Seducing the Wolf (31 page)

“I’m preparing a feast for tonight’s dinner,” Prissy continued, her eyes glowing with excitement.

Manning smiled down at her. “I hope it won’t be too much trouble for you. I didn’t give you much advance notice.”

“Are you kidding? Ever since you told me Taylor was in town, I’ve been waiting for you to invite her over for dinner.” Prissy laughed. “I was so thrilled when I received your text message last night. I squealed so loud, your father thought I’d lost my mind.”

Manning chuckled. “I can imagine.”

When his mother’s car arrived, he held the door open for her, then bent to kiss her cheek.

She beamed at him. “Can’t wait to see you and Taylor tonight. Don’t be late.”

“We won’t,” Manning promised her.

On his way back to the office, he received a call from his brother, Montana. Pressing a button on the steering wheel, Manning drawled, “Yo, wassup.”

“Sounds like you’re the man of the hour,” Montana teased, his deep voice pouring through the Bluetooth speakerphone.

“What do you mean?”

“I just spoke to Ma,” Montana elaborated. “Not only was she raving about some speech you just gave, but she was giddy as hell because Taylor’s coming over for dinner tonight. She’s been calling everyone to make sure we’ll all be there.”

Manning grinned, smoothly switching lanes. “Sorry for the short notice. I was gonna call everyone myself, but I’ve been tied up.”

Montana chuckled. “It’s all good. You know none of us have ever needed an excuse to drop in for dinner with the old folks, Sunday or not. I’ve been feenin’ for Ma’s homecooking while I’ve been on the road, and I know she’s breaking out the fatted calf for Taylor.”

“You know she is,” Manning confirmed.

“So things must be going pretty well between you and Taylor if you’re already bringing her around the family again.”

Manning smiled. “We’re making progress.”

“Progress, huh?” He could hear the grin in his brother’s voice. “What exactly does that mean?”

Turning down the busy street where his company was located, Manning said, “I’m almost at the office, so I’ll have to fill you in later.”

“Look forward to it. Hey, don’t forget we all need to meet again to narrow down our top choices for Mom and Dad’s anniversary surprise. August will be here before we know it.”

“I know,” Manning agreed. “Friday evening works for me if everyone else is available.”

“I don’t have any plans yet.”

“Cool. I’ll check with the fellas.” Manning chuckled dryly. “You know Mason probably has a hot date.”

Montana snorted. “Yeah. At the strip club.”

The two brothers shared a knowing laugh.

“So when are you heading back this way?” Manning asked.

“I’ll be hitting the road pretty soon.” Montana had spent the past four days performing at different venues in South Carolina and Georgia, ending with a concert in Augusta.

“How’d your shows go?” Manning asked.

“Good, man. They were all good.” Montana loved being a musician. His saxophone was an extension of him, like Taylor and her violin.

“Meet any fine women?” Manning teased.

“Of course. Always.” Monty chuckled. “Catch you later.”

“Word.” No sooner had Manning clicked off the phone than another call came through. When he saw Caitlyn’s number, his mood instantly darkened.

He hadn’t spoken to her since yesterday when he’d walked out on her at the restaurant. He’d been so angry and disgusted with her catty behavior toward Taylor that the thought of sitting through a meal with her had sickened him.

He ignored her call, hoping she’d take the hint and leave him the hell alone.

But he should have known better.

When she called right back, he scowled and impatiently stabbed the answer button. “What?” he clipped.

“Manning?” Her distressed voice flooded the car. “I know you’re still mad at me, but I need your help.”

“For what?”

“I was coming back from Lenox Square Mall and there was an accident. I had to take a detour through this neighborhood. I was driving along and admiring these beautiful old mansions—”

Manning frowned. “Don’t tell me you hit someone’s car.”

“No! I pulled over to get a closer look at one of the houses, and all of a sudden my rental car broke down on me!”

“It won’t start?”

“No! The piece of shit keeps making this clicking sound!”

Manning’s frown deepened as he slowed to a red light. “Sounds like the battery’s dead.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.” Caitlyn groaned in frustration. “Could you come give me a jump?”

Manning raised a brow. “Ever heard of roadside assistance?”

“I called, but they said it’s going to take at least two hours for them to send a tow truck. Two hours! I can’t wait that long! It’s hot as hell out here, and what if these people come home and find me parked outside their house? I’d be mortified, especially if they called the cops!”

