Chapter 2 #2
Her disorderly conduct and the assault on her attorney had resulted in her getting two more years added to her sentence.
That meant she would have to serve time for a total of eight years, just for her crimes in Savannah.
And there was no telling how many additional years she would receive for her part in the extortion ring in Seattle.
Cobra didn’t feel any pity for her. Not one iota.
After grabbing another drink off the tray of a passing waiter, Cobra glanced around the room. Once the newlyweds departed, he would decline any after-parties and go up to his hotel room to watch the NBA Finals on television.
He was about to take a sip of his drink when his gaze shifted, and he noticed a drop-dead gorgeous woman across the ballroom talking to Monica Bennett Chestnut.
Who was she? She was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen.
That lime green gown complemented her golden-brown skin tone, and his fingers itched to touch the mass of brown hair that fell past her shoulders.
She was too far away to determine the color of her eyes, but from where he stood, he could tell that her facial features were exquisite.
And her gown was the perfect showcase for those vivacious curves. Yes, he definitely liked what he saw.
Because she had attended the wedding and seemed to know Monica, he could only assume she was a friend of Kelly’s. Of course, Monica would know her as well, since she was Kelly’s half-sister. Same father, different mothers.
Cobra checked his watch. He figured it would be another thirty minutes or so before the bride and groom reappeared.
In the meantime, there was nothing wrong with moseying on over to where Monica and the woman were standing to get an introduction.
Then again, maybe he shouldn’t. He cursed his vow of celibacy.
Spending too long in her presence would likely result in the worst kind of self-torture.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Cortez, along with one of his best friends from Harvard Law School, Grant Corbain.
They appeared to be heading toward where Monica and the woman stood.
Cobra frowned. He liked Grant well enough, but he had seen the woman first. He didn’t like the idea of Grant making a move just because Cobra was out of action… at least, for now.
Suddenly, he knew what he was going to do. He’d go over and say hello, then get the woman’s contact information so he could call her later—like in five months.
That decision made, he strode across the room toward Monica’s friend, making sure he’d be the man introduced to her first.
***
Desiree Sharpe was laughing at something Monica had shared with her when she noticed the man walking toward them. Although they hadn’t met, she knew who he was—Cobra Masters. Brother of the groom—and the man she thoroughly detested, sight unseen.
He had somehow managed to develop a close relationship with her grandfather, something she’d never been able to do. Richard Sharpe had always been a detached man, reserved, and emotionally distant. At least, that was the way he’d always been with her. His own granddaughter.
She’d come from France to live with him when she was twelve, right after her parents had been killed in a boating accident. But instead of giving her the emotional support and love she had so desperately needed, he had immediately shipped her off to a boarding school in California.
She wasn’t sure how he had managed it, but somehow Cobra Masters had breached Richard’s tough, unemotional barriers, and he had become someone her grandfather enjoyed spending time with.
She’d heard that they often played golf together and loved spending time on the water.
She’d even heard that her grandfather had taught Cobra how to play chess, something he had refused to do for her, though she’d asked him more than once.
She broke eye contact with Cobra to glance down at the drink in her hand.
Her grandfather had pointed him out to her earlier when he had been standing beside his brothers at the altar.
He was an exceptionally good-looking man—tall, with beautiful brown skin, black hair that was cut short, dark eyes, dimples that appeared whenever he smiled, a neatly trimmed mustache, a bearded chin, and a nice physique.
It had taken all of her concentration to keep her eyes off of him and pay attention to the wedding ceremony.
With so many people there, she had hoped that their paths would not cross—at least not today.
She could have used a little more time to prepare.
Still, she knew a meeting between them was inevitable. She’d returned home from France for good, so she’d be in the same town. And considering he was such a good friend of her grandfather, it was just a matter of time.
“Good evening, ladies.”
Desiree glanced up and met his gaze. Great. There went any hope she had of avoiding him.
Up close, he was even more handsome. He smelled good as well. She was one of those women who loved the sensual and animalic scent of a man.
“Cobra,” Monica said, giving him a hug. “Have you met Desiree?”
