She came awake and sat up in bed. “Why?”
He got out of the bed and stretched. “Reelection time. It’s time for the senator to take his campaign on the road, back to his home state of Texas, and I’ll be going with him.”
Celeste frowned. She was clearly not happy with this news. She had spent one month with Braxter already, and had not been able to find out anything of particular interest about his employer. As far as Braxter Montgomery was concerned, Senator Lansing walked on water. The only thing she had stumbled on was the fact that around the same time of month in May of each year, Senator Lansing cleared his calendar for a few days and went back to Texas. She took a deep breath. There could be a number of reasons for him doing that. She would be the first to admit that everyone needed to get away by themselves once in a while.
“Does that mean you’re breaking things off between us?” she asked poutily, not really caring one way or another. The person who had hired her had paid her in full up-front. And although she didn’t have anything against Braxter personally, in fact, she thought that under different circumstances, she could have found herself very much attracted to him. He was indeed handsome and was definitely a terrific lover. But she had learned a long time ago not to mix business with pleasure.
“Breaking things off?” Braxter asked, laughing. “Of course not. I’ll be coming home most weekends.”
He got back in the bed and pulled her into his arms. “I’ve got an idea. How would you like to be my guest at the senator’s kickoff campaign party three weeks from now? A friend of his, this wealthy cattleman named Jacob Madaris, is giving a huge party for the senator at his ranch. The guest list is pretty impressive.”
Celeste arched a brow, feigning disinterest by yawning. “Really? How impressive?”
He smiled. “Not that I think you’ll really be interested,” he teased. “But I know for a fact that Sterling Hamilton is coming.”
She bolted out of his arm. “Sterling Hamilton! The actor Sterling Hamilton?”
Braxter laughed, pulling her back to him. “Yes, but before you get overly excited, you may as well know that Diamond Swain is coming, too.”
“Oh,” Celeste said disappointedly. Anyone who kept up with the lifestyles of the rich and famous knew that Sterling Hamilton and the leading lady in most of his movies, Diamond Swain, were an item.
“Disappointed?”
“Crushed is more like it.”
Braxter smiled. “Does that mean you don’t want to be my guest at the party?”
She smiled up at him. “I said I was crushed, not crazy. Of course I’ll attend the party with you.”
She snuggled closer to him, smiling, pleased with the recent turn of events.
C
layton glanced around the room, taking in the well-dressed, affluent people in their expensive suits and gowns. Around him the crowd swirled happily amid the soft, jazzy sound of Kenny G as he entertained a group on the other side of the huge room. As usual, Clayton thought, his uncle had spared no expense for his good friend, Senator Lansing
He stopped at a table laden with food and helped himself to a little cracker covered with rich, dark caviar. Being at a party was the last thing he wanted. Especially a party where Syneda would be in attendance and the two of them would pretend to be only friends. The thought of seeing her again inflamed him with desire.
He hadn’t seen her since their romantic rendezvous in Atlanta three weeks ago. Because of the important court appeal she’d been working on, and a couple of business trips he’d taken to California, they had not been able to hook up. Although they had talked frequently on the phone, their conversations had been short and as far as he was concerned, unfulfilling.
Clayton searched the crowded room with a steady, sweeping glance, recognizing various members of his family, business associates, friends, as well as a number of unfamiliar faces. He continued to scan the room for the one person he wanted to see. Syneda.
A group of people shifted from the crowd surrounding Kenny G, and for a moment he had a clear view across the room. And then he saw her.
She was dancing with Lloyd Jones. Clayton frowned. Although he didn’t know Jones personally, he knew of him. He knew that the man was in his early thirties, single and considered by some to be a brilliant neurosurgeon.
“Don’t look now, man, but you’re glaring. And for some reason jealousy doesn’t become you,” a familiar voice said in a deep Texan drawl at his shoulder.
Clayton turned to face his brother Justin. “Am I that obvious?” he asked drily.
Justin took a sip of his wine. “Right now only to me because I know a little more than most. But if you keep it up, everyone in this room will know, especially Lloyd Jones. Do me a favor and behave yourself. I don’t want to repair any broken bones tonight.”
Clayton shrugged. “You won’t have to,” he said smoothly. “I promised Syneda that I would not give anything away.”
“That should be interesting.”
“If it was left up to me, everyone would know.”
Justin chuckled when he saw Clayton’s annoyed features. “I gathered as much.” He took another sip of wine. “Give her time, Clayton. Things will work out.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself.”
Justin stared long and hard at his brother. An amused grin touched his features. “You really have it bad, don’t you?”
