Tall Dark and Bossy: A Hate To Love Stand-Alone Romance Page 3

  How could I explain this without sounding like a prude? “One, I did it at my friend’s house and not at her wedding reception. But there’s also another entirely different reason. Did you ever see your father beat and berate your mother?”

  “No. My father adored my mother and did anything she asked of him. Don’t get me wrong. She was no angel and not the mother anyone would want. But that’s a story for another time.”

  “From as long as I can remember, my father was a vicious drunk. My mom landed in the hospital more than I care to recall. David was aware of how I felt and knew how awful it was for me. Today was an important day for me. I watched him pound that champagne and warned him not once, but several times to slow down, only he chose to ignore me. Getting a little tipsy is one thing. But getting drunk to the point of throwing up is unacceptable. David is a thirty-three-year-old man and should’ve known better, especially considering my feelings on the subject.”

  “Stacey, you sound like a woman who knows what she wants.”

  I laughed at that. I barely knew anything, especially when it came to men. At one time, I thought I did. That was until my former fiancé cheated on me and I was oblivious to that fact. He tried to stiff me for the house we bought, as the mortgage was in my name. He’d known all along we wouldn’t be getting married, and I was too blind to see through his shenanigans. David had done me a huge favor by seeing to it that said ex was held responsible for his part of the mortgage. Of course, I ended up selling the house because neither of us wanted it after all.

  A rueful laugh pushed past my lips. “Hardly. I only know what I don’t want and that’s a drunk for a boyfriend.”

  “How about we go and dance? I’m a bit lacking in that since I broke my leg, but I can still do a few moves.” He grinned and it was so sexy I couldn’t refuse.

  “Are you going to be an asshole to me out there? David nearly dropped me once tonight and I don’t care for a repeat.”

  “I promise to be on my best behavior.”

  “No more snarky comments?” I asked.

  “None, I swear.” His hands went up in the air, conceding.

  “Okay, but I’m not exactly twinkle toes myself.”

  “Then we’ll make a great duo.” He held out his hand and I took it as we headed to bust some moves. When we got there, the song ended, and the band began playing a slower one. His eyes met mine and I melted into his arms.

  “Glad we don’t have to do anything fancy, twinkle toes.”

  Laughing, I said, “Me too or else your toes would be bruised.”

  “Pretty sure I could handle it.”

  We swayed to the rhythm of the music, and the man’s arms were heavenly. But hold on. What was happening here? A couple of hours ago, I thought David and I were a thing and now I was fantasizing about this flaming specimen who was dancing with me. And said hottie had been a jerk earlier with his comments. This must be because I was feeling sorry for myself. My best friend had found the most spectacular love of her life and I’d ended up with the puking drunk. Good Lord, I sure knew how to pick them. I remember when we were roommates in college and her boyfriend back then was the biggest loser. I was the one who had the true catch. And now look at me. I’d gone steadily downhill since then.

  Not anymore. From this moment on, I was no longer going to settle for anything but the very best. I didn’t care if that meant I’d end up single for life. Look at Tristian’s sister, Ravina. She seemed perfectly happy being single. Why couldn’t I? I could find a boy toy or two and get my thrills, but I was not going to sink my heart into anything. Only my lady bits as they needed attention every now and again. And to be honest, David wasn’t exactly a lover extraordinaire. In fact, the first few times we’d slept together were cringeworthy. He’d plucked at me like he was picking blueberries from a bush. I pretty much had to do everything and then he’d gotten offended. It was a disastrous scenario.

  “Why so quiet?” Stanton asked.

  “I was only thinking.”

  “Want to share?”

  “Um, no.” I felt my face heat. Oh, Lord, I hope he couldn’t see. That would make it seem I’d been thinking about him, which was only partially true. I could never share with him what a terrible lover David was.

  “That bad, huh?”

  “Yeah, it was pretty bad.”

  “Then let’s talk about something good. Would you agree to go to dinner with me one night?”

