Can't Say No Read online

  “You’re angry. Why?” he said with a frown. “Vanessa, you’re beautiful, both inside and out. I don’t want to see you hurt or taken advantage of by anyone. Especially not a man who doesn’t appreciate you.”

  “The only man who could take advantage of me is you, Mr. Prescott. And you are not interested!” she hissed in sheer frustration.

  Ralph stared at her, as if he doubted his hearing. “What?”

  “I will not be climbing in bed with Ron. Not because you say so, but because I don’t find him attractive. I don’t want him.”

  “But you find me attractive?” he quizzed.

  “Absolutely.” Vanessa would have liked to smile and gaze longingly into his dark eyes, but she was shaking so badly, her teeth were chattering. She forced herself to say, “I want you, not Ron. But you’re wrong if you think because I am taking care of my family, it means I’m looking for a husband. I’m not.”

  She nearly laughed at the relief she saw on his handsome face. What did he think? That she was proposing? She couldn’t have him thinking she was trying to trap him into marriage. She needed his cooperation, not have him running for the closest exit.

  Leaning back in his seat, he asked candidly, “Tell me, Miss Vanessa, exactly what do you have in mind?”

  Recognizing this was the opportunity she’d waited for, Vanessa ignored the fear cramping her stomach, and blurted out before she lost her nerve, “A single night with you, Ralph.”

  Shock was stamped on his bold African features. “Wait, I must have misunderstood…”

  “There is no mistake. I’m asking to spend one night…all night in your bed,” she rushed ahead to say before she lost her courage, “When we part in the morning, both of us will go back to our normal lives. Next Saturday evening will be good for me. How about you?”

  Ralph caught the waiter’s sleeve before he rushed by and gave their order. Then he turned his intense dark eyes back to Vanessa. “Don’t play with me. You aren’t like the women I hang out with. We both know you haven’t been around the block. So talk to me. What is this about?”

  Forcing her facial muscles to relax, Vanessa sighed softly. “My history with other men is not the issue here. I am serious, Ralph. I’m not asking Ron to sleep with me. I’m asking you for…”

  “Wait one minute. Are you threatening to go to Ron if I don’t agree to sleep with you?” he demanded to know.

  “I didn’t say that! Ron has nothing to do with this discussion. Why are you so shocked? What’s the matter, honey? Did I jump down from that pedestal you placed me on?” Despite her teasing tone, she was exasperated. “I’m twenty-six. Old enough to know what I am asking for…what I want. Don’t you dare tell me that I’m the first woman to proposition you, because we both know that would be a bold-faced lie.” She took a calming breath, before she went on to say, “Please, don’t underestimate my intelligence. You change women every other day. There is always a new lady on your arm.”

  A muscle jumped in his jaw, as if he were grinding his teeth. He stared at her while sipping his drink. He stopped the waiter. “Bring me another one.”

  Vanessa lifted a beautifully arched brow, pouting her red-tinted full lips. “What’s wrong, big guy? Are you saying you’re not attracted to me? If that’s the case, then say so. I don’t plan on begging.” After draining her own glass, she said, “Just say no, Ralph, and I will be out of your face like that.” She snapped her fingers for emphasis.

  His voice was gruff, deeper than normal, when he replied, “I can’t say no.” His eyes lingered on her soft lips. “I want you.”

  Vanessa’s velvet brown eyes went wide. She reached across the table, deciding she needed something stronger, and took the fresh drink from his loose grip. She took a sip of his scotch, then made a face. “Nasty.”

  Ralph threw back his head and released a deep throaty laugh that seemed to ease some of the tension between them. “Not to your liking, I take it.”

  Vanessa shook her head wondering how much more her poor nerves could take. She meant every word. After all, she wanted him, but she wasn’t about to beg for his lovemaking. After all, she had some pride.

  He ordered her favorite soft drink before he gave her his full attention. He lifted her small hand and covered it with his much larger one, unknowingly causing tingles to race along her spine.

  She forced herself to say, “You haven’t said no, but you also haven’t said yes either.”

  “Tell me why.”

