Bride 2 Be

Chapter Five ~ Life of Illusion

Chapter 5
Life of Illusion


LISA FOUND IT ODD that Calvin sat so close to her on the ride to the hotel. He seemed preoccupied, not saying much, staring at his phone as if willing to ring. After having an intense dream about him, she woke up on the plane to find him standing over her. It felt so natural that they were lost in that passionate embrace, so much so that she swore his hand was on her skin. When she looked up at him, all she wanted to do was be in his arms, the urge to bolt from the chair and cling to him overwhelming.

Lisa smiled, recalling how he took her hand and dragged her off the jet possessively. She knew the thought was way off the mark, but it popped into her mind. Max must be a real womanizer for Calvin to garner that sort of reaction.

"Do you have a plan?"

He snapped his head toward her, almost shocked to realize someone sat beside him. She watched him and saw a struggle behind those brown eyes. With all the manpower on his payroll and contacts in different states, Calvin was at a loss, which didn't make sense to Lisa.

"Did I miss something? You seem very distracted."

He shook his head and turned his attention away from her. "I just have a lot on my mind."

She laughed, "You usually do." Before she could say more, his phone rang, and so did hers.

Lisa dug into her purse and searched for the phone. Penny's name flashed on the screen, making her heart beat a mile a minute. She hit the button and shouted her sister's name. "Where are you?"

Penny giggled, the sound Lisa tried hard to forget, that same devious laugh her sister used whenever she was up to no good. "You know where I am. You're having me followed, and I want you to call off your hounds."

Lisa's jaw dropped. She looked at Calvin, catching enough of the conversation to realize that his brother was on the phone, not the PI whose call they expected. "I need to see you. Tell me where you are, and I'll come right now," Lisa said.

"I think not. All you want to do is talk me out of this." She sighed and then giggled again.

Anger swelled, making heat rise to Lisa's face. Inconsiderate, impulsive, and not a care in the world, Penny decided to make a stand for once in her life. She had no idea what kind of trouble this recklessness would bring down upon her. John and Carol Grayburg didn't play around, and when they felt wronged or betrayed, they banded together to make sure whoever dared hurt them paid the price.

"You're being ridiculous. Running off to marry Edward, a man you don't even know. What are you thinking?"

Her sharp exhale of breath came loud in Lisa's ear. She knew what would come next—a rant. "I am thinking, though I'm sure you can't see that, not as if it matters much. Eddie is good to me, promised to take care of me and treat me like a lady." Her voice held a note of irritation. "And for your information, we know each other plenty."

Lisa cringed; the thought of Edward and Penny having sex made her stomach churn. Knowing Penny, she didn't even consider using birth control. Her worst nightmare just became a reality. "You need to slow down and rationally think about this."

"I'm rational," Penny insisted.

Lisa could picture her sister as if she stood before her, arms folded across her chest as she pouted like a five-year-old, tapping her toe. "Penny, think about this. You still have time to change your mind. Tell me where you are, and we can sit down and discuss this," Lisa coaxed, praying her sister would give in.

"No. All you want to do is make sure that I'll become a miserable old witch like you, with nothing but that Boutique to fall back on. I want something else. I want a life with fun, friends, and parties. All you ever do is work, thinking it's enough. Well, you're wrong. It's not enough, and it never will be. You don't even date. Hell, I can't ever remember you being happy, Lisa. Can you?"

Lisa gasped, shock taking over at having the conversation turned around, learning what Penny really thought about her. Bitter tears filled her eyes. She bit her bottom lip, desperate to stop them from falling and to regain her composure. Penny had to be wrong.

"I'm happy, and I never expected you to stay single. I want you to fall in love, to get married, and have a family if that's what you want, but not this way." She did want those things for her sister. She took on the role of a guardian without a second thought. They needed to stay together, be there for one another, and know that someone cared, which Lisa never questioned until today.

"I have to go now. Eddie and I have a wedding to go to. Lisa, please, if you ever cared for me, turn around and go home." The resounding click in her ear vibrated through her, making her flinch. In disbelief, Lisa stared at the phone, closed her eyes, and leaned back into the seat. She exhaled, wishing she knew what to do.

"Didn't get anywhere either?" Calvin said, his voice somber.

"No. She's made up her mind and is determined to go through with the wedding to Eddie."

Calvin's phone rang again. Lisa took the opportunity to mull over what Penny said. Going out on dates was few and far between, but she still had time to fall in love if she chose to do so. Lisa had friends, good ones. Spending her spare time at bars or running around every night of the week would prove nothing. She never liked that lifestyle, to begin with. What puzzled her the most was that Penny called her a miserable old witch, and had it in her head that Lisa wanted her to suffer and be an old maid, the furthest thing from the truth. After Lisa's sacrifices over the years for Penny, her sister never saw it and only thought of herself. Their parents would disapprove of the way Penny handled her life. As Lisa contemplated the dynamics of the relationship between Edward and Penny, she wondered if Penny had found a father figure in Edward and if that could be the attraction. The ten-year age difference had to play some part, however small.

