Seduction, Southern Style
Автор
Cat Schield
Прочтений
16,7K
Глав
13
HarlequinOne
Sienna Burns experienced a familiar thrill as the town car, carrying her and her adopted sister, Teagan, coasted along the tree-lined avenue in downtown Charleston. As an independent art consultant, Sienna spent a great deal of time traveling and always loved the opportunity to visit a new city. And this one was breathtaking. Picket and iron fences hid lush gardens transected by hedge-lined brick walkways and dotted with palm trees and bountiful hydrangeas. The pastel buildings with overflowing window boxes imprinted her mind with explosions of vibrant colors.
“This is really beautiful,” she said, as one terraced, columned mansion after another flew by.
When her sister didn’t respond, Sienna shifted attention to Teagan and wasn’t surprised to find her taking a selfie. Teagan knew better than to ask Sienna to join her in the picture. With her dark hair and life-long weight issues, Sienna had always felt like a plump, shabby shadow of her beautiful, trendy sister and actively avoided the limelight.
“You should try and get one of these gorgeous mansions in the background,” Sienna suggested as the car stopped at an intersection. “I’ll bet your followers would love that.”
“Uh-huh,” Teagan mumbled, pouting at the screen and showing no indication that she was paying attention to her sister.
“Why am I even here?” Exhaustion sparked Sienna’s temper. She hadn’t slept during her eight-hour flight from London to New York or at any point during the hectic three-hour turnaround before Teagan had dragged her aboard the private jet for their flight to Charleston. “You’ve been glued to your phone the entire trip.”
As different as the two sisters were in appearance and temperament, one trait they shared was that they never stopped working. Teagan had spun her status as a social media influencer into several successful businesses and was constantly promoting her jewelry and accessories lines, as well as her concierge makeup service.
“I need my sister with me.” Without looking up from her phone, Teagan reached over to grip Sienna’s hand, the biting clamp revealing the tension hidden behind her unruffled expression. “You know I’m freaked out about meeting my birth mom’s family.”
Several months earlier Sienna had been shocked to hear that Teagan had submitted her DNA to a genetic testing service and discovered she was related to a prominent family in Charleston, South Carolina. The full details of how baby Teagan had come to be available to be adopted by a wealthy couple on the Upper East Side of New York might forever remain a mystery, but from what Teagan had patched together from talking with her Charleston family, it seemed that her biological mother, Ava Watts, had headed to the Big Apple in the hopes of becoming a fashion model only to become pregnant and die tragically, leaving behind her infant daughter. Apparently, Ava had cut herself off so thoroughly from her family that they hadn’t discovered her death or that she’d had a daughter until many years after the fact. By then, Teagan had been adopted and the sealed court records had prevented her family from locating her.
“You shouldn’t be,” Sienna said, sandwiching Teagan’s hand between hers and offering the comfort her sister craved. “They’ve been looking for you since learning you existed. I’m sure they’re over the moon to have found you at last.”
“Of course, but what if they don’t like me?”
It never ceased to amaze Sienna that her beautiful, talented sister suffered bouts of insecurity. “What’s not to love?”
“You’re the best sister.” Teagan leaned her head on Sienna’s shoulder and absorbed all the support. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Sienna’s heart gave a painful wrench. “Luckily, you’ll never have to find out.”
Filled to the brim with optimism once more, Teagan turned back to her phone. Sienna released her sister’s hand and returned her attention to the scenery they were passing, letting her delight in the charming view recharge the energy she’d poured into the other woman.
“You know it still amazes me how much I look like them.” Teagan displayed the Instagram page belonging to her Charleston cousin, Dallas Shaw.
The image on the screen showed a smiling trio of blonde women. The twin cousins and their mother, Ava Watts’s older sister, Lenora Shaw, bore an uncanny resemblance to Teagan. Sienna felt a tinge of jealousy as she imagined future pictures with her sister grinning alongside the trio, her long blond hair and riveting green eyes proof that she belonged to the Watts/Shaw clan.
“Even without the DNA test, there’s little question you’re related,” Sienna said, overcome by a sudden blast of panic and misery at the thought of losing her sister to her new family.
