Chapter 9
NINE
The Pelican Landing Resort was one of Brielle’s most favorite places in all of South Florida.
The architecture resembled an old Southern plantation except it had every modern convenience money could buy.
Brielle had stayed there plenty of times, taking advantage of their private beach and world class spa, but she certainly never checked into the penthouse with Callum Harrison.
“You do know the man at the front desk totally recognized the both of us, right?” She cringed as she led Callum to the dining room. “God, imagine what he is thinking.”
“I can’t,” Callum declared. “We made a deal, remember? No thoughts that aren’t rated PG. Which, by the way, is pretty difficult with you in that dress.” Their eyes locked and he winked. “Did I tell you white is my new favorite color? The short and strapless I don’t mind either.”
“Calvin Klein’s finest,” she said, then leaned on the hostess stand, giving him an appreciative once over. “You clean up pretty well yourself. Nothing like a man in a tux.”
“Yeah, well that’s part of my service package. Bodyguard and jaw-dropping eye candy.” He stuck his chest out and ran his hands down the lapels. “Don’t worry, I don’t expect a bonus.”
They followed the hostess to the private dining room on the back balcony.
The muggy day had turned into a balmy night with a gentle breeze delivering the sweet scent of roses from the gardens below.
Brielle took a deep breath as she sat down, instantly reminded why the Pelican was her favorite place to relax.
It was peaceful. Serene. A nice switch from what her normal life and schedule could be.
“Isn’t it beautiful up here?” she asked, smoothing her napkin across her lap. “You can see for miles.”
“One hell of a view.” Callum winked, sitting down across from her. “The one you’re talking about isn’t bad either.”
A cute, freckle-face brunette with a tag reading “Kaitlin” came over to the table with a Waterford crystal pitcher.
She smiled warmly at Brielle before filling the glasses with water.
“Miss Riley, Chef Andre was thrilled when he heard you were back with us tonight. He says your wish is his…” She stopped mid-sentence when she spotted Callum.
The water pitcher suddenly forgotten, it slipped from her hand and emptied itself all over the table.
“Omigod,” Kailin blurted. “I’m so sorry…it’s just… you’re Callum Harrison. I’m so embarrassed.”
“Don’t be, sweetheart.” Callum flashed an irresistible smile. “All is forgotten if you bring us a few extra napkins and a wine list. Oh, and maybe you could close the main patio doors. I saw a few photographers scoping out Miss Riley. I just want to make sure she enjoys her dinner.”
Brielle watched her disappear into the kitchen. “You know, we’d get better service if you weren’t such a flirt.”
He leaned back in his chair and smirked. “I can’t help it if women like what they see. And you shouldn’t complain. This could be good for your reputation.”
“Really? Tell me, how is being seen with Streak Harrison good PR?”
“Common sense. I’m a good looking guy, and you’re not breaking any mirrors. A well-timed peck on the cheek would make you headline news.”
“I want to be in the news is for winning. Not for the company I keep.”
“That’s what they all say.”
She exhaled loudly. “Okay, I know you think I’m rigid and boring, but in public I can’t afford to be anything else. People know I’m engaged. If they read I am checking into some place with a strange man, it will get around.”
“People know I’m your bodyguard,” Callum corrected.
“Besides when did you start to care about what other people think?” He shot her a look before bringing the waitress back over with a raised hand.
“Hi, I was thinking about Dom Perignon maybe? Anything early 2000’s.
Can you check and see if you have that?”
“You bet, Mr. Harrison,” the girl said. “By the way, thirty-seven is my favorite number.” She scurried back into the kitchen.
In minutes she produced a magnum and a bartender who ceremoniously removed the cork. Brielle watched as he poured a little in Callum’s glass. He took a sip then raised it up in a toast. “Perfect. Just like I remembered.”
“It’s that good, huh?”
“It should be for four hundred dollars a bottle. But Big Frank is paying so who’s counting?” He picked up her full glass and handed it to her. “Come on. I thought we were celebrating.”
Inside the flute, little dancing bubbles floated to the surface. One sip wouldn’t hurt. Her decision made, she brought the crystal to her lips.
“Well?”
She thought about it a moment. “It’s all right.”
“Just all right?”
“What do you want me to say? It’s just a drink. Now how about we order dinner.”
