MrTemptation (8 page)

She rolled her eyes heavenward and shook with laughter. She
had to laugh. Otherwise she’d cry.

Cadence sat up. She really needed to get a hold of herself.
She was acting completely ridiculous. She was an adult with a PhD, for goodness
sake. And wealthy, thanks to her mother. She could have any man she wanted.

She jumped out of bed and poured herself another glass of
champagne. She’d lots to do before tonight. Find something to wear, for
starters. Lightheaded and pumped about her dinner date, she opened her laptop
and logged in to Fashion Trends.

* * * * *

Preston clicked off his cell. Cadence had called to cancel.
He’d pretended to misunderstand.

He started to pace. She had sounded so tense. What was that
all about? Was it because a woman had answered? He hadn’t missed the sparks
flying between Cadence and Muriel this morning. He and Muriel had shared a
couple laughs after hours, that was all. He never loved her, not in the way he
loved Cadence.

He’d tried to reassure her, indirectly, that Elise answered
the phone because she was in his office for technical reasons, just in case it
was a jealous-possessive thing. Why did he flatter himself that Cadence could
be jealous?

He continued to pace. Why had she changed her mind about
dinner? She’d asked him, for crying out loud. He’d been happy to rearrange his
schedule. Ecstatic.

Mom stood in the doorway, watching. “How’d your meeting go
with Cadence Burke?”

Preston stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets. “As
well as could be expected.”

“Thank you for filling in for me. How did she react to the
news about her father’s affair?”

“Remarkably well.”

“What is she like?”

He shrugged. Some thoughts a man didn’t share with his
mother. “She’s warm and intelligent. Her fault, if you can call it that, has
been her loyalty to the Burke name.”

“I’ll give her a call. She shouldn’t be alone.”

“She won’t be. I’m taking her out to dinner.”

His mother raised an eyebrow. “Do you think that’s wise?”

“Do you think there’s a problem?”

“Are you expecting more than dinner?”

Preston winced. Mom was reminding him, in her not-too-subtle
way, of his many short-term affairs.

“That’s up to Cadence,” he replied.

“Good,” Mom said.

He rubbed the spot on his neck just below his hairline that
always knotted up with tension. He’d never hurt Cadence, not in a million
years. He wished there was a way to convince his mother.

“What brought her in?”

“She was seeking advice. She wants to sue her stepmother.”

“A lawsuit? What on earth for?”

“Burke wrote a second will giving all his money to his
second wife and her kids.”

“A lawsuit would open up a can of worms,” Mother replied.

“I think I’ve talked her out of suing them but she’s
determined to give the bunch a little grief.”

“I never liked Edward Burke,” Mother said. “His public
persona oozed with charm but he could be cruel.” Mother shook her head as if
trying to forget. “I’ve never met Victoria.”

“The pack of them sound like vermin.”

“I don’t blame Cadence for being angry but she needs to
leave the Burkes alone.”

Preston agreed. She’d be better off staying away from all
their negative energy. What Cadence had learned this morning cut both ways.
She’d learned her beloved father was a cheat and a fraud but her inheritance
had been preserved. She could afford to be generous with what was left of her
family.

“Did you tell her about Sparkle?” Mother asked.

“She wasn’t thrilled to be inheriting her grandfather’s
business. She wants to sell.”

“Hopefully she’ll wait. It’s never a good idea to make
decisions when emotional.”

“I explained this to her but she’s determined.”

“I’d like her to visit the factory before she makes any
final decisions.”

“She won’t. Says the place will bring back too many painful
memories.”

“I’m afraid she must.”

Preston waited for her to explain.

Mom came into the room and collapsed on the nearest chair.
Fatigued showed in the lines around her eyes and mouth. She kicked off her
shoes and rubbed her feet.

“I’ll get Muriel to bring us a couple of sandwiches and some
coffee,” Preston said.

Mother exhaled heavily. “Don’t bother. I have a consultation
in five minutes. I just needed to get off my feet.”

“The court case went well?”

She waved a hand in dismissal. “Of course.”

Preston sat at his desk. He sensed she struggled to tell him
information he needed to know.

