Whisper My Name Read online

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I do. You’re cautious by nature. Being with Silenator has made you blossom. I know you like him and he certainly likes you.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “There you go, again, hiding your head under rock. Talk to me, girl.”

  “Lee your detective skills have failed you,” she sneered. “In the beginning we both decided it would only be for one night.”

  Lee’s eyes widened with shock. “You. Did. A. One. Night. Stand?”

  “If that’s what you want to call it.”

  “But you really, really like Brody. Why would you agree to something so stupid?”

  “It’s what we both wanted, okay. So drop it.”

  “But—”

  “Just once! Please respect my wishes and not talk about Brody.” Danielle grabbed the ends of the sheet, wrapped it around her body and stomped into the bathroom, slamming the door.

  ###

  After several nights of too many glasses of merlot and ignoring the daggers thrown her way by Lee, one morning, Danielle cautiously walked into the kitchen with a slight hangover—well to be honest, it was more than slight. She hadn’t drunk that much since her breakup with Rio.

  He none too gently slammed a plate of eggs and toast in front of her and then slid in the chair across from her.

  She grimaced and tried hard not to pinch her nose at the smell and sight of the runny eggs on her plate.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

  He picked up his fork and dug into the crisp bacon slices, fluffy pancakes and perfect fried eggs on his plate. Apparently the runny eggs were supposed to be her punishment for being an ass.

  Lee hadn’t questioned her about Brody after the first time she angrily told him to stay out of business, which was a surprise. Her friend had a tendency to be a hound dog when he wanted information. She was glad he’d reined himself in and left her to wallow in her own pity. Sleeping with Brody was stupid, but falling for him was even worse. After Rio and Jon, she had hoped she was finished making huge blunders. Apparently that wasn’t the case.

  “I’m going back to New York,” Lee said.

  Where in the hell did that come from? The glass of orange juice she held in her hand stopped midway to her mouth. She set it on the table beside her plate. “But I thought you were going to stay here with me until I went back to New York.”

  “Your agent called this morning. It’s time for you to start to work…immediately. He has shoots lined up.”

  “What? He can’t do that without my consent.”

  “You told him you were taking three months of vacation and then you would be ready to work. Well, you’ve been in Dallas more than three months.”

  “What are these jobs?”

  “Well, one of them is a swimsuit ad for Sports Illustrated.”

  She groaned. She hated doing swimsuit shoots. She was busty and the photographers normally zoomed in on that fact, claiming it was one of her best assets no matter how much she felt uncomfortable and disagreed.

  “I don’t want the cover,” she grumbled.

  Lee pointed his fork at her “You’re the most reluctant supermodel I’ve ever met. Models would lie, cheat, and steal…maybe even commit murder to have your position.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful but all the stuff that goes along with being a successful model is what I don’t like.”

  “They do want you for the cover.”

  “No. I’m not doing it.”

  Lee rolled his eyes. “Girl, chill out. “Your asshole agent knows you would have blown a gasket if he agreed to it.”

  “Good. I did a cover for them four years ago. It was great exposure but I didn’t—”

  “It made you a Supermodel!”

  She nodded. “It did and I’m thankful. What other jobs does he have lined up?”

  He laid his fork across his plate and entwined his fingers. “There is a runway show in Paris for Givenchy and Lagerfeld.”

  “Okay. I can handle that. Anything else?”

  “Adore Cosmetics has partnered with Vogue to do a spread for their summer and winter lines.”

  “Where is it?”

  “I believe the asshole agent said Wyoming…Utah… It was too much information for early morning.” He yawned. “I believe it’s a long one.

  “Wyoming? I have never done a photo shoot there. How long is the shoot?”

  “I believe a couple of weeks but don’t quote me.”

  “Did you hear anything he said, Lee?” she admonished him.

  “I was in a deep sleep when he called. He was loud and obnoxious as usual, demanding I get you on the phone. I didn’t. He’s such a pain in the ass. We ended up in a shouting match. Of course I won. I wasn’t happy having my sleep interrupted and I wasn’t taking any shit from him.”

  Danielle rolled her eyes. “You and my agent need to get along.”

  He frowned. “Why would I want to get along with that asshole?”

  “Because he’s not going anywhere and neither are you.”

  “He needs to stay out of my way and we will be just fine.” He sucked his teeth. “Anyway, the cosmetic shoot is at some ranch…cow place. Probably some dude ranch.” He shuttered. “It’s a type of ‘home on the range’ spread. You do the swim ad and the runway shows first. Then within a day, you fly to the Vogue spread out in backwoods country.”

  She took a small bite of the eggs. “Then you can’t go back to New York, if I’m doing all of that.”

  “The swim ad is a one day shoot in Miami. You really don’t need me there, so I’m sending my assistant. I’ll meet you in Paris the following day.”

  “You’ll be cutting it close.”

  “Yeah, but I’m never late.” He glanced at his wristwatch and stood. “My flight leaves in one hour and forty-five minutes. I’ve already packed your bags, called Nicole to inform her you’re leaving, and your flight has been booked. You leave tonight.” He scrapped the remaining food into the garbage disposal, placed the plate in the dishwasher, and moved toward the kitchen doorway.