“No worse than you had it for Lorren,” Clayton shot back, his eyes narrowing.
“I think there’s a major difference here, though,” Justin said, smiling, thinking of his wife and the love affair they’d shared before they had married.
“What?” Clayton asked, reaching for another cracker from the table.
“I was in love with Lorren. My intentions were honorable.”
Clayton put a hand on the sleeve of his brother’s jacket, claiming his full attention. “So are mine. I’m in love with Syneda.”
Justin stared at him, openmouthed. “Impossible. You would never allow yourself to fall in love,” he finally managed to say.
“Then that should say a lot for Syneda’s abilities, shouldn’t it?”
Recovering from the initial shock, Justin eyed his brother thoughtfully, not knowing what else to say. A grin spread across his face. “Care to hang with me for a while?”
“Where’s Lorren?”
“She’s upstairs. She wanted to get the kids tucked in bed before coming down. Well, well, well, take a look at who just walked in.”
It took all Clayton’s strength to tear his gaze from Syneda and Lloyd Jones to the person who had apparently caught Justin’s attention.
“It’s cousin Felicia Laverne. And take a look at her outfit.”
Clayton’s lips lifted in an amused smile. His attractive cousin was dressed in a silk leopard jumpsuit with matching short leopard boots and carrying a leopard clutch bag. Her face lit up in a warm smile when she saw them. She began walking their way.
“Justin, Clayton. It’s good seeing you guys,” she said, giving them both a quick peck on the cheek. She glanced around the room. “Where’s Dex?”
“He’s around here someplace,” Justin answered, scanning her from head to toe. “What’s with this outfit?”
Her eyes darkened. “My man’s been acting like a dog so I’ve decided to begin acting like a cat. I’m on the prowl tonight and would love to purr to any man for attention. So you better warn your rich friends to stay away from me. You know how much I like men with money.”
Justin chuckled. “None of my friends can afford you. After husband number two, maybe you should consider marrying a poor man.”
“Not on your life. I’m sure there’s some man out there with both honey and money.”
Clayton shook his head. He and Felicia were first cousins and had been born in the same year. Their grandmother said the moon must have been out of orbit that year, given his womanizing ways and Felicia’s inability to keep a husband.
“Well, I’ll see you guys later. I understand there are a lot of men here tonight, and I want to check them out.”
“Yeah, see ya,” Clayton said, turning his attention back to Syneda. Sometime during his conversation with Felicia, the dance had come to an end, and Syneda now stood across the room talking to his aunt Delores. He sighed. At least Jones wasn’t hanging around.
Clayton knew there was no way Syneda hadn’t seen him, so why hadn’t she come over and at least said hello? There would have been nothing conspicuous with her doing that. So why was she avoiding him?
Delores Brooks’s happy chattering seemed to recede into the distance as Syneda’s eyes drifted to Clayton. She had known the exact moment he had entered the room. Although the room was crowded, she had known.
Like a soft caress, his mere presence had touched her even while she had danced in the arms of another man. She frowned, getting annoyed with herself. Long ago she had made up her mind that getting deeply involved with a man was a personal complication she didn’t want or need in her life.
But now, in a way she could not define, she was getting deeply involved with Clayton. And he was becoming a complication. She had picked up on that fact weeks ago, right after their trip to New Orleans. But she had convinced herself that he was the one man she could handle. She had believed an intimate relationship with him would not mean losing control over her emotions. After all, all she’d wanted to share with him was passion, and the man certainly was full of that.
But somewhere, somehow, for a little while, she had allowed herself to forget the promises she had made to herself, her goals, and her own personal established agenda. If she wasn’t careful, she would forget the reasons she could never trust love. She had known firsthand the pain of believing that someone loved you and then being disappointed.
She met Clayton’s glance across the room. The look in his eyes was heated, seductive, arousing. Memories of their weekend in Atlanta flowed between them and she read the message in his eyes. He had said nothing, he hadn’t even bothered to move his lips. But then, he didn’t really need to say anything. The message he was sending to her was plain and clear. He wanted her and sometime later tonight, family or no family, he intended to have her.
Shakily, Syneda took a deep breath. Even when she wanted to struggle against the sensual pull he had on her mind and senses, she couldn’t. And she knew that deep down, tonight of all nights, she wouldn’t. She wanted him, too.
Only when Clayton’s aunt touched her arm to regain her attention did she drop her eyes from his. When she looked back in his direction moments later, he was gone.
I need to start mingling more,
Clayton thought, when Justin disappeared after being beeped by one of his patients.
