Beholden (The Beguiling Bachelors Book 2) Read online

  Squirming under the delicious sensations, Sloane wondered if perhaps she could last the night without Randall. He made her laugh, turned her on and kept her dragons at bay, at least for the length of a lunch. She wished she could stay with him tonight, but her pride kept her from suggesting it, from letting the depths of her feelings show. It was that same pride, and budding distrust, that prevented her from asking about the lawyers.

  Pushing his hand away gently, she leaned forward seductively. When his lips were just inches from hers she spoke in a low throaty voice.

  “Oh, Randall. A whole night?” Randall responded with a gleam in his eyes and a seductive smile on his face. Sloane leaned back. “Yeah,” she ended, voice full of sarcasm, ”I can manage.”

  Laughing, he signed the credit slip with an arrogant flourish and drove her home.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “You look stunning,” Randall blurted out unfiltered when Sloane opened the door Saturday evening. She took his breath away. The deep indigo blue gown that skimmed her slim body shimmered with crystals like they had been spattered from her knee to the floor. The fabric pooled about her feet as if she had been posed for a fashion shoot. The low cut bodice and back displayed just the right amount of her creamy skin. His fingers itched to touch her. She wore no jewelry around her neck, allowing the cut of the dress and her elegant figure to draw the eye, but she had a few delicate diamond tennis bracelets about her wrist and small diamond drop earrings hanging from the shells of her ears. The effect was class, elegant…

  … and damn sexy.

  Her hair shimmered, thick and dark, pulled into a low chignon at the nape of her neck with a jeweled barrette twinkling against the inky tresses. Randall wanted to unpin it, wrap it around his fist, and drag her to bed. He felt like the Neanderthal she had named him. He wanted to dance about the room tonight showing her off to the world. He felt like a God. Everything about her was flawless.

  And she’s with me.

  He had seen Sloane dressed like this many times before, but this time she was his date. She would hold his hand, dance in his arms, and sleep in his bed. He felt like the luckiest man on earth.

  “Ready?” She broke his trance as she reached to pick up her evening bag and a light jacket. He followed her out the door, admiring the way the dress molded to her, hugging every delectable inch of her ass.

  Damn she looks so good.

  “You look very elegant, sir,” she flirted with him. “We will be the best looking couple at the event.” No modesty there. She had been told she was beautiful too many times not to know it and he was certainly no slouch, broad shoulders showing off his custom tuxedo like he was a GQ model. The blue of her dress, with her blue eyes and fair skin, was arresting. She would stand out in the sea of tuxedoed men and elegant women garbed in the somber black they so often selected these days.

  “Tyler and Regan are waiting in the car. We picked her up first because she was ready early and getting antsy,” he explained as they walked to the elevator. Once they were heading down, he took her into his arms and kissed her soundly, holding her tight between himself and the elevator wall, ravaging her moist, minty mouth until the doors opened. When they did open, he was adjusting his suddenly snug trousers while Sloane used a perfectly manicured finger to neaten the edges of her lipstick. She stepped from the elevator as if nothing had occurred, but Randall could see the sparkle in her eye and the rapid beat of the pulse at her throat. She, too, had been affected.

  The limo driver hovered waiting to open the door of the long, black limo sitting at the curb. As he caught sight of Randall he jumped up and stepped forward. Randall motioned for Sloane to precede him, then watched with lust in his eyes as she stooped and entered the car. He slid in behind her, settling his large frame close beside her despite the spacious interior. He wrapped her hand in his securely, holding on as if trying to prevent her escape.

  “Regan, you look just lovely,” Sloane was admiring her friend, who did indeed look elegant in a sleek black dress, although her pretty, blonde looks paled next to Sloane’s dark beauty. The women talked dresses, jewels and shoes for a solid five minutes after Sloane and Tyler exchanged perfunctory greetings.