  “Lee, uh…About the way I have been acting the last few days.”

  He turned to look at her. “No sweat, honey. I know you are hurting.”

  “I’m not hur—”

  “You may lie to yourself, girly, but don’t try that shit with me.” He pointed a finger at her. “I know your ass.”

  She opened her mouth and then closed it. What could she say? He was right. She silently admitted it to herself but that was all. No more thinking about Brody.

  No depression.

  No despair.

  No headache.

  It was over. A fling. People had them all the time. She was a big girl and would survive it. That’s what she planned to tell herself anyway.

  Chapter Thirteen

  In his Range Rover, Brody sped through Sunday afternoon traffic of Dallas toward Ashton and Nicole Sinclair’s house. He gripped the steering wheel tightly and swerved to the left sharply narrowly missing a car that pulled out in front of him without warning.

  He swore, adjusted the Ray Bans on his face, and pinched the end of his nose. Damned if he could even think straight in the last month, and he knew whose fault it was.

  Danielle.

  A fierce sense of loss swirled deep inside him. He’d walked away from her because he had felt something deep inside him stir after they had sex. Hell. It was more than sex and he knew it. But that’s what scared the shit out of him. He didn’t do commitment. But he wanted to possess her and never let her go. He’d the same visceral reaction the first time he’d laid eyes on her at the christening and decided she would be his.

  His mind drifted to their lovemaking. She’d welcomed everything he gave her, participating equally in the duel of their passions. He needed to forget it and her. But it was easier said than him actually doing it. Something about her made him lose all train of tho
ught when his mind should be on more important matters—like business or training his stallions.

  He pulled up to the Sinclair’s circular driveway, got out, and rang the bell. Within a minute the door was opened by Ashton’s long-time housekeeper and he was ushered through the door into the large foyer.

  “Mr. Sinclair is in his study, Mr. Beaumont.”

  “Thank you,” he said. He removed the sunglasses and put them in his shirt pocket, walking briskly toward the back of the house. He issued a short rap on the door and opened it. Ashton was seated behind the desk, frowning over some papers, but didn’t look up.

  “Hey Ash.”

  “Give me a moment. I need to finish this. A courier is picking up the papers within an hour.”

  “On a Sunday? Apparently, Nicole doesn’t know you are working.”

  Ashton looked at him and grinned. “You’re so right. My parents have the boys. She went to visit her aunt and do some shopping, but she should be back shortly.” Ashton stared at him. “When I received your text informing me you were on your way, I looked at my calendar to see if I’d missed an appointment for golf or racquetball, but there was none. So what brings you out this way?”

  “Do I have to have a reason to visit?”

  “Knowing you, yes. Besides, I thought you were at your ranch in Montana.”

  “I was. I’m heading back tonight.” Brody ran a hand through his hair and flopped down in the chair in front of Ashton’s desk. There wasn’t a sound throughout the house, which only made the atmosphere more peaceful.

  “Is Danielle still in Dallas?’ Brody asked abruptly.

  Brody watched shock hit his friend’s eyes and then confusion. Deadly silence dropped into the room, creating tension. Ashton waited. He probably wanted answers. Hell, Brody didn’t have them. It had been a month since he talked to her. Their last conversation had been short with her hanging up the phone abruptly. He hadn’t called her or seen her since.

  He’d resumed the normal activities he did before he met Danielle, one-night stands with women who didn’t mean anything to him or touched his heart, to exorcise Danielle from his thoughts. It didn’t work. He came away from the encounters more disgusted with himself than before.

  Ashton leaned back in his chair. “This interests you? Why?”

  Brody shrugged. “Just making conversation.”

  “You don’t make conversation unless there is a reason.” Ashton leaned back in his chair and entwined his fingers, staring hard at him. “Strange, you’re asking about Danielle. Is there something you need to tell me?”

  “Nope.”

  “Although you have been abrasive, moody and brooding, I didn’t find it any different than your usual manner. It’s rumored you are back to your old habits…one-night stands with women. Nicole and I were at a recent charity function where one lady, and I say the word loosely, bragged about a threesome she and a friend had with you. So I don’t see any reason for your question about Danielle.”

  “Hell, don’t people have anything else to talk about besides what I do in the bedroom.”

  “Not if you provide the entertainment.”

  “I hate being the topic of conversation on anyone’s lips.”

  “Then change.”

  Shit. He almost did but had caught himself in time. That is why he’d resumed his old life, trying to wash away the mark Danielle had left on his mind. Hell, he might as well admit it. She’d branded his heart.

  Ashton continued to stare at him. Brody silently gritted his teeth. He wasn’t going to tell Ashton about his night with Danielle or the fact that he was unable to shake off the memory. It pissed the hell out of him. No woman had ever lingered in his thoughts. They passed through and were gone as quickly as the sexual release. But the images of Danielle wouldn’t let him go. What could he do to get rid of them? He thought he was being nonchalant when he asked Ashton about her, hoping that voicing her name would expel her once and for all, but it hadn’t worked. Damn! Why couldn’t he forget her like he did the others? It was affecting his work, and it was starting to become irritating as hell.

