Secrets of the Playboy's Bride (9 page)

“Okay,” George said. “But what if I find out she’s doing something you wouldn’t like?” he asked.

“Like what?” Leo asked.

“I don’t know. Seeing an old boyfriend? Or a new one?”

“She won’t,” he said, because although he might not have Calista’s trust and complete adoration, he knew he had her passion.

Calista’s cell phone began ringing on Monday morning.

“Congratulations,” said a distantly familiar voice.

Calista didn’t recognize the number. “Excuse me?”

“It’s Jennifer,” she said. “Your roommate from college. I know we haven’t kept in touch as well as we should, but I thought you would call me if you got married.”

Calista frowned in confusion. “How did you know I got married?”

“It’s in the paper today—a little sidebar in the society section about how Philadelphia’s most eligible bachelor has been taken off the market. Aren’t you the lucky one? How did you pull this off?” Jennifer asked.

“We met at a charity event,” she said, fumbling as she tried to remember how she’d described her relationship to her cousin and sisters. “It was just one of those things where we instantly clicked. I wonder why it just made the paper. We’ve been married for weeks.”

“Did you make an announcement?”

“No,” she said and realized that probably wasn’t very bridelike. For that matter, she hadn’t even told her coworkers. “I’ve been so busy…” She hesitated. “With Leo,” she said with emphasis.

“Well, we must get together for lunch. I want to hear all about this. You were so studious in college. Never took time for dating when you and I roomed together. And now you’re married to
Leo Grant
. When can we get together?” Jennifer demanded.

“I don’t know,” Calista said, reluctant to face Jen’s questions. “I’ll have to look at my calendar. My work schedule—”

“Work,” Jen echoed. “You’re not still working, are you?
If I were in your shoes, I would have dumped my job before the ink dried on my marriage license.”

A beep interrupted her, signaling another incoming call. “Oops, I’m sorry. I have another call. I need to go.”

“Call me back,” Jen said.

“Hello?” Calista said, this time recognizing the caller as a member from her elite women’s society club.

“You little sneak,” Rachel said. “Why didn’t you bring your husband to our event last week?”

Calista swallowed a sigh. “We’ve both been terribly busy,” she said.

“But the two of you went to other events together,” Rachel complained.

“Those were required of him,” she said. “I’m sorry I can’t talk now, Rachel. I really need to get back to work.”

“Work?” Rachel said. “Why are you working?” She laughed. “Oh, Calista, we should talk. Better yet, why don’t you and Leo come over for dinner? Would Friday work?”

Calista blinked. “I need to ask Leo first. He’s in so much demand with his company. I try to encourage him to take breaks,” she invented. “Thanks for calling though. I’m sure I’ll see you soon. Bye now,” she said and hung up and turned off her phone. Peace, she thought, breathing a sigh of relief. At the touch of a button.

She heard a knock on her door. Wary because of her previous calls, she rose to answer it. Three of her female coworkers stood there with their faces wreathed in smiles. “Congratulations! We’re so excited for you,” Susan said.

“I’m sure you’ve already given notice,” Anna said. “Do you know who is going to get your office?”

Calista dropped her jaw. “No, I—”

Hal, her boss, a middle-aged man, approached from behind the three women. He shook his finger at her playfully. “No wonder you wanted all that extra time off. You told me you got married, but you didn’t tell me your husband’s name.”

Calista smiled weakly. “We wanted to keep things quiet.”

“Why?” Susan asked. “This is the most exciting news we’ve had around here in a long time.”

Her boss’s assistant waved as she approached the group. “There’s a journalist from
Philadelphia Magazine
on the phone. She wants to do a feature of you and your new husband. Wouldn’t it be great if they put you on the cover?”

Not really
, Calista thought. “Would you mind getting her e-mail and asking if I can get back to her? I would obviously have to discuss this with my husband.” Even after being married for a month, those words sounded foreign coming out of her mouth.

“When do we get to meet him?” Susan asked. “Do you ever have lunch with him?”

“Don’t be silly,” Anna said. “You know she’s already resigned. Haven’t you?”

“No,” Calista said. “I haven’t. I don’t plan to quit.”

“Why?” Anna asked.

That same question was thrown at her over and over. Between those questions and the incessant phone calls, Calista was exhausted by the end of the day and she hadn’t gotten any work accomplished.

