Fair Play (2 page)

“So,” Evan says. “Are you all going to The Ridge for di
nner?”

“We were just discussing that,” Mrs. Donovan replies.

“My brothers have been in Singapore on business for several months and they couldn’t make it back. I thought my sister might make it but she ended going to India to live at an ashram, so we have an extra seat at our table it you need it.”

I notice that Evan looks directly at Rainy when he speaks and she’s doing her best to avert his gaze. Aaron is shooting daggers at him. They used to be best friends but that was before Rainy came into the picture. I guess that saying
bros before hos
applies to everyone but Rainy.

Aaron gives me a look which clearly indicates that he wants me to take the seat at Evan’s table but there is no way I’m going to volunteer to do it. People would get the idea I actually had a nice bone in my body and that is not a perception I want to perpetuate.

I give Aaron a little evil grin instead. I want to see him work for it. It turns me on to see him stand up for himself and show he’s got a pair.

“Perhaps
Keira would like to join Evan’s table this evening,” Aaron suggests as he glances in my direction. The guy is so smooth and has so much charm I melt whenever he turns it on. And right now, he’s got it on full throttle.

Before I have a chance to respond, Evan puts his muscular arm around my shoulder and pulls close. “I’d love to have
Keira join us for dinner.”

When I look up at Evan, he winks at me. There’s a little e
xchange of energy between us that makes me feel like we may be having each other for dessert.

“Now that that’s settled,” Aaron says. “Maybe we can get these gowns off and have a drink before dinner. Dad, you look like you can use one.”

Mr. Donovan gives a sigh of resignation and nods although I have my suspicions he’s not going to give up on Aaron that quickly or easily. Like me, he’s someone who gets what he wants and he wants his son to join the firm and marry someone of his social standing—like me, for example.

I take one more glance at Rainy. She looks like a deer caught in headlights. Her eyes are wide and filled with fear. I’m sure meeting Aaron’s parents was not what she expected. She’s so sweet; I’m sure she’s used to everyone liking her and expected the
Donovan’s would fall in line. It must really suck that her fiancé’s parents despise her already but I love it.

She can try everything in her power to make the
Donovan’s like her but it will never happen. She’ll be like Sisyphus trying to roll the huge bolder up the steep hill just to have it roll back down again right before she reaches the top. Because the one thing Rainy can’t do is make herself rich. Sure, she could accumulate wealth (although not very likely as an art historian) but she still won’t be rich. Rich is something you are. And Rainy Dey will always be a hopelessly middle class girl. And what kind of idiot majors in art history? It’s completely impractical and people in business, like the Donovan’s, don’t like to waste resources on impractical pursuits. Rainy probably could have told the Donovan’s she was an art thief and they would have had more respect for her.              

“It was wonderful to see you,
Keira,” Mrs. Donovan says as she gives me a peck on the cheek. “I’m so glad you could make it for the boys’ graduation.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it,” I reply and shoot a glance at A
aron.

He just stares at me as if he’s trying to gauge what I might say or do next. I don’t want to throw too may curve balls at him, though. It is supposed to be a celebration of his graduation. I decide to throw a few easy pitches instead.

“Congratulations again, Aaron.” I step to the side of him that isn’t attached to Rainy and give him a kiss on the cheek that lingers just a few seconds longer than necessary. While I’m so close, I breathe him in. I like the clean scent of him. It’s a sharp contrast to Evan’s spicy cologne.

When I take a step back and glance at Rainy, she looks like she might cry. I love that it’s so easy to get a reaction from her. She’s totally intimidated by me and I know she views me as a serious threat.
Not that she shouldn’t. She would be stupid not to. I
am
a threat because I want her man and she definitely knows it.

And deep down inside she must not completely trust Aaron. She must believe that he is capable of cheating on her with me and I’m going to use that bit of insecurity, no matter how small, to my advantage.

I place my hand on Aaron’s shoulder and say, “Best of luck in graduate school.”

Aaron gives me a sickly smile that says:
why did you bring up that sore subject again
.  Then I move in close to his ear and whisper just for his benefit, “Maybe I’ll join you in the fall.”

I can see Aaron gulp and I know I’ve hit a nerve. It sends a wave of excitement through me to think about seeing Aaron on a regular basis although the thought of actually going back to school after I just graduated repulses me.

Even though the words came out of my mouth just to get a rise out of Aaron, the idea of attending graduate school with him suddenly forms as an actual plan of action in my devious little mind.

I don’t know much about graduate school but I assume there’s an admissions process just like there was for undergrad. I wonder what the process entails and how I can most easily bypass it.

Evan steps to my side and shakes Mr. Donovan’s hand then he gives Mrs. Donovan an awkward A-frame hug. After all of the formalities are finally exhausted, he places his hand on the small of my back and I’m a little startled by the gesture. It seems too intimate and too protective a gesture. That’s something you do to your girlfriend not your fuck buddy.

As nervous as the gesture makes me, I don’t step away. I a
ctually kind of like it. As many guys as I’ve dated over the years, I’ve never had a full-on relationship. One: because I never found anyone worth going out with more than a few times and two: because none of them were Aaron Donovan. It’s tough for any guy to be compared to Aaron because chances are nearly 100 percent that he’ll never live up to Aaron in
any
way. That’s because Aaron is perfect in
every
way. And it’s not just his looks, which are amazing. It’s everything about him. The way he looks at you with his smoldering brown eyes and his sexy smile. And the way he makes you feel when you are around him, like you are the most important person in the world. Not only is Aaron one of God’s true gifts to women, he is the epitome of charm, class and charisma in a breath-taking package.

