Do Opposites Attract? (16 page)

Mitch had never been one for parties of any description. Give him a pint of beer and a cosy pub any day. But here he was at his second party in successive weekends, and mingling with Brianna’s friends once more. With a wry shake of his head he had to admit he felt no less like a fish out of water than he had at the ball.

His gaze swept across the partygoers congregated by the vast turquoise swimming pool that glittered invitingly in the early summer sunlight. There, in the middle of the throng, laughing happily and glittering just as invitingly, was the reason why he was prepared to put up with feeling so out of place. Brianna, looking so mouth-watering, that feasting his eyes on her was like a kick to his solar plexus.

At that moment she turned her head and caught his eye. After whispering something to the girl she was talking to, she sauntered up to him, her movements easy, fluid, sensual. ‘What are you doing, standing here all alone?’ she asked softly, draping her arms around his shoulders.

He expelled a deep breath of contentment as she nestled against him. Was it any wonder he couldn’t give her up? ‘I’m waiting for a sexy lady to come and chat me up,’ he replied, running his hands lazily down her back. She was wearing very little. Just a brightly coloured kaftan and a miniscule pink bikini.

‘Will I do?’ she smiled up at him.

‘Well, you’re the best offer I’ve had so far,’ he replied, nipping playfully at her ear. ‘But the night is still young.’ He received a sharp dig in the ribs. ‘Ouch. For that you can get me another drink. I guess it’ll have to be the non-alcoholic kind.’

‘It was your choice to drive. We could have stayed over. Sophie did offer.’

‘I know.’ But he hadn’t wanted to stay any longer than was necessary. At the first opportunity he was going to drag her away so he could have her all to himself.

Brianna took Mitch by the hand and led him towards the temporary bar. When she’d looked up to see him watching her, her heart had jumped in her chest. Her first thought had been how sexy he looked. Hard, tough, not the sort of man that you messed with. That menacing edge, the one that was there when he brooded like she’d caught him doing just now, gave her goosebumps. Not the cold kind, or the scared kind, but the
shivers up the spine excited
kind. It also set him apart from other men, especially the crowd here tonight. He was, on the whole, older, being in his mid-thirties rather than mid to late twenties. But his age didn’t come from the years that he’d lived, but the way that he’d lived them. This crowd had been brought up with a silver spoon in their mouth and a generous trust fund in the bank. Most hadn’t done a proper day’s work in their lives. Unlike Mitch, who worked his gorgeous butt off to save and improve the lives of others.

As he ordered another round of drinks for them both, Melanie sidled up behind Brianna. ‘You know, Brie, if I met your man in a dark alley late at night, I wouldn’t know whether to be delighted or terrified.’

Brianna was still chuckling when Mitch came back with the drinks. ‘What are you ladies sniggering about?’ he asked, looking from one to the other.

‘The relative merits of dark alleys,’ Melanie replied, batting her eyes at him. ‘Now then, Mitch. I hope you’ve brought your trunks with you.’ She cast her eyes over his dark T-shirt and casual linen shorts, clearly assessing what lay beneath.

‘If you’re hoping for a pair of Speedo’s, you’re doomed for disappointment.’

Melanie giggled. ‘I don’t think you’re going to be a disappointment.’

Brianna raised her eyebrows. ‘Err, excuse me, I am here you know. The only one who’ll be getting their hands on my boyfriend’s trunks is me.’ It felt strange saying the word boyfriend out loud. It implied a certain steadiness to their relationship that, even after his jealous appearance at her place during the week, she knew didn’t really exist. She wondered if she’d ever reach that stage when she knew he was hers.

‘Fair enough,’ Melanie agreed. ‘But it doesn’t mean to say the rest of us can’t look. Come on, Mitch, time to strip off and get into the pool. I want to see if you’ve got what it takes to be on my team for the water polo.’

Mitch eyed her warily. ‘What exactly does it take to be on your team?’ he asked as he peeled off his shorts.

‘It’s all about form,’ she replied with a wink. ‘Body form.’

‘You’ll have to excuse Melanie,’ Brianna interjected. ‘When it comes to an attractive male she turns into some sort of Mata Hari.’

She glanced up to see a crowd walking towards them. Sophie was there. Sadly, so too was Henry and his friend Simon. They were all stripped down to their swimwear, the girls slender in their bikinis, the boys with perfectly sculptured chests and trendy coloured trunks. Brianna hadn’t spoken to Henry since their charity date and she wasn’t exactly thrilled to see him now. Goodness only knew what Mitch was thinking. She watched the men eye each other up.

