Sweet Seduction (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (6 page)

“Here comes trouble.”  Mary put up her arms just in
time to ward off a kiss from a big bundle of energy.  “Down, boy, down,” she
yelled with a laugh then gave him a pat on the rump that made him hop away.

Luckily, probably startled by the commotion, some
birds in the bushes at the other end of the garden raised their voices in
strident complaint at the disturbance of their quiet evening.  That grabbed
Luther’s attention and he took off barking, leaving the two women in peace for
the moment.

“Now,” Mary said with a sigh of relief at the
temporary respite, “what’s on your mind?”

Sam snapped off a blade of grass and twirled it
between index finger and thumb.  Where to begin?  She stared at the thin green
leaf, almost as if it held the key to the mysteries of life, then she tossed it
away.  Might as well plunge in head first.

“Mom, what would you do if you found yourself falling
for a man who could not let go of a past relationship?”

Mary’s eyes narrowed.  “Are you talking about Frank
Richards?  I had a feeling he was fishing around but I warn you now, stay away
from that man.  He may tell you he’s divorced but he’s not.  The nerve of him,
flirting with women all around town when he knows-”

“Mom, it’s not Frank.”  Sam cut in quickly. Once her mother
got started it was a hell of a task to rein her in, especially when she had a
notion stuck in her head.  “It’s…a man.”

“Of course it’s a man, Sam.”

“I mean a real man, not a braggart like Frank Richards."

Mary nodded.  “Keep going.”

“He’s…different from any man I’ve ever met.  So
powerful and yet so humble.”

Mary gave her a thoughtful look.  “Interesting so far,
but what’s this about a past relationship?”

Sam plucked another blade of grass and gave a deep
sigh.  “He lost his wife three years ago but you can see he’s never really said
goodbye.”

“He’s a widower?”

“Mm-hmm.”  Sam nodded, her mood solemn.  “And it’s
like he’s determined to play the part to the letter.”  Slowly, she shook her
head.  "It’s strange but from the first day I met him I was drawn to him. 
He seemed strong and confident but then there was this air of sadness that made
me feel I needed to be there for him.”

“Oh, Sam, forever intent on saving the world,” Mary
tsked.  “You know that was always your downfall, don’t you?  Even with that
slime, Garrick Sutherland the third.” 

“Let’s not bring him up, Mom.  He’s not worth
discussing.”  Sam dropped her eyes and plucked a third blade of grass.  She
didn’t want to think about the fact that Garrick had dumped her because she
wasn’t good enough.  Hmm – plumber or attorney-at-law, which to chose?  His
choice had been pretty easy and she’d found herself out of his life, thrown out
on her butt, in the blink of an eye.  The weird thing was, he’d known all along
what she did for a living.  She must have bewitched him somehow and it had
taken him a while to realize he could do a whole lot better than her.  The
jerk.

And now that her mother had brought him up it pulled
into sharp focus the question that had been nagging her all along.  If she
hadn’t been good enough for her ex-fiancé, how in the world would she have any
hope with a man who could buy Garrick a hundred times over?

“I’m sorry, darling,” Mary said, breaking into her
thoughts.  “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.  I just don’t want you to
get hurt, that’s all.”  Then she touched Sam’s arm.  “Sounds like this man made
a big impact.  So who is he?”

“Sorry, Mom, can’t tell you.”  She was not about to
give up that piece of information.  “All I want to know is, do you think I’d be
stupid to give him a hint of how I feel, or should I just leave it alone?  I
mean, if he’s still grieving-”

“No, dear, don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?”

“Don’t back away.  Your heart has spoken and whoever
he is, it wants this man.  I think you should give it a chance, let him know
how you feel.”  She shrugged.  “You never know.  It may just be what he needs. 
Maybe you’ll be doing him a favor.”

“You mean, I should tell him?”  Sam frowned, not
liking the idea very much.

“Sometimes actions speak louder than words, honey. 
There are a lot of ways to get your message across.”

