I Heard A Rumor (17 page)

Zach closed his eyes as the plane took off, silently replaying the last few minutes with Chante.

 

 

“
Hello, beautiful,” he said.

“
Umm, what time is it?”

“
A little after four. I was going to let you sleep, but I couldn't resist kissing you.”

“
So little self-control,” she quipped.

“
I guess real life is right around the corner.”

She nodded and eased closer to him.
“
Will you call me when you get settled in New York?”

“
Of course. You're going to have to give me your number, though. I'm sure calling the hotel isn't going to help me.” Zach winked at her, then reached for his phone.

Chante rattled off her cell-phone number, and he saved it in his address book.
“
Do you promise to FaceTime me in the nude?” he asked as he returned the phone to the nightstand.

“
Maybe,” she replied, “but only if you do the same. Remind me what I'm missing.”

He took her hand and placed it on his growing erection.
“
Are you talking about this?”

“
Among other things,” she said as she stroked his cheek with her other hand. Zach brought his lips down on top of Chante's with a quick motion, but his kiss was slow and deliberate. She shifted in his arms, her wetness topping his hardness. It was a total struggle for Zach not to dive in. But they'd been reckless too many times, and he needed to protect her.

“
What's with that look?” she asked, then licked his bottom lip.

“
You're beautiful. And you already know I like staring at you.” Zach quickly slipped the condom on his erection and pulled Chante on top of him. “Ride me, baby.”

“
Zach, oh, Zach,” she cried out as he thrust deeper and deeper into her. She tightened her thighs around him, and Zach felt an explosion building in his belly. He wanted to hold back and watch Chante give in to pleasure. He loved the way she smiled as she came and licked her full lips when a second orgasm hit her.

“
My God, woman, that was amazing,” Zach said, then kissed her on the cheek.

“
You're amazing,” she replied. “But if we don't get out of this bed, you're going to miss your flight.”

“
That might not be such a bad thing if I get to spend the rest of the day just like this,” he said as he stroked her bottom . . .

 

 

“Sir,” the flight attendant said as she tapped him on his shoulder. “You need to fasten your seat belt.”

Zach nodded and followed her instructions. As much as he wanted to get lost in sweet memories of Chante, he had to get his mind together to face Natalie, the FBI, and Zoe's anger.

“Vacation is about to be over,” he muttered as he glanced out the window and watched the clouds.

Chante didn't bother going into the lobby when she was ready to head back to Charlotte. She just took the elevator to the guest parking lot, where her Jag was parked.

She was going to her mother's house first, because she wasn't going to avoid her anymore. After loading her things into her car, Chante headed for Summerville, and she was happy to see that the media trucks were gone from the parking lot as she passed by. Either there was some other scandal going on or the reporters were just following up on the video of her fight with Robert. Chante knew it was wishful thinking to believe that it hadn't hit the Internet. But since she had turned her phone off and hadn't taken a glimpse at the morning news, she had no idea.

She was headed to Summerville to let her parents know that she was going back to Charlotte, and to see how much of the media coverage they'd seen. Part of her wanted to avoid her mother at all costs, but the main reason she wanted to see Allison this morning was to tell her mother that she was tired—of trying to prove herself to her mother and of failing to meet the sky-high standards that Allison set for her. And she was tired of turning herself inside out for approval she wasn't going to get.

It was going to end today.

When she pulled into her parents' driveway, Chante didn't feel as if she was seeking her mother's approval for a change. She was here to begin the journey to taking her life back. Finding her mother on the porch with a cup of coffee and a copy of
The Post and Courier,
she almost smiled. When she was a little girl, she and Allison would spend Saturday mornings reading the paper and talking about what was important in life, and how Allison hoped that Chante would come back to Charleston after she graduated from college, get married, and have a big family.

Chante shook off the memories and crossed over to her mother. “Good morning, Mom,” she said.

Allison dropped the paper and glared at her daughter. “I was hoping you'd leave without bringing more embarrassment to us.”

“Really? And just how did I embarrass you, Mom?” Chante asked, slapping her hand on her hips.

Allison rose to her feet and shook her head. “Don't you come here and act as if you've been honest with us about the people in your life. A man who's linked to a sex ring in New York, and then you have a ghetto-fabulous argument with your ex-fiancé for the world to see. Chante, who are you, and where did all of this come from?”

“I didn't know who I was, Mom. I thought I had to be someone's wife for you to acknowledge the things I'd accomplished. Do you realize that you've never looked at me and said you were proud of me? I graduated at the top of my class as an undergrad and from law school. But that wasn't enough for you.”

“No!” Allison shouted. “You're not going to blame this on me!”

