Dangerous Curves (8 page)

She wished he wouldn't bite his lip because she didn't want to focus on his mouth. His beautiful mouth.

Kevin sighed and turned away with a look of regret. “And I made a mistake. I don't usually, but I just did.” He turned to her, his gaze darkened. “I shouldn't have kissed you like that because now I want to do it again. Can I? No, you don't need to speak just nod your head…why are you shaking it?”

“Kevin, I—”

He covered her mouth, stopping her words with a kiss that sent her senses spinning. Her body refused to pull away.
He's the one
, her heart whispered.
No, he can't be
, her mind rebelled.
He's all wrong for you. This is just for fun. This won't last. It doesn't mean anything.

Yes, he was beautiful to look at. No, beautiful was too soft a term…magnificent. Larger, more virile than she'd expected him to be. He was all man. A big, well-suited, confident sexy man with the power of an illusionist. He seemed one way, but she knew he was another. He was a riddle to her, but she didn't know why. He was dangerous, off limits in many ways. She couldn't be tangled up with him even in her dreams.

But she didn't care.

She'd have to tell him the truth and then he'd never speak to her again.

She still didn't care.

Dominique wrapped her arms around him and leaned into the kiss with more force than she'd meant to. They stumbled back. Kevin lost his balance and she landed heavily on him.

He swore. “I shouldn't have done that.”

She scrambled off him, horrified. “I'm so sorry.”

“No, it's not you,” he said through a forced smile, but she noticed his hand gripping his thigh.

Her humiliation turned to fear. “I hurt you—”

Kevin kept his smile in place. “No, you didn't. I fell on my pride that's all.”

“But your leg—”

“I'm fine. Really.” He sat gingerly on the chair. “It's nothing.”

But she knew by the tightness of his jaw and the shadows in his eyes that wasn't true.

K
evin walked
—limped really, now that no one could see—into his house and closed the door behind him with more force than he meant to. He shouldn't have kissed her. Now he wanted her so much he ached. He leaned against the door for a moment, remembering the feel of her body against his. If she felt this good with her clothes on, how would she feel when they were naked? Her legs wrapped around him, her breasts pressed against his…He groaned.

“Get rid of her,” Ferguson said.

Kevin lifted his head and glared at him. “No.”

“I've seen that look before. You'll get into trouble. She's not worth it.”

Kevin pushed himself from the door and headed to his bedroom.

“You can't be with her.”

“I know that,” Kevin said heading up the stairs.

“Take the elevator.”

“I need the exercise.”

Ferguson followed behind him. “You need a cold shower.”

Kevin laughed. “Yes, that too.”

“What is it with you and fat girls. She's not even pretty and--”

“Then why did I see you blush when she complimented your tie the other day?”

Ferguson rushed in front of him. “All right, I admit that she's attractive. I may even like her if given the chance, but I can't see you risk—”

“I'm not risking anything,” Kevin said, pushing him aside. He was losing energy and his leg was really starting to ache. If he didn't get to the landing soon, he wouldn't make it.

“She can't find out about you. You can't trust her. She's like all the others. She's using you.”

“No, she's not. She needs me.”

“Are you sure it's not the other way around?”

Kevin paused for a second, gripping the railing. The thought frightened him. He'd made that mistake before, needing a woman more than he should have. And for a moment he felt the ache of that pain in his heart. A pain that rivaled the pain in his leg. A private misery that haunted him. He'd thought of bribing a nurse in order to see Cassie, but had changed his mind. He wasn't ready to see her yet. “I'm sure,” he said, then continued up the stairs.

“
A
re
you sure you weren't mistaken?” Dominique asked her sister later that evening as she sat in front of her TV, flipping through movies to stream while talking to Gloria on the phone.
Nobody is nice to me for no reason.
Kevin's
words bothered her. They carried more weight and feeling than she wanted them to. He truly sounded like a man used to being used. And she hated being one of the users. But didn't she have a right? If he'd hurt her sister, he should be hurt as well. But something wasn't right. The Kevin she'd come to know over the last couple of weeks was nothing like the man her sister had described. And the shadows in his eyes were real. He couldn't fool her; something was wrong. And she wouldn't let herself think about the kiss, think about him telling her that he liked her. She couldn't think about how much she liked him too.

She needed more details.

“Positive,” Gloria said in a pitiful voice. “He really hurt me. Don't you believe me?”

“No, it's not that, it's just…something doesn't feel right.”

“You're falling for him, aren't you?”