  Chapter Four

  STANTON

  Stacey’s eyes bugged out at my question, and I almost expected them to roll right on out. It was something I’d wanted to ask, but wasn’t sure if she was ready, especially since she’d been exposed to the bosshole side of me. It was easy to bring on this persona as I used it a lot at the office. All her talk about breaking it off with the drunk douche gave me the signal that it was okay, so I went with it.

  To soften the shock, I said, “Hey, you don’t have to answer now. I get that you’re sort of in a dilemma with everything that happened tonight, but if you decide you’d like to, then let me know. If not, your loss.”

  She jumped right in and answered, “Yeah, I’m not sure going out with someone as infuriating as you is high on my list.”

  “Me? Infuriating?” I chuckled. I’d never been told that by a woman before.

  “Yes, you. Who else would I be saying that to?”

  “You have to give me some points. At least I’m sober and carrying on a conversation you can understand.”

  She glared at me. “Thanks for the reminder. And you said you weren’t going to be an ass.”

  “I’m not being an ass. I’ll gladly take credit for that when I am.”

  “Then what do you call yourself now? You’re acting pretty arrogant if you ask me.”

  I spun her around before saying, “I don’t have an arrogant bone in my body.”

  With that, she took a step away from me. I hated it because I loved the way her body felt against mine.

  “I’ve had enough of this dancing thing.” Then she stomped back to the table. But she didn’t sit. She glanced around the courtyard and walked off to the bar. I caught up with her there.

  “Sorry about that. I grew up with a sharp tongue.”

  I heard her huff. “You want to know something? I don’t care. I won’t be the brunt of it. Ever. You don’t even recognize your assholery.”

  She did have a point. Holding up both hands, I said, “I surrender.”

  “Don’t patronize me either.” Sparks shot from her stunning eyes.

  But this time I wasn’t being patronizing. I thought I was being more considerate. “I apologize. I didn’t intend for that to sound the way it did. I promise to behave. I’m not acting like a jerk now, am I?”

  She leaned back and openly stared. “No, but it’s only because I chastised you. However, I’m sure you have a trigger.”

  “Trigger?” I played dumb. I enjoyed our banter.

  She offered up a perfected eye roll, which got me chuckling. “Oh, come on, I did not fall off the turnip truck yesterday.”

  “Turnip truck?”

  “Yes, you’re southern. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard that saying.”

  I grabbed her, twirled her around, and then said, “You got me. I know that saying very well. One of my nannies used it all the time.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Enjoying myself with you. I loved dancing with you, so I figured one more spin wouldn’t hurt.” I offered her my most innocent smile.

  “We’re not dancing anymore.”

  “Who says you can’t dance when and where you want?”

  Her head swiveled back and forth, and I knew I was frustrating her with my craziness. “You’re really goofy, you know that?”

  “Is that such a terrible thing?”

  She squinted. “I suppose not.” Her index finger popped up. “But you never answered me. What are your triggers?”

  Without hesitation, I said, “Men who get shit faced around their dates
.” That shut her up as her mouth formed an O. I wanted to press my lips against hers and push my tongue inside. Only this wasn’t the time. I had to play my cards perfectly with her, so I played the gentleman, which was not like me. “So, Stacey, dinner?”

  “Er, yeah. Okay. Fine.” She sounded a bit breathy.

  “You’re sure? I don’t want to get in between anything.”

  “There’s nothing to get in between. That’s done.” She slashed a hand as she spoke the words and she never looked more beautiful.

  “Excellent. How about next Friday then?”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  We left the bar never ordering a drink and wandered back to our table. We’d only just sat down when the band announced the bride and groom would be leaving momentarily. My little brother, Landry, and I had arranged for a proper sendoff.

  “Follow me.” I held out a hand and she took it.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.”

  We got to the expansive garage that was capable of housing a dozen cars and Landry was already there, accompanied by Ravina and Easton.

  “Aunt Stacey Bear, look!”

