Sex, Lies & Lipstick (A Moonlight and Magnolias Novel Book 2) Read online

  “That’s interesting,” Polly chimed as she sunk deeper into the oversized green chair.

  “It is,” he agreed. “Of course the family diversified as prohibition came to a close and now we’re primarily involved in textiles.”

  “Except for you,” Polly added.

  “Correct,” Leo continued as he paced the room. “But the surveillance system has remained in the house and has been updated year after year. It was something my dad was fanatical about, and well, my mom…” he trailed.

  “What Z’s saying,” Mac interrupted. “Is that this place is Fort Knox. No one gets in or out without being seen. This house is secure.”

  Leo turned to us and nodded. “It’s why we brought you here. I want you to feel safe and I want you to make yourself at home.”

  Leo smiled and turned to Polly. “As much as you possibly can.”

  17

  POLLY

  For the first time in a long time I didn’t feel like the third wheel. I wasn’t the extra person in the room. It had been at least two years since a handsome, intelligent man seemed interested in me.

  The beautiful Leo Xanthis had been watching me all day. Maybe it was because he overheard me talk about the mirrors on the ceiling at King’s house, but I didn’t care. I’d been appropriately embarrassed and went on my way.

  Z. What a sexy name. Although as he walked the room and explained the security system of his beautiful home I rolled the name Leo over and over in my mind and fantasized about what his dark wavy locks would look like out of the ponytail.

  I didn’t stop there. I wondered what his body looked like under the form-fitting jeans he was wearing ever so sexily. And I fantasized he had an unusual tattoo only a very few lucky ladies had seen.

  Who was I kidding? This man’s body had been seen and satisfied by plenty of women. Besides, he was probably not even into blondes.

  I dropped my head, disgusted with myself. In two short minutes I had a man drooling over me, analyzed him, wondered what he looked like naked and told myself he wouldn’t be interested in me. I was a psychology major that needed psychological help.

  I took a big breath and decided, as with most in the mental health field, I was nuts.

  “Is something wrong, cher?” Leo asked.

  “I’m just tired. The children were up early and I didn’t want to disturb Mac and Sam,” I smiled as I looked at them all happy, newly married and fresh from a night’s worth of hot sex and mirrors on the ceiling.

  “If you’re havin’ a sinkin’ spell, let me take you up to your room to rest,” he cooed.

  Was he coming on to me? Or was this genuine concern? I looked to Sam for a cue and she only smiled.

  “That would be nice,” I agreed.

  Leo took my hand and balanced my body as I pulled myself from deep inside the chair. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure, cher. Mac, I’ll return momentarily. Please make yourselves at home.”

  Sam gave me a smile and Mac raised one suspicious eyebrow in my direction to which I promptly scowled when Leo wasn’t looking.

  “Come this way, cher.”

  I held onto his arm as we walked the long staircase up to the second floor.

  “So I’m curious, Z.”

  “Please, call me Leo.” He spoke soft and low. “That is, unless you want me to treat you like one of the boys from the Bureau.”

  “So I’m curious….Leo,” I corrected. “Why all the cher business? Like French, chéri?”

  “It’s just a term of endearment. Like darlin’ or sweetheart.”

  “I see. And you call all women darlin’?” I asked, punching the word with as much Southern drawl as I was capable.

  “No, ma’am.”

  “What?” I laughed. “Of course you do. I’ve heard you say it the entire time I’ve been around you.”

  “I’ve only said it to you. But I won’t if you don’t like it, Polly.”

  “I didn’t say that,” I stuttered as he opened the door to the Golden Room. “This room is exquisite, by the way.”

  “I wanted you to have it especially,” he smiled as he looked around the room.

  “Really?” I asked with nervous anticipation. “Why?”

  “The room faces due west. It’s a beautiful sunset in the afternoon. It glows like your own personal ray of sunshine around five-thirty,” he drawled.

  “Really?” I hung onto the word, conforming my speech to match his.

