Tessa's Temptation (17 page)

No, no, no!

***

Tessa tensed beside Chase. She would be furious with him but something wasn’t sitting well and he was going to draw it out of her mother. It wasn’t just the fact that Nina had popped up at his door after years of not seeing her daughter. It didn’t take long to figure out what she wanted and it infuriated him that she would use her daughter like that. She was all over the place. First she acted as if she was there to save Tess from his inappropriate advances, but when that didn’t work she showed her true colors. She was looking for any angle.

“Chase,” Tess pleaded. “You don’t have to give her money.”

“Is your daughter right?” Chase directed his question to the con artist standing in his living room. “Do you want a relationship with her or do you want my money?”

“I’m not lying,” Nina said. “I’m in financial trouble and if Tess doesn’t come back with me...” She stopped mid-stream. “I don’t want to get into all the details. I thought by coming here, something else would pan out, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.”

“You didn’t come here for me?” Tess asked. “I should have known. When have I ever been a priority to you?”

“I had planned to contact you,” she said. “You know what it’s like to need money and what it’s like to need it
now
.”

“You’re unbelievable.” When Tess’s voice cracked, Chase just about lost his patience. She was trying to stay strong but how much more could she handle?

He wouldn’t stand by and watch this woman hurt his girl. Nina was up to something much bigger. Much more than what she was telling, and Tessa was smack dab in the middle. He was about to remove her from the equation all together.

“I’ll write you a check and then I want you out of this house. You will not contact Tessa unless she initiates it.” If paying Nina would make her leave Tessa alone, no price would be too high. “I’m sure we could come up with a figure.”

“Why aren’t you listening to me?” Tess shouted. “This is crazy. You can’t just pay her off and expect her to go away.” Tessa looked at Nina. “If you take his offer, I’ll never forgive you.”

“I don’t think you’re ever going to forgive me anyway. There’s too many years and too many regrets. You’ll never understand the things I’ve done.” Nina stepped toward Tess and put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “If I had any other option, believe me, I would take it. Rocco is in trouble with men he never should have associated with. I need to clear his debts and I’ll do whatever I have to.”

May came in with the tea, setting the beautiful walnut tray on the coffee table just as Tessa responded to her mother’s admission.

“Too bad you never felt that kind of motivation to be there for me whe
nI
needed you.” Tessa stepped away from both her mother and Chase. “I don’t care what the two of you do.” She looked into his eyes and the hurt he saw there tore at his gut but he wouldn’t back down. “I don’t understand what you’re doing.”

“You don’t have to understand. You just have to trust me.”

She ran past May and up the main staircase. He fought the urge to go after her, but he had to take care of Nina before he could fix things with Tessa.

“May,” he said. “Please go after her. I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

“Chase, are you sure whatever you’re doing is the right thing?” May asked. “Tess is so upset.”

“May, please.” He nodded toward the staircase. “Go and make sure she’s okay.”

“I can already tell you she’s not okay.” But May did as he asked, knowing she couldn’t win an argument with him in this matter. She left the room without another word.

“Chase,” Nina said. “The things I said when I first got here… well, I meant nothing against you.”

“I don’t believe anything that comes out of your mouth. The only person I’m concerned about in all of this is Tessa. I would do anything for her.”

“I can see that.”

“Then you know I’m serious when it comes to her.”  He motioned for her to follow him down the hall to the study. The quicker he got this over with, the faster he could get to Tessa. He pulled the door shut behind them. “Have a seat.” He leaned against the desk, crossing his feet at the ankles as she sat in the chair across from him. “I don’t trust you.”

“I didn’t want to come here and cause trouble.” She fidgeted with her hands. “
I
di
d
want to see my daughter. I’ve failed as her mother.”

“That’s an understatement.” Even now he sensed no remorse in her voice.

“I hope someday she’ll understand why I made the choices I did. I couldn’t stay with Pat. I thought by leaving I’d find a better life. I always planned to send for Tess when I could, but things never worked out as I had hoped.”

“I’m not the one you should be explaining all of that to.” He wondered if anything she said about her daughter was genuine. He certainly hadn’t felt any sincerity in her approach when she blew in and upended Tessa’s world. She was no sooner in the front door when she demanded her daughter leave with her. She had to know Tessa wouldn’t just pack up and go with her after everything that had come between them through the years. “In any case, you hurt Tessa and I won’t allow that anymore.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

“A few other things are bothering me about your impromptu visit. If you’re as broke as you say you are, how did you make the trip from Philadelphia to Boston?”

