Identity Crisis (10 page)

She undid his shirt and shoved it off, doing battle with his cufflinks until together they managed to free his arms. Then she suckled and nibbled until his nipples were raw and achingly hard and outrageously sensitive to the air that felt cool against them once they were no longer kept warm by her mouth. But her mouth, led by the scrape and nip of her teeth and the laving of her hot tongue, held his full attention as she nibbled and licked her way down his belly. She paused to probe his sensitive navel with her tongue before she undid his trousers, then squatted in front of him as she eased them down over his hips. He toed off his shoes and there, positioned in front of him, perched on suicide heels, legs open, her face only scant millimeters from his erection, she slid both trousers and boxers off one leg at a time. When at last he stepped free of his clothing, she tossed them aside with the rest of their party finery and cupped him and stroked him until he bit his lip and struggled to hold himself. Then she clasped his butt cheeks in her palms and pulled him to her, taking the heavy length of him into her mouth.

‘Jesus, Kendra!’ He sucked air between his teeth ‘I can’t stand that for very long.’

‘I bet you can stand it longer than you think,’ she breathed.

‘Fuck,’ he said, curling his fingers in her hair. ‘Is this some kind of challenge?’

‘Just an observation.’ Her eyes were wide, her pupils dilated, and her cheeks were flushed as she pulled away and slipped off her panties from her squatting position. Then she lay back on the floor and motioned him to her.

He fumbled in the pocket of his jacket for the condom. This time, she made no attempt to help him, but only lay there watching him, shifting her hips, making sure he knew exactly what she wanted. It didn’t take him long. Then he stretched out on top of her, feeling the silk of her stockings rise along his ribs as she lifted her hips. He cupped her and shifted until there was contact, right where they needed it. They both moaned as he entered her, thrusting, and she wrapped her legs around him, still wearing her shiny shoes, still wearing stockings and garter belt. And she was outrageously warm and wet and needy. She gripped him as though she would consume him, and he rode her as though he might never get another chance. A possibility all too likely, he figured, but he didn’t want to think about that now, not while they were together like this, not while they were reveling in Tess’s success and celebrating their own conquest of a difficult situation. He didn’t want to think about that now, not while there was time to be with Kendra Davis, more vulnerable than he’d ever seen her, nor would be likely to see her again. He expected nothing else. Just now. That would have to be enough. At least, that’s what he told himself.

Pizza and beer. Kendra Davis was sitting across from Garrett in the middle of his living room, floor having pizza and beer – totally naked! How could anyone be that unselfconscious? Garrett had pulled on a pair of workout shorts that didn’t do a great job of coverage because he’d been at half-mast and rising ever since they had returned from the Golden Kiss Awards. And yet, it made him feel a little less exposed.

She didn’t seem to mind him studying her unabashedly while she devoured a huge slice of meat-buster supreme with extra cheese. It was a good thing she didn’t, because he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. It was easier when they were fucking, he supposed. When he was making love to Kendra Davis, there was no time to think about anything else, no time to be anywhere but the present, and no time to wonder what was going on in the woman’s beautiful head. And, as much as he loved that she was still here with him, hours after what the two had already begun jokingly calling “Blessing the mousse”, Garrett was, at his core, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

‘What is it?’ she said, speaking round a mouthful of pizza before she washed it down with a huge swig of beer that would have made any biker proud. ‘What’s the matter, Garrett? I don’t mind you staring at me. I actually like that a lot or I would have put clothes on. But it’s, I don’t know, it’s the way you’re staring at me. I get a feeling it has nothing to do with my tits.’

‘Will we regret this in the morning?’ There, he’d said it. The words were out. And even though he was glad it was out in the open, he still felt stupid for saying it. Tess would have had a lot more finesse, no doubt.

Kendra sat the beer down on the coffee table and wiped her hands on one of the napkins that came with the pizza delivery. ‘It’s already morning, Garrett. Besides, I don’t have regrets. It’s a waste of time I can’t afford.’