  Randall was able to catch snippets of the women’s conversation while speaking with Tyler about potential auction items on which to bid. Tyler had been studying the website for the event and had his eye on tickets for hockey, basketball and strangely, the women’s roller derby. Despite following the conversation with Tyler, he was able to learn that Regan had purchased her dress months ago while Sloane had still been undecided as late as 4:00 that afternoon.

  “I wore this to a Howe Museum event several years ago,” she was telling Regan, “but at the time Wyatt and I were not engaged so there were few, if any, photos of me. I am hoping no one will remember that I have worn this before.”

  “Are you crazy?” Randall blurted out without thinking. “No one could forget you in that dress.”

  “Oh no, do you think he’s right?” Sloane asked Regan, fear and disappointment clouding her features. She completely missed the blatant compliment.

  “That is not at all what he meant, Sloane.” Regan reassured her with a smile. “Randall means he could never forget you in that dress. What have you done to the man? He is totally smitten.”

  “He is pretty attentive,” Sloane admitted shyly.

  “Like it?”

  “Love it.”

  Regan beamed at the news. “You two are good for each other you know. You can tone down the party boy in Randall and he can be a caring reliable man in your life just when you were sure there were none left.”

  “I don’t need a man,” Sloane hissed under her breath, adding more gently, ”but even I can’t deny that he is pretty damn adorable.”

  The short drive ended swiftly and soon the men were helping the women disembark from the car to join the crowds of gowned women and tuxedoed men moving toward the ballrooms. The four of them turned heads as they made their way through the historic lobby. Randall actually saw a jeans and tee clad tourist, position his phone to snap their picture.

  Our red carpet moment. Sloane will love it when I tell her.

  Taking a delicate shrimp appetizer from a passing server, Sloane voiced her relief that everything looked perfect. The flowers were a variety of sizes and textures but all in creamy whites and greens. The food was being passed efficiently and the crowds were gratifyingly large. Members of Chicago’s elite wandered by, including several people from the Hospital Board, All of them nodded in greeting but none stopped to talk. Randall took the bull by the horns and began stopping people he knew, which it seemed was everyone. He shook hands, made small talk and never removed his hand from around Sloane’s waist, drawing her into every conversation.

  No one is snubbing my girl, tonight. Not if I have anything to say about it.

  Once the ice was broken, Sloane and Randall easily settled into conversations joined by Wyatt and Keeli when they arrived. They greeted Wyatt’s parents, who were happy to see Tyler and Randall, and unfailingly polite, if a bit cool, to Sloane. The conversation was superficial, ‘how are you’ and “how is your family’, ‘isn’t the room lovely’ and so forth. The women admired each other’s dresses, or their hair or jewelry.

  Soon Wyatt’s parents moved on to seek out more of their own friends and Tyler disappeared, returning with their place cards. Sloane had hoped they would be seated at the same table but it was out of her control since she had been unable to purchase a table herself. Each card was written in elegant script, obviously done by a professional calligrapher. Their names were elegantly scripted before ‘Table No. 12’.

  “Oh good, we are all at the same table,” Sloane said happily, “It will be so much more fun being with friends.”

  “Of course, we are,” Tyler explained with a hint of exasperation, “Randall bought the table for us.”

  Sloane’s eyes flew to Randall’s face in time to catch his sheepish grin. He had not told her.
Tyler had the good grace to mouth a quick ‘I’m sorry” to Randall. Sloane looked a little shocked, then really happy.

  Oh good, she’s pleased. So far so good.

  “Let’s go check out all the auction items before dinner is served,” Tyler suggested. They all agreed enthusiastically and the six of them moved as a single unit to the long tables set up against the wall strewn with baskets and posters and an odd assortment of goods.

  Some of the items had opening bids in the thousands, some in the tens of thousands. There were trips to Europe, Russia and South Africa, the rental of a house in Tahoe, another in Maui and an apartment on New York’s upper east side. The LHRE donation, a flight to San Francisco with two nights in an exclusive hotel, brought a smile to Sloane’s face and she gave Regan’s hand a grateful squeeze when she saw it.

  “The committee got some great donations,” Sloane admitted without rancor. “We should raise a lot of money.”

