Choosing Happy (Madison Square #2) (24 page)

Dinner was served, and we ate delicate portions of pork tenderloin and asparagus. The food was nothing to rave about. At functions like this, food was considered a distraction between cocktails.

After dinner we made the rounds. Even though I was there as Bryan’s plus one, I’d spent the better part of the evening introducing him since the same people attended this event almost every year. My jaw hurt from clenching my teeth behind my fake smile as I addressed my mother’s insufferable friends.

“You seem tense,” Bryan said.

I let out a long breath. “I’m sorry. These things tend to bring out the worst in me. I feel like an organ grinder’s monkey.”

He laughed and took the glass from my hand. “How about something a little stronger than champagne?”

“Yes, thank you.” I sighed and smiled as I watched him head toward the bar.

I scanned the room and spotted my mother holding court by the bar as my father nursed what was no doubt his third whiskey of the evening. My sister Evelyn stood behind her in a sleeveless black gown, her mousey brown hair piled high on top of her head. When she spotted me, she leaned down to whisper in mother’s ear.

Mother’s head snapped up, and her eyes locked with mine. A smile lit her face, but anger filled her eyes as she excused herself from her audience and headed my way.

“Shit,” I muttered.

“Madison, darling,” Mother said when she reached me. She leaned in, pretending to kiss both of my cheeks. “What are you doing here?” she asked through her teeth. Her bright smile never faltered even though she was less than happy to see me.

“It’s wonderful to see you too, Mother.” I clenched my teeth and smiled through the pain.

“I already told you that it would be best if you sat this one out.” She put a hand on my arm in a mock motherly gesture.

“I came with someone.” I wrenched my arm from her grip.

Her eyes widened. “Who?” she asked.

“Me,” Bryan said. A bright smile spread across his face as he handed me my drink and slipped his arm around my waist.

“May I present Bry…” I started.

“Mr. Townsend,” Mother said, reaching for his hand. “It’s wonderful to see you. I wanted to thank you again for your generous contribution to the foundation.”

My attention volleyed between the two of them. I was stunned. They knew each other?

“You are very welcome, Mrs. Sinclair,” he said, releasing her hand. He pulled me in tight against him.

She looked between us, and I saw a strange look pass across my mother’s features. I had never seen it from her before. It looked almost like pride. “I had no idea you knew each other,” she said, giving me a scolding look.

“Yes. Madison was kind enough to join me at the last minute.”

“How lovely.” Mother appraised us together as if she couldn’t possibly believe that this beautiful, successful man would choose to spend time with me.

“She is, isn’t she?” He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my neck. Mother’s eyes brightened, and I could see her excitement at the prospect of a relationship between Bryan and me. Great. No doubt I would hear about that later.

“Well, I must make the rounds. We should set up a lunch,” Mother said.

“Sounds like a plan,” he replied.

“Wonderful. I will set it up with Madison.” Mother smiled, staring awkwardly at us before she excused herself.

When she was gone I turned to face Bryan. “What was that?” I asked.

“I’m sorry if I over stepped. It seemed like she needed to be put in her place,” he said as a wicked grin spread wide across his face.

I couldn’t help but return his smile. “You realize she’s planning our wedding as we speak.”

Bryan dropped a warm hand to the small of my back, leading me away from my family. He leaned in close, his breath tickling my ear as he spoke. “Well then, I hope she goes with the live band. DJ’s can be so tacky.”

Suddenly my skin began to heat beneath his touch. My reaction surprised me since I wasn’t really all that attracted to him in the beginning, but after that little display with my mother and spending this time with him, I was warming to the idea of seeing where this flirtation could go.

As the night went on, I started to relax from both the champagne and Bryan’s company. He was charming and sweet, making me laugh as he told me stories of disastrous charity events he attended in the past. One in particular, about a woman who was outbid for a diamond broach that once belonged to Princess Diana by none other than her husband’s mistress using his credit card had me cackling so loud, I drew the attention and glares of several of the people around us.

We continued to laugh, but quickly made our way into the next room, away from the stares of the uptight attendees who were clearly not having as much fun as we were. All in all, the evening was turning out to be quite a success.

We made our way toward the sound of the band that floated through the ballroom. Couples floated across the dance floor gracefully, as if carried by the melody. Bryan excused himself to grab us a refill from the bar. I stood at the edge of the dance floor, swaying to the rhythm, my eyes closed as I relaxed and let myself be swept up in the music.

“That’s some dress, beautiful.”

