Southern Charm (4 page)

“
Nothing, he left me the
car because we have to sell it and that I am Lance and that we are
intimately involved.” As Logan was talking he put his hand on the
small of her back and was sliding his hand over her ass.

Jumping back with her eyes wide, she
squealed, “What are you doing?”

“
Now see, that is not
going to work,” he said but staying close to her, “if we are
involved, you would be very used to me touching your body wherever
I wanted,” he whispered.

“
Oh, you’re right!” Shelby
said nervously looking into his eyes. Logan had a rugged sexiness
about him. Lance had always been very uniformed and tailored, but
Logan had a style all his own. Tonight he was wearing a pair of
black slacks with a light grey blazer and a white button down shirt
and a grey 8-quarted cap. He always kept his mustache, beard and
goatee closely groomed and he smelled like heaven.

Clearing her throat, Shelby said, “So,
what do we do now?”

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he
pulled her close. “Well, I was thinking,” he said squeezing harder.
“What we should do tonight is act like we are real; spending a
romantic evening together tonight getting to know each other. That
way we can be comfortable and just talk.” As he was saying the
words, he was leaning in closer to Shelby. His mouth was now so
close to hers that she could not tell if she smelled his mouthwash
or hers. She was stiff as a board, standing there in his arms.
Logan started with her face; kissing her brow, peppering from one
side to the next, just using light kisses. Then he moved to her
eyebrows, eyes, nose, cheeks and chin. He kept eye contact with her
so that he could see her reactions. Next he kissed the side of her
neck; nibbling along the cord; placing some behind her ears. He
then stuck out his tongue and licked the inside of her ear lightly,
chewing gently on her earlobe. Then he whispered, “Do you like
that?” not waiting for a response because he didn’t think she could
talk if she wanted to. He gently raised her hair away from the back
of her neck and kissed her with some playful and some firm kisses.
Breathing in, he caught a whiff of her scent. He was concentrating
on her mouth now. Instead of rushing in to part her lips and stick
his tongue down her throat, he took the time to consider her lips;
to see their shape and marvel at them. He lightly traced the
outline of her top and then bottom lip with the tip of his index
finger. Then he followed the path with the tip of his tongue. Next,
he picked a corner of her lip and indulged in gently nibbling,
tugging, licking and sucking on her lip. He used their full wetness
without being sloppy. He continued into the inner part of her mouth
by touching, tasting, licking and making love to her mouth. As
Logan slowly separated their mouths and stepped away, Shelby moaned
at the loss of his lips on hers. “Mmm,” She said swallowing hard.
Slowly opening her eyes she looked into his and said, “Ok, what do
we do now?” Shelby realized that she was struggling to take a deep
breath.

Sliding his hand down her arms, he
said, “I get to take a beautiful sexy lady to dinner and get to
know her better.” He turned and walked her to the car and as he
opened the door for her, they both heard a voice like it was coming
from the heavens say, “Jesus that was so hot. Now, I need to go a
watch some porn and spend some lady-time with my bedroom
Khandi.”

Shelby and Logan looked at each other
and laughed.

CHAPTER 4

Logan and Shelby pulled up to Chez
Onreí. It was the most expensive restaurant in Georgia. Shelby’s
parents ate there all the time when they were not at the Country
Club and Shelby hated it.

“
Um, Logan, what are we
doing here?” Shelby said looking at him in the dark of the
car.

“
Well, I figured I am
taking a princess to dinner tonight. I have to take her where she
deserves to eat,” Logan said to her snidely. He really liked Shelby
and damn, She looked sexy tonight but he knew she was not going to
forget that she was the princess and he was the pauper, no matter
how much he could act like his brother.

“
Logan, have I said
something to offend you?” Shelby said turning toward
him.