  We checked out the vintage Rolls Royce that my dad had bought for my mom years ago. It was decorated with all sorts of things. Tin cans hung off the back and just married signs were stuck on both sides of the vehicle. Landry had ordered them, ensuring they were magnetic. We didn’t want to ruin the perfect finish on the car. Pink streamers also hung everywhere, along with some stuffed unicorns, courtesy of Easton. She’d also requested a couple of rainbows, so Landry had ordered two rainbow magnetic signs for the doors. It was a good thing this car was the size of a tank with everything we’d plastered on it.

  “Oh, my god! This is great!” Stacey clapped her hands.

  “Isn’t it beautiful?” Easton asked, her hands folded together in glee.

  I wouldn’t call it exactly that. It was more garish than anything, but it satisfied her, so we went with it.

  Stacey chortled. “It’s perfect. You’re an excellent decorator, Easton.”

  “I know.” Easton beamed.

  I chuckled at her lack of modesty. That kid sure made me laugh.

  “Uncle Stanton, are you going to drive them?”

  “No, sweetheart, a chauffeur will be doing that.”

  “What’s a chauffeur?”

  “It’s a person we hired to drive them.”

  “You mean like Boppy does for me sometimes when he or Mimi pick me up from school?”

  “Well, not exactly, but kind of.” Boppy and Mimi, English’s parents, were also known as Beck and Sheridan.

  Her puzzled expression had me explaining further. “Boppy and Mimi do it because they love you. A chauffeur does it because he or she gets paid.”

  “Oh, like Mommy pays Aunt Rae sometimes.”

  “Yeah, that’s more like it.” Rae was English’s younger sister. I didn’t think she’d like being known as a chauffeur, so I hope Easton didn’t call her that.

  Speak of the devil, Rae and Sheridan appeared, letting us know that English and Tristian were getting ready to make their grand departure.

  I said to Landry, “You’d better drive the old gal out so the chauffeur can get prepared.”

  He got in the car and cranked her up. It purred like a charm as we watched him pull out. And then all the cans rattled, and Easton let out a huge yell and gave a fist pump in the air.

  “Yay!” She clapped her hands. We followed behind the clanking until we made it to the front circular drive, where a crowd had gathered. Everyone held sparklers, which lit up the drive, to send off the couple. Easton took the one Ravina handed her and waved it in the air.

  “Aunt Ravina, when I get married, I want to have oonicorn sparklers and a big rainbow wedding cake.”

  “Then you shall have them,” Ravina said. She gave Easton everything she asked for. One day, Easton was going to ask her for something she couldn’t give, and the big disappointment would hit.

  Everyone started cheering as the couple made their exit from the house. When English spied the car, she broke into a laugh.

  “I can see who had a hand in the decorating here,” she said.

  “Do you like it, Mommy?”

  “I love it, my darling. Thank you.”

  English and Tristian climbed in, and they waved goodbye from the rear window as the car pulled away, cans rattling down the driveway.

  “Aunt Ravina, do you think we could hang some cans off the horses tomorrow when we go riding?”

  “That probably wouldn’t be a good idea. It would scare them, and we could get hurt.”

  “Okay, but maybe some soft oonicorns then.” They walked off together and disappeared around the corner. I’m pretty sure Ravina was going to allow Easton to indulge in more cake and kiddie cocktails. That kid would be awake all night.

  Stacey gained my attention by asking, “Would you mind calling me a taxi?”

  “Absolutely not. I’ll get one of the security team to drive you home whenever you’re ready.”

  “That would be now.”

  Waves of disappointment rolled over me. I was hoping she would stay a while so we could continue our talk, but it had been a long day.

  “Not a problem.” I pulled out my phone and shot a text to the lead team member. He answered immediately. “A car will be out front here momentarily.”

  “Oh, then I’d better gather my things from inside.”

  “I can get them for you.”

  “That’s fine. I have to pack up a few items,” she explained. I watched as she went into the house and then returned to wait for the car. She was carrying a small bag and her shoes. I glanced at her feet, which were now adorned in flip-flops.

