Chapter 21 

-Listen to Your Heart 

Braylin goes back the way he came into the room where all the guests are gathered.  He sees Logan standing at the bar talking to some of the other guests.  Elise sees Braylin come into the room she walks quickly over to him. 

“Wow Braylin, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look pale.  I swear I see an actual emotion on your face.  What’s the matter sweetie, did your fake girlfriend sell her building to somebody else?”  Elise mockingly comments. 

“Elise, the emotion you see is disgust that you’re still here.  There are plenty of rich men in this room, why don’t you run along to see if any of them are interested in getting a new mistress whose best quality is keeping her mouth open while on her knees.”   

“You bastard…”  Elise raises her hand to slap Braylin across the face he catches her wrist. 

“Not tonight sweetheart.  I’m not into your sex games.”  He glowers at her. 

“You are a mean and insensitive man Braylin Hurst.  Someday someone is going to twist the knife in that cold heart of yours then you’ll know what it’s like to care about someone.”  Elise tells him her voice is full of pent up anger. 

“Care about someone, what would you know about caring for someone Elise. You’re a parasite.  You hang on to me because of my connections you like power and prestige.  You want to be the queen B in your little click.  I told you I wasn’t coming back….ever.  Accept it, I meant what I said.” 

Braylin takes a step away from her.  There are tears in her eyes, he knows what he said to her is harsh but he refuses to apologize after the way she treated Kara. 

“Stop it Elise.  It’s not going to work this time.”   He brushes past her walking away. 

Kara has come back into the room to find Braylin talking to Elise.  Nothing has apparently changed.  He’s still giving all of his attention to any other woman but her.  

Turning away from them she goes to the bathroom.  She opens the bathroom door and runs into Lauren.  The other woman holds the door open waiting for Kara to enter.  She follows behind her into the bathroom.

Kara primps at the mirror and washes her hands.  She doesn’t feel like dealing with another one of Braylin’s women but she’s not going to back down from either of them.  

“You know he’s not going to stay with you don’t you.”  Lauren walks closer to Kara as she turns off the water and reaches for a paper towel. 

Kara takes her time drying her hands while still looking in the mirror.  “Whatever Braylin and I do is between us.  I think he can make his own decisions.”   

“You poor girl, He’s spent most of the evening avoiding you.  Everyone here knows he’s only seeing you until he gets your land to finish off that property they have in mid-town.  I suggest if you want to be with a wealthy man, you better get back with Logan.  I don’t know why you broke up but he seems to still care for you.  Maybe if you go home with him tonight you can rekindle what you once had.”  Lauren smirks. 

“I don’t need advice from you Lauren.  Unlike you I don’t have to chase Braylin.  He came looking for me.  You can keep trying to convince yourself he’s with me because of my land, we both know he didn’t have to bring me here this weekend.  I’m not stopping him from seeing you.  He made that decision on his own.  You two broke up years ago, it doesn’t matter whether I’m with him or not, he still doesn’t want you.”  Kara closes her purse with a snap, she walks out of the bathroom praying she doesn’t fall on her face she’s so nervous. 

Lester, Michelle and Cameron are across the room when she enters the ballroom.  They are talking to a group of people.  Kara doesn’t want to return to their empty table she walks over to join them. 

“Hi.”  She says.  Lester places his hand gently on her back while Michelle and Cameron smile at her.  She moves closer to Lester circling her arm around his waist leaning in to him.  His face registers surprise but he doesn’t move his hand away from the small of her back. 

“Are you alright.”  Michelle looks at her knowingly concerned. 

“Yeah, fine.”  I…ohm….was just feeling a little alone by myself and I thought…”  Cameron reaches out to squeeze her hand while looking at her with that damnable Hurst smile. 

“It’s fine.  You’re here with us.  I don’t know where Braylin or Aaron are but we’ve got you.”  Cameron tells her as the people around them watch how welcoming they are to her.  Kara can’t help but smile.  Cameron is always charming and affectionate to her.  He introduces her to the people they are talking to.  

Nanna Rita is making her way around to talk to some of the guests.  Mellie (Amelia) in front of her.  She gets an up-close view of the woman’s man-eater appetite she is witnessing her lust filled stare of her grandson.  Nanna Rita has always been disgusted by Mellie’s wanton behavior, her lust for younger men is insatiable.  She is still upset that Mellie drugged her grandson in an attempt to seduce him a couple of years ago.  Mellie is following Braylin as he approaches the group of people in front of him.  

Kara is smiling at something Lester said to her.  Braylin admits to himself that he’s jealous.  He wants her to look at him the way she looked at Logan and is now looking at Lester.  She’s only had looks of contempt for him each time she has seen him this evening.  If he can convince her to go somewhere private maybe they can talk. He needs to hold her, he wants to tell her about the Monroe’s and why he was so angry.  He’s never discussed what happened to him with anyone outside of his family.  Everything that has happened tonight makes him want to trust Kara even less but he can’t seem to ignore the feelings he has for her.  He wants them to start over.

