JUST A LITTLE SECRET
Chapter One
Georgia Brooks stepped into the hotel ballroom, aware that tonight’s
Leadership in Law awards banquet was destined to be one long snooze fest, but her
parents expected her to attend, and it wasn’t in her personality to argue.
“Incoming! Georgia-seeking, heat missile arriving on the right,” her younger
sister said in a low, amused tone that only Georgia could hear.
She didn’t know whether to laugh or scowl at Courtney’s outrageous
comment. Laugh, because the man making a beeline her way was so damn
predictable—and irritating. And scowl, because, well, Elliott Eastman was so
damn predictable. And irritating.
Georgia had been prepared to deal with Elliott, knowing that as soon as she
stepped into the room her father’s protégé would notice and immediately seek her
out. And she’d resigned herself to playing the good girl tonight because her father
was being honored, and she didn’t want to make a scene.
Sure enough, Elliott rushed over as if he’d had his eyes glued to the entrance
just waiting for them to arrive so he could make his move.
Regardless of the fact that her father raved about the man who was fast
becoming one of the top attorneys in his firm, his stalkerish behavior was creepy
and unnerving. He’d just made junior partner, and Georgia knew Elliott had even
higher aspirations…that included dating the boss’s daughter.
“If it wasn’t for Dad being up for the lifetime achievement award, I wouldn’t
have come tonight, and he’s the reason,” Georgia said, trying to tamp down her
annoyance as Elliott neared. “I won’t be able to enjoy myself with him hovering
over me.”
“I think he’s trying to wear you down,” Courtney said as they followed their
parents further into the ballroom. “Be strong, Georgia. Don’t let the fact that Mom
and Dad are hoping that the two of you fall madly in love and produce a dozen
babies together make you weak.”
“Oh, my God, you are so gross.” Georgia glared at her sister while
desperately trying to wipe that image from her mind. “What are you? In high
school?”
Courtney shrugged in that unapologetic way of hers. “You know I only
speak the truth.”
Unfortunately, she did.
In all honesty, Georgia envied her sister’s outspoken attitude. Courtney was
four years younger than Georgia, and she’d gone from being a precocious toddler
to a rebellious, wild teenager. Even now, as a twenty-three-year-old adult, she had
an impressive take-it-or-leave-it attitude that she expressed in all ways. From the
pink highlights in her beach-wavy blonde hair to the gold ring in her nose and the
boho chic dress she’d worn, Courtney flaunted her unconventional fashion style. In
a room full of elegant cocktail gowns, including Georgia’s classic little black dress,
Courtney stood out. Most impressively, at least to Georgia, she didn’t give a shit.
At all.
Whereas Georgia had always been the more serious sister, the quintessential
good girl who followed the rules, Courtney gleefully broke and defied them.
Courtney said what was on her mind, sometimes without a filter, while Georgia
kept things bottled up to prevent any friction. Her sibling was daring and fearless,
the opposite of Georgia’s more cautious and conservative nature. While she
admired her sister’s fearless attitude, Georgia liked herself just fine.
The problem only arose when it came to her parents. Then, being a people
pleaser often came at her own expense. There had been one time Georgia had stood
up for herself and she had no regrets. They’d wanted her to attend law school so
she could work in her father’s law firm, but she’d followed her passion and now
had a degree in nonprofit management. Her parents had been appalled and acted as
if she’d caused a horrific scandal when they’d caused the awful family tension.
Their disapproval had nearly crippled Georgia with guilt, especially when
her father’s heart attack and triple bypass came shortly thereafter, but it was a
decision that made her happy. She’d recently accepted a position with Future Fast
Track, a non-profit dedicated to helping foster kids transition out of the system
once they were of age. She honestly loved her job.
But despite that one act of rebellion, her parents still had certain
expectations, and she was coming to realize that marrying Elliott and making him a
part of their family was one of them. She was going to have to find her big girl
panties once more because there was no way she could do as they wanted. The
thought made her want to throw up.
Elliott finally reached them, and her father greeted his protégé with a broad
smile. With Elliott’s light-brown hair and hazel eyes, even Georgia could admit he
was a good-looking man, but she felt no attraction toward him. At all. His
egotistical air turned her off. Add in his twin habits of coming on too strong and
kissing her father’s ass, and she wanted nothing to do with him.
“Congratulations again, sir,” Elliott said, shaking Roland Brooks’ hand and
holding on for too long. “I can’t think of a more deserving attorney to receive the
Leadership in Law lifetime achievement award.”
