Perfect Betrayal Read online

  When she surfaced, she leaned her head against the edge and saw Levi’s junky truck parked behind the garage. She smiled as she thought about his sexy smile and that vibrant ink covering one arm. Taylor hadn’t seen him since their introduction the day before in her bedroom. As wrong as it might be, she wanted him. And for the first time in her privileged life, she knew she was going to have to work for it.

  She lay back in the water and floated, letting her limbs sway weightlessly. The sun heated her skin again, while the cool water beneath her made Taylor feel like a two-sided coin. One Taylor used cutting words to distance those around her. Not trusting anyone, she secretly wanted people to dislike her. It kept them from getting too close.

  The other side of Taylor liked cheesy romantic movies, dancing around in her pajamas, and genuine smiles. She wanted everything to be simple and honest. Above all, she wished for happiness and for people to see past her surface. But her biggest fear was that, someday, someone might do exactly that.

  Suddenly, her sun disappeared and she opened one eye to find Levi standing at the side of the pool. He didn’t hide his appraisal of her body as she dropped her legs and stood in the waist-deep water.

  “You’re blocking my sun,” she said.

  “I’m supposed to clean the pool today.”

  “Well, don’t let me stop you.”

  Taylor used the steps to remove herself from the pool, dried off, and took a seat on her lounge. She sat back, untied the strings from around her neck, and tucked them into the cups of her bikini top. Throwing on her sunglasses, she pretended to take a nap and not watch him work.

  Levi moved around the pool, using a net to scoop out leaves and trash until he was back to where he started. He squatted down to check something, letting Taylor get an up-close view of his ass. An involuntary sigh escaped her lips. Levi turned at the sound as Taylor quickly closed her eyes, trying to seem uninterested.

  “Do you enjoy watching people work?” he asked over his shoulder.

  “Nope. Just you. You’d make a fantastic cabana boy, you know.”

  He faced her and crossed his muscled arms, the material of his shirt pulling tight against his biceps. “Cabana boy? Like one of those idiots parading around in a Speedo and having an affair with the housewife?”

  “Or daughter,” Taylor said, smirking. “Aren’t you hot in all that polyester blend? Surely, you’d be more comfortable shirtless, in some board shorts?”

  “This is my uniform.”

  “That’s a shame. I’ll have to talk to Henry about that.” She raised her sunglasses and looked him over thoroughly. “Even that hat?”

  “Especially the hat,” Levi answered, tugging on the brim.

  He grabbed the net and tucked it away in a supply closet before heading back toward the house.

  “Leaving so soon?” Taylor asked, suddenly upset at his dismissal of her.

  “Yes, Miss Hudson. I don’t get paid to stand around all day and flirt with the boss’s daughter.”

  “Flirting? Is that what you think we’re doing? And I told you to call me Taylor.”

  Levi tilted his head. “What exactly are we doing, then, Taylor?”

  “Foreplay.”

  His brows knitted together and his mouth pulled down into a bothered frown. He turned and disappeared into the house without a response. Taylor replaced her sunglasses, satisfied that even if he wasn’t going to act on it, he was going to think about having sex with her.

  * * *

  Taylor sat stock-still in front of a mirror while her stylist, Robye, worked her over. Her reflection looked like a classic painting surrounded by a gilt frame and hung in a museum somewhere. When her makeup was flawless, Robye curled her hair, creating soft waves down her back, and pinned one side up with an antique comb.

  “What is wrong with you? You seem tense. It’s fucking up my chi. And, girl, I just got centered.”

  Taylor shook her head. “I just don’t want to go to this thing tonight. Henry parades me around the room, introducing me to a bunch of stuffy old guys talking about their investment portfolios and what’s happening in professional golf. Not to mention the married ones who hit on me while their wives are in the bathroom. It’s like they’re all part of the Asshole Club for Men and Henry is the president.”

  “Well, you are legal now. They’ll be circling like vultures,” Robye said. “You want to borrow my Taser?”