Sam bit her lip, still doubtful.

Seeing her hesitation, Mary pushed harder.  “Come on,
Sam.  Give yourself a chance.  If he’s as good a man as you say he is then he
might just be worth the effort.  Remember,” she said with a lift of the
eyebrows, “you’re not getting any younger.  Before you know it you’ll be
thirty-five and then forty.  And what about children?”

“Mom, I don’t-”

“No, hear me out.”  Mary put up her hand.  “Just test
the water.  See how he feels about you.  Nothing tried, nothing won.”

Sam heaved a sigh.  “I know, it’s just…hard to compete
with a beloved memory.  And she was so beautiful…”

“I’m not saying it won’t be a challenge,” Mary
stretched her legs out in front of her and leaned back on her elbows, “but I’m
sure you’re up to it.  Coax him out of his shell.  Use your womanly charms.”

“Are you saying I should seduce him?”  Sam gave her a
crooked smile.

“Yes,” Mary said with a devilish grin, “softly and
sweetly.  He won’t know what hit him.”

Sam laughed out loud.  “Mom, you’re wicked.”

“Only when it matters,” Mary said as she joined in the
laughter.

Sam relaxed and then she lay back in the grass, folded
her arms behind her head, and stared up at the green canopy of leaves through
which she could see patches of blue sky.  Yes, she would take her mother's
advice.  It actually made sense.

And as she thought about it a plan began to form in
her mind.

******

Long, blonde hair blowing in the
wind, she reached out a hand and stroked his jaw as he angled the boat toward
the shore.  She had such soft hands.  He never tired of her touch.

That day on the lake had been one of the happiest of
his life, a celebration of his fifth book hitting the New York Times Best
Seller List.  Little did he know it would be his last with Jessica.  That same
evening tragedy struck, changing his life forever.

Jake shook his head, snapping out of his reverie.  He
had to stay alert.  He had another sixty miles to go before he arrived at his
parents’ house in Long Island.  He also had to use the rest of the journey to
work on lightening his mood.  He would be spending a week with them,
celebrating his Dad’s seventieth birthday in two days.  He had no intention of
dampening the mood with his long face.

When he finally turned onto the driveway of his
parents’ home of over forty years, he was ready.  Coming back home to Long
Island had been difficult.  This was where he and Jessica had gone to high
school, where they’d come back after college to get married, where they’d planned
to settle down and start a family.  Instead, it was where his wife had met her
untimely death.  At his hands.

Stop it, Jake.  Stop thinking about
it.  Focus on Pop’s birthday and nothing else.

He switched off the engine and climbed out of the car
then got his bag from the trunk.  He still had his front door key but he would
ring the bell anyway, let them know he’d arrived.  He didn’t even get the
chance to press the button.  As soon as he stepped onto the front porch the
door flew open and his mother stood there, eyes crinkled in a broad smile. 
“Jake,” she said, throwing her arms wide, “come give your mom a hug.  It’s been
so long.”  And as he stepped into her embrace her face crumpled and a small sob
escaped her lips.

“It’s okay, Mom,” he whispered.  “I’m here now.”  Yes,
it had been long.  Too long.  This was only his second visit to Long Island
since he’d moved to the house in Tonawanda.  Before that, he’d been in Boston
and Connecticut.  Anywhere but Long Island.

Today, though, he was home and he’d do everything in
his power to make his family happy, even if that meant suppressing his pain and
putting on a brave face.

“Now,” he said as he gently lifted his mother’s face
from his shoulder, “where’s the birthday boy?”

After falling into a deep sleep that night, the result
of his exhaustion, Jake spent a pleasant day with his parents, followed the
next day by a small gathering of close friends to celebrate his father's
seventh decade.  It was good to be back among the living.  He’d cut himself off
from the world for so long he’d forgotten the simple joy of conversation.  He
was surprised at how relaxed he felt.  For the first time in a long time he was
happy to be home.