Hal glanced into her office. “Busy day?”

She smiled but knew it was more of a grimace. “Times two,” she said. “Don’t worry. I’m taking work home, so I won’t fall behind.”

“I’ve been wondering if it might be best if you take a leave of absence,” he ventured.

“Why?” she asked, her stomach clenching in fear. “I know there was a lot of disruption today, but I’m sure it will blow over quickly.”

He shook his head and chuckled. “I think you’re underestimating the level of interest people have in your marriage. My assistant was fielding calls for you half the afternoon.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think people would care that much. I’m sure it will get better,” she said. “Please don’t let me go.”

“I’m not firing you,” Hal said. “I just think it would be in the company’s best interest and yours for you to take some time to get your ducks in a row about all this. And who knows? After you’re off for a little while, you may decide you like it.”

Panic rose inside her. “I really want to keep this job.”

“I hear you. That’s what you want now, but it could change. At least, take tomorrow and think about a short leave.” His lips twitched. “You’re a newlywed. Enjoy the moment.”

Calista fought the terrible urge to cry. Before now, she’d been able to keep her marriage under the radar. Now that the news had exploded, it seemed like that was all anyone wanted to talk about with her. It was hard enough to fake her commitment to Leo and herself. With everyone gushing congratulations, best wishes and curiosity, all she wanted to do was scream that the marriage was temporary, so it wasn’t necessary to get all worked up over it.

Leo walked through the door of his penthouse after going a round with George in the boxing ring down the block. The former pro hadn’t cut him any slack either. He would be wearing a nice bruise on his jaw tomorrow.

His housekeeper met him at the door. “Good evening, Mr. Grant. Welcome home. What can I get for you?”

“Bag of frozen peas, please,” he said.

He watched her eyes glint with a combination of humor and sympathy. “George was feeling his oats?”

He nodded. “He won’t be feeling them tomorrow, though,” he said. “I got one of his ribs pretty good after he blasted my jaw. Is Calista around?”

“Yes, sir. She went to the fitness room a little over an hour ago,” she said.

“I’ll look in on her,” he said, barely waiting a moment before Brenda returned with the bag of peas. Immediately applying it to his jaw, he walked to the fitness room and saw Calista pacing from one end of the room to the other with a frown on her face.

“Bad day?” he asked.

Her head shot up and she met his gaze, not smiling. “It could have been better. It started out with my car getting towed from the parking lot of The Mark even though they wouldn’t let me get to it last night.”

“Did you call George?”

“No. I picked it up myself after work, which brings me to another subject,” she said.

Irritation trickled through him. “I told you to call George if you needed help.”

“Trust me. Picking up my car was cake compared to the rest of my day. Did you happen to see the newspaper this morning?”

Realization shot through him. “Oh, the little piece in the
Inquirer
. My assistant told me about it. I don’t usually read the social column.”

“How many calls did you get about it?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. My assistant screens my calls, and he knows I like my privacy.”

“I could have used that kind of assistant today,” she muttered.

“Do you want one?” he asked.

“No,” she wailed. “I just don’t want all these people calling me. My boss even suggested I take a leave of absence.”

“I don’t suppose this is a good time to say Hoo-rah,” he said.

She shot him a dark look. “It isn’t. For the most part, our relationship has been between you and me. We went out in public those few times last week, but I had no idea people would be so interested.”

He shrugged. “People are interested in anything that involves money.”

“I’d like to say that I disagree, but I can’t,” she said.

“What are you going to do?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “It was really disruptive at work today.”

“So leave,” he said. “Let me take care of your bills. They can’t be that bad.”

He watched her stiffen in response.

“I’m accustomed to taking care of myself,” she said.

“You can take care of yourself, but it’s not necessary to take care of your bills. I have more than enough to do that. I wish you wouldn’t slam your head into the wall about it,” he said.

“Easy for you to say. I guess this means I can make the India trip with no problem,” she said.

“I’ve put that off. The son of the man I’m dealing with is getting married. His father is distracted,” Leo said.

“Oh,” she said.

“Yeah, oh,” he said, extending his hand. “What’s it going to take for you to relax?”

She lifted her chin, and he was drawn to the pride she took in herself and her choices. “What’s it going to take for
you
to relax?”

He gave a low, dirty chuckle. “Never gonna happen,” he said and pulled her against him. “But I’ll cover you. Relax.”

