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  “Don’t sweat it, sis,” Sasha was saying, cutting into Angela’s troubled thoughts. Angela hadn’t chosen to confide in her younger sister about the offer she’d received. Only mentioned that there was a job prospect she was wary of taking despite the lofty monetary rewards. Sasha had assured Angela that she was sure Angela would make the right decision in the end.

  Angela really needed someone to talk to but resisted the urge to now burden Sasha with the details. Sasha was just out of college and working odd jobs until she could get something relevant to her chosen field. Solid employment in the work force was as difficult as getting the right acting roles it seemed. She hated the thought of a college trained young lady having to wait tables at clubs just to get by.

  Angela didn’t like it that her twenty-three year old sister was getting exposed to the club life with all her intelligence. Every other night Sasha had to fight off the unwanted attentions of a drunk patron or her boss who owned the club. Sasha hated it just as much as Angela did but what choice did any of them have? Their mother was long gone and they’d been the type of family that scraped by on their father’s modest security job from which he’d been laid off from years ago.

  Life hadn’t really been fair to either of them but Angela had always had big dreams, high hopes and encouraged her sister to do the same. Even now Sasha was doing her best to cheer Angela up, reminding her that her agent had promised to fix her up with some promising auditions before the end of the month.

  Angela really hoped it would be soon. She didn’t complain often but they both knew the care their father was receiving was sub-standard at best. They didn’t feel comfortable going even one day without swinging by to check on him. She knew there were better facilities available that would be willing to take him in on a moment’s notice if only she had the money.

  She looked at her frail father while he slept. He seemed to grow weaker every day. If only she could pluck the courage to give in to Shane Davis’s offer…

  There was a knock on the door and one of the nurses appeared loaded down with bunches of beautiful, exotic flowers. Both Sasha and Angela shared surprised looks.

  “Who ordered flowers?” Angela asked and Sasha merely shrugged.

  “These were delivered for Mr. Neil,” said the burly nurse with a smile as she arranged them as best as she could on the nearby table. “They’re really lovely; never seen bouquets so fresh and beautiful. A note came with them.”

  Angela was speechless as she looked down at the card the nurse handed to her. Somehow she guessed who’d sent the flowers. The words were hand-written, bold and black and covering almost every inch of the card. He’d known she’d be there; he’d addressed the card to her though the flowers were for her father. This was her regular visiting day and hours whenever she was in town and it shook her up somewhat that Shane Davis knew so much about her. The note simply said “Angela, I hope your father will like the flowers. Shane.”

  Angela didn’t know what to think. It really was nice of him to send the bouquets though it also bordered on stalking. This notion felt even firmer when her cellphone suddenly rang and she picked it up slowly to hear his voice on the other end.

  Sasha stared at the flowers and Angela’s face. Her sister looked like she was gearing up to ask some questions. Angela held up a hand to settle Sasha while she rose and made it out the door to take the call.

  “I’m sorry for interrupting your visit to your dad,” said that voice that reminded Angela of warm cocoa or more precisely warm cocoa with a hint of Irish whiskey. “I wanted to make sure you got the flower delivery.”

  “Oh I’m sure you know the flowers arrived as intended,” Angela said wryly, while she pressed a hand to her beating chest. Why the hell did he make her heart thump about with only his voice? She imagined him sitting behind his desk in that sad, shadowy room and felt a twinge of sorrow. Angela leaned against the wall for support, looking up at the ceiling and cursing herself for being so fanciful.

  “Thanks anyway. It was a nice touch. My father’s asleep now but I’m sure when he wakes they’ll cheer him up more than the ones we usually bring him once in a while,” Angela added, wanting to be gracious.

  “I’m glad. Have you made up your mind yet?”