“Thank you.” Her father beamed, soaking up the attention and praise. “Keep
up the good work, and you’ll be the recipient yourself someday.”
Elliott smiled wide, then turned his attention to Georgia’s mother, Nina.
“You look stunning tonight, Mrs. Brooks.”
Suck up, Georgia thought, but swallowed back the retort.
Her mother blushed, and Georgia wondered if she could conjure her red
cheeks at command. Nina Brooks enjoyed being fawned over by a younger man.
“It’s good to see you, Elliott. We must have you over to the house for dinner
sometime soon.”
He gave her a nod. “I would love that.”
As Georgia expected, Elliott shifted his gaze, giving her a too-intimate stare
that did nothing to stir any kind of sexual response inside her. “Of course, you look
equally as lovely, Georgia. It’s such a pleasure to see you, too.” He lifted her hand
and brushed his lips across her knuckles in a too-possessive gesture.
She did her best not to gag as the touch of his mouth made her skin crawl. If
not for her parents watching the exchange—her father with pride and her mother
with hope and anticipation—she would have yanked her hand back and possibly
followed with a slap across his arrogant face.
At least in her dreams, that’s what she would have done.
With no choice, she endured the unwanted attention and murmured a polite,
“Nice to see you again, Elliott.”
He moved on to say hello to Courtney, the warmth in his gaze cooling.
They’d met before, but her sister didn’t even pretend to be impressed by Elliott,
and given her unconventional looks, he clearly felt the same way.
Courtney’s gaze flicked over his designer suit. “Don’t you look dapper
tonight,” she said in a cheeky tone.
His gaze narrowed as he obviously tried to decide if the old-fashioned term
was a compliment or an insult. “Thank you,” he replied…cautiously.
“Though you do have something on your nose,” she added, and Elliot
automatically rubbed two fingers over the tip before realizing what Courtney
meant.
Georgia choked on a laugh at her sister calling him what he was. A brown-
nose, ass-kisser.
Georgia cleared her throat so her laugh couldn’t escape while Elliott
stiffened, his face flushing in embarrassment when he realized the subtle
insinuation in Courtney’s comment.
“You know, I’m sure there’s a bottle of Corona at the bar with my name on
it,” Courtney said, clearly ready to separate herself, while Georgia knew she was
stuck with Elliott.
“You know there are waiters walking around with glasses of champagne,”
their mother said, looking horrified at the thought of her daughter strolling about
with a bottle of cheap, low-class beer at a high-society banquet.
Her sister wrinkled her pert nose. “Too refined for my tastes.”
“Courtney, behave yourself,” their father chided, though there was affection
in his voice.
“Always, Daddy,” Courtney said in a sweet tone, then walked over and
kissed him on the cheek.
Courtney always got away with her outrageous behavior, her father finding it
cute while expecting Georgia to be the epitome of the perfect society princess. It
was so unfair, but she didn’t blame her sister for their parents’ attitude. Georgia
adored Courtney and always would.
“I’ll meet you all at our assigned table in a little bit.” Courtney waved and
strode off, many eyes in the room on her as she made her way through the crowd.
“Well.” Her mother’s gaze encompassed Georgia and Elliott. “Why don’t
you two go ahead and mingle. We’ll see you at the table when it’s time for dinner.”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Elliott said, obviously pleased her mother wanted
them together.
Georgia resisted the urge to object to her mother’s meddling suggestion. It
would make her appear rude, and it was just easier to go with Elliott than deal with
her mother’s disapproving attitude for the rest of the evening.
Her parents moved in one direction, and Elliott lightly pressed his hand
against the small of her back and guided her toward a younger group of people.
“Is your sister always so horrid?” he asked, clearly still peeved over
Courtney’s “nose” comment.
Georgia held back her smile, certain that Elliott wouldn’t appreciate her
finding the joke funny. “She’s definitely her own person. She’s an…acquired
taste.”
“Certainly not mine,” he muttered beneath his breath, then seemed to visibly
shake off his irritation. “So, let me introduce you around.”
As if they were a couple. Ugh.
She’d already committed to this ruse and the last thing she wanted was to
cause a scene at an event honoring her father, so she followed Elliott’s lead. She
told herself it was for just the one night as he introduced her to a few of his
colleagues…then promptly ignored her as he launched into a heated debate with
one of the men in the group.
Georgia accepted a glass of champagne from a passing tray and made small,
polite talk with the women in their circle before Elliott noticed someone else he
wanted to talk to. And because he grabbed her hand each time he moved, and they
were in a public setting, she followed along.
