Satisfaction

Chapter One

Two years later

St. Augustine, FL

Carly let the sunshine hit her face and sighed. A whole afternoon. One entire afternoon off and she was doing what with it? Meeting some ridiculously hot guy at a restaurant who would take one look at her, turn, and run. Drew. His name was Drew and the picture the matchmaking company had sent showed a blond man in his thirties who should probably be on the cover of a magazine. Had it been an online service, she might have felt more comfortable. People on those always used the absolutely most flattering picture they could. Sometimes they were years old and pounds of weight ago. Sometimes they were flat-out lies.

But the service she was using actually took the picture themselves. No lies. No hedging the truth. He was that hot.

She hesitated on the street outside the restaurant. It was a tiny Italian place in the middle of the old city. She loved this part of St. Augustine, with its cobblestone streets and tourists walking around. The sea was never far from here and she could feel a breeze from the Atlantic.

What was she doing? Why was she even trying?

Her cell rang, the sound emanating from her massive bag. It had to be massive because she was forced to carry around anything Patricia might need. That was her. She was a walking, talking convenience for the Antichrist.

Who was probably calling to revoke her afternoon off. Patricia rarely giveth, but she was awfully good at taking away.

This was one time it might come in handy. She grabbed her phone and frowned as the real reason she was standing in front of a restaurant wearing her finest Spanx and more makeup than normal was smiling from the screen. She flicked her hand across, accepting the call. "Hey, Meri. I thought you were finishing up class."

"I got out early and I wanted to make sure you're where you're supposed to be."

Sometimes her sister's instincts were scary good. "I'm at the restaurant, but only to tell him I changed my mind. This was a mistake."

Meri groaned. "No, it's not. Come on, Carly. I read the file on this guy. He's hot."

"How did you read the file?" Not that she should be surprised. Along with good instincts, Meri also had the tenacity of a pit bull with a particularly juicy bone.

"I took a peek last week when I was at your place."

"That's called invading my privacy." She tried her best big-sister voice.

It didn't faze Meri at all. "Yes, it's my favorite hobby! And that Drew guy is superhot. They should have the dudes take their shirts off."

"Hello, sexist much? What are they teaching you at that school?"

"That men have objectified women for thousands of years and we need to catch up. When he gets there ask him if he has those notches on his hips. That is so hot."

"I'm not asking him to strip down. I'm asking him to leave," she admitted. "I'm not ready for this. Even if I was ready for this, it wouldn't be with him. I want a nice, normal guy. One who isn't a felon. That's a hard line for me."

"Not every man in the world is Roger," Meri pointed out.

No, they weren't, but that one mistake wouldn't seem to go away. She thought about the message she'd gotten a few days before. Her husband owed money and they were coming after her for it. She'd tried telling them they were divorced and she wasn't responsible for some debt he'd taken on in prison, but apparently the mob wasn't big on divorce.

She put it out of her head. She would go to the cops. It would all go away. First she needed to deal with the problem of hot Drew and her sister's need to get her laid.

"I know that. But it was really bad and I need more me time."

Meri sighed over the line. "It's been two years. It's going to dry up. I learned that in my anatomy class. If you don't use it, a vagina turns to dust."

Her sister was so nasty sometimes, but Carly had to laugh. "Well, I will sweep that sucker up, then, because it's gotten me into a lot of trouble in the past." She sighed, missing her sister since she transferred to Duke. "I'll meet him and talk to him, but don't expect more than that."

"It's all I ask," Meri replied, sounding chipper. "Well, and that you give me all the dirty details. Tell me something. Have you thought about dumping Patricia the Terrible and moving up here with me? I found a job at the school you would love."

Yeah, she likely would. And then her sister might see the inside of a prison cell. Two more years. She had two more years until the statute of limitations ran out and her sister was free and clear. "You know I love my job."

There was a pause on the line. "I know you say that. I don't know how much I believe it. All right. I love you. Call me later and tell me everything and stop frowning."

The line clicked and she put her phone back in her bag. She wasn't frowning. Well, maybe a bit. The waitress showed her to a table on the patio overlooking the street.

She would smile, shake his hand, and they would both laugh about the mistake. They were horrifically mismatched.

She glanced down at the menu. Of course, he might not show at all. She might get to sit here in the sun and have a lovely meal that didn't include salad and she would pull out her tablet and read. That would be awesome. Lasagna and a book. Maybe a glass of pinot and some cheesecake. All alone.

She was sure that sounded pitiful to some people, but it was the perfect afternoon for her. Peace, quiet, solitude. No overbearing bosses or their lecherous husbands. If that man accidentaly touched her ass one more time, she wasn't going to care that he was eighty-seven. He would get a colonoscopy the hard way. She would shove that cane of his right up his keister.

She glanced out and saw a man walking up the street. Whoa. Now, there was a man she could look at for days. With dark hair that curled around his ears, he looked like a movie star. She noticed two other women stopping to stare at him as he passed.

Was there a movie filming in town? No. Patricia always knew about those. She would try to get the stars to give her magazine an interview or get them on her show to talk about home decorating tips.

Of course, Patricia had been distracted lately. Ever since she'd come back from the funeral of an old business partner, she'd been distant, not quite her old evil self. Oh, she humiliated Carly at least twice a day, but she lacked the vigor and glee she used to have.

Carly had to wonder if Steven Castalano had been the one true love Patricia had talked about that night when she'd gotten too drunk, the day before her wedding when she'd acted almost human. That was the night she'd seen the devil cry.

