The Red Eye 3 (The Red Eye Erotic Romance Series)

  Red Eye, Book 3

  Avery Phillips

  Copyright © 2015 Avery Phillips

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written consent from the publisher and author, except in the instance of quotes for reviews. No part of this book may be uploaded without the permission of the publisher and author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is originally published.

  This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, actual events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters and names are products of the authors imagination and used fictitiously.

  The publisher and author acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book.

  www.averyphillipsromance.com

  One

  “So what do you think?”

  I looked at the ring Devon was holding out in front of me. Although I was aware they existed, I'd never had the opportunity to see a diamond that large up close.

  “Are you kidding me? Yes! Yes! Of course it’s a yes!” I squealed and threw my arms around Devon’s neck as he got up from where he had been kneeling on the floor.

  I’d promised myself that I’d never let another man get close to me, let alone get married again, but when Devon Caesar proposed, there was only one possible answer.

  We’d been living together for six months now, and I hadn’t regretted the decision to take a chance with him. Devon was a breath of fresh air in comparison to Rick, my ex-husband. Unfortunately, Rick was now working for the same law firm that I did, Devon’s father’s firm, Caesar and Krause. For all his faults, Rick was an exceptional lawyer. It was just a shame that he was such a lousy husband.

  Devon cupped my butt with his hands, leaning forward to kiss me tenderly. “I was worried you were going to say no when you had to think about it before answering.”

  “That was never going to happen.” I smiled at him. “You just caught me by surprise, that’s all. I had no idea you were planning to propose. I thought this was just a weekend away.” Okay, so it was a weekend away in one of the top hotels in Mexico, but that was Devon for you. Being the girlfriend of a member of one of New York’s richest families had it perks.

  “It’s never ‘just’ a weekend away with you.”

  Devon took dauntless steps forward, eating up the distance between us and pushing me backward until I stumbled against the enormous bed that took up half of the bedroom in our hotel suite. He put his hands to my shoulders and thrust me backward with enough force to topple me. I flew back with a sharp gasp, and Devon fell on top of me, his hands all over my trembling body, nimble fingers deftly divesting me of clothes until I lay before him wearing nothing but my pantyhose.

  “No fair! How come I have to be nearly naked while you’re still fully clothed?”

  “Because this way, you get to have all the fun.”

  Devon gazed soulfully down at me, grabbing my hands and holding them above my head in that familiar way that allowed for no escape. He pinned me to the bed with one hand while the other ran down my body as if I were his possession to do with what he willed. His thumb lightly brushed over my nipple a few times, making it erect. I gasped at the thrill he was sending through my body.

  “See, with you naked”—Devon gently traced a line down my body, kneading my thigh as he murmured into my ear—“all the attention’s on you, which is just as it should be. I need you to come at least twice before I even think of fucking you.”

  “Oh God, Devon.” I couldn’t stop moaning as he started to touch me. Just being around Devon was enough to keep me horny all the time, and it wasn’t long before he’d kept his promise and then some.

  #

  “So what do you think? A June wedding with all the trimmings?”

  I lay in Devon’s arms, both of us finally free of our clothes.

  “I don’t know.” If the truth was told, the idea of a large wedding filled me with fear. Rick and I had had a traditional church ceremony in front of all our friends and family, and look at how well that had turned out. “Can’t we keep things simple?”

  Devon laughed. “And this is why I love you.” He shook his head, a pitying look on his face. “My dear Rebecca. So intelligent and yet so naïve. There’s absolutely no way that any of the Caesars could possibly have a quiet wedding. You know that. It wouldn’t matter how small we tried to keep it, the paparazzi would find us and then we’d have a nightmare on our hands. It would become about trying to stay private instead of it being what it should be—a celebration of our love.

  “Besides, once my grandmother hears about our engagement, there’s no way she’d accept anything less than the society wedding of the decade.”

  Ah yes. Grandma Ida Caesar. I didn’t know how I’d managed to forget about one of the most formidable women ever to walk the planet. Maybe it was because I’d always gone out of my way to avoid dealing with her. The few times I’d met her, she’d scared the hell out of me, and I was more than used to dealing with tough characters. I didn’t like to imagine what would happen if anyone dared to say no to her.

  I sighed. “I guess if your grandmother wants a big wedding, then who am I to say no? After all, I’m just the bride…”

  “Don’t be like that, Rebecca.” Devon put his hand on my chin, gently moving my face so that I was looking him straight in the eye. “I promise you that you’ll get the wedding of your dreams. But there are certain responsibilities that come with being part of the Caesar family, and one of those is keeping up appearances. Any attempt to try and keep the guest list small is doomed to failure, so you might as well accept that everyone who’s anyone will be there to see us exchange vows.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. Appearance was everything to the Caesars, and one of the things that frightened me the most was the possibility of the press finding out about my past and telling the world all the sordid details of my time as a dancer. You could bet that there was no way they’d talk about how Rick had practically forced me into doing it and how, without the money I’d made, both of us would still be paying off loans to see us through college. No, I’d be the former exotic dancer made good, and half of Devon’s family would disown him.

