Seducing Her Beast (4 page)

“Lily
would never do that,”
Wayne
said. He felt like he’d been punched in the gut.

“She
doesn’t want a singing career. If that is what this is over, then you’re going
to lose the woman you love for something she doesn’t want and won’t even fight
for. Another guy will give her what you’re taking away, and you’ll have no
chance to win her back,” Opal said.

“You don’t
know that.”

Again,
Opal let out a growl. “My God, you’re so thick and stupid and annoying. It is
Christmas, and you’re ‘setting your wife free’. You know what? I know someone
who’d date Lily in a heartbeat.”

“Who?”
Wayne
asked, feeling angry at the thought of another man with his woman.

“John
Barnes,” Opal said with a smile on her lips.

“
Harry’s
paediatric doctor?”
Richard
asked.

“The very one.
His wife divorced him last year. I know he
adores Lily. They met at one of your barbeques you held a few months back. I’m
sure they’d hit it off.

“John is
in his fifties, and stop trying to get a guy to date my wife,”
Wayne
said. His anger was
increasing. He’d seen the way the older man had looked at Lily. John had been
charmed by Lily. He was sure it was why John’s wife had left him, but he didn’t
say so to Lily.

“Then I
suggest you think about this decision. I’m out of here. Tony is taking me away.
I’ll see you guys soon.” Opal kissed her brother Richard on the cheek then
left. Tony stayed for a few minutes.

“If you go
through with this, our women will gang up and force Lily to date someone else
to get over you.
Wayne
,
I don’t know why you want this divorce, but be sure it’s what you want. Opal
and Scarlet will make you regret it. Those women with Lily have become like
sisters.” Tony left seconds later.
 

“I’m going
to go as well before my wife starts planning on crushing my balls. I’m fond of
all of my man-parts,” said Richard.

“Okay,”
Wayne
said then saw his
friend out. When they were all gone he turned to the whiskey. The sooner he
lost his head the better he’d feel.

Chapter Four

Lily
watched her children playing on the floor in front of her while her father,
George, finished his call on the phone. Blake was staying at his friend’s
again. She believed he had a crush on a girl at school. Since
Wayne
had left, Blake barely spoke to her. It
had been several days since
Wayne
had left. Her father was staying with her to help out. Opal phoned on a regular
basis to check in with her. Scarlet stopped by as much as possible. In two
weeks it would be the run up to Christmas. She knew her friends were planning
on going away. Richard had decided at the last minute to take Scarlet and the
kids away for Christmas. They would be leaving in a few days.

She’d be
all alone.

Wayne
still refused to
talk to her. She knew he was working. His secretary had informed her he didn’t
want to be disturbed when she’d called. He was avoiding her at every
opportunity.

The tree
looked pathetic to her now. She remembered singing for
Wayne
as they put each bauble on the
branches.

“Honey,
how are you?” her father asked the moment he got off the phone.

“I’m
dealing. I can’t just break down and cry at any given time. I want to. It’s so
hard. How did you manage it?” Her father had fallen in love with a cleaner at
his office. She’d died giving birth to her. Her father had been dealing with
the heartache ever since.

“Sweetheart,
my heartache was different. Your mother died. There was no way for me to get
over her.
Wayne
is still living and breathing. I can’t give you any advice but time.
Time to get over him and time to heal.”

Lily stood
up walking toward the kitchen. The children were safe in their areas with
protective bars. She ran her fingers through her hair after she put the kettle
on to boil.

“I can’t
deal with this,” she said.

George
came up behind her. He squeezed her shoulder offering her comfort. Tears sprang
to her eyes. “You’ll deal, honey. You’ll find a way to cope.”

“I love
him, dad. I always will. It doesn’t matter what he’s done for us or how we
began our marriage. I know he thinks he’s doing the right thing. I don’t know
how to tell him he’s not.” Lily wiped the tears away. George moved away while
she made two cups of tea.

“Men can
be fickle, Lily. Maybe you need to show him how you’ve changed. I don’t know.
Go and date some other guy, or maybe go and sing at a club?
Wayne
loves you, honey. I’ve seen the love he
has for you. I just wish I knew how to make this right.” George smiled taking a
sip of his tea.

Twenty
minutes later, Scarlet turned up with her children. George stayed with them in
the sitting room while Lily talked with her friend.

“How are
you and George getting on?” Scarlet asked.

“He’s
helping. I sleep in the kids’ room while he takes the spare room,” Lily said.
She was pleased her friend had chosen to visit.

“Why
aren’t you sleeping in your bed?”

“Too many memories.
Could you sleep in the same bed if Richard was
planning to divorce you?”

“I guess
not. Has anyone been in touch with a divorce?”

Lily shook her head. She couldn’t answer the
door for fear it might be someone with divorce papers. “I don’t know what’s
going on. I wish there was a way for me to grab his attention. I miss him so
much.”

Scarlet sat in silence for the next few
minutes. Lily drank her tea and thought about how to capture her husband.

“I’ve got a suggestion. The only problem is
you’re not going to like it,” Scarlet said. She was smiling at Lily, which made
her nervous.
      
 

“What suggestion?” Lily asked.

“Opal mentioned to me about John Barnes liking
you.”

