Happily Ever Afton (15 page)

His eyes were simmering with blue heat when they moved over to the
pièce de résistance
– the round silver mesh purse she carried decorated with a peace symbol patch with the words
‘No More War’
stitched in large red letters guaranteed to
not
go over well with the esteemed military veterans scheduled to be honored at the dinner later that evening at the club.

‘If you don’t go change in the next five minutes,’ Cooper said in a voice menacing in its quietness, ‘so help me, Afton, I will throw you over my shoulder, take you in that room and strip that reject outfit from a scummy men’s club off of you and dress you myself!’

She looked at his strongly muscled body outfitted in the latest of country club casual chic for wealthy men, in crisply pressed chino pants worn with a light blue polo shirt with the collar flipped up around the brown column of his neck and expensive handmade Italian loafers. He could definitely do what he threatened – but she had anticipated that as well.

Afton sighed dramatically. ‘I’m
so
sorry, Cooper – all my clothes but this one outfit are locked up at my neighbor Darcy’s next door. You can go check my closet for yourself if you don’t believe me!’ she threw a dramatic arm towards the hallway and continued her carefully prepared recitation.

‘They were exterminating my apartment yesterday and Darcy’s out of town until Monday for the holiday, so she said I could store them there to escape the fumes. But then she
completely
forgot to leave me the key when she left early this morning – she’s a little ditsy that way,’ Afton blithely lied, judging the extent of Cooper’s anger by measuring the darkening of his eyes like a mood ring.

‘I’m afraid this is all I have to wear – and the stores aren’t open today. If this won’t work, I guess I’ll just have to miss your event and stay at home,’ she murmured faking a regretful expression. She turned to go back in her apartment, but Cooper grabbed her arm, practically dragging her back out in the hall sending her bracelets jingle jangling up a storm.

‘You’re
going
with me!’ he growled.

‘Fine,’ she shot back. ‘Then
let’s go
! Because I really don’t believe our – quote unquote,’ she pantomimed making quote marks in the air, ‘–
contract
, stipulated a dress code – now did it?’

There was silence as they apparently reached a standoff with matching glares their weapons of choice. The question was, Afton knew –
who would break first
?

Cooper steamed,
furious
she had bested him on this one.

Or had she
?

He stared at her speculatively through hooded eyes. Was she
really
brave enough to last all day in that outrageous outfit? What if he called her on her action, and even upped the ante? He hid a smile. This might even turn out to be the
most
fun he’d had in a long time. His gaze slid over her again, an ache beginning in his loins as he thought about the last time he had been with her which seemed so very long ago now.

Yes, it had been much too long since he’d had
any
fun with her!

‘Fine – let’s go – but aren’t you forgetting an important piece of jewelry?’ he asked silkily, lifting up her hand with her bare ring finger.

‘Oh that, I’ll just go get it – I was going to throw it out with the rest of the trash,’ she said breezily as Cooper’s heart dropped, ‘then I decided to keep it as a reminder of the times I
unknowingly
spent rubbing shoulders with the crème de la crème of society.’

Afton sauntered off to her bedroom and came back a few moments later sticking her hand in his face to show him his grandmother’s priceless heirloom ring resting again on her finger.

‘Satisfied?’

No!
Not at all lately Cooper thought, longing to kiss the petulant pouting mouth until it once again smiled for him.

‘Yes – now shall we go?’

They walked out the building – Afton keeping a wide space between them – Cooper trying hard not to laugh when Mickey’s mouth flapped open with shock upon seeing her parade through the lobby. Cooper escorted her to the white Range Rover parked in front with all the politeness and deference as if she were dressed as sensibly as the Queen of England instead of a pole dancer from the wrong side of town.

‘What happened to the Lamborghini, Porsches and Mercedes, Mr. Carrington?’ Afton chirped with an innocent wide-eyed look as he opened her door, ‘don’t tell me you’re
slumming
today?’

‘I’m rich remember?’ He smiled grimly, gallantly helping her in which was somewhat of a challenge, as her diminutive skirt did not allow for a very graceful step up into the passenger seat, ‘I can afford a different car for each day of the week.’

