“Why did you have her tracked down?” Cobra asked her grandfather, as if he had every right to know.
“Because I was notified by the college that she was missing. Of course, the first thing I assumed was that she had been kidnapped, so I called in the FBI. After their investigation, they determined there was no foul play. She had left of her own free will. That’s when I hired Landon’s PI firm to make sure, regardless of what the FBI said,” her grandfather explained.
Cobra nodded again, then turned and met her gaze. “I take it you hadn’t been kidnapped.”
Desiree started to speak, but her grandfather beat her to it. “No, Allison hadn’t been kidnapped. She’d wanted a break from school, and without letting me know of her plans, she left college in Memphis with two other girls. They took off for an entire semester, traveling all over the country just partying and having a good time.”
She was more grateful than she cared to admit when Cobra changed the subject. “What school did you attend in Memphis?”
“Rhodes College.”
“It’s a liberal arts school, right?”
“Yes.”
Of course, her grandfather was intent on putting his two cents in again. “I wanted her to go to Harvard,” he said, disappointment evident in his voice. “Her grandmother and I graduated from there. So did her father.”
Desiree scowled at her grandfather. “Too bad we can’t always have what we want.”
Like a young girl desperate for her grandfather’s love, one who long ago accepted that she’d never have it, because her mother’s blood also ran through her veins,Desiree thought.
“Allison, will you dance with me?” Cobra asked. When she narrowed her eyes, he amended his request, “Desiree,will you dance with me?”
She was tempted to refuse, telling him that she didn’t want to do anything with him, but at that moment, she desperately needed to calm her nerves. Thanks to her grandfather, they were shot to hell.
He was so quick to point out anything she did wrong. Would he ever be proud of her for doing something right? While at Rhodes, she had made the Dean’s List every single semester. Even after taking a semester off school, she’d still graduated on time with honors.
She nodded. “I’d like that.”
Cobra smiled at her grandfather, Landon, and Monica, and said, “Please excuse us.”
Then, taking Desiree’s hand, he led her onto the dance floor just as the live band started playing a slow song.
CHAPTER 3
If Desiree’s frown was anything to go by, Cobra could tell that she really hadn’t wanted to dance with him, but had wanted to remain in her grandfather’s presence even less. It was obvious the two didn’t have much of a relationship. From the conversations Richard had shared with him, his granddaughter had been a handful while she was growing up. Cobra had gathered that instead of being firm, Richard had taken the path of least resistance and had catered to her every whim.
Now, after hearing how she’d taken a semester off school without bothering to tell her grandfather, causing him unnecessary stress and worry, he figured he’d been right. She was inconsiderate and selfish. Just the way he’d assumed her to be.
And what was there about the name Allison that seemed to bring out the worst in some women? First, there was Allison/ Bernice—the woman who was the cause of his current predicament. And now he’d met this Allison, who preferred to be called Desiree. Not that he had a problem with that—the name Allison left a bad taste in his mouth anyway.
Besides, the name Desiree suited her. Because something about her had desire sizzling through his veins. Talk about living up to a name; the first six letters of hers literally spell ‘desire’.
As they moved to the music, she turned and met his gaze. She had the most beautiful hazel eyes he’d ever seen—a perfect blend of brown, green, and gold.
“Thanks for asking me to dance, Cobra.”
He wished that he didn’t like the way his name sounded on her lips. Her French accent was a turn-on. It wasn’t too heavy, probably because she had moved to the States when she’d only been twelve. “Thanks for accepting. I should admit, though, that I did it more for Richard than for you. You should try not to aggravate him so much.”
He could tell from her glare that she hadn’t liked what he’d said. Unfortunately, a glare from those gorgeous hazel eyes just revved his libido, rather than put his bluntness in check. “And what about him aggravating me?” she asked in a clipped voice.
“He gets a pass.”
Her glare deepened. “Why? Is it because he’s one of your most important clients and you don’t want to get on his bad side?”
If that was what she thought, she was definitely wrong. The reason he and Richard Sharpe got along so well was because Cobra wasn’t anybody’s ‘yes’ man—he wouldn’t hesitate to tell Richard what he thought. The old man often told Cobra that he was the only snake he could trust. Cobra knew Richard wasn’t used to being defied. But over the years, Desiree had obviously learned how.
“No. because at his age, he deserves peace rather than aggravation.”