Lily groaned. She knew the older man cared
about her. They’d met at a barbeque and were discussing some medical problems
that had been in the news.
Wayne
had become very possessive of her.

“I got in touch with John and told him your
problem with
Wayne
.
I may have done some conspiring with Richard, and I shouldn’t know that
Wayne
has a business
dinner tonight with clients at this Italian restaurant within the city. I also
shouldn’t be telling you that I got Richard to book the table in plain sight of
Wayne
’s table.”
Scarlet put the card of the restaurant in front of Lily. Her friend was
nibbling her lip.

“Why do I feel there is more for you to tell
me?”

“Well, Richard and I are taking the kids
tonight for you. I also don’t know the fact you’re going on a date with John in
order to find the opportunity to talk to
Wayne
.”

“Scarlet!”

“What?”

“That is unfair. I don’t want to blackmail
Wayne
or force another guy
to take me on a date.”

“John is willing to take you. He wants to see
you happy. Please, Lily. This may be your only chance to find out what the hell
is going on in your husband’s brain.”

Lily sighed as she picked up the card. “This is
my favourite restaurant. They serve great pasta and desserts.”

“I want you to be happy, Lily. I’ve got your
dress in the car. I knew you’d hate this, but at least you’d get the chance to
see
Wayne
. I
know he’s dodging you.
Fucking coward.”

“Scarlet!”

“It’s Christmas, and he’s ditching you even
though he loves you. Every woman should have a happy ending, and if I have to
be a total nut-job to make sure all of us get a perfect Christmas then that is
what I’m going to do.”

“I didn’t know you were nuts about Christmas,”
Lily said.

“Richards knows I go insane at this time of
year. Everyone deserves a miracle and happiness. I don’t like the thought of my
best friends not being happy. You and Wayne were perfect for each other. You are
still perfect for each other. I’m not going to allow something stupid to come
between you. It’s not acceptable.”

Lily chuckled then glanced down at the card.
Wayne
was dodging her, and
if going on a date was the one thing to grab his attention then she was more
than willing to do it.

****

Lily pushed the black dress down to cover more
of her legs. Richard and Scarlet had already picked the kids up, and she was
alone waiting for John to turn up. She hated using a man like this. Regardless
of what Scarlet said she was going to make sure John was okay with everything.

She checked her reflection in the mirror.
Wayne
usually commented on
her dress, or he’d come up behind her grabbing her ass or cupping her hips.
Lily pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind.

A knock at the door stopped any chance she had
of escaping this night. She took a breath and opened the door. John stood there
with a dozen red roses.

“John,” she said.

“Hi, Lily.
You look
dazzling.” She smiled then tucked some hair behind her ear. He wasn’t
Wayne
, and no matter how
hard she tried, she felt wrong doing this.

“They’re holding our table until eight-thirty,
and then they’re giving it to someone else.”

“Right, I didn’t expect them to hold tables for
longer. They can get quite busy at night.” She grabbed her jacket from the
rail. The December chill was seeping into her bones. Her hands were shaking.
She locked the door then followed John to his car. He stopped, opening the
door.

“Crap, these are for you.” He handed her the
roses.

“They’re lovely, John. Thank you.” She lifted
the roses to inhale their scent.

He climbed into the driver’s seat then turned
on the ignition.

“Wait,” she said. John turned to her. “I can’t
do this. I know, Scarlet set all this up, but it’s only been a couple of days
since
Wayne
left. I don’t want you to think this is a date.”

He reached out taking hold of her. “I’m not
under any illusions, Lily. Yes, I care about you. If things were different I
may take a chance with you myself. I’m not stupid, and to reassure you, I’m not
in love with you. Scarlet called me and told me what was going on, and I wanted
to help.
Wayne
’s
biggest problem is his head. He over-thinks everything. If I can help and bring
him to his senses then I’m more than happy to do that.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” she asked.

“Lily, if in a year’s time we’re here
again,
and there is no chance for you and Wayne, then I’ll
give it a shot. Until then, I see this as two friends going out for some good
food and drinks.”

She sat back in the car finally feeling
relaxed. “I can do this. You’re really good company, John. Why did your wife
divorce you?” she asked. “Shit, sorry, I shouldn’t ask. Sorry.”

He chuckled. “It’s nice to be around a woman
who speaks her mind. My wife left me because I was never home, and I couldn’t
stand her laugh.”

“How did you last so long together?”

“Because I was always out of the house, and she
liked my money.”

“Sorry, that must have been awful for you,”
Lily said.

“No, there were other matters, but I’m not
going to go into it. They’re private.”

“You’ll find someone, John.
A
woman who loves you for you, no matter your money or job.”

“I hope you’re right.” They talked about the
weather and the upcoming festivities and then turned to
Wayne
.

“What do you think you’ll do this year if this
doesn’t work?” he asked.

“My dad will spend Christmas with us, and I’ve
got the kids. I don’t know. I don’t want to think of a Christmas without him. I
love him, John. My feelings for him are not going to change.” Lily rubbed her
palms over her dress. They were damp, and she didn’t like feeling insecure
about her feelings.
Wayne
really was her rock, the other part of her heart and soul.

“Do you think another woman is involved?” John
asked.

“I didn’t even think of another woman. I hope
not.”