  “No, I’ll be okay.” Taylor grinned. “I can’t wait until I’m on the East Coast and don’t have to deal with any of this. I’ll be free from the Hudson name and legacy. I’ll just be Taylor, that freshman in honors classes with the killer rack.”

  Robye laughed and eyed her chest. “The girls are pretty stellar. Not that I’m an expert. You know I like my chests hard and waxed. Anyway, don’t take shit from anybody tonight. Not even dear old daddy.”

  He left her with a kiss on the cheek and a little gift of her favorite Chanel lipstick.

  Taylor slid out of her robe and pulled the evening gown from her closet, laying it on her bed. It was a deep blue one-shoulder gown with a beaded belt. Taylor chose it because of its timeless look and the way it made her eyes shine.

  “Want some help?” Suzanne asked from the doorway. “You’d have to be a contortionist to reach that zipper on your own.”

  “Sure.”

  Suzanne started pulling the gown out of the bag. “Wouldn’t that be neat? To be a contortionist, I mean. I’d love to be able to fit into a tiny little box. Imagine how easy it would be to paint your toenails.”

  “Just imagine,” Taylor deadpanned.

  She slipped into the gown and strapped on her heels before standing in front of the full-length mirror. Suzanne stepped next to her and admired their reflection.

  “You look so grown up, so beautiful. Just like an after picture.”

  Her affectionate smile warmed Taylor yet made her uncomfortable.

  “An after picture? Have you been watching Extreme Makeover again?”

  “You know I love that show. If I could just get in on the ground level with one of those ugly ducklings before the makeover, I’d have me a hottie by the end.”

  “Dream big, Suzy.”

  “Always, sweetheart.”

  Suzanne patted her shoulder and disappeared from Taylor’s side. Taylor slid her hands over her flat belly, enjoying the way the fabric hugged her body. The silk against her skin felt like cool breaths of air. The heels gave her a four-inch lift, elongating her already shapely legs. She thought about Suzanne’s words. She did look older, more mature, like the woman she wished to be.

  “What about these?” Suzanne said, holding her open palm toward Taylor.

  “My grandmother’s diamonds?”

  Suzanne nodded.

  “Perfect,” Taylor said.

  She put the earrings on and was immediately reminded of the afternoon she received them from her granny. Suzanne had taken Taylor to visit her grandmother at Henry’s request. Back then he liked to pretend that family was important.

  Taylor closed her eyes and remembered how the entire house always smelled of baked bread and flowers. She envisioned her granny’s dark green sofa covered in lace doilies and stacked with satin throw pillows. There were priceless vases and artwork scattered around the room. It always felt stuffy and at odds with her granny’s sweet personality.

  That day they’d spent the entire afternoon going through trunks in her granny’s attic. Taylor remembered squealing as treasure after treasure was discovered. Vintage dresses with matching hats lay strewn across the floor as she pulled out shoes and handbags.

  She slid on a small coat and spun around giggling as her granny looked on.

  “Where’s Grandad?” Taylor asked.

  “He’s at work, sweetie. Always at work,” her granny answered with a sigh.

  Taylor stuck her hands in the pockets of the coat and cocked her hip, giving a proper model pose. Granny smiled.

  “You look lovely,” she said.

&nb
sp; Taylor’s fingers wrapped around something in the pocket and she pulled it out. It was a gold locket necklace with an engraved H on each side. She pried the pieces open and looked inside, finding a black-and-white photo of a toddler with curls.

  “What’s that, dear?” Granny asked.

  She showed her the photo and her grandmother gasped, her shaking fingers covering her mouth instantly. She took the locket from Taylor’s hand and stared at it for a few minutes with watery eyes.

  “Who is that, Granny?”

  “Her name is Julia.” Granny did not meet Taylor’s smiling face.

  “She’s pretty,” Taylor said excitedly. “Does she like tea? We could invite her over for our tea party!”

  Her grandmother just shook her head and wiped a tear from her cheek. Taylor didn’t understand the sadness that seemed to weigh on her grandmother.

  “What’s in this one?” Taylor asked, distracted by another wardrobe locked and labeled.

