Charming Cupid Read online

  But there was no way I was going to tell him any of that.

  “Is she?” he repeated his question, this time a little more emphatically.

  Again, I didn’t respond. Unfortunately, my silence must’ve been the only answer he needed.

  “Holy shit! I was kidding. Is she really the reason that you’re here?”

  I remained silent. I knew that I was never going to live this down. Ten years from now, I’d still be getting my balls busted over my early-launch/stalking weekend. And just like in a court of law, anything I said could and would be used against me.

  “Hold up.” Liam stopped mid-stride and I was forced to do the same. The bastard had my room key. He crossed his arms over his chest and a smirk appeared on his face. “Are you two dating?”

  “No.”

  “So this isn’t some kind of surprise visit that’s going to end up going viral? Because that could be good exposure for the resort.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you, but no.”

  “So what’s the deal?”

  “No deal.” I wished there was a deal. I wanted very badly for there to be a deal.

  His forehead wrinkled as he asked, “Do you know her?”

  “Sort of.”

  “Wow,” he sighed loudly. “I never thought I’d see the day that Cooper Briggs resorted to stalking.”

  “I’m not stalking.” Actually, I wasn’t sure of the exact definition, but I might be getting close.

  He waited with an expectant look on his face. Liam was practically like a brother. And just like I knew my brothers would never drop this, I knew he wouldn’t either.

  “Vanessa was Jade’s roommate from college.”

  “How is Jade?”

  I couldn’t help but grin at how easily he got distracted by my raven-haired best friend. “Married.”

  I could see the disappointment cloud Liam’s features. Jade had visited me several times when Liam and I were rooming together at training camp. It was obvious that he’d been attracted to her and the feeling had been mutual. But he’d been with Stacy who Jade nicknamed STD because those had been her initials before she married Liam. I always found that amusing. Oddly enough, Stacy didn’t appreciate the not-at-all affectionate nickname.

  “Mr. Sullivan,” an attractive redhead interrupted as she rushed up to us. She was dressed all in black, not a hair out of place, and was carrying an iPad. She reminded me of Emily Blunt’s character in The Devil Wears Prada, a movie Jade had forced me to watch at least a dozen times.

  “Juliette, this is Cooper Briggs, we played ball together. Coop, this is Juliette, she runs, well basically everything. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Briggs.” She smiled warmly.

  “Call me Coop.”

  Liam slapped his hand down on my shoulder and squeezed. “Coop is here to stalk one of our guests under the guise of launching his massage therapy oil line.”

  “Oh.” Juliette glanced between us and a small smile appeared on her lips.

  I leaned down and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper. “That was a sad attempt at a joke. He thinks he’s funny but since he’s the boss, no one can tell him he’s not.”

  Her smile widened. “Mr. St. George is waiting for you in your office.”

  “Oh, right.” Sullivan’s head fell back. “I forgot I was meeting with him. I’ll catch up with you later, Coop.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Enjoy your stalk…I mean stay.” He started walking away with the folder that held my key card in his hand. Before I could point it out, Juliette removed it from her boss’s grasp and handed it to me.

  “Thanks.” I gave her a nod.

  When Sullivan noticed the exchange, he smiled proudly. “See? I told you, I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

  Juliette shook her head dismissively, obviously not comfortable with the praise. “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do for you while you’re here.”

  “I will.”

  The two walked off deep in discussion and I wondered if there was anything going on between them. In the brief interaction I’d had with Juliette, I already liked her better than I ever did STD.

  I made my way to the elevators and my mind wandered to when I’d see Vanessa. Her seminar was scheduled to begin the following morning, so I assumed that she was already there or would be soon. I wondered if I should send flowers to her room and let her know that I was also staying at the resort. I could say that I saw the cutout in the lobby. I could let her know that I’d love to take her out for breakfast, lunch, dinner, a drink, anything since we were both staying there. Chances were, I’d get turned down again, but I drove eight hours to be there, so I had to take a shot.

  I was debating what flowers I’d order as I stepped onto the elevator and pressed the number five button. I decided that I wouldn’t go with roses…again. I’d already sent two bouquets of roses. One arrangement was orange and pink, and the other was blue. This time I’d go with another flower. Maybe that’s where I’d gone wrong, maybe she wasn’t a fan of roses.

  The doors were closing when a shoulder and a foot stopped their progress. I immediately pressed the open door button as she stepped in. She had a bag hanging on each shoulder and was pulling a carry on.

  She was struggling with her luggage so I continued to hold down the button and placed my hand over the door closest to me. She turned toward me and said, “Thanks, can you hold it for my…” Her mouth fell open and she went silent.

  It was obvious that she recognized me, but I didn’t get the feeling that it was because she was a fan. I was still trying to figure it out when the answer walked onto the elevator.

  Holy shit!

  “Thanks for hold—” The brunette beauty that’d had me in knots for six months stepped on beside me. Her mouth dropped open to match the woman who I now realized was her assistant, my only contact to Vanessa for six months.

  I’d rehearsed this interaction a thousand times in my head. I’d planned exactly what I’d say to Vanessa when I finally saw her again. In the scenarios I’d run in my head, I was charming and witty. In reality, I was neither of those things.

