Sweet Deception (Truth) (6 page)

“Relationships are messy. Complicated. So much work. I’ve never wanted it before.”

“Before?” I repeated. “But you do now?” I spoke slowly wondering whether I had just misinterpreted what he was saying.

“Well that’s a loaded question. I guess I’m just a bit confused because it’s so new to me. It’s just not how I’ve lived my life. But I want to get to know you, Cassie.” He brushed a few strands of hair behind my ear and I resisted the urge to lean into his touch.

"Well in that case, why don't we start with dinner?" Was that too forward? I held my breath. The little voice was now repeating my mantra to me.
Stay away, stay away, Stay away.
"Dinner? Like a date?"
I swallowed hard. "Yes, dinner, like a date. Just two people out for the evening, having fun. No pressure."
He lifted his head as if to think about it before smiling. "Hmm dinner I can do. I haven't been on a proper date in years. I think the last time I was 16. We went to the cinema and ended up making out in the back row." He wiggled his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes.
"You do that a lot you know."
"Yes I know, it's because you are so exasperating." Smiling back at him, I took my apron off and handed him his flowers.
"So how about tomorrow night? I can pick you up at 7?" He asked.
"That sounds good. I'm spending the day with Laurel, it's my day off, so you can pick me up from hers."
After giving him directions, I looked out the window to watch his sexy behind leave. I was relieved I thought quickly enough to include Laurel in my day tomorrow, I was definitely going to need her help to get ready. What she didn't know about makeovers wasn't worth knowing. I sent her a quick text about the date and she jumped at the chance to help me out. I took a deep breath to calm myself. I was going out on a date with Blake Richards.
What had I just done?
But one last look at him from the window had me smiling to myself.

Blake

I didn't have to turn around to know she was watching me leave. I felt her eyes on me. Piercing. Penetrating. I should have stayed away today. Got my secretary to pick up the flowers. But I did it myself every week and to be honest, I wanted an excuse to see her. I was just drawn to her. I didn't know what it was. There were plenty of girls that I could fuck, so I knew it wasn't that. They lined themselves up last night just waiting for a chance but I wasn’t interested in any of them. It was so shallow. They were all talking about Cassie’s attack Friday, thinking I was some kind of hero. I knew the truth. I was far from it.

She was just too sweet, innocent, pretty inside and out. But that was attracting me more than any easy lay. I didn’t deserve her. Knowing she was Julia’s granddaughter was killing me. Now I was going to torture myself even more by going on a date with her when I wasn't being honest. Could I tell her about Abbey? I snorted, of course I couldn't. She wouldn't ever want to see me again if she found out. And I had to see her again.

Cassie

After some x-rated dreams that were way too explicit to repeat, I grabbed breakfast, telling Gran I was going out with Laurel in the evening so would be back late. I felt guilty about lying to her but after her reaction to Blake the other day I knew I would get another lecture.
"Oh my gosh, that colour on you is gorge!" Laurel squealed as I strutted over in an electric blue one shoulder dress with heels I could hardly walk in. She assured me it was all part of the experience. I wasn't a girly girl but I did love getting dressed up for special occasions and this was definitely one of those times. I twirled in front of the mirror and tried to assess myself objectively. The colour really was striking and the fabric was clinging to all the right curves. The heels made my legs look longer which I needed being only five foot four. It was perfect. I handed over the credit card without any hesitation. We had lunch and gossiped about a new guy she was seeing. They had been spending a lot of time together. Laurel wasn't usually one to gush so I could tell she was happy which was all I cared about. We idled away the afternoon getting lost in a local department store, trying out new make-up and browsing all the clothes rails.
It was getting late when we headed over to Laurel's house to start my transformation. I was so excited I couldn't contain it any longer. "Laurel, I'm going to freak out- I'm so nervous. What if he decides he doesn't like me?"
"Look, he's not going to know what hit him when he looks at you. You're amazing, especially after what you've been through. I love that about you. But, I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't tell you to be careful. You know his reputation, and he has rubbed a lot of people up the wrong way. From what you have told me, it seems he feels something different with you. But please keep your head on straight and your eyes open whilst you are with him."
I looked down and sighed, "Yeah I know exactly what his reputation is like. Even my grandmother knows." Laurel frowned, "Julia? Why what did she say?"
"A whole lot of nothing really. Just that he wasn't any good for me. I could do better, blah blah blah. I don't know what she has against him."
Laurel shifted in her seat. We both knew my grandmother. She was happy-go-lucky and didn’t let much get her down. If she was warning me there had to be a reason for it. "Oh right, well, I would say listen to your gut. But make sure it doesn't get overruled by your heart. And anyway, it's a date, not marriage. Just have fun. But don't drink too much."
I laughed, "Yes mum." Laurel grabbed some vino and we giggled together as she did my hair and make-up. She evened out my skin with some light powder; added dark eye shadow and mascara to my eyes making them look sexy and smoky, and gave me a light slick of lip-gloss. My hair was naturally wavy but she gave the waves more definition and I kept it down around my shoulders. I slid on the silk lingerie I bought earlier that day and stepped into the blue dress. Laurel appeared in the doorway and whistled, "Girl, you look amazing! If he doesn't fall at your feet then he needs some sense knocking into him!" Confidence boost from best friend? Check. Purse, phone and keys? Check. The butterflies were flapping away and my stomach flipped as the doorbell chimed.

