Broken (31 page)

I was standing there, talking to a Melinda Ross, hearing all about her fiancé and how he had been cheated out of a promotion because the boss’s son got it instead. I tried to seem interested, but I just wasn’t. I kept looking over at Layton, who was deep in conversation with the only man in the room wearing cowboy boots.

I couldn’t help but giggle.
My cowboy.

Every now and then I would say, “Oh, really?” Or I’d nod my head like I was listening. Finally, Melinda must have followed my eyes to see whom I was staring at.

“Is he yours?”

I snapped my head back to see she was practically panting while looking at Layton. I turned back just in time to see him looking at me. I smiled, and he winked.

“Yes, he is,” I said as I gave him a little wave.

“Lucky girl. He’s drop-dead gorgeous. What investment firm does he work for?”

I let out a chuckle. “He sits on the board for Smithson Advisory here in Austin, but his real job is far less glamorous. He’s a cattle rancher in Llano, Texas, and he also dabbles in racehorses.”

“He’s on the board for Smithson? How old is he?”

I felt a sense of pride just bubbling up inside me. “Twenty-five, almost twenty-six.”

“Holy shit.” She looked back over at Layton.

Layton shook the hand of the older gentleman before he started to make his way over to me. Right as he reached for my hand, an announcement was made, saying that dinner was ready and asking for everyone to be seated.

I quickly introduced Melinda to Layton. “Layton, this is Melinda Ross. Melinda, Layton Morris.”

I watched as the red moved across her cheeks when Layton took her hand.

“It’s a pleasure, ma’am.”

“For the love of God, I’m only twenty-three. Please don’t call me ma’am,” she said with a fake laugh.

“Yes, ma’am,” Layton said.

The moment he placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me over to the table, my heart started pounding, and I swore I was suddenly aroused. I was so fucking horny that I couldn’t even think straight. All evening, I kept thinking about Layton asking me to bring the vibrator. I was even beginning to have fantasies of him using it on me.

Shit! Shit! Shit! Whitley, get a damn grip, girl. This is insane.

Layton pulled out my chair for me, but before I could sit down, he brought me in closer to him.

He whispered in my ear, “You look so beautiful. Every man in this room can’t take his eyes off of you.”

I was ready to apologize for what I was wearing, but then he brought his lips closer this time. The feel of his hot breath on my bare neck was driving me insane.

“I just want to make love to you right this very second. I think we need to skip out after dinner and make our way to The Intercontinental.”

I let out a giggle. “The Intercontinental? What’s that?”

“The Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin hotel. It’s only one of the most luxurious hotels in Austin.”

“Layton, I don’t ever have to stay anywhere fancy. As long as I’m with you, we could sleep in the truck for all I care.”

He let out a laugh and kissed me quickly on the lips before taking my hand as I sat down in the chair. As he pushed my chair in and then sat down next to me, I noticed Melinda sitting a few seats down from us.

“Whitley, I want to introduce you to my fiancé,” she said with a smile.

As I looked over at the young man taking a seat, his eyes met mine.

I let out a gasp as Nick smiled.

“Oh my God. Whitley! What an unbelievably nice surprise to see you here.”

My head instantly started spinning. Clearly confused, Melinda looked back and forth between Nick and me.

Layton leaned over. “Whit, do you know him?”

I couldn’t talk. My heart was pounding. I immediately started looking around the room for Roger.

If Nick is here, does that mean Roger is here, too?

Melinda grinned. “So, Whitley, how in the world do you know my Nick?”

I reached for Layton’s hand and squeezed it. “I, um…I…” I glanced around the room again and then down the table, scanning all the faces. I didn’t know anyone else besides Nick.

“Baby, are you okay?” Layton asked as I squeezed his hand again.

Nick laughed. “Melinda, I know Whitley from New York. She used to date Roger.”

I noticed Layton sit up straighter as he grabbed my hand tighter.

Melinda looked at me and smiled slightly. “You poor thing. He is such an asshole.”

“Melinda!” Nick said.

“What? He is.” Melinda practically drank down a whole glass of wine. She looked back at me and frowned before giving me a small smile.

“No, she’s right. He is an asshole,” I said as my voice cracked.

“Well, it’s a good thing he isn’t here, huh?” Melinda said with a wink.

She must have noticed how nervous I was.

I slowly felt my body relaxing just a bit.

Oh my God! I told Melinda Layton’s last name and where he lives. If she tells Nick, and he tells Roger—

“Would you like to leave, baby?” Layton asked.

I shook my head, my eyes never leaving Melinda’s. “Actually, if you’ll excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” I stood up.

The men at the table, including Layton, stood also.

Melinda jumped up, startling Nick. “I’ll join you. Nick, please, would you order me another glass of wine?”

Nick smiled. “Sure, sweetheart.”

I leaned down and whispered in Layton’s ear, “I’m fine. Just give me a few minutes.”

He gave me a weak smile and nodded.

When I walked into the restroom, I almost had a full-blown panic attack. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned around to see Melinda standing there.

“Whitley.”

The look in her eyes told me she knew why I was so upset.

“You’ve slept with him, haven’t you?” I asked.

She slowly looked away, and when she turned back, I saw tears rolling down her face.

“He totally swept me off my feet. Nick hadn’t told anyone at his job about me or that we were engaged until a few months ago when he brought me to an office retreat. I was out, walking alone, and I ran into Roger. He seemed upset, and I asked if he was okay. He told me he was upset because his girlfriend had run out on him with no good-bye or anything. I felt so bad for him, out alone in the woods, just walking. We talked for almost an hour. Before I knew it, I was up against a tree while he was fucking the shit out of me.”

My hand came up over my mouth. “Oh my God! What about Nick?”

