Charming Cupid Read online

  “So what’s up? I thought you were at a seminar this weekend.”

  “I am.”

  “Is everything okay? This time I’m asking because you sound strange.”

  “Guess who I ran into in the elevator.”

  Jade gasped. “Donnie Wahlberg?!”

  Jade and I were too young to have been fans of the New Kids on the Block the first go-round. We were of the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC generation. I was a diehard NSYNC fan and Jade was BSB for life. During our freshman year of college we’d bonded over our shared love of boy bands. So when the college radio station I did a love advice show for got NKOTB tickets I knew exactly who to bring. We’d gone with little expectations but by the third song we were hooked. At the end of the show we bought band T-shirts.

  Like any true boy band fans, we quickly learned every lyric of every song and were ride-or-die Blockheads from that day forward. Then, recently, when Wahlburgers debuted of course we’d watched, and that’s when we both fell madly in love with Donnie. He was hilarious, sensitive, and family-orientated.

  “No. Not Donnie. Cooper Briggs.”

  “Coop was in the elevator?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m in New Mexico. At the Oasis Hot Springs Resort and Spa.”

  “And Coop’s there?” Jade asked, as if she couldn’t believe it.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Jade was quiet for a minute. I knew my friend and I sensed that she had more to say but was holding back.

  “Did you ever go out on that date with him?” she finally asked.

  “No. I’ve been crazy busy.” Jade might be one of my best friends but there was no way I was going to tell her the real reason that I’d avoided seeing Cooper. “Did you ever find out who the donation was made by?”

  “It was anonymous.” Jade answered the same way she had the dozens of other times that I’d asked her over the past six months. Then she did what she always did when she said it was anonymous, she changed the subject. “Is there some kind of sports thing going on there?”

  “I don’t think so. The woman that checked us in mentioned that the only other event here this weekend was a wedding.”

  “A wedding.”

  “Yep.”

  “Maybe he’s there for that,” Jade reasoned.

  “Yeah.” She could be right. My phone buzzed and I saw that Madison was calling. She usually checked in with me before she went to sleep. “Oh, Madison’s calling. I better get that.”

  “Okay, talk soon.”

  I clicked over to Madison and assured her I was going to bed. But as I hung up the phone I knew that sleep was not in my near future. My call to Jade had backfired. I was feeling more uncertain now than I had before I’d talked to her.

  Was Cooper Briggs here for a wedding?

  Was he here for a vacation?

  Or was he here for me?

  The last possibility shouldn’t thrill me, but it did. Which was one more reason to stay away from him.

  CHAPTER 5

  Coop

  My breathing was labored and my heart hammered against my ribs hard as I stalked down the hallway to my room. After seeing Vanessa in the elevator I’d gone to my room and felt like a caged animal. I’d spent ten minutes pacing before I threw on shorts and a T-shirt and hit the gym. Then, for the last hour and a half I’d pushed myself to my limit hoping to exhaust both my body and mind. My plan half-worked. My body was exhausted, but my mind was still as amped up as ever.

  I slid my keycard into my door and the green light lit up at the same time “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred began to play. I opened the door wondering where the early nineties hit was coming from, and then I realized it was coming from my pocket.

  “Jade.” I sighed beneath my breath as a whisper of a smile spread across my face and I pulled out the device.

  Jade and I had been changing each other’s ringtones for the past decade. It used to be easier before there was fingerprint recognition, but we still managed the prank every few months.

  “‘I’m Too Sexy?’” I asked. “I could’ve been in a meeting.”

  “At nine o’clock at night?”

  “I’m very important now.” I quipped as I entered the suite.

  “Important people know to silence phones when they’re in meetings,” she countered before continuing. “And I knew that you weren’t in a meeting because I just got a call from someone who was a little shaken up at her Cooper Briggs sighting at Oasis Resort and Spa.”