“I hope they feel the same way.”
“Of course they will,” Sienna assured her, pushing aside her own anxiety and grief to bolster Teagan.
“I really wish you’d stay longer than a few days,” Teagan said, continuing to scroll through her cousin’s Instagram feed, skipping over the photos of beautifully plated dishes to focus on the images of Dallas and her identical sister, Poppy.
“This is your moment with your long-lost family,” Sienna reminded her. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”
“Don’t be silly. They’re thrilled that you’re coming with me. And... I told them you’d be here a couple weeks.”
“What?” Sienna gasped, appalled. “Even if I could take that much time off, you don’t know these people well enough to take advantage of their hospitality on my behalf.”
“Are you kidding? You’ve barely taken any time off in the last three years so you’re due for a vacation. And there’s plenty of room at the estate. In fact, both Dallas and Poppy live on-site in the old caretaker’s house. My aunt Lenora said there’s an empty carriage house and bedrooms galore in the main house. Believe me, there’s plenty of room.”
“I’ll rearrange some things and try to stay for a week.”
“Ten days.”
“I only packed enough for four.” Yet even as she protested, her exhaustion worked against her. The idea of lingering in this charming city and behaving like a tourist was vastly appealing. The frenetic pace of her career kept her running on sheer adrenaline most of the time. What fun to just be lazy for a week.
“We can go shopping.” Teagan made a face. “I mean, do you own anything besides boring pantsuits and sensible pumps?”
“I have several dresses—”
“In a color other than black, gray or navy?”
Sienna opened her mouth to protest Teagan’s criticism and recognized the futility. “Besides, did it ever occur to you that I have clients that I’m supposed to be working for?”
“You can’t seriously expect me to believe that their lives will crash down around them if you don’t find something boring and old for them to spend their money on.”
It was a familiar argument and one that never failed to rub Sienna wrong. “I know you find what I do boring, but just like you have a passion for all things beautiful and trendy, I happen to love finding the perfect pieces of art to add to my clients’ collections.”
“It’s not that I find it boring,” Teagan said, “it’s just that ever since you went out on your own, you don’t make time for me anymore.”
Sienna almost laughed out loud at her sister’s ridiculous claim. Teagan was the busy one with a rich and active social life, centered in New York City, filled with hangers-on and acquaintances, while Sienna traveled all over the world pursuing artworks. When she went out, she preferred quiet dinners with a few close friends.
“Oh please,” Sienna said. “You have plenty of people to hang out with.”
“People,” Teagan corrected. “Not family.”
“Well, that’s all about to change.” Sienna indicated Dallas Shaw’s social media feed. “I guarantee you’ll be so happy with your new family that you won’t even notice when I leave.”
“But what if I don’t like them?”
Teagan paused to regard a photo of three generations of Watts family members and Sienna found her gaze drawn to the single anomaly amongst the sea of blond-haired, blue-eyed Southerners. A tall man with tousled mahogany hair stood in the back, his sexy smile hinting at a devil-may-care attitude that kindled her imagination. Something compelling and a little frightening swept across her nerve endings at the strength of her interest.
She shook herself free of his spell. “Then you go back to New York and live your life.”
“There’s something I haven’t told you.” Teagan resumed scrolling.
“Like what?”
“I’m not sure I’m returning to New York.”
“What?” The anxiety that had been building ever since Teagan announced she’d found her birth family exploded in her chest. “Why not?”
“I’ve decided I’m going to be the next CEO of Watts Shipping.”
Sienna sat in stunned silence while her sister’s words played through her mind. The Watts family business was a multimillion-dollar corporation with a fleet of fifty transportation vessels that moved goods all around the world. Founded in the 1920s, they were in the state’s top one hundred corporations with nearly fifteen hundred employees worldwide.
While there was no question that Teagan had the Harvard education and the ambition to helm the family company, what she lacked was any knowledge of shipping and the experience needed to run a corporation with annual sales in the hundreds of millions.
“I thought your uncle was the current CEO,” Sienna said, “and that one of his sons will be taking over shortly.” She pictured the handsome, dark-haired charmer in the family photo, wondering how he’d feel about the competition from the newly arrived outsider.