He likes being with her, he’d rather argue with her than make love to somebody else.  But what if he’s too late.  The way Logan touched her, she didn’t stop him from kissing her.  As he approaches it’s almost like Kara can feel him near her.  She turns around feeling his touch on her arm.  He slips his fingers through hers to hold her hand. Slowly he pulls her into his arms as they gaze into each other’s eyes. 

Mellie (Amelia) stops following Braylin after seeing him join his family members.  She recognizes some of the other people they are talking to but the person that makes her really take notice is the beautiful woman standing in between Lester and Cameron.  They make room for Braylin, he stands next to Kara.  

Amelia watches with jealousy the way he captures Kara’s hand.  Gently he pulls her into his arms kissing her on her scarred temple.  She closes her eyes savoring his touch.   He holds her possessively making it clear that she is with him this evening.   

Braylin glances at Logan across the room.  Logan is carefully watching how Kara responds to him.  His eyes shift to where Braylin’s hand rest on Kara’s butt.  She has her arm wrapped comfortably around his waist.  Her other hand rest against his chest. 

Amelia is also watching the body language between them, she knows the way they are looking at each other is no act. The sexual tension between them is combustible but there is also something wrong.  Kara is holding back.  She casually moves Braylin’s hand on her butt up to her waist he moves it back to her butt pinching her.  It makes her jerk into him.  She blushes nudging him in the chest. He nuzzles her neck she blushes more.  They are getting a lot of attention from other people besides her Amelia notices.  She sees the smiles on the faces of the people watching them.  They are a very attractive couple. 

Amelia doesn’t like what she is seeing.  She worked hard to get Logan to come back to the States after Liam botched her plan. She looks around for Logan.  Briana is talking to him but all his attention is on Kara.  James walks up behind Amelia sliding his arm around her waist to hold on to her before she can cause more mischief. 

“You’re staring at him.  Dammit Amelia do you have to make it so obvious that you still want him?  Is it necessary for you to shove it in my face tonight?  He’s with his girlfriend, his grandmother won’t stand for you interfering with them.”  James whispers in his wife’s ear. 

“You knew of my appetite when you married me James.  That old woman embarrassed me.  I admit that I am looking in their direction, I’m watching his girlfriend.  Do you know who she is?”  His wife ask him directly.  James doesn’t want to lie to her.  He finds he doesn’t have to. 

“Notice anything familiar about that beautiful woman he’s holding onto.  Don’t you think she looks like me?  Do you find her attractiv James?”  Amelia turns in her husband’s arms to stare into his disappointed eyes. 

“What has gotten into you? Let’s move away from here before he sees you.”  She allows her husband to guide her away from watching Braylin and Kara.  He leads her to the dance floor. 

“She’s my daughter James.”  Amelia lays her head on her husband’s shoulder wanting to be comforted by him.  He stops moving on the dance floor.  She’s such a contradiction of a woman.  He promised himself he wouldn’t get involved in this mess. Taking her by the hand he guides her to the veranda where they can talk. 

Kara is tired of standing in her heels, she feels like she is on display.  Finally she notices Logan sitting at a table watching her and Braylin with a disappointed smirk on his face.  She’s uncomfortable.  Feeling unsure if Braylin’s hold on her so attentively is to irritate Logan she removes her hand from his chest.   It occurs to her they are putting on a fake display for others watching them so closely.  

“Let go Braylin.”  She tells him.  He looks from her to Logan then back at her again. 

“Am I letting go because of him or because you are embarrassed other people are watching?”  Braylin comments. 

'You figure it out.”  She slides out of his grasp walking away. 

Braylin excuses himself from the business associate he was talking to.  He checks first to see if Logan is still sitting in the same seat.  He’s not, he’s on the dance floor with Briana. 

Braylin finds Kara back out on the veranda.  He follows her taking the same route he took earlier.  

“How long have you known Logan Spector?”  He stands a few feet away from her asking the question.  She spins around to confront him. 

She can’t describe the emotion on his face having never seen it before.  She knows he’s mad about Logan and probably so many other things that have happened between them. It’s been a horrible night.  She’s tired, her feet ache, she wants to go back to the house.  She would rather leave the Hamptons.    She doesn’t want to discuss her former relationship with Logan but she knows there is no way around it.  

“I’m not going to ask you again.”  He slides his hand around her neck tilting her head up to look into his cold eyes.  His fingers are caressing the nape of her neck.   

“Let go and I’ll tell you.”  Braylin releases her taking a step away from her. 