  Vanessa. She’d called Jade. And she was shaken up. Shaken up in a good way, I hoped. Shaken up in the same way I was when I’d seen her.

  “Really? Who’s that?” I asked casually, even though I knew Jade could see, or rather hear, right through it.

  “Cut the shit. What are you doing at Oasis? Are you stalking Vanessa?”

  “Stalk is such a strong word.” Yet, it was the second time that it had been suggested to me that night.

  “Coop. I’m serious.” Jade sounded genuinely concerned. “You haven’t dated anyone since the charity auction. You dropped two grand to donate yourself to her before you even so much as met her. You ask about Vanessa every time I see you and I know you’ve contacted her. Several times. I believe you even sent flowers.”

  She said it as if it were a bad word. I thought the floral arrangements for random holidays had been a nice touch. Who gets flowers for Memorial Day or the first day of summer? Even the florist had been impressed with my plan.

  “Now you show up at a resort that she’s speaking at? What are you doing there? Is this some desperate attempt to see her?”

  Even I had to admit when she laid it out like that it did sound bad. Although, I liked to think of my actions in football terms, this weekend was my Hail Mary pass. And just like in my playing days, I planned on executing it perfectly.

  “This is not a movie where some grand romantic gesture is going to make the audience swoon. This is real life and you’re walking dangerously close to creeper status.”

  “Is that what she said?” If she did, I would stay away from her this weekend and give up any and all attempts to contact her.

  “No.” Jade begrudgingly admitted.

  “What did she say?” Was she upset that I was there? From the flush on her face and the sharp intake of breath when she’d laid eyes on me, I definitely knew that she’d been affected.

  “She asked if I knew what you were doing there.”

  “And what did you tell her?”

  “I told her the truth, I don’t have any idea.”

  “Then what did she say?”

  “I feel like I’m back in middle school and you’re asking me about a girl you have a crush on. Next thing you know you’re going to be asking me to slip her a note asking if Vanessa likes you with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ box to check.”

  I knew Jade was being sarcastic, but that wasn’t such a bad idea. But I didn’t tell her that. Instead I figured it was best to put her mind at ease.

  “Do you remember Liam Sullivan?”

  “Liam Sullivan? Why does that name sound familiar?”

  “He was my roommate in training camp. We hung out with him a few times when you came to visit me.”

  “Oh right. He was hot, but he had a girlfriend,” she said with more derision than she’d said flowers.

  “Yeah.” I grinned, remembering the disappointment on twenty-year-old Jade’s face when she’d found out that Liam wasn’t available.

  “He owns this resort and spa and I’m doing a soft launch of my massage therapy oil line here.” I left out the part where Liam had asked about Jade. She was a married woman now. Plus, I didn’t exactly like the juxtaposition of me as a stalker and her as happily married with attractive, rich, former athletes asking about her.

  “So you had no idea that Vanessa was going to be there this weekend?” Jade asked suspiciously.

  “I never said that
.”

  “Cooper Benjamin Briggs.” Jade was using my middle name, she only did that when she was serious.

  “What?” I asked with as much sincerity as I could possibly muster.

  “You think because you have two different colored eyes, a smile that makes women’s panties erupt in flames, and charm oozing out of you like an infected wound that you can just show up and she’ll fall at your feet?”

  “An infected wound?” Not exactly the metaphor I would’ve used.

  “Coop, I swear, if you hurt her—”

  “I already got the if-you-hurt-her speech, J. She’s different.”

  There was a moment of silence before I heard a long sigh. As soon as the audible exhale hit my ears I knew that I’d won.

  “Fine, but you better know what you’re doing. If not, I’m going to—” She stopped and then she said, “Oh, Hayden’s calling. I gotta go.”

  “You’re gonna hang up on me to talk to your husband? I see how it is.”

  “Bye, Coop. Behave yourself.”

  “Always.” I hung up the phone and smiled thinking of the earful that Hayden was getting right now.

