take his eyes off Belle as she descended from the stage and stopped to speak to Larry, then to Sierra, who for some bizarre reason had been clinging to the manager all evening. Mitch liked Larry well enough, but wondered if he should warn him about Belle’s business partner. If Reece couldn’t handle the giddyap kink of that sultry brunette, there was no way Larry could.
Belle, looking serious and intense, was speaking to some guy Mitch didn’t recognize. Must be one of her people, he guessed. Mitch’s gaze slid over her tousled blond curls and he sighed. Damn, even in a room filled with glitz and glitter, she still sparkled.
“She’s caught your eye again, that’s for sure,” Grammy Lynn noted.
Mitch just shrugged. Why deny the obvious? He tore his gaze from Belle to look around for Reece. His cousin was at the far end of the room talking to one of the security guys. Mitch frowned. Had something else gone wrong? He caught Reece’s eye and raised a brow in question. Reece gave an infinitesimal shake of his head and nodded toward the lake, visible outside the open French doors.
Good. Preparation for the tour details. The tension left Mitch’s shoulders as he returned the nod. Just then, Belle sauntered over, a gorgeous smile lighting her face.
“Phase one complete,” she said, sounding happy. A tiny purse dangled from her wrist and Mitch had to wonder if she had one of her infamous lists all folded up in there. She offered his grandmother a warm smile and said hello, reminding Mitch that he was being rude.
He reintroduced the two women, feeling a little ashamed about the last time they’d met—the nonevent of their wedding.
“I was just complimenting my grandson on how well you’ve put this all together,” his grandmother told Belle after the introductions. “When he first mentioned this to the board, I was worried it’d be tacky. You know, like that penis confetti at my niece Jenny’s twenty-first birthday party.”
He grinned at Belle’s wince when Grammy Lynn said penis. For such a sexually adventurous woman, Belle was oddly prim in some situations. Satisfaction and happiness settled around him like a comfy blanket as Mitch watched his grandmother and Belle fall into an enthusiastic discussion. In five minutes, they covered parties, the perfect cake and, as Belle’s initial inhibitions faded, the right way to display condoms.
Before they could start exchanging sex tips, he laid a hand on Belle’s forearm and gave his grandmother a warm smile.
“We need to start the tour,” he told his ladies. His ladies. He liked the sound of that. Knowing the message it’d give, he slid his hand down Belle’s arm to wrap his fingers around hers. She shot him a panicked look and subtly tried to shake his hand off, but he didn’t let go.
“So it’s like that, is it?” his grandmother said in satisfaction.
“No.”
“Yes.”
They answered at the same time, then Belle gave him one of those what-are-you-doing-are-you-crazy? looks. Before he could say anything else, she unwrapped his fingers from hers so she could put her hand out to shake Grammy’s.
“I’m not... We’re just...” She glared at Mitch. He just rocked back on his heels and grinned. “It was a pleasure talking with you, Lynn. I’d love to have brunch tomorrow and hear more of your ideas.”
With that and one last searing glance at Mitch, she gathered the silky fabric of her skirt in her hand and swept away.
“You gonna make it to the vows this time?” Grammy asked.
Belle subtly crooked her finger at a waiter, who immediately approached her, carrying a large crystal dish on a tray. Mitch watched her hand each set of guests who’d signed up for the sex-theme tour an envelope. She spent a few minutes with each couple, chatting, putting them at ease with her jokes and natural warmth. Damn, she worked the room as easily as she’d worked his heart.
“You bet,” he said, his gaze still locked on the sweet sway of Belle’s hips as she moved between couples. “I’m a lot smarter this time.”
* * *
HER SMILE LARGE ENOUGH that she figured her cheeks would ache in the morning, Belle handed the second-to-last envelope to one of Mitch’s cousins and his very pregnant wife.
“I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for months,” the petite redhead told her as her husband tore into the envelope. “But when Jase told me about this little sideline, I’ll admit, I went into impatience overload.”
She leaned closer and dropped her voice to a whisper. “This last trimester has me so horny, Jase is going to have to go on early paternity leave to keep up with me.”