  “I don’t know,” her grandmother replied. “Let’s open it and see.”

  “Can’t you read it, Granny?” Taylor pointed to the sticker on the side of the wardrobe.

  “Yes, but it’s hard. Grandmother has trouble with words. Sometimes they just look like a jumbled-up heap of lines to me.” Taylor was confused by that. She was only in second grade and she could read lots of words.

  Her grandmother twisted the locks on each end of the wardrobe and began to pull it open. Her voice was soft, almost wistful. “I was raised to be seen and not heard, to be a wife to my husband and a mother to my children.”

  “Oh! I love this one!” Taylor yelled, distracted by a pink dress with a ruffled skirt.

  Taylor slipped out of the coat and stepped into the dress. Her grandmother helped her pull on some short gloves and placed a hat on her head.

  “Do I look beautiful?”

  “Almost perfect,” Granny replied.

  “Almost?” Taylor frowned.

  “You’re missing something. But what could it be?” Taylor straightened the hat and tried to smooth the wrinkles in her dress. “Ah! I’ve got it.” Granny removed the diamond earrings from her own ears and placed them in Taylor’s. “Now, you’re perfect.”

  Taylor smiled, her fingers tracing the diamonds adorning her ears. She leaned forward and traced the locket in her grandmother’s lap, wanting so badly to try it on.

  “You like the locket, sweetie?”

  Taylor bit her lip and nodded. Granny draped it around Taylor’s neck and clasped it. She ran her fingers along the chain and gently pressed the locket into Taylor’s chest. “Then it’s yours. But it has to be our secret. You can’t tell anyone.”

  Taylor’s tiny hand wrapped around the locket and she looked up at her grandmother.

  “Not even Suzanne?”

  “Not even Suzanne,” Granny confirmed. “It’ll be our little secret, just between the Hudson girls.”

  Taylor remembered how she felt that day, perfect and loved, part of a family. That was the last time she ever saw her grandmother alive. Over the years, Taylor had proudly worn her grandmother’s earrings, but the secret locket still remained tucked away.

  Looking at her reflection again, Taylor didn’t feel any of the things she did then. She felt alone in this family, abandoned by people who should love her the most. She saw someone caught between who she was and who she wanted to be, someone constantly surrounded by the buzz and hum of the world but locked away in a tower.

  “You better get going. The car is here,” Suzanne said.

  Taylor nodded and followed her to the stairs. Halfway down, she stopped in her tracks. “Shit! I need to grab a clutch.”

  She hurried back up the stairs and down the hall into her parents’ room. Taylor flung her mother’s closet door open and found Levi on his knees in the back of the closet. Already out of breath, she gasped and placed her hand over her heart to calm the furious beating.

  “What are you doing in here?” she asked, her tone accusatory.

  “I’m repairing this broken shelf,” Levi said, holding a piece of wood that clearly belonged in the shelving unit.

  He turned back toward the wall as Taylor started searching through her mother’s things, throwing everything on the floor. Finally, she spotted her mother’s Gucci clutch and held it up in victory.

  “Found it!”

  Taylor turned to find Levi’s eyes on her. His gaze traveled down her body, and it felt like warm, rough hands on her skin.

  “Like what you see?” she asked.

  She cocked her hip and slipped her foot forward, letting her bare leg show through the thigh-high slit. He shrugged his shoulders and turned away, seemingly unaffected by her flirting.

  “Just wondering who’s going to pick up that mess you’re making,” he said, his voice laced with disgust.

  “Someone who gets paid to.” Taylor turned and stomped her way downstairs, where Suzanne rushed her into the waiting car.

  5. louboutin and nurse taylor

  On the drive home, Levi tried to drown out his thoughts with rock music so loud it rattled the windows. Even though the hard-hitting beat and guitar riffs soothed him, he soon realized it was no use. The thorough search of the master suite had gone great until they were interrupted by Taylor. Levi thought he was going to have a heart attack when he heard footsteps approaching. Needing an excuse to be there, he grabbed the shelf and yanked hard, ripping it from its brackets. Quick thinking saved him this time, but would it be enough next time?