‘What do you mean, you don’t have regrets? Everyone has regrets. How could we not?’

This time she studied
him
, just sitting there completely naked, looking at him as though she had just discovered a new life form.

‘I make mistakes, then I learn from them and move on. And looking back …’ For the briefest of seconds, her face darkened and her gaze drifted, as though she saw something Garrett couldn’t see, something she didn’t want him to see. Then she caught her breath and forced a smile. ‘Looking back and dwelling on what’s already past, well, it doesn’t do anyone any good, really.’

‘Can K. Ryde teach me how to do that?’ Garrett said. ‘Because I’d really like to know.’

She offered him a smile that was almost a flinch, then looked down at her hands folded in her laps. ‘K. Ryde, the Ryde Agency, doesn’t exist anymore. Well, not like it did.’ She looked up, her eyes once more unreadable. ‘I sold the company almost a year ago. It’s in competent hands and doing well, or so I hear. Don just happened to have an old email address from my Ryde days, one I’d not deactivated. And since I was already intrigued with why Tess Delaney wanted a PR person with special talents, I brought K. Ryde temporarily out of retirement.’

‘You have more secrets than Tess Delaney does.’

The smile slipped from her lips and she held his gaze. ‘You have no idea.’

A shiver ran down Garrett’s spine, but before he could think about it, before he could question her further, Kendra pushed aside her plate and moved to sit next to Garrett, settling a kiss against his sternum, between his pecs. ‘Just what part of last night are you planning to regret, Garrett? Tess won the Golden Kiss. You won. And you’ve managed to keep Tess’s true identity a secret.’ She shoved the wild fall of red hair away from her face. ‘Granted, things didn’t quite go to plan, but ultimately I think everyone came out just fine, don’t you?’ She moved to sit in his lap, legs on either side of him, and instantly he was hard. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him, lingering, caressing with her tongue, with her lips, until he was once again in the happy haze being with Kendra Davis seemed to produce. Then she pulled away enough to meet his gaze. ‘Now, Garrett, tell me what it is you regret, and I’ll see what I can do to make you forget about it.’

He didn’t, of course. It all seemed pretty irrelevant with an exquisitely naked Kendra Davis wriggling down onto his lap and easing her hand inside the waistband of his shorts.

Chapter Eleven

Garrett woke up in bed alone, and a tight fist formed in his stomach. It surprised him how strongly he felt Kendra’s absence. He wasn’t ready for her to leave just yet. He threw back the comforter and shoved his way into the shorts which lay on the floor where he had dropped them not that long ago as he’d followed her in between the sheets, literally joined at the hips. It was only when he heard a clatter from the kitchen that he relaxed – well, not really. Parts of him were very tense with anticipation.

He found her in the kitchen, leaning against the counter wrapped in his terry robe. She held a Diet Pepsi in one hand, while she scooped coffee into the coffee maker with the other. Her newly red hair hung loose and mussed around her shoulders, and she had that well-slept-with look about her as she smiled up at him.

‘Morning, sleepyhead. Thought you might like some coffee.’

‘How long have you been up?’ he asked.

‘Just long enough for my morning dose.’ She lifted her soda. ‘I figured once you were up we should probably call Don. I’m really surprised he didn’t storm over here last night demanding an explanation, especially since we had our phones turned off. At least, I did, and I figure you did too.’

Garrett moved behind her and put his arms around her, nuzzling her neck. ‘Talking with Don definitely wasn’t in the plan for the evening.’

She giggled softly. ‘There was a plan, was there?’

He slipped his hand inside the robe to cup her breasts, feeling himself harden even further at the press of her stiffening nipple against the glide of his thumb. ‘Oh yes, woman, there was a plan.’ He nibbled her earlobe and she squirmed. ‘I wanted to get inside those golden panties of yours, hopefully without getting slapped.’

