Beauty And The Suit

“You’re famous.”

I tossed my purse and slid into the booth across from my best friend. “Oh yeah?” I asked, taking the coffee that waited on me. “Is it a good picture this time?”

She chuckled over her bagel and pushed the Savannah Tribune newspaper toward me. In the photo, I held my drink in one hand above my head, the other one laced into the guy’s hair dancing behind me.

'Princess of the Henry’s Hunting World empire partied until sunrise last Saturday night.'

I shook my head. “So this is why my mother’s been callin’ me all morning.”

Frankie lifted a dark brow. “You’ll have to talk to her eventually. Friday night dinner is coming up.”

I pretended to gag. “Don’t remind me. Let’s not talk about my family. How’s everything going with you?”

She shrugged, her eyes skated down to her drink. “It’s good.”

“How about the truth this time? How’s it going with Jeremy?”

A small smile curled at the corner of her mouth. “We went out Saturday.”

I spread the strawberry jelly onto my bagel. “Ah, that’s why I received an ‘I’m busy’ text, right? Didn’t he want to talk to you about something? What was it?”

She bit her lower lip, and her eyes cast down to her hand resting on the table. I knew without looking what it was. And I knew why she waited to tell me. She’d been trying to hide her happiness from me for over a year. We’d been best friends since elementary; she used to tell me everything.

It tore me apart. Just because I couldn’t make a relationship work, and part of me didn’t want to make it work, she felt she needed to hide her joy. It wasn’t a secret that the notches on my belt had grown in the last few years. I wasn’t proud of being easy; I just needed to fill something I lacked on the inside. The side of me that craved affection had taken over when I was twenty-two. Three years ago. And it was slowly eating me alive.

After Ryder died. After my entire world went up in flames. My parents blamed me; I know they did. Because it was my fault. My eyes briefly dropped to the infinity tattoo etched into the inside of my wrist, but I pushed it aside and looked up into Frankie’s dark eyes.

“You’re engaged, Frankie?”

Frankie’s eyes lowered, and it hit my gut. She deserved to be happy. “Frankie, I’m so excited for you. You know that I want you to be happy, right? This is fantastic news.”

Frankie licked her lips and leaned forward to grab my hands. I admired her almond shaped eyes and the beautiful tan color of her skin. Her grandmother was Native American, and it showed. “It won’t change things. We’ll still be able to hang out.”

She meant she’ll still be there for my breakdowns after a guy disappeared again. “Frankie,” I whispered, leaning forward. “You’re my best friend. I know that’ll never change. Now tell me how he proposed.”

Her face lit up. “He took me to the first place we met. The party down at the lake, remember?”

I did. I’d been so drunk when Frankie said the cops were coming. She told me about Jeremy on the way home while she stopped numerous times to hold my hair back. “Of course. So, am I going to be your maid of honor or what?”

She squealed. “Will you be? I wanted to do something cute, like send you a cupcake and a card. You know, don’t people do that? But you called me out on it before I got the chance.”

I giggled. “Who cares? The cupcake would only go straight to my thighs. We’ve got to plan the best wedding ever!”

She nodded. “I know, and I can’t think of a better person to help me.”

All the joy on her face made me smile. Even though a nagging voice in the back of my head taunted me. You’ll never have that. I wanted Frankie to be happy even more.

I grinned. “Me?”

She nodded. “You.”

Our waitress refilled our coffees, drawing my attention to two older women staring at me from the bar. If anyone tells you that southern people mind their own business, they’re a dirty liar. They weren’t doing a good job of hiding their nasty sneers, but I guess they never meant to hide them.

I flipped one of them the bird, then commotion caught my attention from the front entrance. The guy from the newspaper charged toward me. The guy I’d drank and danced with all Saturday night. The guy I’d been underneath the following morning. By the angry scowl on his face, I figured the euphoria or alcohol, whichever you prefer, had worn off.

He slammed the newspaper down on the table, rattling our coffee cups. “Get this out of the news,” he whispered, his southern accent stronger than I remembered.

I sat back in my seat. “Get out of my face. I can’t make them take it out. Unfortunately, it’s news in this town,” I whispered.

He gave me a cruel smile. “Everyone knows your daddy gets stuff done around here. Now I advise you to call him and get it reprinted and all the other ones burned.”

“Look, my dad can’t fix this. It’s out. Everyone knows. There is no way someone can get rid of all the newspapers. They’ve been distributed, moron. And even if he could get it reprinted, everyone’s already seen it.”

