Love, Lies & The D.A. (4 page)

On the
way out, the host looks at me bright-eyed. “No one ever speaks to Mr. Kole that
way, Miss McLean.”

“Well,
it’s time someone taught him some manners,” I reply. I hand her a healthy tip,
and I’m on my way.

*     *     *

Well,
that was unexpected… and humiliating. I definitely wasn’t prepared for that.
Who knew bitches came with such beautiful faces. She must be a lawyer. I’m not
used to being spoken to that way unless I’m in court.

I keep
on replaying what she said about her boyfriend and her best friend in my head.
That must have been rough. After some thought, I empathize with her. Sure, some
of the things she said and the way she spoke to me pissed me off, but she had
so much hurt in her eyes. Her beautiful hazel eyes were a total contradiction
to her outwardly confident demeanor.

Who
would be stupid enough to hurt such a beautiful woman that way? Then again,
that attitude of hers would probably drive any man insane.

I
wonder if she’s from around here… She’s probably on vacation. Maybe I’ll get to
see her again.

*     *     *

I sit
in my car figuring out what I will do with the rest of the day. I elect to take
a drive through the area then head home. Besides, I have to finish that movie I
barely made it through last night.

I
start the ignition, and after checking for traffic, I ease out of the parking
spot. Before I know it, two Corvettes speed around the corner as if they were
on a racetrack. One, the red one, loses all control and heads straight for me.
If I don’t move, I’ll probably be dead.

I try
to ease quickly back into my previous parking space, but in my haste, I scrape
the bumper of the black Bentley Continental parked next to me. The Corvette
ends up halfway through the fence.

I
quickly get out of the car to check on the driver. He’s young, probably sixteen
or seventeen. He’s conscious but has a nasty cut on his head; blood trails down
his temple. The driver from the yellow Corvette runs over. Then I realize they’re
brothers—twins.

“Are
you okay?” I ask the injured boy.

“I’m
fine. I’m sorry… I lost control.”

I call
9-1-1.

“Brad.
You okay?” the twin comes and asks.

“Yeah.
I’ll be fine.”

After
we introduce ourselves, I tell the boys to call their parents.

In my
presence, Brent, the uninjured twin, calls who I suspect is his father. I’m standing
at least six feet away, and still, I can hear the entire conversation. The
phone is
not
on speaker. These boys are going to be in some serious
trouble.

Hotel
security comes running out to aid Brad, helping him out of the car.

“I’ll
get a first aid kit from the concierge,” I say to them, and then I’m on my way.

The
woman at the desk hands me the kit.

 “Do
you know who drives a black Bentley Continental here?” I ask.

“Oh,
that would be Mr. Jonathan Kole. His father is an owner here.”

Of
course he is.

“Can
you please do me a big favor and let him know that his car has been damaged in
a minor accident in the parking lot?”

“He’s
not going to be happy about that,” she replies.

I
hunch my shoulders and return to the injured boy.

Soon
after, Jonathan Kole comes roaring towards the scene of the accident.

“What
the hell happened here?” he shouts.

When
he sees me, he behaves as if I’m the one responsible for the accident. He’s
staring at me as if he wants to eat me alive.

Brent
tries to explain, but
Mr. Asshole
won’t listen.

“Look.
Can’t you see this boy is injured?” I exclaim. “Aren’t you going to ask him if
he’s okay? All you seem to be concerned about is your bloody car.”

For
the second time that day, everyone stills, then looks at me as if I’m crazy.

Before
he has time to respond, an older grey-haired man driving a Rolls Royce pulls
up.

“Boys,
you all okay?” he asks, stepping out of the vehicle.

They
both nod their heads.

“You must
be Jada McLean? I’m David Carlton. I’m so sorry about this.” He shakes my hand.

“It’s
fine. No one is seriously injured.”

“If I
were in your shoes, I wouldn’t be so understanding. They will be paying for
this, I guarantee you. Where’s the damage?” Mr. Carlton asks.

I step
aside and point to the damage on my front bumper and
Mr. Asshole’s
back
bumper.

