Tragically Flawed Read online

“Babe,” he said as he saw Riviera. As usual, his voice sent a frisson of excitement racing through her. Goosebumps erupted as he made his way toward her. Unexpectedly, he pulled her into his arms, in front of Phil and Marsha Sue, and kissed her. Her body sparked like it was the Fourth of July because he’d laid a major, mouth-fucking kiss on her, pulling her into his body and letting those present know she was all his.

  When he finally released her, he declared, “I missed you today, baby.” Then he gave her one of his sexy bedroom smiles as he ran his thumb along her lower lip.

  Riviera couldn’t speak. She couldn’t even swallow. Her body had responded so fiercely to his kiss, the only thing she wanted to do was rip off her clothes and let him screw her brains out.

  Shan bent his head and put his mouth next to her ear. “Babe, if you keep looking at me like that, I’m gonna have to take you upstairs and do you. You’re eye-fucking me right now and I’ve got a damn hard-on that’s about to bust through my jeans.”

  Riviera prayed, prayed like she never had before, that this walk-though would turn into a sprint-through because she was about to detonate. She cleared her throat and croaked, “Right. Fuck.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I said fuck.”

  Shan threw back his head and laughed. Marsha Sue fumed and Phil grinned at them.

  “Are we going to do this or are you two going to ogle each other all day?” Marsha Sue asked.

  Shan spun around and retorted, “Marsha Sue, I’m getting to the point where I’ve had it up to here with you.” He made a slicing motion with his hand across his neck. “You’re forgetting who you work for. You know where that door is and you’re welcome to take a hike any time. Are we clear?”

  “Yes. Well, I am in a bit of a hurry.”

  “Well, we wouldn’t want to keep you now, would we?” Shan said, his voice dripping sarcasm.

  They started the walk-through, going through the punch list from the previous visit. Every now and again, Riviera would get the feeling of being watched. She turned to catch Marsha Sue’s eyes shooting fifteen sustained rounds from an M16 at her.

  Shan kept one of his hands on Riviera almost constantly throughout the entire process, which took an hour and a half. Marsha Sue was bitter toward Riviera the entire time. When they finished, the house was declared ready for the auction and Riviera clapped her hands. Marsha Sue groaned and rolled her eyes. Shan shot her a look and said, “Marsha Sue, meet me in my office tomorrow morning at nine.”

  “Um, I have another appointment.”

  “Change it.”

  “But Shan …” she whined.

  “Change it, Marsha Sue,” he gritted out.

  “If you insist.”

  “Oh, I more than insist.”

  Then he turned to Riviera. “Come on, babe, let’s go home.”

  Marsha Sue gaped.

  *****

  Shan was furious. “I have to fire her. I can’t even stand to look at her, much less be in the same room and listen to her snide comments, especially when they’re aimed at you.”

  “But what will you do? You need her.”

  “Not anymore. I have you.”

  “Uh, Shan, I’m very confident with my abilities as an artistic painter. But a decorator? I’m not ready for that.”

  “I’ll hire another decorator then and when you’re ready, that person will work for you. When I hire him or her, I’ll let that person know from the start how it’ll be.”

  “I don’t know. This intimidates me.”

  “I swear you’ll be great. With a little help, you’ll be fine. I’ll get Janet to pull in all the local designers. Hell, maybe I’ll have her look for an up-and-coming someone who really needs the work. That way you two can collaborate on how you want to do things. How does that sound?”

  “Well, I’m just so unsure of my abilities in that role. Anything outside the realm of painting and I’m completely lost in the weeds.”

  “I call bullshit on that. If you can work with someone who knows the other part, you’re good, right?”

  “I guess so.”

  “Perfect. I’m firing her then. She’s a miserable bitch and I’m through with her. As of tomorrow, I’m handing it all over to you.” He laughed and Riviera thought he was nuts. She told him so too.

  *****

  The next morning, Shan called Riviera and let her know that Marsha Sue was not happy about her loss of Shandon Homes as her client. Apparently, she ranted and raved about how she had all but kept Shan’s clients happy and he would be sorry he let her go.

