Knowing Claire (The Possessed Series Book 1) Read online

  “You ladies want some lunch?” She knew they would decline, but she always asked. They enjoyed being fussed over, and what the hell, it didn’t hurt to humor them, she decided, snatching up a pen to take their order.

  “The tea is fine, my dear. I’m more interested in last night. Take pity on an old lady and give me the deets,” Madge remarked with a twinkle in her eyes.

  A laugh bubbled up. “I wish I had some deets to give you, but after the alcohol consumption, details are fairly sketchy at this point.”

  “Not even a small bit to share?” Adele pressed.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake, leave the poor girl alone,” Sadie added before taking a sip of her drink.

  “Thank you.” Claire winked in gratitude.

  “Besides, it’s obvious with the size of that hickey on the side of her neck,” Sadie continued.

  Claire’s hand flew to her throat where Jaxon’s face had been buried. Surely he hadn’t left a mark on her for the world to see!

  “Ah-ha! I knew it. Out with it, girl,” Adele cackled.

  “Sneaky, ladies. Very sneaky.” Claire grinned at the trio. She would love nothing more than to tell them how amazing last night in Jaxon’s arms had been, but word traveled at the speed of light in Walton County, and Alfred would surely hear about it before dinner.

  “You can’t blame Madge,” Sadie murmured. “She hasn’t had sex since the Mayflower landed.”

  “You’re a fine one to talk,” Madge shot back. “At least I’ve had sex before and fruit flies don’t follow me around due to an overripe cherry.”

  “Touché,” Sadie quipped, turning her attention back to Claire. “She’s just jealous that I wasn’t loose like her and Adele.”

  “Don’t bring me into it, you old fools,” Adele drawled. “I think I’ll have one of Scruples famous Bloody Marys.”

  “One Bloody Mary coming right up,” Victoria called out as she came around the bar.

  Claire was relieved to see Tori’s smiling face. “I’m glad you’re here. I need to take a break.”

  “I’ve got this. Go rest before lunch overtakes us.” Tori grinned at the Murphy sisters. “How are my favorite sexy mamas?”

  After a quick peck on Tori’s cheek, Claire sailed off in the direction of her office without waiting for the trio’s snarky retort.

  Once in her private domain, she shut the door and dropped onto the plaid sofa situated against the wall. She rubbed at her eyes in an attempt to hold back a looming headache. That’ll teach me to drink on a Sunday night.

  A loud knock brought her out of her pity party. “Come in.”

  The door opened to admit a man who looked to be in his early thirties wearing a navy-blue suit. His sandy-blond hair was neatly combed to the side, and his piercing blue eyes stared at her without blinking.

  He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. “Claire Bryson?”

  “Yes.” She got to her feet and held out her hand, which he promptly laid a piece of paper in.

  “What is this?” She unfolded the paper and read its contents. Her breath caught as the meaning of the note became clear.

  You will accept this contract and be gone by morning. You have a room waiting for you in Los Angeles, and a four-year modeling career set up for you as soon as you sign. Tell no one of this, or your mother and your precious Scruples will pay the price.

  The paper fell from her numb fingers. She watched it float to the floor in a daze. This couldn’t possibly be happening to her. But it was. The evidence of the blackmail lay in a white, weightless form next to her feet.

  “I don’t understand,” she mumbled, searching the stranger’s eyes for a clue that this was all a big misunderstanding.

  “It’s all right here.” He strolled over to her desk and took out a form from the breast pocket of his jacket. “Waiting on your signature.” Indicating an X at the bottom, he held out a pen.

  Claire approached on wooden legs and read over the contract. It was all there. The address to her room, the details of her agent in Los Angeles, and terms involved.

  Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them back and raised her watery gaze to the blond man, silently pleading with him for help.

  He shoved the pen under her nose. “Sign it.”

  A knock sounded, and Claire jumped.

  “You okay in there, Claire?” Tori called from the other side of the side of the door.

  The stranger’s voice deepened. “She will die.”

  Claire’s heart stuttered. He’d just threatened Tori’s life. Something in his face told her he would do it without remorse and walk out without a backward glance. His eyes were void of emotion. There was no empathy in their blue depths, no humanity.

  “I’m fine. Be out in a minute.” Claire could barely get the words to pass her numb lips.

  She snatched the pen from his grip and scrawled her name across the bottom. The tears she tried so hard to hold back spilled over to drip onto the contract. She raised her gaze to the man in front of her. “Go to hell.”

  His answer was a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m already there.” He picked up the contract, tucked it back into its home inside his jacket, and left the room.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jaxon sat in the parking lot of Scruples, staring through the window in hopes of catching a glimpse of Claire. Victoria’s blonde head faded in and out of his view several times, but no brunette was visible.

  He got out and approached the door with trepidation cloaking him. How was he supposed to broach the subject of not reporting the wolves without sparking more questions? He shook his head and went inside.

  “Hey, Sanders, you hungry?” Tori’s smiling face did little to ease his apprehension.

  “I’m good. Is Claire around?”

  “She’s resting. Go on back.”

  Jaxon nodded and skirted the bar, taking the door to the kitchen. He touched Bradley on the shoulder on his way through. “Hey, man.”

