Page 216 of Wicked Fantasies

“A meeting? At this time?” Shelly asked, somewhat suspiciously. “Robert, it’s nearly five o’clock. Surely you haven’t planned a meeting in the midst of your vacation.”

“Actually, an unexpected opportunity has fallen into my lap. You know me, Shelly, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

“What type of opportunity?”

“Ah well, Shelly,” he hedged. “I find as I get older, I don’t like to talk about business ventures until the deal is done. Getting a bit superstitious.”

“You, superstitious? Ha!” Shelly answered. “Ridiculous. What are you up to, Robert? I find it very hard to believe you have anything so pressing you would miss the opportunity to spend Valentine’s Day with Tara. Especially after all the fuss she’s gone to for you.”

Glancing behind Shelly, Rob watched Tara throw him a come-hither look as she thrust out what appeared to be a new pair of breasts. Dear God, Shelly was relentless and Rob felt a trickle of sweat bead at the back of his neck as he counted the minutes remaining before Meg returned. Suddenly, her habit of showering and dressing quickly seemed less endearing. He needed more time.

The sound of a door opening behind him, as well as the shocked faces on the three people in front of him convinced him that time was up. Turning slowly, Rob felt his heart skip, despite his panic, at her lovely appearance. She had donned a simple sundress, the same color as her cornflower blue eyes. Her hair was still damp, but she left her long, brown curls loose the way he liked them best. Her face was more made-up then he was used to as she added light blue eye shadow to her usual lipstick and mascara combination. He recognized the special pains she’d taken and he’d never seen her look more beautiful.

Her friendly smile caused him an uneasy pain as he could hear the women behind him sharpening their claws.

“Meg,” He crossed the room quickly to meet her as she approached. “You look beautiful,” he murmured in her ear as she graced him with a delighted grin. “Come and meet some of my friends.” Placing a protective arm around her waist, he turned to face the firing squad, praying silently for a reprieve.

“This is Seth Rhodes and his lovely wife, Shelly.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” Meg shook their hands in her no-nonsense way and Rob watched the subtle raising of Shelly’s eyebrows as she took in every aspect of Meg’s appearance.

“Of course it is,” Shelly mumbled and Meg looked inquisitively at Rob.

Ignoring Shelly’s rudeness, Rob gestured to Tara. “And this is Shelly’s younger sister, Tara.” Rob smiled inwardly as Shelly hissed at his mention of her elder status. Shelly was extremely sensitive to any mention of age and Rob was pleased to manage his own revenge through the introduction.

“Nice to meet you,” Meg repeated, obviously wondering what response she would receive from this sister.

“Yes,” Tara purred, looking down her nose at Meg. “Indeed.” Moving closer, Tara managed to insinuate herself between Meg and Rob with an ease that caught him unaware.

“What a surprise to meet one of Rob’s little,” she paused for effect, before adding rudely, “friends.” Placing a proprietary arm on his, Rob started to look at Tara with new eyes. In one sentence, she’d made it perfectly clear to everyone in the room that she considered Meg nothing more than a whore, insinuating she wasn’t the first and, most likely, wouldn’t be the last. In the past, he felt Tara was as much a pawn of Shelly’s machinations as he was, but now he wondered who was truly pulling the strings.

Managing to shake off Tara’s possessive hand, Rob moved back toward Meg, anxious to shield her from the wolves he’d unleashed on her. However, he was shocked when she took the initiative to grasp his hand in her own. Meg glanced into his eyes with an enigmatic look. “Shame on you, Rob. You should have told me we were expecting company. I would have dressed up.”

Rob nearly burst into laugher at her imitation of Shelly and Tara’s snotty imperiousness. Winking at her sheer nerve, he replied with as much remorse as he could muster, “I’m so sorry, my dear, but you have to believe me, their visit is a complete surprise to me.”

“Yes,” Shelly added, attempting to enter their conversation. “We knew Robert would be pleased with our unexpected arrival. You see, he is so terribly fond of Tara. We all grew up together and Robert is forever inviting her to visit.”

Rob had to physically stop himself from growling at Shelly’s bold faced lie, but Meg beat him to the punch. “Oh,” she said, “I’m not surprised. Of course Robert would have a soft spot for a young woman he loves like a sister.” She drawled his name in pure country club style, shocking him to his core.

Studying her face, Rob suspected he was seeing a truly angry Meg for the first time since her run in with George the night of the storm. Her face was flushed and her eyes were shooting sparks all over the room.

Determined to bring this painful interlude to an end, Rob turned to face his unwanted guests. “I do hate to cut this reunion short, but as I said earlier--.”

“Oh yes,” Shelly interrupted, “your business meeting. You know, Seth, I’ve just had a thought. It would be terribly impolite of us to leave this lovely young woman alone while Robert’s out amassing another fortune. Meg, darling, you simply must join us for dinner tonight.”

Rob stepped forward quickly. “Actually, Meg and I have dinner plans after my meeting.”

“Then for drinks,” Shelly added, undaunted. “I insist, Robert. You know I consider you a brother as well and I’m very interested in getting to know your new friend.”

“I would love to join you for drinks,” Meg answered before Rob could offer a suitable excuse.

“Meg.” Rob was desperate to stop the disaster that was unraveling before his eyes.

“Rob,” she said softly, “they’re your friends. And apparently, you have a fortune to make?”

Hearing the confused question, he cursed. “Meg.” He pulled her aside, despite the rudeness of the gesture. “You and I need to talk. Please don’t go out with them.” Rob felt the walls of his lies closing in on him.

“Robert, darling,” Shelly said loudly, no longer masking her anger. “I thought you were in a hurry. You must know we’ll take very good care of your friend.”

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