Chapter 2: The Mystery Man

Winnie

Do I stay or walk away?

Mother and I are in an ultimate staredown suited for the wild west. She keeps her hands on her hips.

I cross my arms and squint at her.

Right now, I regret my decision. So why didn't I stay in Columbus?

Suddenly, Rick emerges from the crowd behind Mother, striding towards us. He's tall with reddish-blonde hair and an athletic build. Some women claim he's hot.

"Mother," he grabs her arm, gently pulling her In a different direction, "you are not doing this now."

Rick's the reason why I'm here. As CEO, he's made LaBelle even more successful than Daddy. Right now, Rick is once again my savior.

Slowly, I exhale. My shoulders slump.

With each second that ticks by, I shake.

I don't get Mother. I'm twenty-four years old—

"Excuse me."

Quickly, I move to my left because I assume I'm in the way. That wasn't true.

A man, who looked at least twenty years older than me, approaches. He's dressed in a tuxedo with a black tie and places his rough hand on my bare arm. When he smiles at me, it makes me shiver, but not in a good way.

"Are you Winsome?"

Winsome.

I chuckle as my heart races. The flight or fight response is back.

Yes, my name is Winsome. Everyone but Mother calls me Winnie. My attitude instantly changes.

"Did she send you here?"

"She?"

I frown. Okay, maybe Mother didn't send you here as a potential love connection. I shake my head because Mother has me paranoid.

He rubs his rough palm against my skin. This time, he hits my breast.

For a few seconds, I freeze.

What the hell?

My shock turns to instant anger.

What do I do?

I'm still frozen. Maybe that didn't happen.

As I glare at him, I open my mouth to speak.

"I'm sorry," he says, sounding amused. "You must mean Abbygail. Yes, she's said good things about you."

I take a few steps back.

He looks me up and down and says, "Good things."

"Shove your 'good things' up your *ss," I coldly tell him, "I'm not interested."

Quickly, I turn around. However, I don't get far.

"Oh," I say with a gasp as I look up.

The sexy stranger from earlier. He's smirking.

I feel a surge of sexual desire I hadn't felt since Andrew. But, oh my God, how can I be entertaining thoughts of any other man but Andrew?

I didn't know my hands were trembling until the sexy stranger pulled my champagne glass from my hands.

He dips his head low, near my left ear, and says, "It's okay. I got you."

I look up at him, but he's looking at the creep. So he walks over to the creep.

I lean forward because I see my sexy stranger's lips moving, but I can't hear anything. So I'm baffled when my sexy stranger smiles like they're having a casual conversation.

My attention turns to the creep. His eyes widen so big that I think they will pop out of their sockets. He shakes his head.

My sexy stranger nods and slaps him on the shoulder. "Good. I'm glad we've reached an agreement."

The creep doesn't make eye contact when he tells me, "It was nice meeting you, Winsome."

The creep scurries off.

There's so much I want to say to him besides thank you, but I don't speak. He turns around.

We make eye contact. I smile and bite my bottom lip.

He winks at me.

A waiter walks by, and my sexy stranger places my drink on his tray.

I point at him and comment, still surprised, "What did you say? I mean, my brother does stuff like that."

He extends his hand. "Chandler."

A passionate need leaps through my body as I accept his handshake. I shift in my stance.

"Winsome's a beautiful name," he tells me.

My name is Winnie. Everyone calls me Winnie except Mother. Instead of saying those sentences, I hurriedly babble, "My parents conceived me during their vacation in Jamaica.”

He laughs. "Well, my parents won't tell me where they conceived me."

Pause.

Chandler gives me a saucy look.

Okay, Chandler, you're not wearing a ring. You haven't referred to a girlfriend.

"Um, I don't want you to keep your girlfriend waiting."

Chandler chuckles. "I love women who double as an investigator."

"Oh no, I wasn't," I stop, and quickly, I wave my hands, feeling a rush of heat on my cheeks. Then, I avoid his gaze and say, "I just didn't want to take you away from someone special in your life."

"I'm single and unattached," Chandler then jokes, "selling houses is the constant thing in my life now."

Hmm, a real estate agent in Los Angeles. "Do you sell houses to the stars or anyone?"

"Are you looking to buy?"

"Maybe."

He frowns. "I don't mix business and pleasure."

I step forward, intrigued. "Does that mean you'd rather miss out on a large commission for a chance to date me?"

Chandler flashes a sexy grin. "That's precisely what it means."

I let out a nervous laugh. Instantly, I'm embarrassed.

I haven't flirted in a year. My nervousness turns to sadness.

I glance around as I press my lips together, needing to leave because bad memories are flooding back. Honestly, I'd love one night not to remember—

In a low, husky tone, Chandler asks, "Would you like to go somewhere more…relaxing?"