Chapter 8

He stood motionless on the porch. I could tell the moment he laid his eyes on me that his body stiffened and the muscles tensed. I watched his gaze leave my eyes and run their way down my body, all the way to my feet and back up just as slow. He didn't say a word, but the look on his face was enough, I knew he wanted me.
"Enjoying the view?" I smirked as I sailed past him gently swaying my hips. His eyes snapped to mine and a look of embarrassment crossed his face, he cleared his throat before speaking."Sorry I was just...You look amazing." Blake Richards was stuttering, well, well, well. "Thank you. You scrub up pretty well yourself." I smiled because that must have been the understatement of the century. He wore tan chinos and a long sleeved white shirt that clung to every muscle. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows which gave him a more casual look, and the top button was undone, revealing his chest again.
"I see I'm not the only one enjoying the view." His words snapped me back to a reality in which I was stood at the side of the road with my mouth hanging open. Not cool. I noted his arrogance was back though, which I loved. He flashed me a smile that made my knees wobble and opened the door for me. 'Your chariot m'lady." He bent over in a bow and tipped his imaginary hat. "Why thank you kind Sir," I joked nodding my head once in acknowledgement. No wonder the women loved him if this treatment was anything to go by.
We pulled up to a restaurant in the middle of town. There were only a few to choose from but this was definitely the most expensive. The valet was waiting outside to take the keys and Blake opened the restaurant door and ushered me in with his hand strategically placed on my lower back which had me biting my lip. It was loud with the buzz of people talking and laughing but as we made our way through the throng I saw women turn their heads to blatantly stare at him. I couldn't blame them, but it was still slightly unnerving.
"Have you noticed all your admirers in here tonight?" I asked as we browsed through the menu. He peeked over the top of his, then folded it and placed it back on the table. He steepled his fingers and rested his chin on top. "I could definitely say the same to you. There are men in here tonight that I should take a swing at for the inappropriate looks they were giving you as we walked in."
I shook my head with disbelief.
"It's true, you are the most beautiful woman in here tonight. The girls are probably just jealous of you."
"Yeah, they're jealous of me being with you."
He laughed, "Well aren't we a pair. Everyone wants to be us." The waiter took our food order and came back with drinks.
"So, I've spent the night with you, but I don't even know what you actually do. You have a nice house and a flashy car so it must be something that pays well?" I asked.
"I knew you were too good to be true. You just want me for my money."
I rolled my eyes and smiled.

“Okay, okay, serious conversation,' he chuckled. "My dad owns a large construction company and I manage it. Keeps me out of trouble." He lifted his shoulder in a shrug.
"Oh that must be nice, some father and son bonding time."
He snorted. "Yeah but he also works me twice as hard to prove to the staff that I actually earnt my way in to the position. But it has its perks. To be honest I don't see him all that much. I take care of the day to day stuff and he just makes his presence known every now and again."
"So, you're not close then?"