She shifted till her bottom rubbed against his growing erection. ‘You’re a cunning man, Garrett Thorne.’

‘And brave,’ he added. ‘Don’t forget brave.’

She pushed the start button on the coffee maker, then turned in his arms and smiled up at him. ‘If Don had shown up, I’d have sent him packing.’

‘God help him if he’d argued with you.’ Garrett said, dropping a kiss onto her ear, then another one onto her collar bone where the robe gaped open, offering an exquisite view of the pale, round rise of her breasts.

She sighed and gave him a quick kiss, then shrugged out of his grasp. ‘Still, I suppose we should let him know that we didn’t fall off the planet.’

He took her hand and led her into the living room. His BlackBerry lay on the coffee table where he’d carelessly tossed it last night when his mind was completely taken over by the wonders of Kendra Davis. He’d barely gotten it turned on when it rang. It was Don. Kendra leaned close to hear what was being said.

‘Garrett, are you home?’ Don said without preamble.

‘Yes. Why?’

‘Just turn on the television. Now. Local news.’

Kendra grabbed the remote and flipped to the news just in time to catch her and Garrett in a very public lip-lock at the Golden Kiss Awards.

The voiceover was saying, ‘The Golden Kiss Awards ceremony was full of surprises last night. Tess Delaney, notoriously elusive writer of some of the most popular, and hottest, romance novels on the market, made her first ever public appearance on the arm of Garrett Thorne, bad boy younger brother of business tycoon, Ellison Thorne. The two were clearly enjoying each other’s company.’

There was a close-up of Garrett kissing Kendra’s ear, then her neck, while she smiled and blushed happily.

‘Though the odds were not in her favor to take home the coveted award against stiff competition, the underdog pulled it off and Tess Delaney took the prize.’

They watched as Tess’s acceptance speech was played back in full. Even just watching it, Garrett couldn’t help feel a sense of pride, as though he’d actually witnessed Tess Delaney accept the honor. The voiceover went on.

‘If Tess Delaney’s big win came as something of a surprise, what happened next was even more of a surprise for the audience, and especially for literary critic and announcer, Barker Blessing.’

There it was, right there for the whole world to see, Blessing groping and Kendra reacting. Not only was it being played on national television, but it was being played in slow motion with a close-up, first of Blessing’s hand sliding up the slit in Tess’s dress, then of Tess, deliberately and with forethought, emptying her entire bowl of chocolate mousse, whipped cream, cherry and all, right onto the crotch of Blessing’s white James Bond suit. Fortunately, the cameras were too busy capturing Tess’s antics to notice Garrett’s grip on the back of the man’s collar a split second before.

They watched in high definition, as Garrett took Tess’s arm and escorted her out of the banquet hall to a roar of applause.

‘Blessing could not be reached for comment. However, Andrew Day, our reporter on the street, says Tess’s actions have had a knock-on effect that amount to way more than just her first public appearance on the arm of Garrett Thorne and the sharing of her dessert with Barker Blessing. Andrew.’

The screen cut to a reporter standing in the middle of a huge check-out line in Powell’s Bookstore.

‘What we’re seeing here is pretty typical of the five bookstores I’ve visited so far today.’ The reporter turned to a woman in the check-out line who had three Tess Delaney novels clutched to her chest. She explained to him that she had watched the award ceremony and was so intrigued she rushed right to the bookstore this morning. The same interview was repeated with four other people.

While they watched what was unfolding on the screen, Garrett put the BlackBerry on speaker so they both could hear Don.

‘That’s just the tip of the iceberg,’ Don said. The excitement in his voice was palpable. ‘That little scene with the mousse has already gone viral on YouTube and is trending on Twitter. Kay Lake’s act was a stroke of genius, and Barker Blessing is now trying to convince everyone that it was all planned. You can’t expect the man not to take advantage of good PR, even if it’s at his expense. He didn’t get where he is by being stupid.