  I stared into her amber eyes that were as wide as saucers and didn’t say a thing. I was stunned silent. Not because I was surprised to see her. I knew that would happen. No, I was speechless because of the effect that seeing her had on me. When I saw her, nothing else existed. It was as if the rest of the world was sucked into a black hole and the only thing left were the two of us.

  A buzzing sound cut through the daze I was floating in.

  “Oh, you don’t have to…” Madison pointed to where my finger still held the door open button.

  “What floor?” I asked as I let it go and silently prayed that it would be five.

  “Three.”

  I pressed the button for the third floor and the doors began to close.

  I knew that I only had a few moments before she’d be getting off and I tried to think of what I could possibly say. But before I had a chance, the doors opened once more and a family of six piled on with two strollers and more luggage than two adults could possibly carry. Both parents had small children strapped in carriers and there were two toddlers in strollers. The new riders took up most of the space. I was pressed up against the right side and Madison and Vanessa were at the back.

  “What floor?” I asked.

  “Four.” The dad, who was stuck behind a stroller and unable to reach the panel, removed his baseball cap and ran his hands through his thinning hair. Both parents looked downright exhausted. “Thanks.”

  “Did you remember the humidifier?” The mom asked. “You know Sam can’t sleep without it.”

  “I remembered it.”

  “Good.” The mom exhaled.

  The couple’s conversation turned to dinner, bath, and bedtimes and before I knew it a ding sounded and the doors opened to the third floor.

  “That’s us.” Madison announced loudly.

/>   There was a brief dance between strollers and suitcases as Vanessa and Madison navigated their way from the rear of the cab.

  “Bye,” I said lamely as the two exited.

  I watched them both turn and Madison lifted her hand in a small wave. Vanessa still looked as shocked as she’d been when she first saw me.

  I wasn’t sure if it was a good shock or a bad shock. I might have a little better read on the situation if I’d said something, anything, other than “what floor” when I’d seen them.

  As mad as I was at myself for blowing the first interaction I’d had with her in six months, a determination settled in me that I would not be blindsided again. The next time I saw Vanessa Cupid, I’d be ready, the question was, would she?

  CHAPTER 4

  Vanessa

  “Did you know that he was going to be here?” Madison whispered as soon as the elevator doors closed.

  “No.” I stared blankly at my reflection in the stainless steel feeling that odd sensation of peace and panic that I hadn’t felt since I walked onto that stage and looked into Cooper Briggs’s multi-colored gaze.

  Just like before, my entire world slowed to a crawl. It was as if we were frozen in time and everything else sped up around us. He had the most unnerving effect on me. One that I’d successfully avoided until now.

  Ever since I met him at the fundraiser, he’d consistently called, emailed, and even sent flowers asking to set up a time for the “date” that the anonymous donor had gifted me. I’d politely declined every last one. Well, in fairness, I’d never actually outright declined. I’d just been busy. My calendar was too full. It wasn’t a total lie; I hadn’t had a single day off in the past six months.

  If I wasn’t traveling, speaking, or on my book tour, I’d been working on my podcast or writing my next book.

  Could I have made time? Sure.

  But each and every time I thought about seeing Cooper Briggs again, my stomach felt like it did when I was ten years old and rode the Deadly Drop roller coaster. I was not a roller coaster girl then, and I had no interest in being a roller coaster woman now.

  Growing up, my mom had strapped in and let my dad take her on ride after ride on an emotional roller coaster that left her sick, off-balance, and disorientated. Celia Cupid was a sensitive, passionate woman that equated that feeling of uncertainty, anxiousness, and butterflies as love. Even as a child, I knew that what my mother went through wasn’t healthy. But she took Tammy Wynette’s words to heart and stood by her man. She was a loving, loyal wife and it almost destroyed her. I couldn’t count the number of nights I’d fallen asleep listening to her crying in the bathroom.

  Being Phillip Cupid’s daughter wasn’t a walk in the park, either. There was no denying that my father was a brilliant, charming, and charismatic man with movie star looks. He was also a talented writer and highly sought after professor. But there was also no denying that his moral compass was questionable at best. Creating a stable family wasn’t something he’d ever shown any interest in.

  What he was interested in was women, booze, and his work. A wife and kid didn’t really fit into his playboy lifestyle. I could see that, unfortunately my mother was blinded by what she described as “love.”

  At six years old, I promised myself that I would never fall into the patterns that my mother had. I would never allow my emotions to dictate my relationships. As a teen and young woman in the dating world, I kept all of my relationships at arm’s length. From a clinical standpoint, I knew it wasn’t the healthiest route, but as someone who’d witnessed her mother being cast aside, ignored, and emotionally abused her entire life it was the route I was comfortable taking.

  Which was why I stayed away from men like Cooper Briggs. Not that I’d ever met any man like him.

  “He’s so much better looking in real life.” I could hear the wistful quality in Madison’s voice as she stared at the elevator doors that had closed moments before and I didn’t blame her one bit. Cooper Briggs had that effect on women. Actually, wistful was probably tame compared to some of the other things he made women feel. Hot and bothered had to be at the top of that list. “I mean, I saw him at the gala, but not up close. Up close is a whole different experience.”