I froze. My eyes went wide. Was I imagining it? Hell, it had happened before. I squeezed my eyes closed tight, hoping to clear the sound of his voice from my head.

I could feel him step closer. His breath warmed the back of my neck as he spoke. “Every man in the room is wondering what lies beneath this thin silk,” Sean whispered. He leaned in, his breath tickling my ear, “but I already know.” He softly and discreetly dragged a knuckle down my spine, causing me to quickly suck air in through my teeth. My back went ramrod straight as he chuckled, obviously amused by my reaction.

I spun around and was met with that heart-stopping smile. My God, he looked good. The fantasy of Sean in a tux had nothing on the reality. The smooth black fabric of his jacket hugged his shoulders and made them seem broader and more angular. He wore a silver tie that brought out the striking gray color in his eyes that seemed amused by my obvious appraisal of him.

“What are you doing here?” I managed to choke out.

“I was invited.” He took a step closer, and I retreated to keep some distance between us. This situation had disaster written all over it. My mother was here. Bryan was here. I looked around for any sign of them and did my best to come up with an excuse to leave.

“You seem tense, babe,” he said as a devilish grin spread wide across his lips. He knew he had me cornered and seemed to be enjoying watching me sweat. Asshole.

“I’m here with someone,” I blurted.

“I know,” he said. “I saw you with him earlier. He seems a little old for you, don’t you think?” That devious grin took over his face again, making me want to smack it off. I straightened, deciding to stand my ground. I am an adult. I made the conscious decision not to see him anymore, and I was here with someone else. So we ran into each other at a party? Big deal. It was bound to happen sooner or later, right?

I saw Bryan coming toward us, weaving through the crowd with a drink in each hand. I swallowed thickly, stood up straight, and braced myself for the shit storm of awkward that was about to hit me.

“Here you are,” Bryan said, handing me my drink. I took a large gulp, my eyes watering as the liquid burned its way down my throat.

Bryan turned, noticing Sean was standing there. He nodded and took a sip from his glass. “Sean, glad you finally decided to join us,” he said.

Wait, did they know each other?

“I’m here, as promised,” Sean replied, his voice full of acid.

I kept looking between them, confused at their cold exchange. So not only did they know each other, it seemed that they didn’t particularly like each other.

Bryan straightened finally and turned his attention to me. “Well, I see you have met my lovely date, Madison.” He said as he placed his hand on the small of my back. I flinched as I watched Sean’s eyes follow Bryan’s hand. “Madison, this is my son, Sean.”

His what?

I did my best not to react, while inside I was dying. I had to be dreaming. Things like this didn’t happen in real life. This was the plot of one of those daytime soap operas, not my life. I was on a date with Sean’s father! I had slept with Bryan’s son! Father and son. Son and father.

Sean offered his hand to me, which I cautiously took. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Madison,” he said, doing a way better job of pretending we hadn’t seen each other naked than I was at the moment.

I struggled to catch my breath. “Yes. Pleasure,” I said, the only response I could choke out. I needed air, or water, or a DeLorean. Anything to get me far, far away from this insanity.

“I’m glad to see you’ve come to your senses,” Bryan said. His passive aggressive tone surprised me.

“Not the time or the place,” Sean said through a fake smile. Bryan returned it with a smirk and drained the rest of his scotch as the band began to play opening bars of “Fly Me to the Moon.”

Sean smiled at me and held out his hand. “Madison, would you care to dance?”

I looked back at Bryan, not sure what to say or do. He gave me a small nod, and I took Sean’s hand and let him lead me on to the dance floor.

When we reached the center of the floor he pulled me in close, his fingers brushing against the bare skin at the small of my back. My eyes snapped up to his, scolding him for his hand placement.

“What?” he asked. He pulled me closer. “There aren’t many places on your body that my hands haven’t already been,” he whispered.

“You’re an asshole,” I muttered.

“You’re here on a date with my father, but I’m the asshole?” He chuckled. He didn’t seem angry, but if I’d learned anything about Sean it was that humor was his first line of defense. He was hurt and joking about this ridiculous situation we’d found ourselves in was how he hid it.

“I swear, Sean. I had no idea he was your father. I would never have agreed to come tonight.” I looked into his deep gray eyes and my heart broke as I took in the sadness I found there.

“I know, beautiful,” he said. “You don’t have it in you to be cruel.”

We danced quietly for a few more bars, neither of us sure of where to go from there. After a few more moments, I had to ask, “So what do we do?”

