Yours to Savor (40 page)

“Perhaps a part of me hoped he would leave his wife on his own terms and come to me, together with his child,” admitted Clarisse. “But I could never act on that desire. I would not be the one to ruin his family. I could not do that to him.

“We remained close friends. But Mariana’s suspicions only grew worse. Three years later, when she became pregnant with Brandon’s brother, she offered Alessandro an ultimatum: move to America with her, to get away from me, or lose her and his two children forever.”

“Wow. Was she really that threatened by you?”

“I’m afraid so. She had family in America, too. Of course, Alessandro went with her, leaving me with no one overseas. He got a job as a police officer quickly enough, but all his accomplishments in Europe meant nothing. He was a green rookie again, starting at the very bottom of the pole.”

“Did Mariana know that would happen?”

“If she did, she did not care. All she wanted was to get Alessandro
away from me.”

“Why was she so threatened by you?”

“I wish I knew. If she knew Alessandro as well as I did, she would’ve known he would never cheat.”

“Wait. You said she was pregnant again when they left. I didn’t know Brandon had a brother.”

Clarisse smiled and touched Sandra’s arm. “More than one. He has many siblings.”

“He never told me that.”

“There’s pain there for him, my sweet darling.”

“Oh.” Sandra remembered what Brandon had said about his dark past in Chicago. She wondered what it was. “Did something happen between them?”

“Yes,” Clarisse nodded, “and he blames himself for it every day. But don’t bring it up before he does. When he’s ready to tell you, he will. And that’s probably more than I should even say on the subject.”

“So, why did you tell me all that? About yourself, I mean?”

Clarisse smiled. “Brandon likes you, sweetheart. Very much so. He’s developed quite an affection for you. I’ve known him for many years, and I have never seen him so taken by a woman. Of course I love him, in my own way. I wanted you to know that I would never stand between him and happiness. Between him and… you.”

Sandra’s heart fluttered with joy to hear Clarisse say those things. She couldn’t believe she thought Brandon would
cheat
on her with Clarisse. No, this woman was a lot more sophisticated than Sandra had given her credit for. Sandra had never expected to feel a connection to Clarisse. But her frankness about her past made her seem so much more real, so much more…
honest
. Sandra had enough experience with heartbreak and tragedy to know how they could affect a person.

“So, what happened to you after? If you couldn’t dance…”

“I was lost,” Clarisse admitted. “Alessandro was my only friend. When he left, I had no one. I did not know what to do with myself. The men who chased after me before wanted nothing to do with a washed up cripple. Without dance, I was nothing.

But then… somehow… I rediscovered the passion that had led me to the arts in the first place. Even if I couldn’t dance
myself
, I still had all my experience and knowledge from before. So, I started to teach. It did not take long for people to notice. They recognized my name, and things grew quickly from there.

“At first, I worked at a dance school, as an instructor. After a short while, I opened my own studio. The whole time, I continued learning, applying myself to the theoretical aspect of the arts. There was a vacant position at a local university. I applied, and got it. For a hectic year, I ran my own studio, and had evening classes for university students. I stretched myself thin. By the end, I knew I had to pick one and focus on it. Over that year, I discovered how much I enjoyed teaching in a formal setting. So I closed my school, and became a full-time professor.”

Sandra closed her eyes to follow along. “Okay, I understand that. But if you were teaching in Europe… and Brandon’s family moved to America… how is it that you and Brandon know each other now?”

“
There’s
serendipity for you,” Clarisse chuckled. “I was part of a group of professors selected for a teaching exchange program between my old university in Europe and a very well renowned school in America. It was the start of the second semester. I was teaching a history of arts class when a shockingly familiar face showed up in my classroom. He had the same features as a man I knew long ago, but he was at least two decades younger…”

“
Brandon
?”

“That’s right. He looked so much like his father that I almost fainted from shock when I first saw him.”

“Wait, you were his
professor
? Then… then how on earth did you become his
assistant
?”

“Oh, darling.” Clarisse clicked her tongue. “You don’t still believe that, do you? I thought after everything I told you, and what you’ve seen, you would have… well, never mind. I’m not his assistant. I’m his business partner. As for why you found me on the bed?” She gestured around her. “This house belongs to me.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Brandon paced around the bedroom, unable to keep still. He sat on the edge of the bed. A second later, he stood back up. He walked to one wall, turned around, and walked to the other. Waiting like this was killing him. When he peeked out from the doorway, he could see Sandra and Clarisse on the balcony, still talking.

What could be taking them so long
?