“I had a little money.”

“Money that should have gone to buy groceries or gas?” Nothing about this woman made any sense. “Or possibly to help pay off your husband’s debts? What are you really doing here?”

“Does it matter?” She shifted in her chair.

“It might.”

“If my original plan had worked out, my trip here would have been worth it.” She stood and paced the room. “I thought seeing Tess would be a good thing. I had no idea how upset she was with me.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about your daughter.” He calmly walked around his desk and sat, retrieving his checkbook from the drawer. “Luckily, I know her pretty well.” No matter how Tessa felt about her mother, the guilt would kill her if anything happened to Nina. His girl was tough but her heart was too big to let her mother end up on the street, or worse if Rocco’s debts were too high to pay.

“I was misinformed,” she said. “I shouldn’t have come here and judged you the way I did.”

“Misinformed?”
Audra.
He should have known. That was why this whole scenario didn’t feel right. Lately anything involving Audra had a sour taste.

“I mean, I shouldn’t have made assumptions about your intentions with my daughter.” She glanced down at his checkbook. “I assumed that because you’re older and more experienced, you would only be interested in her for sex. She’s a remarkable beauty and men aren’t always very noble.”

“I’m not sure what my attorney has told you about my relationship with Tessa.” He wrote
Nina Alesi
on the check. “It’s clearly her who misinformed you and I’m sorry if she said anything offensive.”

“She didn’t.” Nina watched as he wrote a substantial figure and then signed his name to the mint greet paper. “She just helped me find my daughter.”

“As I said, I don’t trust you.” He handed her the check. “I meant what I said; there is a condition that comes with this check. If you cash it, and I’m sure you will, don’t contact your daughter. Let her come to you, and if she does, I won’t stand in her way.”

“I understand.” She headed for the door. “You’ve been very generous.”

“Whatever business you had in Boston, consider it concluded.” He followed her out of the office and down the hall. “If Audra contacts you again, you’re not to take her call. Do you understand?”

“I don’t even know her, so that won’t be a problem.” She turned and smiled at him but it was as fake as she was. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t do it for you.” He opened the door, indicating she should go. “You have to know that.”

“My daughter is a very lucky woman.” She glanced down at the check. “Please tell her I’m sorry for everything and if she does want to contact me I’ll be there.”

I don’t believe that for one minute.

She went down the porch steps and out to the beat up old station wagon parked in his driveway without a look back. She had gotten what she came for. He hoped she stayed away from Tessa from now on.

He shut the door and when he turned, he looked up and found Tessa at the top of the staircase, staring at him. Her eyes were swollen and sad. She looked so fragile and hurt. Nothing like his little firecracker. Nina may have broken her, but his girl was too strong to stay down for long. And he would do everything possible to make certain of that.

“Sweetheart.” He bounded up the steps, reaching for her with the last few steps. “I know how hard that was.”

“Don’t touch me!” She backed away. “I don’t even want to talk to you.”

“You’re upset about your mother.” He wanted to give her some space but he couldn’t resist the desire to hold and protect her. “I’ll make it right.”

“Right? How are you going to do that? Throw money at me?” She turned and stomped down the hall in the opposite direction of their bedroom. “I expect that shit from my mother but what you did? I’m sick over it.”

“Tessa, let me explain.”

“I don’t want your explanation.” She slammed her old bedroom door in his face. “Go away.”

“Tessa!” He pounded on the door. “Let me in.”

“You leave that girl alone.” May’s voice warned from the end of the hall. “Give her some space and then you can grovel.”

“May, tell her to open the door and stop acting this way.” Chase continued to bang on the door. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Screw you!” she shouted. “Leave me alone.”

“You heard the girl.” May looked at him with pity, but she was clearly on Tess’s side. “Did you really think paying her mother to leave was the best option? I swear you don’t have the sense you were born with.”

“I did what I had to do.” May wouldn’t understand, but Chase really would do anything to protect Tessa, and if her mother’s lowlife husband was in debt to loan sharks, he didn’t want Nina anywhere near his Tessa.

“You did what you had to do?” Tess yelled at him as she yanked the door open. “Why the fuck didn’t you listen to me?” She tried to slam the door again, but he stuck his foot in the doorway before she could shut him out.

“May, that will be all for today,” Chase said as he pushed his way into the bedroom. “You’re not going to get away from me that easily.”

“Get out!” She immediately headed for the bathroom on the opposite side of the room, to escape him.