“Ethan.” Teagan scrolled back to the family photo that she’d been looking at earlier. “The thing is, he is adopted and...”
Recognizing where her sister’s mind had gone, Sienna controlled a wince. Despite being their father’s darling girl and the sole beneficiary of their mother’s boundless attention and energy, Teagan defined herself as the adopted child. As if this somehow meant she was less of a Burns than Sienna or their brother, Aiden. The irony of this often led to Sienna wanting to rage at her sister.
As the middle sibling and biological child, Sienna was the one mostly likely to be ignored or excluded. Her brother was expected to take over the family business. Teagan had been the one their mother had adopted because Sienna hadn’t been beautiful enough to dress up and show off to Anna’s friends. Neither a boy nor a beauty, Sienna had slipped through the cracks of her parents’ awareness.
“You think it’s your birthright to run the family business,” Sienna guessed, thinking how disappointed Teagan had been when despite her superior business skills and suitability to take over the Burns real estate empire, she’d been passed over in favor of Samuel and Anna’s biological son, Aiden. “I’m sure you have a shot at it, but is that fair to Ethan?”
“I don’t want them to give me the position,” Teagan said, but her green eyes took on a frosty glint of remembered disappointment. “I fully intend to earn it. But I want the shot. And I’m going to take it.”
“Sure. I guess that’s...fair,” Sienna said, sympathizing with Ethan now that her sister was poised to claim a position he’d grown up believing was his. “None of this explains why you need me to stay in Charleston beyond a few days. It seems like you’re going to have your hands full with getting to know your family as well as Watts Shipping.” She said this last with a wry smile that she hoped took the censure out of the words.
“I thought maybe we could work together.”
A discordant buzzing filled Sienna’s ears. Sometimes the way Teagan’s mind worked terrified her. Her sister had embraced their mother’s ruthless streak and honed her skills ever since her days of being Queen Bee of their Upper East Side prep school.
“Work together how?”
“You always have such good insights into people. I thought maybe you could help me get to know everyone and figure out my best way in.”
“I have clients—” Sienna said, fearful of becoming embroiled in whatever scheme her sister was cooking up.
“Stop using them as an excuse,” Teagan snapped, before turning the full power of her pleading expression on Sienna. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be such a bitch. I don’t want to be all alone down here. You know I need you. Please stay and help me. I’m terrified that I won’t fit in and this is when I really need my sister.”
“Okay.” It was easier to give in than keep resisting. “I don’t have anything particularly pressing at the moment.”
“Wonderful.” Teagan’s entire demeanor brightened as it did every time she got her way. “And you never know, you might find some new clients here. Plus, there’s tons of museums and you love those.”
“I do.”
Yet as she gave in, what had promised to be a relaxing interlude amongst Charleston’s historic charms vanished like morning mist.
Ethan Watts sat in the living room of his grandfather’s elegant estate on the west end of Montague Street a few blocks from the Ashley River. On his phone screen was the email he’d received the night before. Brief and to the point, mysterious and inflammatory, the message had arrived from an anonymous source. Initially he’d dismissed the warning. The sender intended to stir up trouble and Ethan had little patience for the person’s shadowy agenda. But he hadn’t deleted the email. It described a threat he’d be foolish to ignore.
Teagan Burns intends to become the next CEO of Watts Shipping. She is ruthless and will use every trick in the book to get her way. Watch your back.—A friend
Even as he reread the email for the umpteenth time, Ethan wasn’t sure what to make of it. He didn’t believe for one second that the anonymous sender was any sort of friend. The sender obviously had an agenda and Ethan refused to trust that he and the person were on the same side.
“I think she’s here.” For the last twenty minutes his aunt had been watching from the living room windows, anticipating the moment that her long-lost niece would arrive from New York City.
Ethan Watts reached Lenora Shaw’s side just as the uniformed driver of the luxury town car got out and circled the vehicle to open the door for his passengers. His aunt vibrated with tension as she awaited her first glimpse of Ava Watts’s missing daughter.
