Dazzle her: Laws of Seduction Book 3 Read online

  After several long seconds of silence, he responds, “Who was the photographer?”

  Oh no. I should have anticipated this. “Davis. That’s where I was on Tuesday night. I couldn’t tell you or it would have ruined the surprise.””

  James regards me with a cold expression that makes my stomach drop. Then I stiffen my spine. I have done nothing to deserve this reaction. “James, the pictures are all tasteful. Davis was completely professional during the whole shoot. As a matter of fact, most of the time we talked about you or his new girlfriend, Daphne.” I take the photograph from his hand before he can damage it with his clenched fingers. Holding it up, I wave it in front of his face. “This is my favorite. Do you want to know why?” Not waiting for his answer, I continue. “Because Davis had just asked me a question about you. I was thinking of you when he took this picture.”

  James pulls the photograph out of my grasp and studies it again. “I don’t like it that he saw you like this. I want to be the only one who sees you like this.”

  “Oh James.” I reach out and touch his cheek, rubbing my fingers up and down his rough jaw.

  He looks back up into my eyes. “The photographs are beautiful, Lainey. Thank you.”

  “So you forgive me for using Davis as the photographer?”

  “I’ll get over it.”

  I smile at him thankfully. “You have to admit Davis is exceptionally talented.”

  James shrugs his shoulders as if unwilling to concede the point. I jump up and make a dive at him. He barely has time to set the photos aside before I am falling on him. As he falls back against the built-in sofa, I begin wiggling my fingers against his sides. “What are you doing, woman?”

  “Tickling you, of course. Haven’t you ever been tickled before?”

  “No.”

  Poor little rich boy. My attempts to make him laugh don’t seem to be working. I crawl my fingers over his chest before gently tickling under his chin as you would a baby. Still no laugh, but he regards me with an amused smile.

  “Tenacious, aren’t you?” Rolling me over, he hovers above me and begins his own assault. Since I am extremely ticklish, it doesn’’t take long before he has me shrieking with laughter and begging him to stop. James relents. Looking down at me, his expression turns serious. “Let’s move in together.”

  I feel my eyes widening in shock. “James, what are you saying? We’ve only been together for a few weeks.”

  “It’s been six weeks, and I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

  I want this, I realize. It would be sad to leave my apartment with Sam, but I want a future with James. “Everyone will think we are moving too fast.”

  “I don’t care about what anyone else thinks, and you shouldn’t either.”

  He’s right. James and I are in this relationship. We should be able to make the decision about how fast or slow we do things. “You haven’t met my mother yet,”” I remind him.

  “Are you saying that after I meet her, I might regret moving you into my apartment?”

  “We would live in your apartment?”

  A startled look crosses James’s face. “I thought you liked my apartment. If you don’t like it, we can look for a new place.””

  I rush to assure him. “I love your apartment. Who wouldn’t? I was just trying to picture myself living there.”

  “Imagine going to bed together every night and waking up together every morning.” James whispers in my ear, punctuating his words with little nibbling kisses.

  “You do make it sound appealing,” I tease.

  “Maybe if you are not entirely convinced, I could do something to persuade you.”

  The seductive rumble of his voice sends shivers of delight racing down my spine. “I would not be averse to a little persuasion.”

  “You wouldn’t?” The devilish glint in James’s brilliant blue eyes makes my pulse race with anticipation. “I think I promised you some creativity a while ago, and I have yet to deliver.” James kisses his way down my bikini clad body. When he gets to the top of my bikini bottoms, his warm tongue traces along the edge. I raise my hips in impatience. He raises his head to look up at me. “Are you going to put me out of my misery?”

  “What do you mean?” I manage to gasp out.

  “Will you move in with me?” He moves back down to kiss my inner thighs, making me groan with frustrated pleasure. “Lainey,”” James growls, “I need an answer.”

  Reaching down, I run my fingers through his soft curls. How can I say no to someone with his powers of persuasion? I cannot hear his muffled words, but I yelp as he sucks on the sensitive skin of my inner thigh.

  “Hey, no more marks. The first one was enough, thank you very much.”

  James stops and looks up at me unrepentantly. “Don’t worry. You’re safe with me. I’ll call the movers and schedule them for next week.”

  Did I miss something, because I don’t remember saying I’d move in? “Whoa, slow down…” My voice trails off as James pulls my bikini bottoms from my unresisting body and leisurely kisses his way back up to the apex of my thighs.

  “I can do that.” His tongue finds my clit, and I cry out. James pulls back to murmur, “You taste so sweet.” His mouth tortures me, bringing me close to the brink, but always slowing down so that the state of nirvana I yearn for remains just out of reach.

  With one hand he unties my bikini top, so that I am bare underneath him. He teases my nipples with both hands, all the while continuing the assault with his mouth. Trailing one of his hands down my body, he presses two fingers inside of me. I cannot hold on any longer and come apart under his mouth and hands. “That was beautiful.”” James watches me with an expression of awe.

  “What about you?” I ask, letting my eyes travel to the obvious bulge in his shorts.

