His Simple Wish

  His Simple Wish

  (His Every Whim, Part 3)

  by Liliana Rhodes

  Chapter One

  Samantha

  Of all the places, why did he have to be here? This damn town is too small! Had I known Drake Winslow was going to be at the Boone wedding, I would have passed on it. I didn’t care how important this event was or the affect it could have on my catering business, I would pay to not be in the same room as that man.

  Drake was dressed in a black tux, his dirty blond hair slicked back with an offset part. As he spun the bride in her pretty white chiffon dress on the dance floor, I felt a twinge of jealousy that pissed me off even more.

  “You didn’t tell me he’d be here,” I whispered harshly to Jackie as I walked past her with a cart filled with desserts for the last course.

  “Who? Do you know someone here?”

  Jackie, the maid of honor, wore a light blue sheath dress and her brown hair hung in cascading curls past her shoulders. She walked beside me as I trekked past cascading blue and purple flowers that decorated the Boone Art Gallery, and towards the dessert table.

  Somehow Jackie’s simple dress made me even more aware of my simple black slacks and pressed button shirt. As a caterer I felt it was important to blend into the background, but suddenly I wished I was wearing something nicer.

  If I knew Drake was going to be there, I would’ve made an effort to wear something more flattering. Instead I looked like a black blob as I set up dessert. I needed to hire more staff. Then I could dump this on someone else and hide in the back. Instead I nervously hoped he wouldn’t recognize me or maybe he would just ignore me. Just this once, it’s ok to ignore me.

  “Don’t tell me I never told you Drake Winslow. After all these years we’ve known each other, I’m sure I’ve told you about him.”

  “Oh him! I had no idea he’d be here. Where is he?”

  “Dancing with the bride.”

  I slid the cart next to the long empty white linen table and began to set up the desserts. The chocolate mousse was served in tall crystal goblets I lined up towards the back. Sugared berries decorated smaller bowls with a rich pot de creme. And lastly I arranged small plates with slices of vanilla bean cheesecake around a bowl of freshly made raspberry sauce.

  Ashley had insisted everything be as low key and simple as possible. She didn’t even want a traditional wedding cake which took a lot of pressure off me since I had never done a wedding before.

  “Wow Sam, what a hottie! Tall, broad shoulders, dirty blonde hair…he looks even better than the photos I’ve seen of him. He looks like he stepped out of a fashion magazine or a–”

  “Movie. Yes, I know. And so does he,” I snarked.

  “You never…you know…with him?”

  “Oh God no! Are you kidding?! I’m sure it was beneath him to mess around with the help. Besides I was just a kid. I’ve seen him a few times since then but I don’t think he even noticed me. I’m not his type anyway. My friends were though and they’d go crazy over him. You wouldn’t believe the stories I heard. Plus he’s like ten years older than me, maybe more. Now that I’m twenty-eight it doesn’t matter, but back then it was a big deal.”

  “Speaking of stories, I read once that he practices that tantric sex stuff. He can last for hours!” She whispered as she giggled.

  “Who’d want that? You’d be walking funny for days.” I laughed with her as I finished unloading one section of the cart onto the table then looked out at the dance floor.

  The bride, Ashley, was stunning. She was curvy with dark hair and almond shaped eyes. Add in those pouty lips of her and the fact that she was the sweetest person in the world, and I couldn’t help but hate her. Ok, not really but I wanted to.

  I covered my mouth to hide my grin. After hearing Jackie’s story about how Ashley and Xander Boone met and fell in love, how could I not be a little catty? Jackie made it into a modern day fairy tale. Stuff like that didn’t happen to me.

  As I watched Drake lead Ashley across the dance floor, I fought back the urge to scream. Didn’t the groom know better? that man couldn’t be trusted! I shook my head, answering myself and felt my long red braid shake against my back.

  “Well I think you like him. Maybe you should say hi. This place might be lucky for more than just Ashley.”

  “Haven’t you been listening?” I sighed, annoyed with her. “He’s a jerk! An arrogant, egotistical ass. I can’t stand him. The last thing I want to do is say hi to him.”

  “Hmm I don’t know. I think you’re fooling yourself. There’s something there.” She waved to a couple at a table by some oil paintings. “Sorry, I have to go say hi. I’ll talk to you later but I really think you should say hi to him.”

  As Jackie walked away I caught a glimpse of the groom. He was handsome with tousled brown hair, a closely cropped beard and piercing ice-blue eyes. With the beard and those eyes it was hard to focus on anything more to guess his age, but the little grey at his temples made me think he was in his forties.

  It seemed weird to me that he married Ashley. She was no different than me really except I had more junk in my trunk. I always thought if someone had all that money he’d go for the gorgeous, thin, model type. Wasn’t that what all men wanted? Based on Drake’s dating choices, the answer was a resounding yes.

  To my friends I jokingly called myself a knock-off. Yes I grew up in the mansion of one of the world’s wealthiest families, but that didn’t mean I was spoiled. We lived in rooms designed for “the help” which were old and simple. They paled in comparison to rest of the house. They didn’t even compare to some of my friend’s apartments. Living like that made me even more aware of the things I couldn’t have and what my mom couldn’t afford.