Jonathan
gasps. “You drive an Aston Martin DB9?”

“What
difference does it make?” I hiss, looking up at him. He towers at least a foot
above me despite the fact I am sporting some killer heels.

The
boys’ father looks at me,
him
, then me again. “Look you two. I don’t
know what’s going on between you all, but I’m responsible for the damage. Kole,
I’m sorry about this. You remember how
you
were at that age?”

“Exactly
how
was
he?” I ask, glaring at him, my arms folded.

The
elder man laughs then responds, “Let’s not go there.” Pulling a card case from
his pocket, he hands me a business card and his insurance card. “Let me know
what the damages are.”

“Thank
you,” I reply. After handing him my card and insurance info, I save his number
in my phone.

He
glances at my card then smiles. “I love your hotels. You should have some on
the East Coast.”

“Funny
you should say that. I was thinking that yesterday.”

Soon
after, the police and paramedics arrive. Once the scene disperses, I get into
my car, roll down the windows, and, carefully, I back out of the spot.

“Ms. McLean,
thanks so much for being so cool about this,” Brad says.

“Don’t
let it happen again,” I say. “The next person might not be so nice about it.”

“You’re
right,” Brent replies, still somewhat flushed.

“Mr.
Carlton. I’ll be in touch.” I smile at him. “Jonathan.” I wiggle my fingers and
off I go. As I look in the rear view mirror, I can see
him
watching the
car drive away.

Good
riddance, asshole!

*     *     *

That
was the second time in the same day that woman made me feel like a complete
ass. I don’t know what to make of her, or her attitude, but something about it
completely turns me on. I wonder if she is as feisty in bed. I could think of a
lot I’d like to do with those hot, trimmed legs.

Jonathan.
Get your mind out of the gutter.

I’m
almost certain she can’t stand me. Then again, right now she probably can’t
stand anything that walks on two legs with a dick in between.

That
prick probably fucked with her mind so badly that the rest of us will never
stand a chance. Maybe that attitude is a way to protect herself, to ward off
men who she automatically sees as assholes. Men exactly like me. Either way, at
least I know her name—Jada McLean. And who could forget that face. For now,
that is enough for me to work with…

*     *     *

That
was enough drama for one day. I head home, eager to put the incident behind me.

As I
enter the house, my phone vibrates. I’ve been ignoring it for days, but I glance
at the screen. It’s my older brother.

“Bobby.
Hey.”

“Hi,
Sis. I got the email from your secretary. Mom told me what happened.”

“C’est
la vie.”

“I’m
really sorry. You want me to come over there and beat him up?”

“No,”
I chuckle. “I’m trying really hard not to spend one more moment of my time
thinking about either of them.”

“Are
you sure Koto did this? It doesn’t seem like her.”

“I
caught them red-handed, Bobby. He was fucking her on my desk. She was wearing
red platform heels and lingerie to match.”

“Sounds
hot.”

“Not
funny, Bobby. You have no idea how hard it’s been to get that image out of my
head.”

“I’m
sorry. Mom didn’t tell me you walked in on them.”

“No
worries. Let’s talk about something else. Still being a man-whore in Miami?”

“Well,
I was going to surprise you this weekend, but since the wedding is off, I guess
I should tell you…”

“What?
Don’t keep me in suspense.”

“I
think my man-whore days are over. I’ve been seeing this gorgeous woman I’m
absolutely crazy about.”

“Details…”

“Her
name’s Valencia Suarez.”

“Wow,
sounds hot!”

“Like
a chili pepper.”

“You in
love?” I feel him blushing at the end of the line. “Oh my God! My brother’s in
love,” I scream.

“That
I am, Sis… I was really looking forward to introducing you two. I think you’d
like her.”

“What
does she do?”

“She’s
a pediatrician.”

“Wow.
Hot and smart.”

“I hit
a home run with her. I can’t believe the way I feel about her. Now I understand
what you—”

He cuts
himself short, realizing he was about to say something about Richard.

“Don’t
worry about it. I’m really happy for you, Bobby. You deserve this.”

