Reinvention of Chastity (5 page)

Because I’m not fawning all over you
, she wanted to ask. “The look or the attitude?”

“The attitude I can definitely do without. The look…” His gaze slowly slid over her curves as if he had x-ray vision. “I like very much.”

Chastity squirmed in her seat. Had someone turned up the heat in the building? He wasn’t supposed to have this affect on her still. Damn the man. “Good for you, but really, as long as I’m getting my work done, what does my attitude matter?”

“Oh, I think it matters a great deal. What happened to the sweet woman who always had a smile on her face? By the way, I haven’t seen those adorable dimples of yours in over a week.”

Adorable dimples? It surprised her that he’d noticed anything about her before this makeover. She wasn’t about to let him charm her back to the doormat she used to be. “I didn’t realize smiling was a requirement around here.”

“No, it’s not, but it’s nice to see.”

Chastity gave him her biggest smile. “Better?”

“Something tells me you didn’t mean it.”

31

Eve Vaughn

“You wanted me to smile. You didn’t say that I had to be sincere.”

Sebastian threw his head back and laughed. “Perhaps you’re the one who should have the law degree. You’d kill them in court. Okay, you win.

It occurs to me that as long as you’ve been working here, I don’t know much about you.”

A couple weeks ago, Chastity would have loved it if he’d taken an interest in her life, but now his motives were too obvious. “I live alone with my cats Monty and Fluffy. I do believe I’ve told you about them before. Monty is the spawn of Satan and Fluffy is scared of her own shadow. I spend day and night tending to their needs. They’re all that matters in my life,” she said, deadpan.

Sebastian’s lips twisted. “Stop being so damn facetious. I just asked a simple question.”

She shrugged. “Who’s being facetious? Isn’t it general knowledge that the only thing going on in my life is my cats? You seem to think so, at least.” She squeezed her eyes shut. Damn. She’d said too much. Chastity didn’t want to reveal her hand so soon.

His brows furrowed together. “What are you talking about? Where would you get that idea?”

She should have known he’d pick up on that little slip. He wasn’t one of the city’s top lawyers for nothing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You can’t just make a comment like that and then expect me to let it go.”

“Well, you’ll just have to,” she shot back.

Sebastian stood and walked from behind his desk. Had she pushed him too far? Would he fire her on the spot? He stalked over to where she sat. Chastity gulped, her body once again reacting to his nearness. Her pussy tingled, and panties grew damp. She’d never been more aware of him than she was now, with him standing before her so tall and blatantly male. “Care to say that to my face?” he asked, leaning over her chair.

“Mr. Rossi, you’re being ridiculous.”

“Don’t give me that Mr. Rossi crap. You know we don’t run a very formal office and you’ve always managed to call me Sebastian before.” He knelt next to her and gasped her chin between strong fingers. It was the 32

The Reinvention of Chastity

first time he’d ever touched her—deliberately. His pale green eyes flickered with an emotion she’d only seen in her dreams. Desire.

Her heart pounded erratically, so hard she was sure he could hear it.

“Chastity, something has been bothering you lately and whatever it is, I wish you’d tell me.”

“It’s nothing. Absolutely nothing.” More than anything she wanted to close her eyes and lean into him, finally feel the touch of his lips on hers, but this was too soon. Too fast. Chastity pulled away from his grasp, her eyes fixing on his wall clock. “Umm, I have to go. It’s past twelve and my lunch date is waiting for me.”

Sebastian stood abruptly, his eyes going stormy. “Who are you having lunch with? I wasn’t aware that you had a boyfriend.”

“Why should you know? You’re my boss,” she answered, trying to play it cool, even though her body screamed for the feel of his arms wrapped around her.

“Fine. Go to your lunch date, but this conversation is far from over.”

“Unless it’s work related, we have nothing to talk about.”

“Oh, I think we do.”

“You know what? You have a lot of nerve. First you treat me like a robot, but now that I’ve changed my look, you’re suddenly interested in what’s going on in my life. Well, I’d thank you to mind your own business.” When she stood to leave, Sebastian’s hand snaked out to grab her wrist.

“I’m making you my business, Chastity.”