  James gives me a wicked smile as he moves his hands down to remove his shorts. “I’m sure we can think of something.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Back at the house, we shower and dress. I put on my white cuffed shorts and a crepe moss-green top. The top has a low-cut sweetheart neckline held up by spaghetti straps. Not feeling the need to overdo it, I wear brown, strappy sandals and a brown belt. It is one of my favorite summer outfits. My skin glows from my earlier exposure to the sun. Even my hair, which I have left down around my shoulders, has a sun-kissed look. I spend some extra time with my make-up, putting on extra mascara and some eyeliner, which I blend in for a soft look. A touch of bronzer and some lip gloss finish, and I am ready to go.

  James is already downstairs talking with Rex. They are both dressed in chinos and button-down shirts. James’s blue-striped shirt brings out the color of his eyes. When he sees me, he flashes me an endearing smile, revealing his dimple. He holds one hand out, and I walk over to them. James slides his hand up my back. When his fingers brush across the bare skin at my shoulder blades, I have to repress an obvious shiver of pleasure. His hand comes to rest at the nape of my neck. “You look beautiful.”

  Blushing, I glance at Rex, who has been watching this whole interchange with ill-disguised interest. This, of course, makes me blush even harder. Rex chuckles, “I never thought I would see the day. James McAllister brought low by a woman.”

  I feel the rise and fall of James’s shoulders as he shrugs in response. Glancing sideways, I catch the smile that crosses his face. “What can I say? I am a lucky man.”

  “You can say that again. You don’t happen to have any sisters do you, Lainey?”

  I laugh. “Only brothers.”

  Rex wrinkles his brow. “I’m afraid I don’t swing that way.”

  “Neither do they.”

  The doorbell rings, signaling the arrival of the caterers. James and I are both starving, and James uses his considerable charm to sweet-talk them out of some of the canapés as they set them out. It isn’t long afterwards that guests start to arrive. Soon the house is teeming with people. Most people seem to migrate outsi
de to the pool area, and a few people opt to swim. James sits down on one of the deck chairs and pulls me down to perch on his knee. Several of James’s friends come over, and once James introduces me as his girlfriend, they tease him mercilessly. In a pause in the conversation, I bend down to whisper in his ear. “I had no idea you had such a solid reputation as a confirmed bachelor.”

  James lifts one shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. “I told you I never dated women for very long.”

  The reality of this is just dawning on me. Essentially, I am James’s first long-term girlfriend. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of long dark hair that I could swear belongs to Becca. The pool area is dimly lit, and there are so many people moving about that I can’t be certain that my eyes are not playing tricks on me. I turn back to James. “Did you invite Becca?”

  James gives me a look that I interpret as “Hell no.” Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. A couple of James’s buddies have engrossed him in a conversation about baseball, and I make a move to stand up. James pulls me back down. “I’m going to get us some drinks,” I explain. James gives an accepting nod and lets me go.

  As I make my way to the kitchen, I glance around looking for the long dark hair that I had caught a glimpse of earlier. I don’t see anything, but Rex catches my eye and motions me over. He introduces me to a few people who give me the startled looks I am starting to anticipate when introduced as James’s girlfriend. After a few minutes of small talk, I continue on to the kitchen for the drinks. I pick out a beer for James and a Champaign cocktail for myself. For some reason my eyes move to the stairs, and once again I catch sight of the long dark hair. This time I am almost positive that I am seeing Becca. I set the drinks down and head up the stairs. At the top of the landing, I look around, and seeing no one, I begin to think I’m imagining things.

  The music from downstairs thrums through the air as I open the bedroom doors and peer in, checking for Becca. I start with Rex’s bedroom, which appears empty, before moving on to the guest bedroom. This room is also dark and unoccupied. I feel a prickle of unease as I reach the door to the room that I share with James. What if I haven’’t been imagining things? What could Becca be doing in my room? Cautiously, I open the door and slip in. Just inside the door, I stop and listen. I can still hear music and voices from the party below, but the sounds are much fainter. It takes a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the room’s dimness. The curtains are open and a pale glow illuminates the area in front of the window. Light reflects off the white duvet cover, and I can see the bed is as immaculate as I had left it a few hours before. Straining my eyes, I try to make out forms in the dark corners. I don’t know whether my senses are playing tricks on me, or if it is the suspense of looking for the woman with the long, dark hair, but I have the eerie feeling that I am being watched. I feel along the wall for a light switch, but can’t find it. Then I remember that remotes on either side of the bed control the lighting. I move further into the room when someone switches the bathroom light on. Looking towards the bathroom, I see a movement, but still don’t know if it is her. I call out, “Hello... Becca?”

  No answer. I walk into the bathroom to find Becca standing by the mirror. “What are you doing in here?”

  “I wanted to see where you and James sleep.” Becca admits with a shrug.

  This is getting creepy. “Okay, now you’ve seen it. Why don’t we go back downstairs?”

