Authors: Elle Saint James
If her father approved of Dell and Zachary, separately or together, she might be able to mend her relationship with him. She was still surprised he agreed to meet Dell as a potential matrimonial candidate. As long as he no longer wanted her to marry Arthur, she’d give him a chance to make amends. Dell most likely didn’t want to take over her father’s family business, but even the idea of a small amount of peace and harmony in her discordant relationship with her father was heartening.
She pulled into her driveway and entered her home with the knowledge she had a place to belong, a place that was all hers. Her father could rant and rave all he wanted about her lifestyle, or lack of husband and children, or his petulance that she didn’t want to marry the man he’d selected for her. In the end, and as of today, she had a permanent home, and for the first time in a long time she pushed out a mental sigh of relief. Any and all of her part-time jobs would help her support herself here.
Tessa opened the side door, deposited her keys and purse on the bar in the kitchen, and headed toward her bedroom. She needed a shower before dinner tonight, especially after her carnal public activities in the parking garage. Pulling a small overnight case from her bedroom closet, she threw in a few things for the coming weekend with her men. It was great that Zachary did her laundry for her, but better to have a few changes of clothing on hand for the coming stay.
She hoped she could keep a straight face during dinner. A smidgeon of doubt at the coming evening slid into her mind. While she wanted her father to meet her men, she wondered if her sudden apprehension over tonight’s dinner was a foreboding message to call it off.
Tessa would much rather spend the evening in decadent splendor at Dell and Zachary’s hotel room, but ultimately that was the plan for later, anyway. Tessa gritted her teeth and said a little prayer that dinner would go well. All she wanted was a pleasant evening with her father. They hadn’t had one in quite a while.
The phone rang only a few minutes after she’d arrived home. It was her father announcing that this evening’s plans had been changed to include a limo ride. He wanted to know what hotel Dell and Zachary were staying at. He told her he’d pick her up at home, but Tessa told him he would find her at the hotel. She certainly didn’t want him to see her overnight bag and announce her plans to spend the weekend at their suite.
A few hours later, the knock at her front door startled Tessa as she packed the last article of clothing into her overnight bag. It was a flimsy nightgown she’d received as a gag gift years before at a coffeehouse Christmas party, but perhaps Dell and Zachary would enjoy seeing her in it briefly before they ripped it off and made mad, passionate love to her.
Tessa dropped the nightgown on her bed. She glanced at the wall clock. They were very early. The second knock became more of a fist pounding on the door frame. Tessa didn’t think it was Dell or Zachary. She was supposed to meet them at their hotel before dinner.
She slowed her steps and looked out the peephole before opening the door.
Arthur?
What was he doing here?
Tessa opened the door, wondering if she was about to have an argument. She wasn’t much in the mood for one. Her hope was that Arthur wouldn’t be at dinner tonight. Either way she’d have to deal with him now.
“Hello, Tessa. May I come in?” He stepped forward as if to breach her guarded threshold, but she didn’t move aside to allow his entrance.
“No. I’m busy. What do you want?”
The sudden, slightly hurt puzzlement on his face must have been rehearsed, but she didn’t buy it. Arthur could be charming until he showed his true colors. He was nothing but a grasping, desperate social climber.
“I just wanted to talk to you.”
“About what?” She crossed her arms and didn’t budge to let him inside.
“About us, Tessa.”
She released a long sigh. “There is no us—”
“Don’t say that, baby. I know you’re confused about things, and maybe sowing some wild oats is what you need right now, but I believe that we belong together. Your father wants us to get married, and I wanted you to know I’m willing to wait for you.”
Without a conscious thought, Tessa’s hands fisted. The bite of her fingernails registered in her palm before she could think of a coherent thing to say.
“I’m not your baby. Don’t ever call me that again. Let me disabuse you of any further plans. We will never marry. If you want into this family so badly, why don’t you marry my father instead?”
“But we’re meant for each other.” His brow furrowed in concern, but she knew he was faking it. “I care for you very deeply, Tessa. How can you say you don’t care for me? I promise you that we’ll make a great relationship work between us.”
“You don’t care one iota for me, and we both know it. You simply want to inherit my father’s lucrative business enterprise and run it as your own.”
He looked over one shoulder as a car passed by on the street. “Please let me in, Tessa. Or do you want your neighbors to hear us?”
She pushed out another deep cleansing breath and let him step just inside her small foyer. But she kept the door wide open and him right next to it. The screen door was the only barrier to outside. Her body was the only barrier to his coming farther into her house.
Arthur grabbed her shoulders. “I came to make a case for us. For our future.”
“You’re wasting your time. I have no interest in you or any future with you.”
His eyes narrowed. Tessa sensed she was about to get the true version of his disturbed personality. “So did
you
want to run your father’s company?”
Tessa’s eyes widened in surprise. She wasn’t expecting that question. “No. I want to finish school and work with animals. They don’t stab each other in the back with the frequency humans do.”
Arthur released her arms and laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“Your foolish notions of what your life will be like. This whole farce about wanting to help defenseless animals is touching but unrealistic. As you well know, your father wants you to be a society wife eventually. Someone who runs in the local charity circuit and rubs elbow with the city’s elite citizenry.”
“I don’t care what he wants.”
“Don’t you?” His smile became snake-like and sinister. “Tell you what. If you agree to marry me without any further fuss, I’ll ensure you can support a slew of animal charities. That should make you happy.” His self-satisfied smile, as if he’d just solved all the serious problems in her life, was laughable.
