Bachelor Unleashed (9 page)

Damn.

What had happened to that strong resolve to guard his heart? What had happened to all those instilled and painful memories of what Dionne had done to him? He wasn’t sure what had happened, but he knew, just as surely as he knew Diana Ross was once a Supreme, that he was in love with Farrah Langley.

He set his beer bottle down, thinking that definitely put a whole new spin on things. It hadn’t been his intent to fall in love, but it had happened and now he planned to do something about it, which didn’t include running in the other direction. No, he’d confront the opposition head on. This was his heart they were talking about.

He knew without being told that if she got wind of his feelings, she would make things even more difficult. But he had news for her. Not only was he going to have his fling with her in the Big Apple, but it would continue right to Charlotte and eventually lead into marriage. Marriage?

Yeah, marriage.

He smiled, thinking he liked the sound of that. He knew the hell she would probably give him, but he was up for the battle. All was fair in love and war, and he would do whatever it took to win her over and make her realize that regardless of what had happened in her past, he was the man for her.

It was a good thing Farrah wasn’t there to see the sly smile that had formed around his lips. She wouldn’t know what hit her until it was too late for her to do a damn thing about it.

Chapter 9

F
arrah wasn’t so sure how today’s session with Kerrie Shaw and Lori Byers would pan out when Rudolph Byers strolled in by his wife’s side with a smirk on his face, as if he knew something they all didn’t. She couldn’t help wondering if all the progress she’d made with the two women would get flushed down the toilet by the man who was determined to keep a wedge between the friends.

“Good morning, everyone, and welcome back,” she said when they were all seated at the conference table. “I think we made really good progress yesterday and would like to pick up where we left off if everyone is in agreement.” She held her breath, almost certain that Rudolph Byers would step in and oppose. When he did not and sat there beside his wife with that silly smirk still on his face, she continued.

“Okay, then, yesterday we ended with you, Kerrie, telling us about the early years when you and Lori worked together. Kerrie, I believe you were sharing with me how things were that first year when the two of you finished college.”

Kerrie nodded, glanced over at Lori and smiled. Lori smiled back, which in Farrah’s book was still a good sign. “Lori came up with this idea of how we could raise money for our first batch of makeup by getting a group of friends of ours in a band to agree to do a concert…”

Farrah leaned back in her seat listening to what Kerrie was saying, while at the same time noticing there seemed to be a bit of tension between Lori and Rudolph. Being rude, he was doing annoying things to get his wife’s attention as if to remind her that he was there. At first he’d been rubbing his finger up and down the sleeve of her blouse, and now he was entwining his fingers on the table with hers. It probably would have come off as a romantic gesture if he wasn’t making it so obvious, so deliberate.

Moments later when Kerrie finished talking, Lori jumped in and said, “We used to have so much fun, although we operated in the red most of the time. I can recall when we finally were able to get out of Kerrie’s parents’ basement and into our own store in Queens.”

“That was the store given to the two of you as a gift from your parents, right?”

“Yes, I guess they figured that was the least they could do after we bummed off the Shaws for almost two years,” Lori said laughing.

Kerrie joined in the laughter, and she saw Rudolph Byers flinch as if the sound of the two women sharing memories of happier times bothered him. A half hour later Farrah called for a break and wasn’t surprised when he pulled Lori off to the side. It wasn’t hard to tell that whatever he was saying to her wasn’t nice.

Moments later Lori frowned deeply before pulling away from him, and Farrah was grateful when the man stormed out of the conference room, slamming the door behind him.

Kerrie was on the other side of the room with her back to everyone while she talked on the phone, and the loud sound made her swirl around. An apologetic look appeared on Lori’s face and she hunched her shoulders in disgust when she said, “Rudolph has an errand he needs to take care of and will be back after lunch.”

The expression on Kerrie’s face all but clearly said
good riddance
. Farrah refrained from saying anything, but she definitely agreed with Kerrie. She had the same opinion that she had yesterday. The man was bad news and a born manipulator.

Farrah glanced at her watch; it was still early. They had an hour and a half to go before they stopped for lunch. She couldn’t help wondering what Xavier was doing. She had promised to call and let him know if she was free for dinner, and she would do so. She felt she needed to see him again since she knew their days together were numbered. She had thought about it, and to avoid being alone during the holidays, if he wanted to extend things until then, she would even consider that.