  Vanessa wasn’t about to answer that loaded question, especially when the response was so inherently personal. Instead she hedged. “But I’ve told you. I want to experience your lovemaking. We’ve gotten to know each other these past few weeks. Quite frankly, I think you’re one sexy man.”

  Ralph smoothed his thumb over her red-painted nails, his gaze on her full lips. “Come walk in the garden.” He slid his chair back and reached for hers. She shook her head, not rising to her feet.

  “Not until I have your answer. Do we have a date next Saturday night?”

  He smiled. “We do.”

  Vanessa allowed him to help her rise and took the arm he offered realizing she was suddenly hot. It had nothing to do with the temperature. Although it was close to two in the morning, and the night air had cooled considerably, Vanessa felt as if she’d swallowed a hot chili pepper.

  It had finally sunk in. Ralph said yes. Now what? The nerves that had cramped her stomach felt as if they were jumping all over the place.

  They walked along the curved walkway that meandered through the lush grounds. The trees twinkled, as if filled with sparkling lights. There was beauty everywhere she looked, honeysuckle and azaleas in full bloom.

  “Nothing to say,” he asked. He turned her to face him and gently cupped her shoulders.

  Vanessa swallowed with difficulty. Unable to get any sound out of her suddenly dry mouth, she licked her lips.

  Ralph’s eyes were on her mouth.

  He surprised her when he asked, “What if I want more than one night? We can have the whole weekend. Let me escort you to the rehearsal dinner Friday night?”

  Vanessa insisted, “Ralph, this is a private matter. Between the two of us. I don’t want the others to play guessing games, trying to figure out what we might be sharing.”

  Ralph lifted her chin until he could see her eyes. “Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?”

  “Yes,” she managed to get out.

  Before she could collect herself, Ralph was sliding his arms around her small waist and pulling her against his wide chest. “One kiss. Then we’ll know if we’re sexually compatible.”

  He waited for her nod. Once it came, he covered her mouth with his. There was nothing simple about that kiss. First his mouth soothed, then caressed her soft lips; when they parted for him, Ralph tenderly thrust inside, ready to explore and fully taste her mouth.

  He groaned, “Sweet,” as he deepened the kiss even more. He didn’t stop until he was suckling her tongue, intent on learning all her tantalizing secrets.

  Vanessa quivered with incomparable desire. She moaned, sliding her arms around his trim waist, needing to be closer, eager to feel her breasts against his broad, hard-muscled chest. He felt good, so right, while his clean male scent enfolded her. She wanted, how she wanted. She tightened her inner muscles, feeling empty deep inside where she’d never felt empty before. Suddenly, she was hungry for him, and what she instinctively knew only he could give her. Shyness kept her from rubbing herself against his hard thigh.

  Ralph was the first to move back. Slowly, he lifted his head and stared into the depths of her eyes but said nothing. His breath seemed as uneven as hers.

  “You are a mystery, Vanessa Grant. Your lips are incredibly soft and so sweet. I’m looking forward to holding your beautiful body close all night long.” His voice deepened even more when he said, “I promise. You will not be disappointed.”

  Vanessa trembled, whispering, “I have no doubts. Good night.” She turned and hur
ried back the way they’d come. She didn’t slow until she was in an elevator. She gave silent thanks that she didn’t have to wait.

  It was only after the elevator door closed that she let out the breath she’d been holding. Wrapping her arms around herself, she smiled triumphantly. Proud that she’d done what she’d set out to do. For one special night, he was hers. Next weekend! It could not get here fast enough to suit her.

  Five

  Church service, brunch, the plane ride, and even coming home to an empty house had all passed in an unbelievable whirl. Vanessa just knew she would fall asleep the instant her head touched the pillow. She’d been wrong. The weekend’s excitement hadn’t worn off; a glance at the bedside clock confirmed, two o’clock in the morning. And she could not shut off her brain. She’d had so much fun!

  “If you’re so happy, why can’t you sleep?” she grumbled as she punched her pillows.