She shook her head. “After it was over, I was sitting on the ground, crying. I mean, at the time, it was the hottest thing I’d ever done. I felt so alive, but as soon as he pulled out, he told me how I had been one of the best fucks he’d ever had…and then what I had just done hit me.”

Oh my God. This is not happening right now. I left this behind!

“I tried to tell Nick all weekend what had happened. Then, they announced that Roger was being promoted, of course, and Nick was devastated. I couldn’t tell him, Whitley! I couldn’t break his heart more. I’ve been trying ever since then to tell him.”

“Have you? I mean, have you been with him since that one time?”

Her head snapped up, and the tears came faster. “No! Oh my God, no! I ran into him once, and he tried like hell. I was walking down a hall, and he came up behind me, grabbed my arm, and took me into a meeting room. He pushed me down on a table and started putting his hand up my skirt and into my panties. I was so shocked at first that I didn’t know what to do. I told him to stop, and I said that what had happened before was a mistake. He laughed as he ripped off my panties and put them up to his nose. I wanted to throw up. He told me if I wanted Nick to keep his job, then I would do what he asked me to do.”

“Oh God.” I felt like I was going to be sick.

What kind of a monster was I with?

“I pushed him away from me and called him a prick. That’s when he…he…”

“He what, Melinda? What did he do?”

“He slapped me so hard across the face that I was stunned for a few seconds. He smiled and put my panties in his pocket, and he said he was keeping them as a souvenir. It turned my stomach, and I got so angry. I reached for my purse and pulled out a small hand revolver that my daddy makes me keep at the house. The only reason I had it in my purse was because I was taking it to my dad’s to trade out for a different pistol he wanted me to have at home. It wasn’t even loaded, but I pointed it at him and told him if he ever touched me again or ever threatened Nick’s job, I would kill him.”

“Jesus, Melinda.” I grabbed her shaking hands.

She let out a laugh. “I know! But it worked. He’s never even glanced my way since then, and Nick said he has been really nice at the office as well. Now, I’m thinking I should just forget the whole thing ever happened and not even tell Nick. What if I lose him over some stupid, impulsive mistake?”

I pulled her into my arms and held her while she cried.

After a few minutes, there was a knock on the ladies’ room door. I heard Layton ask if everything was okay. I walked up to the door and opened it to see him standing there with such a worried look on his face.

“Yeah, baby, I’m so sorry. We will be right out.” I reached up and kissed him.

I walked back toward Melinda as she was trying to fix her makeup.

“You have to tell him, Melinda. You have to, or the guilt will eat you alive.”

She took a deep breath and let it out. “I know I do. I was actually planning on telling him during this trip. I think tonight might be the night.”

I smiled before we both turned and made our way back out to the dinner. Before we made it around the corner, I took her by the arm.

“Melinda, Roger can never know you saw me tonight. Please, make sure you let Nick know not to say anything. Please.”

She smiled and nodded. We quickly exchanged numbers and made our way back to the table.

For the next hour, I watched as Melinda drank glass after glass of wine. My heart broke for her, but at the same time, I prayed she would remember to tell Nick what I asked of her.

I glanced down at my cell phone. It was almost midnight, and I was exhausted. Melinda was well on her way to being drunk as was Nick and a few other people.

Layton walked up to me and pulled me into his arms. “I’m ready to leave,” he whispered into my ear.

I smiled as I pushed myself into him. “Me, too.”

By the time we got up to the hotel room, I was feeling a bit more relaxed. The suite was beautiful, and when we’d first walked in, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Red roses were everywhere. Rose petals covered the bed, and a trail went into the bathroom. I smiled at the thought that Layton had done all of this for me. I removed Roger, Nick, and Melinda completely from my mind, and I appreciated the fact that Layton hadn’t asked me a single question about any of it.

I felt his hand on my back as he slowly unzipped my evening gown. He placed gentle kisses all across my back from one shoulder over to the other as I let out a small moan.

“I love you, Whitley,” he whispered.

“Oh God, Layton, I love you, too,” I practically purred as my desire for him grew stronger and stronger.

Once the zipper was completely down, I let go of the dress that I had been holding on to across my chest. When it pooled at my feet, I heard Layton suck in a breath of air.

I smiled, knowing that if he loved what he saw from behind, he would love the front even more. It just happened to be luck that I had a red lace strapless garter slip that I’d never even worn before. I hadn’t needed to wear thigh-high stockings since my dress went to the floor, but I had them on anyway. The matching red lace thong made me feel even sexier.

“Mother of God…Whitley. Turn around, baby.”

I glanced back over my shoulder at him, only to see his eyes moving up and down my body. I could feel the wetness between my legs soaking my thong, and I’d never been so turned-on in my life.

I slowly turned around and stood in front of him.

His eyes moved greedily over my body as he licked his lips. “You take my breath away, Whitley.”

I felt myself squeezing my legs together. If I didn’t know any better, I would say I was about to have an orgasm just from the way he was looking at me.

I was just about to say something when he dropped to his knees and started to unhook the garter. Picking up my leg, he kissed the inside of my thigh, and I felt my whole body quiver. As he slowly rolled the stocking down my leg, I could feel the heat from his hands on my skin.

Oh. God. I. Want. Him. I want to lose myself in him.

“Layton…” I moaned.

He repeated it all over again with my other leg, and I jumped when I felt his hands moving up my legs.

“I love what my touch does to your body, Whitley.” He looked up at me and smiled. “Do you want me, baby?”

I bit down on my lower lip until I realized how hard I was biting it. “Oh God, yes.”

“I want you so much, Whit. I can’t stand it. I want to be inside you so badly.”

“
Yes.
Now, Layton, please. I just want to lose myself in you now!”

The next thing I knew, I was lying on the bed, and Layton was entering my body. I couldn’t even remember him undressing.