  Leo walked to the French doors and opened them wide as a burst of light and fresh air entered the room. “This is a wonderful place for a mint julep in the evening,” he mused as he looked over the western end of the property.

  “How do you go from Stanford to the FBI?”

  “I didn’t. I went from Stanford to Yale for my Ph.D. Then Quantico and the Academy.”

  “I don’t understand guys like you and Mac. Your families have everything. They can give you everything. I mean, you don’t need to work. And you really don’t need to work in a job where you have a badge and a gun.”

  “Everything you say is true,” he agreed.

  “So why?” I asked. “I mean, if I’m not getting too personal.”

  “Why stop now?” he smirked.

  Leo stood in the doorway, and I watched his rugged face as the wind blew his hair. He was all sex with obvious intelligence. I didn’t know what I wanted to screw first – his mind or his body.

  “Mac and I are alike, I suppose. Two men with everything and yet willing to risk it all for a job they don’t need.”

  “What do you think that says about you?” I asked.

  “Are you analyzing me, Miss Benson?”

  “How’d you know my name?”

  “Polly Benson, twenty-seven from Montana. Your dad was a banker and your mother a homemaker. They died in a bus accident while vacationing in Chile. You’re an only child and you met Samantha at Princeton. You’ve got a degree in psychology, and you stayed with Samantha after her husband died and she was pregnant. I doubt that helping your best friend raise her two children now that she’s remarried is your idea of a challenge, so I’m wondering what might be next for you.”

  “Jesus,” I sighed. “I guess when you work for the FBI you can find out pretty much anything you want to about a girl.”

  “Why don’t you take a rest? I’ll have someone wake you so you can dress for dinner,” he smiled as his dark eyes twinkled in the sunlight.

  “What about the sunset…the mint juleps?”

  “We’ll do it another night,” he nodded and turned to leave.

  I watched him all the way out the door. He pulled the door shut and didn’t look back. I didn’t know what had just happened, but I was pretty sure even though Leo Xanthis hadn’t touched my body, my mind felt a little violated. And as I lay down on the bed and stared out the window, I sighed. I had to admit, I liked the feeling.

  “Polly?”

  I opened my eyes to find Samantha sitting beside me on the bed.

  “Did you have a nice nap?” she asked.

  “How long have I been asleep?”

  “Just a couple of hours. I wanted to wake you in case you wanted to shower before dinner.”

  “Sam?” I asked as I sat and rubbed my puffy eyes. “What do you think of Leo?”

  “Leo,” she paused.

  “He’s different. I mean he’s beautiful and all, but I get the feeling he likes to get inside a woman’s head as much as he enjoys getting inside her… you know.”

  “What did he say?”

  “I don’t know. He knows a crazy amount of information about me. Why do you think that is?”

  “I’m sure he’s got files on all of us. If he’s invited us into his home he’s checked us all out. Mac says he’s brilliant. All I know is if he’s the key to bringing Hector out of the woodwork so we can put him away for good, I’m all for it.”

  “I agree,” I sighed as I flopped onto my back and recalled my cher conversation with him.

  “If you don’t
like the extra attention, I’ll tell Mac. He’ll have him back off.”

  “God no,” I wailed. “Do you know how long it’s been since a man has paid any attention to me? Years.”

  “If I remember correctly, someone was canoodling with Dr. King Giles at my wedding not three days ago.”

  “Yeah, well. That was probably the champagne and the deep voice.”

  Sam laughed and I joined her. It felt good to release the tension by giggling with her again.

  “You really aren’t interested in King?” Sam asked.

  “There’s something about being with a man that knows more about my vagina than I do that is a little off-putting.”

  “He’s not a gynecologist, Polly.”

  “He’s a doctor, for crying out loud. And I suspect he’s spent a little off-duty time down there anyway.”

  “Every man thinks he’s a part-time gynecologist,” Sam laughed. “Really though, I think King is looking forward to you coming back to Shadeland when this is all said and done.”

  “And what will I do in Shadeland, Sam? Miss Celia’s going to raise the kids and you know it.”