  I was sure that Jade was giving her husband a play-by-play of the soap-opera-level drama she imagined my life was. And I was equally sure that Hayden couldn’t care less, which made me even happier knowing he’d have to sit through it.

  My conversation with Jade had given me a lot to think about and I suddenly needed some fresh air to clear my head. I peeled off my shirt that was sticking to me like a second skin before stepping out onto the patio. I wrapped my fingers around the railing and leaned on it as I inhaled the crisp desert air.

  Was I crossing a line by showing up like this?

  Had I gone too far?

  If I was being honest with myself, my gut was telling me that she’d been avoiding me. Or should I say, she’d been using her assistant to avoid me. But technically she hadn’t shut me down. If even one of Madison’s messages had said that Vanessa wasn’t interested in meeting with me, I’d have backed off completely.

  Instead, they’d all been schedule-based blow offs. Which, technically, could be legit.

  Did I honestly think that over the past six months Vanessa couldn’t have carved out a couple hours to get together? No.

  But the question was why?

  Why hadn’t she either made the time or told me that she didn’t want to see me?

  Why all the ambiguity?

  Why the excuses?

  I’d read her book. There was an entire chapter on giving clear signals. She’d asserted that stringing people along was not only damaging to the person on the string, but also to the stringer. No one could live their most authentic lives if they weren’t being honest about their intentions.

  That was one of the reasons that I hadn’t taken her avoidance to heart. If she wasn’t interested in ever seeing me, wouldn’t she just tell me that? Or was it a case of do as I say not as I do?

  I couldn’t remember Jade ever talking about Vanessa being in a serious relationship. It was just the opposite. She used to say that they’d both be single forever. She’d even made jokes about the three of us living in a geriatric version of Three’s Company because none of us would ever settle down.

  Come to find out the reason that Jade had never committed to anyone was because she’d been carrying an Olympic-torch-sized flame for Hayden Reed since she was thirteen. I knew now that I hadn’t settled down because I’d never met anyone that had made me want to. Until Vanessa, that is. So the question was, why hadn’t Vanessa settled down?

  I took in another deep breath, and let the crisp air fill my lungs as I looked out over the sprawling resort. Stringed lights lined the paths that led to the hot springs and other destination areas on the grounds. A light breeze caused the leaves on the trees and bushes to flutter. Crickets chirped and moonlight shimmered off the dark surface of the outdoor pool.

  The scene was peaceful and I should’ve started to relax, but instead I couldn’t shake the feeling that something or someone was watching me. I leaned forward over the railing and didn’t see another soul. Figuring it was in my head, I turned to go back inside. That’s when something caught my eye.

  I turned my head and saw Vanessa standing on a balcony two floors below me. The first thing I noticed was that she was wearing a white robe. My mind immediately wandered to what she was wearing beneath it, or more accurately if she was wearing anything at all. The next thing that I noticed was that her hair was pulled up revealing the gentle slope of her neck. I’d always loved that particular curve on a woman. I was a firm believer that the neck was an underrated area that deserved a lot of attention. As my eyes continued north, they scanned the graceful line of her jaw, the full pout of her lips, the turned up tip of her nose, and finally drifted up and saw that she was looking in my direction. Specifically, at my chest.

  My mom used to joke that I had eagle eyes because my vision was so good at distances, even in the dark. I’d been grateful for it when I was playing ball, but I was even more grateful for it now.

  I watched as desire danced in Vanessa’s eyes and her chest rose and fell in shortened pants. Her lips parted and the longer she looked the more labored my own breathing grew.

  Her eyes began to travel up and as soon as our stares locked, her expression morphed from a look of want into an expression I recognized immediately. It was the same one my younger brother had on his face when he got caught spying through the fence on our teenage neighbor, who was the spitting image of Kelly Kapowski from Saved by the Bell, sunbathing next door. The next thing I saw was a flash of white as she rushed back into her room.