  There was no need to search for an answer. Her reason was tall, dark, incredibly gorgeous, and kissed like a dream. She hadn’t said more than a few words to Ralph the entire day. It was understandable, considering they were never alone.

  Vanessa had held it all in. Even Laura couldn’t get anything out of her. She wasn’t ready to share. As much as she loved Laura, Brynne, Trenna, and Maureen, Vanessa didn’t plan on sharing the details of her agreement with Ralph. She still hadn’t completely processed it all. And she’d spent hours going over every word.

  Who would believe it? It seemed like something out of a movie. She’d gone and made a date to spend the night with a man she wasn’t sure she even liked. It was crazy! Totally unlike the shy, safe woman she’d always been. She was not one to take risks. Yet here she was, planning the most gigantic gamble imaginable…sleeping with Ralph Prescott.

  She did like him! Over the past weeks, Vanessa could honestly say there were lots of things she liked about Ralph Prescott. He was more than a rogue and womanizer. Even a lowlife player had a few good points. Take Greg Cummingham. He, too, was all those things, yet he had fathered the twins. Ralph was not nearly as bad as Cummingham. And he was part of a wonderful family.

  Despite Ralph’s tremendous financial success and good looks, he was a regular guy who was down-to-earth. He’d been considerate and protective of her and revealed a genuine interest.

  Even though she hated his reputation with women, that hadn’t stopped her from fantasizing about him day after day or dreaming about him night after night. Disagreeing with the way he ran his sex life certainly hadn’t kept her from asking for a night in his bed. Ralph was man enough to make even a large woman feel ultrafeminine. When he’d looked at her, kissed her, and complimented her beauty, for a moment Vanessa had actually believed him.

  To say the man was shocked when she propositioned him would be putting it mildly. Vanessa giggled as she recalled his shock, yet he hadn’t ignored or dismissed the question. He took her seriously. She grinned suddenly, intrigued by the possibility he found her as attractive as she found him. Her heat raced at the thought. But why was she taking this so seriously? They would share what some people might consider no more than a one-night stand.

  This night wouldn’t be what either one of them would call normal. Yet it was something Vanessa longed to share with Ralph. For one magical night, she could be like her girlfriends. She would experience her special man’s lovemaking.

  And then she would go back to her regular routine of taking care of kids and working while trying to balance it all on her own. What mattered was that she would walk away with a beautiful memory that no one could take away from her.

  Vanessa was not the only one having trouble sleeping that night. As Ralph prowled the dark confines of his large, luxurious den he couldn’t stop thinking about Vanessa. Why hadn’t he refused? He had certainly felt the need to walk away from what his instincts warned was a trap, which was ridiculous. It was Vanessa he was dealing with, a woman he knew he could trust.

  Yet he couldn’t say no, especially after seeing the longing in her eyes. He suspected a refusal would be a crushing blow. For such a quiet, unassuming lady, she had thrown him off-balance. He still couldn’t believe it.

  If someone had told him how the evening would end, he would have argued them down and sworn they weren’t talking about the lady he’d known for years. Vanessa Grant? No way! And he would have been wrong.

  Ralph swore beneath his breath. The lady had shocked him. He still hadn’t wrapped his mind around the fact that Vanessa had propositioned him. For a few moments he’d been busy trying to figure out who the woman was, and what she had done with Vanessa. Vanessa was a good girl. She didn’t sleep around. Any man with half an ounce of self-respect would assume she’d temporarily lost her mind.

  Ralph called himself every kind of fool he could think of. Of course when he finished, nothing had changed. He still faced the same reality. Next Saturday, he had a date with Vanessa. And he would not be kissing her good night at the end of the evening. When it was all said and done, they would be sharing a bed.

  He had a single goal. To see to it the beautiful lady got what she wanted. He planned to pleasure her until she couldn’t so much as recall Ron’s name. All he had to do was figure out how he could manage that without her winding up hating him and him hating himself.

  What she asked went against his grain, yet he could not, in good conscience let her go to another man. Despite what she said, he believed she could be tempted by Ron. That possibility left him coldly furious. She had asked him to become her lover. He accepted and was going to honor that promise.