Tessa figured he was one step away from crazy if he thought she would ever agree to his stupid demands. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Listen carefully. I’m not interested in any kind of life that involves you.” She put a hand on the edge of the door and pushed it against his shoulder to punctuate her attitude.
Arthur slammed his open palm on the surface and pushed his way past her. “Don’t be so hasty to dismiss me, Tessa. We can help each other.” He scanned the living room off the foyer with an expression that said he found her abode lacking.
“Get out, Arthur. I don’t want your help with anything. Nor do I need it.”
“Don’t be so sure.” He turned to face her with his fake charming smile fully in place. “I have information that concerns you and this house.”
“What are you talking about?” Her patience had run out. She wanted him gone. She still had to get ready for dinner.
“Marry me. Make your father happy, and once the business is mine, I’ll split the profits with you, and we can go our separate ways. Win-win.”
“Screw you.” She shoved the front door as wide as it would go and gestured for him to leave. “Get out of my house.”
He moved so fast she didn’t have time to react. One minute she was standing next to the door and the next minute Arthur had pushed her up against the wall adjacent to the door. A picture dislodged from its hook, fell beside her, and shattered on the floor next to her feet.
“You will marry me, you spoiled little bitch, or I’ll make sure this house is leveled. You can watch the broken timbers burn right before I piss on the ashes.”
“Wow. How can I resist such a charming offer?”
He shoved his body against hers and she closed her eyes. “Hear me well, Tessa. Get on board and tell your father you’ve reconsidered marrying me or you’ll lose your precious house.” The snarl accompanying his threat was ominous but got cut off almost as soon as she heard it.
The sound of the screen door opening startled her but not as much as when Arthur was suddenly moved off of her body.
Chapter Ten
“What the fuck?” Arthur screeched from a few feet away.
Tessa opened her eyes in time to see Dell land a forceful punch to his jaw. Arthur crumbled to the floor like a cracked-to-the-core statue in an earthquake.
Dell stepped away from a writhing, cursing Arthur, put a hand on her shoulder, and asked, “Are you okay, honey?”
So surprised to see him, she was unable to speak, but nodded.
He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Are you sure?”
Behind him, Arthur lifted himself off the floor. “I’ll have you arrested for that, you countrified mongrel.”
Dell turned and kept her protected behind him. “Go ahead and try. I’ll say I was defending Tessa against a self-important ass-wipe who was getting violent.”
“Think about my offer, Tessa, or kiss this house good-bye.”
“Get out or I’ll call the cops.”
Arthur straightened his jacket and stalked outside her house. He slammed the screen door on his way out. Bastard.
For as glad as she was to see Dell, a glimmer of unease swept through her. What was Arthur talking about with regard to her house? Was it truly in jeopardy?
She dismissed his foolish accusations and focused on Dell’s positively toe-curling smile.
* * * *
Dell brushed an errant strand of hair off her forehead and coaxed a smile from her. His heart had shot to his mid-section when he’d heard the sound of glass breaking. Pulling that animal off of her and punching him should have made him feel better, but it didn’t.
“Sure you’re okay, honey?”
“Yes. I can’t believe you’re here. How did you find me?”
“Zachary, as your new attorney, was faxed a copy of today’s proceedings and the address of the house was included. I hope you don’t mind that I just showed up.”
“Not at all. You have great timing. But I already knew that.” She sent her gaze to the front door and moved to close it. “Would you like a grand tour?”
“Absolutely.”
“Want to start in my bedroom?”
He grinned because that was the first room he pictured. He wanted to see if it looked like what he imagined. He also wanted to hug her and love her until thoughts of Arthur and his idiocy were gone from her mind.
“Only if you want to. I came because I missed you. And I knew you weren’t looking forward to today’s meeting.”
A look of surprise crossed her lovely face, and a tear slid down one cheek. Damn.
He didn’t show up to make her cry. “I’m sorry.”
“No. I’m fine. Thank you.” She wiped the moisture from her face. “I adore my house, and now it’s finally and officially all mine. Gamma always wanted me to have a place of my own, but I miss her. She was my greatest champion in wars with my father. She hated when my father tried to buy me or lure me with money.”
Dell slid an arm around her shoulder. “What was Arthur here for, anyway?”
“The usual, ‘marry me so I can rightfully claim your father’s wealth as my own or I’ll yell empty threats at you’ crap that he always says.” She leaned into his half embrace.
Dell put a finger to her chin and tipped her face up to stare into his eyes. “Tell the truth, has he pushed you around before?”
“No.” Her quick smile soothed his worry. “But he must be getting desperate to get so physical. Or perhaps he finally has understood that I’m not interested in a future with him.”
She sighed and stared at the floor. What was she thinking now? Did she ponder a future with anyone?
“Please tell me it’s because you’re intrigued by me and Zachary.”
Another soft smile replaced the concern in her expression. “Actually, I
have
been thinking quite a bit about a future with you and Zachary and what it would be like.”
“And what exactly have you been thinking?” Dell pulled her close and kissed her forehead. There was nowhere else he wanted to be except in her arms.
I love you so much, Tessa.
He couldn’t wait for the right time to share his feelings.
“Lots of things.” She grabbed his hand exuberantly. “I’ll tell you later, but first, let me show you the house.”
Tessa led him through her home, pointing out the growth chart on the inside of the closet door with each year dutifully recorded, the back porch with the comfortable-looking chairs, and the kitchen where she told him she’d spent so many wonderful meals. Eventually, she led him to her bedroom.