Yes.
Dominique silently admitted, but instead of feeling ashamed, she felt suspicious as a new question arose in her thoughts.
But
why are you changing the subject?
That was a tactic their father had taught them: When you feel cornered, put the other person on the defensive. She decided to stay quiet and see if her sister would let anything slip.

“I knew you wouldn't believe me,” Gloria continued. “Nobody would. Everybody likes Kevin.”

Exactly. So why would he mistreat you? Why doesn't his reputation match what you've said?
“That's not it,” Dominique said, doing her best to sound affronted. “I just want to know more so that I can manipulate him better.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

She paused. “You don't have to do this if you don't want to.”

Dominique nodded, recognizing another manipulative tactic: Make the other person feel guilty. “I do. I won't let him get away with hurting you. I even tried seducing him.” She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping her sister would take the bait.

“Oh my God, are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“No, you didn't.”

“Yes, I did. I wanted to hurt him, break his heart like he broke yours.”

“That is so unlike you. I didn't realize you were so…so...”

“Committed?” Dominique finished for her.

“I was going to say crazy, but that's good too.”

“You know I'd do anything for you.”

Gloria fell silent, then said, “I didn't mean for you to embarrass yourself.”

Dominique stiffened. “Embarrass myself?”

“You said you tried, but…it didn't work, did it? Forget I asked, we both know that's not your thing?”

“My thing?”

“You and guys,” she clarified. “But it's really sweet you tried. Did you find out anything about him?”

Dominique paused, unnerved by her sister's words. That was interesting. What did she expect her to find? And why was she so confident that she hadn't been able to seduce Kevin? Wasn't Kevin a predator? Or did she think she wasn't a worthy prey?

Gloria's phone beeped. “Hold on, I've got another call.”

Dominique sat back and waited for silence when her sister put her on hold. Instead she heard her father's voice come on the line. Her sister had accidentally put her on conference call. Dominique opened her mouth to let them know she was still there when her father said, “What has she told you?”

“I've got her on the other line right now,” Gloria said. “She's working on it.”

“Why the hell is it taking her so long?”

“She's close, Dad, she sounds like she has something on him.”

“But she hasn't told you anything specific yet?”

“No, she's trying to seduce him.” She giggled. “Poor Kevin. That would be funny to see. Maybe that's why it's taking her so long.”

“Let her have her fun as long as she gets us what we want.”

“I said you should have sent me.”

“No, Dominique's the right choice. She can get men to talk. They trust her.”

“And they don't trust me?” Gloria asked in a pouty tone.

Her father laughed. “The smart ones know better.”

“I guess you're right. At first I wasn't sure about this, but I think it will do her good.”

“Exactly. You and I are of the same mind. Your mother wouldn't understand. You're definitely your father's daughter. That's why you were always my favorite.”

“Don't make me feel guilty. Dominique works hard.”

“That's all she's good for. And you're her weak spot. Get her to tell you what she knows no matter how small. No detail is insignificant.”

“I will. Bye.”

“Bye.” He hung up.

Dominique felt as if she couldn't breathe. Her sister and father had set this up? It was all a lie? Why? Why had Gloria made up a story about Kevin and why did they want her to take revenge on him? What information did they want? Why was Kevin seen as a threat?

“Dominique?” her sister said.

She couldn't speak.

“Dominique?” Gloria repeated. “Damn, I must have disconnected.” She hung up and moments later the phone rang, but Dominique didn't answer right away. Should she play along and pretend she hadn't heard them? Confront her? She picked up.

“Sorry, sis, I—”

“You lied to me,” Dominique said finally getting her voice back.

“What?”

“Kevin didn't hurt you, you and Dad made that up.”

“Why…why would you think that?” Gloria asked, stumbling over the words.

“Because I just heard you.”

Gloria swore. “It's not what you think.”

Dominique briefly closed her eyes. Berton had said the same thing. The same lie. Were they all against her? “I trusted you.”

“I was doing this for you. Dad told me that if you pulled this off he had a prime position he wanted to give you. One created especially for you.”

He'd been using that carrot all her life. Dangling it in front of her, but always keeping it out of reach. But that wasn't what hurt. “You lied to me. I can take Dad, but not you. I believed you.”

“Dad said it was important that you—”

“And you just do whatever Dad says, right?”

“I don't know what's going on, but Kevin makes Dad nervous and he asked me to help him.”

Dominique jumped up and paced. “You're not sorry.”

“What?”

Just like Berton, she wasn't going to say she was sorry. “Are you proud of yourself? Yes, I can get my big dumb sister to do whatever I ask her to.”

