Tangled Vows(18)

"Both good questions," he pointed out. "Ones I am already working to  find out. People have tried to blackmail me before, and I assume this  will turn out to be the same. Please trust me on this. Denying we are in  a relationship is only going to add fuel to the fire. Promise me you  won't do anything rash?"

Bailey sat staring at her lap for several minutes. Everett waited. He  wasn't going to push her. He knew she'd been hurt-before, from those she  loved, and now by these pictures. Getting past the hurt and finding the  best way forward took time and couldn't be rushed. Finally, she leaned  back against the couch and spoke. "All right. I won't say anything. For  now."

A flood of relief surprised Everett. He hadn't realized how much he'd  been waiting to hear her answer. Maybe he could still salvage this.  Maybe he did still have a chance with her. He would have to tread  carefully.

*

A knock sounded at Bay's door as she and Everett sat discussing how to  handle the situation. They'd moved to the kitchen bar that divided the  open space of the living area. Bailey sat her coffee cup down and moved  the few steps to the door. She opened it to the expansive figure of Mark  who filled the doorway. His usually smiling face was replaced by a  serious expression.

"Bay, I just wanted to check on you." He stepped into her personal space  and leaned down to kiss her before Bailey could utter a word.

For once, Bay felt nothing as his lips touched hers. Luckily, he didn't  attempt to take it deeper. As he pulled back, his eyes lifted over her  head. His face hardened, and he dropped his hands from her arms. "I'm  sorry. I didn't know I was interrupting." He said the words, but he  didn't make a move to leave.                       
       
           



       

Bailey cleared her throat and stepped back. Mark followed her inside  without being invited. She rolled her eyes and closed the door behind  him.

"Everything all right, Bay?" Mark asked without taking his eyes off Everett.

Bailey pulled her hair up off her neck and let it drop in frustration.  She didn't have the patience to deal with a pissing contest right now.  She had enough on her plate. "Everything's fine, Mark." She sat on the  edge of her chair and took a sip of coffee. "What are you doing here?"

Mark leaned against the bar and crossed his ankles in a supposed casual  manner. "Heard the news and knew it wasn't true. I thought you'd be  upset. I came here to give you some emotional support."

Everett swiveled in his chair then to face Mark head on. Bailey felt  like a deer in the headlights, caught between the two strong men. "That  was presumptuous of you," Everett said.

Mark shrugged and ran a finger over Bailey's ear. She cringed inwardly.  "I care about her. I don't want her hurt." He glared at Everett.

Everett stood. "So you assume I would be the one to hurt her?" he accused.

Mark held his hands out. "You don't know her like I do."

Before Everett could move, Bailey put a hand on his chest. She'd had  enough. This was her home, and she wasn't going to listen to a lot of  hot air.

"Down, boys," she told them. They both stared at her, which finally made  her laugh. As she looked back and forth at both of their expressions,  the laughter built up and bubbled out of her until her sides hurt and  tears streamed down her face.

"What's gotten into her?" Mark asked Everett.

A small smile touched Everett's face as he watched her. "I have no idea,  but I like it. I'm glad you're taking this so well," he told her.

As Bay calmed her giggles to the occasional hiccup, she shook her head.  "Hysteria," she joked. After a few more chuckles, she stood and pushed  Mark toward the door. He let her, reluctantly, looking back over his  shoulder to shoot another glare at Everett. "Thanks for checking on me,  Mark. I do appreciate it." She opened the door for him to leave.

He gave her one more prying look. "Call me if you need anything at all," he said quietly.

Bailey nodded and closed the door behind him. She leaned against the  door, both glad to finally be rid of him and nervous about being alone  with Everett again.

"I'm going to ask you again. Is there something going on between you two?"

"No," she told him honestly. "At least not on my part. We've had sex,  many times, but it was all just in fun. Why do you care anyway?"

Everett sighed. She wasn't going to take this well, and he dreaded  telling her. "Look, until we can get a handle on this, I think it's best  to let everyone go on thinking we're together."

"Uh uh." She shook a finger at him. "No way. I'm not going to pretend to  be your girlfriend in front of the world. We had a deal, remember?"

"You don't have to," he assured her. "Everyone will forget about those  pictures soon enough. In a few days, most people won't even remember  your name. Let's just not mention our relationship-or lack thereof-to  anyone for now. I'll find out who released those pictures and deal with  it. After that, we can go our separate ways." He wanted to add "if  that's what you really want" onto the end, but he knew what her answer  would be right now. He wasn't ready to give up on her, and if a few days  or weeks were what he needed to convince her, he'd take it.

Bailey considered his offer. She didn't have to see him again, only had  to wait for him to figure out what was up with those photos. She  wouldn't be in the spotlight, wouldn't be on the red carpet, there  wouldn't be any more photos of her.

"All right." She pushed away from the door and walked to him, holding out her hand for a handshake. "It's a deal."

Everett let a genuine smile slide across his face as he grasped her  strong fingers in his own. As much as he wanted to get this problem  taken care of, he was looking forward to seeing more of Bay. "Great!"  Using her hand, he pulled her against his chest before lifting her chin  up to his face. "It seems more appropriate to seal our deal with a  kiss." Before she could protest, he lowered his mouth to hers.

Everett's kiss was gentle, his lips soft and warm against hers. Memories  spiraled through Bailey's head. Memories of more heated kisses, kisses  that had spanned from her head to her feet. She pushed into him, begging  him to take more from her. Instead, he gentled his kiss even more,  until his lips were mere air against hers.                       
       
           



       

Pulling away, he said, "There, that's better." He picked up his jacket  before heading to the door. "I'll call you as soon as I find anything."

Bailey nodded, unable to speak through the need clinging to her body.  She didn't move as Everett walked out of her apartment. As his presence  faded, she began to breathe again and sunk against the bar. Right when  she thought the man was out of her life, he pushed himself back in. And  dammit if she didn't let him.





Chapter 15




‡


Bailey had barely made it through the front doors of Halvard the next morning when she heard her name.

"Lennox! My office." Flannigan strode from the coffee station to his  office without even looking at her, expecting her to follow.

Groaning to herself, she squared her shoulders and began to follow. In  the short distance she covered, she felt the stares of her fellow  teammates on her. Her neck prickled, and anger began to rise into her  cheeks. Lifting her chin higher, she ignored everyone and lengthened her  strides. Let them stare. She'd done nothing wrong. Well, other than  sleep with a client. However, no one knew about that, and no one ever  would if she could help it.

Flannigan stood by the window, a coffee cup in his hand, and Bailey had a  momentary flash back to just a few short days ago when she'd once  before walked into this office and come face to face with Everett  Parker.

Flannigan turned to her when she closed his office door, then stepped to  his desk, and sat the cup down. Bailey waited for him to speak. She  didn't know why he wanted to see her, and she wasn't going to give up  her meager knowledge by being the one to speak first.

"Lennox, I'm going to have to place you on leave for the time being."

Bailey froze, every muscle clenched in dread and fear. Her mind twisted  with a million thoughts, trying to figure out what was wrong and how she  could get out of whatever situation she was in now. But the  overwhelming chorus of the voices in her head was screaming a repeated  no, no, no. She couldn't lose this job. Even with the pay she would get  from taking Everett's case, she wouldn't have enough to survive. She had  too much pride to ask her family for help, and she was sure no one else  would hire her with the scandal of Everett currently hanging over her  head.