Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
“Beauregard Jackson.” She rolled the words like hard candies in her mouth. “I do declare, it’s an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She gripped both his hands in hers. “You simply must call me Loretta.”
“The pleasure is mine, Loretta,” he replied smoothly.
Dropping his hands, she took a step back and looked him up and down, as if appraising a cut of meat at the market. “Magnolia hasn’t said a word about you, that naughty girl. Wherever did the two of you meet?”
Beau glanced at Lia, who fairly vibrated with tension.
Don’t worry, he telegraphed with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. I won’t give you away.
“Lia and I met at a wedding we both attended recently.”
Loretta’s face lit up with excitement. “The Baird-Mansfield wedding?”
At his nod, Loretta flashed a triumphant smile at her daughter. “I always tell Lia, weddings are a wonderful place to meet eligible young men.”
Sidestepping the comment, Beau said, “Imagine my surprise to discover Lia is also joining the UNC staff as a research librarian. I’m a professor of history at the university, recently transferred from Charlotte.”
“Well, bless your heart. What a small world.” Loretta peered at him again. “Are your people the Montgomery Jacksons of Dilworth? Or the Robert Jacksons of Meyers Park?”
“Nothing so grand, I’m afraid. My mother is a pediatrician, and my father is a chemistry professor.”
“Well, isn’t that charming?” she replied, the rhetorical question no doubt hiding her disappointment that he wasn’t descended from one of the scions of the Antebellum South.
She turned to Lia. “Darling, you simply must bring Beauregard with you to the dinner on Friday night.”
“Dinner on Friday night?” Lia echoed, looking confused.
Loretta frowned. “Don’t tell me that you forgot, young lady. Zinnia’s in-laws are in town and we’re having everyone to dinner. I told you only last week.”
Beau offered Lia a mock bow, not quite able to keep the smirk off his face. “It would be my pleasure to escort you, Magnolia.”
Loretta lifted her face to Beau, her frown morphing into a gracious smile. “Bless your heart, Beauregard. It is so unseemly to have an odd number of guests at the table.”
She turned to Lia. “That’s why I was calling, Magnolia, dear. I picked up a few things for you from Bette’s.” She nodded toward the dress bags Lia had tossed over the back of the couch. “Zinnia’s in-laws are people of quality. Those lovely pumps I bought you from Talloni’s should work well with either dress.” She looked Lia up and down, her nose wrinkling as if she smelled something rotten. “Daddy and I can’t very well have our youngest daughter showing up in something like that.”
She glanced at her tiny gold watch. “Oh, my word. I simply must dash, darlings. I promised Lily I’d watch the baby while she does some shopping.” She flashed a dazzling smile in Beau’s direction. “I’ll see you two on Friday. Cocktails at seven. Dinner at eight. Don’t be late.”
Beau closed the door behind Loretta and turned back to Lia, who stood frozen, her expression stricken. He reached her in two strides. “Hey,” he said gently, cupping her chin to lift her face to his. “What’s the matter?”
“I’m mortified that you were subjected to that,” she blurted. She took a step back so his hand fell away and wrapped her arms protectively around her torso. “Loretta can be so overbearing. You totally do not have to come to that dinner.”
Beau smiled. “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss it. And, please, don’t apologize for your mother. She was quite entertaining.” He turned toward the dress bags. “Let’s see what she brought.”
He lifted the top bag and unzipped it to reveal the dress inside. The fabric was a deep magenta with a lace overlay, a high neckline and three-quarter sleeves. The second dress was a floral print wrap with a V-neck. It was hard to imagine Lia in either one. Though neither was anything special to Beau’s admittedly untrained eye, the hefty price tags still attached to each dress were more than he’d spend for a tailored suit.
“Oh, god,” Lia moaned. “They’re both hideous.”
“Let’s see how they fit.”
Lia frowned. “Seriously? You really want me to try on these old-lady dresses?”
Beau let a bit of steel enter his tone. “Seriously, sub girl.” It was time to get Lia back into the proper headspace. “First, take off your clothing. Then you will stand at attention, feet shoulder width apart, hands on your head.”
She drew in a deep breath, some of the tension easing from her body. “Yes, Sir.”
Bending over, she unlaced her boots and tugged them off. She unzipped her tattered jeans and shimmied them, along with a pair of black panties, down her legs. Finally, she pulled her top over her head and undid the lacy bra that covered her pretty breasts.
She assumed the position, back arched, chin lifted, eyes straight ahead. Beau moved to stand directly in front of her. Reaching out, he caught her pink nipples between thumbs and forefingers. They stiffened and swelled beneath his touch. He gripped tighter, twisting until she winced in pain.