Three decades earlier, the headstrong, spoiled youngest daughter of Grady and Delilah Watts had run off to New York against her father’s wishes at eighteen. After five years of no contact, Grady had sent an investigator to see what had become of his daughter. Too late, they learned that Ava had died several years before and her infant daughter had been adopted. For twenty-five years the family had been searching for her without success. That hunt ended several months ago when both sides had connected through a genetic testing service database.
Lenora’s fingers bit down on Ethan’s arm as a petite brunette exited the car. “That can’t be her.”
“I believe that’s Sienna.” Based on the research his older brother, Paul, had done on Teagan Burns, Ethan knew this wasn’t the missing Watts heiress. “Teagan’s older sister.”
The woman in question was dressed for business in a simple black pantsuit and white blouse that downplayed her hourglass figure. Neither her long, straight hair, a flat espresso brown, nor the barest of makeup she’d applied to her delicate features and soft lips commanded attention. Unlike her sister, she had a nearly nonexistent social media presence and based on what he noted of her body language and appearance, Sienna Burns obviously preferred to maintain a low profile.
“Oh,” Lenora murmured, “there she is.”
Ethan tore his gaze away from Sienna in time to witness a pair of long, shapely legs, clad in white high-heel boots, emerging from the town car. Moments later the highly recognizable New York City socialite appeared. A chic blonde “it” girl, who regularly appeared on Page Six and social media, she looked every inch a Manhattan fashionista in a short white romper with navy pinstripes, her gold-blond hair hanging in a silky curtain to her waist.
“She looks exactly like Ava,” Lenora said, her tone tight with concern. “Let’s hope she doesn’t behave like her.”
It was no secret that Lenora hadn’t gotten along with her willful younger sibling, but Ethan was surprised that Teagan’s marked resemblance to her mother had set Lenora off. The entire family had been avidly anticipating this meeting for years. He never imagined a scenario where she wouldn’t be fully embraced, but something about his aunt’s frown sent a trickle of uneasiness down his spine.
“Why don’t we go greet her,” Ethan prompted, when his aunt didn’t show any signs of moving toward the front door.
Lenora shook off her somber mood and applied a social smile to her lips. “Of course.”
The Shaw’s housekeeper, Jillian Post, had been standing by and now opened the door to admit the new arrival. Ethan and Lenora reached the broad arch into the wide entry hall just as Teagan crossed the threshold alone. The housekeeper glanced out the door and murmured a question.
“She had something to take care of first,” Teagan answered, sounding the tiniest bit peevish.
As the carved front door closed behind her, blocking the June sunshine, the socialite pulled off her enormous sunglasses and gave her surroundings a quick once over before focusing on the pair who’d stepped forward to greet her.
“Hello.”
“Welcome to Charleston,” Lenora said, taking the lead before things grew awkward. “I’m Lenora Shaw, your aunt, and this is your cousin Ethan.”
“It’s wonderful to be here.” Teagan’s lips curved in a picture-perfect smile, but the cool assessment in her eyes as her gaze slid over Ethan sent his thoughts back to that anonymous email. “You were so kind to invite me.”
“It’s your home,” Ethan declared, summoning a beguiling tone to make up for Lenora’s less-than-effusive welcome. “We’re delighted to have you here.”
“Yes, delighted,” Lenora echoed while she took in her niece’s sophisticated appearance. “Please, come in. Your grandfather will be down shortly.”
“Grady’s eager to see you,” Ethan added. “He’s been searching for you for a long time.”
“I’m excited to meet him, as well,” Teagan said as they all moved into the elegant living room.
Teagan Burns intends to become the next CEO of Watts Shipping.
Ethan scanned Teagan’s expression for the duplicity the email warned him about and glimpsed happiness mixed with apprehension. Neither emotion struck him as unusual. The entire family had been buzzing with excitement and nervous energy since they’d learned about Teagan. The meeting was momentous and fraught with tension for all involved. What if they didn’t like Ava’s daughter or vice versa? What if they all made an immediate connection but Teagan then decided to return to New York City and her busy life there? What if she was a horror and decided to stay in Charleston? How would the family dynamic change?