  “Do you think you made a mistake?” Riviera asked.

  “Hell no! She’s nuts. You should’ve seen her. First she tried to rub herself all over me. When she knew I wasn’t going for any of that, she tried to slap me, but I grabbed her arm before she could get close to my face. I told her to turn over all her keys. Then she said they were at her office, so I followed her there so I could get everything. I have a locksmith at every house right now rekeying the locks. I don’t trust her at all. She was bat-shit crazy.”

  “That’s pretty scary.”

  “I know, right? Anyway, stop by the office to get a new master key at the end of the day. Your old one won’t work after today.”

  “Okie dokie.”

  “And Riviera?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I miss you.”

  Riviera smiled into the phone as she said, “I miss you too.”

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Busted

  Riviera laughed as she ended her call with Shan. He whined all night and this morning as she left. He whined again during their phone conversation. Amie watched Riviera from her perch on the sofa.

  “Will you tell me what’s so funny?” she asked.

  “Oh, Shan is pouting because I won’t get ready for the auction at his place. I don’t want him to see me until he picks me up.”

  “Why, Riviera Benson! You’re a tease!” Amie accused.

  “Darn right, I am. I have him dying to see that dress. It’s been so funny and he can’t stand it. I want to see his eyes pop out.”

  Amie slapped her thigh and laughed. “Well, we need to get a move on here.”

  “Yep, because I’ll need help with my hair.”

  “That’s one thing I love about mine being short,” Amie laughed.

  Both girls went to their respective bathrooms to get ready. Amie worked her magic on Riviera's hair, putting it in a loose chignon and adding some braids across the front. She stood back and declared it to be the greatest style ever.

  “Are you sure? You don’t think it looks a little goofy here?” Riviera asked pointing to the front.

  “No! It’s gorgeous. Shan will not be able to keep his hands off you.”

  Riviera’s face broke into a huge smile. “Excellent. That’s my goal. Did I tell you his parents are going to be there?”

  Amie clapped her hands. “You’ll love them. They’re awesome. I met them at the last two auctions. And they're going to love you.”

  “Amie, I have blue and purple hair. You do realize that, don’t you? I also have tattoos.”

  “Your tattoos are perfect. And besides, you’re an artist, you dork.”

  “We'll see.” She couldn’t dispel her anxiousness over meeting them, no matter what Amie said.

  Riviera put on her gown and then wiggled her feet into her silver sandals. Upon looking into the mirror, Amie’s earrings just enough jewelry, she stepped back to get the total picture.

  She very much liked the reflection staring back at her.

  A final inspection from Amie and a few playful spins, the door bell rang.

  Riviera gaped when she saw Shan standing on her front porch. Dressed in a tailored black tux, Riviera loved the way the fabric moved with him. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. “Riviera, are you going to invite me in or am I going to have to stand out here all night?”

  The moisture in Riviera’s mouth had suddenly evaporated. She swallowed several time
s and stepped aside, making room for Shan to enter.

  “Babe, you look spectacular.” He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around, wanting to see her from all angles. “My God, you’re beautiful.”

  His voice warmed her. He kissed her fully on the mouth, stopping only when Amie cleared her throat.

  “Ahem. I hate to break up this lovefest, but we need to be heading out or we’re going to be late.”

  “Yes. Right.” Shan and Riviera stared at each other.

  “Well, I’m out of here. I’ll see you over there,” Amie said as she walked out the door. Neither of them responded.

  When they heard the door close, they were in each other’s arms, Shan’s lips possessing Riviera’s. He kissed her as if it were the first time, their tongues playing and dancing. Riviera thought she knew Shan’s kisses, but she was unprepared for the way his lips moved over hers and then sucked first the top and then the bottom. She thought she knew how he played inside of her mouth but he surprised her again when his tongue licked and swirled alongside hers. But when his teeth joined in on the fun, Riviera thought about foregoing the auction altogether. When they finally broke apart, Riviera was breathless.