“I had no idea pregnancy had such a stimulating side effect,” Belle said, intrigued. Before she could decide if she wanted more details or not, Jase showed his wife the invitation. From the looks of it, they’d drawn the rose garden adventure. Pure fairy-tale fantasy, complete with a rose bower and fairy lights. Belle gave a silent sigh of relief. As horny as she seemed, Belle doubted a ride in a golf cart over a gopher-ravaged golf course at night was good foreplay for a pregnant lady.
With a giggle and a promise to chat the next day, the couple hurried out of the ballroom. Belle smiled and gave a rueful shake of her head. She felt like a madam sending her couples off for a night of decadent debauchery.
This whole evening was incredible. She loved Mitch’s family. Fun, easygoing and interesting, they’d all welcomed her as if the wedding fiasco six years ago had never happened. Well, all except that one weird guy who’d tried to get her to agree to meet him for a private talk when she’d left the dais.
One last envelope to go. She had no idea what the sexual treat hidden in the heavy card stock was, but she couldn’t wait to find out. She saw Sierra across the room holding court among the single guys, including Larry, and headed that way.
She’d made it halfway when she came face-to-face with her worst nightmare. Belle’s vision wavered as fury hit. The woman who’d ruined her wedding. Belle wanted to scratch her eyes out.
Pleasant and distant, she told herself. This wasn’t the time or place to tell Mitch’s stepsister what a nasty, rotten bitch she was. Belle clenched her teeth so tightly she thought they’d crack and forced a smile on her face.
“Well, well,” drawled the stocky brunette. “I’d heard you were in charge of this little sexcapade, but I thought it was the family’s idea of a joke. What kind of kinky things did you have to do to con Mitch into trusting you?”
“Lena,” Belle said, her voice pure ice in an attempt to smother the fiery anger. “I’m surprised to see you here. You have an odd habit of showing up at Mitch’s celebrations with an eye toward ruining them.”
The other woman gave her a toothy grin and looked around the room with a disdainful shrug that shifted her blue beaded evening dress in unattractive ways.
“This party is already doomed. Why would I waste energy?”
“Doomed, is it?” Unable to help herself, Belle stepped forward until she was close enough to smell Lena’s oversweet perfume. “Why would you say that?”
Lena’s brown eyes narrowed and she flipped her hair over her shoulder with a look of disgust. “It’s a no-brainer, isn’t it? You’re in charge.” She arched her brow. “Things are bound to be unfinished. Did you plan to escape before or after the champagne runs dry?”
Belle hissed.
“Ladies, dessert is being served,” Sierra said, her tone dulcet. The hand on Belle’s waist squeezed in warning. “Lena, why don’t you go on in? I’m afraid I need Belle’s help for just a second.”
After a ten-second stare-down, the woman shrugged and left. It was all Belle could do to keep herself from going after her.
“Well, this is a fine turnaround,” Sierra said with a tense laugh as Lena flounced away. “You looking like you were going to kick her ass and me being the voice of reason.”
“Scary,” Belle agreed as she tried to shake off her anger.
“You can’t go after her,” Sierra cautioned. “You’re too emotional. If you blow up, it’ll make you look like a fool and ruin the event.” Sierra’s voice trailed off and she gave a quick glance around. Nobody was paying any attention to them, so she just shrugged and said, “You have a fit and you’ll play right into her hands. You’ve won over Mitch’s family, and that’s saying a lot considering they all thought you should have been strung up for leaving him. Don’t ruin that. Just avoid her.”
Mitch.
Belle took a deep breath and smoothed a hand over her silk-covered hip. With a second deep breath she looked around to find him in conversation with Reece. She pressed her lips together to try to keep from growling and forced the anger aside.
“Escape, my ass,” she muttered, clenching the envelope in her fist. She gave Sierra an angry shrug and instructed, “Cover the dessert reception, please.”
Then she stormed across the room to get her man.
“Belle, no,” Sierra warned, hurrying to keep up with her. “Do not ruin this event. You’ll regret it.”
Belle kept going.
“Don’t let her win. Again.”
Belle stopped so fast she was surprised there wasn’t smoke coming off her Manolos. “She ruined my wedding.”
“No.” Sierra stepped around Belle so they were face-to-face and gave her a long, serious look. Her voice was low and apologetic. “She didn’t. She pushed the buttons, but the problems were already there. You know that.”