  Bradley glanced back with a sly grin. “Hello, Romeo. Claire’s in her office.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  Jaxon wondered about the Romeo comment as he approached the office door and softly knocked. He knew Claire would never divulge information about her love life. Victoria, however, was another story. If she said anything in front of the Murphy sisters, that cat would certainly escape its proverbial bag.

  The Murphy sisters couldn’t keep a secret if they were the last living people on the planet. They’d write it down, put it in a bottle, and toss it into the Gulf for the next species who inhabited the earth to find.

  “It’s open.”

  His body immediately responded to the sound of Claire’s voice, forcing him to stand outside her office adjusting himself like a teenager on his first date.

  He twisted the knob and stepped into the room. The sight of her sitting behind her desk with her hair spilling over her shoulder was beyond sexy to him. He opened his mouth to speak just as she glanced up. The words died on his lips.

  “Hi, Jaxon. What brings you here?”

  Regret shone from her eyes, and his stomach clenched in dread.

  “I need to talk to you about last night.” He wanted to grab her up and demand she not do what he knew she was about to. He steeled himself for it, shut down his emotions, and blanked his expression.

  “Last night was a mistake, Jaxon. It should have never happened.”

  Her words were a kick to his gut, nearly doubling him over with the pain of it. He cleared his throat before attempting a response. “Did I hurt you? I’m sorry—”

  “You didn’t hurt me.” She paused, fidgeting with something in front of her. “I signed a contract for a major magazine in Los Angeles. I leave in the morning.”

  He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. She was leaving in a matter of hours, going halfway across the world, and hadn’t said a word until that moment.

  Anger reared its ugly head. “Were you even going to tell me?”

&nbs
p; She dropped her gaze. “I was going to call you tonight.”

  Jaxon shot around the desk and pulled her to her feet. “How long have you known you were leaving?”

  This couldn’t be happening to him. She wouldn’t have used him, not his Claire. But he knew it as surely as he knew he would never get over her.

  “For about a week.”

  “A fucking week?” Jaxon barked in disbelief.

  Bradley poked his head inside the office. “Is everything okay in here?” He glanced from one to the other.

  “We’re fine, Bradley. Jaxon was just leaving.”

  “So that’s it? Twenty years of friendship comes down to this?” His heart twisted into a knot of pain that threatened to drop him to his knees.

  “I’m sorry, Jaxon.”

  “You feel something for me. I didn’t imagine that.”

  “Please, just go.” Her eyes pleaded with him, which only confused him more.

  “So this morning…was a goodbye fuck?” His voice nearly broke on that last word.

  “Jaxon…”

  “Come on, man. Maybe you should go cool down.” Bradley’s voice brought Jaxon back to the moment and the reality that Claire Bryson, the love of his life, didn’t want him.

  Jaxon let go of her arms and shouldered his way past the chef who still stood in the doorway. He didn’t stop when Tori called out to him. He had to get out of there before he gave in to his rage and tore up the place.

  * * * *

  Claire dropped into her chair the second Jaxon stormed from her office. Tears streaked unbidden down her cheeks. She’d just hurt the only man she had ever loved, would ever love. What had she done? The stranger’s words resounded inside her mind again and again. She will die.

  She’d been left with no choice but to sign that contract. They would hurt her mother or Tori if she hadn’t.

  “You okay, Claire?” Bradley’s sympathetic voice spoke from his position by the door.

  She attempted a watery smile. “I’m fine. It was just a misunderstanding. I’ll get it straightened out soon.”

  He hesitated. “If you’re sure.”

  “I’m certain of it.”

  “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.” He sent her a thumbs-up sign and disappeared around the corner.

  Alfred Sanders wanted her gone. What she didn’t understand was, why now? The only way he would know about what had happened the night before was if Jaxon had told him, and she couldn’t see that.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” Tori’s voice was a balm to her soul.

  Claire jumped from her chair and ran into her friend’s waiting arms. Tori embraced her, rocking her back and forth.

  “What’s wrong, Claire? Jaxon just tore out of here so fast he left half his tires in the parking lot. The road is still smoking from rubber burns. Talk to me.”

  Claire stepped back and wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. “I’m leaving, Tori.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I signed a four-year modeling contract. I’m going to Los Angeles.” Claire’s stomach lurched. This had been her dream, what she’d always wanted aside from Jaxon, and now she’d give anything to stay in Walton County, to keep Scruples, and wake up every morning in Jaxon’s arms.

  “Holy shit, what?” Tori’s eyes were huge in her face.

  “Yes. I leave in the morning.”

  “You can’t just take off like that. What about me? What about Scruples…your mom?

  “I know, but they need me there in two days’ time. I have no choice. I’ll come back and take care of business as often as I can, but I can’t turn this down, Tori. Please understand.”

  “Wow.” A stunned Tori plopped onto the sofa, pulling Claire down beside her. “Start from the beginning.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Claire stepped off the plane at LAX just before noon the next day. She walked in a trance, weaving in and out of the oncoming bodies rushing to make their flights. Her gaze touched on the unknown faces full of confusion, smiles, and tears as the crowd moved like ants to reach their destinations.