She began nibbling on her bottom lip wondering why she was doing this to herself. Why not make a clean break after she left here as she’d planned, instead of looking for any excuse to spend more time with him? Maybe one of the reasons was that she could remember the last holidays so well, and he had been a part of them.

It had been the best Christmas she had had in a long time, even better than the times when she’d been married to Dustin. But especially better than the year before when she’d been prepared to spend her holidays alone until Natalie had decided to come home.

The Steeles were a large family, and from talking to Natalie, she knew that this Christmas Donovan’s parents, who traveled a lot since retiring, would be returning home for a huge family get-together. That meant, Farrah thought, that more than likely she would be spending the holidays alone.

If she were to suggest to Xavier that they continue their affair at least through the holidays, would he figure out why and grant her that request, or would he decide he didn’t want to be used and tell her just where she could go? Besides, chances were he’d already made plans for the holidays.

She glanced across the room and noticed Kerrie had ended her phone call and was standing at the window looking out. Lori, standing on the other side of the room, appeared lost, and from her body language and expression, it was obvious she wanted to approach Kerrie but didn’t know how to do so.

Farrah shook her head. Her heart truly went out to both women. Their relationship was badly in need of repair, and neither knew the best way of going about making it happen. “Ladies, I’m ready to resume things.”

When both women sat down, she thought for a minute and then said, “You know I have a best friend, who, like the two of you, has been there for me since our high school years. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for Natalie and there’s nothing Natalie wouldn’t do for me.”

A smile touched the corners of Farrah’s lips. “I know her secrets and she knows mine. She knows my weaknesses and my strengths and vice versa. We under stand each other, which is why we’ve been friends for so long. We might not agree on everything, and I’m sure there have been times when she would have knocked my head off if she could have, but in the end, no matter what, I know our friendship is one that defies the test of time.”

“I thought ours would, too,” Lori said softly, looking at her when Farrah knew she wanted to glance over at Kerrie.

“I’m not going to ask what happened,” Farrah said. “I just ask that no matter what, you remember what you had, what you still have and what will always be there no matter what.”

At that moment, Lori did glance over at Kerrie. “You think I’m only doing this because of Rudolph, don’t you?”

Kerrie met her gaze and asked, “Why wouldn’t I think it, Lori? Leaving the company in my hands was your idea. Saying that you would only want half up to the day you left was also yours. You also said that we keep things as they were to avoid any messy legal entanglements. It would be unnecessary, you said, since we fully trusted each other.”

Kerrie shook her head and said softly, “The sad thing is that I believed you. Stupid me.”

The room got quiet and Farrah spoke up. “Is this the first time your friendship has been tested?”

Both women glanced over at her with a bemused look on their faces, so much so that she couldn’t help but smile. “You both know that’s what this is, don’t you?”

Neither woman made a comment, and Farrah figured she had given them something to think about. She glanced at her watch. “You know, I think now is a good time to break for lunch. It’s a little early but I think we deserve it today.”

Instead of responding, both women nodded as they stood. Kerrie was pulling out her cell phone while heading for the door. Lori watched her leave before turning to Farrah. She could see the tears in the woman’s eyes.

“I didn’t mean to hurt her,” she said in a broken tone.

Farrah stood as she gathered her folders together. The last thing Lori needed was to be sent on a guilt trip, but in this case one was probably warranted. “Well, I hate to tell you this, Lori, but I think you did.”

Xavier read the report spread across his desk and tried not to glance up at the clock on the wall. How many times had he done it already? He had to believe that eventually Farrah would call him. She’d said she would, hadn’t she?

He threw the pencil he held in his hand down on his desk and leaned back in his chair as he squinted his eyes in thought, trying to recall exactly what she had said.
I’ll call you tomorrow, Xavier. That’s the best I can do.
Those had been her exact words. He recalled them clearly.

He was about to get up and pour another cup of coffee when his cell phone rang. If it was York, he was going to kill him. He’d called twice already. It seemed that York needed a life more than he did.

Xavier reached for the phone and exhaled a sigh of relief when he saw the caller was Farrah. He glanced at the clock. It was almost four. What had taken her so long? Of course he wouldn’t ask her that. In fact, he intended to sound cool, calm and collected. “Hello.”

“Xavier. Hi.”

“And how are you, Farrah?”

“Fine. Sorry it took me so long to call but it turned out to be a long session today.”

He nodded as he leaned back in his chair. “Did the women reach a resolution?”

“I wish.”

“I take it that they didn’t.”

“You’ve got that right. But I can say I feel we’re close. Hopefully tomorrow.”