Belle was about to protest, but when her friend just raised a brow, she dropped her gaze to the marble floor. Sierra was right. Belle didn’t want her to be, but she was. Belle had ruined her own wedding, pure and simple. Shame washed over her as she blinked to clear the tears from her eyes. She wanted to leave, to go to her cottage, curl up under a blanket with Mr. Winkles and pout. But she couldn’t. This wasn’t the time or place to have a girly breakdown. Mitch was counting on her, and she was counting on herself.
“Okay, you’re right. She didn’t do anything,” Belle finally conceded.
Sierra’s arched brows drew together over angry blue eyes. “Oh, no, I didn’t say that. She’s a selfish, conniving bitch and we’re going to haul her out to the woods and kick her ass when this is all over.”
Belle’s surprised laugh faded as she watched Lena and Diana greet each other like long-lost friends. A quick hug and the two women put their heads together, talking at the same time. She’d had no idea they even knew each other. Were she and Sierra the only ones in the room not family or close friends?
Before Belle could speculate, a hand curved over her hip and someone dropped a kiss on the side of her neck. With a gasp of surprise, she spun around. It was Mitch, of course. Who else would it be? she asked herself as she tried to calm her racing heart.
“What?” he said with a laugh. “You two look all guilty. Like you’re planning to rob a bank. Or...” He glanced around the room, then noted the envelope in Belle’s hand. He reached out so they held it together. “...talking sex.”
“Definitely sex,” Sierra agreed with a nod. She puffed out a little breath, her only sign of nerves, and gave Mitch a warm smile. “And speaking of sex, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a man I’m interested in.”
Belle wanted to grab Sierra back and force her to stay with them until she’d got her thoughts under control. Between worrying that Diana and company had some trap planned for the evening and the shock of seeing Lena the bitch again, Belle’s nerves were shot.
“Care to share?” Mitch said in a low, sexy tone as he leaned closer.
“Um, share what?”
He laughed again and moved her hand. She glanced at the envelope and grimaced. As hot as Mitch was in a tux, for the first time since she’d set eyes on him, she wasn’t interested in having sex with him.
“You know, it’s probably tacky for the host and the event planner to sneak off and have nookie,” she said, giving him a wide-eyed look.
“It’s a nookie kind of night,” he pointed out. He slid an appreciative look up and down the length of her body. Belle felt as if he’d stripped her naked and licked his way down to her toes. Hot, damp excitement sparked inside her. “And there are no peaches on the dessert menu.”
Unable to say no when he gave her that cute, little-boy grin, Belle giggled and released her hold on the envelope. “You’re going to have to give other fruits a chance, you know.”
“Nah, why mess with perfection? Besides, I have a bowl of peaches waiting in my room for later,” he promised, his attention on ripping open the envelope. When he read the card inside, a huge grin split his face. “The lake? In a boat? Right on.”
So in love it hurt, Belle burst into laughter, and even though she knew she should suggest they go to his office and talk, she let him whisk her out of the room.
* * *
MITCH FELT DAMNED GOOD. He’d impressed the hell out of his family with the resort. The party had rocked. And now he was taking his woman out to play water games. Life didn’t get much better than this.
“Wow,” he said as they approached the lake. The long, wooden dock was lined on either side with jars, each one containing a flickering candle. Rather than a motorboat, she’d gone the safer route and had a large rowboat tied to the end of the dock. As they got closer, Mitch could see there was a bottle of champagne chilling, glasses and what looked like some kind of dessert.
“Peaches?” he asked hopefully.
Belle grinned and shook her head. “Chocolate-covered strawberries.”
Mitch watched her balance on one foot, her hand on his arm as she slipped off one shoe, then the other, before stepping onto the grass. He took the strappy sandals from her and, dangling them from one finger, clasped her hand in his and led the way to paradise.
He wasn’t sure if she was tired after all her work on the party or if someone had upset her, but Belle seemed a little distant and disconnected, as though she didn’t mind humoring him, but would rather be anywhere else but here.
Wanting to help her relax, he dropped her shoes in the grass and wrapped his arms around her. One kiss turned into two, deepening as Mitch lost himself in the glory of her mouth. He felt the tension leave her body as Belle relaxed and leaned into him, her tongue dancing around his in sensual delight.