Five more minutes and she would declare herself free and clear. Maybe she would switch restaurants in case this Drew guy was the kind of man who showed up super late to a date. Columbia wasn't far away. She could get some sangria and Cuban food.

Anything to enjoy her one afternoon to herself. Soon they would go back to LA and the guesthouse she stayed in there. It was close to Patricia's Santa Monica mansion. Close enough that she could be at Patricia's side in less than a minute. She knew that because Patricia had timed her and told her not to go over that minute. The guesthouse was nice, but it had nothing of Carly in it. She would miss her townhouse.

Two more years. Just two more years.

She watched as the incredibly hot man walked her way. Not hers, of course, but in the general direction she was sitting in. Not general. Actual. He was walking right toward her, and that was when the grin hit his face.

When his lips curled up, he went from brooding god to an angel. The dark, fallen kind who could do all manner of dirty things because they weren't stuck up in heaven anymore.

When the hell had she gotten so creative?

He pulled out the chair across from Carly. "Hey, my name is Brandon Lawless."

She looked around. This was some kind of joke. It had to be. Or he was seriously mistaken. He didn't look drunk, but some guys hid it well. "Um, you have the wrong girl."

His grin moved to a full-out smile and she had to catch her breath. "Nope. I've got the right girl. Carly, your boss murdered my parents twenty years ago. What do you say you help me bring her to justice?"

"Are you insane?" She looked around again. There was definitely a camera hidden somewhere. She wouldn't put it past some network to talk Patricia into pranking her assistant. She would do it in a heartbeat if she thought it would help her image.

"Not at all. I'm quite serious."

So pretty and so crazy. "Look, I'm waiting for a date so I don't have time to talk." Something about what he'd said earlier clicked in her brain. "How did you know my name?"

He sat back, his eyes piercing into her. "I know everything about you."

A chill went through her as she realized exactly who this person could be. "Who sent you?"

He frowned, the expression marring his beauty not one bit. "Sent me? No one. You were supposed to meet with my brother, but he was going to confuse things and turn this whole operation into one big spy game. Our sister married a guy who's kind of a spy. He works for the CIA from time to time. I think Drew's jealous of Case. He's always thought he would make a good James Bond. But our last spy thing went horribly wrong and my new sister-in-law got arrested and almost walked out on Riley and . . . I should start at the beginning. First off, call me Bran. Everyone does. I'm not fond of Brandon."

He talked superfast. She didn't understand most of what he was saying, but she needed to get her point across. "Tell DiLuca that I don't care what Roger is doing in prison. His debts are no longer mine. Get with the damn twenty-first century. We're divorced. Shiv him or something. I don't care, but stop harassing me."

"What?"

She started to push her chair back. "You heard me. Tell your boss I'll go to the cops if he calls me again."

She stood to go, but he was faster. He got into her space, his hand shooting out to grasp her wrist. The touch sent a wave of heat through her. He didn't tighten his grip or try to force her to sit back down. The hand that wrapped around her was gentle and his eyes softened.

"Are you in trouble, sweetheart? Because I can help you."

She almost believed him. "You can let me go."

His hand dropped immediately but he was still in her space, his big body towering over her. She wasn't tiny but this man made her feel practically petite. "I can't. Please let me explain myself. I'll pay for lunch and everything. I'm not from this DiLuca person. He's not my boss. My brother would tell you he's the boss of me, but I protest. He'll probably try to fire me for fucking this up, but I don't think you can fire your little brother."

He was so close but somehow she didn't feel overwhelmed or threatened by him. His words were almost sweet. Still, she knew her instincts were a faulty thing. "I should go. I don't know what's going on with your brother, but it's none of my business."

"Let me make it your business. Carly, I've studied you and I think you're a good woman trapped in a nasty world. My parents were in your position twenty years ago and Patricia Cain murdered them. I don't want that to happen to you. Please let me make my case. If you can look at me and tell me the Patricia Cain you work for isn't capable of murder, then I will apologize for interrupting your afternoon and let you be. If you can't, please help me. I'm not looking for revenge. I'm looking for justice. For my parents."

There was absolutely nothing in his manner or demeanor that told her he was lying. This gorgeous man was asking her for help and she wanted to turn him away. Years of working under that woman and her marriage to Roger had turned her cold and uncaring of anyone but her sister. It was the only way to protect herself. She would do the smart thing and simply walk away.

Carly moved back, her hand on her chair as she began to sit down. He immediately moved in, holding the chair for her and easing her back to the table.

She was still the same idiot she'd been years ago, and suddenly there was something comforting about that knowledge. She wasn't as hard as she'd thought. The minute the chance to help someone else had come up, her dumb ass was sitting back down and trying to do the right thing.

"Hey, are you all right?" He was standing above her and his hand came down, thumb running over her cheek to catch the tear she hadn't realized she'd shed. "I don't want to hurt you."

She took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Please tell me your story because we both know that she's capable of anything."

It was a risk. He could have been sent here by Patricia herself to test Carly's loyalty, though Carly doubted it. Patricia was too self-centered to think Carly could hurt her.

Yes, it was a risk, but maybe it was a risk that would pay off.

He sat back down across from her and picked up his menu. "Lunch is on me. It's a long story. I think we'll need some wine."

She nodded. She could definitely use a drink.

She was so much more beautiful up close, where he could see her small expressions and the way her eyes lit up when the wine was placed in front of her. He'd watched her carefully, taking in all the tiny tics that made up who she was. Her lips had curled up as she'd taken a sip of the rich pinot noir she'd requested.