‘Are you ladies ready to start?’ Henry directed his question at Melanie and Brianna, deliberately avoiding Mitch.

‘As it happens, I was just asking my star player to strip off,’ Melanie replied coolly, clearly sensing the atmosphere between the men and showing whose side she was on.

Though Mitch’s expression gave nothing away, Brianna could tell he was uncomfortable. She had a desperate urge to drag him back to the car and far away from the party. He was here only because she’d asked him to come. It wasn’t his scene and having Henry prowling round, waiting for him to slip up, wasn’t helping. Mitch tugged off his T-shirt and nodded over to Melanie.

‘Umm, I wasn’t wrong. You do have form.’ Melanie ran an appreciative pair of eyes over Mitch’s plain black trunks and bare torso. ‘Nice tattoo.’

He looked over his shoulder at the black panther. ‘Thanks.’

‘I’ve never understood the fascination for grown men, or women for that matter, to adorn their bodies with ink.’ Simon spoke the words casually, but Brianna heard the edge behind them. He’d set his feet firmly in Henry’s camp.

‘I agree,’ Mitch replied, his voice equally light. ‘I wasn’t a grown man when I had it done.’

‘I bet you were a man when you received those scars.’ Sophie nodded to where her eyes were seemingly transfixed on the long scar that ran jaggedly across his side.

‘For some,’ Mitch replied tersely.

Brianna clutched at Mitch’s hand, noting how tensely he was holding himself. Not surprising, as they were eyeing him up like an animal at the zoo. Tattoos and scars weren’t seen very often in the circles these people moved in. They all had perfect bodies. If they weren’t born with them, they paid a fortune to have them created through personal trainers and clever plastic surgeons. She felt a roll of shame wash over her. These shallow people had been her friends.

‘Come on, Mitch,’ Melanie spoke, thankfully breaking the tension. ‘You, me, Camilla and Hugo. We’ll be unbeatable.’ Reaching out her hand, she tugged a slightly unwilling Mitch towards the pool.

Brianna was left standing and wondering why it felt like she’d just allowed her lover to be fed to the lions.

The action in the pool kept everyone entertained for the rest of the afternoon. Brianna realised she needn’t have worried about Mitch. He was more than capable of looking after himself. Though he clearly hadn’t played the game before, his swimming prowess and natural athleticism more than made up for his lack of experience at water polo.

‘What are you doing with him, Brianna?’

With a start, she turned to find Henry standing next to her, his eyes fixed on Mitch who was still in the pool.

‘I’m having a great time,’ she replied coolly, ‘despite your determination to ruin it with your little stunts.’

‘I made a significant contribution to your precious charity,’ he countered sulkily. ‘You should be pleased.’

‘I would have been if your motivation had been altruism, not humiliation.’

Henry snorted contemptuously. ‘The man’s an easy target. Look at him. What type of man has a panther on his arm and scars on his chest?’

‘The sort that’s had a tougher life than you,’ she spat back. God, had she once been that judgemental too? She shivered.

Henry stared at her for a moment and then obviously decided to change tactics. He draped a friendly arm around her shoulders, pulling her so she was forced to face him. ‘Come on, Brie. You and me, we go back a long time. We’re friends. In fact I had thought we were going to become more than that, right up until you lost your senses and started dating that loser.’

Something in Brianna snapped. She shoved at Henry, pushing him away from her. ‘How dare you call him that? He’s more of a man than you’ll ever be.’

‘Problem?’

She hadn’t seen Mitch come up behind her, but was grateful to feel the strength of his arm as it circled her waist.

‘Nothing I can’t handle,’ she replied, looking pointedly at Henry.

Mitch glowered, beads of water trickling over his powerful chest. ‘If you’ve got something to say, Henry, you need to say it directly to me.’ The words he uttered were calm enough, but the fire in his eyes betrayed his anger.

Henry smirked. ‘I think I will. You see I’m trying to work out what on earth Brianna sees in you and I find myself totally stumped. Of course, when I look at what you see in her, it’s blindingly obvious. She’s beautiful, but that’s not the real attraction for you, is it?’

Henry was clearly enjoying himself, playing to the crowd that had started to gather, sensing trouble. The hairs on the back of Brianna’s neck tingled and she clutched the arm that still circled her waist. She didn’t know where Henry was going with this, but wherever it was, it wasn’t going to end well.