‘What’s more, there’s been a massive surge in sales, and my phone hasn’t stopped ringing with people wanting interviews with Tess Delaney, wanting her to endorse everything from hairspray to condoms to pick-up trucks. I have to say, Garrett, I thought you’d blown it, but the woman is a genius. I’ve sent an email to K. Ryde, but haven’t heard back yet. And I can’t get hold of Kay Lake. Any ideas where she might be?’

Garrett and Kendra shot each other a quick glance, and she nodded her OK. ‘I’m here, Don,’ she said, her gaze still locked on Garrett.

There was a moment of silence. Garrett could almost hear the man thinking the situation through, speculating as to whether Kendra had just arrived or if she had stayed over. Neither Kendra nor he gave anything away.

Then Don continued, ‘As for endorsements, well, I understand that’s a bit beyond the pale for the moment, but I think we will need to discuss interviews, Garrett. Strategically planned and done sparingly, they could keep the wave going, keep the sales rising, keep everyone on the edge of their seats guessing what Tess Delaney will do next. Certainly having her seen with Garrett Thorne was a spot of genius if ever there was one.’

Garrett bristled. ‘This isn’t part of the plan, Don. Tess has done what you asked of her. That was what we agreed on and nothing more.’

Don offered a nervous laugh. ‘I know, buddy, I know. But you have to understand, this is way bigger than either of us could have imagined, and I’m sure that K. Ryde will agree when he gets back to me. I just think it would be foolish not to take full advantage. A gift horse and all, you know?’ Before Garrett could do more than growl, he continued, ‘Look, all I’m saying is just think about it. Give me a chance to talk to Ryde and get back to you, and I’m sure we’ll figure out the best way to make this work to the greatest advantage for Tess.’

The line went dead, and Garrett and Kendra sat staring at each other. Garrett reached for the remote and switched off the television. ‘So what do you think?’ he said. ‘I mean, you are K. Ryde.’

She ran a hand through her hair and tightened the sash at the waist of the robe. In the kitchen they could hear the coffee maker gurgling out the last of the coffee into the pot. ‘Garrett, I work for Tess Delaney, not Don Bachman, and I think it’s up to you. You’ve done what was asked of you. It’s had better than expected results, and now I think you should do what you want. I mean, a huge part of Tess’s appeal is her mystique. The more public she becomes the more she risks losing that mystique. If you do decide to have Tess make the odd public appearance, then I’ll happily oblige, but the more I pretend to be Tess Delaney, the more risk we run of her really being outed.’

He tugged a strand of her red hair. ‘You think I should do what I want?’ He scooted closer and brushed a kiss against her parted lips. ‘Because I’m pretty sure you have a good idea of what I want right now.’

She made a half-hearted effort to pull away from him. ‘Garrett, this is serious business. I need to know, K. Ryde needs to know what to do next.’

He gently nipped her lip and felt her breath catch. ‘I understand that, Kendra, believe me, I do.’ He guided her hand to rest against the bulge barely contained by his straining shorts. ‘But I can’t think very well at the moment. If you could just help me out a little bit here –’ with his other hand, he slid open the bottom of the robe to reveal her lush thighs and beyond ‘– then maybe I could concentrate on business a little better.’

She forced an irritated sigh that ended in a soft giggle as he pulled her to him, shoving the robe open still further, exposing her breasts to the explorations of his lips and the cupping of his hands as he eased her back onto the sofa, wriggling his way in between her legs. He had just worried open the sash and slipped a hand down to cup her and stroke the unbelievable warmth of her when a loud crash on the front porch caused them both to jump. She jerked the robe back around her, and he shot up from the couch like he was spring-loaded.

‘What the hell?’ He scrambled to the door with her right behind him, tightening the sash of the robe as she went.

‘Wait, Garrett. Don’t open it.’