“That depends on you,” Sean said.

“I…” I stammered. I was at a complete loss. I couldn’t exactly break things off with Bryan, not that there was really anything to break off in the first place. Eric had said to keep him happy, and I doubt finding out that I had slept with his son would make him very happy.

“Madison?” Sean looked down at me, a frown distorting his beautiful face. “You can’t keep seeing him.”

“I…I don’t really have much of a choice,” I said.

Sean pulled away slightly, his face twisted in confusion. “Are you serious?”

“We are in the middle of an extremely important development deal.”

“So what, you’re dating him for work?”

“No,” I said. “We aren’t dating at all.”

“He kissed your neck, Madison. Is that something you let all your clients do?”

I flinched. So he’d seen that kiss. “I can explain.”

He laughed. “Explain what exactly? I think it’s pretty clear what’s going on here. He’s just the kind of guy you should be with, right? He’s the one everyone will approve of. The one you don’t have to convince yourself to be with because he ticks off everything on some list of what you think a man should be.”

We’d stopped moving, and his voice started to carry. I looked around the room. People were beginning to stare, and I could feel my face heat and my eyes water as the embarrassment of the whole situation washed over me.

Sean didn’t back down. Those beautiful gray eyes that once held so much warmth and joy were hard, cold, and full of anger. He shook his head and dropped my hand, backing away from me.

“I’m done,” he said. “You two deserve each other.”

He shouldered his way through the crowd toward the exit. Pain burst through my chest as tears welled in my eyes. Before I knew what I was doing, I followed him out the door.

Chapter 22

Sean

I burst through the doors of the hotel and out into the street. The cold night air hit me like a punch to the face. I thrust my hands into my hair, gripping the roots and pulling hard to distract myself from the pain in my chest.

“Fuck,” I yelled into the night sky, startling a woman and her small dog as she walked past me. I flinched and apologized. She picked up the furry little thing and glared at me as she made her way back into the hotel.

I needed to go. I needed to get as far away from the unbelievable fucking nightmare this night had become, but I was stuck, my feet frozen to the sidewalk.

“Sean!”

I turned as Madison pushed her way through the revolving door. I immediately started up the sidewalk with no destination in mind other than away from her.

“Sean, wait,” she called, moving as quickly as her heels would allow.

I sighed and whirled around to face her. “For what?” She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide, surprised by my outburst.

“I…” she stammered. Her eyes darted around her for a moment before settling on her fingers. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Sorry for what exactly?” I asked. “Sorry for leaving me, or for dating my father behind my back?”

“We are not dating,” she said. “I came here at my boss’s request.”

“Well, that just makes everything better, doesn’t it?” I sneered.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

I rubbed my chin and laughed. “There lies the problem, doesn’t it?”

I turned away and tucked my hands into my pockets, making my way up the street, my heart cracking with every step that distanced us. I was angry and upset, and fuck I needed a drink. I stepped into the street and flagged down a cab. I ducked into the back seat, instructing the driver to head to the only place that felt like home.

***

“What the actual fuck?” Alex asked. Her jaw dropped dangerously close to her lap.

I nodded and tossed back my shot, slamming the glass down on the bar. Then I signaled Liam for another.

“Your father, seriously?” she asked.

Drew shook his head. “Jesus, that’s just…”

“Yep,” I said, popping the
P
as I brought my freshly filled glass to my lips.

Alex and Drew traded looks over my head, then burst into laughter. My best friends, the wonderful assholes they were, doubled over, laughing at my pain.

People around the bar turned and craned their necks to see what the fuss was about. Some old guy, no doubt already a few beers in, even joined in without a clue as to what was going on.

I nodded my head, resigned to that fact that this was my life now. Sitting at a bar, mainlining tequila while my so-called friends mocked me mercilessly in the background.

I looked up at Liam and flicked my empty glass toward him for another refill. He bit his lip, trying to remain composed while Alex and Drew lost their minds on either side of me.

I pounded back another shot and welcomed the warming sensation that burned its way down my stomach as I got to my feet.

“Well, fuck you all very much,” I slurred as I stumbled my way toward the door.

Alex grabbed my arm. “Wait Sean, don’t go.” She wiped the tears from her eyes as her laughter died down. “Come on, we’re sorry, okay. Stay.”

“I came here looking for a little bit of support, not ridicule,” I said, dropping heavily back to the bar stool.

“Well, that was your first mistake,” Drew said.

