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Passionate payback
They say you can forgive but you can never forget. Virgil Bougard takes that saying to heart. Four years ago Kara Goshay believed a vicious lie about him and ended their relationship. And even after her apology, Virgil is still bitter. He doesn’t intend to make things easy for Kara when his family’s firm hires her PR company to revamp his playboy image. But faking a liaison with Kara for the media backfires when the line between fantasy and reality is blurred by strong sexual attraction.
Kara wanted forgiveness. Instead she’s deep into a heated affair with the powerful, charismatic man she can’t resist. The man who claims he’ll never forgive her, especially when a secret enemy puts her professional reputation in jeopardy. Stakes are high—but so is their searing desire, a connection so intense it could possibly tame this elusive, unforgiving bachelor at last...
“Now we’re giving them something to look at,” he said in a deep, husky voice that sent shivers down her spine.
“Are we?”
A smile touched the corners of his lips. “If you don’t believe me, just watch.” And he then leaned and kissed their joined hands.
Kara couldn’t stop the tremble that immediately coursed through her. She licked her lips when a familiar sensation stirred in the lower part of her body. “Do you think this is necessary?” she asked, letting out a slow, controlled breath.
“Don’t you?” he asked softly. “Tell me what you think, since you came up with the action plan. Was this not what you had in mind for the woman I was to date exclusively? Were we not supposed to give people the impression that we’re all into each other?”
“Yes, but I wasn’t supposed to be that woman, Virgil.”
“But unfortunately, Kara, you are now that woman. Now lean toward me a bit. Don’t ask why, just do it.”
Drawing in a deep breath, and with their hands interlinked and heat spreading up her thighs, she leaned in closer.
Dear Reader,
I’m so glad to bring another Bachelors in Demand novel to you. We’ve already seen four bachelors happily married off, and now there are only two remaining.
I guess you can say that I saved the best two for last...
Bachelor Unforgiving’s hero is Virgil Bougard. There is nothing worse than an affair that goes bad. Especially when a trust factor is involved, it could make things even worse. Kara Goshay finds out the hard way that when it comes to making a mistake, some men can be unforgiving...like Virgil. However, Kara is convinced that love can hide a multitude of faults, and one should be forgiven for their mistakes. The problem is trying to convince Virgil of that.
I hope all of you enjoy reading Virgil and Kara’s story.
Happy Reading!
Brenda Jackson
www.millsandboon.co.uk
BRENDA JACKSON is a New York Times bestselling author of more than one hundred romance titles. Brenda married her childhood sweetheart, Gerald, and has two sons. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida. She divides her time between family, writing and traveling. Email Brenda at authorbrendajackson@gmail.com or visit her on her website at brendajackson.net.
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged.
Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
—Luke 6:37 NIV
Acknowledgments
To the man who will always and forever be the love of my life, Gerald Jackson, Sr.
To all my readers who have waited patiently for another Bachelors in Demand novel, this one is for you.
Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
Introduction
Dear Reader
Title Page
About the Author
Quote
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Copyright
Prologue
Kara Goshay knew she couldn’t put it off any longer. After all, the main reason she’d attended tonight’s event was to seek out Virgil Bougard. She owed him an apology and she intended to give it to him. Nothing would stop her. Not even the cold, hard glares he’d given her all evening.
She had no illusions about not being one of his favorite people. Four years ago while they had been in an exclusive affair she had accused him of doing something she now knew he hadn’t done. She was woman enough to admit when she’d made a mistake, and in this case, she had made a big one.
She drew in a deep breath as she watched him. He was standing in a group, talking to five other men. She knew them. They were his godbrothers. Virgil had told her the story of how, close to forty years ago, six guys had become best friends while attending Morehouse and on graduation day had made a pact to stay in touch by becoming godfathers to each other’s children, and that the firstborn sons’ names would start with the letters U through Z. And that was how Uriel Lassiter, Virgil Bougard, Winston Coltrane, Xavier Kane, York Ellis and Zion Blackstone had come to have their names.
She eyed the group of men. All six were extremely handsome, but there was something about Virgil that had captured her from the first moment they had met. He’d walked into the room at a charity event, much like this one, looking as if he’d strolled right off the cover of GQ. She was convinced every woman at the black-tie affair that night had done a double take and concluded that no man could be that gorgeous.
Later that night, when he’d approached her and asked her to dance, she’d gotten a close-up view, and she discovered that she was wrong. He had been that gorgeous. Standing over six-three with a muscular build that would make any woman’s mouth water, Virgil Bougard gave greater meaning to the phrase tall, dark and handsome.
She continued to watch Virgil interact with his godbrothers. When he wasn’t sending hard stares her way, he was smiling at something one of them said. He and his godbrothers were close, and no doubt he’d told them what she had accused him of doing. However, she appreciated that, whenever her path crossed any of theirs, they were always pleasant.