Not if it means you’ll be catching the first plane out of here,
he thought to himself.

“Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I’d love to have dinner with you.”

He couldn’t help the smile that touched his lips from corner to corner. “Good. Where are you now? Back at the hotel or still at work?”

“Still at work. I need to complete a few reports and then I’ll head back to the hotel.”

He glanced at the clock again. “Umm, how about around seven?”

“That’s good.”

“I’ll send a car for you.”

“A car?”

“Yes. I’m treating you to dinner at my place.”

“In Long Island?”

“Yes.”

There was a pause, and he waited, knowing she was rummaging through that gorgeous brain of hers for an excuse not to come. On cue she said, “You don’t have to do that. I really don’t want to put you through any trouble, Xavier. For me to come all the way to your place really isn’t necessary.”

Yes, it is, sweetheart.
She had no idea just how necessary it truly was. “No trouble. Jules will be there to pick you up exactly at seven. I hope you’re hungry.”

She didn’t say anything for a minute and then, “Yes, I’m hungry. I had a light lunch. But—”

“Good. I’ll have something I know you’ll like when you get here.”

Another pause…and then, “Okay. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll see you when you get here.”

He closed his cell phone and placed it back on the desk where it had been since early morning, awaiting her call. Then he stood. It was time for him to go home and prepare dinner for the most lovable yet detached woman he knew. He planned to make things right for her or die trying.

He was well aware of why she assumed she didn’t want another man in her life. His mission, which he fully intended to accept, was to convince her that she was worthy of everything life had to offer.

Especially his love.

Chapter 10

“H
ere we are, Ms. Langley.”

“Thanks.”

Jules offered Farrah his hand as she eased out of the car and glanced around. The huge triple-story house sat on what appeared to be a private lane, surrounded by a number of huge overhanging trees that formed a canopy over the impressive residence. If privacy was something Xavier was shooting for, then he had succeeded.

Pulling her coat tightly around her, she moved quickly toward the front door. She liked the sound of her booted heels as they clicked loudly against the stone pavers. She had lifted her hand to knock when the door opened.

Xavier was there, and she took a good look at him. He was eye candy of the most delicious kind. And dressed in a pullover sweater and low-riding jeans, he was the epitome of sexy. He moved out of her way as he invited her in. “Come on, I have a blaze roaring in the fireplace. I still intend to keep my promise to make sure you stay warm.”

“I appreciate that.”

As she followed him through his house, she noticed two things—the aroma of food cooking that made her mouth water, and the fact that he had a beautiful home. She knew this place was just one of many of his showplaces. He also had homes in Los Angeles, Miami and in the Palisades section of Charlotte, where houses >went for millions. At least those were the ones he’d mentioned. There was no telling how many others he >might own.

They passed a spiral staircase, and she couldn’t help but glance up wondering if that was where his bedroom was and if she would find out for certain later. She shook her head. She needed to get her mind off sex, but that was definitely hard when, following him, she got an eyeful of the sexiest backside any man could possibly have.

By the time she’d reined in her wandering thoughts, she only caught his last word:
weather.

“Excuse me, Xavier, what were you saying?”

He glanced over his shoulder, stopped walking and smiled. “I said it doesn’t appear the weather is getting any better,” he said, reaching for her hands. He removed her gloves and took her hands in his. As if he’d known they would be cold and stiff, he began massaging them.

Immediately, she felt heated sensations run through the tendons in her palms. The feelings were so strong she clenched her legs together when she felt an unexpected throbbing there.

No, the weather was not getting any better, which was quite obvious. The temperature had dropped, and depending on which news reports you were listening to, a snowstorm the likes of which New York hadn’t seen in a long time was headed this way by Sunday. But Farrah knew that regardless of how cold it was outside, she would feel hot in here even if Xavier didn’t have a fire roaring in the fireplace. Together, they could generate that kind of heat.

“Make yourself at home.”

She broke eye contact with him and glanced around. They were in a room that he probably used as a den. It looked rustic with dark oak plank walls, the kind you’d find in a mountain cabin, and the fireplace was encased in whitewashed stone. The furniture looked sturdy and masculine, including the gigantic pool table in the middle of the room. He had mentioned that he enjoyed playing a game of pool every once in a while.

She glanced around the room again as she removed her coat, and as if he knew what she was thinking, he said, “No, I didn’t decorate the place. It was bought as is. I figured the last owner wanted the feel of the Smoky Mountains in here, which is something I didn’t have a problem with. In fact I think that’s what enticed me to buy it.”