That shut her up momentarily and he slammed her door shut as well, walking over and sliding into the driver’s seat next to her. Before he started the car, Cooper inserted a mellow jazz CD in the CD deck. It was clear there was to be no civil conversation between them. He was immediately proven right as Afton turned away, arms irritably crossed, glaring out her window remaining mute the entire trip.

When they entered the exclusive, ‘by invitation only’ yacht club, a stunned silence seemed to fall. Cooper gave up on counting the number of shocked expressions they encountered as they ran the gauntlet. All conversations instantly ceasing when they walked by, with it seeming evenly divided – the men mostly giving Afton looks of lustful admiration, while their genteel, pampered wives shot her dirty looks of horror and disgust. Looks like another bumpy night in store, Cooper thought grimly.

As they walked through the club, Afton found her bravado slipping dramatically. In the end, she was clutching Cooper’s muscled forearm for dear life, almost resorting to
begging
him not to leave her alone in the clubhouse when he said he had to go check on the start time for the first race. But her stubborn pride wouldn’t allow her to and when he left the room, she summoned up her courage.

Just pretend you’re acting a part like when you starred in plays at college
.

Okay, she could do that. She’d been something of a star in several productions in fact.

Now just walk confidently over to the bar, get a drink, and wait there until Cooper comes back
.

Afton turned in the direction of the bar, only making it a few teetering steps before a hand stroking an insolent caress down the length of her bare arm intercepted her, encircling her slender wrist holding her captive.

‘My God, where did
you
come from honey?’

Afton turned to look right into the hot grey eyes of Reed Sinclair looking very suave and debonair. His streaked blond hair was heavily moussed and carefully styled; a drink held carelessly in his free hand, the very clichéd image of a wealthy playboy, all rakish charm and on the prowl in a natty navy blue blazer, tailored white pleated trousers and boat shoes.

‘Hel…hello Reed.’

Reed started, surprised. ‘We
know
each other?’

He unfurled a pleased, white-capped smile before leaning his head uncomfortably near to whisper in her ear in a low suggestive tone, ‘You’ve got to tell me more, Sunshine, like do we already
know
each other in a biblical sense because if that’s the case, I
sure
would like to get to know you again! Look, my yacht has a king-sized bed and champagne already chilling on ice in the cabin, maybe after the races…’

‘Actually, you met her at the museum opening,’ Cooper’s deep voice informed him from behind, ‘her name is Afton – not Sunshine – and she was my fiancée that night and also today,’ he looked pointedly down at the other man’s overly familiar hold on Afton.

‘Sorry, old man,’ With an insincere contrite laugh, Reed instantly let her go raising a hand in the air in a conciliatory manner, the ice in his glass tinkling in the other, ‘I saw her standing all alone at the bar and thought she was a free agent.’

He might as well have said up for grabs
!

Afton felt almost sick as Reed wandered away to chat up a brassy blonde he spotted sitting at the bar in a skintight dress. She turned and fled to a secluded dark corner of the clubhouse with Cooper close behind her.

‘Are you all right?’

‘Sure, I’m just fine and dandy,’ she lied.

He stared down at her appearing to read the obvious distress on her face.

‘Afton,’ Cooper, with a thumb beneath her chin gently turned her face to his when she tried to look away to hide the humiliated tears in her eyes; ‘let me give you a valuable lesson about men. We’re
very
visually oriented creatures – if you dress like a tramp, you’re going to be treated like a tramp. It’s that simple.’

Afton blinked back the tears and jerked her head away, ‘Thanks so much for the lesson on physiology,
Professor
– I’ll file it along with everything else you’ve ever told me under
useless
information!’

God, she was stubborn, Cooper thought frustrated, but it was just part of the incredible attraction he felt for her. She could be incredibly stubborn, but also incredibly loving and thoughtful.

And oh dear Lord, could she be incredibly sexy
!

He swallowed, his gaze drawn again to her skimpy silver top as she folded her arms across her chest as though sensing his – and all the other visually oriented male eyes in the room – zooming in on that tempting area.

Cooper longed to pull her close to protect her from their lewd stares and tell her everything would be all right between them, but the stiffness of her slender shoulders and her rigid body posture told him she was still too raw, would still reject him.