  “You’ll always be their Polly. Dax won’t ever let anyone take your place.”

  I smiled knowing that my little Dax and I had a special bond that time and distance would never erase. I loved Celia and I was glad that Sam and Mac had her to raise the children at Lone Oak, but I wasn’t sure if Shadeland was the place for me anymore.

  “I’d never leave your life for good. But after this is all over and Hector is in jail, I might need to find my own way. You’ve got a wonderful husband, two beautiful children and an amazing future ahead of you. My work here is done,” I smiled.

  “I know I shouldn’t be selfish and want you to stick around. I know this.”

  “And you won’t be.”

  “What do you want to do next?”

  “I’m thinking I want to go back to school. Get my Ph.D.”

  “I guess Leo has his, huh?”

  “Yeah, he’s Dr. Leo Xanthis,” I sighed.

  “King would call him a paper doctor. Polly,” Sam remarked as she sat up in bed next to me. “You could have two doctors pining away for you. What do you think about that?”

  “If that’s true, I’m wondering why my life was void of men for so long and all at once two amazing men show up?”

  “When it rains, sister. It pours.”

  We giggled and I heard a knock at the door. “Come in,” I shouted.

  Mac opened the door and immediately shook his head.

  “Don’t be jealous, Mac,” Sam laughed as she bounded off the bed and into his arms.

  “I’m not jealous, baby. But I am here to let you both know cocktails are in one hour and we have been requested by the host to dress for dinner.”

  “How fancy,” I remarked. “I’ll look great in the jeans and t-shirts I brought with me. Although that’s probably good since whatever the children are eating will be on me anyway,” I laughed.

  “Adelay is feeding the children now, Polly. Z wanted to make sure you would be ah…unoccupied at dinner,” Mac explained with a sly smile.

  “See?” Samantha chimed. “I told you.”

  “I don’t have anything to wear,” I stammered.

  “I have lots of dresses. They were all for the streets of Paris. We might as well wear some of them.”

  “Sam, I don’t want to wear your wedding trousseau. That’s a little weird. Just tell Dr. Leo that I appreciate his offer, but I don’t have anything to wear.”

  “C’mon, Polly,” Sam lamented. “You know I don’t care.”

  “Fine. I’ll take a shower and just leave me something on the bed. Whatever you like the least in your suitcase will be fine.”

  Sam rolled her eyes at me and turned to leave. “Whatever,” she sighed.

  “You girls work it out. Sam, I’ll see you in the bedroom,” Mac smiled.

  I shook my head as Mac left and gave Sam a smirk. “I know what that means.”

  “Get in the shower, and I’ll come back with a dress. You’ll have to wear your own shoes,” Sam grimaced.

  I nodded knowing my size seven feet would never fit into Sam’s tiny size six shoes. “Hope no one minds my sandals.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine. It’s hard to be a fashionable girl when you’re on the run from a psychotic stalker,” Sam added.

  She closed the door and I went to my suitcase to have a quick look. Maybe something would do and I wouldn’t have to bother Sam. Alas, there were only jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, pajamas, and flip-flops. I probably didn’t even have enough clean underwear to last the next couple of days. I shook my head and began to undress, dropping my clothes at the tall armoire by the bed.

  I felt like a princess in this room. It was so ornate and lovely. If only I had a wardrobe to match it, I thought as I stared at myself in the mirror.

  I walked naked to the bathroom and flipped on the light. The crystal chandelier that lit the white marble room was delicate and beautiful. I looked around and found soap and shampoo. The question was whether I wanted to soak in the huge tub or quickly shower in the huge walk-in that encompassed the corner of the room.

  I shut the door and opted for the quick shower, knowing it might take some time to do my hair. I could at least look decent in the face if I wasn’t going to have anything to wear.

  I noticed the thick fluffy robe on the back of the door and pulled it off for closer inspection. There was a monogram over pocket. It was a large X. Xanthis. It was kind of hot how beautiful and smart he was – maybe too beautiful and smart for me.