  Just because he knew about and accepted my past didn’t mean that the rest of the Caesars were as understanding.

  “Are you sure this is such a good idea?”

  “Hey now! No backing out! That ring’s on your finger now and it’s going to stay there.” Devon tried to keep his tone light, but I could tell that the thought of my breaking off the engagement before we’d even told anyone terrified him.

  “But Devon, it’s one thing for us to be living together. It’s quite another for us to be engaged. You just know that the press would love to get their hands on all the juicy details about my past, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Rick tells all once he finds out we’re engaged.”

  “You let me deal with Rick.” From the determined set of his jaw, I knew that Devon wasn’t going to be intimidated by my ex. “And if the world knows what you had to do to survive, then who cares? I know I don’t, and nobody else matters. If my family decides they want nothing more to do with me because they’re too narrow-minded to understand that you did what you had to do, then so be it. We’re better off without them.”

  He held me, and I buried my face in my chest, inhaling his reassuring smell. I loved
that he was so certain, but I wasn’t convinced that if he was faced with losing the family fortune he’d really give it up to stay with me.

  From my perspective, out of the two of us, it wasn’t me who was being naïve.

  Two

  “Are you ready?”

  I took one last look at my reflection in the mirror and nodded. “As I’ll ever be!”

  “Let’s get going, then.”

  Devon held out his hand to me and I prepared to go to my first day of work as an engaged woman.

  “Hey. There’s no need to be nervous, you know. Everyone’s going to be really happy for us.” Devon squeezed my hand to reassure me. “I’ve booked a meeting with Dad first thing so we can tell him before anyone else. Once he knows, we can go ahead and let the rest of the firm know.”

  I felt my nerves starting to light on fire. “We’re going to tell your dad about the engagement together?”

  Devon laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid? The great Rebecca Bevan, the woman who can wrap any client she likes around her little finger?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh with him. “That’s not strictly true. And let’s be honest, your dad has never really liked me ever since I won Doug’s account.” Douglas Leeson was a multibillionaire who’d been looking for new legal representation. Against the odds, I’d won his business, but I didn’t think Grayson, Devon’s dad, had ever really forgiven me for beating him.

  Devon might be optimistic, but I had a horrible feeling that Grayson wasn’t going to be happy about our news.

  Still, I wasn’t going to have to wait long to find out if my misgivings were misguided. Devon’s apartment was only a couple of blocks away from the office, and we were nearly at work already.

  #

  “Stop fussing with your hair!” Devon put up a hand to stop me from tweaking my hair, teasing it and perfecting it to make sure I didn’t have a strand out of place. “You look amazing, just like you always do.”

  “I can’t help it. I wasn’t expecting to have to face your dad first thing on a Monday morning.” To be honest, I hadn’t wanted to face him at all. Why couldn’t Devon have told him about the engagement all by himself? I know, I know. I couldn’t avoid my future father-in-law for the rest of my married life, but I could try, couldn’t I?

  “Dad loves you. He’s going to be happy for us. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

  I just looked at Devon with an eyebrow raised, but the reply I wanted to make went unsaid as the elevator bell rang and the doors opened onto the reception area outside Grayson’s office.

  “Good morning, Rachel. I think Dad’s expecting us?”

  “That’s right, Devon. He told me to send you straight in.” Rachel, Grayson’s silver-haired receptionist, smiled and waved us toward his office.

  Devon strode confidently toward the door and pushed it open without knocking.

  I’d only been in Grayson’s office a couple of times. As far as work was concerned I reported directly to Devon, so there wasn’t really much of a need for me to come up often, and the last time I’d been in here, it had been to finalize the terms of my employment, following my agreement to jump ship to Caesar and Krause.

  It was as impressive, as I remembered.

  Grayson’s office had what must be the best view of New York. Light and airy, thanks to the large windows on two of the walls, and the other two walls were filled with framed certificates of his various qualifications and shelves stuffed full of law books. In amongst the certificates were photos of Grayson shaking hands with George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, as well as other influential politicians and businessmen.

  Grayson Caesar was well connected, and he liked the world to know it. He moved in a social circle I could only have dreamed of before I got together with Devon, and it was hard to imagine that this was going to be my world soon enough.

  “Hey, Dad!” Devon walked across the room and shook hands with Grayson. I always thought it funny how formal they were with each other. In my family, we would have welcomed each other with a warm hug, but it was difficult to imagine anyone wanting to hug Grayson, particularly not his mother, Grandma Caesar.

  “Devon. To what do I owe this pleasure? Are you here to update me on the Johnson libel case?”