She nodded as he came over and took the coat out of her hands. She automatically eased down on the sofa, a little surprised she was still wearing clothes. She had really expected him to strip her naked the moment she had stepped over the threshold. It seemed he was going to take things slow. Slow was good. But if he started showing signs of wasting too much time, she knew how to take things into her own hands, literally. She inwardly smiled, thinking how she’d done that several times before.

“Here, you probably could use this to get your blood warm.”

He handed her a glass filled with wine. When had he poured it? She took a sip, liking the sparkling taste, but then she’d always enjoyed his wine selections. She licked her lips and glanced across the room knowing he was watching her. That was good. Let him look. It would make things easier later when she threw her new idea out to him.

She cleared her throat. “Whatever you’re cooking smells good, Xavier.”

He chuckled. “Thanks, but I didn’t cook it. Ms. Blackburn did it all.”

She lifted a brow. “Ms. Blackburn?”

“Yes. My housekeeper, cook, gardener. You name it, she does it.”

She lifted a brow again. “Umm, does she now?”

He laughed. “Except for that. For crying out loud, Farrah, she’s old enough to be my mother. But I would admit to coming close to asking her to marry me one day after eating a slice of her apple pie.”

“It was that delicious?”

“Honey, delicious doesn’t come close.”

She swallowed. No one could say the word delicious quite the way he could, and no one could do things deliciously quite like him. She’d bet no one could even come close.

“So, will you be meeting with those women again tomorrow since no closure came about today?”

She glanced over at him. He had moved to sit on a bar stool. His taut thighs strained tightly against the denim of his jeans, and his abs were outlined in his form-fitting sweater. Not an inch of flab anywhere. She knew in reality he much preferred beer to wine, but unlike some men, he didn’t have a belly to show it.

And speaking of his belly…she thought he had a nice looking one, especially when it wasn’t covered with clothes. She remembered quite well how a sprinkling of dark hair adorned it. And then there was that trail of hair that tapered off to his groin area. She felt her mouth watering again, and it wasn’t for anything his housekeeper had left cooking on the stove.

She took a sip of her wine before saying, “Yes, I’ll be meeting with them, but if everything continues in the same way as today, I’m hoping we’ll wrap up by tomorrow. But that depends on—”

“One of the women’s husband’s involvement,” he finished for her.

She nodded and smiled. “You remembered.”

“Yes.”

“And here I thought you were listening just to humor me and weren’t really paying attention.”

He met her gaze and held it. “I’m sure since we’ve met that you’ve made a number of assumptions about me that aren’t true, Farrah.”

She blinked, surprised he would say that. “Like what?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

She wondered what he meant by that. But then she would admit that maybe she had made a few assumptions. Being here in his home challenged one of them. She had always assumed his home, his domain, was off-limits to any woman. He’d never said that, but given the way he’d meticulously made his booty calls, she’d certainly thought so.

Xavier stood and placed his wine glass on the counter. She couldn’t help the way her gaze followed his movement, especially the muscles in his thighs when they stretched. He was definitely a man who could wear a pair of jeans. But then he looked damn good in a business suit as well. And Lordy, she didn’t want to think about how good he looked naked.

She blinked again, noticing his lips move. He was saying something. “Excuse me?”

He smiled, and she felt a tingle that seemed to take life in her stomach. Why did he have to have such a luscious mouth? And why did she have to remember all the things that mouth could do?

“I asked if you were ready for dinner.”

She was ready for whatever he had in mind. Holding back that thought, she cleared her throat and said instead, “Yes, just lead the way.”

She followed him, appreciating another chance to check out his broad shoulders and the best backside a man could possess.

Xavier glanced across the table at Farrah and decided he was going to enjoy every single plan he put into action to win her over. They were almost finished with dinner, and just in case she planned to leave any time soon, he would suggest that she stick around to help with kitchen cleanup. He glanced back down at his plate thinking she didn’t have to know Ms. Blackburn had instructed him to leave everything for her to take care of in the morning.

“You should have warned me, Xavier.”

He glanced back up and met her gaze. The eyes staring back at him were a serious brown. He wondered if she’d figured out his action plan for tonight. “Warned you about what?”

“That I would be so full after this meal that you’d probably have to roll me out the door.”

A relieved smile touched his lips. “I did warn you. I told you how I felt after eating her apple pie.”