Virgil had come to the party tonight alone. And as if he still had radar where she was concerned, his gaze had unerringly found her when he had entered the ballroom. If looks could kill, she wouldn’t have any life in her body right now.
Drawing in a courageous breath, she placed her wineglass on the tray of a passing waiter. Straightening her spine, she crossed the room to where Virgil stood. She would take her chances and ask to speak with him privately. She hoped that, although he felt nothing but loathing for her, he would grant her that request.
As if he sensed her impending approach, Virgil glanced her way. The blatant animosity she saw in his eyes nearly made her weak in the knees. The only thing that kept her moving forward was knowing any anger he felt toward her was justified.
Two of his godbrothers also noticed her approach. She saw a warning flash in Xavier’s eyes, giving her a heads-up that to tangle with Virgil tonight wasn’t a good idea, that maybe she should turn around and head the other way.
The look she saw in Uriel’s gaze was unreadable. She figured he was curious as to how she could summon the nerve to come within ten feet of Virgil, given his propensity to hold a grudge. These men knew better than anyone Virgil’s unforgiving nature.
Kara slowly blew out a strained breath when she approached the men. Six pairs of eyes were now staring intently at her. “Hello, guys. Good seeing you again,” she said, fighting back her nervousness.
Not surprisingly, it was Uriel who responded. He was the oldest of the six and she figured he’d decided to take the initiative to be the spokesman. “Kara. It’s good seeing you, as well.”
“Thanks. And I understand congratulations are in order, Uriel, Winston, Xavier and York, on your marriages.” Earlier she had noticed the women they were with. All beautiful women.
The four men said thanks simultaneously.
She then turned her attention to Zion. “And I want to congratulate you, as well, Zion. Your jewelry is beautiful and your success is much deserved.” Zion, the youngest of the six, was a world-renowned jewelry maker who’d received international acclaim after being selected as the First Lady’s personal jeweler.
“Thanks, Kara.”
Everyone had responded to her in some way except Virgil. He just stood there and continued to stare at her. His eyes were so cold she felt the icy chill all the way to her bones. She took a deep breath and then said, “Hello, Virgil.”
He didn’t return her greeting, just continued to give her a cold stare. But she pushed on. “May I speak with you privately for a minute?”
“No. We have nothing to say to each other.”
Virgil’s tone was so hard Kara was tempted to turn and walk away. But she refused to do that. She would get him alone even if she had to provoke him into it. She lifted her chin, met his gaze and smiled ruefully. “I understand your not wanting to risk being alone with me, Virgil. Especially since you’ve never been able to control yourself where I’m concerned.”
The narrowing of Virgil’s eyes indicated she might have gone too far by bringing up their past relationship and reminding him of how taken he’d once been with her.
He continued to stare at her for the longest time. Silence surrounded the group and she figured Virgil was well aware the two of them had not only drawn the attention of his godbrothers but a few others in the room who’d known they’d once been a hot item.
Finally Virgil slowly nodded. “You want to talk privately, Kara?” he asked in a clipped voice that was shrouded with a daring tone, one that warned she might regret the request. “Then by all means, lead the way.”
* * *
Virgil followed Kara as she made her way through the crowded ballroom. He thought she was headed toward the patio, but instead she turned and opened the door that connected to a hallway where several small meeting rooms were located. Evidently she wasn’t going to risk their conversation being overheard.
Honestly, he didn’t give a royal damn. She was lucky he hadn’t called her out right in the middle of the ballroom and told her just what he thought of the comment she’d made. The only thing that had held him in check was the warning looks he’d gotten from his godbrothers to behave himself. He reminded himself that Kara Goshay meant nothing to him anymore. No matter what she thought, she was the last woman who could tempt his control while he was alone with her.
“I don’t plan on going any farther, so say whatever you have to say right here, Kara.”
She stopped walking, turned around and met his gaze. He thought the same thing tonight he’d thought the first time he’d met her almost five years ago. Kara had the most striking eyes of any woman he’d ever seen. They were a silvery gray and were perfect for her almond-colored complexion. That hadn’t been her only asset to grab his attention the night they’d met. She was a bona fide female from top to bottom. Even now he couldn’t keep his gaze from trailing from the soles of her stilettos, up her shapely legs, past a small waist and perfect breasts before pausing briefly to take in the mass of medium brown curls around her shoulders. Topping everything off was a very beautiful face.
And then there was the gown she wearing. The peach mermaid style made her resemble a goddess. He couldn’t help noticing when she’d been walking ahead of him how it hugged every curve and flared around her legs at the bottom, giving her a graceful yet sensual appeal. It was as if the gown had been made just for her.