He looked down to pick up his knife and started buttering his bread roll. I could see he was thinking hard about something and when he finally spoke his voice was agitated and tight. "Not particularly."
I quickly recognised the bread buttering and short answers as a red light on the topic of family. "So what does Blake Richards do for fun? Apart from pick up girls. "
He winced, putting his hand over his chest, "Ouch - you know how to hit a guy where it hurts." Laughing, I picked up my glass and sipped some wine.
"Well, I have been known to kick a ball about. I play with a few mates each week and we train at the gym together too." I sat back and thought about Blake with his top off sweating it out at the gym, my mind was racing imagining the abs that must be under his shirt. He cleared his throat.
"Hmm?" I asked, moving my eyes from his chest to his eyes.
He chuckled, "I said, 'what about you?'" I sat forward again, heat flushing my cheeks, "Sorry. Well I'm an only child and my parents died in a car crash a few years ago so I don't have much to talk about there. Just me and my Gran now. And Laurel. I think of her as my sister." He put down his drink and paused for a moment. "What were they like? Your parents." The question knocked me sideways. I had never had to talk about them like that before, Dan was never that interested.
"They were great. Really supportive. My dad was a doctor and my mum worked in marketing. We did a lot of family stuff together. It kind of shattered my world when they died. I did not deal with it well. It was the reason I left, I just couldn't be here and see reminders of them every day. Not that I still don't think of them all the time, but it just felt too overwhelming to stay." The waiter took that moment to bring us our food and I had never been so happy to see a chicken Caesar salad. He was right. We did make quite a pair. Clearly we both had family drama we didn't want to share and I felt more connected to him because of it.
For the rest of the meal there was an unspoken understanding between us that the conversation never strayed to said family. We talked about everything; favourite colours, bands, food, films, TV shows, 'what if' situations. He had the funniest Simon Cowell impression I had ever heard, and I in turn impressed him with my Shawshank quotes. The best movie ever in my humble opinion. I frowned as the waiter subtly placed the bill on the table as he walked past. "Did you ask for that? I must have missed it."
"No, I think they just want us to leave, it’s getting kind of late." I glanced at my watch and realised we had been here for a few hours. "So it is. I'll just pop to the bathroom, and then we can go. Excuse me."
Touching up my make-up in the mirror, I thought back on the evening. It really couldn't have gone much better. He was funny, attentive and so damn sexy it should be illegal. I was busy smiling to myself and didn't hear the door open.
"You need to watch that one. No good will come of you getting close to him."
I lifted my eyes to see a middle aged woman staring through the mirror. I didn't understand what I was hearing though. She was attractive, considering her age, but Blake must have still been at least fifteen years younger than her. Had he slept with her too?
"Excuse me?" I kept my eyes on her as I asked, and watched as she moved forward. "He isn't a good person. And he'll end up hurting you. You look like you're the same age as my daughter. I wouldn't stand by and watch it happen to her. So I'm telling you now to warn you. What you do with this is up to you. But please, just be careful and if anything doesn't feel right, tell someone."
Anger was building up inside me, who did she think she was? I frowned and turned, "I'm grateful for whatever warning you think you are giving me, but I can take care of myself. And the last thing I need, or want, is a jealous woman sticking her nose in. So thanks, but I can deal myself." I grabbed my clutch from the edge of the sink and stormed out the door. I let it swing shut then leant back against it. I needed a few breaths to compose myself before I faced him again. I went back over what she said and could only put it down to his man-whore ways. I knew I would have to deal with a lot of jealousy after seeing Sindy and Barbie at the bar, but I thought it would be little slutty bitches who were my age, not middle-aged mothers. I clearly didn't expect his level of experience.
I shook my head and made a conscious effort to push the conversation to the back of my mind. The last thing I wanted was to become like a jealous girlfriend. The past was the past. All that mattered was the here and now. "Everything okay?" Blake asked as I joined him in the foyer. "Yes, great." I replied, plastering a smile on my face. "Let's go."