“You're right, I'm not blaming anything on you. I'm not going to ask you why it wasn't enough for me to be smart. I'm not going to ask you why you thought that what I did with my life wasn't enough because I didn't have someone else's last name added to mine. I wonder if you think I should've stayed with Robert even though he paid a woman for sex?”

Allison laughed and took a step back from Chante. “You are so silly. Don't you think I wished I could've impressed my mother? I'm not as smart as you think you are, but I know better than to air my dirty laundry in the media. How do you think your father and I are going to face our friends when this footage of our daughter is played on TV and the Internet?”

“Yes, Mom, how will you show your face? Through everything that I've faced over this past year, your concern has been about everything but me.”

“What are you talking about?” Allison asked incredulously.

“Seriously?” Chante asked. “You're going to ask me that? All that I've ever done has been to prove to you that I was enough. From graduating at the top of my class to getting a position with one of the top law firms in Charlotte, I wanted you to see that I was enough, and you never did. So I did what I thought would've finally proved to you that I was good enough. I accepted a ring from a man I knew didn't love me. How did that work out?”

“Don't you dare blame me for that!” Allison bellowed.

“Oh no?” Chante retorted. “You couldn't accept my achievements as an attorney because I wasn't married, so the first ring I got, I took. I thought that ring would make my mother happy. I thought bringing a husband home would finally make you proud of me, and it blew up in my face.”

“Shut up. Don't sit here and pretend I'm the reason you've done this.” Allison tossed the newspaper at Chante. “You made this bed, now lie in it, alone.”

“I'm fine with that,” Chante replied. “And for the record, he was never my fiancé. If that makes you feel better about showing your face at your bridge club, tell them your horrible daughter played a joke on you.”

Allison narrowed her eyes at Chante. “Why are you so against tradition?”

“Maybe it's time to start a new tradition, or maybe I'm more like my grandmother than you want to believe.”

“Chante, I just wanted the best for you, and a southern woman needs a good husband.”

“I'm going to prove you wrong, Mom. You and Dad are a great couple, but I'm done trying to prove that I'm good enough when I know that I'm better. If you want to spin some yarn to your friends about what an embarrassment I am to the Britt name, feel free. But I am so done worrying about what you think and figuring out how I can meet your approval. Have a good day.” Chante walked off the porch, ignoring her mother's cries. She was going to be her own woman, and the world had better get ready for it.

 

 

“We're now descending into JFK International Airport,” the pilot said. His voice awakened Zach, and he wiped his mouth. Now that he was about to be in New York, he had to get his mind focused on the task at hand, letting everyone know that he and Natalie had no ties.

Of course, he had to calm his twin down as well. Zoe was mad as hell, and she had every right to be. After getting arrested, everything she'd built during her career was in jeopardy. And as much as he didn't want to think about it, it was Zach's fault. Had he listened to Zoe, this might not be happening. She'd wanted to do a background check on Natalie, but he'd been in love and wanted a wedding. He'd told his sister to back off, and now the aftermath was too much to bear.

“Damn it,” he muttered as he walked to the baggage claim. Despite all he'd done to insulate the company from the negative press, his family was still suffering. Zach felt as if he had failed his family by not being in New York. What if he had stayed instead of going to South Carolina?

“You would've never met Chante,” he muttered as he picked up his baggage. Pulling his smartphone out of his pocket, Zach called his driver to make sure he was going to pick him up. He hoped there wasn't a team of cameras and reporters waiting for him as well. It was too damned early to deal with this drama, to answer questions that should've been put to rest months ago.

If only he could get his hands on Natalie. She could've just let their marriage go and moved on with her miserable life, but she wanted to bring him down to her level. Get him dirty because she was a criminal. He was angry and embarrassed that he'd allowed himself to fall for her. Now his sister and his family name were being dragged through the mud because he'd married the wrong damned woman.

“Mr. Harrington,” his driver said when he answered the phone, “I'm about five minutes out from the airport.”

“Great,” Zach mumbled, “I'll be outside in a few minutes.”

“Sorry that I'm late, sir. Traffic is . . .”

“Hey, it happens. Just hurry,” Zach said as he made his way out of the airport. It must have been his lucky day because there wasn't a photographer in sight. Just as he was about to put his phone away, it rang. When he saw the name on the screen, he smiled.

“Hello, beautiful,” he said.

“Are you in New York?” Chante asked.

“Yes. I'm standing outside of the terminal at JFK, waiting for my driver.”

“No Mustang rental?” Her laughter made him remember her kisses and the sweetness of the area between her thighs.

“Not this time. Besides, you're not here to speed around in it. Wouldn't be the same without you.”

“Sweet talker,” she quipped. “I don't think I'd want to drive in New York. Charlotte is bad enough.”