  Ashton remained silent continuing to watch him closely so he stood and went to the window, looking out over the lawn to gather his runaway thoughts. His last conversation with Danielle played over in his mind. When she severed the phone connection he had sighed with relief but also with irritation. A woman never was the first to end it with him. Now, whether it was day or night, Danielle occupied his thoughts. It was disconcerting to be found daydreaming in a meeting. It was embarrassing and not like him. His father had taken him aside and asked if there was a problem because his concentration level was off—way off.

  So he’d left Dallas and went to his ranch in Montana. It was his place of seclusion and where he was most peaceful. Thoughts of her had followed him and invaded his sanctuary. It was proving impossible to pull his thoughts away from her so he came back to Dallas.

  He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Ashton offering him the drink he held in his hand. He took it without asking what it was and drained the contents. He handed the glass to Ashton and moved back to his seat. Ashton began to speak and he tried to concentrate on what his friend was saying.

  “Something is troubling you. I gave you a glass of vermouth and you drank it without one grimace. You hate the stuff. So spill it.”

  “I was seeing Danielle.”

  Ashton frowned. “Define seeing.”

  “We had a couple of dates.”

  “Don’t bullshit me, Brody. You don’t date. So what happened?”

  Brody prided himself on being the complete master of his emotions. But with Ashton he showed too much. He surmised being friends since childhood gave Ashton insight into his brain. He never could pull anything over on him.

  Brody refused to give him an answer. Hell. He didn’t know what to say.

  “I specifically asked you not to get involve with Danielle. Damn it! You know this is going to cause problems with my wife. Did you even think how this would affect your sister? They are all best friends.”

  “I never said I slept with Danielle. Anyway this has nothing to do with your wife or my sister.”

  “Shit. Once Nicole finds out about this, it’s going to cause havoc.” He glared at Brody. “Did you forget you don’t do commitment?”

  “Neither does Danielle.”

  “Are you kidding? You can’t be that blind. All three of them, Danielle, Nicole and Sally want commitment when it comes to men. When they get together they are like any other women.”

  Ashton on began to pace. He ran a hand across his face and inhaled deeply

  “What does that mean?” Brody asked.

  “They discuss falling in love, marriage, the white picket fence and babies.”

  Brody frowned at the description.

  “Danielle is a supermodel. I’m sure she’s not looking to settle down.”

  “How would you know? You screwed her and then dumped her!”

  Brody stood and pointed his finger at Ashton. “You don’t know a motherfucking thing about what went on between us! She wasn’t a cheap piece of ass or a damn one-night stand. So get your facts straight before you go mouthing off—”

  “What in the world is going on here? Why are you shouting? You can be heard throughout the house.”

  Brody swung toward the door. There stood Nicole with concern evident in her eyes. Stepping from behind her was the shimmering vision of the woman he had struggled to forget.

  Danielle.

  Brody narrowed his gaze and tried his best not to show the surprise and anger coiling through him at the sight of her.

  Ashton moved forward and bestowed a kiss on his wife’s lips. “Darling, you are back early. I thought the two of you were going shopping.”

  Brody threw his friend a quick look of retribution. Ashton knew she hadn’t left Dallas and never said a word. He felt his lip curl at the thought.

  “We got hungry. Since we were close to the house, we decided to come h
ome for lunch. We’re going to finish shopping after we eat.” She glanced at Brody and then back at her husband. “What were you shouting about?”

  “It was nothing,” Brody answered. “Nicole, as usual, your husband was trying to get me to do something I didn’t want to do.” The explanation sounded lame even to his ears.

  Danielle snickered.

  Although the sound was low, he heard it. He tried not to acknowledge the pull she had over him, but he was drawn. She wore a soft pink sundress with a short shrug thrown across her smooth shoulders. Her silky dark hair was swept up in a high ponytail, emphasizing her high cheekbones. The contrast of her full lips with her chocolate skin made her breathtaking.

  Her dress was a reasonably short and showed off her legs. Soft metallic bronze sandals adorned her feet. Her feminine curves were covered, but his thoughts were bestrewed by his memories, breasts with perked tips just a shade darker than her lips, a slender waist, round inviting hips and long, and again those lithe legs wrapped around his waist while he…

  He gritted his teeth to keep from leaning over to capture her lips with his own. He knew they would still be as sweet and soft as he remembered.

  His body ached and then flared with need. He had tried to erase her from his head by bedding several women over the past month, but it hadn’t worked. He’d ended up leaving their beds empty and emotionless. Trying to resume how he’d handled past liaisons wasn’t working.

  What was it about this woman that had him tied in knots?

  “Can you stay for lunch, Brody?” he heard Nicole ask.

  Ashton cursed softly. “Brody has a flight to catch.”

  “A flight?” Nicole said.

  “He’s heading back to Montana.”

  “I’m sure he can take the time to eat.”

  “He has a private jet. I’m sure it’s stock with food.”

  “Ashton, what’s wrong with you? You know we have the best cook in Dallas—”

  “We shouldn’t stop him from making his flight, Nicole,” Danielle said.