  Shan eyes wouldn’t release hers; they were bonded together by some hypnotic force until he finally spoke. “When I first saw you tonight, you stole my breath so I thought it only fair that I steal it back.”

  Riviera’s hand clutched her chest in a futile attempt to slow her breathing. She finally had the sense to say, “You certainly did an excellent job. If we’re gonna go, we probably need to leave now, or I won’t be held responsible for my actions.” Shan took her hand and put it on his hardness.

  “This is going to be a long and difficult night.”

  “Maybe we should’ve done a practice run.”

  Shan roared with laughter. “Sweetheart, it wouldn’t have helped one bit.”

  “I suppose not.”

  “I want to give you something first.” He reached in his pocket.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s a necklace, Riviera. Something simple, because someone as lovely as you doesn’t need anything to detract from your beauty.”

  “Shan …”

  “Hush and let me put this on you.”

  He turned her around so he could do the clasp.

  Riviera walked to the closest mirror. From the silver chain hung an oval pendant covered in pave diamonds. She’d never seen anything quite so pretty.

  “Shan, it’s so perfect. I’ve never had a necklace before, but this is so expensive looking.”

  He pulled her back into his arms. “Nothing can match the sparkle in your eyes or the joy I feel when I see you smile. Maybe heaven isn’t in the afterlife. Maybe she's standing in front of me.” He kissed her softly then and whispered, “Let’s go, babe.”

  The parking lot of the City of Avon Convention Center was packed by the time they arrived. Shan pulled up to the valet parking and jumped out. He helped Riviera from the car, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm.

  Inside, Riviera immediately spied Amie talking to people she didn’t know. Amie waved but they didn’t stop to talk. Riviera gave him a questioning look. “I see my family over there,” he said.

  The first thing Riviera thought was that Shan’s brother was extremely handsome, though not nearly as good-looking as Shan. And Shan’s sister was the prettiest girl Riviera had ever seen.

  “I’d like you all to meet someone very special. This is my girlfriend, Riviera Benson. Riv, this is my family, Mike, Patsy, Gray, and Peyton.”

  Riviera smiled and shook everyone’s hand, or at least that’s what she tried to do, but she quickly found that wasn’t going to work. This was an affectionate family and she was swept up in a sea of hugs and kisses. Patsy squeezed her like a rag doll, and told her how happy she was to meet her. Mike the older version of Shan, wrapped Riviera in his thick arms and welcomed her to the Shandon clan. Peyton hugged her next, saying, “You have no idea how excited I am to have another girl in this family.”

  She finally made it to Gray and was surprised to get a brief handshake instead of a hug. Riviera felt the tension between the brothers and glanced at the two of them. Shan finally said, “Thanks for coming Gray. I appreciate it.”

  Gray's terse response puzzled Riviera. “I'm not here for you. I'm here for Colby and Sam.”

  Shan nodded. Riviera noted the sadness in Patsy’s eyes as she looked at her two sons. Trying her best to hide it, she tucked her arm into Riviera's and said, “So Shan tells me you did all the special technique painting in the house.”

  “Yes, Ma'am.”

  Shan piped in, “And wait until you see the pictures. You won't believe what she did.”

  Riviera beamed and Shan threw his arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. “I told you she was special. In tonight’s slideshow of the house, you’ll see a sampling, but the murals she did on the auction house are just a small example of what she can really do.”

  “Shan, you’re embarrassing me,” she said, blushing.

  “No, I’m only being honest.”

  Peyton clapped her hands. “Oh, I can’t wait to see it!”

  “Well, you two run along. We can chat at dinner. There are probably a ton of people you need to talk with tonight,” Patsy said.

  “We’ll see you at dinner.” As they walked away, Shan said, “I told you they’d love you.”

  “Yeah, they’re great. They’re so sweet. Do you even know how lucky you are?”