  Becca doesn’t react to my suggestion. Running a hand along the modern bathroom fixtures, she meets my eyes in the mirror. The silence draws on, so I continue. “Who invited you, or did you crash the party?”

  “Oh no. I was invited.”

  When she doesn’t elaborate, I press, “Who invited you?”

  “What if I said James?”

  “I wouldn’t believe you.”

  Becca arches an eyebrow and gives me a knowing look in the mirror.

  Her smugness is beginning to annoy me, and I have to fight the impulse to confront her, knowing that is exactly what she wants. I don’t want to leave her alone so I consider my options. Other than asking her to leave, the only other thing I can do is to physically pull her out of the room. Getting into a physical fight with her is something I would like to avoid at all costs. Stymied for the moment, I continue to hold her stare in the mirror, hoping for inspiration. The sound of Becca’s voice interrupts my musings. “I don’t understand what he sees in you.””

  Now it is my turn to regard her in silence.

  “I’m prettier than you, and I am also smarter. I went to Harvard.”

  She says this last, as if it entitles her to everything she wants. Is this what this is all about? A girl who was always the most beautiful and smartest, and who had everything she ever wanted handed to her, was now in a position of seeing something she couldn’t have.

  Becca is speaking again, and I refocus my attention. “I didn’t let Sonia stand in my way at the office, and I won’t let you stand in the way with James.””

  “What do you mean you didn’t let Sonia stand in your way? Did you have something to do with her being fired?”

  “Of course not,” Becca says a bit too flippantly. “She thought she knew everything. Little Miss I-know-everything-about-working-in-a-law-firm-because-I-was-a-paralegal. Ha, I guess she didn’t know everything, did she?”

  “Do you know why she was fired?”

  Becca gives a slight shrug and turns around to face me. “Boyd asked her to e-mail some documents to the opposing counsel on a tax evasion case. Is it my fault that confidential documents were also attached to one of the e-mails?”

  I narrow my eyes at her. “What did you do?”

  “I’ll never tell, but it’s lucky for Sonia that the client didn’t have to go to prison because of her mistake. He did end up having to pay a hefty fine. Oh well, I guess she learned her lesson.”

  “The lesson being not to trust you?”

  “The lesson is not to cross me or get in my way. You could definitely learn something from her.”

  “Are you going to find a way to get me fired too?”

  Becca laughs. “Believe me, I would if I could, but no, that would take more ingenuity than even I can pull off. Since you landed Rothschild as a client, you are untouchable.”

  “I’m glad you realize you have limits.”

  “It did irk me at first that they gave you your own office. Then I saw how all of the juniors resented you, and I didn’t mind so much. Of course, you didn’t have your office for long either.”

  I regard her with dawning horror. “Did you set the fire in my office?”

  Becca regards me calmly for a moment before answering. “That would be against the law and stupid, wouldn’t it?”

  Becca chose the right profession when she went to law school. She hadn’t answered my question at all, and I am left wondering if she did set the fire in my office. Maybe it hadn’t been Elizabeth after all. Although on the short side, Becca also matched the description of the perpetrator.

  I try to coax Becca downstairs again. “Why don’t we go see what’s happening downstairs? It sounds like everyone is having a good time.””

  Becca flashes me a brilliant smile. “That’s an excellent idea.”

  I try to hurry her along by backing towards the door. Becca breezes past me, and I follow her out of the bathroom and through the bedroom. When we are on the landing outside the bedroom, relief curses through me. I had expected a much worse confrontation. Becca stops suddenly, and I pull up just in time to avoid slamming into her.

  “I didn’t notice this door before,” she says as she reaches out and pushes it open. She darts in before I can stop her. Left with no choice, I follow her. The room is a small study that looks like it doesn’t get much use. I had only given the room a glance the first weekend I spent here, preferring to spend most of my time outside by the pool or in the living area downstairs. I hear Becca knocking about in the dark. “Becca? What are you doing?”
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  “Have you seen this?” Becca asks.

  I take a few steps further into the room and am startled when Becca suddenly runs past me, slamming the door behind her. Turning back to the door, I grab for the knob, but not before I hear the sound of a key turning from the other side. Frantically, I twist the knob, already knowing that it will be locked. I pound on the door. “Becca, let me out of here.””

  From the other side of the door, I hear her laugh with delight. “I don’t think so. Yell as loud as you want, Lainey. No one will hear you over the music.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “I have my reasons,” she replies in a sing-song voice.

  “I’ll call James to come and let me out.”

  Becca laughs again. “No, you won’t. You don’t have your phone on you. I checked.”

  Damn, I couldn’t bluff her. “Let me out of here now! This is silly, Becca. James will come looking for me soon anyway.”

  “Not if I can help it.”

  Alarm skitters through me. What is she planning? “Becca,” I say pleadingly, “please don’t do this.”

  This time I am greeted by silence. I press my ear up against the door to listen, but all I can hear is the sound of music and voices from the party below.

  Dear Readers,

  I hope you are enjoying reading about James and Lainey. Follow this link for the end of their story, Cherish her.