Southern Seduction (125 page)

I glance as myself one last time in the mirror. The dress I chose is more daring than any I’ve ever worn. If it weren’t for Cori, I never would’ve gotten up the courage to wear it. It’s a strapless floor-length gown. It’s black lace with flower petal designs woven through the material. The lace is see-through, and a nude underlay makes it look as if my skin is showing, even though I’m fully covered. Well, mostly. The dress hugs my breasts, and the pushup bra makes them look full and firm. I’m thankful Bryan’s been making me go running in the morning, because my ass looks fabulous in the skin-tight material.

“Cheyenne, you look amazing. Now come on. The guys are getting impatient,” Cori says, breaking my concentration just as the doorbell rings again.

We leave my room, and I’m transferring anything important from my everyday purse to my clutch while she goes to open the door. I look up just in time to see Bryan’s eyes widen when he takes in the sight of her. “You look stunning, Corinna.” I can just barely hear the whisper. I watch as she blushes and just shake my head. Those two.

Sawyer walks in behind Bryan and my heart flutters. He’s in black tuxedo that fits him perfectly. His eyes meet mine, and the grin fades as he checks me out. A dark look of desire crosses his face, and he’s in front of me in seconds, pulling me into his arms.

“Cheyenne. There are no words for how beautiful you look,” he growls as he bends down to give me a kiss.

My arms run up his chest, and I can feel the rippling muscles beneath my fingertips. Part of me wishes we could forgo the entire event so I can finally get him naked, but I know he has to put in face time. I just hope we can sneak out early and finally get this show on the road. Or well, in the bed.

“Thanks, Sawyer. You’re looking extremely gorgeous tonight. I have to say, I always loved you in dirty jeans, a cut-off t-shirt, a baseball hat, and your work boots, but I’m loving this look, too.”

He leans down, bringing his lips to my ear. “I hope you realized that when you put that dress on, all thoughts of taking this slow went out the window. I’m going to be hard all night long just from the sight of you,” he whispers, his breath on my ear causing me to shiver.

I turn, causing my lips to collide with his. He wraps his hands around my waist and pulls me into him, not breaking contact with my mouth. His tongue slips between my lips and he finds mine, caressing it softly. I return his kiss with a fiery passion, and if we were alone, I’d be half tempted to go for a quickie right here. Heat pools between my legs and I have to pull away, breathless and shaky from the promise that was hidden in that kiss.

“Slow’s over, city boy. Tonight, I have a treat for you, and you’ll only find it once you unzip this dress,” I tell him, winking and then laughing when he groans. He adjusts himself, and I lick my lips in anticipation.

He grabs my hand and leads me to the door, barking at Cori and Bryan. “Limo’s leaving now. If I don’t get her out of here, I’m not going anywhere.”

Cori’s eyes gleam wickedly and she shoots me a thumbs up. Bryan simply rolls his eyes and locks up the condo behind us when we all walk out. We all have a glass of champagne in the car, and I’m thankful for it. The closer we get to the downtown hotel where the event is being held, the more nervous I get. After tonight, people will know about Sawyer and me. I’m not sure that I’m quite ready for it, but I guess I better be. He must sense my apprehension. His hand settles on my shaking thigh, stilling my movement.

“Calm down. It’s only a few hours and then I’m taking you home, peeling off that dress, then fucking your brains out,” he whispers so only I can hear him. I’m taken aback at his forwardness and I find that I like this side of him. He was always sweet and gentle. It’s exciting to think about him taking control in the bedroom, and I can’t wait to get him alone and see what he’s like now that he’s older, more experienced.

Grinning up at him, I place my hands on top of his. “I don’t know, city boy. I was raised in the country, and I like to ride. It might be me fucking your brains out.” I don’t know what it is, but I feel a sexy confidence from speaking to him this way and it’s thrilling.