“
What makes you say that?
I would have thought you would be happy to be here being that you
are so high in the cotton,” Logan said. Just then the valet came
and opened her door, sticking his hand into the car to help her
out. She was feeling like this was going to be a long night. As
Logan came around the car he took her hand to walk inside the
restaurant with her. Chez Onreí was the perfect setting to host a
memorable event. Enclosed in etched glass accented by wooden
coffered ceilings, the room reflects the understated luxury of the
main dining room. Floor to ceiling windows grace the salon with
ample natural light during the day and soft lighting in the evening
and the use of warm natural colors adds to the ambiance of a truly
exciting place. The salon can host from two up to ninety guests
seated and can be subdivided to accommodate different
configurations and seating plans for various party sizes and needs.
Menu options carefully created by the chef and his team can be
perfectly complimented with wine selections, together with a
dedicated private dining team. Walking in the door they were
greeted by the host. “Good evening, Shelby!” he said kissing her on
the cheek. “You look amazing, darling.” He was looking at her like
she was a glass of water and he had been in the desert for four
days. She was not used to that look. “Your parents are already
here. I will take you right...” Before he could finish Logan cut
him off.

“
No, she is here with me.
The reservation is under Lo… Lance Chandler,” Logan had almost
given his real name. He had worked at Chez Onreí when he was a kid
and the owners and the host had always treated him like crap. It
would be so satisfying to see their faces, knowing that he was
paying to have dinner here tonight and was with none other than a
Beasley. Logan put his hand on the small of Shelby’s back as the
host spoke to the waitress about where she should seat them. As
they walked through the dining room, Shelby and Logan all of a
sudden heard,

“
My Lord! Shelby, is that
you?” The table they were passing was her parent’s regular table.
Both of her parents were looking at her like she had grown a third
head.

“
Good Evening, Momma! How
are you?” Shelby said to her mother.

“
Well, what happened to
you? You look like you located taste this afternoon!” Her mother
said looking her up and down.

“
Sarah!” Her father said
“You will not speak to our daughter like that in mixed company!” Of
all her family members, Shelby was closest to her father. Although
he always looked at her with what Shelby thought was shame, he
loved her and would stop her mother and sister if he heard them go
too far. Which was why they always acted differently in front of
him. But her mother had so much disgust for Shelby sometimes she
would slip up in front of her father.

“
Shelby, darling, you look
lovely this evening,” Jackson Beasley said to her standing to
embrace her. “Your dress is…. well a little much for this old man
but you look very nice,” he finished holding her arms out so that
he could get a good look at her.

“
Jackson, Shelby knows
that I am just teasing her," Shelby’s mother said to him
nervously.

“
Thank you, Daddy,” Shelby
said smiling at him. “Daddy, this is Lance Chandler, my boyfriend.
Lance, this is my Momma and Daddy, Mr. and Mrs. Beasley.” Sticking
his hand out and looking them in the eye Logan shook both her
parents’ hand.

“
Oh STOP IT Shelby!” Her
mother said waiving off her introduction. “We know Lance. We have
known him for years,” her mother said.

“
Yes, it’s good to see
you, Lance. If I did not know better, I would have sworn that you
were your brother, Logan,” her father said staring at him. “But you
are way too well put together for that.”

“
Well…” before Logan could
say anything else, Shelby cut him off.

“
Daddy, that is not fair.
Logan is a good man. He has made mistakes; who hasn’t. But he is
starting his own business now. He deserves the benefit of the
doubt,” Shelby said.

“
I don’t doubt he would
steal my purse,” her mother said taking a sip her
martini.

“
Honestly, Sarah! I swear
you have gotten too big for your britches,” her father said to his
wife. “Shelby, you are right, I should not judge someone I do not
know. Lance, you and your brother are definitely twins.”

“
It is an honor to see you
again, Mr. Beasley,” Logan said in a tone laced with disgust.
Things had indeed gone downhill.