“I thought you were exaggerating. Now I see that you weren’t. I’ve never eaten pork chops that all but melt in your mouth. They are so tender.”

He had to agree, Ms. Blackburn had done a great job with dinner. And Farrah, he thought, had done a great job with dressing. She looked good tonight. When she’d taken off her coat, his tongue had almost wrapped around his head. That was one sexy purple dress she was wearing. It was short, which showed off her legs that were encased in tights and another pair of black leather knee-high boots. He had invited her over for dinner, not to give him heart failure.

“You look nice tonight, by the way.”

She smiled at his compliment. “Thanks. You look good yourself.”

He pushed his empty plate aside to lean back in his chair. “Glad you think so.”

“I do. Always.”

She was flirting with him, and as a man, he could only appreciate it. “Would you like some dessert now?” He watched her lick her lips, and he couldn’t help but shift in the chair to ease the pressure behind his zipper.

“Sounds tempting but I’ll wait for a while. I’d like to talk to you about something.”

He wondered what she wanted to talk about. “Sure. Let’s go in the family room and sit in front of the fireplace.”

“But what about the dinner dishes?”

He smiled. “We can leave them for now and you can help me clean up the kitchen later.”

“All right. That’s the least I can do after such a wonderful meal.”

No, that wasn’t the least she could do, but he would keep that little tidbit to himself.

He rounded the table to pull the chair back for her. One thing he’d liked about Farrah from the first was that she never got offended when he did gentlemanly things for her. No matter how raw and raunchy they got in the bedroom, he totally enjoyed treating her like the lady he knew she was.

And she was a downright sexy lady at that, he thought as his gaze swept over her, up and down her body. Just looking at her almost derailed any thoughts about what was the best way to handle her. He wanted to get out of her the one thing he deemed most important. For her to return his love.

He knew that was a tall order, one that would take measured, strategic planning. His goal was to convince her that he was a viable candidate for her affections, and that he was more husband material than her ex ever was.

When she walked off swaying her hips, it took all of his control not to reach out and pull her into his arms and begin removing every stitch of clothing she had on her body before tearing off his. Then it would be on, all over the place. His erection throbbed just thinking about it.

He momentarily closed his eyes while telling himself to hold tight and keep a handle on his control. It would all be worth it in the end, even though not making love to her tonight was going to drive him insane, especially when she was intentionally trying to bait him.

Xavier reopened his eyes the moment she glanced over her shoulder at him with a teasing smile on her face. “Are you coming, Xavier?”

He gave her a warning frown. He would definitely be coming if she kept it up, but he intended to resist her temptation, even if it killed him. And he had a feeling that if it did kill him, he would die an excruciating, slow death. “I’m right behind you.”

And he was. As she led the way back to his family room, he was what he considered a safe distance be hind her, which had its advantages if you were into ass-watching. He was, especially when that part of the anatomy was hers.

She slid down on his sofa in a movement so fluid, so damn enticing, he didn’t even blink as he watched her. He waited until she was settled in her seat before crossing the room and taking the recliner across from her. He’d known resisting her wouldn’t be easy, but he hadn’t counted on it being such torture. The woman was almost too hot for his own good.

He cleared his throat. “So, what do you want to talk about?”

“Us.”

Us?
She’d never referred to them as an
us,
so in a way things sounded pretty good already. “I’m listening.”

She began nibbling on her lower lips. He knew that sign. Whatever topic she wanted to broach wasn’t easy for her. “I, um, I was thinking about what you said last night.”

He’d said a lot of things. He’d done a lot of things, too. “And?”

“And you wanted us to continue the affair past New York.”

Had she come around without much prodding from him? “Yes, I recall having said that.”

She began nibbling on her lips again, and then she said, “I’d like to offer a proposal to you.”

He lifted a brow. “A proposal?”

“Yes.”

He leaned back in the chair as he rubbed his jaw. This had better be good, he thought. It’d better be what he wanted. “I’m listening.”

“I don’t have any plans for the holidays and I thought…”

She paused, but he was determined that she finish what she was saying. “You thought what, Farrah?’

She met his gaze while nibbling those luscious lips again. “That since you wanted to continue things between us for a while, that we could extend our affair at least through New Year’s.”

He didn’t say anything. He had to make sure he fully understood what she was offering. “Are you saying that once you leave here it’s okay for us to hook up in Charlotte again, with things being like they used to be with us?”

She nodded. “Yes, but only through the holidays.”