  He stopped, turned to her, and put his hands on her shoulders. “Yeah, Riviera, I do. I have a family who loves me. I was raised by two loving parents and never wanted for anything. And now I’m in love with the girl of my dreams. I definitely know how lucky I am and I plan to show you how much I adore you every day from now on.” He kissed her lightly on the lips.

  Riviera’s breath jammed in her lungs. Everything he’d just told her made her head spin. She knew she loved him and the knowledge of that made her stumble.

  “You okay?” he asked as he caught her.

  “Um, yeah. I just tripped. I’m not used to these shoes.”

  God, I’m so scared. What if I allow myself to commit to him and then he leaves me?

  He laced his fingers with hers and they went to find Amie. The night flew by, with Shelby’s Shack getting two million dollars for the home that Shan donated. Amie was elated, as was everyone else. Shan recognized A Range of Color by Riviera Benson as being the artist of the murals and afterward, Riviera was deluged with requests for work. Her head swam with the number of people wanting her business card.

  Shan noticed how her mouth had tightened, so he pulled her off to the side and found them a private place to take a break.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Whew! Just overwhelmed by it all.”

  “Didn’t I warn you?”

  “Well, yeah, but you know how it is.”

  “I guess so. Now you need to get that team hired, and fast.”

  She excused herself to use the restroom. Riviera didn’t pay attention to who had been discreetly following her around all night, so she was surprised when Marsha Sue cornered her in the bathroom.

  “You think you’re really special, don’t you, hanging out with Shan and his family? Well, I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. He’s just using you and when he gets tired of you, you’ll be another notch on his pretty little bedpost, just like I was. And just look at you in your fancy gown.” She cackled like an old witch. “You bought it at reDress, didn’t you? You want to know how I know? I wore it here last year. That’s my old dress, Riviera. You’re wearing my old trash. So, you can act all high and mighty, but you’re still the same old piece of garbage that crawled out of the gutter. You forget it was me who pulled you out and gave you your big break. If it weren’t for me, you’d still be floundering around, living in fear of … what’s his name? Jasper, isn’t it? You don’t think I’d let you come to work for me without doing my homewor
k, do you? Oh, I’ve done a lot more than my homework, Riviera. Wouldn’t Jasper love to know where you are? Huh? Wouldn’t he?”

  Riviera huddled in the bathroom, panting, sweating profusely, in the early stages of a full-blown panic attack. She wanted to fly at Marsha Sue and scratch out her eyes, but she couldn’t move, paralyzed in the grips of fear.

  Marsha Sue looked at her and cackled. Then her face twisted into a mask of hatred. “Scared, aren’t you? You should be. You should be very scared, Riviera. Because you fucked with the wrong person.” She turned and walked out.

  Riviera didn’t know how much time passed but Shan was in front of her, pulling her off the floor and holding her in his arms, asking her what happened.

  It was a few minutes before Riviera could speak. When her breathing evened out, she didn’t want to tell him. Embarrassment crowded her mind, making it nearly impossible for her to say anything.

  “Please, Riviera, you have to tell me.”

  “C-c-can we just get out of here?”

  He took her to a small private alcove.

  “Marsha Sue came in and cornered me.” She told him everything, shaking as she spoke. “If she told Jasper where I am, he’ll find me and kill me, Shan.”

  He ground his teeth and hissed, “That vindictive bitch.”

  “The way I left him, handcuffed to that pole, I know he’ll kill me if he ever finds me.”

  Shan scanned the room and then asked, “Do you want to go to the police?”

  “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Riviera, I haven’t told my family about any of this, but I think my brother could help. Would it be okay if we told him?”

  “Your brother? I got the feeling things weren't so good between the two of you.”

  “I guess you noticed that. We've had problems ever since Colby died. But that won't stop him from helping with this.”

  “Ugh, I hate bringing this all out on the first night I meet everyone.”

  “We can do it in the morning. They’re coming over for brunch. Mom is having it catered.”

  “They probably have a right to know if he comes after me. But Shan, I don’t want them to know the awful things he did to me.”

  “Of course, sweetheart. We’ll only tell them he abused you. Okay?”