Bachelor Unforgiving

“I figured you would understand, so for the past couple of weeks I’ve been checking out firms. The one I suggest using comes highly recommended.”

“Great,” he said drily. “What’s the name of the company?”

“Goshay PR and Image Consultants.”

Virgil was out of his seat in a flash. “That’s out of the question. You know Kara owns that business.”

“Yes.”

Virgil was fuming. “Then why on earth would you want to hire her?”

“Calm down, Virgil. The reason I’m hiring Kara’s company is because she’s the best. Anyone who could clean up Senator Jack Payne’s reputation after that scandal involving him and those women—and get him reelected—can surely clean up yours without a problem.”

Matthew stared hard at him, and continued, “Why are you so upset about it? Are you admitting you’ve only been lying to yourself these past four years and that you do still care for Kara?”

“No! I care nothing for her.” It had taken a long time for him to finally reach that point, but he had. At one time he’d thought it would be nearly impossible to ever get her out of his heart.

“Then working with her shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

“It will be a problem because I prefer not being anywhere near her.”

“Then maybe you need to ask yourself why.”

Virgil shook his head. “You don’t understand, Dad.”

“What I understand is, because of her lack of trust in you, you won’t forgive her and you’re still holding a grudge. But then so is Marv Hilton. That’s why Kara’s services are needed.”

Virgil didn’t say anything but walked back to the window to stare out. A few moments later he turned to his father. “I prefer we go with some other company, Dad.”

“Unless you can give me a good reason why Kara can’t do the job, Virgil, she’s in.”

Virgil drew in a deep breath. There was no need to tell his dad that Kara had been the only woman he had ever loved. Both his parents knew that. But they didn’t know he had planned to propose to her the same week she had hurled her accusations against him.

“Level with me, Virgil. The last thing I need to worry about is you trying to seduce Kara. She’s getting hired to do a job. So if you think you still feel anything for her then—”

“Oh, I feel something for her all right,” Virgil said in an angry tone. “I feel so much dislike for her you can whip it into butter. So I honestly don’t see how I’ll be able to work with her.”

“For Bougard Enterprises it’s business, Virgil. For you, it sounds like a personal problem you need to work through. The way I see it, you could have sent Whitney Hilton from your room that night but you didn’t. Instead you chose to let her stay. It was your decision and with that decision came consequences this company has to deal with. I would love to retire and spend more time with your mother and my future grandchild, but I’ll hang around if I have to.”

Virgil definitely didn’t want that. As much as he loved his father and appreciated his wisdom and expertise, Virgil had gotten used to making the decisions. He was ready to handle things without the old man. If his father thought he needed an image adjustment, then fine. “You win, Dad. Go ahead and hire Kara’s company.”

Matthew stood. “It’s not about winning, Virgil. It’s about making the right moves to ensure that Bougard Enterprises will be around for a long time. I’ll have my administrative assistant call Kara to come in so we can discuss our plan with her.”

Virgil drew in a deep breath. He would have to put up with Kara...or die trying.

* * *

Kara hung up the phone with a shocked look on her face. Of all things... A call from Matthew Bougard’s administrative assistant saying he wanted to meet with her tomorrow to discuss a possible job offer.

She leaned back in her chair. Just what did Bougard Enterprises need? Considering her strained relationship with Virgil, which she figured Mr. Bougard had to know about, she was surprised he’d reached out to her company, despite its excellent reputation. She’d find out soon enough what Matthew Bougard wanted.

Will Virgil be at the meeting?

Tossing a paper clip on her desk, Kara thrust the question from her mind. Sure, he’d be there. And it was no big deal, she told herself. She recalled her last meeting with Virgil six months ago when she had apologized. She would always regret believing Marti’s lie and what doing so had cost her. She had not spoken to her sister since finding out the truth. As far as Kara was concerned, they didn’t have anything to say to each other. She loved Marti but Kara could never forget the day she’d arrived back in town early from a business trip. She’d gone to her sister’s office to invite her to lunch only to overhear Marti telling someone on the phone how she had lied to Kara. Marti had claimed she had seen Virgil having a romantic dinner with a woman and had followed them all the way to a hotel and watched them go inside.

When Kara had confronted her, she had admitted lying and said she had done it for Kara’s own good, as it would have been just a matter of time before Virgil hurt her. To Kara, that excuse was unacceptable.

The buzzing on her desk brought her thoughts back to the present. “Yes, Janice?”

“Your mother is on line one.”

Kara drew in a deep breath. Her mother was the last person she wanted to talk to. To Lydia Goshay’s way of thinking it was past time Kara forgave her sister.

“Tell my mother I’m in a meeting and I’ll call her back later.”

At the moment, Kara didn’t want to talk to anyone. All she wanted to do was to relax her mind for a minute. That call from Bougard Enterprises had definitely rattled her brain. Leaning back in her chair she closed her eyes and, it seemed of its own accord, her mind began reliving memories of that night five years ago when she and Virgil had met.

* * *

“May I have this dance?”

Kara’s heart began pounding the minute she turned to stare up into what had to be the most gorgeous pair of brown eyes she’d ever seen. Bedroom eyes. They were an indulgent chocolate hue that made one think of something totally sweet and clandestinely sinful.

Although they had never been formally introduced, she knew who he was. Virgil Bougard. He had a reputation around town that would make Casanova look like a choir boy. His name was often whispered on women’s lips followed by a salacious smile. She’d first heard about him in the locker room at her gym. Women claimed he was hot, both in and out of bed. They also claimed he was a man who got any woman he wanted. And she had a feeling that tonight for some reason she had caught his eye.

She’d seen him when he’d arrived and had watched how several women had put themselves in his path. It seemed he drew them to him like a magnet. But he hadn’t danced with anyone. His attention had seemed targeted on her.

For most of the night their gazes had been meeting and holding from across the room. Each time she could feel her blood rush through her veins. She had noticed how impeccably he was dressed and how tall he stood, an imposing figure against any other man in the room. Talk about sex appeal.

She wished she could say it was all due to his ultrahandsome looks, consisting of an angular face that boasted a firm jaw, full lips and high cheekbones. And when he’d smiled her stomach did a couple of flips, and then she saw the dimples in those cheeks.

And now that same man was standing right in front of her, asking her to dance. Although she wished otherwise, she could feel heat swirling through her. She felt an intense sexual connection between them and couldn’t understand how that could be. Although she knew better and was totally aware of his scandalous reputation around town, she was shamefully attracted to him.

“Dance?” she repeated.

The way his mouth curved in a teasing smile made more curling heat settle in the pit of her stomach. “Yes, dance. I would do just about anything to hold you in my arms.”

Kara couldn’t believe this stranger would be so audacious as to say that.

“Who are you?” she asked. She knew his identity but felt he should introduce himself nonetheless.

He gave her another smile. “Virgil. Virgil Bougard. And you’re...?”

“Kara Goshay.”

“Nice meeting you, Kara.” He paused a moment and then asked, “So...are we going to dance?”

She didn’t miss the desire smoldering in the depths of those bedroom eyes. The sight of it made her heart rate accelerate in her chest. “Yes, Virgil. I will dance with you.”