  I showered quickly and pulled on the robe as I stepped out and onto the plush mat that enveloped my toes.

  I began to comb through my long blonde mane, thinking that I needed a haircut. I pulled the dryer from its holster on the wall, sat at the small white seat at the vanity and began to dry my hair. The cushion was embroidered and had a skirt that fell to the floor around it. I felt incredibly ostentatious as I sat in the robe as the breeze from the window high above the tub blew softly into the room.

  “I’m ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille,” I said to my reflection as I finished with the dryer.

  I walked back into my golden room and the french doors were once again open. Leo was right. The entire room radiated a vibrant warm hue. It was breathtaking.

  I walked to the doors to admire the setting sun and noticed on the table beside the door a note and a glass filled with what looked to be a mint julep, complete with a sprig of mint.

  I gasped and grabbed the note, hoping it was from him.

  Miss Polly,

  I trust you had a nice rest. This is to help you unwind before dinner and I’ve left a little something for you on the bed. Looking forward to this evening.

  Yours truly-

  Leo

  I could see from across the room the pillows had been rearranged and the linens fluffed from my afternoon nap. On the bed was a large white box. Next to it was a pink dress I’d helped Sam pick out for the honeymoon, but what was in the box?

  I untied the white bow on the lid and tossed it aside. Tissue paper flew with the breeze as I opened it to find a blue silk Zac Posen dress –size two. Underneath the remaining tissue were a pair of nude Valentino pumps – size seven. But how?

  My first thought was to be angry with Sam for telling him I didn’t have any clothes to wear tonight. My second thought was how beautiful the dress was.

  A tiny envelope was taped to the lid.

  Sip your drink, get dressed and join me downstairs, beautiful lady. Leo

  My heart skipped a beat. How was I supposed to respond to this? It’d been a long time since a man paid so much attention to me and I was unsure of how I felt about it. Sam was raised Southern, I was not. Men didn’t act this way. I wondered immediately if it was just an elaborate scheme to get me into bed with him quickly. I’m sure the routine had worked on plenty of girls.

  I grabbed the curling iron and plugged it in
. If he wanted to play, I’d give him a run for his money. I’d wear his dress and shoes. I would put on a dog and pony show he wouldn’t soon forget – hair, makeup and red lipstick – Chanel 97.

  “You wanna play this game, Leo?” I said to my reflection as I began to doll up. “You’re on.”

  I began to roll my hair and then remembered the mint julep on the table.

  “I’m gonna need this,” I muttered as I thought of Dr. Leo Xanthis. Dr. Hot-Ass-What-The-Hell-Am-I-thinking Xanthis.

  18

  MAC

  “Dan Kelley’s office.”

  “Hey, Micah. It’s Mac. Sorry to be calling so close to quittin’ time. But you know me.”

  “Yeah, I know you,” she rasped. “What’s up?”

  “I’ll be in tomorrow. I’m coming off the Quintes case. Z and Dan are going to take it from here.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  Micah wasn’t known for her tact, but at the same time, I didn’t know how much I wanted to hear from her right now.

  “I’m not –” I paused, taking a deep breath. “Kidding you.”

  “Just when it starts to heat up you’re going to walk away?”

  “Something like that,” I replied, trying my best not to lose my temper. I knew Micah meant well, but her delivery needed some work.

  “Well, I throw my hands up to you,” she spat.

  I lowered my voice and turned my back in case Sam might walk into the room. “Look Micah, don’t you think I want him? I want him bad. But now I’m married and I have Dax and Katy. You were right. My mind just isn’t in the right place anymore.”

  “You’re actually going to let someone else wrap this case and take down this psychotic piece of shit—who by the way has sent more than a few notes in the past year—to let you know what he intends to do with your wife when he gets her?”

  “There’s no need to remind me, Micah. For Christ’s sake, you’re making this even harder.”

  “You think I’m hard on you now,” she preached. “Wait until you get here tomorrow and I junk-punch some sense into you.”