Mitch’s hands curved over the smooth fabric of her dress, smoothing his way down her hips and over her butt. She drove him crazy. He pulled her close to grind his hardening dick against her silky warmth.
Releasing her mouth, he trailed wet kisses over her jaw, down her throat. When he reached the curve of her neck, Mitch buried his face there and breathed in the delicious scent of her.
He slipped the tiny straps of her dress off her shoulders, his mouth giving the delicious peak of her breast a nibble. Before he could do the same to the other breast, he was blinded by a flashing light.
“Do her on the grass,” a male voice yelled. Insults and degrading suggestions flew through the air.
More lights. Click and whir. Belle screamed. Mitch pulled away, pushing her behind him as he tried to see into the dark woods. Fists clenched, he ran forward to find out what was going on. Before he could take more than three steps, a golf cart flew across the lawn, grass flying behind it as it suddenly braked.
Wrapping a protective arm around a shaking Belle, Mitch watched his cousin Reece leap from the cart and grab someone at the edge of the woods.
“Oh, my God,” Belle breathed as they watched him do some intense martial arts move and kick an object from the guy’s hand. Then with a flying leap, he sent the other person flying backward, where he smacked into a tree with a loud thud.
Two more golf carts flew by, security staff jumping out to grab the guy and haul him over to Mitch. Reece sauntered over, scooping up his dropped cowboy hat on the way and smacking the dirt off it before putting it back on his head.
Mitch almost laughed at his cousin’s nonchalant attitude, then he caught sight of the creep being held by the scruff of his jacket.
“Who the hell are you?” Mitch demanded. He wanted to haul off and punch the guy in the face, but the idiot was still dazed and bleeding from his lip, thanks to Reece’s roundhouse kick.
Dammit, his cousin got to have all the fun. Mitch consoled himself with the promise that he’d have one hell of a time prosecuting the guy.
“Don’t worry about that,” Reece said. “The question isn’t so much who he is but who called him out here.”
“Paparazzi?” Belle asked in a small voice, sounding shaken by the lightning-fast change from passion to violence. God, Mitch thought, if the guy had shown up ten minutes later, his shots would have been X-rated.
Obviously thinking the same thing, Belle took a deep breath and seemed to be fighting the need to cry. She gave Mitch a watery smile. “At least he didn’t get any incriminating shots, right?”
Mitch frowned, but before he could reply, his cousin stepped between them.
“What if it had been someone else? This is exactly what you’re promising your guests they’ll be protected from, isn’t it?” Reece stepped close and dangled the broken camera pieces from his index finger. “This could have been any one of our family members. While I’m sure cousin Jenny’s lakeside frolics wouldn’t make headlines like some movie star’s, it’d be pure misery for her to see them splashed across a gossip rag.”
“This is what security was supposed to prevent,” Belle snapped. “All those meetings, all our discussions. Confidentiality agreements, key codes, alarms. And yet this dirtbag still managed to get in here? This entire plan hinged on the guarantee of privacy. What the hell happened?”
“Someone tipped him off,” Mitch accused. Fury blurred his vision at the betrayal. He stepped forward and grabbed the guy’s collar.
“Who the hell hired you?” he growled.
The guy muttered through swollen lips, “The party gal.”
Shocked, Mitch almost dropped him. “Belle?”
“Don’t know her name. Just had the phone call that this was some big fancy A-lister gig with a lot of money shots. Sex, partying. I was told to come on out. She put my name on the guest list, texted me to tell me where to hide.”
No. Mitch reeled at the words. Reece grabbed the guy from his slack hands and wheeled him around.
“Bullshit,” Reece claimed. “You’re saying Belle Forsham hired you? Tipped you off? What?”
“Don’t know her name. Just that she’s the gal in charge of the party,” the guy snapped defiantly. “We talked by phone, email. I never saw her before.”
“He’s lying,” Belle called out. Horror filled her voice, tears glistening on her cheeks.
“Why would he lie?” Reece wondered aloud.
“I don’t know,” Belle cried. “Why don’t you ask him?”
“I don’t think we need to ask anyone except you, Ms. Forsham.” Reece’s words were quiet, bland. But his accusation hung in the air.