“That's not true. I'm sorry--”

“Sorry that I overheard you.”

“Will you just listen? I don't know what Dad has against Kevin Jackson, but I know it's huge. The guy isn't what he seems. I've never seen Dad so anxious about a lawsuit before. He didn't want to ask you personally. He thought you'd be more interested if you were doing it for me. This isn't personal. Dominique?”

“I'm still here,” she said softly, glancing at the door.

“You want to save the company, right? I know you quit your job because you got upset, but it's important to us. To you. You've given it your life. All you have to do is get a little dirt on Kevin and Dad will let you come back without any drama. And he—”

Dominique blinked back tears of rage. Did her father really think he could use her like this without her finding out? “I'm not coming back.”

“You don't mean that.”

She switched her phone to the other ear. “I mean every word.”

“What will you do?”

“Don't pretend to care.”

“I do care.”

“Kevin Jackson's lawsuit isn't big enough to destroy the company. That's just a lie Dad said to scare you.”

“I am scared, Dominique. Kevin Jackson is dangerous to us for some reason. Please help. Just…it doesn't even have to be something big. Just—”

Dominique hung up. She couldn't take her sister's lies anymore. How long had she been blind? She knew her father favored Gloria, but that hadn't bothered her until now. That he could pass her over for a promotion, then use her sister to lie to her and go on a while goose chase… She felt gutted and humiliated. Her sister had giggled as if she'd expected her to fail with Kevin. Kevin Jackson would sleep with anyone, but would he really stoop so low to sleep with her? That stung. She'd never known that side to her. She'd taken pride in being the older sister who'd protected her baby sister from the big wide world, and in return her sister saw her as a dowdy bore who couldn't lead a thirsty horse to water.

She was glad she hadn't told them about Kevin's pills or even the kiss. She'd deceived him, but she wouldn't hurt him. Especially not for her father.

Waves of emotion struck her as if she'd been tossed in the ocean during a storm. She felt consumed by humiliation, then rage, then sorrow, then pain. Is that what her sister really thought of her? Her sister's betrayal sliced to her core. Gloria had been her heart. The little sister she'd always stood up for. The one she'd cover for when Gloria swiped their mother's jewels or favorite perfume. Did she really think Dominique had no life except for the business? That she would coldly and callously hurt someone else for the sake of the company? Was that the reputation she'd created? Or the one their father had created for her?

She'd always suspected Gloria was her father's favorite, but to hear the words…all that she'd done had never meant anything to him. Never would.

‘She's so busy looking at the details she misses the big picture' she'd once over heard her father say to a colleague about her and he'd been right. She shouldn't have been so reckless. She'd altered her entire life, moved out of the family home, and become a driver for the sake of her sister's honor.

Now she was left with nothing. She'd been a great, big fool.

But she wouldn't be a fool again.

She'd make this work in her favor. Her father wanted something and so far she hadn't given it to him and she was going to make sure that he didn't get it. Why was Kevin such an interesting target? She'd read the lawsuit and there wasn't anything there. Why the worry? What was his fear? Why had they wanted to use her?

She was glad she quit. She'd thought of becoming an industry expert, but didn't want to have anything to do with her past. She was leaving the business world behind, along with any ties to her family. At least she had a job. Not one she would have chosen, but it allowed her to make a decent income and gave her a place to stay while she thought of her next steps.

Dominique looked around the cramped quarters—the simple bed, the view overlooking the garage—with grim satisfaction. This was where she belonged. Out from under her manipulative family's rule. She would stop her foolhardy attempts with Kevin. He needed a driver and she'd be one of the best. Whatever information they wanted about him, they wouldn't get it from her.

But it did make her wonder what made her father nervous about him. Cartwright Cars's lawyers would deal with a lawsuit as they'd done plenty of times in the past. Something else was going on and she'd find out what.

She'd been her family's cleanup crew since she was a little girl. She'd been her parents' little accident and they'd never let her forget it. They'd gotten married because of her, although it had worked well for both of them. Both completely self interested-- his ability to make money matched her mother's looks. To her mother's annoyance, she took after her father. She had a heavy, stocky build, square jaw and serious nature.

“If I hadn't been there when you were born I wouldn't have thought you were mine,” she liked to tell her. Fortunately, her second daughter suited her better, matching her in looks and temperament. And yet she still loved them. Although she was nothing like them, they were her family and had her devotion.

Not any more. She wasn't going to be used. She wasn't going to be passed over. She wasn't going to be hurt again. And she was going to uncover what her father feared most.