  Angela’s eyes darted and she didn’t know what next to say. The refusal was already on the tip of her tongue. She sighed deeply and started off with, “Well, I do need the money but…”

  “Think of the good it would do,” Shane said lightly. “And I’m ready to go further to say I’ll sweeten the deal and see to it myself that your father gets the finest care this city can offer. And if not here, then wherever he chooses to go. My assistant has done some checking into it. She said there are a couple of very nice assisted living facilities here in Nashville with openings. And your sister…Sasha, right? She can give up that waitressing job immediately. One of my corporate sponsors is recruiting staff and someone with her skills will definitely find a suitable position. She’d be happy for something more stable and better suited for her level of education, don’t you think?”

  Angela drew in a ragged breath. “Is there anything about me or my family you don’t know?”

  “Don’t hold it against me,” he said with a slight twist of humor in his voice. “I have a reputation about being very determined when it comes to getting what I want.”

  And I want you, he didn’t add but she could almost feel the words coursing through her. Oh God, thought Angela. She really, really shouldn’t. He made her feel things she didn’t understand, didn’t trust.

  “Three weeks, Angela. Tops. Starting tomorrow night when I’ll be holding a dinner party at my home. Ten or so friends and business associates, at the most,” Shane was saying in a brisk tone. “The papers can be looked over and signed the next morning after you’ve had a chance to try it out. It’s not really about you anymore, but helping your family, as well. This would be the best thing you could do for them.”

  Damn! He was right. Angela hated to admit it, but he was. She couldn’t keep waiting for her big break. At age twenty-seven she was getting closer to that stage where younger, fresher faces would get a better chance at certain roles. At least she could make some serious money, more than she could dream of making in two years. Shane was being very generous and yet that was one of the things that made her wary. Why would he pay so much if he wasn’t expecting to get a little something extra from the bargain?

  But no…he’d promised her this was legit. And he wanted to help her father and sister. So maybe he wasn’t a sleazy rich playboy who thought his money could buy him everything. He needed her as much as she needed him, she had no doubt about that or why would he have gone to this extra trouble?

  “Okay. I’ll do it,” she said breathlessly. She felt like she was taking a chance; falling off the edge without knowing how far off the ground was. But wasn’t life about risks?

  Maybe this would be one great big adventure. And at the end she’d be smiling all the way to the bank. Angela was sure if she kept her head on straight, she’d do just fine…

  Chapter Four

  Shane couldn’t contain his anticipation.

  Tonight was to be a rehearsal of sorts. A dinner with a few of his friends and corporate sponsors with Angela present; there was a reason she would need to be there.

  He already knew she was perfect for the job but still, this would be the best way to test if they could be convincing together as a couple. Especially since one or two of the guests were known spies for his mother. Valerie Davis held no qualms about using underhanded means to get information about her only son. He was sure her ‘spies’ would give her the information she needed and he was going to make sure they had plenty to report.

  Shane hadn’t looked forward to an evening this much in a long time. Chandler and Beverly would be present; both were his close friends from his racing days. Chandler had worked on his pit crew while Beverly made sure everyone stayed fed and hydrated on race days. Shane trusted them like they we
re family.

  Recovery after the wreck hadn’t been easy, but with friends who cared about him, he’d managed to stay sane. Most of the time. The rest of the guests were part of his racing team’s corporate sponsors. They’d been good to him when he was on top and a few of them remained close friends. Probably hoping he’d jump back on the track someday but he didn’t see that ever happening.

  It didn’t matter. He intended to have some fun seeing their faces once he introduced Angela. She was so different from anyone they’d expect to see with him. Although Shane had dated interracially before, it had mostly been an Italian or Russian model, or maybe a Brazilian beauty. One fling with a leggy Asian had almost gotten him into a fist fight with her father who’d been a business partner. He hadn’t realized she was barely past seventeen since she’d assured him she was well into her twenties and he’d believed her since she’d been so experienced in bed.

  Well his sordid past was the last thing he wanted to think about tonight. He didn’t miss that lifestyle and mostly felt glad he’d been given a second chance to redeem himself. It was still hard to look in the mirror; figuratively and in the literal sense. Still, one day at a time, that was what his best friend Chandler always said.