Alex snickered. I whipped my head around to face her, fixing her with a glare, but in true Alex fashion, she just glared right back.

“So what did he say?” Drew asked.

“Who?”

“Your dad,” he said.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“I just pretended we didn’t know each other and introduced myself. The bastard didn’t even notice the weirdness,” I said. Liam was busy, so I leaned across the bar to grab the bottle of tequila and serve myself. There goes his tip.

“Why?” Alex asked.

“Why what?”

“Why not just come out with it?”

“And cause a scene?” I asked.

She nodded, realizing my point.

“I can’t believe she’s been dating your father and you at the same time.”

“That’s the really great part,” I said. “She said that they aren’t dating, that they’re involved in some big development deal and she is seeing him for work.”

Alex tilted her head to the side, her brows raised. “Well,” she said.

“Are you serious?” I snapped.

“You know as well as I do that sometimes a little schmoozing is part of the job. Maybe it is just a work thing.”

“He kissed her!” I said. “I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Fuck! He kissed her?” Drew asked.

“Where?” Alex asked.

“In the ballroom,” I sighed. I was growing more and more frustrated with this line of questioning, especially since Alex seemed to think I was overreacting to the woman I love dating my father. My father! She was on a date with my fucking father. My reaction was one hundred percent appropriate.

Alex shook her head. “No. Where on her body? Her cheek? Her forehead? Her lips?”

“Her neck,” I growled. “He kissed her neck.”

Alex winced, sucked air through her teeth, and leaned back in her seat. “Ooh, that is bad.”

“Thank you,” I said, nodding my head as I reached for the tequila again.

“So, what now?” Drew asked.

“Now,” I said lazily, turning my head to face him. “Now I’m gonna finish this bottle and pour myself into a cab. After that I have no fucking clue.”

I dropped my head to the bar, and Drew put a heavy hand on my shoulder.

My chest felt heavy and my head swam with tequila and misery. I needed…fuck, I don’t know what I needed, but I wanted her. Just her.

***

After a miserable drunken weekend, I did manage to sober up long enough to drag my pathetic, broken ass into work Monday morning. I’d barely slept a wink, avoiding calls from everyone.

“You look like shit,” Drew said as I dropped into my chair.

I dropped my head into my hands. “Thanks,” I said, rubbing my eyes as I tried to muster up enough strength to get through the day.

Drew leaned over the low wall that separated our work space. “You okay?”

I lifted my head and gave him a look to show him just how not okay I was.

“I’ve never seen you this upset over a girl,” he said.

I reclined back in my chair and looked up at the ceiling. “She’s not just any girl.”

He nodded. “I get that.”

I ran a hand down my face with a groan. “This whole situation is bullshit.”

“Could be worse,” Drew said.

I narrowed my eyes, my brows pulling together. “How?”

“She could end up your new step-mommy.” Drew smirked, and I tossed a stress ball at his head. Asshole.

Drew ducked and dropped into his seat, I could still hear him laughing as my phone rang. I reached for the receiver to answer it, still shaking my head at the jackass.

“Sean Taylor.”

“Seany!” a familiar high pitched squeal blasted from the phone. I winced and held the phone away from my ear to get the ringing to stop before I addressed her.

“Hey, Chris,” I said. “How goes the gallery?”

“A. maze. ing,” she said, punctuating each syllable like it was its own word. “Well, it will be when it’s done. Which, if we get this pesky electrical issue worked out, will be this weekend!”

Chris was my high school girlfriend and the one bright spot in my lousy dating history. Things may not have worked out between us, but the breakup was civil and we managed to stay friends. Most people saw her as a perky, bubbly blonde, but the girl was a brilliant business woman. Only her attention span could be a tad short, so she was always bouncing from venture to venture, building companies, restaurants, then selling out before the first year, at a profit of course.

“Sounds great,” I said.

“You’re coming, right?” she squealed.

“Oh. Uh…I don’t know…”

“Oh, please, please, please, Seany,” she said with an audible pout. “Come. For old time’s sake.”

I thought about it for a minute, weighing my options. Gallery opening with a gorgeous blonde distraction, or drinking alone in my apartment until it was time to go back to work.

“Okay, count me in,” I said.

“Agh!” Her excited scream caused me to flinch away from the phone again. “Oh my God, I’m so excited! I’ll text you the deets. Kisses.”

Chris hung up before I could say anything else. This was good, exactly what I needed. Get out of the city for a few days, clear my head, get some perspective on the shit storm my life had become. Friday couldn’t come fast enough.