“No, I haven’t,” he said, extending his hand to her.
Desiree took it and felt his warmth. Immediately, a sizzling sensation passed through her body, but she was determined to ignore it.
She had been around enough men to know when one was interested in her.
However, most of the time, she hadn’t been interested in any of them.
Why was Cobra’s very presence demanding that she make him an exception?
One she had no intention of making. After all, she was determined not to like him.
“So, how do you know the bride and groom, Desiree?”
His pronunciation of her name had been perfect, especially when spoken in such a deep, sexy voice. She was about to answer when her grandfather and Monica’s husband, Landon Chestnut, returned.
“Cobra, I see you’ve met my granddaughter.”
Desiree watched Cobra’s features go from surprise to utter shock. “Your granddaughter?” he asked, as his gaze moved from her grandfather to her and then back again. “I thought your granddaughter’s name was Allison.”
“I’m Allison Desiree Sharpe,” she said, deciding to speak up for herself. “I was named Allison after my paternal grandmother, and Desiree after my mother. My grandfather calls me Allison, but I prefer to be called Desiree.”
Cobra nodded. “I see.”
She figured he understood perfectly. Her grandfather had never approved of her parents’ marriage and, to this day, blamed her mother for her father’s death.
Years ago, she had been told by her mother’s sister, Aunt Margot, that after a night of partying, her mother, who’d had too much to drink, had fallen off her parents’ yacht somewhere in the waters of the French Riviera.
Her father, who’d loved her mother very much, although he’d been just as drunk as his wife, jumped into the water to save her. Both had drowned.
“You should remember Allison,” her grandfather said gruffly to Landon. “I hired your PI company to track her down that time.”
“I do recall that assignment,” Landon said. “It took me to St. Paul, and that’s where I met the woman I would one day marry.” Landon leaned over to place a kiss on Monica’s lips, then added, “So, in the end, I’m very glad I took the assignment.”
“Landon was hired to track you down?” Cobra asked.
Desiree shrugged, then said, “If he did, this is the first I heard of it.”
“Why did you have her tracked down?” Cobra asked her grandfather, as if he had every right to know.
“Because I was notified by the college that she was missing. Of course, the first thing I assumed was that she had been kidnapped, so I called in the FBI. After their investigation, they determined there was no foul play. She had left of her own free will. That’s when I hired Landon’s PI firm to make sure, regardless of what the FBI said,” her grandfather explained.
Cobra nodded again, then turned and met her gaze. “I take it you hadn’t been kidnapped.”
Desiree started to speak, but her grandfather beat her to it.
“No, Allison hadn’t been kidnapped. She’d wanted a break from school, and without letting me know of her plans, she left college in Memphis with two other girls.
They took off for an entire semester, traveling all over the country just partying and having a good time. ”
She was more grateful than she cared to admit when Cobra changed the subject. “What school did you attend in Memphis?”
“Rhodes College.”
“It’s a liberal arts school, right?”
“Yes.”
Of course, her grandfather was intent on putting his two cents in again. “I wanted her to go to Harvard,” he said, disappointment evident in his voice. “Her grandmother and I graduated from there. So did her father.”
Desiree scowled at her grandfather. “Too bad we can’t always have what we want.”
Like a young girl desperate for her grandfather’s love, one who long ago accepted that she’d never have it, because her mother’s blood also ran through her veins, Desiree thought.
“Allison, will you dance with me?” Cobra asked. When she narrowed her eyes, he amended his request, “Desiree, will you dance with me?”
She was tempted to refuse, telling him that she didn’t want to do anything with him, but at that moment, she desperately needed to calm her nerves. Thanks to her grandfather, they were shot to hell.
He was so quick to point out anything she did wrong. Would he ever be proud of her for doing something right? While at Rhodes, she had made the Dean’s List every single semester. Even after taking a semester off school, she’d still graduated on time with honors.
She nodded. “I’d like that.”
Cobra smiled at her grandfather, Landon, and Monica, and said, “Please excuse us.”
Then, taking Desiree’s hand, he led her onto the dance floor just as the live band started playing a slow song.