  Mom was the live-in nanny for the Winslow children. Once they didn’t need a nanny anymore, Mom became their live-in tutor. Every time they outgrew her, the Winslow family found something new for her to do. There were four Winslow children and Drake was the oldest. I always had the worst crush on him growing up.

  Drake was a selfish bastard and had been his entire life. When I thought back to how I used to follow him around like some stupid little kid, it killed me. I mean, I was a stupid little kid but I still thought I should’ve known better. He was seven years older than me, but that didn’t mean he had to be such a jerk to me all the time. It wasn’t my fault I had to grow up in that stupid mansion.

  I had to admit I was curious why I never popped up on his radar. When I thought of how many times I threw myself at him and he always just laughed, treated me like a child, or made fun of my freckles. I should have been happy I was never one of his conquests.

  As I finished arranging the pastries on the table, I hoped I could get the hell out of this place before he noticed me. If only I didn’t have to do everything myself, I could hide in the break room instead of having to set up these desserts just a few feet away from where that jerk was dancing with the bride.

  “Excuse me, Sammy? Sammy Mayfair? I’m not sure if you remember me,” Drake said as he stood behind me.

  I cringed at hearing that name. “Oh I remember you alright. Now if you don’t mind I’m trying to work.”

  I spun around and faced him ready to give him more attitude if he didn’t go away, but there was something different about him. Suddenly I became that stupid girl crushing on him again and I smiled. Oh no you don’t Sam! You will not be another notch!

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” he said.

  He reached behind me for a mini eclair and our hands briefly touched. A warm feeling spread from my hand through my entire body and it took everything I had in me to not melt into a puddle at his feet. Damn! What was it about that man?

  “And one more thi
ng, don’t call me Sammy. It’s Samantha, or Sam,” I said with what little attitude I mustered up. Why was he talking to me anyway?

  Chapter Two

  Drake

  “I’ll call you whatever I want to call you,” I grunted before walking back towards Ashley.

  I recognized the look in her green eyes. She might be as fiery as her hair, but I could tell when a woman wanted me. And she definitely wanted me. Most of them did anyway. Except for Ashley.

  Ashley was special, but she wasn’t my type. Over the months she had been working for me we became close, like siblings. Because of that, I treated and acted differently with her than I would any other woman. My frame of mind was still clouded by her sweetness when I approached Samantha, that was my error and it wouldn’t happen again. I always got what I wanted.

  Women were easy for me to get and always willing to do whatever I wanted. Was it my looks? My money? I really didn’t care. I just knew none of them could ever be trusted. Everyone had motives.

  While I told Ashley I wanted to settle down, I never planned to do it. There was always another woman to conquer. Another body to explore and claim as my own.

  But while I danced with Ashley, something happened. I spotted Samantha with her red braid hanging down her back. With her hair back like that, her freckles became that much more apparent. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her as she set up the dessert station. I imagined her hair loose, wild and soft, a place I would want to bury my face.

  She had a lush, thick body. Some people might call her big but after being with all kinds of women, I found I enjoyed the soft delectable body of a real woman most. Never had I been so drawn to a woman before. And never had I been unsure what to do, especially after her chilly reception.

  I felt torn just thinking about her. Part of me wanted to get to know her better, but another part of me only thought about what her soft body would feel like pressed against me. I listened to Ashley, I went over and talked to her. Now it was time for me to take matters into my own hands.

  “Ashley, book Samantha ASAP. Make it an intimate affair at the museum. Fifty guests. Black tie.”

  “It’ll have to wait until I get back from my honeymoon. We leave for Tahiti tomorrow.”

  “Fine. Just make it happen. The sooner the better.”

  I left the reception annoyed yet intrigued. It had been a long time since a woman rejected me. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the chase, the thrill of the hunt.

  I didn’t know why Samantha showed such hostility to me, but it didn’t matter. I knew she just needed to witness a little of the old Drake Winslow charm. A little effort and she would be putty in my hands.

  As I drove towards my beach house, I realized my old habits were creeping back. What was I doing? I didn’t want putty. I wanted a woman with her own mind and ideas. One who wasn’t afraid to talk back to me.

  My days as a playboy were done, but old habits were hard to break. I could have persuaded Samantha myself, but I knew Ashley would do a much better job. I needed to remind myself what was important.

  Samantha could be the one woman worthy of my trust. Having grown up with her, I knew her. But did I? It had been well over ten years since I saw little, annoying Sammy Mayfair. It was hard to believe the beautiful woman setting up dessert was the same girl who pestered me endlessly.

  As I drove along the curving canyon road, I thought about my childhood. Samantha lived in the background. I didn’t remember interacting with her much but that might have been our age difference.

  I hit a button on my steering wheel.

  “Dial Brent.”

  “Drake? What a surprise! Been a long time.”

  “Yes I know. You know I’ve never been good at keeping in touch. Listen, I called to pick your brain. Remember Sammy Mayfair?”