“Oh, don’t worry, baby. Being inside you once won’t be enough. We have all night to try any positions you want,” he promises, and I have to clench my thighs together, wishing we were alone so he could slip a finger or two in for relief.

A throat clears, and we both look across the limo. Bryan’s face is red and Cori is beaming like a kid in a candy story as she looks at us and then at her phone. “Oh, this is perfect timing. I just wrote a post about sexual positions for new lovers. You have to read it! Then you can report back and let me know how you like my advice.”

I can feel my cheeks flame red. “Umm, what?” I ask, my voice an octave or two higher than normal.

“Oh, well, whispering isn’t really an effective form of secretive communication when in an enclosed space like this.”

I furrow my eyebrows at her.

Sawyer laughs and grabs my hand. “What she’s saying, Cheyenne, is that they heard every word we just said, and now know what we’ll be doing tonight.”

My hand comes up to smack my forehead. “Oh, god.”

“Hey, save that for the bedroom,” Cori advises me.

I’m about to throw my shoe at her when, fortunately, the limo pulls up to the hotel and stops. When we exit the car, Cori shoves something in my hand. I look down and see a condom. When I bring my gaze back to her, I find her grinning at me.

“Just to be safe,” she sing-songs.

In the end, I can do nothing but shake my head and smile, anticipating rolling the condom onto him right before he slides into me. With a wink, I slip it into his tuxedo pocket, and he grins wickedly at me. He grabs my hand, intertwining our fingers.

I look up at him and give him a smile. “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

When we walked into the ballroom, I don’t know what I was expecting, but barely anyone paid any mind to the fact that Sawyer and I were together. I guess I was thinking that the room would gasp collectively, point fingers and pitchforks, and demand my job on a platter. Instead, we were greeted by various coworkers who didn’t bat a single eye at our joined hands.

It’s been an incredibly fun evening of dinner and dancing, and I’ve lost Sawyer in the crowd more than once. There must be at least six hundred people here. I know he has to put his schmoozing face on, so I spend most of my time with Cori, Bryan, and Marnie and her husband, Joe. Cori coaxes Bryan into dancing again and I watch as they join the other couples on the dance floor.

“I’m so happy you and Sawyer are together,” Marnie tells me.

I smile at her sheepishly. “Is it weird? It feels weird, but at the same time, it seems like no one cares.”

“Oh, honey, people have been betting on you two for weeks. Everyone can see the chemistry between you. We all knew it was just a matter of time.” Her answer is a surprise. I thought we’d been doing a good job hiding it. Apparently not.

I simply shrug. “Well, the cat’s out of the bag now. Speaking of, I’m going to go see if I can find him. He owes me a dance.”

Marnie wishes me luck. I walk around the ballroom, trying to find him, but I have no luck. Finally, after almost giving up, I spot him in the corner talking to someone. As I get closer, it finally registers who he’s with. My heart stops the same time that my feet do.
Oh no.

I whip around before he can see me and rush out of the ballroom, hoping to God that I’m wrong. That Sawyer wasn’t just talking to Thomas Callahan. His dad. Which can only mean one thing.

I make my way outside to get some fresh air. I’m trying to calm down, telling myself that I was seeing things when I hear a voice from the past behind me and my blood runs cold. I turn around to face her and I slowly back away, not ready for this.

“Cheyenne, sweetie. Is that any way to greet your mother?”

“What are you doing here?” I ask her, even though I know it’s a stupid question. I’ve been in Atlanta for four months and have still avoided seeing her. I’m caught off guard, staring at the woman in front of me, a woman I barely recognize. She’s still beautiful, even though I can tell she’s had some work done.

She gives a haughty laugh as she takes a drag of her cigarette. “My husband owns half the company. Of course we’d be here. We simply arrived a little late. Imagine my surprise when I walked in and saw my long-lost daughter dancing in the arms of her stepbrother. Don’t tell me you came back to Georgia to be with him, Cheyenne. You know that’s unacceptable.”