  She wasn’t wrong. Up-close Cooper Briggs was entirely different from afar Cooper Briggs. He should come with a warning like they have on side view mirrors. Man up close is sexier than he appears.

  My fingers tightened their grip on my rolling suitcase as the peace I’d been temporarily filled with began to fade leaving only the panic. “Did you tell him that I was going to be here?”

  Madison had been my buffer and she responded to each of his invitations by explaining that my calendar was full. I’d never explicitly told her not to share my whereabouts, but I thought that was a given.

  “No.” Madison shook her head. “But it’s on your website.”

  “Oh, right.” All it would take was a quick Google search to find out where my next appearance was.

  “Do you think he’s here to see you?” Madison asked the question that I’d been asking myself since I’d stepped onto the elevator.

  Was he?

  My gut told me he was.

  But why?

  It was the question I’d been asking myself every time he’d contacted me over the past six months.

  Cooper Briggs was a former professional football player, entrepreneur, and Jade told me he had a new gig as a sports broadcaster. But he didn’t even need his résumé to make women’s ovaries explode with one lopsided grin. Why was he so intent on keeping the commitment he’d made the night of the gala? I’d double and triple checked and the donation wouldn’t be revoked if the date never happened. I’d made sure that Madison passed that info along to him, but that seemed to have no bearing on his persistence.

  I may not know Cooper personally, but I’d known of him for over a decade. In college, he’d been a constant topic of conversation since he was Jade’s best friend. And she’d made it crystal clear that Cooper was a player. And from what I’d gleaned over the years since then, he hadn’t slowed down. So why? Why was he so insistent on us getting together?

  And who would’ve possibly donated the date to me in the first place? It wasn’t Jade. I’d asked her point blank and she’d said that it wasn’t her.

  Those two questions had been driving me crazy.

  “It’s probably just a coincidence.” I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince, Madison or myself.

  “That’s quite a coincidence.” Madison mumbled as she started down the hallway and I followed behind her.

  I was so lost in my own thoughts that I almost ran smack into her when she stopped in front of a door. “Okay, here we are.” She slid the keycard into the door and opened it. “I’m right next door if you need me, and try to get some sleep.” Concern shimmered in her blue eyes as she walked the two feet to her door.

  “I will.” The problem wasn’t trying, it was doing.

  Sleep had been elusive over the past couple of years since things had amped up for me professionally. I doubted it was going to be any easier to tackle tonight knowing that Cooper Briggs was staying at the same resort.

  As I walked into the suite and shut the door behind me, I noticed that my heart was racing a mile a minute. I lifted my hands and saw that they were trembling.

  This. This reaction right here was why I’d avoided Cooper Briggs. Involuntary bodily responses to hormonal surges was not something that I was interested in experiencing. That kind of passion was great, in the moment, but to live with it was an entirely different ball of wax. Chasing that high was a recipe for heartbreak. One that I had no interest in cooking. I liked my relationships the way I liked my meals: bland and easy to digest, not spicy and diarrhea inducing.

  I began unpacking and did my best to put the former athlete with the corded biceps, disarming smile, and multi-colored eyes out of my head. I tried to concentrate on the weekend ahead as I hung up my clothes and then started a hot bath.
br />   The night before a seminar was sacred time. I used it to prepare myself mentally and physically. Unpack. Bath. Meditate. Go to sleep. I’d checked the first thing off my list, only three more to go.

  After testing the water to make sure that it was the perfect temperature, one degree below scalding, I slid into the water and did my best to clear my mind and just float in the heated nirvana of the sunken tub. It didn’t work. My relaxation ritual was hijacked by the previously mentioned athlete with the corded biceps, disarming smile, and multi-colored eyes that had been haunting me for months.

  Knowing that the only thing I’d be getting out of my zen bath was pruney fingers, I abandoned my soak, stood, and grabbed my robe. By the time I dried off, slathered on lotion, put on my pajamas, removed my make-up, and brushed my teeth, enough time had passed that I felt I had empirical evidence that thinking of anything other than Cooper Briggs was a lost cause.

  Besides his GQ looks, the other thing that I just couldn’t stop thinking about was why. Why was he here? It felt a little arrogant to assume that he was here to see me, but it was what my instincts were telling me.

  Intuition was a powerful tool that people, mainly women, dismissed far too quickly. I’d been trying to sell that exact topic to my publisher as my next book, but they wanted me to stick to the relationship stuff. Intuition was apparently not as sexy as intimacy.

  Unable to shake the feeling that Cooper showing up at Oasis was not a coincidence, I knew there was one person that would have the answer. I checked the time. It was a little after nine p.m. Not exactly early, but not too late.

  At least, I hoped it wasn’t.

  Jade answered on the second ring. “What’s wrong?”

  “No…nothing…” I stammered, taken aback by my friend’s greeting.

  “Oh, good. You just always text so I thought there was an emergency.”

  Well, if she considered being on the brink of losing my sanity an emergency, then there was.