  There was a gorgeous piece of jewelry donated by Keeli Larsen Designs, a wide bracelet encrusted in sapphires and diamonds. It was locked in a Plexiglas case but the women stood over it, admiring it and wanting to try it on. Sloane’s mother came over to admire the piece as well, looking lovely in a cream colored gown. She had arrived on the arm of an old family friend, one of the few who still supported the Huyler family, but Sloane had been gratified to see her chatting with quite a few people.

  “Having fun?” Sloane asked her mother under her breath.

  “Oh yes, Dear. You have outdone yourself. Everything is lovely,” Marianne offered before they returned their attention to Keeli.

  “I will get the case unlocked so we can play with it,” Keeli offered. “If I can, of course.”

  “Play with it?” Sloane and Regan had both turned to Keeli at her choice of words and the three giggled together. “You don’t play with something that beautiful. At least don’t let the person who already bid $18,800 hear you use that kind of language for such an exquisite piece.” Sloane pointed to the card indicating several bids.

  Wyatt was writing his name on several auction items, the Tahoe house, the Maui house and some sports equipment where bids were already well over $1,000 and much more. Sloane had added her $50 bid to win dinner for two at one of Chicago’s new seafood restaurants. Tyler had upped the bids on all the sporting events, and Regan had increased the latest bid on a trip for two to Barcelona and a girls’ spa day for up to ten friends.

  “What appeals to you?” Randall asked as they walked down the row together. “How about the sailboat? I could do the sailing if you wanted. I do know how.”

  “Mm, that sounds nice,” Sloane answered as she walked further down the row. She didn’t stop as Randall added his name to the bidding here and there. She didn’t expect her friends to be the successful bidder on more than one or two things. It was all in fun so she wandered the table laughing at their outrageous choices. Randall caught up with her a few paces away reading about a week at the world-famous Canyon Ranch Spa.

  “Does the spa look good to you? It’s not like you need a fancy diet, Sloane.”

  “Not the diet, Randall, the getaway. All of the auction items that include a getaway appeal to me right now. Running away from my problems sounds pretty good.”

  “Trying to run from me?” He leaned in to run a soft trail of kisses on the edge of her hairline and ear, adding in a whisper, “cause I am not letting you get away that easily.”

  Blushing furiously, Sloane pushed him away and watched as he added his name to bidding for the retreat.

  “Are you ashamed to be seen with me, Sloane?” Randall asked, feigning his hurt feelings with a little-boy pout that was at odds with his tall figure, broad shoulders and the rugged face still covered in a close-cropped beard.

  “I would think it would be the opposite, Randall, and you know it.”

  “Oh Honey, I am the proudest man here. Trust me. You better stop looking at me like that, too, or I’ll drag you to a dark corner.”

  Laughing seductively, Sloane changed the subject to a safer topic. “I have to give kudos where they are due. I am so impressed with the quality of the donations. Allyson did an amazing job. I need to be sure to let her know before we leave. And thank you, Randall, for your generosity. Buying a table tonight was so sweet of you.”

  Alex joined them at that moment, introducing them to a statuesque woman with flawless skin and exotic features who turned out to be a model he had flown in from LA just for the event. Aimee was very nice, but she seemed to have difficulty finding a comfortable spot among the group of old friends, so she clung close to Alex and suggested that the two of them go find the bar.

  It seemed like no time before the guests were subtly herded into the enormous ballroom. Sloane had seen the space late that afternoon and knew it looked beautiful but the others oohed and aahed over the décor, the flowers, and even the orchestra, a well-known group that Regan told them she really enjoyed.

  They found their table without any trouble, neither near the front nor the back and Keeli slipped her arm around Sloane’s waist as they worked their way toward it.

  “Last time we were both at one of these I dropped a salad down your back. Can you believe how much has changed since then? And can you ever forgive me?” A pained look of remorse moved across Sloane’s face. Randall was about to step in and rescue her when Keeli waved him away.