“You like lobster?” Callum suggested. “I bet you’d be sexy as hell in one of those little bibs and it makes the champagne taste better.”
The deep blue of his eyes mingled with the candle’s yellow flame.
There was no resisting the implied dare, and she could tell by his expression he didn’t expect her to.
With a dramatic wave of her hand, she snagged her glass, drinking half the contents in a gulp.
“You happy now?” she asked stifling a belch.
“Now, order us both the lobster. I’m starving. ”
The meal passed in a pleasant blur with easy conversation and moments of laugher. An hour later, Brielle removed the bib from around her neck and leaned back in her chair. “You look like you had a good dinner.”
Callum chuckled, sticking the near empty champagne bottle in the ice bucket beside him. “I’m glad you could relax.”
“Me, too.” She stared down at her plastic bib beside her plate. Out of nowhere, she thought of Geoffrey and their impending marriage. She couldn’t see him acting goofy and wearing bibs with him. “Callum, how much fun do you think being married to Geoffrey is going to be?”
Callum shifted in his seat and gave her an unreadable look. “I don’t know, Brielle. You tell me.”
Did I just ask that out loud? Something was scattering her thoughts.
She picked up her untouched water glass and gnawed on an ice cube before unleashing the most lucid sentence she could conjure.
“I don’t love Geoffrey,” she blurted. “I’m marrying him because it is the only way I know to get my career back and keep him from setting his sights on someone else. ”
The truth had come out, but she didn’t care.
It actually felt pretty good. In her whole life she had never discussed her feelings about anything to anyone.
Mostly because there was no one around to listen.
But Callum was there, and she had nothing to lose, at least nothing she could see after a half a bottle of champagne.
Lifting her head she reached out for her glass. Finding it empty, she reached for the bottle.
Callum caught her hand in his before she could pick it up. “It’s empty, plus I think you’ve had enough,” Callum said. “There is a fine line between feeling really good and feeling really bad. I’d rather you just take my word for it.”
“You think I’m crazy, don’t you? Marrying someone I don’t love for the sake of my career?”
“I don’t think you’re crazy. I think you’re driven. We athletes are a rare breed. When you work so hard to hone a talent, losing it sounds pretty scary.”
He had to be the most profound man in the world. Or at least in the restaurant. She looked over at him with newfound awe. “After your accident, were you afraid?”
“Sure,” he said simply. “I was a lot of things. Angry, confused…” He paused as he swirled the water around in his glass. “Still am sometimes.”
“And you’re happy with your life now?”
Brielle expected a quick, snide answer, but instead he shifted in his seat. “As happy as I can be, I guess.”
“Have you ever done something that sounded good at the time but end up regretting it later?”
Again, he was slow to reply. “I think that happens to everyone. You count on something and it doesn’t pan out…”
“You know, they say even the best job in the world doesn’t love you back, but being on the tennis court is the only place I ever felt safe. When I’m playing, I call the shots and I’m the one people fear.”
Callum’s gaze latched on to hers. “You’re talking about your father, aren’t you?”
“I’ve always wanted a family,” she said. “I know I want my kids to have a gentle, non-threatening father. That’s why marrying Geoffrey really isn’t so bad. Plus, I’ll always have a hand in the game. That’s as close to ‘happy’ as I ever imagined getting.”
She wasn’t sure if she was campaigning for support or mounting a plea for help. Either way she wanted a response. But for once, Callum was speechless. He just stared at her with his unreadable blue eyes, while rolling the neck of the glass between his fingers.
Callum snaked his arm around her as he led her through the door of their suite.
They’d skipped dessert. He took her on a walk around the gardens in an attempt to sober her up.
No luck. He should have known she’d be a lightweight.
The diligent agent in him saw the perfect opportunity to pump her for information.
The smitten man wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms.
“Why don’t you get ready for bed,” Callum told her, chucking the room key on the foyer table. She answered with a hiccup and a flip of her hand as she disappeared behind the double doors of the bedroom.
He went for the wet bar and poured himself a bourbon.
One shot wouldn’t hurt, besides, it might take the edge off his agitation.
Tonight’s dinner had offered him the chance for a wealth of information he was looking for.
The part about marrying Geoffrey didn’t surprise him.
In fact, it made perfect sense. In her eyes, Geoffrey offered the peace of mind she never had.
Callum didn’t have the heart to tell her the man was a liar.