Calvin's warm hand rested on her knee and made Lisa shiver. Opening her eyes, she turned her head to find him staring. Words escaped Lisa because those eyes called to her, seeking comfort, and she became lost in their depths. His hand massaged her leg, making it easy to relax in the seat while she longed to press her mouth to his lips to see what it would be like to kiss him.

"It will be all right," he whispered, his warm breath washing over her face. He inched closer, the gap between them a mere inch. Lisa waited, and so did he. A moment of uncertainty filtered into her mind, doubts coupled with questions of where this would lead them. If they crossed the line and walked into this situation, it could make their future work relationship awkward. The word spinster floated into her head, making her cringe for even thinking about it.

Calvin pressed his lips to hers, driving all rational thoughts out instantly. Lisa concentrated on that firm mouth, the warmth and hunger she found there. She parted her lips to allow him entry, needing a taste, to see if Calvin could make her want more. His tongue dipped into her mouth, grazing hers, and then disappeared. She sought more, ready to find out how far she would go, how far he could take her. Just as Lisa began to search, to become bold, and take what she wanted, he seized her mouth. The desire took her by surprise, yet she loved it, matching his intensity with her tongue, her arms moving over his shoulders and pulling him close to her body. Heat pooled in her stomach. The yearning to lose herself with this man, to let go of everything surfaced. Finally, she would understand what it was like to be wanted, which drove her forward. Lisa slid her hands to his chest, pushed him back into the seat, and broke the kiss. Without hesitation, she climbed onto his lap and fused her mouth back to his. His hands held her hips in a firm grip, rocking her over the growing bulge beneath her.

Digging her fingers into his hair, she held him close, the kiss igniting the fire in her belly as it rushed over her from head to toe. She tore her lips from his, gasping for breath, and buried her face in his neck. His powerful scent seeped in and made her tingle with a dizzying effect. Lisa planted tiny kisses on his neck, nibbling and licking his heated skin, loving the moan she dragged out of him.

"Mr. Grayburg, where would you like me to take you, Sir?" The driver asked.

Lisa froze and did not realize they had never left the airport. Embarrassment forced her from his lap and back to her seat. She moved to the window, putting as much distance between them as possible, her body trembling with a fierce need to find fulfillment. What was I thinking? How can I look at him now?

Temptation got the best of her, but the need for more lingered, pulsing through every inch of her body. She had to get a grip and forget the carnal passions that begged to be unleashed. Reigning it back in would be more complicated than she ever imagined. Somehow, one kiss made her melt, weak in the knees, craving for more of the sweetness she found in his arms. She focused on slowing her rapid breathing, wishing they would be on their way.

"Please take us to the MGM Grand," Calvin said.

Lisa burned, her body yearning to be touched, to soar higher than where it hovered right now. She could still feel his fingers digging into her hips, making her grind against his hardness. Finding release plagued her mind and kept the desire building like hot coals as she thought of nothing but him. The sexual connection seemed intense, more than it had ever been with any other man. That thought rocked her to the core and made her question every short-lived relationship she had over the last decade. Again, Penny's words filtered through everything else, and Lisa questioned her happiness, wondering if it were all an illusion she created because she couldn't face the truth. Am I out to prove Penny wrong by engaging with Calvin? That thought made her shiver as more questions assaulted her mind.

"Penny is determined to go through with the wedding?" Calvin asked, his voice somewhat defeated.

Lisa nodded, finding it odd he asked even after she had just told him that. "Yes. What did Edward have to say?"

Calvin rested a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back into his arms. "I should call off the PI, go back home, and stay out of his personal life." He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight as if he sensed precisely what she needed.

Lisa took comfort in his arms, laid her head on his chest, and basked in this new sensation. The body heat radiating from his chest on her back seeped through the thin blouse, the warmth creeping over her. Lisa relaxed into his strength, wishing she could stay there. For some strange reason, Lisa felt safe and secure in the arms of Calvin Grayburg.
"Once we get to the hotel, we'll freshen up, get something to eat, and figure out what to do from here."

"You don't want to forget it?"

He laughed, her body bouncing with his. "No. It would be one thing if I knew Edward did this because he loved your sister or wanted to be happy, but I know better."

Lisa's heart sank and ached as if she were the one about to be heartbroken. She pulled out of his embrace and turned to face him, questions about to roll out in a mass exodus. "Are you sure that he's just using her? Is it possible that you're wrong?"

Calvin reached forward and cupped her cheek. The tender way he touched her sent heat right back to her stomach. "I'm sorry, Lisa, I wish things could be different. We still have time. We can find them and stop them before the 'I do's.'"

It didn't matter. If they stopped the wedding, Penny would hate her and be heartbroken. If Penny married Edward, only later to find out that it meant nothing to him, that his feelings for her didn't involve love, she would be devastated. This situation would turn out bad for all parties involved; she could see it coming a mile away and could not do much about it.


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