Denying Mr. Parks (The Parks #1) Page 8

  “Tell me about you, Evelyn.” Parks began with the one question I always dreaded.

  I kept my focus straight ahead and shrugged. “There isn’t very much to say.”

  “Oh, I bet there is a lot to say about a beautiful woman like yourself.”

  I grimaced when he said “beautiful,” then glanced into the front mirror to see if the driver had reacted to what Parks had said, but he hadn’t. I bet he heard it all the time.

  I quickly turned the tables as I looked at him. “Tell me about you.”

  He cocked his brow, obviously a little surprised. “You want to know about me?”

  I turned away on an eye roll. “Not really.”

  “I think your Internet history would put that answer to shame.”

  I tried desperately not to laugh, but it was no good. I giggled, looking into my lap. I couldn’t deny I got truly and completely busted.

  “She’s my sister. Twin, actually.”

  “Who?” I looked at him, taking a little interest in the news. His smile was soft as he spoke, and his green gaze stayed glued to mine.

  “The woman you saw me with at the hotel, Jasmine, is my twin sister.”

  “Oh.” I gulped, feeling pretty stupid and glanced out the window to hide my face. “No wonder she looks like she belongs in Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” music video.”

  His chuckle was light and sexy, but I did not, in any circumstance, want to inflate his ego even more. But then I did just that. “Seriously, you should be chasing a woman who looks like she belongs on the cover of Vogue.” I dramatically sighed and saw Parks absorbing my every word like I was entertaining him.

  He gave a slight shrug. “I’ve done that. They bore me.”

  “Oh, then you won’t want me. I’m pretty boring. Phew.” I made a gesture of wiping my forehead.

  “Now you see.” He shifted to face me. “There it is, your self-confidence is completely lacking, so you make a joke out of it. Don’t ever question yourself, Evelyn, because to me, you are the most intriguing woman I have ever met. Besides”—he sat back in the seat, admiring me—”you’re far too intriguing to be boring. You never fail to amuse me.”

  He thought I was intriguing? How wrong was he? I put on a fake smile and stared straight ahead whilst we rode the rest of the way home, but I could feel Parks’s eyes on me. He was calculating. Trying to work me out.

  “How come I can’t figure you out, Evelyn?” I knew it.

  When I turned back, my gaze undoubtedly roamed over his gorgeous, angel-like face. “Maybe it’s because I don’t want to be figured out. I’m like an impossible sum.”

  He gave my knee a small squeeze. “Impossible sums are always figured out in the end. They just need more preparation than others.”

  I peeked past him and saw my street come into view and thanked every god in the heavens for getting me out of that situation. Parks expressed his vexation by knocking the back of his head into the headrest, knowing his time was up.

  He climbed out and opened the door for me when the car stopped. When I got to my feet, my gazed travelled along his perfectly curved lips. I stared at them, thinking that only minutes ago, those lips were around my breasts. Fuck. I quickly pulled my traitorous eyes away from that mouth of his and walked around the car and up the path to my front door. He called before I put the key into the keyhole, and I turned around to see him standing by the car, both glorious and oblivious to the rain.

  “Please tell me you’ll be there Saturday night.”

  The key was half in when I sagged. “I’ll be there.”

  “On my arm?” he called again. His tone was demanding, yet I could sense hope. I turned my gaze back to the key, pushing it in and turning it to open the door.

  “I think we both know the answer to that.”

  “You’re telling me no again?” he growled.

  I snapped my head in his direction. “Yes, and get used to it.”

  Chapter Nine

  I spent most of Saturday morning lounging around the flat in pyjamas. The only thing I achieved was painting my nails red. When Steph emerged from her room around noon, she was already dressed, her curly hair was tamed, and she was pouncing on me.

  “Evey, come and have a wax with me?”

  “What? Like a bikini wax?” I tried to hold her off with my palms so the nail polish wouldn’t smudge.

  “Yes. I don’t want to go on my own.” She tugged on my arm like a child.

  “I don’t have anything to wax off.”