  “More comfortable now?” I asked.

  “You know it.” She wiggled her toes. I never could understand how women wore those high-heeled contraptions. They sure looked sexy, though.

  The driver opened the back door and she got inside.

  “I’ll call you this week so we can firm up our plans for Friday night.”

  “Sounds great and thank you again, Stanton, for helping me out. By the way, I like you better when you’re not being an ass.”

  I stood there as the car pulled away, wishing she would have stayed. Then I broke out into a laugh.

  Chapter Five

  STACEY

  Had I lost my mind? I’d agreed to go to dinner with tall, dark, and snarky on the spur of the moment and now I was regretting it. Why did I always go for the jerks? The truth was, if I cared to admit it, I wanted to go out with him. He was a challenge … sort of, with that over-the-top attitude of his. But was it a bright idea to do that so soon after David? And that led me to my other dilemma. David—how was I going to break it off with him? I guess coming right out with the truth was the best.

  To be honest, after talking to Stanton, I didn’t even want to see David again. All I could remember was him throwing up in those stupid bushes. Gah, that was disgusting. I’d never been so embarrassed in my life. What grown man did that? I sure knew how to pick them. But Stanton had brushed it off and made me feel better about things, even with his smart-ass comments. I had to admit it was sort of fun verbally sparring with him. And after all, I wasn’t the one who did the puking; David was.

  That night, I lay in bed and replayed the entire day in my head. Did I do something to push David to drink? He’d never done that before, but to be fair, my feelings had never run very deep for him. Maybe he’d sensed it. We’d had our share of fun, though nothing spectacular. I suppose I’d told myself things were great between us because I’d hit the age where everyone seemed to be getting married. When you tell yourself the same story over and over, you began to believe it. And that was just plain stupid and not fair to him. You can’t make yourself fall in love with someone. Clearly, I was not in love with David.

  Sleep claimed me and I awoke with a start as my phone rang. I picked the annoying device off the nightstand and saw
that it was David calling. He was not the person I wanted to speak with right now, but it was best to get this over.

  “Hey.”

  “Stacey, what happened last night? How did I get home?” There was an urgency in his tone.

  “You mean after you got hammered from pounding the champagne and throwing up in the hedges?”

  “Say what? I did that?”

  “Yes, David, you did. I warned you more than once about the champagne, but you blew me off.”

  “Ugh, yeah I remember that now.”

  “Isn’t that wonderful?” My snarky tone should’ve conveyed how I felt, and it did.

  “Look, I know you’re pissed off at me.”

  “Pissed off? Not even close to how I felt last night. You can add disappointed and humiliated to that list.”

  “I’m sorry. I can imagine how you felt.”

  “Can you? I doubt it. You knew how important yesterday was, but you chose to ignore that. You also knew how much I despise seeing someone that intoxicated at a special event like that.”

  “Yeah, but I can explain.”

  “Oh?”

  “I forgot to eat before the reception.”

  And that had to be the lamest excuse I’d ever heard. If he’d forgotten to eat, then why drink at all until he did? Eat, that is. There was food everywhere and I told him so.

  “When we got there, I guess I got caught up in all the excitement.”

  “David, you’re a grown man, and if you can’t manage a simple thing such as that, you have bigger problems than getting drunk. And on that note, it’s time we called it quits.”

  “Wait, you’re breaking up with me because I drank a little too much? That’s absurd.”

  “You didn’t just drink a little too much. You were plastered and had to be carried out and driven home. Besides, you know how I feel about that. If my feelings meant so little to you, then this relationship wasn’t really worth it to begin with.”

  “No! That’s not true at all. Your feelings mean a lot. You mean a lot.”

  “I disagree. Had the shoe been on the other foot, I would never have done the same. Yes, I’ve had too much alcohol at one time or another, but not at an event that meant a lot to the person I was with. You made a complete fool out of both of us.”