Weekend with the Tycoon (12 page)

“We could just make a run for it,” he whispered in her ear.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

He stopped walking right on the threshold. “Try me.”

Samantha looked at his expression, and he could tell she was uncertain.

“Blake, it’s your sister’s wedding weekend. It’s why we’re here.”

She squeezed his hand and then let him go.

*

As they walked
into the grand dining room – and it was grand, bigger than any room Samantha had ever had dined in before, including restaurants – all she could feel, all she could sense was the pressure of Blake’s hand on the small of her back. It made her feel cared for, a part of something, and she hadn’t felt like that in a long time, but what did he mean, forget the business deal. Did he expect her to quit her job now and date him? Is that what he thought?

She squared her shoulders. She wanted to whirl around and demand an answer right now, but Avery smiled and waved at her, and then said something to her fiancé, who then looked at them.

She smiled back. She’d get through the dinner somehow and then before she’d get lost in his kisses, she wanted to know exactly what Blake was thinking.

She didn’t trust herself with words, so she simply smiled at his entire family as they entered the room. The warmth of his hand, which had now settled on her waist, seemed to ignite a fire that flared through her blood stream. He was touching her in front of his entire family and the wedding party. That must mean something, but Samantha couldn’t analyze anything anymore as her attention was focused on imagining Blake’s chest without his dress shirt. She was fueled by lust and longing. She turned to look at Blake, wearing a perfectly fitted European cut suit, navy blue, white shirt, navy tie with tiny light blue dots – she realized suddenly, his tie perfectly matched her dress. She imagined his broad shoulders, his perfect six-pack—

“Hello you two,” Blake’s dad said, interrupting her fantasy.

“Hello Mr. Putnam,” Samantha said, giving Blake’s dad a kiss on the cheek.

“Tonight you two are split up, I’m afraid. But no worries, this evening should be over in a couple of hours,” Mr. Putnam said, extending his arm. “Samantha, allow me to escort you to your table.”

Blake shot a look at Samantha, and she could tell he was about to say something, but she jumped in.

“That’s fine. That’s how it should be. I’m sure there is a table for family, Blake,” Samantha said, squeezing his hand. She felt him relax, just by reassuring him that she would be ok.

“Yes, of course,” Blake said. “Thank you, Dad.” Blake motioned for his dad and Samantha to go ahead of him, and he shot Samantha a knowing grin.

Samantha was sure Blake’s dad could tell how attracted she was to his son, that her excitement, and anticipation, was obvious to everybody in the room. But she focused on small talk as Richard Putnam escorted her to a table filled with “the others”, non-family members including, unfortunately, Mark’s brother, Max, whom Samantha was seated beside.

“Here you are dear,” Richard Putnam said, pulling out her chair for her. The dining room was gorgeous, filled with red and white roses, exquisite candelabras, china place settings ringed with silver and white, crystal stemware and silver flatware all sparkling in the dim light. Everything was perfect, except for the fact that she would have to endure Max with his caustic comments about Blake coupled with his intense flirting.

“Thank you so much, Richard,” Samantha said giving Blake’s dad a hug as he deposited her at her seat while subtly moving her chair away from Max. She knew Blake would be furious about who she was sitting next to, but would he hold it against her again?

“Well, look who’s here,” Max said, his speech already slurred by the cocktails at the reception. “Miss Icy Hot, that’s who.”

Samantha couldn’t decide what to say to him, realizing the best response would be to ignore him. Instead she looked around the large circular table and smiled at all the other “others”. Unfortunately, Shelby was seated at the next table over, another table of others. She’d hoped the younger girl would carry the conversation. From the looks of her own table, Samantha looked to be the one who was expected to carry the conversation at this one.

First, she’d need to put Max in his place.

“Look Max, you’re a great guy, I’m sure,” Samantha said, as soon as Max and his entire body began to lean toward her. “But I’m here with Blake. I know you want to respect that. Blake is Avery’s brother, soon to be your in-law.”

“Look Sam,” Max said, still slurring his words. “I’m nothing to the Putnams and neither are you. You might think Blake likes you, but he’s just using you. That guy doesn’t “like” anybody, not even his own family. Ask them.”

The room rang out with the clinking of forks on crystal, and the words “toast” “a toast”.

Samantha tried to turn in her chair, to face the front of the room where Avery and her wedding party were seated, trying to turn her back on Max, trying to block out the words ringing in her ears. She knew how Blake felt, she’d experienced the passion of their embrace. She knew Blake wanted to end up in bed with her, and she wanted the same thing and more. The more part, well, that’s what Max was trying to make her doubt. Even as she could feel him leaning towards her, even as she felt his breath on her back, she forced herself to ignore him and listened to the toast.

“To Avery and Mark, may they enjoy the best of everything!” Denton said, his broad smile lighting up the front of the room. Samantha glanced over to the table next to her and watched as Shelby beamed. Those two were cute together, she thought. She wondered what people thought of her and Blake. They all knew she was seven years his junior, and that she worked for him. She hoped they didn’t hold it against her.

She realized she was thinking about Blake as if they were in a relationship, not on a make-believe weekend.

Blake stood to offer a toast, and Samantha felt his eyes connect with hers from across the room. “A toast, to my favorite sister, Avery. I hope you find happiness and a lifelong connection. Some relationships, no matter how they begin, are simply meant to be.”