She reached for his hand, but it was already too late. He wasn’t thinking straight. How could he possibly be thinking straight when he had been just about to make love to Kendra Davis? He swung the door open wide and found himself, in nothing but his scant and somewhat bulging workout shorts, with Kendra barely covered in his oversized robe, facing a sea of reporters. Cameras flashed, the press surged, and before Garrett could close the door, someone shoved a microphone in his face, shouldering his way into the breach of the door. Garrett sought to recall his name. Mike Pittman, that was his name –Garrett remembered the irritating reporter from Dee and Ellis’s meeting with the press a few weeks ago.The microphone might have been in Garrett’s face, but Pittman’s eyes and the lens of the cameraman’s camera were focused on Kendra, hair thoroughly mussed from last night’s romp, still tying the robe that was clearly his, and looking more than a little like she’d just been caught in the act.

‘So it’s true, then,’ Pittman said. ‘Tess Delaney did spend the night with you after the Golden Kiss debacle?’

Debacle! That slimy little rat! ‘Get out of my face.’ Garrett’s voice was a dangerous growl, and he wasn’t sure what would have happened if Kendra hadn’t pushed her way front and center.

‘Mr. Pittman,’ she said, her voice way too good-natured for what Garrett was sure she must have felt. ‘The answer to that question is obvious. Where else did you think I would be on such an occasion?’ As if to demonstrate, she ran her arm through Garrett’s and smiled up at him.

‘And what about Barker Blessing?’ Pittman pressed on. ‘Have you heard from him? From his lawyers?’

‘I think you need to talk to Mr. Blessing about that.’ She stepped forward into the man’s personal space and forced him back with nothing more than the power of presence. ‘If you’ll excuse us, Mr. Pittman –’ she shot a quick look around, and offered a smile and a polite nod to the rest of the rabble ‘– everyone. Coffee’s getting cold.’ Her smile turned wicked. ‘I’m starving, and Garrett promised to make me pancakes.’ Then she stepped back and shut the door in the man’s face – not slammed it, just shut it – and turned to face Garrett, her back pressed against the door.

‘Make you pancakes?’ Garrett managed before she hijacked the conversation.

‘Rule number one,’ she said, before he could even utter the curse that was on the tip of his tongue. ‘Don’t give the press any reason to up the ante.’ She shrugged. ‘All right, you already blew that one last night, and this is the result.’ She nodded to the shuffling and mumbling they could still hear beyond the closed door. ‘This is why we needed things to go smoothly last night, and why we need them eating out of our hands now.’ She made her way into the living room and peeked around the edge of the curtain at the reporters on the lawn.

‘I blew it?’ he bristled, following her to the window. ‘You’re the one who dumped your dessert in Barker Blessing’s lap.’

And that was his fatal mistake. Would he never learn to hold his tongue around Kendra Davis? He could see the tension in her shoulders before she turned to face him. ‘It was dessert, Garrett, just dessert. Not your fist to the man’s face, not a lawsuit, not jail.’ She stood facing him with her hands on her hips, her eyes bright and fiery. ‘And would you have hit Pittman there, if I hadn’t stepped in?’

‘Oh, you’re a fine one to talk about not resorting to violence,’ he said, following her around the living room as she scooped together her clothing. ‘You, who nearly dislocated my jaw!’

She turned on him. ‘Oh pa-lease. You deserved it. You’ve deserved everything you got so far, and last night, well, if you’d have just let me handle it, then this –’ she stabbed a finger at the door ‘– wouldn’t be happening.’ She shoved off the robe and stood naked in front of him, tugging her panties up over her hips and then fighting her way into the green dress. And fuck, it was so hard to stay focused with her doing that. Did she do that on purpose – get his cock’s full attention so his brain wouldn’t work? She probably did. She was a bitch, he reminded himself. How the hell could he forget the number one fact about Kendra Davis? The woman was a bitch. Interact with her at your own risk. He watched her stuff her stockings and garter belt into her bag like they were the enemy, and he was sympathetic.