But she quickly grew bored of the shallow exchanges with strangers, and it
didn’t take her long to realize just how much Elliott and his giant-sized ego liked
being the center of attention—continually bragging about becoming a junior
partner at her father’s firm, his latest win in court, or his superior performance on
the golf course. Every conversation he had with another man felt like a dick
measuring contest, and because Elliott seemed to boast the most, Georgia could
only assume he was making up for other deficiencies. And she definitely didn’t
want to see his tiny penis, she thought with amusement.
The thought made her bite back a smile, though Georgia was sure her sister
would agree with that theory. Which made her wonder where Courtney had gone.
She glanced around the room, trying to find her wayward sister, but couldn’t
see her anywhere. Just as she ended her search, Georgia locked gazes with a
gorgeous man standing in his own circle of people a short distance away. A lively
discussion seemed to be going on around him, but his attention was riveted on her,
which made her wonder…how long had he been staring?
His gaze lingered and an immediate rush of heat pulsed through her body,
settling in intimate places—and she couldn’t glance away. He looked vaguely
familiar, though she couldn’t figure out why. She definitely would have
remembered meeting an attractive, charismatic man like him.
He wore a dark-navy suit tailored to his tall, lean build and broad shoulders.
His thick, dark-brown hair set off his masculine features, and those piercing green
eyes that held hers made her think of sex and sin.
With him.
She breathed in a soft inhale of air, and as liquid desire trickled through her,
she shifted restlessly in her heels.
As if he’d read her mind, his sexy lips quirked upward as he brought his
glass of amber liquid to his mouth and took a sip. Her eyes followed the
movement…and then he winked at her before returning his focus to the gentleman
who was speaking.
His bold flirtation caused flutters of awareness to take up residence inside
her. She couldn’t remember ever being so drawn to a man before or so quickly
aroused by just a look—not that she planned on doing anything about their brief
but potent exchange.
A short while later, dinner was announced, and her sister suddenly appeared
at her side, startling Georgia as they walked together toward their assigned table.
Thankfully, Elliott was occupied, still speaking to a colleague.
She glanced at her sister. “Where have you been all this time?”
Courtney shrugged. “Around.”
“Misbehaving?” As their father had put it.
“Always.” Courtney grinned. “Actually, I was out on the balcony drinking
my beer in peace and quiet, and scrolling through Tinder instead of mingling with
all these stuffy suits and pretending I’m enjoying myself.”
Georgia laughed at her sister’s answer. Better than being dragged around by
Elliott for the past hour and listening to him regurgitate the same conversation over
and over again.
At their table, she sat between Elliott and her sister, mostly to keep them
separated…and her sister well-behaved. Dinner was served and Elliott conversed
with her father, giving her a chance to casually glance at the table next to theirs.
Her gaze once again collided with the sexy man she’d seen earlier. He
acknowledged her with a slight nod, then followed that up with a slow, seductive
smile, and her entire body flushed with awareness.
She wasn’t used to being the center of a man’s attention, and she couldn’t
deny that she liked his interest.
“Hmm. Looks like you have an admirer,” her sister said, catching sight of
the exchange.
“What?” Georgia quickly averted her gaze and frowned at her sister. “No, I
don’t.”
Courtney’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “You know, if I were you, I’d ditch
your boring date and see if that hot stranger wants to meet you in the bar
downstairs for a drink…and whatever else you might be willing to put on the
menu.”
Georgia rolled her eyes. “Of course, you would.” Unlike her sister, Georgia
wasn’t one for a random hookup with a stranger. No matter how hot and sexy he
might be.
Courtney sighed dramatically. “When was the last time you got laid?”
Georgia nearly choked on the bite of filet mignon she’d been swallowing,
then gaped at her sister, grateful she’d at least spoken in a low voice so no one else
at the table had heard her. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I am.” Courtney stabbed a glazed baby carrot with her fork. “If I
had to guess, I’d say it was with Davis.”
A relationship that had ended well over a year ago, and Georgia had no
intention of admitting her sister was right.
“Your silence says it all,” Courtney teased as she cut into her own tender
filet. “You know, an orgasm, with a real live dick would do you good. Your
birthday is coming up in a few weeks. You should let your hair down, literally and
figuratively, and treat yourself.”
Georgia caught herself before she reached up to touch her upswept hair, then
shook her head. “You are such a brat.”
Courtney grinned. “And that’s why I have the most fun.”
Her sister wasn’t wrong. The good girl/bad girl stereotype between them was real.
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