Seducing the Wolf (23 page)

“—who isn’t going anywhere.”

“He might if he finds out that I cheated on him.”

“
If
he finds out. We’re still discussing whether or not you should tell him.”

Taylor was silent. Her guilty conscience had already told her what she should do. She was just waiting for her secretive heart to get the memo.

“You know, for an artist who produces such intensely passionate music,” Gabby remarked, “you’re very repressed when it comes to matters of your own heart.”

Taylor swallowed. “What do you mean?”

“Well, before I heard you play for the very first time, I didn’t know classical music could be so exhilarating. I didn’t know Chopin could be as soulful and sensual as Marvin Gaye. You mesmerize audiences with these breathtaking symphonies. And then you step off the stage, come home to Aidan and morph into Tame Taylor—responsible, reliable, virtuous.”

Taylor bristled. “What’s wrong with being responsible, reliable and virtuous?”

“Nothing—if that were the totality of who you are. But it’s not, Taylor. You’re a free spirit in every other aspect of your life. You change your hairstyles on a whim, you dress the way you like, you enjoy exploring new places on your own and you’re never afraid to try different things. Remember the night we hung out with those hot guys from that Norwegian rock band? After their concert we went back to their hotel and sat around talking philosophy, drinking booze and smoking weed. At one point you grabbed the bassist’s guitar and started playing Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Voodoo Child.’ By the time you finished showing off your skills, you had them begging you to go on tour with them,” Gabby reminisced with a laugh.

Taylor smiled at the memory. “That
was
fun.”

“Hell, yeah, it was fun. You were such a bad girl that night. You’re capable of being uninhibited like that. Wild and tempestuous. But when it comes to love and romance, you play it safe and predictable. You’re over there berating yourself for succumbing to your feelings for a man you’ve loved practically all your life. And don’t tell me you’re over him because we both know better.”

Taylor didn’t deny it. She couldn’t.

“It’s not as if you’ve ever been unfaithful before,” Gabby continued. “Remember last year when I accompanied you on tour for two weeks, and we met that sheikh who came to your performance in Istanbul? Not only was he a gazillionaire, but he was also charming and
very
easy on the eyes. He was so enthralled by you and your music that he practically proposed to you after the concert. And you didn’t even give him the time of day.”

Taylor frowned. “Why would I? I’m in a committed relationship.”

“That may be so, but you’re not engaged. You’re not married. You and Aidan don’t even live together.”

“That doesn’t make our relationship any less real.”

Gabby heaved a breath. “Look, I’m not telling you to elope with Manning. But there’s no reason the two of you can’t spend time together while you’re there. Who knows? It might even bring you closure.”

“Or it might open Pandora’s box,” Taylor countered grimly.

“Guess there’s only one way to find out.” Gabby paused for a very long moment. “On that note, there’s something I have to tell you.”

The ominous words filled Taylor with dread. She sat up on the sofa, every muscle in her body tensing. “What is it?”

“Well, I’ve been trying to find the right time to say it…I guess this is as good a time as any....”

Taylor had never heard Gabby sound so nervous.

“Let me just preface what I’m about to share by telling you how much I cherish you and your friendship. You’re more than my best friend, Taylor. You’re the sister I always wanted and prayed for—”

“Oh, God,” Taylor groaned with rising apprehension.

“Please don’t be mad at me for not telling you sooner. I really wanted to, and I probably should have—”

“Just spill it, Gabby!”

“I saw Aidan having dinner with another woman,” she blurted.

Taylor went very still. “
What?
”

“It was last October when you were wrapping up your tour in Japan. I was out on a date with Luc. When we got to the restaurant, Aidan was there with some chick. His back was facing the entrance, so he didn’t see me. I asked the waiter to seat me and Luc near his table so I could watch him and the woman. You know, study their body language and all that.” Gabby paused. “The way they interacted with each other seemed platonic, for the most part.”

“For the most part?” Taylor coolly repeated.

“Yeah. There were no long gazes, no flirting, no holding hands. They laughed a lot and drank plenty of wine, and that was about it. But I was suspicious, so you know I couldn’t leave the restaurant without stopping by their table to see what the hell was going on. When Aidan glanced up and saw me, he looked…”

“Guilty?”

“Maybe not guilty,” Gabby hedged. “Nervous. He introduced the woman as an old colleague from Washington, D.C. and explained that she’d looked him up at the embassy while she was visiting Paris. I didn’t get any nasty vibes from her—you know the territorial vibe women give off when they perceive other women as threats. She didn’t give me the ‘bitch staredown.’ But I made a point of dropping your name several times and saying how
terribly
Aidan must miss you and how
eagerly
he must be anticipating your return home.” Gabby gave a low chuckle. “After we left the restaurant, Luc joked that if Aidan
had
been planning to cheat that night, he’d seriously reconsider after the masterful cock block I’d just done.”

This coaxed a slight smile out of Taylor.

“I think Luc was right,” Gabby continued. “Bright and early the next morning, Aidan showed up at the bakery. He looked awful, like he hadn’t slept in days. There were dark circles under his eyes, his shirt was wrinkled and he hadn’t shaved. I was shocked. Aidan is always so composed and meticulously groomed. I didn’t know he could look so haggard. I felt sorry for him even before he opened his mouth to beg me not to tell you about the woman at the restaurant.”

Taylor frowned. “Why didn’t he want me to know about her?”