He drew in an angry breath. How was it possible that after all she’d done to him...to them...he could still find her extremely attractive and so desirable? At the moment, he refused to acknowledge that even with all the animosity he felt toward her, the air around them crackled with sexual tension and awareness.
Narrowing his gaze, he said, “You’ve got one minute.”
He watched as she breathed in deeply, which made her breasts appear to press even more against the evening gown she was wearing. How he’d loved her breasts— He cut off the memory, frowning as he wondered why he was thinking about that now.
“All right,” she said softly, breaking into his thoughts. “I wanted to speak with you privately, Virgil, to apologize. I found out a few days ago that Marti lied to me about you.”
If she thought her apology exonerated her for not trusting him, then she was wrong. “It took you four years to find out just what a liar your sister is? Honestly, I could care less what you now know, Kara.”
“Will you accept my apology?”
“No.”
“No?” She actually sounded surprised.
“No. Why should I? I tried to convince you of my innocence and you refused to believe me. Instead you chose to believe your sister’s lies. So now you’ve found out the truth and expect me to forgive you for throwing away all we had? No.”
“I had no idea Marti would deliberately lie about you.”
“You should have trusted me enough to believe I would not have betrayed you. Without trust, love is nothing and you proved what we shared was nothing.”
He then glanced at his watch. “Now if you will excuse me, your minute is up.”
Without giving her a chance to say anything else, he turned and headed down the hallway that led back to the ballroom.
Chapter 1
Six months later
“How was the wedding?”
Virgil glanced up when his father walked into his office. For a minute he had forgotten his old man had arrived in town that morning. While growing up Matthew Bougard had been his idol and he still was. Although it seemed that lately, as they both got older, father and son didn’t always agree on things. He couldn’t help wondering what had brought his father back to Charlotte that morning. All the text message he’d received last night had said was to expect him around ten. And like clockwork, he was here.
“The wedding was nice, although it’s hard to believe another Steele got married. Tyson surprised all of us.”
Matthew chuckled as he took the chair across from Virgil’s desk. “I can imagine. But did you honestly think those Steeles would be die-hard bachelors forever? Take a look at your own godbrothers.” The Steele family were good friends of theirs.
Virgil frowned. “I’d rather not.” Doing so would make him recall how he and his five godbrothers had formed the Guarded Hearts Club almost four years ago, right after his breakup with Kara Goshay. At the time all six godbrothers had been going through their own personal hell with women and made a pledge to remain single forever. Now four had defected. He and Zion were the only unmarried members left and they were determined to keep the club going, no matter what.
“Well, I am proud of my four godsons and their decisions to settle down and marry. Look at your mom and me, Virgil. We’ve been happily married close to forty years now.”
Virgil hoped his father wasn’t about to start his never-ending sermon about love, happiness and the pursuit of marriage. He’d heard it enough over the years; hearing it again wouldn’t change a thing. Yes, he knew his parents had a long and happy marriage. He knew his father considered his mother his queen and she considered Matthew her king. He even knew—although he’d rather not think about it—that they still had a very active sex life. He’d discovered that upon arriving in the Keys unexpectedly last summer to join them on their vacation. It was supposed to be a surprise for them but ended up being a shocker for him when he’d walked in on his parents making out like teens.
Matthew and Rhona had met while attending college in Atlanta. His father had graduated from Morehouse and his mother from Clark Atlanta University. Instead of returning to Houston, where he’d been born and raised, Matthew asked Rhona to marry him and they settled in her hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Just in case a sermon was on his father’s agenda, Virgil quickly asked, “So, Dad, what brings you back to Charlotte?”
His father was still CEO of Bougard Enterprises, though he rarely came into the office anymore, leaving Virgil, as second in command, to make most of the day-to-day decisions. His parents were often busy traveling, and just last year they’d bought a home in Houston with the intention of spending more time there.
But Matthew Bougard was well aware of every aspect of BE’s business. He was sharp and highly intelligent, which was how he’d taken a small financial company he’d founded right out of college and made it into one of the largest hedge fund corporations in the country. And thanks to a few recent deals, they could now even boast of going global.
His father remained quiet for a moment and then said, “I’m thinking about retiring, Virgil.”
Virgil sat up straight in his chair. “You really mean it this time?”
Matthew chuckled. “Yes. Leigh informed us on Friday that she and Chad are expecting a baby,” his father said, beaming heartily. “That means your mom and I will be grandparents.”
Virgil couldn’t help but smile. He knew how much being grandparents meant to them. His younger sister had married her childhood sweetheart a few years ago after they both finished medical school. Last year Leigh and Chad had opened a medical complex in Houston and were doing just great.
“I need to call Leigh and Chad to congratulate them. Congratulations to you and Mom, as well,” Virgil said.
