Seduction by Design

Hailey pushed through the swinging doors and met her sister halfway. She avoided Tyler’s eyes as she accepted Ellen’s enthusiastic embrace. He would be looking at Ellen with that assessing, hungry look with which all men looked at her. Hailey didn’t think she could take that.

Tonight she had worked at looking sexy. To Ellen it came naturally. Her tight designer jeans and western-cut shirt, left unbuttoned to the middle of her chest, made a mockery of Hailey’s slinky black ensemble. While Hailey had let her hair go natural, Ellen had chosen tonight to pull hers back into a sleek, sophisticated knot that only made Hailey look disheveled. She felt like a candle whose flame had been snuffed out.

“I’m glad to see you, Ellen,” she lied. “I didn’t expect you.”

“That’s obvious,” Ellen drawled suggestively, and turned her head to wink at Tyler. “And I promise not to stay more than a moment. I drove from Nashville on an impulse to see you and I have to go right back.”

“That’s a long trip. What about your job?” Hailey asked worriedly.

“I called in sick after lunch. That’s why I have to drive back tonight. I have to go in early in the morning to make up those hours.”

Tyler had come up to Hailey and placed an arm around her shoulders. Hastily she said, “I’m sorry. Did you two introduce yourselves?”

“No. I’m Tyler Scott, Miss Ashton.”

“Ellen,” she said, laughing and shaking his extended hand. “I hope I’ll be seeing you again.”

Tyler glanced down at Hailey, but her head was bowed. She didn’t see the warm look in his eyes. All she heard was his response, which was a promise. “You will.”

“Hailey,” Ellen said tentatively, “I really need to be getting on my way again. Could we—”

“I’ll see to the steaks,” Tyler said, taking Ellen’s hint. He squeezed Hailey’s shoulder before releasing it and going into the kitchen.

“Let’s go in your bedroom,” Ellen said in a stage whisper and grabbed Hailey’s hand, pulling her along after her.

She closed the door behind them and leaned against it, her eyes wide. “My God, Hailey, where have you been hiding him? How long has this been going on? Who is he? Where did you meet him? Tell me all.”

Hailey crossed the room to her dresser and automatically picked up her hairbrush. She began tearing it through her tumble of coppery curls. “There’s really not much to tell. I’ve only known him a few weeks. I actually met him through his daughter, who was stung by a bee on their outing to Serendipity.”

“He’s loaded. That car! And those designer clothes.”

Some perverse need to shock her sister made Hailey say offhandedly, “He owns Serendipity. That and a lot of other things.”

“Jeez, sis, when you score, you score big. I’ll bet he’s dynamite in bed.” The hairbrush remained poised over Hailey’s head for a frozen instant, but then came down to punish the tangled strands again. “Well?” Ellen demanded impatiently.

“Well, what?”

“How is he in bed?”

Hailey caught Ellen’s reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were gleaming with imagination run rampant. Again, Hailey wanted to flaunt the fact that a man like Tyler was spending the evening alone with her. “Just as you guessed,” she heard herself say. “He’s dynamite.” The hairbrush slipped from her fingers and clattered to the dresser top as if underlining her lie. Why did she want to let Ellen go on thinking she and Tyler had slept together? She twisted her hair into a tight knot and gouged her scalp as she viciously secured it with pins.

“Oh, sis, I’m glad you’re so happy.” Ellen’s sigh was theatrical and transparent. Hailey decided to wait her out. This time she wasn’t going to ask what was wrong. “I’m glad one of us is happy.”

With an inward sigh, Hailey took the bait. “You aren’t? I thought you liked your new job and new friends.”

“Friends! Huh! You know the girl I was telling you about, the one who was being so nice to me?” Ellen didn’t wait for an answer. “Well, she’s turned out to be a real bitch. I owe her a little money, which she practically forced me to borrow from her, and now she wants it all back at once. Honestly, don’t people trust each other anymore?”

Hailey turned around to face Ellen, who was now sitting Indian-fashion in the middle of the bed, looking younger than Faith. Tears were shining in her green eyes. “How much is a ‘little’?” Hailey asked unsympathetically.

“Five hundred dollars,” was the mumbled reply.

“What!” Hailey gasped, truly shocked. “Ellen, how could you? Five hundred dollars? For what?”

“Don’t shout at me, Hailey,” Ellen sobbed. “I told you she practically forced me to borrow it.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“She did! You’re being just as mean to me as she is.”