To Tempt A Stallion

“Me? What about you? Always trying to tell people what to do.”

He grinned. “I just tell you what to do and you never listen to me.”

“I’m still not staying at your house or using a key.”

Nathaniel nodded. “Yes, you will!” And then he reached across the table and dropped the keyring into her purse.

Rebecca was ready with a snarky response when someone suddenly called her name. She and Nathaniel both turned at the same time, gazes shifting toward the deep baritone voice with the familiar Caribbean lilt.

“Rebecca Marks! I thought that was you!”

Rebecca’s eyes widened as she fixated on the man moving swiftly in her direction. She stole the quickest glance toward Nathaniel who was eyeing them both curiously.

“Is that who I think it is?” he muttered under his breath.

Rebecca mumbled back. “Yep! That’s my former fiancé.”

As the man reached their table, Rebecca forced a smile to her face. “Jeffrey Baylor! What a surprise!” she gushed, moving onto the platform heels she’d worn.

Jeffrey swept her into his arms and spun her in a circle. His excitement was palpable, the wealth of it making it seem like it had taken over the room. Those at the tables closest to them turned to stare, smiles widening as the two old friends greeted each other. When the man suddenly kissed her, pressing his mouth tightly to hers, Nathaniel felt himself bristle with indignation, a flagrant wave of jealousy sweeping through him. He was on his feet before he realized it, his stance just aggressive enough to pull at Rebecca’s attention.

She swiped the back of her hand across her full lips, her face tinged a brilliant shade of deep red. “Jeffrey, you remember Nathaniel Stallion, don’t you? He went to school with us,” she said as she took a step back, pulling herself from the man’s clutches.

“How could I forget. It’s good to see you, Stallion.”

“It’s good to see you as well,” Nathaniel said, his tone dry. “What a small world.”

“Not small enough,” Jeffrey quipped with a slight chuckle. He turned his full focus back on Rebecca.

“You are as beautiful as ever, Rebecca! So what are you doing here?”

Rebecca smiled. “Working,” she said, taking another quick glance toward Nathaniel. “Nathaniel is opening a restaurant not too far from here, so we thought we should come check out the competition.”

Jeffrey nodded, a smile pulling at his mouth. “I’m flattered that you see me and my restaurant as competition.”

Rebecca and Nathaniel both looked stunned. “You own this place?” Nathaniel questioned.

“I do. Five years now.”

“So, you did put those culinary skills of yours to good use! We’re very impressed.”

“We’re not that impressed,” Nathaniel muttered under his breath.

Rebecca’s laugh was a nervous titter. She was suddenly hypersensitive, her emotions on serious overload. She inhaled swiftly and held the warm breath deep in her lungs.

As third wheels go, Jeffrey didn’t appear to notice her discomfort and didn’t seem to care much about Nathaniel’s. He gestured for them both to retake their seats and then slid into the booth with them, into the empty space beside Rebecca. He eyed Nathaniel intently.

“So, Stallion, you purchased the restaurant property on Mile Drive. I’d put a bid in on it, but obviously I lost out. Although, I have to say I think you paid way too much for it!”

Nathaniel snorted. “It’s an investment I’ll easily recoup.”

“I’m sure you know the restaurant business isn’t an easy one. But I wish you luck with yours.”

“Nathaniel will do very well. We’re very excited for what his restaurant will bring to the area,” Rebecca interjected, sounding very much like a marketing professional. She and Nathaniel exchanged a look, he eyeing her with a raised brow.

Jeffry dropped a hand to her thigh and she tensed, his touch causing her breath to hitch. She pulled away from his grasp, shifting herself closer to the wall. The man smiled and winked an eye at her. “It’s great that you have such talent working for you,” he said, shifting his gaze back toward Nathaniel. “Now, correct me if I’m wrong, Stallion, but weren’t you planning on a medical career when we were in school?”

“Actually, it’s Dr. Stallion and I’ve had a very successful surgical career since graduation and med school.”

“So the restaurant is just an investment thing for you?”

Rebecca chimed in a second time. “Not at all. Nathaniel is deeply committed to this new venture. He will be very hands-on with the day-to-day operations. He’s a marvelous chef and has gotten rave reviews for the two pop-up restaurants he tested in Los Angeles last year.”

Jeffry smiled. “Well, I look forward to visiting your place when you get it open, Stallion.” He stood back up. “Rebecca, I’d love to catch up. Maybe we can grab coffee one day this week? That is if you can tear yourself away from your work for a short while.”

Rebecca smiled. “Maybe.”

He pulled a ballpoint pen and a business card from the breast pocket of his button-down shirt. He jotted a phone number on the back then winked his eye at her a second time. “Here’s my number. Please. Call me. I’d love for us to sit down and talk.”

Rebecca nodded, her face lifting in a sweet smile. “I will do that,” she responded.

Nathaniel met Jeffrey’s outstretched hand with his own and shook it. “It was good seeing you again, Jeff,” he said politely.

The two watched as Jeffrey took his leave, sauntering back across the room and through the swinging doors into the employees-only area.

“Well, that was a surprise,” Rebecca quipped as casually as she could muster.

Nathaniel sensed her feeling out his mood as she tried to make sense of her own emotions. He nodded. “It’s not often you run into your ex-fiancé. Must have been like old times the way he was so touchy-feely.”

“It was not like that.”

“You sure about that, Bec? You looked like you were enjoying his attention.”

“I did not!”

“You did, too! And that’s okay if you were. I know how much you loved him. You were ready to throw your whole life away to follow him around the world. The way it ended left a lot unsaid. You may still have some residual feelings for him.”

Rebecca closed her eyes. Jeffrey Baylor had been so lost in her past that she had never imagined ever having to revisit him or that time period again. He’d arrived as a transfer student at UCLA their junior year. Tall, dark and handsome to the nth degree, he’d captured the attention of every woman on campus and Rebecca had captured his. His pursuit of her had been taken right out of the handbook for a romance novel. He’d said and done all the right things, never amiss with the romantic attention. He’d had her swooning by the third date and before she knew it she’d been his girl. Even then Nathaniel’s teasing her about it had been unmerciful.

But her best friend and her boyfriend had never meshed, unable to find any common ground. Not even her happiness. The two had butted heads at every turn, like two bulls in a china shop racing for the door. Nathaniel hadn’t trusted the man and had often pointed out flaws she’d chosen to ignore. When her grades slipped, her attention divided, he’d blamed her love life, often admonishing her to get back on track.

Jeffrey had graduated the year before she and Nathaniel did, with plans to head to France for a culinary career. When he’d shown up on her doorstep begging her to join him, she had wanted to say yes. When Nathaniel found out, enumerating every reason why that was a bad idea, doubt had set in. Although the two had never discussed it, the words never said out loud, she and Jeffrey had known that if she’d been made to choose one over the other, Nathaniel would have always won. He’d known and he had hated it and despised Nathaniel for it. But Nathaniel owned her heart, Jeffrey had only occupied a very small piece of it. She could have loved Jeffrey but she would have always been in love with Nathaniel. It had been the difference between her leaving and her final decision to stay. And Nathaniel didn’t have a clue.

She opened her eyes to stare at her friend. “You really don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Nate.”

“I know what I see, Bec.”

“Do you really? I swear, you are such a jerk sometimes!” she hissed between clenched teeth. She stood up abruptly.