“Thanks. I’d like to spend more time in the Keys as well as in Houston. Plus I promised your mom we’d do more international travel. She really enjoyed that Mediterranean cruise I took her on last year.”
His father leaned back in his chair and studied him. From the close scrutiny, Virgil got the feeling there was more to come regarding his father’s pending retirement. “My decision to retire depends on you, Virgil.”
Virgil lifted a brow. “How does your decision to retire depend on me?”
His father leaned forward and Virgil knew this would be one of those Matthew Bougard deeply serious moments. Virgil wasn’t sure if he was mentally prepared for it this early in the morning.
“You have a reputation, Virgil.”
He didn’t have to wonder what his father was alluding to. It was well-known around Charlotte and the surrounding areas that Virgil Matthew Bougard was an ardent womanizer. As far as he was concerned, he had no reason not to be if that was the lifestyle he chose. He wasn’t married, nor was he in an exclusive relationship with any woman. So in his defense he could do whatever the hell he wanted to do and with whomever he chose.
“I’m a thirty-five-year-old single man, Dad. There’s no reason I shouldn’t enjoy female company whenever I want it.”
“Well, there’s that incident with Whitney Hilton that won’t go away as much as I wish it would. Marv Hilton hasn’t forgotten about it.”
Virgil released a deep sigh. That had been almost two years ago. Why couldn’t the man get over it? Would that be the scandal that haunted him forever? Marv Hilton had been one of their biggest clients and Whitney was his twenty-five-year-old daughter. Her father had brought her along on one of his business trips to Hawaii when BE had held a meeting at the same time.
“She came to my hotel room. I didn’t go to hers.”
“I know but to Marv none of that matters. You slept with his daughter, and as her father, he was livid.”
Virgil recalled the man had been so livid that he’d dropped his account with Bougard Enterprises. Drawing in a deep breath, he could now admit when he’d gotten out of the shower and found Whitney naked and stretched out on his bed, he should have tossed her out of his room. But that option had quickly left his mind when she’d proceeded to give him one badass blow job. Her father had found out about the incident, which Virgil suspected had been intentional. Whitney wanted to get back at her father for forcing her into an engagement with some rich, old oil baron from Texas.
“That was almost two years ago, Dad.”
“Yes, but Marv Hilton still wants blood, especially since her fiancé called off the wedding. Marv blames you for that. He swears his daughter was a virgin up to that time and she was saving herself for her wedding. However, I’m sure you know better.”
Yes, Virgil definitely knew better since Whitney had boasted about her very active sex life that night. And the only thing she was saving was herself—from being forced into marrying a man old enough to be her father.
“You’ve done a great job running things in my absence, Virgil.” His father intruded into his thoughts. “And there’s no doubt in my mind the company would be in good hands if I were to retire. But we have to do something about cleaning up your image, especially if we want Paul Wyman’s business. He and I have talked. But he’s heard about you from Hilton, and Wyman has three daughters he’s concerned about.”
Virgil’s gaze narrowed. “You make me sound like someone who goes after anything in a skirt.”
“Well, that’s the impression that’s out there and Hilton is milking it for all it’s worth. Such an image could eventually hurt the company.”
Virgil stood, walked over to the window and stared out at downtown Charlotte. It was the second week in August and already the sun was beating down, guaranteeing it would be another hot day. Drawing in a deep breath, he slowly turned around.
Knowing his father, Virgil was certain the old man had a plan, one he’d thought out thoroughly. That’s the way Matthew Bougard worked. If there was a problem, he came up with a solution. Virgil just hoped it was one he could go along with. “Okay, what do you suggest?”
“I think we should hire a good PR consultant, one who will come in and clean up your womanizing image.”
Virgil frowned. “Do you really think that’s necessary, Dad?”
“Yes. Hilton is claiming that you seduced his daughter. So I hope you can see the need to take proactive measures.”
Virgil walked back over to his desk and sat down. Like his father said, Marv Hilton was out for blood. His. Unfortunately the man ran in circles with people who were potential clients for Bougard Enterprises.
“Fine. Do what you think is best. If you think hiring a PR firm will work, let’s do it.”
“I figured you would understand, so for the past couple of weeks I’ve been checking out firms. The one I suggest using comes highly recommended.”
“Great,” he said drily. “What’s the name of the company?”
“Goshay PR and Image Consultants.”
Virgil was out of his seat in a flash. “That’s out of the question. You know Kara owns that business.”
“Yes.”
Virgil was fuming. “Then why on earth would you want to hire her?”
“Calm down, Virgil. The reason I’m hiring Kara’s company is because she’s the best. Anyone who could clean up Senator Jack Payne’s reputation after that scandal involving him and those women—and get him reelected—can surely clean up yours without a problem.”