“Oh no you don’t.” He took her arm and turned her to face him. “We need to talk.”

“About what?” She pulled away from his grip and planted her fist on her hip. “How you betrayed me? Paid off my mother even though I didn’t want you to? How you’re a giant asshole? Sure, we can talk about all of that.”

There were times when he liked her wild and feisty side. This wasn’t one of those occasions

Chapter Nineteen

Tess stood just inches from Chase, madder than she had ever been before. How could he have ignored her wishes? Why would he give her mother a dime after everything she had done over the years?

“Baby, listen to me.” When he reached for her hand she backed away. “Okay, I won’t touch you. Just hear me out.”

“Are you going to give me a choice?”

“No.”

“Fine.” She plopped down on her old bed and folded her legs like a pretzel. “Talk so you can leave me alone when you’re done.”

“I know you’re mad and you don’t agree with what I did, but I had my reasons.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “I promise every one of those reasons was for you.”

“It doesn’t feel that way from where I’m sitting,” she said. “I’ve told you how I felt about my mother. How much she’s hurt me. I trusted you, damn it.”

“I heard every word. The stories you told me infuriated me. I don’t know how anyone could hurt you that way.”

“That’s why I don’t understand how you could give her money. How you could let her in and taint what we have.” She held back a sob because she didn’t want to break down over this. She had cried when May was in the room but she promised herself she wouldn’t waste one more tear over her mother. “Why, Chase?”

“Please let me hold you.” He inched up the bed, closer to her, but stopped when she didn’t say anything. “I need to hold you, Tessa.”

“You hurt me.” She couldn’t help the tears that slipped down her cheeks. “You’re not supposed to hurt me.”

“I’ll regret putting that look on your face forever, but you have to know that was never my intention.”

She heard the remorse in his voice. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to let him in.

“Please.”

“Tell me why you gave her that money.” She had to hear his explanation before she could understand. “That’s why she came here. Not for me, but for your money.”

“I know,” he said. “She wasn’t fooling anyone. I didn’t do it for her.”

“I didn’t want you to do it for me. You already give me so much. We’ve discussed this.” Why couldn’t he understand that she wasn’t there for his money and what he could buy her? All she wanted was his heart. “You can’t keep giving me things.”

“You’re right, we have been through this and I don’t agree. I want to share everything with you.” His jaw tightened as the frustration settled into his chiseled features. “I saw how upset you were when your mother said she didn’t come for you and it made me want to rip the house apart. It took everything I had to control my rage toward that woman. You have no idea how much I wanted to toss her out on her ass.”

“I’m used to those feelings when it comes to her.”

“It won’t ever happen again. I gave her the money because I saw how conflicted you were. How small she made you feel.”

“I hate feeling that way.” She pushed back the lump in her throat because she didn’t like feeling weak, but when it came to her mother, she still wanted acceptance. “I want to be strong.”

“You are strong, sweetheart,” he whispered. “I don’t know anyone stronger than you.”

She shook her head because ever since they had met he had been bailing her out, fixing her family’s problems and making life easier for her.

“I wish you could see what I see in you,” he said. “You are a strong, independent woman who will do anything to protect those she cares about. You’re loyal and you give everything you have in every situation.”

“Because you make it so easy for me to succeed.”

“I’ve assisted you but you’re the one who got as far as you did before you even met me. I came into your life at a time when you needed me, but I know you would have figured it out without me. I will keep doing everything I can to build you up because I believe in you.”

No one had ever said that to her before. His support meant more to her than he could ever know.

“You’ve had a hard start in this life, but I promise your struggles are over. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you’re happy and secure. You can be mad at me, but I did what I did today to protect you.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I know you better than you think. She’s still your mother and if she left here and something happened to her because of her stupid husband, you would never forgive yourself. I wasn’t going to risk you living with that guilt.”

“I don’t want to care what happens to her.” There were too many years of stops and starts. Too many years when she gave her mother every ounce of forgiveness she had.

“That’s what makes you who you are. I wish your mother had come here under different circumstances. I wanted that for you. I wish she could recognize the woman you are today.”

She had wanted that too. Once the shock wore off in the kitchen and she had a few minutes to process her mother’s presence, she thought they might finally have that loving reunion she had dreamed about since the day she’d left ten years ago.

“I think I’m ready for you to hold me now.” She started to shake as the hot tears crawled down her cheeks. “This doesn’t mean I’m weak?”