  “Not this time, Dad.” Devon shook his head, as the two men sat down. I quickly moved to sit next to Devon, smiling confidently at Grayson to conceal my nerves. Not that it would make any difference what I did. So far, I might as well have not existed for all the attention Grayson had paid me.

  “No, Rebecca and I have some news.”

  Grayson sighed. “Jesus, Devon. Don’t tell me you got her pregnant. That’s the last thing we need.”

  “Hey! Wait a minute!”

  “Dad!”

  Devon and I spoke at the same time, both of us equally outraged at Grayson’s response.

  Devon’s face was stone, letting Grayson know he was serious. “You’re out of order.”

  Grayson looked at Devon, his expression impossible to read. At last, he shook his head. “All right, Devon. I shouldn’t have said that. You have my apologies if that makes you happy.”

  I was far from making me happy, especially since Grayson was still ignoring me, but I knew better than to interfere with the way Devon dealt with his dad. Sometimes you’ve just got to pick your battles. Besides, once Devon and I were married, I would have won the war, so I could bite my tongue. For now.

  “Show a bit more respect to my future wife, Dad.” The moment Devon said it, I groaned inwardly. It was the absolute worst way he could have broken the news, and I braced myself for Grayson exploding.

  However, instead of the expected angry outburst, Grayson just sat there. He was quiet for so long that I began to wonder whether he’d stopped breathing out of shock.

  At last, he finally moved, turning to look at me.

  “Well, in that case, I suppose congratulations are in order, Rebecca.”

  They were the right words, but the way he said them—in that “meh” tone of voice—told me that he was far from enthused. Devon didn’t seem to notice the frosty edge to his dad’s tone, and he beamed with delight when Grayson extended his hand for me to shake, but I read right through the formalities. I slapped a smile on my face for appearance’s sake.

  A handshake instead of a hug? It seemed like such a distancing move, as if he wanted to keep me at arm’s length. Who shakes hands when an engagement is announced? But I accepted his hand, trying not to wince at his purposely tight grip.

  “Have you told Mother yet?” Grayson turned his gaze back toward Devon.

  “Not yet.” Devon shrugged sheepishly. “I was kind of hoping you could help me with that.”

  Grayson tutted and shook his head. “Well, I suppose I could organize a family dinner later this week. Might as well break the news to everyone at once.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Right, well, I suppose I’d better draft an email to send out to the company. We’ll need to arrange a press release as well. I’ll arrange for the company photographer to come and see you this afternoon to take a few photos of you to send out. Later this week we’ll arrange a meeting to discuss arrangements and coordinate the media campaign. I’ll make sure you’ve got one of our PR team on hand to help you negotiate the best deal for the wedding photos. Don’t speak to the press until you’ve gone through PR first.”

  My head started to whirl at all the warnings and orders he threw at me. I was getting married, but instead of announcing a wedding, it felt as though we were coordinating a military campaign. I wondered if I should look out for incoming enemy fire.

  I’d barely been engaged for twenty-four hours and already I wanted to elope.

  At last, Devon and Grayson stopped discussing how they could use my wedding to improve Caesar and Krause’s image and arrange for free promotion. Throughout the discussion, I’d sat there silent. After all, I was just the bride. Why should I get a say in my own wedding?

  As Devon and
I walked to the door, Grayson followed us. “I know I don’t say this often, but I am proud of you, Devon.” It was a rare moment of emotion from the normally reserved and serious lawyer, and I would have thought it was sweet, had he not followed the compliment up by saying, “Even if you and I both know you could have done so much better.”

  Devon ushered me out of the door before I could rip Grayson a new one. “Leave it, Rebecca,” he whispered in my ear.

  “What do you mean, leave it?” I was feeling beyond upset. “I’m going to be your wife, Devon. Am I going to have to spend my entire married life putting up with snide remarks from your father?”

  “You’re getting married?”

  Both of us spun round to see Rachel clasping her hands together, a look of absolute delight on her face. “Oh, how wonderful! I’ve always said that you two make such a sweet couple. I’m so happy for you both.”

  “I wish Grayson shared your enthusiasm,” I muttered, but it was impossible to stay mad in the face of Rachel’s obvious pleasure at the news of our engagement.

  She came out from behind her desk and gave me a big hug, before doing the same to Devon. Realizing what she’d done, she suddenly jumped away from him, blushing.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, Devon. I didn’t mean to overstep my bounds.”

  “It’s fine, Rachel.” Devon pulled her into a hug to let her know that she hadn’t caused any offence. “I’m glad you’re happy for us. Now, Dad’s composing an announcement for the firm to go out on email later today, but until that gets sent out, Rebecca and I would appreciate it if you keep the news to yourself.”

  “Oh, of course, Devon. I’ll be the soul of discretion. I won’t breathe a word.” She mimed zipping her mouth closed and throwing the key away.

  “I know that I can always count on you.” Devon smiled that devastating smile of his and Rachel returned to her post behind the reception desk, leaving us to get the elevator back down.