After several minutes, she looked up at him. “There’s
something you should know. Something that must be kept confidential,” she said.

Preston sat forward. “Of course.”

Mom gave a little sigh and tucked her feet underneath her.
“It’s about Edward Burke. He’s not Cadence’s father.”

Preston slumped in his chair. “Unbelievable. Are you going
to tell Cadence? She deserves to know. It wouldn’t be fair to keep a secret of
this magnitude from her.”

“I will tell her. Audra is dead and the poor girl has
suffered enough.”

Relief didn’t begin to describe how he felt.

“Do you know who her biological father is?” Preston asked.

“I called him after 9/11,” Mom said, frowning, “but I
haven’t met the man.”

“Hopefully he’ll welcome a daughter into his life.”

“I wonder. Have you considered he might not be the kind of
father Cadence needs?”

“There’s no avoiding the truth,” Preston said, aware he
sounded regretful.

“She’ll find her way in this mess, I’m sure.”

“Finding out she isn’t related to the Burkes will devastate
her.”

“Maybe it’ll come as a relief? She’d not terribly fond of
his wife or her children.”

Preston wished he could spare Cadence the heartache when she
found out the man she’d believed was her father had been an imposter. Even
worse, the man who’d fathered her had never made any attempt to contact her, to
be part of her life.

“Did Burke know Cadence wasn’t his daughter?”

“Audra told me he suspected.”

“Why didn’t either of them ever tell her?”

“His ambition to be mayor got in the way.”

“So that’s the reason he cut Cadence out of his will.”

“Perhaps. Who can say how much he knew? Unfortunately, now
all the truth will come out.”

“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing,” he said.

* * * * *

Cadence checked her watch. It was already six thirty. The
afternoon had passed in a fog thanks to Veuve Cliquot’s finest. Her empty
stomach grumbled in protest.

She’d checked the fashion websites and had turned her
attention to finding a place to live. Nothing in the listings for New Haven
appealed to her. Tomorrow she’d look at West Haven and some of the other small
towns in the surrounding area.

She took a quick, mind-clearing shower, laid the dress she’d
worn at the graduation party out on the bed and put on her black, lacy thong
and matching bra. Despite what she’d told Preston—she really wasn’t into
fashion—she wanted to look nice.

After blow-drying and straightening her hair, she got
dressed and looked in the mirror.

She kept herself in shape as a yoga junkie and runner. The
slimness of her body hid her strength. Her posture was impeccable—she gave the
credit to her mother for her relentless badgering about keeping her shoulders
back, her back straight and on and on and on. Mother had always presented
herself with such confidence and a beauty Cadence had admired with pride.

The dress hugged her hips and her ass and then flared, the
hem landing about six inches above her knees. The combination of her
high-heeled black shoes and the way her dress clung in all the right places
made her legs appear longer than they really were.

The slinky crepe bodice was cut low enough to show off a
hint of cleavage, a tease rather than a show, and the silver belt was just the
right finishing touch. It showed off her slender waist, her best feature.

She twisted and turned in front of the mirror, trying to
find something else to like. Her breasts weren’t too small but she definitely
wished they were bigger. She looked over her shoulder so she could look at her
rear.

Bubble butt. That was the only way to describe her ass. She
laughed. For extra emphasis, and so not to take herself too seriously, she
shook her rear end. She was sure, if she weren’t a runner, her butt would
completely take over her body.

Victoria, Sybil and Cyrus had tried to insinuate through the
years how she didn’t measure up, which was pretty damn ironic since none of
them had accomplished a thing on their own.

Still, Cadence doubted she had the goods. She applied her
makeup heavily. She had never been a woman to wear a lot, preferring a natural
look. She usually applied blush to highlight her cheekbones and added just a
touch of color to her eyelids to enhance her blue eyes.

Tonight she needed a major renovation, especially the dark
circles around the eyes. She applied ample amounts of tinted foundation,
concealer and blush. She lined her eyes with a black pencil and dolloped on a
quantity of mascara. When she finished, she blinked at her reflection. She
didn’t look anything like herself.