For a second, she looked as if she believed him, but then her eyes flickered. “You need to remember that I try not to count on anyone.”

“I’m different,” he said and pressed his mouth against hers.

“I’m starting to think you are,” she whispered.

Her body felt delicious against his. She would feel even more delicious when he was sinking inside her. “I’ll take care of you.”

“I don’t expect you to,” she protested.

“Let me,” he said, pulling her off her feet and into his arms. “Let me.” He carried her into the master bath and made love to her.

C
alista awakened each day the next week feeling a surge of panic. She should be working. She shouldn’t relax. She needed to be earning money because, after all, her marriage to Leo could end before the six-month mark if he found out the truth about her. If that happened, she would be out of a job and her sisters would be without the funds for their education.

Calista cleaned their suite, then searched for things to do. Leo’s housekeeper, Brenda, repeatedly approached her. “What can I do for you?” she asked. “How can I help you? You seem troubled.”

“I’m unaccustomed to not working,” Calista told her. “I don’t know what to do with myself.”

Brenda laughed in sympathy. “You’re the only woman I know who has trouble relaxing.”

“I feel like I should be doing something,” Calista said.

“You are,” Brenda said. “You’re Mr. Grant’s wife.”

Calista tamped down another surge of panic. “I guess,” she whispered.

“You need to let me do my job so you can do yours,” Brenda said.

When Leo arrived home that evening, Calista laced and unlaced her fingers. “How was your day?” she asked, but her mind refused to let her listen to his answer.

Leo snapped his fingers in front of her face. “Calista. Earth to Calista.”

“Sorry,” she said. “My lack of a job is driving me insane.”

His lips twitched. “Then spend more time volunteering.”

She took a sip of wine and thought for a long moment. “Hmm.”

He lifted his eyebrows in enquiry.

“The dog shelter—” She broke off. “That’s it. I’ll spend more time at the dog shelter. Thank you for the suggestion.”

He swallowed a chuckle. “Glad I could help.”

Two days later, she brought home a dog of indeterminate breeding. He could have been part bulldog and retriever or part Lab and cocker. The good news was that he was neutered. The bad news was that he was a puppy and liked to dig. She named him Pooh.

“Pooh?” Leo echoed in dismay, staring at the ugliest dog he’d ever seen. “But he’s a dog.”

“I didn’t know what else to call him, so I decided to name him after my favorite Winnie-the-Pooh animal,” she said, rubbing the puppy.

“But Pooh is a bear,” he said.

“It’s actually a compliment. Pooh is an animal with a big heart and big courage,” she said earnestly.

“That’s still weird as hell,” he said, feeling a strange tug toward the animal. An overwhelming sense of longing twisted through him. He’d never had a pet when he’d lived with Clyde and Lilah, but he had a strange feeling that he’d had pets before. It was odd as hell.

“Does he have his shots? Does he have a leash?”

She lifted the leash and smiled. “I would have sworn you wouldn’t be the least bit concerned about a dog.”

“I wonder if he can catch a Frisbee.”

She snickered. “Agility trials, here we come.”

He met her gaze. “I have to help him overcome his name.”

That night, they taught Pooh to catch a tennis ball in his mouth. Or Pooh just knew how to catch a tennis ball in his mouth.

Calista laughed in exhilaration beside him. “He’s so fun.”

“Yeah,” Leo said and tossed another ball into the air in the game room.

Pooh chased it, catching it in his mouth. The dog had feel-sorry-for-me brown eyes combined with a panting doggy smile and ears that swung from side to side.

“We need to take him to the lake,” he said.

“Or a dog park,” she said.

He wrinkled his nose. “We can go to my estate just out of town.”

“It will be a hassle for you to drive into town,” she said.

“Not with the helicopter,” he said.

She looked at him and smiled, her eyes sexy and challenging. “That’s an awful lot of trouble just for a dog.”

He gave a heavy put-upon sigh. “Since you’ve already committed us, we have to do the right thing.”

She clutched his collar and pulled him against her. “You’re a sucker,” she whispered.

“Only when I want to be,” he warned her.

“I like that about you,” she said and pressed her mouth against his.

A week later, Rob called her. “I have info.”

“What kind of info?” she asked.