The angry scowl was back. I couldn’t even see why I’d gone home with him anymore. But I guess alcohol has its way of masking the things we didn’t want to see. “My mother can’t find out I slept with the town’s slut, Shelby. She’d die of a heart attack.”

My heart sank into my stomach. I’d heard it before, but never like this. Embarrassment flooded me, and breathing seemed to be the only thing I could do. Despite the growing ache in my stomach, I forced a smile at him.

“Get out of here,” Frankie snapped. “Or I’ll get you kicked out. Maybe that’ll give the newspapers something new to talk about.”

Aaron gritted his teeth but seemed to notice that we’d caused a scene. “I’m dead because of you.”

I shrugged. “It takes two to tango, kid.”

“You’d know.”

My heart raced as I watched him stalk away. I was humiliated. Frankie grabbed my shoulder and tossed down a twenty. “Come on. Don’t you need to get to your office?”

She knew I wanted to leave. Everyone probably knew I wanted to leave. I nodded, grabbed my purse and let Frankie whisk me to safety. Tears had coated my cheeks by the time I got to my car. A snotty nose cry lingered close by waiting for its turn to break me down.

“I took the bus this morning. Let me drive you.”

Wiping the tears from my face, I smiled over at her. “Why didn’t you call me to pick you up? You know I hate when you use the bus.”

She brushed her black hair from her shoulder. “I can protect myself, Shelbs.”

I held my hands up in surrender. “Of course. But it’s gross. All those germs.”

She smiled. “Let me drive you to your office. My house is only two blocks from there.”

The wind blew against my face, and I felt how tight my cheeks were from my tears. God, I must look ridiculous. “I’m fine, but okay. At least you won’t have to take the bus.”

Frankie drove me the few blocks to the small art gallery on Pecan St. I’d stared into the building for weeks before Mr. Scott asked if I’d like to come in. I refused. My parents had told me art wouldn’t get me where I needed to be in life. That didn’t stop me from drawing or painting at school. I loved it.

If anyone said they saw me in the art gallery, I’d be harassed by my mother about it. And she’s one stubborn bitch, emphasis on the bitch.

After six weeks of window shopping between classes, I finally went inside. Screw my parents, right? They couldn’t tell me what to do with the only life I’ll ever have. Mr. Scott stood at the front desk when I walked in. That one step into his gallery had turned my world around. He’d showed me around the shop, and asked if I painted. When I showed him the painting I’d snuck out of the house, he’d offered me a job teaching one of his beginner classes on Saturday mornings.

That had been two years ago. Now I taught four classes a week, and was Mr. Scott’s right-hand woman. My parents knew about it. I announced at family dinner that I’d changed my major. You would have thought I’d told them I couldn’t have children. “Here we are,” Frankie said.

I sighed as I got out of the car. “Thanks, Frankie. I’ll be here for the rest of the day if you need me.”

She frowned and handed me my keys. “Okay. I’m really sorry about earlier. Aaron’s a jerk.”

Yeah, he was. But that didn’t change the fact that I’d slept with him. Or that he’d call me a slut in front of the entire coffee house. “I know. I’m okay, swear.”

Frankie didn’t believe me; I saw it in her eyes. I’d ruined her telling me about her engagement because a guy was ashamed he’d slept with me. Vomit rose in my throat. “I’m sorry about ruining your big news.”

Frankie wrapped her arms around me. “Nope,” she whispered. “No more sadness. Why don’t we go out Friday night after your family dinner?”

“You need to spend time with Jeremy.”

Frankie rolled her eyes. “Whatever. You’re blowin’ me off. I’ll pick you up at seven. Be ready.”

She didn’t give me time to answer before she started home. I walked into the gallery and found Mr. Scott leaning over the counter with his eyes at half-mast.

“Someone stayed up watching Sons of Anarchy on Hulu.”

His big belly wiggled when he laughed. He always reminded me of a typical seventies dad. Big brown glasses, child molester mustache, and yellow stripped shirts. There was nothing stylish about Mr. Scott, but the son-of-a-gun knew about art. I loved every one of his Hawaiian shirts. “You know me too well, Shelby. You’re a little early. Gonna get some work finished on your latest?”

I nodded. “Yes, sir. That’s what I planned to do. Whenever the class gets here, just send them on down.”