I’ve only seen one guy, who has even come close to Aaron in both looks and charm and that guy currently has his hand on the small of my back. “I’ll walk you back to your car,” Evan whispers
in my ear. His gruff voice makes me a little hungry for an Evan appetizer before dinner.

“Where are you staying?” Evan asks as we head towards my SL550 Mercedes convertible in the visitor’s lot. He still has his large hand pressed firmly on my back and the contact starts to make me a little tingly. Evan’s never been the slightest bit posse
ssive about any woman, especially me. Not that he would have any reason to be. We end up messing around a lot but we’re certainly not monogamous and have never placed any expectations on each other.

As we stand next to my convertible, Evan places his other hand on my back and pulls me close. His emerald green eyes dance with a little bit of mischief and he gives me a sly grin. “You look completely and totally
fuckable
in that dress.”

I’m wearing a sexy red dress from Tom Ford’s Spring Colle
ction and an amazing pair of Christian Louboutin sling back red pumps. Normally 5-feet 7-inches, the heels give me another two inches but I’m still not close to Evan’s ample height. Not to mention that he’s nearly double my weight in solid muscle. As stunning as the man holding me is, the dress was not worn for his benefit. I wore the outfit to get a reaction from Aaron.

Unfortunately, Aaron was too wrapped up in Little Miss Middle Class and her J.C. Penn
ey dress to even notice the designer number that I bought just for him.

Evan’s clearly going to benefit from Aaron’s loss. Evan looks at me with so much lust and desire in his eyes, I feel like he’s been starving and I’m a steak dinner. It’s so out of character for Evan to be hungry for anyone that it takes me off guard. Evan usually satiates his carnal desires as quickly as they come. He generally has no problem finding a vast array of willing partners. Women flock to Evan like little birds on a newly filled bird feeder. And he never has any trouble replenishing the feeder to satisfy every little bird he manages to attract. The only time I’ve ever seen him close the feeder down is when a little bird
gets too attached. Evan doesn’t do attachments. The feeder is open for business as long as you know you’ve got to go right after you’ve been fed.

When Evan grabs my ass and pulls me even closer, I can feel his ample erection under his dress pants as it presses against my body. He leans his head close to my ear and nips on my earlobe, which sends electricity shooting through my body. I’ve told him about a few of my most sensitive spots, my earlobes being one of them, but I’m a little surprised he remembers. Or it could just be part of his standard repertoire with all of the little birds he satisfies on a regular basis.

“You’re mine tonight,” he whispers and his words are like little alarm bells going off in my ear.

He’s never staked claim on me, even for a night. The words both completely turn me on and totally terrify me. I’m not sure whether to take him back to my hotel room and fuck him all night or run in the other direction. I decide to do what I do best and mess a little with his mind instead.

“I saw the way you were looking at Rainy,” I say as I look up into his stunning green eyes.

The moment I say
Rainy
, I can see a slight flicker of something on his face. But whatever the reaction is, it’s gone just as quickly. Like the good politician I know he’s destined to be, he hides whatever he’s feeling with a well-rehearsed mask of pure charisma and charm.

“Right now, I’m looking at you and that’s all that matters,” he replies seductively.

It’s been two months since I’ve seen Evan. We were together for Spring Break. I’m not sure what happened in those two months but somehow, this boy has managed to completely perfect the Mr. Smooth persona that he’s been practicing since he was sixteen, the first time we fucked each other.

I place my index finger on his chest and tap his incredibly ample abs. “You’re good. That was very smooth. But I’m not letting you off the hook that easily. I want to know what the deal is between you and Miss Thing.”

Evan eyes turn cold for a brief moment then he’s back to business just as quickly. I can see some little cracks in his near perfect façade and it’s clearly killing him. His lips tighten as he seems to think about how to respond. “She’s Aaron’s fiancé,” he says finally. “There’s no
deal
between us.”

“Just because she’s engaged to Aaron doesn’t mean you still can’t want her,” I suggest.

“Yeah, it kind of does.”

I shake my head. “You never could think creatively, Evan. Outside the box
I mean. Everything is always black and white with you. You never see all the wonderful shades of gray. That’s where all the possibilities lie.”

He sighs. “And just what
possibilities
are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about a plan to break up Aaron and Rainy.”

He raises an eyebrow. “And why would you want to do that?”

“You know Aaron and I belong together,” I snap.

Evan releases his hold on me and takes a step back, examining me. Then he crosses his arms over his broad chest and gives me a defiant look. The look is so strong and willful, it sends a little wave of lust through me. I have to remind myself of my mission:
to get Aaron Donovan
.

“Even if you could find some way to break up the lovebirds, which I think is a big
if
, what makes you think Aaron would suddenly decide that you’re the one for him? We’ve known the guy since we were kids and he’s never shown any interest in you other than friendship, despite the pressure that both his parents and your parents placed on him to get the two of you together.”

“Rainy has him all twisted around. Once she’s out of the pi
cture, I’ll make him see that he wants me.”

“You do realize you can’t always get what you want just b
ecause you want it. There’s even a classic Rolling Stones song that echoes that sentiment.”

“Don’t underestimate me, Evan. I always get what I want.”

“One thing I would never do is underestimate you. I just don’t want you to underestimate Aaron’s feelings for Rainy.  He is not going to let you or anyone else come between them. I think Aaron would rather die than live without Rainy. It’s that deep.”

I can feel myself starting to seethe. I don’t want to hear about Aaron’s undying love for Rainy. I want to hear Evan agree to help me break them up. I decide I need to do whatever it takes to recruit Evan as an ally in my plan
.
      When I move in closer to Evan and place my hands on his chest, I can feel him suck in a breath. His eyes are filled with lust. I bite my bottom lip and look up at Evan with every bit of seduction I have in me.