“Important info. You gotta buy me a drink for this,” he said. “You gotta buy me a lot of drinks. Meet me at The Mark,” he said.

“No way,” she said. “The last time I was there, the police raided the place, there was a fire and my car was impounded. Pick somewhere else.”

“Man, you’ve gotten snooty since you married a gajillionaire,” he said.

“Be reasonable,” she said.

“Okay, you want snooty. How about the top of the Liberty Hotel?” he asked.

She bit her lip. “You don’t know the meaning of the word discreet, do you?”

“You didn’t want The Mark. This one’s on you. Meet me tonight at six,” he said and hung up.

Calista stared at her cell phone and scowled. How could she explain her absence from dinner? How could she explain her need to be away at that particular time? She sighed, but was determined to get answers. She would tell Leo’s assistant that she wouldn’t meet him for dinner tonight because she was shopping.

She went to the bar and waited. Ordering water, she waited and waited. She dialed Rob’s number, but there was no answer. She waited for another hour then left.

Calista drove home because she didn’t want George to know where she’d been. She swept inside the house and Pooh raced toward her, jumping up on her. The dog was a salve to her guilt. She rubbed Pooh’s face.

“How was your shopping?” Leo asked, strolling toward her.

“Good,” she said. “Good. How was your day?” she asked deflecting his question.

“Busy, as usual. Where are your dresses?” he asked.

She panicked for a few seconds. “They need to be altered.”

He gave a slow nod. “Okay.”

“Yes.” She rubbed behind Pooh’s ears. “How much trouble has he caused?”

“No more than you,” he said.

She made a face at him. “I turned down three more invitations to dinner and sent regrets for more charity events. I unblocked your assistant, and he sent me a text message today that since we’re not giving interviews we should make an appearance at something. Do you have a preference?”

“Something where we can leave early,” he said.

She laughed at his dry tone. “Okay, I think my women’s society club is holding a summer soiree scavenger party soon. I initially sent regrets, but the organizer keeps calling.”

“Scavenger party?” he asked.

“It’s creative,” she said defensively.

He paused a half beat. “Can’t deny that. Call your friend and confirm.”

“There’s also a Saturday Expand-my-brain volunteer workshop for people of all ages in a few weeks. They want people with all kinds of skills,” she said.

“I have no idea how I could help in that situation,” he said.

She smiled. “You underestimate yourself.”

That night, he made love to her with more passion than he had before. He consumed her from head to toe, making her sated, but still hungry. When he finally sank inside her, she quivered around him, milking him with her wet, feminine secrets until he shot to the top.

For all the times he’d taken her, he still didn’t feel married to her. He felt an incredible connection to her, yet, at the same time still separate. Being with her conjured up feelings he didn’t understand, feelings he wasn’t sure he wanted. She panted the same way he did. Her breath mingled with his.

“That was pretty amazing,” she said, sliding her hands down his arms and searching his face. “What—”

“You,” he said, “inspire me.”

Her mouth curved into a smile. “Who? Me?”

“Yeah,” he said, sliding off of her and pulling her against him. “You.”

Within minutes, he drifted off to sleep. Visions drifted through his mind. He saw a dog with a wagging tail, little boys with dark hair and dark eyes. A woman scolded him. A man laughed, his joy evident.

He and the other boys ran to the dinner table. He beat one of the older ones and sat down to a plate of lasagna. The aroma of beef and sausage made his stomach growl. He took a bite. It was the richest, most delicious pasta dish he’d ever tasted.

“Leo, slow down. You’ll make yourself sick,” the woman said.

The man laughed again. “Don’t worry. The boy has an appetite. Hunger is a good thing.”

Leo woke up in a cold sweat. He sat straight up, panting, trying to make sense of his dream. The images tumbled through him again. He felt a hand on his arm. Calista’s.

“What is it?” she asked in a groggy voice. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said. “A strange dream.”

“Hmm,” she said. “A nightmare?”

“No,” he said. “Just a dream.” But he wondered because it had seemed so real, so very real. He slowly laid back down and took several deep breaths. Forcing his eyes closed, he saw the images he’d glimpsed earlier. He wondered if they were real or if they were wishes. Or if they held clues to his life before Clyde and Lilah.

Family? A father and mother? Brothers? Was it possible?