  Tonight, Angela managed once again to almost knock him off his feet with her looks. She arrived after being dropped off by his chauffeur. Her smile had been somewhat shy as he’d devoured her with his eyes. This time he’d met her at the door.

  “You’re just in time,” he’d said mildly, wanting to put her quickly at her ease. He didn’t comment on how ravishing she looked in that dress…those heels. He had a thing for a woman in a dress. Her waist was the perfect size to play off her curvy hips and firm, high breasts. Her dark hair was artfully styled, leaving her fine cheekbones open to scrutiny and drawing attention to her big, bright brown eyes. Her lips…dear God, those lips. Full and soft-looking, they begged to be kissed.

  Shane hated like hell that he wanted her so much. Because he knew he’d never have her. She probably wasn’t the type to start something with a white man, he figured. He didn’t think she was racist but perhaps simply preferred it that way; from upbringing and convention. Or maybe it was just his face. After all, he looked like a freak with the way the scars etched one side of his face. He was thankful his shirt at least covered the scars on his torso and arm.

  Every time he looked at his reflection he had the vicious urge to smash the image to pieces. Fat lot of good all those expensive operations did. Once out of hospital he’d had to endure seeing people visibly recoil each time they saw his full face. Now he was used to it, even expected it those few times he went out in public. He couldn’t help seeing himself as one of those old Greek tragedy masks with one side of the face pure and good while the other was twisted and grimacing horribly.

  To think he’d been on every Nashville’s ‘most eligible bachelor’ and ‘sexiest men’s’ list.

  The wreck had changed all that. Now, nothing was the same.

  But tonight, curiously, he felt optimistic for the first time in a long while. He realized meeting Angela had done that to him. She didn’t even have to do anything. Just coming into his life had him wanting to make things happen. He kept thinking that if he was whole; if he wasn’t some broken, scarred entity, he’d like to show her how good they could be together. If he didn’t look the way he did, he felt sure he could be a man she wanted to be with, race be damned.

  But he was only being a romantic fool. What did he really know about romance and love? Maybe all he wanted was a chance to get between her legs, nothing more. He didn’t believe in love at first sight and if that was what this was, then he sure as hell had to find a way to get her out of his system, fast.

  For now though, he was going to stick to the original plan.

  ****

  The first thing Shane did when she arrived was take her hand casually in his and show her around the house. Angela was impressed. The mansion had more than twenty rooms; with seven bedrooms in the main house. He had an office where he conducted business aided by his assistant, Linda. A private chef prepared the meals and the additional maid service took care of laundry and beds. Angela had already been informed that she would be spending the night in the house and as she was shown her room she realized at least for a while she was going to learn how the other half lived.

  “It’s lovely,” she said deeply, turning on her heel and looking round at the classical, harmonious blend of the furnishings. The sheer size of the room itself was impressive. The bed was set beautifully in the center and laid with the most gorgeous covers. She loved that there were window seats as well as life-size paintings in impressionist style on the walls. Not bad for an overnight stay, she thought. She turned round to face him and found that he was staring at her – probably had been the whole time.

  His clear grey gaze made her spine tingle. Damn! Did he have to keep looking at her like he’d throw her down on the bed the first chance she got? Angela felt her neck flush. They hadn’t signed anything yet; she could still back out.

  And yet…she wasn’t sure she wanted to walk away from this just yet. It was almost as thrilling as being in an actual movie, down to the exotic film set. This could be a dark, gloomy castle where the handsome yet scarred hero kept away from the world, waiting for his delicate lady love to arrive and melt the ice in his heart…

  Angela quickly brushed such whimsical thoughts aside. Shane Davis’s lady-love, her? Not happening. For one thing, the guy was definitely socially challenged after his accident. No one had ever seen him in public since the wreck. How did he meet people, to the point, women? Or did they get to come to him? Was that it? Maybe he was used to having to pay for it and that’s why he’d expected her to sleep with him as part of their ‘contract.’ That was really sad, thought Angela. He surely deserved better than that. Or maybe he didn’t even care.