Manning glowered out the window, his fingers drumming an impatient beat against the steering wheel.

“I’m in Buckhead,” Caitlyn continued urgently. “I can use the GPS on my phone to look up the address so you can find me.”

Manning was silent.

“Please help me out, Manning,” Caitlyn pleaded. “I wouldn’t bother you if it weren’t an emergency.”

Manning scowled, silently cursing his parents for raising a gentleman who couldn’t turn his back on a damsel in distress—even if said damsel got on his fucking nerves.

“Send me the address,” he grudgingly relented.

Twenty minutes later, he was driving through a historic neighborhood made up of large homes situated on impeccably manicured lawns. He found Caitlyn parked outside a Tudor-style house with a long driveway.

The rental car she’d called a “piece of shit” was a relatively new Cadillac STS.

Manning’s jaw tightened as he pulled in front of the luxury sedan and got out.

Caitlyn stepped from the Cadillac, watching as he did a slow survey of the vehicle before he looked at her, his eyes concealed behind dark sunglasses.

“What’re you doing?” His voice was low and chilling.

Caitlyn wavered, biting her lip. “Okay. I wasn’t completely honest with you. There’s nothing wrong with the rental car.”

“Then why,” he bit out, “am I here?”

“I wanted to speak to you,” she explained nervously, “but I knew you wouldn’t agree to see me unless it was an emergency. So I made up a story that would get you here.”

Manning glared at her, seething with fury. “What the hell was so important that you couldn’t tell me over the phone?”

“It’s not so much what I wanted to
tell
you,” she hedged, backing away as he slowly stalked her around to the other side of the Cadillac. “It’s what I wanted to
show
you.”

“What?” he snapped.

She swallowed hard, then motioned weakly over her shoulder. “I put a rental contract on this house three days ago.”

Manning eyed her incredulously. “You did
what
?”

“I’m relocating to Atlanta. I’ve already lined up job interviews with two big law firms.” She lifted a defiant chin. “If I can’t work for you, there are plenty of other companies that would hire me in a heartbeat, including your cousin’s law firm.”

“
Are you serious?
Is this a fucking joke?”

She didn’t blink. “It’s not.”

“What the hell are you—”

“
Mommy!
”

Manning’s head whipped toward the house. His eyes widened at the sight of a little girl skipping down the walkway, blond corkscrew curls bouncing from long pigtails.

He shot Caitlyn a look of stunned disbelief. The calculating gleam in her eyes raised his hackles.

When the little girl reached them, Caitlyn drew her close and kissed the top of her head. “Ally, I’d like you to meet someone. Say hello to Dr. Wolf.”

Ally tilted her head all the way back to stare up at Manning, her green eyes squinting against the bright sunlight. “Hello.”

“Hello, Ally.” Slowly removing his sunglasses, Manning crouched down to be at eye level with the little girl. When she shyly offered her small hand, he smiled and shook it. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” she parroted, eyeing him curiously. “Are you friends with my mommy?”

“Yes, baby,” Caitlyn answered before Manning could open his mouth. “Dr. Wolf is the man who should have been your father.”

Jesus!

Manning shot Caitlyn a murderous look. He would never lay hands on a woman, but this broad right here was testing him to the limit.

Ally’s brows furrowed in confusion as she stared from her mother to Manning. “Are you my real daddy?” she whispered.

“No,” Manning said emphatically.

When the little girl looked even more confused, he gentled his tone. “What your mother meant—”

“I meant exactly what I said,” Caitlyn smoothly interrupted. “You don’t need to sugarcoat the truth. Ally knows that my issues with her father have nothing whatsoever to do with how much I love her.” She tenderly stroked her daughter’s hair. “Dr. Wolf was the boy who stole my heart, darling. Once I kissed him, I never wanted anyone else. If we’d grown up and gotten married, he would have been your daddy. That’s all I was saying.”

Ally frowned at Caitlyn.

“So, Ally,” Manning interjected, hoping to distract her, “your mommy tells me you’re a cheerleader. Do you know how to do a cartwheel?”

Her whole face lit up. “Of course! That’s easy!”

He smiled indulgently. “Can you show me?”

“Okay!”