“No problem.”

****

I knew my mother stood behind me before she spoke. The smell of her Chanel perfume attacked the room like an airborne disease.

There was no way Mr. Scott let her in, so I assumed she slithered in when he wasn’t looking. “I never did understand how this was considered art, but who asked me?”

“Right, who asked you?” I asked without turning around.

The dark swirls of grey and black weren’t something I expected her to understand. That would have meant she tried. It didn’t take a psychiatrist to figure out that she didn’t care about my art—or me.

Something crashed behind me, and I spun around to see my stapler on the floor. Mother grinned over at me. Think southern debutante meets step ford wife, and you’ve got my mother. Perfect blonde hair, a million-dollar smile and a perfectly ironed dress every day. Like every single day.

“So mature of you,” I said. “What are you doin’ here? I thought we made it clear that neither of us wants you down here.”

She slammed the newspaper down on my desk. Wow, that had happened twice today already. “So what?”

“You know what, you selfish girl.” She shook her head. “Your dad’s reputation is only going to go downhill from here. Can you not think about anyone other than yourself?”

I gritted my teeth. “I went out to have a good time, Mother. It’s a picture. At least my clothes are on.”

She scoffed. “Hardly.”

The skirt was short, and the shirt low-cut. I was sure she’d seen worse. “It doesn’t matter. You need to leave.”

“Shelby,” she whispered, shaking her head. “You’re never gonna change, are you? You’ll never find a husband if you keep up your track record. It’s nasty and trashy. You’re neither of those things. Now stop before you’re cut out of the will.”

A laugh slipped from my mouth. I felt so lost in a room with the person that brought me into the world. The person who raised me. “I don’t give a rat’s ass about the will. I don’t care about hunting supplies, or the family business.”

“You’ve made it evidently clear, my darling.” She straightened her shoulders and watched me with lifeless eyes. “Shelby you’re embarrassing our entire family.”

I turned my head to the side. “That’s impossible. I haven’t been part of the family for three years.”

Mother’s face morphed into anger. I knew she had the same image in her head as I did. An image of Ryder. But while the image made me sad, it made her mad. “I’ve had it up to here.” She tossed her hand up to her forehead. “You’re gonna regret acting this way.”

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway and stopped my tears from falling. “My class is here; you need to leave.”

I listened to the sound of her heels click against the tile. “I don’t have many choices left, Shelby.”

I didn’t response.

“I hope you’re happy,” she snapped. “Because you won’t be for long.”

“I am.”

But we both knew I wasn’t.

“You need to get out, brother.”

I didn’t look up from my computer, but I smirked. “Oh really? Do I need to get out or are we really talkin’ about you?”

He chuckled and kicked my office door shut behind him. “Isn’t it possible that I could be talking about both of us?”

Shutting my laptop, I leaned backward in my chair, propping my feet on my desk. Asher took a seat across from me. “It’s possible, but let’s get real here, it’s been an entire week since Asher Jenkins sunk into a woman. That’s what this is really about, right?”

He rolled his eyes. “And even longer since you have. Why not start enjoying living in a town full of college-aged, southern beauties? That’s all I’m sayin.’”

I eyed the paperwork on my desk; a guilty weight landed on my shoulders. I would never get anywhere ignoring my work. The promise that I'd made to myself wouldn’t fulfill itself. Going public was tough and if I didn’t do it no one would. “Because we have an empire to build, that’s why.”

He furrowed his dark brow that matched my own. “Cash, we’re rich. We founded the biggest deer stand business in Georgia.”

We had. All those years in college, living in a one-room apartment and eating Ramen every night had paid off. But why stop? Going public had been my dream since we first started this business. I had fought so hard for it, and I’d be damned if anything stood in my way. “We can do bigger things, Asher. You’d do good to realize that.”

Asher shook his head. He never shared the dream of being a bigger business. Asher was happy with his life the way it was. “Whatever. So, you want to go out Friday, or not?”

My receptionist gently knocked on my door, and I motioned her in. Maybe she’d direct Asher’s attention from trying to get me to go out with him. She was new and had a bad habit of not looking me in the eye, but she was Asher’s type, a woman. “There is a Mrs. Henry here to see you.”

I cleared my throat as I checked my schedule. “Why isn’t it in my appointments, or memos then?”

Her cheeks flushed then she noticed Asher staring at her like a starving animal, and she lowered her head. “Asher,” I snapped.