  He also hadn’t gotten over the fact that he would have preferred to make it a weekend date, while she insisted on limiting their arrangement to a single night. She had also decided to keep their agreement between the two of them. He didn’t like it, not that he planned to broadcast their arrangement. After one lousy night they both would walk away, as if it had never happened.

  Sprawling back in an oversize armchair, he laughed without amusement. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been there and done that. He’d never been big on relationships. His way, when it was over, no one was left holding a bag of disappointments or hurt feelings. It was no big deal. So why didn’t it feel right?

  He’d be a bold-faced liar if he didn’t at least admit to himself that the taste of Vanessa’s sweet mouth had not been nearly enough. She had left him painfully aroused. To make matters worse, whenever she’d got within touching distance today, he ached. One taste of her lips had left him eager for more. He wanted her…badly. Right or wrong, good or bad, he couldn’t walk away from what she was offering, not in this lifetime. He could think of a hundred and one reasons, why he shouldn’t give in to her tempting beauty. None of those reasons mattered. He was a man of his word. He was going to keep his promise. And he would deal with the unavoidable consequences later.

  “Courtney Ann, if you don’t sit still, I will never get finished. I thought you wanted your hair up like mine?” Vanessa scolded her six-year-old sister. She’d brushed her hair into a high ponytail, secured it before pinning the curls in place. She left loose hair to frame the little girl’s brown face.

  “I’m tired, Nessa, why did Curtis get to play, and I can’t.” She pointed to her twin brother, who was parked in front of the television with his collection of small cars on the living-room sofa and had been ordered not to move. He was dressed in a pale gray tuxedo.

  Vanessa smiled. “Curtis is not going to be a flower girl, like you and Shanna. He has to carry a ring, while you get to drop the flower petals. Right?”

  Courtney nodded eagerly. “Right!”

  “You look so pretty. Now, be still for a few minutes and let me finish.” Vanessa went to work with the curling iron. Before she could finish, Curtis was in the door of her bedroom.

  “Can I go sit on the sunporch? I won’t get dirty on the swing. Honest.”

  Vanessa saw the mischievous gleam in his dark brown eyes, the swing he had in mind was not on the sunporch but in the backyard. He looked s
o handsome in his suit and white shirt, with the rose vest and bow tie matching the bridesmaids’ dresses. She smiled, “We don’t have time to play, sweetheart.” After finishing the curls, Vanessa pinned a cluster of tiny pink roses into her sister’s hair. “All done, Courtney.”

  She had barely gotten the words out of her mouth before Courtney, in a white ruffled slip and tights and white patent-leather shoes dashed past Lana on her way into the living room to join her twin. “Courtney!”

  Lana laughed. “I’ll get her dress and help her into it. You finish getting ready. We can’t have the maid of honor in her robe.”

  “You look beautiful. Turn around let me see the back,” Vanessa gushed.

  Lana was dressed in a dark green vee-neck ankle-length chiffon-layered dress. Her hair was curled around her shoulders, and her soft brown skin was lightly made up.

  Vanessa smiled, proud of her sister and the way the dress she had made turned out. She had designed and embroidered all the bridesmaids’ dresses, but had only made her own as well as Brynne’s wedding gown.

  “Thanks. I’d better hurry. The limousine will be here soon.” Vanessa sighed, gazing at her sister. “Are you sure you don’t mind driving the kids and yourself to the church? I can call Brynne and explain.”

  “Stop worrying. We will be fine. Now you hurry and finish up. Brynne is expecting you and the other ladies to help her dress. She is going to look lovely in that bridal gown you designed especially for her.”

  Vanessa smiled. She’d always loved sketching clothes and sewing. She was especially honored that Brynne had decided to wear one of her creations for her wedding. She’d learned to sew at her mother’s knee. It wasn’t until she was in her teens that she began to design bridal and evening gowns. She’d been working on a degree in business and hoped to open her own bridal boutique one day. After her mother passed, she was forced to postpone those plans. Once the children were in college, she hoped to go back and finish her own degree. In the meantime, she had her collection of sketches to build on.