  She sat back on her heels, and her lips turned in, suppressing a grin. “Don’t lie to me. I haven’t seen your razors in the bathroom for weeks.”

  “That’s because I’m hiding them from you.”

  She ignored my outburst and annoyingly pulled on my arm again. “C’mon. All my Ann Summers girls say how much better it is. I can’t believe I’m a twenty-four-year-old woman who has never tried waxing.” She was going on like it was the worst thing in the world that she hadn’t had a wax before. Her persistence was irritating. “If you don’t come with me today, then come in two weeks. I’m going away for the weekend and definitely need it done.”

  “Okay.” I shrugged, hoping she’d forget about it by then.

  “But that means you can’t shave for two weeks,” she added quickly.

  My eyes almost popped out of my head. “Two weeks? You want me to go two whole weeks without shaving? You’re insane. What if I have to go to the hospital for an emergency or something? I’ll get compared to King Kong.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Steph slapped my knee. “It’s hardly going to look like the Forest of Dean after two weeks.”

  “Are you sure about that?” I scoffed.

  She flopped on to the sofa, almost spilling my nail polish. I quickly grabbed the bottle and secured the lid, giving her daggers.

  “I suppose I should really take Mathew. I don’t think he realises I don’t like the caveman look.”

  I nudged her in disgust, almost heaving. “Steph, that’s gross. Please do not discuss your preference for Mathew’s pubes with me.”

  “Sorry, but please come. Alex would love it.”

  I rolled my eyes and reached over for my laptop. “Hmm.” That’s all I could say.

  She pulled on my arm in shock. “You haven’t slept with him yet?”

  I pursed my lips and opened up my laptop, trying to ignore her investigation.

  “Hm. So why did you order all that sexy lingerie the other day from my catalogue?”

  I did order a lot, but isn’t it just nice to have sexy underwear? “For when the time comes, I guess.” That was such a lie. I rolled my shoulders, trying to throw her off for the hundredth time.

  “Right.” I could sense her inquisitive pout. “You never say much about him.”

  My lids fluttered in exasperation. “I don’t say much about anything, Steph. And he’s your brother. I’m hardly going to tell you his favourite sex position is missionary.” He told me that much.

  “True, but he doesn’t stop talking about you. Alex is well and truly smitten. You’re taking him to this dinner tonight, right?”

  “Yep,” I answered her in short, typing Wade Parks in the search engine.

  The silence that followed told me she was about to get serious. “You know he has a good heart, don’t you, Evey?”

  “He has the best heart,” I admitted amicably. I was going to read about those women who had been linked to Parks in articles, because there were no photos of him with any of them, which spiked my curiosity, but my phone bleeped, dragging me away.

  “Who’s that?” Steph asked like she always did.

  I groaned when I saw it was my father and read the text warily. “My dad. He wants me to go see him tomorrow.”

  Steph was angry, which was understandable. “What does he want? More money?”

  “Just says he wants to see me.” I shrugged, deleting the text.

  “Are you going to go?”

  “I’ll see how I feel.
I’m going to get ready.”

  ***

  A few hours later I did my makeup, giving myself smoky eyes and finishing it off with bronzed powder, blush, and mascara. Then I blow-dried my hair straight and pulled it up in a high, sleek ponytail. When I was dressed, I popped in diamond stud earrings, wrapped my silver bracelet around my wrist, slipped on my black, heeled sandals, and was ready. My backless, red, full-lace dress came right down to my toes. It also had a V neck, which didn’t allow me to wear a bra, but the dress provided the support I needed for my ample breasts.

  “So?” I asked Steph, hoping for a positive answer.

  She sat up, brushing her book to one side as she took full notice. “Wow, you look hot, Evey.” I was waiting for the but, because there always was one; our tastes were completely different. “But”—there it was—”do you think it’s too prom-y?”

  I groaned. “Prom-y? I’m changing.”

  Just then there was beep outside the flat. I panicked. “Great. I haven’t got time to change now.”

  “I didn’t say change, Evey,” Steph said. “You look stunning. You always do.”

  “Thanks,” I murmured and made my way outside.