“Me? Why the hell would I do this?” Anger snapped in her eyes.
“You could be working to discredit the resort,” Reece said in his slow drawl. “Your dad’s hurting, needs money. You might have thought putting Mitch out of business would keep away some competition.”
Belle shook her head. “You might want to go back to security school, cowboy. So far you’re batting zip. First you let that camera-toting idiot in here, despite all the supposed precautions. Then you accuse me of something impossibly far-fetched. This resort is no competition to my father.”
“Sure it isn’t,” muttered someone behind Mitch. “She screwed him over once, she’s obviously doing it again. This time she’s getting pictures, too.”
Belle gasped, her eyes filling. But instead of letting the tears fall, she lifted her chin and faced the crowd that had formed around them.
Shaking off the feeling of fury and betrayal, Mitch followed her gaze and saw her glare at Lena. Mitch frowned. He glanced at his stepsister, whose grin looked evil in the glinting moonlight. Belle opened her mouth as if to say something, then she shrugged and turned to leave.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.
“Away.” He could hear it in her voice, the need to escape. To get away from the whispers and judgmental eyes.
“This isn’t settled, Belle.”
She gave him a dirty look. “What’s to settle? Did you want to wait for one of your kinfolk to go grab a rope from the golf cart so you can hang me?”
“You’re overreacting,” Reece said quietly. “This isn’t a lynch mob.”
“Could have fooled me,” she shot back.
Mitch realized that his family and friends were all looking pissed enough to justify her accusation.
He took Belle’s arm and pulled her away from the crowd, up toward the ninth hole where they could talk without all the commentary.
“Belle, tell me what’s going on,” he asked when they reached some semblance of privacy. “The truth this time.”
“I told you the truth. You’re choosing to believe that guy over me.” She gestured to the photographer Reece was tossing into the golf cart. “You’re so busy obsessing over your image, over your need to prove yourself perfect that you won’t even consider that you’re wrong.”
Mitch bristled at the accusation. To hell with that. He wasn’t trying to prove a damned thing. He was just protecting his investment. He recalled her reluctance to come down to the lake earlier. Had she been having second thoughts? Or had it been because her plans were derailed when they’d gotten the lakeside envelope? God, he was the world’s biggest idiot.
“Is that what you think?” he asked. “That I’m obsessed with image? Well, if I am, you sure blew it all to hell with this little stunt. Again,” he accused. Mitch spared a glance at his family, here to watch another of his dreams smashed to hell.
Belle gave a bitter laugh and shook his hand off her arm. She took a step backward as if she couldn’t stand to be close to him. Mitch wanted to grab her and yell that he wasn’t the guilty party here. He’d be damned if she’d make him feel bad that she’d been busted at her own game.
“You go ahead and believe that,” she said. “It’s easier for you to blame me than figure out the truth.” She gave a wave of her hand toward the crowd and swallowed, her jaw working and eyes blinking rapidly. “I thought I could trust you this time. I thought you were different. My God, I was such an idiot.”
Spying her shoes on the grass, she leaned over and snatched them up, then tilted her chin at him. “There is no advantage to me ruining my own business reputation. There is no point in busting my ass to make this event, this entire themed resort, come together perfectly if I was going to just screw it all up in the end.”
She stepped closer and punched her index finger into his chest. “Someone is f*cking you over and it’s not me. Why don’t you grow up and quit flexing your dick and go find out who it really is?”
With that, she stomped up the hill toward the golf carts parked haphazardly all over the ninth hole.
Her words echoed in his head. His family’s voices faded into background noise.
Brow furrowed, Mitch watched Belle slam the golf cart into gear and drive away. Part of him wanted to yell to her to wait. He wanted to run after her and fix things. But his family was all standing around. And they’d just seen Belle make him look like a loser idiot in front of them. Again. He let her go. Confusion and pain clawed at his gut. Belle had used him, used this event, all for publicity?
Once again, he’d lost the princess. And once again, he’d lost face in front of his entire family as she screwed him over.
Mitch tried to console himself that at least this time he’d had a whole bunch of hot, wild, kinky sex. But all that did was remind him of what he’d lost. Of what he’d never actually had.
Wasn’t he a pitiful chump?