Brandon wanted to do something,
anything
, but knew things were out of his hands now. He trusted Clarisse. Even so, she did not know Sandra as he did. Sandra was still delicate. Everything could blow up in his face if Clarisse told her something she was not ready to hear—

A crash behind him made him whirl around. Sandra stood at the door, breathing hard, her face a mask of fury.

“You lied to me!” she screamed. “I trusted you, Brandon Galliani, and you lied to me like the scheming bastard you are!”

Oh God, not this shit again…
He thought Clarisse had taken her out there to calm her down! But now was no time for regrets. If Clarisse couldn’t do it, he had to—quick. There was no telling what an enraged woman was capable of.

He raised his arms in front of him, trying his best to look placating. But his mind raced at a hundred miles an hour. What could Clarisse have said? There were so many things he’d kept from Sandra—not because he wanted to, but because he was trying to protect her, protect their relationship until he could figure out the right way to explain things.

Look at where that very same logic had brought him to now!

He had to get her in a coherent state of mind before he had any hope of defending any of the myriad of accusations she might have. “Sandra, take a deep breath. What are you talking about?”

“What am I talking about? I’m talking about
her
!” She spat the word, and Brandon had no doubt who she meant. Clarisse.
But what
about
her…?
“I know who she is to you, you lying manipulative, two-faced asshole! And you had the nerve to have her pose as your assistant! I just can’t believe I was stupid enough to fall for it!”

“Sandra—” Brandon tried to break in, but she steamrolled right over him.

“First her appearance at the ballet, then the pearl necklace. I should have put two and two together. Her
friends
in the production company? All of that should have been enough to set alarms off in my head. Her dress, her manner of speaking. Any of it should have told me she couldn’t just be your assistant. But I refused to believe it, refused to see what was right before my eyes. I had
faith
in you, Brandon! I took you at your word because I
believed
in your sincerity when you promised you wouldn’t lie to me. But that was all bullshit too, wasn’t?”

Brandon opened his mouth to defend himself—and stopped. She was right; he was wrong. And he knew it. Maybe if he tried explaining things from his perspective, she could see…

No. Fuck!
He hated himself for lying to Sandra. He hated himself for being so stupid. All of this was his fault. What gave him the great idea to promise her honesty and then renege on the very concept?

He didn’t know what to say. He could feel the pressure building in his head. A suffocating feeling of helplessness and frailty washed over him. Every heartbeat struck against his chest like a hammer; every breath tightened his throat like a noose.
Is this what fear feels like
?

Brandon prided himself on his ability to stay calm under the most stressing circumstances. All his years of dealing had depended on it. But right now, all his confidence had abandoned him. “Sandra, I…”

He trailed off, unable to form the right words. If only he could find
some
hint of what Sandra was really thinking behind that dark mask of hers. It was like trying to look through a concrete wall. All he could see in her eyes was rage.

Usually, Brandon could read people well. Clarisse had taught him to. His business relied on it. But reading people well depended on having a clear head, on being utterly passionless to pick up the subtle things that could betray a person’s true thoughts. But right now, with his heart beating so fast he was almost shaking, and emotions clouding all his judgments… a five-year-old could have done a better job than him!

He tried to focus, to find some way out of this mess. But, his thoughts were scrambled. An unwelcome flush of heat covered his body. He felt close to panic.

Sandra glared at him, waiting for an answer. Any answer. But the truth was, Brandon was scared to say anything. He was fucking terrified of losing the woman he was falling in love with. He was standing on a frozen lake, and the ice was cracking all around his feet.
Damn
Clarisse for whatever she told Sandra! She was supposed to calm her down! And if only she hadn’t been in the house when they returned, like she’d
promised
him…

No. He couldn’t blame Clarisse. Confronted by the rage of the woman he was falling for, he could see no option other than honesty. Complete and utter honesty.

“Sandra, I’m… I’m sorry. I never meant—never wanted—to hurt you.” Brandon squeezed his eyes shut, praying she heard the sincerity in his words. He’d never been so frightened in his life. “I should have… told you. Everything. I know that—what I say now—I know that it can’t… can’t make things right. But if you listen, maybe… maybe I can explain
why
I didn’t tell you about Clarisse.” Jesus Christ, this was worse than pulling teeth! Every word he said felt like taking a step on that thin ice, and not knowing whether it would hold or not. And even if he
could
explain things to Sandra about Clarisse, there were so many
other
things he’d kept from her. He shouldn’t have done it. Somehow, circumstance had ended up dictating things. “Look, I don’t expect you to listen. But if you give me a chance—wait. Wait, what are you doing?”

As he’d said that last part, Sandra’s expression changed. She’d shifted from boiling mad, to slightly amused, and now, he was
certain
she was hiding a smile! He wouldn’t have believed it if it hadn’t happened right before his eyes.