The following day was not quite so easy.  This was the
day he planned to pay a visit to Jessica’s parents.  Mitch and Ellen Bloom
lived less than half an hour’s drive away and there was no way he could come to
Long

Island and not see them.  As hard as it was, it was
the right thing to do.

Ellen was out in the garden when he arrived.  She immediately
came to greet him, giving him a bear hug as soon as he stepped out of the car. 
Then she stepped back and looked up into his face with sharp, questioning
eyes.  “You look thin, Jake.”  She frowned.  “Have you been taking care of
yourself?”

He gave her a halfhearted smile.  The consummate
mother hen, Ellen always knew when things weren’t quite right.  “I’m fine,” he
told her.

She stared up at him for a few seconds longer, seeming
unconvinced, then she took his hands in hers.  “Come on.  Let’s go inside. 
Mitch is waiting for you.”

Mitch greeted Jake just as warmly as Ellen had.  Not
that he’d expected anything different.  The Blooms had been like second parents
to him from the time he and Jessica were dating until they got married and
beyond.  Even after Jessica’s death they showed him no resentment but continued
to welcome him into their home.

“Don’t blame yourself,” they’d told him.  “It was an
accident.  She’s with God now.”

They seemed to have taken it better than he had.  Of
course they would.  They’d had no hand in her death so there was no reason for
them to be racked with guilt.  For him, though, it was another matter.

“You’ll stay for dinner, won’t you?”  Ellen was
saying.

Jake nodded automatically.  What was the point in
saying no?  Ellen would only nag him until she wore him down and he ended up
staying anyway.  This time he decided to avoid the torture and just give in
right away.

As he walked through the house he kept his face
emotionless but he was feeling anything but.  There were so many things there
that screamed Jessica – the old piano where she used to perch on the stool and
play him her favorite love songs, the painting they’d picked out together for
her mother’s sixtieth birthday, and the old photo album that still sat on the
coffee table.  He’d flipped through it so many times, laughing at photos of
Jessica in diapers, Jessica clutching her blankie on her first day of preschool,
Jessica at her high school graduation.  Now, instead of joy and laughter, the
sight of the album only brought him pain.

Jake spent the next five hours with Ellen and Mitch
and although it got a little easier as time passed it was with relief that he
finally said goodbye and headed for home.

As he drove, the image of Jessica’s smiling face
filled his mind then the vision morphed into a soft heart-shaped face framed
with long, dark hair.  Sam.  What the devil?  He’d just been grieving for
Jessica and in the middle of it his thoughts darted off to another woman.  God,
he was sick.  How could his mind be consumed with both women at the same time?

One thing he knew, to preserve his sanity he would
have to do his best to resist Samantha Fox and her feminine charms.  He needed
to continue seeing her to complete the renovation project but from here on it
would be strictly business.

CHAPTER FIVE

Cream, peach and a slash of burnt orange.  That was
the color scheme Sam selected for Jake’s music room.  Now that he was back from
his trip she could move forward with the project.  The living room, dining room
and den had already been completed and now she was anxious to tackle her
favorite room of them all.

She’d been a bit put off by Jake’s tone when she’d
called to tell him she was coming.  He’d dampened her excitement when he
answered her in a bored tone, sounding almost distant.  But then she perked
up.  When he saw the fabric she had selected he would sing a different tune. 
The music room was going to be a beauty.  And then, when she’d got him in a
good mood, she would execute Plan B.

As she’d done once before, Sam abandoned the boots,
jeans and work shirt in favor of a light cotton dress with flared skirt, its
pinched-in waist giving her the appearance of a curvaceous figure. She’d let
hair fall loose down her back just the way he liked it and had applied her
make-up carefully but not heavily to give her a natural, unaffected look.  She’d
even gone and had her eyebrows waxed which had the effect of making her eyes
stand out in all their deep-brown glory.  If Jake McKoy hadn’t noticed her
before, today he most certainly would.