  ***

  We pulled up to the hotel on Park Lane in Mayfair. I didn’t understand why Parks had two hotels in the same city, but maybe that’s why he was a millionaire and I wasn’t. The name WParks, written on the side of the hotel in gold, had been lit up by spotlights. Just seeing his name did peculiar things to my body, which I had to keep at bay.

  We walked straight into the hotel lobby and were met by a full room of chattering men in fine, expensive suits, and giggling women in elegant ball gowns. The hotel lobby was much bigger than the other one in the city. The décor was still grand, gold, and classic, but the lobby had a gorgeous staircase in the middle of the room and the biggest crystal chandler I had ever seen hanging elegantly from the high oak ceilings. A grand piano was playing soft, slow music in the background, and waiters in white shirts and black waistcoats gracefully walked around with server trays full of champagne flutes, making everything seem even classier.

  Alex watched me eying up the champagne and acted quickly. “I’ll go get us some orange juice, Evey.”

  “Okay.” I gave him quick smile and glanced around to see if I could spot anyone from my workplace. What I did see, coming in through the entrance doors, was Parks. My head froze and jaw dropped as I watched him stride in, showing off how elegantly masculine he was whilst smiling that stunning smile as people crowded around him like seagulls homing in on breadcrumbs. He looked as dashing and as devilishly handsome as always, immaculately dressed in a fine, black, fitted suit jacket with a gorgeous satin collar and black satin tie. He wore it buttoned up over a crisp white dress shirt, and his black wing-tipped shoes added an extra touch of elegance, finishing off his impeccable look. He looked the dog’s bollox as my gaze drifted over every inch of him. I was glued in place and couldn’t pull my eyes away. He always looked stunning, but God, seeing him dressed like that took my breath away.

  Just as I was about to look away, I saw the woman on his arm. Mahogany bob, tall, slim, in love with herself, and her dark blue cocktail dress made her look stunning. And I thought that with all the bitterness my mind was capable of. Yes, Parks had his arm linked around Carla’s. What the fuck?

  I turned away quickly, and mindlessly took one of the champagne flutes from the tray and downed it all in one gulp. I glanced back over my shoulder, and Parks’s gaze hit me. His eyes locked on to mine, making my whole body burn up, just like he had the power to do so. But I soon broke his spell and quickly turned away from him, right before finding Clarke amongst a small group of people. His eyes lit up all wide and animated when he saw me.

  “Evey, my girl. Meet my wife, Claudine.” Oh, so Pumpkin had a name? Claudine was a big and beautiful woman, around mid-fifties with short, highlighted hair. She looked lovey in her green, floor-length dress. She struck me as a kind, warm lady, and I liked her immediately—which had to be a first.

  “Evey, darling, I’ve heard so much about you. You make my Clarke’s life a whole lot better.” She took me into her arms and air-kissed me four times.

  “Likewise,” I squeezed out. She let me go and began chatting away at a hundred miles an hour. While we spoke in a group, I glanced over Clarke’s shoulder and saw Parks making his way towards us. When he approached, minus Carla, he shook Clarke’s hand firmly whilst thanking him for coming, then Claudine pulled him into an unexpected embrace and kissed him four times, giggling.

  “Clarke, you devil, you,” she said. “You didn’t mention how dashing Mr. Parks was. Neither did you inform me he was an American. I love your accent,” she cooed, flopping a hand at him.

  Clarke’s round face flushed scarlet as he pulled at his bow tie. “I’m sorry, Pumpkin. I never thought to mention it.” He was well and truly under his wife’s thumb. It made me chuckle.

  Clarke and Claudine began to converse with each other, and when I took my eyes away from them, I caught Parks staring at me. Our gazes locked again as he gracefully took hold of my hand and kissed my knuckles as his wild green eyes looked down my body.

  “Evelyn, may I say how breathtaking you look tonight.” He tugged on my hand and discreetly pulled my body into his before dipping into my ear and wrapping his free hand around my ponytail. “I especially like this.” My back stiffened as Parks ran his hand down it and onto the exposed skin, courtesy of my backless dress. His touch tickled.

