Page 14 of False Pretenses

Alyssa turned on her heel and headed to her room to freshen up a little before the shopping spree with his mom and sister. Nathan Corde was used to getting his way, but before the week ended, she would set him straight. Every woman did not fall for his charm, least of all her.

An hour later, she, Lydia, and Piper were whisked into the city by yet another employee of their household, the chauffeur. When Lydia started mentioning names like Dolce & Gabbana, she knew the two thousand would not cover a sock, let alone the dresses the older woman chattered about wanting to buy.

“What do you think of this dress?” Lydia suggested, holding up a strawberry-print piece that included the bright red fruit, butterflies, and flowers. Alyssa held her physical reaction in check and smiled, reaching for the dress.

“That’s nice.” She took a peek at the price tag and stood corrected. She could buy more than a sock. This D&G dress was just thirteen hundred dollars. Her mouth went dry reading the numbers, and she marveled over the fact that Lydia hadn’t blinked twice at it. Correction again. Lydia never even looked at the tag. She didn’t need to.

In her excitement, the older woman wandered off along the aisle, and Alyssa started after her, but Piper blocked her path. “For what it’s worth, she meant that dress for herself, not you. Mom loves flower patterns. The more colorful, the better.”

Alyssa softened. “Thanks. Whew, I didn’t know how I was going to tell her it’s not my style.”

Piper cocked her head to the side and sneered. “Not just the style, huh? I bet that cost more than you make in a month.”

“And what? I’m supposed to be ashamed of what I make just because you’re rich? Please, don’t even worry about me losing sleep over what you can afford versus what I can.”

“I’m sure you don’t. Lose sleep, I mean.”

Alyssa gritted her teeth. She shoved the dress at Piper. “You have two seconds to get out of my face.”

“Or?” Thin, shaped eyebrows rose.

She was right, of course. Hitting the bitch would ruin everything, but that didn’t mean she had to bite her tongue. Alyssa leaned her weight into one leg and put her hand on her hip. She mugged Piper from her red polished toes, peeking out through high-heeled sandals, to her long silken tresses. “Even if I pay five dollars for a dress, I’d look a hell of a lot better in it than any designer piece you drape on your skinny ass.”

With those words, Alyssa ran a hand over her curves and smacked her round booty. To her satisfaction, Piper’s cheeks puffed out, and her color turned crimson, giving her the appearance of a tomato. Alyssa chuckled and moved past her to find Lydia.

The two of them traded insults for much of the day in between Alyssa trying to spend as little money as possible. Frustrated with the prohibitive price tags, she suggested a middle-class store, and was surprised but gratified when Lydia agreed. She managed to purchase a dress and a couple of shorts sets, a pair of flip-flops with fake bling that were cute, and a few hair bands to keep her unruly hair in order. The fact that Piper behaved as if she might catch a disease just mingling with those of lesser fortune provided greater satisfaction. Lydia’s happy bounce never wavered.

“Okay, I don’t know about you ladies, but I’m starving,” Lydia announced at one. “Let’s find somewhere to eat.”

“Sounds good,” Alyssa agreed, and Piper echoed the assent.

The same restaurant she and Nathan attended the day before turned out to be the choice, and to Alyssa’s delight, the host bustled up, and after greeting Lydia and Piper by name, he turned to her with a warm smile. “Ms. Alyssa, good to see you again.”

“Jeff, hello. Thank you, same to you,” she answered.

Lydia nodded as if the situation was as it should be, but Piper glared. Alyssa glided past her, head held high, as Jeff led them to the private room. She had scarcely put in her order before her phone rang, and she read Nathan’s name on the screen. She slid her chair back. “Excuse me a moment, please.”

She left the room and strolled a little along the hall and around a corner. When she pressed the connect button, the sound of Nathan’s voice echoing across the lines brought her body to life and activated her imagination of his handsome face.

“Hey,” she breathed.

/> “Alyssa, everything going okay?”

She wanted to forbid him from saying her name. One would think she’d never been attracted to a man. “Yes, everything is fine. I actually had fun with your mother. She’s a shopaholic, but she was a good sport to go with me to the regular stores.”

“Regular stores?”

“Never mind. Work going fine?”

“Yes, I’m finished for now. I had a local businessman contact me a few months ago about a possible venture here in the islands, and when he heard I’d come down, he requested a meeting. I promise I won’t let it get in the way of us.”

She pushed a trembling hand through her hair. “Well, this isn’t real, right, so no biggie.”

“I want it to be as real as possible.”

She would not rise to that bait. “Do you want me to come back? We’ve just sat down to lunch. If you’re close, you can join us. We’re at the same place you took me last night.”

“I am close.” Why did his voice drop as if he sought to seduce her? “I look forward to seeing you. Please ask the waiter to bring my usual. I’ll be twenty minutes at the longest.”

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