He winked her way before turning around with his hands up in surrender. “It’s not scheduled,” she whispered. “She says she’s from Henry’s Hunting World. She’s here to talk to you about the sponsorship you’ve been trying to get.”

Asher’s brows rose to his hairline. “You’re kidding’ me?” he mouthed.

“Thank you, Katy. Send her in. In about five minutes bring some coffee to Mrs. Henry.”

She left with a nod.

“Holy—” Asher said. “We’ve been trying to get in touch with them for over a year. What changed?”

“I sent an e-mail to their office last week but I didn’t hear back,” I said. “I guess this is our hearing back.” I knew this was a chance of a lifetime. To have the biggest hunting supply store offer us a sponsorship was the riches of riches. We’d make bank with them sponsoring us.

Mrs. Henry entered a few seconds later, and I stood to offer her my hand. I’d seen plenty of pictures of her. Her face littered southern magazines, newspapers, and all social media. She looked like she’d been a heart-stopper in her youth.

“Hello, Mrs. Henry. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Cash Jenkins, and this is my brother Asher.”

She took my brother’s hand and mine before she sat down. It didn’t take long to realize she was uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure why, but she looked nervous as hell. “How can I help you today, Mrs. Henry?”

Clearing her throat, she locked eyes with me. “I’m here about the sponsorship you’re wanting to negotiate. I was informed about your email earlier this morning.”

Asher eyed me. “So, are you interested?” he asked.

She dropped her gaze. “I’m goin’ to get straight to the point. I have a proposition for you, Mr. Jenkins. And it’s going to sound crazy. Probably insane. But I did some digging on you after I read your latest message and you’re perfect,” she said.

I lifted a brow. “You sound like you want me to sell my soul, Mrs. Henry.”

She laughed nervously while crossing her legs. “Nothing that serious. I see you’re not dating anyone at the moment, correct?”

Asher laughed under a cough. I knew she probably didn’t mean for her, but I had to make sure. “Are you asking me out, Mrs. Henry? I don’t think I want to piss off the man thinking about giving me a sponsorship.”

She smiled. “Not me, boy. My daughter, Shelby. I want you to date her.”

What? The water I clutched almost slipped from my grasp. “What the,—” I shook my head. “You mean pretend to date your daughter? I think that I’ve read this line before, and it doesn’t turn out well for anyone.”

Asher leaned forward in his seat. “Wait a minute. You mean the blonde, right?” He reached for the paper on the corner of my desk. “This blonde?”

I glanced down at the newspaper. She was gorgeous. Long slender arms stretched way above her thrown-back head. She had the kind of hair you wanted to sink your fingers into and pull. She was shorter than my normal type, but her curves were perfect. I couldn’t see her eyes in the picture, and my mind raced with the possibilities of color. “Why would someone so beautiful need help finding a guy to date, Mrs. Henry? Judging by the picture, I’m pretty positive she doesn’t need help.” I placed the newspaper down. “I’m not sure I follow.”

Asher held his hand out to Mrs. Henry. “Let me?” When she nodded, he continued. “Do you not ever read the paper? For someone so smart, you’re clueless.”

I shot him a glance. “Enlighten me.”

Asher gave Mrs. Henry a long sideways glance before smiling. “She likes to party. Parents seem to hate that.”

It wasn’t like he would know. Our father was never really in the picture, and our mother died several years ago.

She snorted. “That’s an understatement. I need you to pretend to date my daughter to give us some good publicity for a change. Make sure that she doesn’t do any partying, or give the press anything to talk about. I can’t remember the last time her being in the paper didn’t hurt our family’s reputation.”

“Mrs. Henry,” I leaned forward. “You’re actually serious?”

She lifted her chin. “I am.”

“I’ve got to be honest with you; I don’t have time to date. I run a business. I hardly have time to go out. My brother has to beg me.”

Asher nodded. “It’s true.”

“And plus, we’re trying to go public and...”

The flustered look on her face spiked my interest. She wanted this badly for her daughter. “I’ll give you a million, Mr. Jenkins. That’s plenty for you to take the next step to going public. We both need each other. I can take you to an entirely new level of the business world. But, I need my daughter to be seen in a positive light for a while. Would that be enough for starters?”

One million dollars? Hell yes, it’d be plenty. “Okay, so what happens if she starts to have feelings for me? I’d ruin her.”

Asher raised his hand. “I’ll do it.”