Tension filled the air as we drove back home. I had enjoyed our date so much more than I expected to and was slightly nervous as to how he thought the night would end. As much as I had prepared myself about what he was like in theory, in reality, I wasn't a one night stand kind of girl. Guys didn’t have to promise me forever, but they did need to at least want to see me again. Blake had already told me he wasn’t like that. And I saw it with Amber. I sneaked in a sideways glance at him humming along to the radio. The glow of oncoming traffic outside washed over his face, and I saw a slight smile forming on his lips. I quickly averted my eyes to look out the windscreen in front.
"Is there something you want to say or are you just going to stare at me until we get home? 'Cause I'm quite happy if that’s what you want to do?" He grinned and covered my hand in his. I looked out my window, relieved it was dark so he wouldn't notice the colour of my cheeks.
We passed the main street and turned left, which I knew would take us the longer way back to my Gran’s house. Before I had time to ask if he knew where he was going, he pulled over at the side of the road. "What are you doing?" I asked, slightly confused.
"I'm not ready to drop you home yet, get out and come with me."
I opened the car door and ran round the front to grasp his outstretched hand. He pulled me to his side and grinned down at me like a little kid who was about to open a Christmas present. We followed a gravel path through some trees and bushes and I was still none the wiser.
"Just what are you planning on doing with me out here in the woods? Not going to attack me are you?" I asked cautiously, only half-joking.
"Not unless you want me to," he replied, winking down at me. His grin made my stomach flutter.
We walked for a few more minutes before the trees started clearing and the cool breeze picked up. It was a warm evening but I was glad of my cardigan which I pulled tighter around my shoulders. I looked up and stopped suddenly as I took in the view in front of us. We were up high on a hill with the town outstretched and glistening below. It looked beautiful.
"This is where I come to think sometimes, just to get away from it all. It’s so peaceful. And I can get some perspective on my life. Like my problems are so insignificant because there are so many people down there going through worse. It’s always really humbling." I looked up to see his expression had softened and he was smiling at me.
He shifted so he was behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
"It's gorgeous. I never knew we had a view like this." I sighed and leant back against his hard chest, enjoying the feeling of warmth and protection I felt from being cocooned by him. After a few moments of silence he whispered in my ear. "I've really enjoyed tonight."
"Me too," I said, turning slightly and tilting my head back so I could look into his eyes. That moment right there was perfect and as I saw his lips moving slowly towards mine I shut my eyes and let myself fall completely into his kiss.
His arms tightened around me and his tongue probed gently at first, then harder as I opened my mouth up to him and felt him consume me. He sucked on my top lip and swirled his tongue over mine again. I turned in his arms; our mouths still joined, and ran my hands up and down his biceps that were flexing at my touch. I brought one up to grip his shoulders and let the other hand find his hair so I could run my fingers through it and hold him tight to me. Blake brought his hands around my back and pulled me closer against his body. He gripped me tightly and the tips of his fingers were leaving a trail of fire that was heating me down to the core.
He broke free of my mouth and I whimpered at the loss of contact but it didn't last long. He peppered small kisses across my jaw line and slowly down my neck causing me to shiver at how light his mouth felt against my skin. I arched up into him and turned my head to give him better access. His hands stilled and were gently caressing my hips.
"You're beautiful," he whispered, moving my hair back so he could cover the hollow between my neck and shoulder in little kisses. He sighed and rested his forehead against my shoulder.
"I'm going to have to stop now before you realise that I'm not much of a gentleman."
I pulled back and smiled. "Good plan. I don't want you to realise that I'm no lady." I caught his intake of breath before I winked and ran off towards the car, laughing. He followed hot on my heels and as we reached the road he caught me and grabbed my wrist. "Are you trying to drive me crazy?" He brought his hand up and pushed the loose hair that had dropped forward, back behind my ear.
He didn’t wait for my answer before crushing his lips against mine and once again I was consumed by his kiss. This time it was more passionate, and he lifted his hands to squeeze my backside and let out a pleased moan. I didn't have that much experience with guys but enough to know when they were turned on. And Blake was definitely turned on.
He broke away, panting. "We need to go now," he growled. His tone was serious but there was a sparkle of amusement in his eyes that put a grin on my face.