Clayton moved in the direction of the bar that had been set up. Frustrations were beginning to overwhelm him. He wanted to take Syneda and go someplace private, where the two of them could be alone. As usual, she looked good. His eyes had completely surveyed her sleek teal-colored gown. He had long ago accepted the fact that anything Syneda wore, she wore well, including his dress shirt.
Tonight her gown was totally alluring. The silky material fitted fluidly over her body, emphasizing her shapely figure. He not only wanted to hold her in his arms, but wanted to touch those familiar places that only a lover would be allowed to touch.
Glancing around, he noticed his sister and brother-in-law had just arrived. He walked over to them. “Good evening, folks.”
“What’s so good about it?” Traci answered with a pout on her lips.
Clayton met his brother-in-law’s gaze and detected his well-hidden grin. He couldn’t help but like Daniel Green, the man who had taken his sister off his parents’ hands nearly ten years ago. Any man who could handle Letracia Madaris Green’s raving-mad buying sprees definitely rose a notch in his eyes.
Everyone in the family knew that Traci lived to spend money and that the shopping malls were her second home. “Shop till you drop” was her motto in life. Clayton smiled. No doubt Traci’s state of unhappiness had nothing to do with PMS. Daniel must have pulled the plug on her buying power.
“Have Mom and Dad arrived yet?” Traci asked, interrupting Clayton’s thoughts.
Clayton’s smile widened. He wondered why she’d be looking for their parents. She definitely wouldn’t get any pity from them. They were probably still paying for the things she had charged while in college. “Yeah, they’re here someplace.”
Traci walked off. And without having the decency to excuse herself, Clayton thought. “I take it she’s not a happy camper tonight,” he said to Daniel.
Daniel chuckled as he nodded. “That’s putting it mildly. But she’ll get over it.”
“Yeah, but I’d hate to be at your house while she’s in the process of doing so. Should I guess why she’s ticked off?” Clayton asked, leaning against a column post. His arms were folded across his chest as he eyed Daniel with amusement.
“You think it’s funny, don’t you, Clayton?”
“Hell, yeah, I think it’s funny because Justin, Dex and I tried to warn you, but you wouldn’t listen to us.”
Daniel laughed, remembering. “Being in love makes you do foolish things. But you’ll be spared ever finding that out.”
Clayton lifted a brow. “Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re one of those men who’ll never fall in love.”
If only you knew,
Clayton thought.
“You like hit-and-run relationships.”
Not anymore,
Clayton wanted to say.
“And speaking of relationships, Clayton, I may as well warn you that, thanks to Traci, the buzz word is that there may be a special woman in your life.”
That got Clayton’s immediate attention. He began wondering if somehow he had given something away for Traci to pick up on. That couldn’t have been possible since he hadn’t seen her a lot lately. “What gave her that idea?”
“I don’t know, but it sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Everyone knows you don’t believe in getting serious about a woman.”
“What makes Traci think otherwise?”
“I overheard a conversation she was having with Kattie. They’re trying to figure out what’s going on with you, and why you’re going out of town so much. They’re curious about all of your weekend trips—especially since you’re being so secretive. No one knows where you go or who you’re seeing. It’s driving them nuts.”
“Serves them right for trying to get into my business.” He looked thoughtfully at Daniel. “And I guess they have their own ideas of just who the woman is.”
Daniel laughed. “Yep. They figure it’s someone you met while attending that attorneys’ conference some months back.”
“Is that a fact?” Clayton said, slightly annoyed but relieved. He grabbed a glass of wine off a passing waiter’s tray and took a sip. At least his two nosy sisters hadn’t put two and two together and come up with him and Syneda.
“Do me a favor, Daniel.”
“What?”
“Put a muzzle on your wife’s mouth, and I’ll have a talk with Raymond about putting one on Kattie’s.”
Clayton strolled off, hearing his brother-in-law’s laughter follow him. He headed back to the main area of the house, intent on at least saying a few words to the honoree. While making his way to the other side, he noticed a deep silence spread across the room. He glanced toward the door and understood. The actor, Sterling Hamilton, had arrived, and just like the rumor mill had predicted, the very beautiful woman who appeared as his leading lady in a number of his films, Diamond Swain, was with him.
Clayton chuckled. Once again Hamilton and Swain’s appearance together would start tongues wagging. There were already reports circulating around the country that the two of them were secretly married. He knew if that was true, it would cause the heartbreak of quite a few women.
Clayton shook his head. He had enough to deal with regarding the woman in his life. He didn’t have time to speculate about the woman who was supposed to be in Sterling Hamilton’s.