He sighed wearied of the entire situation. ‘Do you want me to take you home?’

Afton shook her head stubbornly, obviously refusing to let him play the part of hero. ‘Heavens no, you can’t miss the yacht races, Mr. Rockefeller – I’ll just make myself comfortable and get to know all of your hoity toity rich friends.’

Okay, I tried,
Cooper said to himself. If she wants to play –
game on!

‘Well, by all means, allow me introduce you around then,’ he said smoothly. Taking her arm in his, he escorted her out to the main lobby of the club where crowds of people were milling about anxious to enjoy all of the day’s planned activities and games – not aware that the real entertainment was just about to begin.

‘Cooper!’

Cooper turned to see Baxter Tyler Worth and his queen bee socialite wife, Margaret, known at the club as Muffy, headed their way.

‘Here comes my boss – we might as well start with him.’

He could feel Afton tense under his hold around her bare slender waist, but she’d wanted this war, not him, and he was not backing down now until
she
did!

Baxter strolled up to them in his festive preppy best of a light blue seersucker suit worn with a captain’s hat on his silver hair. His arm was around a well-preserved woman in a chic sleeveless white dress with nautical navy and red piping stitched around the neck and armholes, worn with tasteful pearl jewelry at her ears and throat.

‘See Margaret, I told you that was Cooper I saw with his lovely…’ Baxter broke off, his jaw dropping down as he took in Afton. Cooper saw Afton cringe after also reading the shock clearly racing across his boss’s face. Before she could speak, Margaret broke into delighted laughter.

‘Cooper, you
naughty
, naughty boy!’ Margaret, aka Muffy, with barely contained glee, lightly tapped his arm with her printed program of the day’s events, ‘
imagine
fooling your date into thinking this was a costume party. Oh, you and your pranks! You’re just
awful
!’

‘Er…I didn’t tell her it was a costume party, Margaret. I would never
dream
of telling a lady how to dress, isn’t that right, Afton?’ Cooper corrected her mistaken assumption, thereby leaving Afton swinging in the wind.

All eyes swung back in her direction, as she remained mute, her cheeks reddening.

‘This is Afton Lanford,’ he completed the formal introductions, ‘and Margaret Tyler Worth is one of the founding members of the club, Afton.’

His amused gaze turned back to his boss whose stunned eyes had never left the vicinity of Afton’s unclothed midriff section. ‘Baxter, I believe you and Afton met before at the museum opening – I failed to mention the happy news that night that we’re engaged.’ He lifted Afton’s hand with his grandmother’s ring tenderly to his lips, saying softly with an awed reverence, ‘Afton has agreed to make me the
happiest
man in the world.’

Margaret’s mouth snapped shut, her horrified eyes scanning over Afton in an entirely different light. ‘Baxter dear, I think I see Prentiss and his wife over there, will you excuse us Cooper and…er….Afton…congratulations on your engagement!’

She grabbed her husband’s arm and rushed him as far away as she could get him in the next few seconds as though not wanting to take a chance of any of her friends also on the board at the club, seeing them socializing with someone of Afton’s questionable character.

‘
You bastard
,’ Afton murmured between stiff lips.

Cooper held back a chortle of laughter, ‘as you said, there was no dress code in our deal. That one was all on
you
, darling. What’s wrong – can’t take the heat?’

‘Oh, I can take it, Richie Rich,’ she said with a tight smile on her face, ‘you’d just better get your sun block out because it’s about to get very
hot
in here for you as well!’

For the next half hour, the well-heeled members of Seattle’s most exclusive country and yacht club were put in the confusing position of being both appalled and intrigued as Cooper and Afton made their way determinedly across the festively red-white-and blue decorated clubhouse, greeting as many people in the crowd as they could.

No one else knew they were involved in the ultimate game of ‘chicken’ with Cooper making introductions Afton acknowledged using a variety of different voices and personas – her favorite being the truck-stop diner waitress, who popped her gum and blew a huge bubble while greeting one of Cooper’s father’s buttoned-up, staid –
shocked
– business associates.