She shivered at the sheer strength in his hold. Judging from the feral gleam in his eyes, she had him right where she wanted him.

Let the fun begin.

33

Eve Vaughn

“I’m sorry I’m late, Kev, but my brainstorming session with Sebastian ran a little late.” Chastity sat at the table Kevin had saved for them in the quaint Market Street Bistro. Kevin surveyed her from head to toe before approval entered his eyes.

“I’m proud of you, honey. You’ve kept the look up quite nicely.”

Chastity giggled, picking up her menu. “It’s only been a couple days, but I plan on keeping it.”

“There’s something totally different about you, and I’m not talking about the look. You seem more confident and it shows. I think that’s one of the reasons why this transformation suits you. I mean, anyone can get a makeover and look presentable, but you make it work. I always knew you could be beautiful, but looking at you now, you’re making me consider switching teams.”

Laughing out loud, she wagged her finger at him. “Stop that. We both know you’re crazy about Nick.”

“You’re right. He’s my soulmate.” Kevin sighed, getting that same moony look in his eyes whenever he talked about his partner.

“So, are you two still planning to go to Hawaii and tie the knot next year?”

“That’s still up for debate. Nick wants the whole nine yards, with the white picket fence and kids. I’m not sure if I’m ready to take that step. I mean, I love him, but bringing children into this union is a step I’ve never really considered.”

She patted his arm in a supportive gesture. “Well, I’m sure you and Nick will work something out. You two are too perfect together to let this issue come between you.” And they were. Chastity was sometimes envious of the close bond her next door neighbors had.

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The Reinvention of Chastity

She’d been friends with the two of them since the day she moved into her Cape Cod, just outside of the city in Montgomery County. Other than Dallas, she couldn’t ask for two better friends.

A wistful look crossed Kevin’s face. “I’m sure it will, but enough about me, how about you? Has Sebastian declared his undying love for you yet? Does he want you to be his ‘baby’s mama’?”

Chastity snorted. “Hardly.”

“You two would make beautiful chocolate and vanilla babies.”

She laughed, browsing through the menu. “You’re getting way ahead of yourself. First of all, I have no plans whatsoever of having children with Sebastian and secondly, just because he likes the way I look now, doesn’t mean it will lead to anything.”

“Aha! So he did like the new you. I want details, Chas. What was his exact reaction?”

Chastity proceeded to relay the morning’s incident, not leaving out any details. His eyes widened. “Shut up! He asked you out to lunch?”

“He said it was business.”

“Well, I knew you’d get a reaction from him, but I didn’t think it would be this fast. Wow. I’m impressed.”

“And I’m annoyed.” She rested her hand under her chin.

“Why?”

Chastity was about to answer when their waiter came to the table to take their order. When they were alone again, Kevin raised a blond brow, obviously waiting for an answer. “Why are you annoyed?”

“It bothers me that even though I’ve changed on the outside, I’m still the same person on the inside. What was wrong with me before?”

“I can name a few things, hon. Let’s face it, Chas, you hid yourself in oversized clothing, wore no make-up and to be honest, I can’t really think of a diplomatic way to describe how those glasses made you look. If you didn’t care about your appearance before, then why should he? A man likes to see a woman make some effort, you know.”

“But he’s still a superficial bastard.”

35

Eve Vaughn

“Maybe so, but you can’t lay all the blame at his feet, even if he is a weasel. Life isn’t always like the movies, where the handsome billionaire notices the plain-Jane girl next door for what she’s truly worth.”

Chastity scrunched up her face. Why did he have to be so right?

Maybe some of it was her fault, but that didn’t give Sebastian the right to use her feelings to his advantage. That’s what irked her the most. She sighed. “You’re right. I guess I let my mother affect me even after putting several hundred miles between us.”

“I thought your mother was quite charming, the one time she came for a visit,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

“My mother is an extremely charming woman…to the opposite sex, of course. I think I would have been better off if I’d been born a boy. That way, she wouldn’t have felt the need to constantly compete with me.” For as long as Chastity could remember, her mother had always put an emphasis on looks and weight.