  She wondered about their everyday lives, where they came from, where they were going, and how many of them had someone special waiting for them at home.

  Her chest hurt, remembering the look in Jaxon’s eyes when she’d rejected him. Claire had never experienced pain on that level before. It burrowed deep inside her to eat away like the maddening cancer that had claimed the only men in her life she’d ever loved besides Jaxon.

  “Miss Bryson?” A formidable-looking man with dark, curly hair and a beard held her bags and stared at her with a raised eyebrow. He had to be the biggest man she’d ever seen.

  Claire gave a sharp nod. “And you are?”

  “Your driver,” was all he said before turning on his heel, expecting her to follow.

  Left with little choice, Claire fell in step behind him. Great. Grizzly Adams in the flesh. I wonder if Ben the bear is waiting in the car.

  Adams, as Claire mentally referred to him, stopped next to a black stretch limo and opened the rear door for her. She ducked inside the plush vehicle, taking a seat on the leather upholstered bench farthest to the back.

  He shut the door and loaded her bags into the trunk before sliding behind the wheel. The dark, tinted window that separated driver from passenger slid down with a soft hum.

  Grizzly Adams’s wannabe glanced up in the rearview mirror. “The hotel is a good thirty minute drive from here in this traffic, so if you need to pee, do it before we get started. I’m not stopping until we get there.”

  Did he really just say pee? Claire glared at him from across the distance. “I’m fine. Just drive.”

  A deep belly laugh burst from the giant up front, leaving Claire to gape at the back of his massive head. She certainly didn’t see any humor in her situation. She’d lost everything—her home, her best friend, her mother, and the love of her life…all in one night.

  “Calm down, princess. I’m only joking.” He grinned at her in the mirror and eased the window up, leaving her to ride in silence.

  * * * *

  The limo came to a stop in front of the hotel half an hour later. Claire’s jaw dropped as she took in the fifty-story high-rise that was to be her home for the next year at least. The sidewalks were littered with people stepping around one another to avoid colliding. They were dressed in everything from suits to bikinis, talking on cell phones, seeming oblivious to their surroundings.

  The door opened and a large hand appeared in front of her face. “Come on, princess. We’re here.”

  Claire ignored the offer of help and stepped out into the sweltering afternoon heat. “I’m not your princess,” she seethed.

  “Suit yourself.” He moved off to retrieve her luggage from the trunk. He reappeared a minute later, sidling up next to her with bags in hand. “Come on, Ellie May, let’s get you settled.”

  Something in his tone belied his attempted insults. Sure, he was baiting her, but the underlying teasing couldn’t be missed. Well, if he wanted to play that game with Claire Bryson, he’d better have a full arsenal at his disposal.

  “Perhaps you should close that hole under your nose, Quasimodo, and get it in gear before my makeup drips into my lap.”

  Surprise registered in his eyes. “Great movie. I didn’t realize they had cable in Mayberry.”

  “We have barbers too. You should try one sometime.”

  “Lame. Pretty lame, Ellie.”

  “Talk about lame. Ellie May was loaded with animals. I have no pets, other than you. Get an education.” She winked and strolled off toward the hotel, leaving him to catch up.

  The concierge greeted them with a smile as they arrived at the front desk. Her driver set the bags down and spoke in a low tone to the man while Claire took in her surroundings.

  The hotel was magnificent in its beauty, boasting marble floors, bright-green palms that rested in the corners, and antique furniture that would rival the Queen of England’s
. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling in brilliant crystal, reflecting off the pristine mirrors lining the east wall.

  At any other time, Claire would have been in awe, but circumstances as they were, she couldn’t feel anything but resentment for the place.

  “Here are the keys to your penthouse.”

  Claire accepted the two plastic cards the driver offered her and followed him to the elevators in a daze. It seemed strange to her that Alfred would go to such great lengths to see to her comfortable, yet threaten the lives of those she loved.

  “In you go, Little Bit.”

  She glanced up to see her giant companion gazing down at her with pity in his eyes. It was the last thing she needed or wanted from him. She much preferred his insults over him feeling sorry for her. The well of tears trapped inside her chest was on the verge of escaping, and damned if that didn’t piss her off even more.

  “Don’t you have some dinner to scrape up off the road before rush hour arrives?” She skirted around him and boarded the elevator. The big gold doors slid shut with a ding as he entered behind her with her bags in tow.

  Claire felt a pang of guilt when he didn’t respond to her jab. After all, it wasn’t his fault she’d been thrown to the wolves against her will. A vision of the massive wolves fighting in her front yard surfaced, and her brows furrowed. How had Jaxon managed to tangle with one and come out with just a scratch? And in the nude.

  She’d been so caught up in the feel of being in his arms, the questions she’d had just disappeared along with her inhibitions.

  She couldn’t bring herself to regret the decision of giving herself to Jaxon. The memories of that beautiful night would have to sustain her for the rest of her life.

  “The name is Ben.” The big man’s quiet declaration brought her up short.

  Claire fought a laugh. “How fitting.”

  Although he didn’t turn and face her, she could hear the smile in his voice. “I was just thinking the same thing.”