“Have you been to Charleston before?” Lenora asked, gesturing toward the pale blue damask sofa Ethan had occupied moments before.
“I don’t leave New York often,” Teagan admitted, as she looked over the space. Was she cataloging the valuables? Trying to decide what she stood to inherit once Grady Watts died? “And when I do, I generally travel to LA or the Caribbean.”
“Where’s your sister?” Ethan asked, thinking about the woman who’d gotten out of the car first.
Teagan’s green eyes snapped to him. “On a business call. She’ll join us when she’s done.”
With conspiracies circling his mind like a pack of coyotes, Ethan was seized by a sharp need to clear his head. “Why don’t I go check on her.”
Leaving the two women to get acquainted, Ethan headed outside to see what had become of Sienna Burns. He found her sitting near the bottom of the front steps, her back to the house, an open laptop balanced on her thighs. As he descended toward her, Ethan glanced to where the driver of the town car was unloading a sizable collection of matching cream-colored luggage with champagne leather accents.
“Hello,” he said as he drew within earshot of Teagan’s sister.
The brunette had been so absorbed in her task that she hadn’t noticed his approach. Now, she jerked in surprise, clutching the laptop as it teetered precariously. She turned to stare up at him, but bright afternoon sun splashed across her face, forcing her to squint.
“Oh, hello.” She shut her computer as he passed her and slid it into the tote bag near her feet.
When he reached the driveway, he turned to face her. Ethan found his senses tingling with pleasure as he breathed in the sun-warmed scent of vanilla wafting from her. Up close he noted the pale freckles peeking through her foundation and the fact that she’d chewed off her lipstick. But what arrested him was the sharp intelligence in her blue-gray eyes.
“I’m Ethan Watts.” To his chagrin, he caught himself smiling in genuine welcome instead of bombarding her with practiced charm. “Teagan’s cousin.”
“Sienna Burns. Teagan’s...sister.”
He noted the slight hesitation as she identified her connection and wondered at it. “Nice to meet you, Sienna Burns.”
He held out his hand for her to shake, shocked how eager he was to touch her. Nor was he disappointed when she placed her palm against his, sending an electric charge of awareness zipping through him. From the telltale widening of her eyes and the rising color in her cheeks, he guessed she’d experienced something, as well.
“Nice to meet you,” she echoed, making no attempt to take her hand back. In fact, she tilted her torso toward him while her gaze toured his face. Her lips slanted into a grin of feminine appreciation as if she liked what she saw.
This demonstration of mutual attraction set his hormones on fire. Ethan offered her a slow, wolfish smile. He wasn’t a stranger to sexual chemistry and enjoyed both a stimulating chase and an easy conquest, but despite the bold appreciation in Sienna’s gaze, he suspected that she wasn’t going to tumble for his Southern charisma. A challenge then. He was up for that. But then the warning about Teagan popped back into his head.
She...will use every trick in the book to get her way.
Including her sister? The question stopped him cold.
“We’ve been looking forward to meeting you both,” he said, all too aware that he should end the handshake. Instead, he was fighting the desire to slide his thumb over her knuckles. Remembering his manners, he set her free. His skin continued to tingle where it had been in contact with hers.
Sienna absorbed his words with a surprised expression. “Both of us? But I’m not anyone...”
Ethan was struck by her words. Was it false modesty or a bid for sympathy that compelled others to reassure her? “Obviously, you’re someone.”
“Well, of course.” Sienna gave a breathy laugh. “I just mean that Teagan is the star here. I’m just along for the ride.”
The way she dismissed her importance left him wondering how often she was compared to her beautiful, stylish sister and found lacking. Ethan understood sibling rivalry. Not that he’d ever gone out of his way to compete against Paul. Likewise, his brother lived in his own world and rarely engaged in such trivial pursuits, but being the second son and an adopted one as well, Ethan had always questioned his place in the family.
Sienna’s case was a bit different though. She was the older daughter. The one who’d been born into the Burns family. If anyone would feel as if she belonged, it would be Sienna and not Teagan. Yet Teagan was the one who’d capitalized on the family’s social status and wealth while Sienna faded into the background.