I’m trying hard to remain calm. “For your information, when I got a job at Wellsley, I had no idea that Sawyer worked there. I did not come back here for him, but that’s beside the point. Whatever my relationship with him is, it’s none of your business.”

“Of course it’s my business. I have a reputation to uphold, and so does Thomas. Imagine the uproar if people found out that you’re not only sleeping with the future head of the company, but your stepbrother, too. That’s practically incest!” she hisses.

“You are insane. We weren’t even raised together. We were grown adults when you and Thomas got married. I never should’ve let you get in my head all those years ago. You took away the best thing that ever happened to me because you only cared about yourself and your own happiness. Not once have you ever given a damn about me. I was an idiot. You made me actually believe that you were looking out for me, and I was stupid enough to fall for it. Some small part of me was hoping beyond hope that a part of my mama still existed, but now I know you were just looking out for yourself.”

“Do you really think he’s going to settle for you? Cheyenne, be realistic. He comes from money and he’s used to women from the same circles. You’ll never be enough for him. You might as well save yourself the embarrassment and get out now while you can.”

Arguing with her is proving to be pointless, and I don’t know why I bother. Now I know why I’ve avoided her for so long. Any possibility of us having a normal relationship has flown out the window and I should’ve realized that a long time ago. “No, Mother, don’t even start. You tried that argument once before and I fell for it. I won’t do it again. If you can’t accept who I am and who I’m with, then there’s nothing left for us to discuss.”

Her eyes narrow and she closes the distance between us. Goose bumps cover my skin when her fingers latch on to the chain around my neck. “I should rip these off you right now. You had no right to steal my rings from me. I swear, Cheyenne. I’m almost glad your father’s not here to see you acting like this. He’d be so disappointed.”

I step back, feeling like I’ve been punched in the stomach. Her finger clutch the rings and she pulls at the same time I move, causing the chain to break. I steady myself and feel for the rings at my neck, but they’re gone. She’s grinning deviously when she opens her fist, the rings lying flat in her palm. I go to snatch them back from her, but she just closes her fist again, pulling it away from me.

“Give me them back,” I demand, my hands balling into fists at my side. No, I’m not going to get into a fistfight with the woman who gave birth to me, but I can try to look at threatening as possible.

“They don’t belong to you, Cheyenne. They never did. And now you’ll never see them again. I’m going to pawn them, just like I should have done all those years ago,” she informs me, a cruel grin spreading over her face.

Tears start streaming down my face at the thought of losing the last little bit of my daddy. In my haste all those years ago, I lost his wedding band and didn’t have time to look for it. If she takes these from me, I’ll have nothing left. In that moment, I realize that I might as well have been an orphan.

“Please. I’ll pay you whatever you want for them. They’re all I have left. I’ve worn them every day next to my heart so I could feel close to Daddy.”

She rolls her eyes, not caring for my tears. “Of course. They’re my rings but they only make you feel close to your daddy. You always were your daddy’s little girl, and from the moment you were born, you were his world. I know most women would love that, but I wasn’t ready to be a mother. I was young, beautiful, with my whole life ahead of me. Your daddy insisted we get married when I got pregnant, and I needed someone to take care of me, so I said yes. But when you came along, it was like I barely existed anymore. You two loved each other more than you ever loved me.”

Her words catch me off guard. She’s wrong. I remember Daddy bringing her flowers for no reason, dancing with her in the middle of the kitchen, and getting dressed up to take her out for date nights. Shaking my head, I wonder how she could rewrite history so easily.

Before I can argue with her, she continues, her voice laced with venom. “You took him away from me, Cheyenne, and I’m taking these from you, just like I drove you away from Sawyer all those years ago. You’ve ruined my happiness one too many times, and I’m not going to let it happen again.”

A sob escapes when she places the rings in her purse, and I fall to my knees on the patio, not caring that I’m probably making a spectacle of myself in front of all the smokers of the party.