Samantha felt his words inside her body, as if he was whispering into her ear, not projecting his toast across three tables.

“Mark, you know our family had our early doubts about you.” Blake said, pausing as uncomfortable laughter erupted in the room. “But you make Avery happy and as long as you continue to do that, the Putnams welcome you into our family. Cheers.”

“Asshole,” Max said, loud enough for Samantha’s entire table, and the adjoining table to hear.

“Max,” Samantha said, turning to glare at him. “That was a wonderful toast.”

Before she knew what was happening, Max was clinging his wine glass with his desert spoon.

“I’d like to follow that warm toast with one of my own,” Max slurred, standing up, almost spilling his half-empty glass of red wine on Samantha’s head. “When my brother started getting serious about a Putnam, I told him he was crazy. That family will eat you alive, I said. But Avery’s a nice enough girl, so what’s a guy to do? It’s hard to find that, right Samantha? A real man who isn’t just using you for a date? Well, cheers and good luck to the couple or couples!”

Samantha dropped her head, staring at her food. This was humiliating, she thought, unsure of what to say or do. She was sure of one thing, “You’re awful, Max,” she said in a low voice.

“What did you say Miss Icy Hot?” Max leered at her. “At least I’m not an asshole, I’m the only non-asshole here. In fact, you are an asshole, too. A gold digging asshole.”

The ugliness of Max’s words were sinking in, her humiliation deepened. She wanted to leave, but wasn’t sure she could make her legs do it. Blake bore down on the table. Samantha sighed in relief that he wasn’t just abandoning her.

Blake grabbed Max by both lapels, holding his face close to his own.

“You don’t talk to Sam that way. You don’t know her. You never will. You don’t know me or my family.”

Max struggled, then Blake released him. Max threw an awkward punch, but Blake countered and sent Max soaring backwards, where he sprawled on the plush dining room carpet. Blake leaned over him.

“Don’t insult Samantha and don’t try to strike at me with an insulting toast at my sister’s wedding. Get out or I’ll throw you out.”

Max sat up and sneered.

“You think you’re so…,”

Blake reached down to grab Max again, but both Denton and James were at his side, restraining him. “That’s enough Blake,” Denton said. “You made your point.”

“Get out of here, Max,” Denton said. “For good, or you’ll be dealing with all three of us.” And the three brothers stood together as Max, holding his face, hurried out of the room.

At the front table, Richard Putnam clinked his glass and said, “Please, everyone, this is my daughter and Mark’s evening. Let’s not allow this incident to ruin anything. Carry on.”

James and Denton walked back to the front as Blake took Max’s seat next to Samantha. Her head was in her hands, shame and shock mingled together. She noticed the sound of dinner party chatter was returning to the room. And then she felt him next to her, her body responded immediately, feeling better simply by his nearness.

“Sam, it’s ok,” Blake said in a low voice, his head next to hers.

His hand smoothed over her back.

“Please, Sam look at me.”

She dropped her hands from her face and stared into his blue eyes. She could see his jaw was tense with worry. He ran his thumbs along her cheekbone.

“Max has always disliked me. We knew each other in school. I’m sorry it spilled over to you.”

She caught his right hand and kissed his knuckles.

“Do they hurt?”

“A little,” he said ruefully. “Out of practice.”

Her eyes filled with tears, tears she didn’t want to spill in public, not during Avery’s special night.

“Come on,” Blake said, pulling her to standing and then tucking her into him, folding her tightly into his side. She could feel his powerful bicep holding them together.

Together they walked through the impressive foyer and out into the beautiful Low Country night, full moon twinkling off the calm waters of the sound, the red and white striped lighthouse of Hilton Head Island visible in the distance.

Samantha had dried her tears with Blake’s handkerchief. They stood side by side on the wrap around porch, simply breathing in the night air, each of them lost in thought. There were words, possibly hard words to hear, but words that had to be said.

“B
lake,” Samantha spoke,
knowing the words had to be said. “What did you mean the deal’s off?”

“What?” He sounded far away.

“In the library. You said the deal was off. Did you mean that if you and I have a…,” Samantha broke off because he hadn’t offered a relationship had he?

“If we,” she took a deep breath. She was an adult. She wanted to try for a relationship with Blake and keep her career at Blake Genetics. She had to be able to stand up for herself.

“You said you wanted me. Is that for just tonight on the island, or did you want to date, see where it goes?”

She had his attention now.

“Why would you think I would sleep with you only once?”

His hands were on her shoulders. He smiled.

“You have seriously underestimated your power over me.”

“But what about the merger talks and my job? If we date, you don’t expect me to leave Blake Genetics.”

“No.”

“But?”

“But nothing. It might be awkward sometimes, but we’ll deal with anything like that together. I knew I was right to pull your file. I picked you over Marlene’s first choice. I knew I shouldn’t give in to my impulse, but there was something about you,” he shook his head and smiled, self-deprecating. “There is something about you. I couldn’t…I can’t resist.”

Samantha stood on her tip toes.

“Then don’t.”

*

Blake stared down
into her gorgeous, expressive eyes. Next to him on the porch, stood a woman different from any woman he’d ever known. She was smart, independent, an asset to his business, a history buff, and gorgeous. Everything he’d given up trying to find. He could even imagine letting her into his tightly guarded, very controlled life. He wanted that, he realized. He wanted her to change his life.