Manning stood, tucking his sunglasses into his front pocket as he watched the little girl do a perfect cartwheel across the yard. “That’s awesome, Ally,” he called. 

She beamed with pleasure. “I can do three in a row!”

As she showed off for him, he clapped and cheered some more. When Caitlyn moved to stand beside him, he growled through gritted teeth, “You have lost your damn mind.”

“Why? Because I was honest with Ally? My mother always kept it real with me, and
I
turned out just fine.”

Manning snorted. “I beg to differ.”

Caitlyn ignored the remark, watching her daughter with proud satisfaction. “Isn’t she just beautiful? She’s my perfect little angel.” She cast a sidelong glance at Manning. “I can give you another one just like her. A gorgeous child with good hair—”

“What’s wrong with the hair that grows out of my scalp?” Manning challenged.

“Nothing! You know I love everything about you. Your haircuts are
always
smooth and on point. But if you marry a sista…well, I’m just saying. You don’t have to have nappy-headed children if you don’t want to.”

Manning shook his head at her. “Every time I think you can’t disgust me more, you prove me wrong.”

She flinched, hurt flaring in her eyes. “All I meant was—”

“Why, is that who I
think
it is?” a feminine voice cooed.

Manning glanced toward the house, then inwardly groaned when he saw Caitlyn’s mother strutting down the walk as if she were on a New York runway
.

Great
. Just when he’d thought this clusterfuck couldn’t get any worse.

“My, my, my.” Sheridan Spencer was slim, tanned and attractive with deep green eyes and ash blond hair cut into a sophisticated bob. “Well, look at you, Manning Wolf. Aren’t
you
all grown up.”

Manning smiled politely. “Hello, Mrs. Spencer.”

“So formal,” she chided, reaching him. “Can I have a hug?”

Manning obliged, glaring at Caitlyn over her mother’s head.

Drawing back, Sheridan looked him over from head to toe and whistled in lusty appreciation. “My goodness. You look wonderful, Manning. Tall, dark and handsome. Just the way I like my men,” she said with a wink.

Caitlyn grinned. “Didn’t I tell you he looks amazing?”

“You certainly didn’t exaggerate.” Sheridan wrapped manicured fingers around Manning’s biceps and squeezed.

“Oh my,” she exclaimed to her daughter. “Have you
felt
these pythons?”

“I have.” Caitlyn slid an intimate smile at Manning. “And then some.”

Manning grimaced, feeling like he was on an auction block. Was his name Mandingo or Manning?

“How have you been, Mrs. Spencer?” he asked before mother and daughter began discussing the size of his dick.

“Oh, I’ve been wonderful. Just keeping myself busy with my charity work now that I’ve retired from corporate America. Caitlyn’s father and I recently returned from an unforgettable trip to Corsica, which is this stunning little island off the coasts of France and Italy. If you’ve never been there, I highly recommend it. It’s positively sublime, and very romantic.” Sheridan winked suggestively at Manning. “If I weren’t happily married, I’d whisk you off to Corsica myself.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes at Manning. “Don’t mind Mom. She’s been called a MILF one too many times, and she revels in it.”

“How right you are.” Sheridan chuckled, her emerald gaze drifting to the Phantom parked at the curb. “Is that your car, Manning?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“
Very
nice,” she said approvingly.

“That’s just
one
of the cars he owns,” Caitlyn boasted. “I read somewhere that his collection also includes an Aston Martin and a Lamborghini, though he won’t admit it. And you should see his company’s office building. Jaw dropping—inside
and
out.”

“Is that so?” Sheridan purred, a predatory gleam in her eyes as she smiled at Manning. “Caitlyn’s father and I always knew you were going places. We used to talk about you all the time. Every time we saw you outside mowing the lawn or working on the car with your dad, Gerald would comment on how mature and responsible you seemed. Whenever we attended one of the school’s varsity basketball games and saw how well you played, Gerald would be so proud and impressed. And Caitlyn, of course, was always telling us how smart and popular you were, how your name was always mentioned on the morning announcements, how you always made the honor roll, how you were always winning awards and recognition from your teachers. Gerald adores Caitlyn and would never trade her for the world, but I think he secretly envied your father for having you as a son.” She sighed deeply. “Of course, we weren’t very pleased when you broke our daughter’s heart—”