“No,” Mrs. Henry snapped. “Your reputation isn’t the most pleasant one either.”

Asher grinned from ear to ear. “I could show her a better time than my brother, ma’am.”

“Exactly,” she nodded before looking back to me. “I need someone who’s going to give her a relationship, not a good time. My daughter has been around the block and back. I don’t know why, nor do I care, but I do need her to stop. If one more newspaper gets printed with my daughter’s name in it, it’ll kill our Christian Academy sponsorship. They’re one of our biggest clients. I’m at my wits end. You’re my last option. Can you help me or not?”

I glanced at the picture again, and my dick pressed against the zipper of my slacks. It’d been a while since I entertained a woman, well, rather than just a casual night. Those were easy. Dating was difficult. It required emotion, time and thought. Something I had never been too good at.

There was no denying I was attracted to her. She’d be easy to like, to spread wide. A part of me felt exhilarated knowing I’d have her within arm’s reach. The nagging voice in my head warned me, though. She was used to moving on quickly; I’d have to woo her, thrill her. The dominate part of me ignited at the challenge. The other side of me, well, I didn’t think that side existed anymore. I’d lost it when I became a business tycoon. Softness has no room in the boardroom.

I stroked the scruff of my jaw and closed my eyes. “I don’t know. I’ve never met her before. I know nothing about her. I can’t just dive in and—”

Mrs. Henry shook her head. “Of course you can. She’ll come home easily with you.”

Wow. Even though the girl had a reputation, I couldn’t imagine a mother so openly admitting that her daughter sleeps around. A small part of myself felt bad for her, for Shelby. “Okay,” I whispered. I can do this. I need to do this. “I’ll do it, but it needs to be on my terms. I need to watch her for a while. I want to meet her, so I’ll know how to approach her.”

Asher groaned. “What are you watching for? She’s a girl, not a criminal.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I like to do things my way. You’re not the one who would be datin’ her, I am.”

Asher rested his palm over his stomach. “Ah, I forgot how controlling my big brother is. Always in control.”

Mrs. Henry’s smile widened when I looked back, and her hand awaited mine. “You have yourself a deal. We’re having dinner Friday night; you can come by and meet her.”

I glanced at the blank space on the check she’d slid my way. “For leverage,” she says.

I nodded. “I’ll have the terms after I meet her. I appreciate doing business with you.”

She stood but stopped. “Please don’t say a word of this to anyone. If she found out—I’d never see her again.”

The sadness on her face hit my chest. “You have my word, Mrs. Henry.”

I watched as she walked out, slipping by Katy who held our coffee. “Am I dreaming?” Asher laughed.

Leaning back, I stared at the check. He wasn’t the only one. This kind of thing doesn’t just happen. “You’re awake.”

Laughing, he shrugged out of his suit jacket. “Is this the responsible, law-abiding brother I know? You must be regretting your decision now, right?”

I wasn’t. No way would I have agreed to this if anyone else offered. I needed that sponsorship, and if pretending to date a woman made me a bad person, then so be it. “No, not yet.”

Asher pulled out his cellphone and began scrolling the screen. “That sponsorship means a lot to you.”

“It does,” I said.

He chuckled. “Well, brother, I think you just laid the first brick in the foundation of our empire.”

I traced the lines of her face in the picture; my brain screamed trying to justify my decision, but my body reared up in anxiety. I could do this easily. Being easy wasn’t the problem. The problem was that I wanted to do it. Money or no money, I wanted to have her. How could I have never seen her face in the paper? How had I missed something so tempting?

“I think so too.”

Asher clicked his tongue. “You’re thinking naughty thoughts already, aren’t you?”

I grinned at the picture. “You have no idea.”

He chuckled. “Don’t go making her fall in love.”

Reluctantly, I placed the paper inside my desk drawer, along with the blank check. “I have a meeting in ten minutes,” I said.

Asher tossed a paper wad into my trashcan. “Sure. I’ll see you Friday night after you meet her, I have to hear everything.”

I watched him walk out of my office, and give me a grin as he walked passed my window. My eyes jumped to my desk drawer where her picture lay. I shook my head and raked my hands through my hair.

I could do this. What was one party-obsessed princess to me? I’d been promised my dream to date a gorgeous girl. I couldn’t think of an easier way to get everything I’d always wanted. I’ll just keep my emotions at bay, use that acting class I was forced into my freshman year.