By Private Invitation (29 page)

Dane slept in the spare room, and Annabelle had fallen asleep right after so they
hadn’t had time to talk.

Which might have been a good thing.

Would she regret last night?

Some women, after they had a chance to think about what they’d done, weren’t too keen
on repeating the experience. They let the doubt and the guilt destroy the pleasure
until all they could think about was wiping the night from their memory.

Others couldn’t get enough. They became addicted to the rush and embraced the lifestyle
with a passion.

Much like he and Dane. They’d been perfecting the mechanics of ménage for years. Though
they dated different women separately, they rarely dated the same women for long,
and a ménage worked for them in ways a normal male/female relationship never had.

He and Dane had grown up in the same world of money, privilege, and family dysfunction.
They’d been friends since grade school and had managed to maintain that friendship
through high school and college.

They enjoyed the same music, sports, entertainment. Hell, they actually enjoyed each
other’s company. If they were gay, they’d be disgustingly monogamous.

His lips curved at the thought. A female acquaintance had actually thrown that in
their faces after Dane had broken off their relationship.

They’d laughed but both of them realized they maintained their friendship through
sex. Just not with each other.

The ménage also allowed them to keep a certain distance from the women they shared.
Neither he nor Dane was looking for a permanent attachment.

At least, Jared hadn’t been before last night.

Last night, more than any other time in his life, he’d been focused almost solely
on giving pleasure. On Annabelle’s response. He’d wanted her wild and burning with
passion.

“I can practically hear you thinking.”

Annabelle’s husky voice brushed his chest as she shifted against him, repositioning
until she rested her chin on her hands that laid across his chest. She stared up at
him with clear green eyes, her rumpled curls inviting him to sink his hands into them.
He wanted to kiss her and wondered why the hell he was even thinking twice about it.

He bent to capture her lips for a brief second before going back in for seconds. “Good
morning.”

As he pulled back, he saw her lips curl up at the corners. “Morning. What are you
thinking about?”

He figured he might as well just get it out in the open. “Did you have a good time
last night?”

His cock hardened as her cheeks blushed a very pretty pink but she didn’t lower her
gaze. “Yes, I did.” She paused. “Where’s Dane?”

“The spare room.”

Her expression held no shame, only curiosity. And heat. “Is it always you and Dane?”

“Yes.”

“Will Dane always be here with us?”

“No.” He wondered if the flicker of reaction in her eyes was relief. Or disappointment.
“He has to go back to Philly today. He has his own business to run.”

“So…he’s a fuck buddy?”

His eyes narrowed at the crude term but he could see Belle was trying to figure out
the new parameters of their relationship.

And he wondered if he’d screwed up by bringing Dane here.

“Think of him more like a friend with benefits.”

Her gaze grew sharper. “So what does that make you?”

Yours.

That one word hung in his brain, tantalizing him with possibilities. And confusing
the hell out of him. Something had changed, something he didn’t want to examine too
closely right now because if he did…

“The man who would like you to accompany him to the Arts and Artists benefit ball
next Saturday, if you’re free. My mother
chairs the committee every year and Tyler and I are required to make command performances.”

He saw surprise in the lift of her eyebrows before a bemused smile curved her lips.
“I’ve heard of it. I understand the organization funds some great programs for children
and adults in the city.”

“Yes, and it’s been my mother’s pet project for years so there’s no getting out of
it for me. Afterward, we could stay the night at the hotel, unless…Do you have someone
who can cover the store for you?”

She shook her head then paused, as if considering her options. Finally, she said,
“But I can close early that day.”

He refused to examine the urge to beat his chest. “I would appreciate that.”

Christ, why did that feel like one hell of an understatement?

She tilted her head to the side, looking as if she wanted to ask him something. He
waited, wondering what was putting that look on her face.

“So I’m going to meet your parents, as your date?”

The utter seriousness of her question made him pause before answering. Did she not
want to meet his parents? He couldn’t blame her but he didn’t think she knew how much
of a dick his father was. “Yes, as my date.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

He smoothed out a frown. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want you there, Annabelle.”

She paused. “So…we’re dating?”

Well, when she put it that way, with that hesitant tone of voice…“Maybe you’d like
to tell me how I should answer that question because I’m really not sure what you’re
asking.”

He wanted to grab for her when she moved to sit up, pulling the sheets around her
upper body. “I thought we had a business arrangement. Dating and business don’t usually
mix. I mean, sex is great but it’s still not dating. I’m not certain I—we’re ready
to cross that line.”

Jared tried to hide his shock at her reasoning. Not because he disagreed but because
he’d used this same argument in the past with other women.

Wow, when had he become the clingy one?

A reluctant grin curved his lips. “You’re absolutely right. But that doesn’t change
the fact that I’d like you to come. I enjoy spending time with you, Belle. Think of
the event as a necessary evil before a night at Haven. Besides, my grandmother would
like to meet you.”

And now he was using his grandmother as a way to get Belle to spend time with him.

What the fuck was going on with him?

Belle hesitated and he forced himself to breathe while waiting for her answer.

Finally, she nodded. “Okay. Sure, I’d love to go.”

“Jared, I don’t know about this. This is more of a family thing. I feel like I’m intruding.”

As Jared pulled the car to a stop at the curb, Annabelle tried not to fidget and possibly
crush the beading on her dress. She looked like a million bucks but that didn’t calm
the butterflies in her stomach.