Brenda Bryant was blessed with a genetic make-up that enabled her to eat whatever she wanted without gaining a single pound. Chastity had not been so fortunate, taking after her stocky father, who’d passed away before she was born. It was around the time she began developing breasts and boys started noticing her, when Brenda seemed to realize her own mortality.

Whenever Chastity brought a male friend home, her mother would prance around their house in the skimpiest outfits and flirt shamelessly.

That wouldn’t have been so bad if Brenda wouldn’t have pointed out Chastity’s flaws in front of her friends. Mentioning the embarrassment to her mother did no good because it was only brushed off with a laugh.

“Oh, Chassy, you know I don’t mean anything by it. What’s the matter, baby? Scared that your mama’s going to outshine you?”

Chastity realized her mother would never change and stopped bringing boyfriends around. By the time she’d turned eighteen, she knew she’d never be a great beauty like her mother was, or at least that’s what her mother had pointed out to her on so many occasions. “Too bad you don’t take after my side of the family.” “You don’t have good hair like I do.” “You’re not wearing that, are you?” were comments she’d heard throughout her childhood.

36

The Reinvention of Chastity

During her freshman year in college, Chastity broke her own rule and brought home a guy she’d had a crush on from the moment she’d laid eyes on him. D’Angelo Green, with his tall, lean body and skin as dark as onyx, made her drool whenever he stepped into a room. He was one of the sexiest men she’d ever met. The problem was, her mother thought so too.

Finding the two of them locked in each other’s arms had been the final straw. Her mother, as usual, laughed it off. “I can’t help myself sometimes. You know how it is, Chastity. Besides, if you did more with yourself, your little boyfriends wouldn’t stray.”

D’Angelo had later confessed, “You’re cute, but your mom…well you know how it is.” Actually, she did know how it was and after that, she stopped caring. Even after finishing college and moving to the Philadelphia area with Dallas, Chastity had a hard time getting over what her mother had done. It affected her to the point where she wanted to make herself as plain as possible. That way, it was okay if someone found her lacking.

She loved her mother, as much as she could. With several hundred miles between them it was easier, but Chastity knew she’d never have the typical mother-daughter relationship with Brenda, who was still chasing her youth.

“Sweetie, you can’t keep beating yourself over the head about it. It’s time for you to start living in the present,” Kevin reasoned.

She released a deep breath, glancing at her watch. “I know, but it’s easier said than done. I guess, in a way, I have Sebastian to thank. If not for him, I’d still look like a beauty school reject. He’s the one who made me realize how pathetic I actually was. Speaking of Sebastian, I don’t have much more time for lunch. I walked here, but I didn’t realize how much time it would take on foot.”

“No worries, I’ll drive you back. Do you think the big bad boss will object because you’re a few minutes late? It just might give your Italian Stallion something to think about.”

Chastity gave this some thought. “That would be something, wouldn’t it?”

“Most definitely.”

37

Eve Vaughn

* * *

Sebastian couldn’t take one more second in his office. Where the hell was Chastity? Late to work, and late back from lunch. What was her damn problem? He’d gone by her desk to see if she’d be able to go over a few things with him, but she was still out to lunch, when she should have been back by now. Who was she with and why had she been so secretive? These thoughts were driving him nuts.

He had to get out of the office, if for nothing else than to get some air.

Yes. That’s what he’d do. A walk down the block would clear his head, and once he got back, he’d be able to put things into perspective. Once outside, far from getting the peace of mind he’d hoped for, he saw Chastity getting out of a sporty, red convertible driven by a blond hulk.

What the hell?

Was this new man the reason for her about-face? From the way they smiled at each other, it was obvious the two of them were close. It shouldn’t have bothered him to see her with another man, but it did. In less than a day, Chastity had managed to get under his skin, and he didn’t like it one bit.

As though his feet had a mind of their own, Sebastian found himself marching toward Chastity as her blond friend drove away with a jaunty wave. “You’re late!” he stormed, when he stood less than a foot away from her.

Chastity looked up, eyes widening. Her mouth formed an “O” as if she were trying to get words out but they wouldn’t come. Why did her perfume make him delirious with lust and why did he feel the urge to pull her against him? This was unacceptable.