“Believe me, that was the first question out of my mouth. He assured me that there was nothing going on between him and the woman, but he was afraid you wouldn’t believe that. He said you had major trust issues, like you’d been hurt in the past, and he didn’t want to give you any reason to think he was untrustworthy. You were taking this summer off to spend more time with him, and he didn’t want anything to jeopardize that.” Gabby’s voice gentled. “He seemed so earnest, Taylor. So terrified of losing you. I guess I took pity on him. And I knew how much you cared about him. At the time you’d been with him for almost three years and you seemed content…happy, even. After what you’d gone through with Manning all those years ago, I didn’t want to cause you any more pain than you’d already suffered. So I agreed not to tell you about Aidan’s dinner date.”

“So why are you telling me now?” Taylor asked quietly.

“Because it’s been weighing on my mind for months,” Gabby confessed. “I don’t think best friends should keep secrets from one another.”

“Is this why you’ve been encouraging me to have an affair with Manning? Because you think Aidan might have cheated on me last year?”

“Not exactly. I think he was telling the truth. If I truly believed he had sex with that woman, I would have told you.” Gabby paused. “
After
I knocked him over the head with a rolling pin, dragged him into the oven and turned the heat all the way up.”

“
Merde
,” Taylor muttered, reluctantly amused.

After another moment, Gabby said gently, “I know you feel guilty about sleeping with Manning. I guess I just wanted you to know you’re not the only one with secrets.”

“So two wrongs make a right?”

Gabby didn’t answer.

Taylor shook her head, staring across the room at the city lights twinkling outside the windows. Her mind was a flurry of upheaval. She hadn’t heard from Aidan today. Even though he’d told her he would be busy, she couldn’t help wondering—in light of what she’d just learned—if he hadn’t called because he was with the other woman. Had he contacted her to let her know he was in town? Were they more than former colleagues? Were they lovers?

Taylor felt a stab of jealousy quickly followed by shame. After what she’d just done with Manning, she had no right to question Aidan’s whereabouts or his loyalty.

“I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason,” Gabby mused, breaking into Taylor’s thoughts. “There’s a reason you were invited to Emory when you’d already decided to take the summer off from touring. There’s a reason you ran into Manning at the coffee shop that morning. And there’s a reason you couldn’t stay away from him today. You say two wrongs don’t make a right. But two rights can definitely make a wrong.”

Taylor frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“On paper you and Aidan seem perfectly compatible. But what if you’re not? What if you marry him and you end up miserable? What if Tame Taylor starts to feel suffocated? What if she starts to feel like a complete fraud?” Gabby sighed. “You know one of my biggest fears is settling down with the wrong man. I don’t want to see you make that mistake either.”

Taylor closed her eyes, hearing her mother’s sage warning:
Don’t choose the wrong man, or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.

She’d been referring to Manning, of course.

But what if Aidan was the wrong man?

If he’d cheated on her, and she’d cheated on him, didn’t that prove they were fundamentally wrong for each other?

Taylor exhaled a shaky breath, shoving her fingers into her hair. She felt like the ground was shifting beneath her, realigning the foundation she’d painstakingly laid for herself. Sitting there in the darkness, she realized it didn’t matter whether or not Aidan had been unfaithful. Because it wouldn’t change what she’d done tonight. It wouldn’t change the fact that she’d let another man undress her, lay her down on a table and fuck her. It wouldn’t erase the reality that she’d wanted it, had practically begged for it.

With one brazen act, she hadn’t just opened Pandora’s box.

She’d blown the lid off of it.

Now all she could do was wait for the fallout….

17

R
eclining in the backseat of his chauffeured car, Manning stared out the window at the bustling noonday traffic.

He’d just wrapped up a very productive meeting at the CDC, and he was scheduled to play golf that afternoon with a billionaire venture capitalist who was eager to invest in Wolf Biotech. While both of those things might have been enough to make his day, neither was responsible for the smile presently playing at the corners of his mouth.

He was thinking about Taylor, which was all he’d been doing since last night. He was reliving the lushness of her body beneath him, her legs wrapped around his waist, her nails raking down his back, her tight sheath gripping his dick as he’d plunged into her. He couldn’t get over how fucking amazing she’d felt. Making love to her had been like nothing he’d ever experienced before. Of all the lovers he’d had—and there’d been way more than should be legal—no woman had ever brought him to tears during sex. No one but Taylor.

Maybe it was a cliché, but with other women he’d merely shared his body. With Taylor he’d given his heart, blood and soul.

He was so absorbed in thoughts of her that he didn’t notice when the car pulled up outside an upscale downtown restaurant. It was only when Mr. Haley deliberately cleared his throat that Manning snapped back to reality.

Turning from the window, he met his driver’s speculative gaze and raised his brows. “What?”

“You haven’t been yourself today. Everything all right?”

A slow, broad grin spread across Manning’s face. “Everything’s fine, Mr. Haley. Everything’s just fine.”

“It would appear so,” was the old man’s amused response as Manning clapped him on the shoulder and then stretched out of the car.

As he strode into the restaurant, the hostess greeted him with a warm, welcoming smile. “Good afternoon, Dr. Wolf. Right this way, please.”

Manning followed the brunette through the busy restaurant to a table overlooking a courtyard. Caitlyn was already waiting for him. Sipping a glass of wine, she looked cool and flawless in a tailored white pantsuit with a deep neckline that revealed ample cleavage.

Reaching the table, Manning bent to kiss her upturned cheek, then took the chair across from her. He could tell right away that she was sulking. Did she already suspect the reason he’d agreed to meet her for lunch? How would she react when he told her that she wouldn’t be working for his company?

The hostess handed a menu to Manning and smiled. “Can I start you off with something to drink? A neat scotch?”

“Perfect. Thanks, Amy.”

“You got it.” She winked.

“Can you tell our waitress to get a move on it?” Caitlyn said peevishly. “I have places to go and things to do, so I’d rather not be stuck here all day.”