Hot Stuff (Hot Zone 1)

By choice, Annabelle went last, content to watch her family and the chaos surrounding them. Normally this was when she was happiest, watching her family interact, laugh and act just like she expected. Normally this made her feel safe and secure. Normally she wasn't thinking about Brandon Vaughn.

Somehow he'd come to mean something to her beyond a fun time in bed. She'd come to understand what made him tick. Knowing that, she chose her outfit carefully with Vaughn in mind and holding on to the knowledge that she had to make a lasting impression because too soon, the police would find the saboteur and Vaughn wouldn't need her for damage control. She'd be able to do her PR from the office and her time with him would come to an end.

ANNABELLE HAD ONLY BEEN gone for two days. Not even a full forty-eight hours and Vaughn's entire mood had changed and not for the better. He was anxious and edgy, and lonely in a way he'd never been before!

Vaughn used to like peace and quiet. He used to enjoy solitude and privacy but no longer. For someone who'd always lived alone and loved it, after having a brief taste of not just company, but what felt like family, he hated knowing he was walking into an unoccupied house. Everything felt empty without Annabelle's vibrant smile and quiet understanding.

Even the silence echoed. Hell, he had to admit to, himself, he actually missed the damn cat.

At least the lodge was proceeding quietly for a change. He threw clothes and a few other needed things into a duffel bag and glanced at his watch. Almost time for Nick to pick him up for their over-nighter in New York.

Almost time to see Annabelle.

"I THINK THE ONLY TIME Tavern on the Green glitters more is during Christmas in the city." Annabelle plucked a mimosa off a passing cocktail waitress's tray. She turned back around to Sophie and felt the shimmer of air on her bare thighs when her short pleated skirt lifted slightly, then dropped against her legs.

She'd liked the flirty sensation so much, it had been the main reason she'd picked the first thing Elizabeth had shown her. That and the fact that her sisters had begun to focus not on each other but on her, and Annabelle hadn't wanted to talk about her relationship with Vaughn. Not even with those closest to her.

Sophie smiled. "You're biased because this is our party."

"And what a party it is." Annabelle glanced around the Terrace Room th

at The Hot Zone had rented for their summer event.

Dazzling Waterford crystal chandeliers hung from a hand-crafted plaster ceiling, and surrounding them was a glass pavilion overlooking a private garden that they'd rented out as well. To top it all, they had a panoramic view of Central Park on a clear sunlit day.

She took a sip of her drink and licked the fruity taste off her lips. "A good number of Vaughn's foremen and employees showed up," she noted. She was pleased to see them soaking up the festive atmosphere, including the disc jockey playing hits for those who chose to dance.

She'd wanted his employees to take a break from the daily grind, to enjoy good food, drink and a day in Manhattan, and to head home happy to be working for Brandon Vaughn. She'd accomplished her goal and she raised her glass in the air in a silent toast to a job well done.

Sophie's glass clinked against hers. "We just had; to switch from the Park Room to this one in order to accommodate the extra people. Luckily this one was available," Sophie said. "So. Where is Brandon Vaughn? I'm dying to meet him."

"He's not here yet."

"Maybe he got caught in traffic. What time did he; start the drive?" Sophie asked.

"He didn't say." In truth, Annabelle hadn't asked him.

She hadn't spoken with Vaughn at all in the two days since she'd left town. When she'd called, she'd either missed him at home or at the office. What little business she'd done for the lodge, Mara had been able to handle. Was this how it was going to be from now on? Annabelle wondered, as she polished off her drink.

"I don't remember you as a guzzler." Randy Dalton, Annabelle's ex-boyfriend and Sophie's current client came up beside them.

Annabelle narrowed her gaze.

Sophie did the same.

"Shut up, Dalton," both sisters said simultaneously.

He stepped closer to Annabelle. "You know I'm sorry, darlin'" he said in that good old Texan accent that used to make her weak in the knees. Now it just made her sick.

"Sorry you cheated? Sorry you got caught? Sorry you dumped me? Or just plain sorry for living, Randy?"

Sophie choked and Annabelle was sure her sister was trying not to laugh.

"Come on, Annabelle. We had absolutely nothing in common and you know it. So it ended sooner rather than later. I'm sorry." He placed a hand beneath her chin. "Forgive me?"

Annabelle looked into the eyes of the man she once thought she'd loved. Those feelings paled in comparison to anything she felt for Vaughn. Dammit, she thought and tried to swallow down the fear that particular thought caused her.

Before she could accept Randy's apology or even tell the two-timing snake he'd never meant that much to her, either, someone smacked his hand away from her face.