  He looked incredibly dashing tonight. His blonde hair managed to shield part of the scarred section of his face but she could still see the slickly stretched skin that almost pulled down his features on one side. His beautiful grey eyes remained as piercing as ever though, and he had a really nice mouth. His lips were smooth with just enough curve and fullness in the bottom to make a woman want to take a bite. His dark suit fit him perfectly, drawing attention to his dynamic physique. There was a bit of leanness to him but he was broad in the chest and shoulders and everywhere that mattered. She liked the way he smelled, too. That cologne of his made her want to lean in closer, and keep taking him in.

  Boy, they had to get the hell out of this bedroom. She was getting unduly conscious of every little thing about him. And that wouldn’t do.

  “The guests would soon be arriving. Shall we make it back down?” he asked, as if sensing her sudden discomfort. Nodding with a relieved inner sigh, Angela followed him out of the bedroom and far away from temptation…

  ****

  The dinner party was held in a different part of the house that Angela hadn’t seen yet. It was a beautiful dining room, with a table set faultlessly for eight guests. It was like a perfect little piece of old world charm from the wall hangings to the chandeliers and lamps, plus numerous flower arrangements that went well with the candelabra and other trappings of the exquisitely lit room. She couldn’t help feeling surprised at his choice of décor. Somehow she’d half-expected a Nascar driver to hang deer heads and big neon beer signs on the wall.

  Meeting the arriving guests had been a revelation. His friends, Chandler and Beverly Miles, were great. They were around the same age as Shane; he’d already told her how close he was to them. They were a charming couple, setting each other’s amiable characters off nicely.

  “So, Shane,” one of the other guests began, “Who is this lovely morsel?”

  Angela had glanced at Shane who sent her a look before addressing the curious stares of his two acquaintances who’d newly arrived.

  “Well, Drew this is my date, Angela.”

  Angela smiled warmly at the guest
s, two men who’d dressed sharply for the occasion. With the exception of Chandler and Beverly everyone seemed wealthy, or at least comfortably well off. They were all white, and Angela felt like she stood out from the rest especially with her choice of clothes. She favored bright colors and patterns and had gone for a deep red dress tonight. She’d received no complaints from Shane when she arrived so she didn’t think anyone would have a problem with it. Shane had already briefed her on what to say regarding how they’d met, what she did and who she was.

  She didn’t feel intimidated by anyone, even a couple of the women who’d looked at her disdainfully. They’d arrived last and they made up the rest of the party. Bridget and Melissa; she got their names when Shane introduced them. Turned out they were the daughters of his biggest corporate sponsor, Chuck Richards of the successful restaurant chain Richards Steak House. She remembered seeing the restaurant’s logo adorning the hood of Shane’s car in several of the photos. Shane had warned her earlier that the family was still very close to his parents and the women would probably try to pry her for more information the first chance they got.

  During their introductions, the redhead Bridget had raked Angela with her gaze before glaring at the hand Shane had slyly wrapped around Angela’s waist. Angela had wanted to laugh. These women had no clue about the stuff Angela was made of. Sure this was all just pretend for her but she wasn’t going to take any crap from anyone. She could play the ideal girlfriend and be all smiles, but she wouldn’t hesitate to show a bit of her ghetto side, within reason. She’d never really lived in a ghetto but that didn’t mean she couldn’t fight dirty when need be.

  There’d be no cause for that, though. Obviously. These were high class types; they’d be quick to turn up their noses but wouldn’t go as far as displaying any real maliciousness, not in front of Shane. She noticed they both hung on him possessively like jealous girlfriends. But Shane always stayed in character, making the point of keeping his arm around Angela or saying something light and quiet in her ear. Her stomach always gave a flip when he did that and her flush was real, causing him to smile when he saw the heat spread on her face. The naughty devil; he knew what he was doing, thought Angela.