“He wants to put a ball and chain on me.”
“Kinky, I think, but, uh...what are you talking about?”
“Never mind,” I said with a chuckle under my breath.
“He’s still hot, huh?”
“Hotter than hell, go figure.”
“I should’ve went in!” she said and cursed as she smacked her palms against steering wheel. “Wait, did you say ball and chain?”
“He wants to marry me! Complete with ring on finger and carrying me over the threshold,” I ranted and laughed sounding a little crazy.
“Um, no offense, Jaime, but how much have you had to drink? Did you raid his liquor cabinet before you got caught?”
“Nah, I’m actually pretty sobered up. Nothing like a little Charlie to take the edge off a martini.”
“Wait. Are you telling me he caught you in his house in a ski mask just said, ‘Hey, pretty cat burglar, will you be my wife?’”
“I’m not supposed to talk about it.”
“C’mon! Spill!”
I puffed out my cheeks, tapping my fingers on the car door as I tilted my head back and forth. I know he said not to tell anyone, but how could I not at least spill to one person? “He h
as to marry someone by the end of November to secure his inheritance.”
“So he wants you to marry him so he can have the house and all his dad’s money?”
“Yeah, and he’d give me a half million dollars,” I added quietly.
“No way! You’re going to do it, right?”
I stared at her wide eyed and shook my head frantically. “No way. Now can we just get outta here? I don’t need him running down here to try to convince me how wonderful it would be to hook up...or deciding to press charges because I didn’t accept his stupid proposal.”
“Sure,” Tammy said, then floored the accelerator so we could take off.
Marry him? I thought, still stunned and a bit insulted. Sure, he’s hot, but he’s still an asshole when it comes to relationships, and no amount of money’s worth that. No way. He’ll only cheat on me left and right, and I’m not about to let him make a fool outta me in front of the entire damn town. He might know all my deep, dark secrets, but I know his too!
Chapter 5
It was a warm day for November first, with a nice breeze to boot. I sang along with a few songs on the radio, laughing at myself when I messed up the lyrics.
I drove to work, but as soon as I got out of the car, much to my dismay, I saw Charlie, standing right there in the parking lot and holding a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses. Why did he have to remember I loved roses? Loved everything about them. My heart began to race, and I really did love the sweet aroma of the roses wafting through the air, but it ticked me off that I could feel those damn butterflies fluttering in my chest.
Damn him!
I swore I’d never let him get to me, yet somehow, he was doing just that. I knew I needed to build the wall even higher around my heart, just like I did back in high school, when I found myself foolishly starting to fall for the biggest playboy in the school.
Charlie smiled at me, his warm eyes crinkling, and that smile was absolutely contagious. I couldn’t stop mine from spreading across my face, as I was intoxicated by the very sight of him.
Now, Jaime, don’t go getting carried away now. So what if a devastatingly handsome man is here to give you flowers? Consider the source, damn it! He might be a few years older, but he’s no wiser. He’s still one of the world’s biggest players on the planet.
“Charlie? Uh...hi.”
“Hey there.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked. Bracing myself to shut him down hard, I climbed out of my car. “Are you going to try to sweet-talk me so I don’t blab your devious plan all over town? I mean, is this a bribe? If it is, chocolate works too, particularly Ghirardelli.”