  Remembering the sight of Taylor in that blue gown, Levi groaned and threw his head back against the seat. He cursed his reaction to the girl and vowed to get that shit under control. Taylor’s attitude took away from her beauty and made him realize that she represented everything he hated about the rich: thoughtless and self-centered.

  Levi had met Henry Hudson III only once, but it was enough to learn all he needed to know about the man. His interview for this job had been trying, to say the least. It had been in the middle of the day, in a secured building in downtown Burbank.

  “Go on in and take a seat,” the woman at the front desk directed. “He’s expecting you.”

  Levi entered without knocking and looked around the sterile, unembellished space. He approached one of the leather chairs opposite Henry’s desk and went to sit down. Henry frowned and shook his head.

  “Don’t bother sitting,” he said before going back to his phone conversation.

  Levi straightened his posture and waited. Henry continued to ignore him as he typed on his keyboard and frowned at the large flat-screen monitor. He finally ended his call, but continued to ignore Levi’s presence.

  Levi shifted from foot to foot, eyeing the two empty chairs before him. He crossed his arms and stared out the wall of windows to keep his temper under control. Emily Dickinson’s “I had no time to Hate” became a repeating anthem in his mind.

  I had no time to hate—

  Because

  The Grave would hinder Me—

  And Life was not so

  Ample I

  Could finish—Enmity

  Another few minutes ticked by before Levi cleared his throat and glared at the man in the expensive suit.

  “You’re Levi Russo?” Henry finally asked without looking away from his computer. Levi let his arms drop to his sides and stood up taller.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Finally, Henry tented his fingers on his desk and turned toward Levi. The man’s gray eyes barely glanced his way before dropping down to read a paper on his desk.

  “You look young. How are you related to Zachary?”

  “He’s my uncle. My mother’s brother.” A long minute of uncomfortable silence sat between them. Levi knew it was Henry’s way of retaining power, controlling the conversation. “You can call my previous employer if you need a reference, sir. I assure you, I can do the job.”

  Henry’s eyes snapped to Levi, a menacing grin on his lips.

  “And I assure you, I have already contacted
your previous employer. I also completed a criminal background check. I don’t take this lightly, Mr. Russo. I’m entrusting you with full access to my home, this includes my family. I expect you to remain professional at all times. Anything you see or hear at my home will remain confidential.”

  “Of course, sir,” Levi said in his most controlled voice.

  “My daughter, Taylor, will be home this summer. If she gives you any trouble, let me know immediately.” Levi nodded, unsure what to think of that warning. “We’re set, then. You’re only getting this opportunity because of your uncle. I don’t usually consider”—Henry paused, and this time his eyes settled over Levi in the most invasive way—“people like you. See Nadine on your way out. She’ll give you all the details.”

  “The dark-haired lady out front?”

  “The one that looks like she’s begging for it? Yes, that’s the one,” Henry said, grinning. “She’ll take care of you. She’s very thorough.”

  Levi pulled into his parking space and killed the lights. Henry Hudson deserved to be taken down a notch or two. Levi would love to be the one to do it. If he could stay away from Taylor, they might be able to pull this off.

  Just as Levi settled down on his couch with a cold beer and a microwave dinner, his phone rang. The familiar number displayed on his screen made his insides twist.

  “Boss,” he greeted.

  “Levi. I hear you had a close call today.”

  The voice made him sit up taller and square his shoulders, an unconscious response to authority. Levi tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling with the phone pressed to his ear.

  “Yeah, Taylor found me in her mother’s closet,” he said. “Crystal had already rerouted video feed in that room. And I invented a reason to be there. Covered myself. She wasn’t suspicious.”

  “Good. See that it stays that way.”

  The call disconnected, and Levi stared down at his unappetizing food. He had no idea the Boss would be keeping such a close eye on their day-to-day operation. For some reason, it unnerved him. Though he tried to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal, being caught in that closet had nearly been his undoing.