  The entire interaction lasted mere seconds, but I honestly couldn’t have asked for more. I’d just caught Vanessa Cupid checking me out.

  It was game on.

  CHAPTER 6

  Vanessa

  I flopped to my right side and then my left and then back to my right again. If the goal was to do my best impression of a fish out of water I’d be killing it. Tossing and turning wasn’t my idea of a good time, and definitely wasn’t on my “Top Ten Things to Do in Bed” list, but it was all I seemed to be able to manage tonight.

  With a frustrated sigh, I once again checked the bedside clock that mocked me. I wrestled with whether or not I should take a sleeping pill. On the one hand, I needed sleep if I was going to be on top of my game in the morning. My seminar attendees had paid good money and entrusted me to give them value, and I took that very seriously. By the same token, though, I couldn’t spend tomorrow’s sessions fighting off an Ambien hangover.

  Nevertheless, I certainly wasn’t managing to get to sleep on my own. And wouldn’t stumbling through the sessions groggy from lack of sleep make me just as zombie-like as shaking off the lingering effects of a sleep aid?

  I turned over again and sighed. I knew what the real problem was, and it had nothing to do with sleep. It was my brain. I couldn’t shut it off. And I could attribute it to one source: Cooper Briggs.

  Yep. I was suffering from a serious case of CBO (Cooper Briggs Obsession). It wasn’t something that could be found in the DSM-5, but I was anecdotal-evidencing the crap out of it.

  What I was experiencing was more than just the hormones flooding my body. As a matter of fact that was actually the least of it. The main symptom was the worry I felt at what those hormones might do to me.

  I wasn’t the kind of woman who spiraled, who lost control of everything in her life because of a man. I’d made a point of that. I’d sworn as a kid I’d never follow that example and I hadn’t.

  But with Cooper Briggs…

  I barely knew the man but I was certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was dangerous to my self-control.

  Mmmmm…dangerous…

  As the delicious word rolled around in my brain, my breath came in shallower pants and my skin got hot and tingly. Images of all the dangerous things he could do to me flashed through my mind unbidden, but I was slow to push them away this time.


  Visions of the moonlight dancing off of the sheen of moisture on his ripped upper body flashed in my head. I’d done some googling immediately after the bachelor auction, and then more each time he’d contacted me. The internet was not in short supply of shirtless pictures of Cooper Briggs. His bare chest took up most of the first page of his image search results. I’d done my fair share of drooling over the photos I’d found, but nothing compared to seeing that chest live and in person.

  He’d definitely been covered with a thin layer of perspiration when he’d caught me ogling him. In my defense, I hadn’t been able to help myself. I’d gone out to my balcony to get some fresh air, looked up, and there he was, standing like a Greek god on his balcony. I had no idea how long I watched him before he saw me. My mind was too busy working overtime coming up with all the ways he could’ve worked up a sweat. Or should I say, the ways I wanted him to work up a sweat?

  No!

  I shook my head as I popped out of bed and walked the room like a German Shepherd patrolling the perimeter. I had so much pent up energy agitating in me like the bubbles from a washing machine filled with dish soap instead of laundry soap that I couldn’t be still. I seriously needed to get a grip if I was going to make it through this weekend. I knew that the only thing that would help me get over this was strict and unrelenting discipline. That was a one-two punch that had served me well in my life up until now, and I saw no reason why it wouldn’t work again.

  If I could only manage to summon it up, at any rate.

  I realized as I climbed back into bed, that I was on a runaway lust-train—strapped to the engine’s grill. I had to derail this train and fast. Redirection. That was what I needed. I snuggled into my pillow and mentally began going through my notes for the following day. I pictured myself speaking in front of the crowd. I pictured Cooper Briggs in the front row. Shirtless.

  Seriously?!

  Okay, forget redirection. Sleep. That’s what I needed. I just needed to sleep. I closed my eyes and decided to try some of the techniques I’d learned to fall asleep fast.