At the same time, Sienna was the more approachable of the two. The one he could let his guard down around. She seemed to lack any ulterior motives. The anonymous message had warned him to be wary. Ethan sighed in exasperation. He didn’t want to ponder hidden agendas or imagine these women were scheming against him.
“Still, it’s good of you to support her,” Ethan said. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy to take the time away from your business to accompany her on this visit.”
“This is a pretty big deal for her.” Sienna slid a lock of hair behind her ear, drawing Ethan’s attention to her short, unpainted nails. “For your family as well, I’m sure. Teagan has been looking forward to meeting you all.” Mischief flashed in her eyes. “Or should I say all y’all?”
“You speak Southern.” He ramped up his drawl, relishing the flirtation.
She looked pleased by his approval. “Just a little. I have a client in New Orleans.” She pronounced it New OR-lins like a local. “He’s fond of inundating me with Southern colloquialisms whenever we talk.”
“Such as?”
“Some of his least colorful are... Kiss my go-to-hell. If that boy had an idea, it would die of loneliness. That dog won’t hunt.”
“And his more colorful?” Ethan prompted, utterly captivated by the impish glint in her eyes.
“Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining.” Her cheeks blazed with color that hadn’t been there a second earlier. For all her big-city upbringing, she had a trace of shyness that enchanted him.
Could she really be in on Teagan’s supposed plans for taking over Watts Shipping? Almost as soon as this notion popped into his head, he pushed it away. And then just as swiftly, he circled back. Dismissing Sienna as a nonparticipant in whatever her sister was cooking up might be the blunder that caused him to lose everything.
Watch your back.
The warning failed to dim his interest in Sienna. Worse, the potential danger in his growing fascination actually enhanced his desire. He was already plotting how to corner her in an isolated place so he could sample her soft lips and seduce her properly. If he thought he’d overcome the reckless streak that had dominated his teens and early twenties, he’d been mistaken. It hadn’t been tamed, only sedated.
“Here comes Cory,” Ethan said, relieved that his grandfather’s caretaker was approaching. “He will take charge of all the luggage.” As Sienna got to her feet, Ethan made the introductions. “Cory Post, this is Sienna Burns. She will be staying in the rose guest room. Which of these are yours?”
“That one.”
Not surprisingly, she pointed to the single black bag sitting like a crow amongst doves. The hard-sided piece had seen a lot of use.
“You travel light.” He shot Sienna a quick glance to confirm. “And quite a bit from the looks of your bag.”
“Business trips mostly.”
“What sort of business?” he asked, even though thanks to Paul’s research, Ethan already knew.
“I’m an independent art consultant.”
“That sounds quite interesting. I’ll look forward to hearing all about it.”
Her long lashes flickered. “It’s really quite mundane. A lot of time spent in airplanes and dusty old houses.”
“Oh, I’m sure it’s not as dull as you make it sound.” He leaned toward her with a smile meant to encourage her to give up all her secrets. “I’ll bet you’ve seen some very interesting things. What’s your favorite?”
She nibbled her lower lip for a second before answering. “Two years ago, a couple in Toulouse discovered an old painting in their attic after their roof leaked. One of my art world contacts gave me a heads-up so I flew to France to evaluate the painting and it turned out it was the work of the Italian artist Caravaggio.”
As she spoke of her discovery, her eyes glowed with enthusiasm, turning what had been a pretty face into something quite breathtaking.
“Fascinating,” he murmured, transfixed by the dimples produced by her effervescent smile.
Noting the way his heartbeat stuttered and then started to race, Ethan silently cursed. If that anonymous warning was the real deal, he needed to stay vigilant.
She...will use every trick...
Ethan gave himself a shake. He shouldn’t let a stranger get into his head. For all he knew, Teagan had sent the message herself to distract him into chasing shadows. Still, whether Sienna was part of a plot or not, there was much to discover about Teagan’s sister and Ethan was looking forward to finding out all about her. Until he did, the challenge would be to keep his attraction hidden from everyone, but especially Teagan. Letting her capitalize on his fascination with Sienna was a risk he couldn’t afford.