  “I don’t wait tables anymore and you did get me fired, so now we are friends. We are friends, Sloane. You know that, right? I want you to know you can reach out to me if you need anything. I would like to be there for you.”

  “Well, I want to be friends, Keeli. There is the Wyatt issue though. I don’t think he wants to be in the same room with me if he can help it and I suspect he would like to keep miles between the two of us.”

  “Men, what do they know?” Keeli laughed, “As far as I am concerned, you and Wyatt had a business arrangement, nothing more. He can just get over himself. As for me, there’s no jealousy here. Well, except for your smarts and that dress,” she admired the blue gown holding Sloane at arms length.

  “Are you kidding? You are the stunner tonight,” Sloane blurted honestly. Keeli did look magnificent with her red hair piled high on her head, a few loose curls hanging down in back. Her simple white dress was the perfect backdrop for a dramatic necklace of gold, diamonds and rubies the size of marbles. Heads had been turning all night.

  Randall watched Sloane’s expression go from stricken to open and friendly. He wondered what Keeli had said to make Sloane look so relaxed. Whatever it was, he was delighted that a potential landmine had been dodged. When they took their seats, Sloane tried to sit next to Keeli, but the men made sure that they alternated man-woman instead.

  The food that Sloane and Randall had selected was impeccably served and to rave reviews. The wine flowed and Sloane voiced some concern as Randall drank more that she thought he should. They had a limo, he reminded her, so she did not have to worry about anyone driving drunk, and in truth, he still had himself well under control.

  The music played softly early in the night giving way to a number of long, droll speeches and reminders about the auction. Tyler slipped out during dessert to make sure he had not been outbid for sports tickets and Randall tagged along. Everyone else agreed that whatever happened, happened. Randall returned looking a little ruffled and began drinking more heavily than he had earlier in the evening, to everyone’s disappointment.

  When Tyler returned he invited Regan to dance, then Keeli and then Sloane. Wyatt also danced with the three women, as well as Sloane’s mother, and so did Randall. Between dances herself, Sloane watched Tyler and Regan as they moved about the floor, holding each other very close. They made a beautiful couple. Tyler did not seem happy when an obviously tipsy Randall came to claim the next dance, but he forfeited his date for the length of one song. Then finally, Randall again took Sloane in his arms.

  Randall was a good dancer, light on his feet for such a big man. He held Sloane a l
ittle too close perhaps, and indiscreetly let his hands roam down her back to cup her behind once or twice. He kissed her deeply and passionately while they danced and she didn’t resist, tasting wine in his mouth and smelling it on his breath.

  She feels amazing, slim and supple and I cannot wait to get her out of this dress.

  Alex never let go of Aimee the entire night, and they excused themselves early to go back to the hotel room they had reserved upstairs. The men ribbed him about it, but all in good fun. Randall latched on to the idea of leaving early too, anxious to get Sloane alone.

  “How late do you have to stay?” he queried Sloane a little after 11:00.

  “Ah, another advantage of losing my chair position. We can leave whenever we like.”

  “How are your feet doing?”

  “A little sore,” she confessed.

  “Well, how about you rest them, I will dance one more dance with a colleague I should connect with, then you and I can share a last dance and sneak away so you can kick off those shoes?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Sloane agreed, sinking into a nearby chair. Randall knew her eyes were following him across the room as he strode across the dance floor to claim a dance with a woman of his acquaintance that Sloane recognized as an ex-girlfriend of Wyatt’s.

  Randall gave a little bow to the woman, then whisked her onto the dance floor as the band played “Cheek to Cheek.” They made a nice couple, both tall, dark and good looking.

  “Having a good time?” she asked politely.

  “I am. You?” She nodded in the affirmative. “You look beautiful tonight, Deb, just beautiful.”

  “Why thank you, Randall.” He twirled her about the room a bit and they both laughed. They were enjoying the dance until he suddenly slid his hand down her back and wrapped his big hands around the globes of her ass and held on tight. Deb pushed at his broad chest.

  “Randall, let go.”