  “I don’t think your date would approve, do you?” I hissed from the side of my mouth, still plastering on a fake grin to try and act natural in front of Claudine and Clarke. Parks did the same. He smiled as he leaned into me to speak in a low, sultry voice.

  “Do I detect a hint of jealousy?”

  I laughed at his narcissistic attitude. “Is that why you did it? To make me jealous, Parks? Well, you’re out of luck. Jealously is an emotion I do not feel.” At least, I thought I didn’t until that day.

  “Is there any emotion you do feel, Evelyn?”

  My head shot towards his indignantly, then I slowly closed my eyes. “Don’t.” Was he trying to get personal? Because personal was something else I didn’t do.

  While everyone continued to confer, he bent down and whispered into my ear again. His warm breath brushed over my skin, causing shock waves to break out inside and outside of my body. “If you think playing hard to get or ignoring the chemistry between us is going to put me off, then you’re wrong. It turns me the fuck on.”

  God, I ignored the way my body shivered from the combination of his flawless features and his blunt sex talk. “I don’t see how telling you no is playing hard to get.”

  He ran his hand down my back again until his fingers cupped my arse, then discretely circled my backside with his palm. “Tell me the reason you’re withholding, Evelyn? Just imagine what we could have.”

  He wanted to know my reason? Was he kidding me? “If we had something, Parks, it would be flammable.”

  He licked my earlobe with the tip of his tongue. “Then let’s ignite the flame.”

  He wanted to ignite my flame? I gasped a little and pulled back to see his face. He was watching me attentively, his green eyes hiding something deep inside them. I could almost see the softness. I knew what a shielded persona looked like. I was a living example of one. Whether he hid one too was the definitive question.

  He was about to raise his hand to caress my face, not giving the people in our company a second thought, but Alex unintentionally barged between us.

  “Evey, your orange juice.”

  I pulled myself away from the salacity of Parks’s eyes and dropped my gaze to the floor to try and act natural.

  “Oh, um…Parks, right?” Alex’s awkward question made me risk a glance up. Parks’s eyes narrowed as they moved from mine to Alex’s acrimoniously as he figured out why Alex was with me.

  “You are Evelyn’s plus one?” It wasn’t a question. It was a remark of a
silent outrage. I could see his jaw tense, his demeanour building up in fury.

  “I suppose I am.” Alex shrugged all laddish and handed me my orange juice.

  Clarke was the first to comment on beverage choice. “Are you not going to join us in getting merry, Evey?”

  “You can’t get merry on orange juice,” Claudine added with an excited snort. I think she was already merry.

  “Evey doesn’t drink,” Alex told them kindly whilst trying to shrug Parks off. He was still staring at me like I was his, which made the situation completely awkward.

  Parks was not about to allow Alex to claim my attention, though. “Evelyn, a quiet word.” His stiff and commanding tone was a warning, so I told Alex to give me a moment and handed him my orange juice to hold. Alex looked aggrieved, and I hated that I made him feel that way, but I didn’t want to make a scene in front of him.

  Parks discreetly caught me by the elbow and pulled me away, which infuriated me.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I hissed as he marched me through the lobby, murmuring hello to the guests as we passed but not giving them enough time to say anything else. He led me into a small room that branched off the lobby and pulled me around a corner, making sure we were out of sight—out of sight yet still in the same space as hundreds of guests. Anyone could have walked past at any moment.

  “I could ask you the same question, Evelyn. You decline my invitation to attend the event on my arm, but you arrive with that man who thinks it’s acceptable to take you to a dive?”

  I ripped my arm out of his grip. “My invite stated I could invite a plus one. This has nothing to do with you. Besides, you’re here with Carla.” I spat her name bitterly.

  “Because you declined my offer, Evelyn.” He ran a hand through his perfectly styled hair and misshaped it a little, but it still fell flawlessly.

  “So you did it to piss me off?” I folded my arms and stared at him vehemently.

  He walked towards me and took my arms from their crossed position. “I wanted a reaction from you, Evelyn. How did you feel seeing me with her? Envious?”