‘No,’ Henry continued, staring contemptuously at Mitch. ‘Looking back at your history, it would seem a woman doesn’t have to be beautiful to get your attention. She doesn’t even have to be young. She just has to be filthy rich.’

Brianna turned sharply to Mitch. ‘What’s he talking about?’ she pleaded, wanting to understand.

But Mitch’s rigid profile wasn’t looking at her. ‘Spit it out, Henry. You think I’m only with Brianna for her money, is that it?’ She felt his arm tighten around her. ‘Not a particularly flattering assessment of Brianna’s attributes.’

‘It’s not my assessment,’ Henry thundered, on a roll now, veins pulsing on the side of his neck. ‘It’s yours. You’re quite good at this game now, aren’t you? Targeting wealthy, vulnerable ladies. But then you’ve been practising for a long time. You started off with the older women, didn’t you?’

When Mitch remained silent, Henry continued. ‘Does the name Catherine ring any bells with you, or have you forgotten all about her?’

Mitch’s fingers dug into her waist and Brianna had to stifle a yelp. ‘You bastard,’ he uttered under his breath.

‘Ah, so you do remember your first conquest. I understand she was quite taken with you for a while. Thankfully her family found out, didn’t they, Simon?’ Henry cast his eyes over to his friend, who looked slightly embarrassed, but nodded. ‘You see Catherine is Simon’s aunt. She is the sister of Simon’s father. Thankfully he was able to explain to his sister who you really were. A chancer, preying on a rich old lady.’ Henry stared deliberately over at Brianna. ‘It looks like your tastes have improved, though your methods are probably still very similar.’

One minute Mitch was grasping her waist, the next he was grasping Henry’s shirt collar and yanking him towards the pool. Henry tried to push away but Mitch was far too strong for him. Stunned by the speed and violence of the action, nobody interfered as Mitch took his right arm back and thrust it into Henry’s jaw with brutal force, sending him flying into the pool.

Mitch waited for a few seconds to see Henry bob up to the surface, spluttering. Then he turned back to the now hushed crowd. ‘Entertainment over.’ His voice was as cold and flat as the expression on his face. Without a backward glance at anyone, including Brianna, he picked up his T-shirt and shorts and strode off towards his car.

Brianna stood frozen to the spot, her mind blank.

‘You see, Brianna,’ Henry was yelling at her from the pool, holding his jaw. ‘That’s the real nature of the man you’re sleeping with. He’s a bloody thug.’

His words acted like a bucket of cold water on her, clearing her senses. Livid with anger, she walked to the edge of the pool. ‘What the hell did you expect, spouting all those lies at him? And what sort of idiot do you take me for? Do you really think I’m stupid enough to be hoodwinked by a man who only wants me for my money?’ She looked pityingly at the man now struggling out of the pool, the man who had once been her friend. ‘I chased after Mitch, you fool, not him after me.’

She felt her friend’s arms pulling her back, but Brianna just shrugged them off. ‘I’ve got to get to Mitch,’ she cried, desperate to reach him before he drove off.

Suddenly she was running as if her life depended on it. She ignored the pain in her bare feet as she ran across the gravel to where she could see Mitch’s car, the engine running. Panting, she banged on the passenger window. ‘Mitch, let me in.’

The door unlocked and she dived inside. Though her instinct was to wrap her arms around him and apologise, she stopped as soon as she saw the bleak look on his face. Anger, pain, humiliation all vied with each other. There was no warmth when he looked at her, nothing to indicate that any show of sorrow or compassion on her side would be gratefully received. ‘Are you okay?’ she settled on, not daring to touch him.

‘I’ve just been accused of conning rich women out of their money by one of your friends. Why wouldn’t I be all right?’ His voice was so tight she wondered how it had squeezed past his vocal cords.

‘He’s no friend of mine, not any more. Look, I’m sorry he said the things he did. I know none of it is true—’

‘Do you?’ Mitch interjected harshly.

She frowned. ‘Of course I do.’

‘How do you know?’ He snapped the words out as he put the car into gear and crunched down the driveway.

‘I know you, Mitch. You’re honest and you’re proud. There is no way you would prey on rich women.’

He laughed, a bitter sound that had her shivering despite the warmth of the evening. ‘You don’t know me, Brianna. You don’t know me at all.’