On Saturday, Calista dressed in jeans and a blouse to attend the expand-my-brain volunteer workshop. She found Leo, who had risen hours earlier, in his home office. For just a second she watched him, allowing her mind to play with the idea that he was her husband. If there’d been no ugly past between them, she wondered what would have happened between them, what could have happened. Her stomach twisted and she shook off her thoughts. She couldn’t undo the past. “Are you ready to expand some brains?”

He flashed her a doubtful look. “I’m not sure I’m the best man for this job.”

“Of course you are,” she said. “You’re smart. You’re successful. What’s not to like?”

“You weren’t completely clear about what we’ll be doing,” he said.

“It could be anything from reading a book with a young child to helping with math. It won’t be brain surgery,” she said, although Calista was certain Leo was intelligent enough that he could have been a brain surgeon if that was what he’d wanted.

“I may not be the best example for young children,” he said in a stilted voice.

“Why?” she asked, even though she knew he’d tricked dozens of people and made money off of it. “It’s not as if you’re a crook,” she said.

His eyes barely flickered. “No, but there’s always my misspent youth.”

“Hmm,” she said, feeling her anger shoot out of nowhere. So that was how he described it. His misspent youth. She took a quick breath and counted to ten to keep from saying what she really thought. “Nobody’s perfect. You have a lot to offer.”

His mouth lifted in a half smile as his gaze fell over her possessively. “Are you speaking from experience?”

Her mind slammed back to visuals of their heated lovemaking and she bit her lip, bothered by the way her feelings for him seemed to jerk from one end of the spectrum to the other. “An observation,” she said.

He turned off his laptop and stood. “Okay, but I can only stay for an hour or so.”

Forty-five minutes later, Calista helped an elementary-age girl named Kelly with division while a crowd formed around Leo. She assisted Kelly until the little girl’s attention
waned and her mother collected her. Curious about what Leo was discussing, she joined his class.

“Whenever you’re selling anything to someone, including yourself, you have to find out what the buyer wants. What does the buyer need? Your job is to give him what he needs.”

“What if you don’t have it?” a young man asked.

“Then you tell him where he can get what he wants, or prove that your product is the answer to his problems. The biggest part of sales is listening to the buyer and helping him see that you’re part of his solution. How many times have you gone into a store and asked for help only to have a salesman take you to the most expensive model of whatever you’re looking for instead of asking you questions about what you want and need?”

“But I just sell candy for my community group,” a little boy said.

“Then you sell the experience of being a part of making the world better by buying one of your candy bars. Be what your buyer is looking for—a clean, well-mannered young man,” Leo said. “Same thing when you’re looking for a job. Do your research. Find out as much as you can about the company where you’re applying. Be prepared. You can learn a lot on the Web. You may even find out something about the person who will interview you.”

“What if I ain’t got no Internet?” another young man asked.

Calista watched Leo, wondering if this question would stump him. He looked so magnetic, so self-assured. She wondered if anyone ever succeeded in making him feel self-conscious.

“The library has Internet,” he said. “All for now. Good luck with your future sales.”

She saw the crowd, both adults and children, push toward him. Everyone seemed to want to shake his hand. It was almost as if they hoped his magic would wipe off on them. She wondered if he’d learned his selling technique from his father. A bitter taste filled her mouth. He’d certainly sold her father down the river. Yet, even now she could tell that he wasn’t all evil. He appeared as if he sincerely wanted success for each person with whom he spoke. Was appearance the operative word? Underneath it all, what was he really thinking?

He glanced up and searched the crowd, his gaze landing on her. She felt a frisson of excitement at being singled out by him. Yes, the rest of the world knew she was his wife. But she knew the truth. He didn’t love her and she needed something from him. Nodding in her direction, he walked toward her.

“Let’s go,” he said and slid his hand to her back as he guided her to the Town Car.

“What is it?” she asked. “They loved you. They were hanging on your every word.”

His body was tense, his mouth taut. “Maybe. They hear what they want to hear.”

“What do you mean?” she asked as he opened the door to the car and followed her inside.

“Home,” he said to George.

“Which one, sir?” George asked.

“Out of the city,” Leo said.

She studied his face and instinctively lifted her hand to his clenched jaw. “Why are you so upset?”

He caught her hand just before she touched him. “I’m not upset. “He shrugged, his eyes dark and full of tempestuous emotion. “Seeing them reminded me…It brought back memories.”