  “Samantha? Our nanny’s daughter? Of course! You realize you’re the only one who ever called her Sammy right? She always hated that.”

  “She did?” I thought for a moment but had no idea why I called her that if no one else did. “I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.”

  “Trust me, she did. And you were,” he laughed. “I haven’t seen her in a couple of years but what do you want to know?”

  “I don’t know. I just ran into her and I realized I never really knew her.”

  “I’m not surprised. You were always chasing tail or partying and she was much younger than you. Even I barely knew you back then. I think Amber might keep in touch with her. I think she told me she’s catering.”

  “That’s how I ran into her. She did the Boone wedding. I’m not calling Amber about a girl. There are things I can’t imagine talking to our little sister about, and that’s one of them.”

  “And there it is. I knew it.”

  “What?”

  “I knew eventually you’d sleep with all the available women and would have to go after family.” Brent laughed loudly. We enjoyed ribbing each other.

  “She’s not family you ass. Besides you’re just jealous. You’ve always wanted to be like me.”

  “Sure, that’s exactly why I avoided the movie business and chose to work protecting the environment.”

  “Yes, yes. The do-gooder. A role you enjoy playing. Now back to Sammy, I mean Samantha…”

  “I’ve got nothing. She was always quiet and kept to herself. You’re going to have to pump someone else for info on her.”

  “Fine. You were no help at all,” I joked. “Care to meet for dinner next week?”

  “Sure, but I won’t have any more information then either.”

  “By then I’ll have everything I need.”

  Hanging up the phone I knew I sounded more confident than I really was. For the first time in my life, I worried about not getting the girl.

  Chapter Three

  Ashley

  Obviously I have heard all the stories about Drake, but I never saw him like this before. As I stood by the dance floor, I glanced over at Sam still setting up desserts. It probably wouldn’t hurt to ask her about catering now, but I really wanted to get back to Xander.

  I shifted my eyes to the white clothed table I left him at, but he was gone. Scanning the room quickly I thought it was odd I couldn’t find him. I knew he wasn’t the social butterfly.

  “The break room. Now,” he growled into my ear as he came up behind me.

  My entire body reacted to his voice. My nipples hardened from the scratch of his beard against my ear when he spoke. Without thinking, I turned and left the reception and walked down the long hallway towards the break room. The place where things between Xander and I really began.

  As I entered, I was surprised to find it empty. I walked further in and saw nothing had changed. I moved past the lockers and towards the bulletin board saw the only difference to the break room–the house manager position was gone. A faded square outline was the only thing left in its place.

  “It was rude of you to leave your own wedding.”

  I giggled hearing Xander’s menacing tone as I remembered a similar line not so long ago. His lips traveled down my neck towards the dress’s thin spaghetti strap.

  “I know better than to not listen to you.”

  I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face as he laughed then slowly slid his hands down the thin, soft material of my dress that clung like a second skin to my body. I leaned my head back into his chest and sighed.

  “What’s wrong? I know that sigh.”

  He turned me around to face him and I looked up into his ice-blue eyes.

  “It’s nothing really.” I paused hoping he would drop it and tried to look away from his probing gaze, but I could tell by his expression that wasn’t happening. “It’s my dad. He was supposed to be here to walk me down the aisle and I never heard from him. I can’t help but think something’s wrong. I even tried his cell but nothing, no answer. He doesn’t always keep his phone on though so maybe I’m worrying for nothing. This isn’t like him though.”

  “Keep trying to reach him. I’m sure h
e’s fine. We leave for Tahiti in the morning. Do you want to reschedule in case you haven’t heard from him?”

  I slowly nodded. “I hope that’s ok. I know I won’t be able to enjoy myself if I’m worried about him.”

  “It’s fine my love. Whatever you need. I’d stop the world from spinning if you asked.”

  He bent down and kissed me slowly. I felt every inch of my body awaken and react to him. I hoped that feeling would stay forever.

  “I love you Mr. Boone.”

  “I love you more Mrs. Boone. Now lets get back out there. I haven’t seen you eat a thing and you’re beginning to look a little pale.”

  “I’m actually not feeling that well. I think it’s just all the worrying about my dad.”

  “You should eat something. It might help you feel better.”

  Holding hands we walked back into the reception. Xander brought me to a table and pulled the chair out for me to sit. I watched him cross the room to Samantha and say something to her before he started loading a plate with desserts. He returned to the table as Samantha started setting down plates of food in front of me.

  My stomach turned as I surveyed the food until I noticed the pot de creme. Nothing like chocolate to make a girl feel better.

  Chapter Four

  Samantha

  Damn that Drake! I hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything since he walked away two nights ago at the reception. I spent the days sitting on the couch, in my light blue cotton pajamas with a smiling sun pattern, watching tv when I should have been calling catering leads.

  There was no way I was getting any work done today. When I thought of him so close to me, our hands briefly touching, I felt that same warmth course through my body. It made my heart thump. I felt like a kid, he always affected me this way

  Even bigger for me was his voice. The courteous man who I barked at was just fine but not the Drake I knew. When he growled back at me I swear he could’ve had me that second on the dessert table. What was wrong with me?!