“This is definitely not a family thing.” Jared turned to smile at her, that devastating
grin that always made her want to run the other way, but only so he’d chase her.

The butterflies had started last Saturday morning. After he’d asked her to accompany
him here. After that amazing night with Dane.

Just thinking about it still had the power to make her thighs clench.

And even though it hadn’t happened again—Dane had returned to the city last Saturday—Annabelle
wondered if maybe,
tonight…Jared told her they’d be staying at Haven tonight. Would the Salon be open?

Jesus, where the hell had her common sense gone? Had it been blasted away by the great
sex?

Or had she fallen for the man who’d introduced her to the best sex of her life?

“You’re not intruding,” Jared continued. “You look beautiful. But here’s the deal.
Don’t let Nana get you alone for too long. She’ll monopolize you because she’s good
at it. Ignore my father at all costs. My mom will be too busy to interrogate you,
but she’ll be too curious not to give you a few rounds. And you’re only allowed one
dance with my brother. He’s almost as bad as my nana when he gets going.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but he leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Don’t make
me kiss you to shut you up, Belle. I’ll mess up your makeup. Besides, I’ve had a hard-on
all week because all I could do was think about you. So if you don’t get your pretty
ass out of my car, we won’t make it to the ball. We’ll go straight to Haven.”

When he drew back, she could barely breathe.

As she stared into his beautiful blue eyes, she couldn’t believe how much she’d missed
him this past week. He’d left last Sunday to return to Haven. He hadn’t seemed happy
about it but she understood he had responsibilities. He owned a hotel, for heaven’s
sake. Of course, he had business to take care of.

Besides, it’s not like they had pledged themselves to each other. They had a business
arrangement. With benefits. Really freaking good benefits.

And how much better would it be if it was all pleasure and no business?

When he finally released her gaze and got out of the car, she
used the few seconds before her door opened to pull herself together. She flipped
down the visor to check her makeup, satisfied that her lipstick wasn’t smudged and
her mascara hadn’t run.

When her door opened and Jared stuck out his hand to help her out of the car, she
gave her dress a shake to make sure everything was in place. Kate really had outdone
herself with this one.

It was a good thing Kate used her as a model for her designs. It meant Kate had a
workshop full of dresses for Annabelle to choose from. She’d promised to never again
complain about standing for hours while being stuck by pins.

The beaded scarlet dress made the most of her fair complexion and, with her hair piled
on her head in a seemingly random mass of curls, Annabelle knew she looked damn good.

Good enough to be seen with Jared Golden, who looked like he just stepped off the
cover of
GQ
in a perfectly fitted tuxedo.

But as good as he looked in the tux, he looked even better naked.

No, can’t think about that now. You’ll embarrass yourself by drooling.

And she was about to meet his parents.

As they entered the GoldenStar, Annabelle considered how perfect the name was for
Jared’s father’s hotel. The flagship of the Golden chain of luxury hotels, the Old
City Philadelphia hotel had an expansive lobby and a grand staircase leading up to
the second-floor ballroom that sparkled and glittered with candles and crystal.

The ball already seemed to be in full swing when they entered. A quartet played dinner
music in the far corner while the stage was set for the youth orchestra to play after
dinner.

And all around the room, easels displayed the works to be auctioned later. Jared had
told her all the money raised went back into Arts and Artists to fund the programs.

Some pieces had obviously been done by children, but there were others that were stunningly
good.

“Jared, would it be okay if we looked around a little before we met your parents?”

Not that she didn’t want to meet them but she just had to get a closer look at one
of the paintings on the opposite side of the room. The bold colors and design had
caught her eye from the moment she’d walked in.

Jared’s soft snort of laughter drew her attention away from the painting.

“I’ll be lucky to have a minute with you to myself tonight.”

She frowned up at him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, my mom and nana are going to want to monopolize you. Come on, let me do the
introductions quickly so you can scope out the paintings.”

Warmth suffused her but she pushed it away. Why should it matter what his family thought
of her? It wasn’t like they were getting married. They were business partners, though,
and she wanted to make the right impression.

She looked down to make sure her dress covered all the right places.

“You look beautiful, Belle,” Jared said, no trace of exasperation or amusement in
his tone. “Are you really that nervous?”

No. But she didn’t know what she was feeling right now. “I don’t typically attend
charity events for a thousand dollars a plate. Give me rare Staffordshire and I can
sell the plate for a thousand. But this…”

“Honey, looking like that, you could sell a load of reproductions to the Smithsonian,
and they’d never know. I’m going to talk to Kate about having her own boutique in
the hotel. She’s got phenomenal talent.”

Annabelle couldn’t agree more. “Yes, she does. But I think you might have a hard sell
getting her to take you up on the offer. I don’t think her fiancé even knows she does
this kind of work.”

“Then I guess it’ll be up to you to convince her.”

Jared couldn’t tear his gaze away from Belle. She was absolutely stunning, looking
like a lick of flame in the scarlet sheath. He’d be beating away other men all night.

Already, he wished they could skip this part and head back to Haven. He didn’t want
to share her attention.

But he knew he couldn’t do that. His mom lived for tonight. He needed to be here for
her. And Annabelle was eyeing the paintings on display with a collector’s eye.

No, he’d have to suck it up and stick this out for a few hours.

No matter how much he wanted Belle. The past week away from her, he’d needed a cold
shower every night.