“It most certainly does not.” He wrapped her in his arms, pulling her down on the pillow so they were facing one another. “You can cry with me any time you need to. I’ll always be here to wipe away your tears.” He gently stroked her face. “I’ll try my hardest to never be the cause of them.”

“You still haven’t apologized for pissing me off.”

“I love your tenacity.” He took her face in his hand and kissed her slowly, making her moan. There was nothing urgent in his touch as he probed her mouth with his tongue. He awakened her senses. Her heart rate increased as her skin prickled with desire. He managed to make all the pain of the afternoon disappear into nothing. When she was with him, she was his whole world. He held nothing back.

All was forgiven after that kiss but she still wanted to hear it. “I’m waiting.”

“I will never apologize for taking care of you. Or protecting you. Get used to it.”

“You are the most exasperating man I’ve ever met.”

“Get used to that too.”

***

Chase read over some specs as he waited for Audra to get to the office on Monday morning. Tessa had been restless and unsettled all weekend. He hated seeing her that way. She hadn’t slept much over the past few days, so he persuaded her to stay home and rest. He promised to take a half day and hang out with her, but first he wanted to talk with Audra.

“Hey.” She tapped on his slightly ajar door. “Allison said you wanted to see me.”

“Come in and shut the door.” He pushed his laptop aside and waited for her to take a seat. If he could find a way to terminate her services without any drama, he would do it.

“What’s up?”

“You sent Tessa’s mother to my house this weekend. Didn’t you think you should warn me she was coming?”

“Warn you? Why would I have to do that? I thought she’d be happy to see her mother.” She tucked her hair behind her ear, looking calm and innocent. “I thought I was doing a good thing.”

“Tessa is estranged from her mother,” Chase informed her. “If she contacts you again, don’t take her call.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” she said. “She seemed like a nice woman who was very concerned for her daughter. Are you sure it’s not Tessa overreacting?”

“I’m certain,” he said. “Nina doesn’t have her daughter’s best interests at heart. I don’t want her or her husband anywhere near Tessa. Are we clear?”

“Why would they contact me again? You’re the one who put me as the emergency person on the hospital form. That’s how she got in touch with me. You’re acting like I did something wrong.”

“I didn’t say you did anything wrong. Just don’t send anyone else to my house. If anyone is looking for Tessa, I want to know about it first. I’ll handle any problems that might arise.”

“Are you expecting anyone else from her past to show up looking for a handout?”

“I never said her mother was looking for a handout.” All the signs were there when it came to Audra interfering in his personal life, but he had no solid proof. He’d even contacted the university to see if the parking lot or the surrounding businesses had any security cameras that might have caught the car being keyed. The search came up empty.

“No, you didn’t but by the way you’re acting, what else could I assume? Tessa doesn’t come from the most stellar people. I still don’t get how you got yourself mixed up with them.”

“You’re out of line.”

“I’m your friend and I say it like it is.”

“Were you telling it like it was when you told Nina that I didn’t have the best intentions when it came to Tessa? Her mother was under the impression I was using her daughter for sex. Any idea where she may have gotten that idea?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. The hospital put her in touch with me and I gave her your address. I didn’t realize you were hiding the girl from her family.” She stood and pointed at him. “I’m offended that you would accuse me of these things. I don’t know what I did to turn you against me but I don’t appreciate it. I haven’t done anything to you or your little girlfriend.”

“I’m going to be honest. Too many things have been happening with Tessa lately and I don’t think they’re all a coincidence.” He didn’t want to say too much but he wanted Audra to know he was on to her. If he intimidated her a bit maybe she would stop whatever games she was playing.

“Listen to yourself,” she said. “You don’t need the drama of her dysfunctional family. You’re summoning me to your office first thing on a Monday morning to tell me not to send any of her unsavory relatives to your home. Really? You think that’s somehow my fault?” She turned toward the door. “I’m here strictly as your attorney as you’ve reminded me several times since you started sleeping with her. You can’t have it both ways. I don’t want any part of her crazy life. I have more important things to do than think up ways to sabotage your cushy little life. If things are happening to Tessa, she’s probably brought them on all by herself. You’re just the money bags who couldn’t keep it in his pants.”

Chase watched as she marched out of his office without so much as looking at him. He squeezed the bridge of his nose, trying to negate the pounding in his temples. She had sent Nina to his house, but he couldn’t prove it. He was going to have to keep a close eye on her and make sure she didn’t cause any more problems.

Easier said than done.