“So do
you. Don’t let what that jerk did change you. You’ve always loved so deeply.”

“Maybe
too deeply… maybe that’s why I didn’t see any of this coming.”

“Don’t
talk that way. Look at it this way, better to find out now rather than ten
years from now.”

“You’re
right about that. Thank you for calling me. I’ve genuinely smiled for the first
time in a long time since you called.”

“Great.
Thank you for answering my call… after the fifth try.”

“I’m
sorry. I needed some time alone.”

“No
worries. I love you. Call me if you change your mind about beating him up.”

“I
will. I love you back.”

I’m so
happy for him. I am about to put my phone down when it vibrates again. I look
at the screen. It’s David Carlton.

I
wonder what he forgot.

“Mr.
Carlton.”

“Ms.
McLean.”

“Please
call me Jada. What can I do for you?”

“And
you call me David. After my wife found out what happened, she scolded me for
not inviting you over for dinner.”

“That’s
really not necessary. Tell her she can save herself the trouble.”

“It’s
no trouble. We had a small dinner party planned for tonight anyway. We have
some friends from Peru visiting. It would be our pleasure to have you as our
guest.”

I
suppose taking him up on his invitation is better than moping around alone and
thinking about my woes.

“Okay,
since you put it that way, I’ll be happy to.”

I
search for a pen in my purse, pull out my notepad, jot down his address, end
the call, and head right back out the house.

I
should bring a bottle of wine or flowers or something. I return an hour later
with all of the above. My mother always taught me it was good manners to bring
something when invited to a dinner party. Better too much than not enough.

I step
into
the shower. I have no clue what I will wear. I did not pay too much attention
when I packed. Truthfully, I did not ever think I would be going to a dinner
party while in Lake Tahoe. David Carlton seems to know who I am. I suppose that
means he knows about the whole wedding debacle. I have avoided the news like a
plague. The last thing I need is to listen to all the gossip.

Ten
minutes later, I search for something to wear.

Herve
Leger – too sexy.

Roberto
Cavalli – too colorful.

Gucci
– too short.

Finally,
I settle on a little Vicky Secret number. A coral short blouson dress—elegant
but sexy. Perfect. My Giuseppe Zanotti suede ankle cutout boots will go perfect
with it. I put my hair into a sleek ponytail to the back of my head. Then a
touch of makeup and I am ready to go.

I
input the address into the GPS, and I realize the house is down the street. A
few doors down. Perhaps I should take a cool walk instead. I take a quick two-minute
walk down the road. What my GPS neglected to tell me, however, is that there is
a very long driveway to the house. Anyway, my shoes are comfortable, and it’s a
full moon tonight, so I appreciate the view and head in.

Finally,
I arrive. It’s a beautiful log house, as most are in the area. However,
something about the gables and the architecture makes this one special. Before
I even have a chance to knock, Brad opens the door.

“Hello,
Ms. McLean. I was heading up the stairs and saw your reflection through the
door.”

“Please
call me Jada. How’s that cut on your head?”

“It’s
fine. I needed five stitches, though.”

“Well,
take that scar as a learning lesson.”

He
laughs, turning a little red. “Let me walk you in.”

I
follow him into an enormous great room with tall, vaulted, pine wood ceilings.
The views out the glass windows are very similar to mine.

“Jada,”
David says with excitement. “Thank you so much for coming. Meet my wife,
Katharine.”

“Everyone
calls me Kat,” she replies politely, shaking my hand then kissing me on my
cheek.

“I
brought some wine, and this is also for you,” I say, handing her the orchid
plant.

“You
didn’t have to do that. You did enough for my boys today. That said, the orchid
is stunning.”

“I’m
glad you like it.”

“Now,
I’d like you to meet our friends, Rodolfo and Maria. They’re visiting from
Peru,” David says.

“Hi.
It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” I shake their hands.

Kat
says, “I think it’s a lovely night to eat out on the terrace by the fire.”

“It
is. I enjoyed the walk here.”

“You
walked?” David asks. “You didn’t discover other damages on your car, did you?”