Would Preston notice? Would he wonder who exactly Cadence
Burke was?

Preston had beautiful eyes. Adorable eyes. And a nice, firm
ass. She wasn’t the only woman to notice. She’d seen the look on Muriel’s face.

After the intense scrutiny, Cadence decided she’d glammed up
in a way that would attract a sophisticated man-about-town.

For sure, she hoped Preston would like the way she looked.
She knew it was silly but she couldn’t help but seek his approval. She hoped to
slip into bed with his sexy self tonight for some long-overdue sex.

She looked at herself again in the mirror and wrinkled her
nose at a sudden whiff of apprehension. Did she really look okay? Was the dress
too old-fashioned? Too modest?

What if he showed up in a tux? He hadn’t said formal.

No, no, no, she couldn’t worry about her dress. She wished
it would show more cleavage or more thigh but it was too late to find another.

Looking at her watch again, she saw it was already seven
fifteen. Wow, she had taken a long time getting ready. Why was she a bundle of
nerves?

What if he only wanted to talk about the case? Giving
herself one last disapproving look, she grabbed a jacket and her purse. She
looked fine. Everything would be fine.

With a deep breath, she opened the door and closed it behind
her.

The elevator ride down to the lobby took forever. Her
underarms were instantly wet as she took deep breath after deep breath to try
to relax.

Sweat broke out on her upper lip. Why was the elevator so
hot? Was she going to have body odor? Maybe she should go back to her room and
change. What would she change into? Her jeans?

She’d said she would meet him the lobby but she needed more
time to get a hold of herself. She needed to do more deep breathing. She
needed—

Oh God, please don’t let me become a giant sweat ball!

* * * * *

Preston had nearly burned a hole in the floor of the hotel
lobby waiting for Cadence. He hadn’t been able to get any work done thinking
about her so he’d left the office a half hour early.

He’d a shitload of emails to answer and two calls to return.
The deal in London seemed to be firming up. The property was a good price. He
should call the real estate agent and discuss the contingencies. He reached for
his BlackBerry on his belt and then changed his mind.

He should let Cadence know he’d arrived. Maybe not. He
didn’t want her to think he had lost his legendary cool.

What Mom had told him about Cadence’s father was worrying.
She should know the truth but telling her would be difficult. He’d much rather
have his mother break the bad news.

He’d seen her reaction to bad news and it’d almost killed
him. She was going to get a nasty shock. Her loyalty to the Burke family legacy
was about to change.

If Cadence started asking questions, he wouldn’t be able to
keep this terrible secret from her.

The elevator doors opened with a ping and there she was.

He stopped short. His mind went blank. Without a doubt, she
was the loveliest female he’d ever seen, all decked out for a night on the
town. He would be her ready, willing and able escort.

His heart raced. The walls began to pulse. He willed his
cock to stay steady as he boldly raked her body with his gaze.

Man, did he want her.

He stood at attention, a man with a bad case of lust. There
wouldn’t be anyone watching who would guess otherwise. Was his response
inappropriate? He’d let Cadence be the judge.

Chapter Five

The moment Cadence saw Preston in the lobby, the small bit
of confidence she’d had, abandoned her. Sweat trickled between her breasts. Her
cheeks burned with a vengeance. Every erotic thought she’d had swam before her
vision.

Damn! I am a giant sweat ball and now my face is brighter
than a strawberry!

With relief, she saw he wasn’t decked out in a tux. He
looked irresistible, so sophisticated in his Armani, his hard, muscular body
showing off his sexuality from every stitch.

Her nipples tightened, straining for his touch. She
nervously licked her lips then clamped them shut. She was drawing attention to
her giant case of nerves, not a good move.

Did he like what he saw? Was she trying too hard? Had he
expected her to wear a sexier dress? Maybe she should make up an excuse to
cancel their date.

This was a date, wasn’t it?

“Hi, Cadence,” he said with a sexy smile curving his lips.

His gaze swept approvingly up and down her length. He pulled
a bouquet of wild flowers from behind his back. They were beautiful. Their
pastel colors and simplicity cheered her.