“
Lance, I think our table
is ready,” Shelby said taking his hand. “Daddy, I will talk to you
tomorrow. Momma, enjoy your evening.” She finished grabbing Logan’s
hand and pulling him toward the table. It did not get missed by
anyone that her goodbye to her mother was not only brief, it was
frosty.

“
Why do you allow her to
treat you that way?” Logan said to her as they were seated. Logan
had held out Shelby’s chair for her, which was a surprise to her.
It was really starting to feel like a date.

“
Momma and I have a
complicated relationship,” Shelby said in a quiet sad
tone.

“
I am listening,” Logan
said. Shelby looked around the restaurant at all of the Who’s-Who
of Georgia, which Shelby saw at her parents’ home all the time. She
could see them all staring at Logan even though they probably
thought he was Lance. He was not one of them. Taking a deep breath
Shelby turned to Logan.

“
Isn’t there anywhere else
you would like to go for dinner?” She asked him not wanting to be
here for another snooty dinner.

Looking around, Logan said, “What’s
wrong, little rich girl. Embarrassed to be seen with me?” while
looking at his menu as if she was not even there. Taking in a sharp
breath, Shelby pulled his arm forcing him to look at
her.

“
That is the second remark
like that tonight! What is your problem with me, Logan?” she
whispered to him angrily. Leaning in to Shelby, he whispered, “I
have a problem with people like you who think they are so much
better than the rest of the world that they cannot even be seen
with them. Yet, your own family treats you like shit,” he finished
snatching his arm out of her hand.

“
You know what I have a
problem with? People like you that think from looking at a person
you can tell anything about them. You look down on those that you
think are judging you when, really, you are doing all the judging.
Let me explain something to you. I do not want to be here because I
hate these places; with their pretentious food and people sitting
around trying to one up each other from seeing each other this
afternoon at the Country Club. I prefer a place like Jerry’s where
I can have a beer, a good cheeseburger and play some pool. As to my
relationship with my mother, I am a product of my father’s
infidelity. My birth mother died giving birth to me. My parents
raised me as their child. They think that I do not know, but I
found out when I was ten,” Shelby said with tears in her eyes. She
looked away from Logan for a minute, trying to pull herself
together. Logan never knew any of that about Shelby. He knew that
she had been treated as the odd man out but not the depths of her
family secrets. “I....” he started to say.

“
You know, I can
understand her having to raise another woman’s child and treating
that child as if she was her own would make her indifferent towards
me. But she is the only mother I have ever known. I wish she could
see past how I came to be,” She said, standing up finally not able
to control her tears. “Excuse me, I need to powder my nose,” Shelby
said getting up to go to the ladies room. Once she walked away,
Logan looked around at the restaurant patrons and realized she was
right; everyone there was looking at each other competing without
words. He looked down at the menu and saw that a Caesar salad was
$60.00 and realized that it was probably a saucer-sized portion.
Why had he assumed this is where Shelby would want to come to eat?
Because she was like all the rest of the rich people in this town,
wasn’t she? Logan sat down his menu and just then saw Shelby
walking back toward their table. Her face looked so sad. The way
her hips swayed made him want to pick her up and carry her home and
protect her from all the sadness he could see on her face. As she
arrived at the table, he stood up and put a $50 bill on the table
and took her hand. “Come on, let’s go,” he said nonchalantly. Not
shocked that he wanted to leave, Shelby walked as quickly as she
could behind him in 6-inch stilettos. When they got outside the
restaurant, Logan gave the valet his ticket, Shelby looked at Logan
out of the corner of her eye.

“
Does this mean the date
is over?” She said so low that Logan had almost not heard it.
Turning to her, Logan placed his hand on both her cheeks and pulled
her to him. Their lips met, their tongues passionately exploring
each other's mouths. Slowly ending the kiss as the valet pulled the
car up, Logan whispered into her mouth. “No, the date is not over.
Not even close,” he said looking her in the eye. Taking her hand,
he opened the passenger door for her to get in and went to the
driver’s side.