“Sorry, I….”  He caresses her cheek.”  His lips are pressed into a thin line.  She doesn’t want him to touch her now.  He just can’t seem to get anything with her right this evening.  

“We met the year my father died.  I had to go talk to his attorney about his will.  I went to this building I had never been in before and the attorney’s secretary told me to go down the hall and wait in this room.  I guess I was still distraught.   I went to the wrong room.  It was Logan’s attorney’s office suite.  He was there waiting for his own attorney.  When he saw me come in he became concerned, he said it was because of the way I looked.” 

Braylin listens to her intently.  Crossing his arms he releases a snort of derision.   “Hmph…..Yeah, I’m sure he liked the way you looked.” 

Kara is already pissed at him and his anger about Logan takes a lot of nerve considering the women that spent the night hanging all over him in her presence. 

“Hmph yourself Braylin Hurst.  It wasn’t like that.  I was emotional.  I had just lost my father.  Logan was patient, kind, helpful.  He calmed me down that day.  He cancelled all of his meetings and stayed with me.”  

Braylin frowns watching her face take on a half-smile in remembrance of her first meeting with Logan. The impression Logan made is still with her.  She wraps her arms around herself as if reliving a hug or caress.  He doesn’t like it.  He doesn’t like her being associated with Logan or Liam or any other man except him.  He continues to watch her with a scowl on his face as hers takes on a dreamy quality talking about another man.  Now Braylin’s sorry he asked her about it. 

“We went around the corner from the attorney’s office and had coffee.  We must have talked for hours.”   I wasn’t in a good place back then and Logan helped me through a rough time in my life.  He was, he is a good friend.  I’m sorry we lost touch.”  

Braylin squints his eyes.  She is speaking as if in a daze, the frown on her face smooths out, she looks up at him with wide sorrowful eyes finally recognizing she was daydreaming of another man in his presence.  

Kara stops talking when she sees the sneer on his face.  His hands are in his pockets he’s standing ridged.  He only seems to have that menacing look whenever he’s around her.  Logan is a friend and she’s not going to give him up because her fake boyfriend is pissed at him over a business deal. 

“I’ve never seen you look like that when describing a friend Kara, is that all Logan is to you?” 

“He was more at one time.  I consider him a friend now.  Like I said.  I was in a bad place back then.  Logan wanted more out of our relationship but I didn’t want to cheat him.  I didn’t think it was fair to him that we continue the type of relationship we had while I was still mourning my father.”  Kara responds. 

Braylin lets out a heavy sigh.  He walks to the edge of the veranda to look down. Why won’t she say it?  Why won’t she tell him she was in love with Logan?  He asked her to marry him.  Does she want to now?  

“And now…..it’s been three years.  Do you plan to return to that relationship you had with him?  Are you going to see him behind my back?”  Braylin lays it out for her.  He has to know. 

“I….I wouldn’t do that.  You and I have a deal and I’ll honor it even if you don’t.  Logan and I were close back then, I’m not so sure about how he feels now.  We haven’t discussed it.” 

“Do you plan to discuss it with him?  I mean do you want to be…..close to him again?”  

The scowl on his face is deeper.  He’s already gripping the railing. Kara doesn’t understand why he’s acting this way.  Why all the questions.  Is he that concerned that she will embarrass him? 

“You have no right to ask me about my past relationships or what relationships I have with anyone in the future.  I said I will honor our agreement and I will.  That doesn’t mean I can’t have friends.  Logan is a loyal friend and I’m not giving him up because you don’t like him.”  

“Braylin there you are.  I’ve been looking all over for you.”  Lauren has walked onto the veranda.  She walks past Kara ignoring her.  Braylin doesn’t look happy to see her either. 

“What the hell do you want Lauren.  Can’t you see we are having a private conversation?  He runs his fingers through his hair in frustration?”  Braylin looks from her to Kara. 

“This is great, just great Braylin.  You don’t want me to talk to someone I consider a friend, yet you can’t keep your girlfriends from chasing you.  I need to get out of here.  I can’t take this anymore.”  Kara gathers her dress hurrying from the veranda. 

She’s on her way back to her table.  Cameron and Michelle are talking to Nanna Rita.  Some of the guest have already left for the evening, it looks like the three of them are about to do the same. 

“Why are you here Lauren?”  Braylin is tired.  He wants to get Kara and go. 

“Braylin, why are you still with her.  Are you going to take her home?”  Logan is here why don’t you let him do it so that we can have a nightcap.  You can come to my place.”   Lauren approaches him leaning into him she lays her hand on his chest.   He grips her forearms to keep her from getting closer.  She doesn’t miss the look of fury on his face. 

“She’s not going anywhere with Logan, Lauren.  She’s with me.  I don’t give a damn what you, Logan or anybody else thinks of it.  I’m the one taking her home tonight.”  Braylin let’s her arms go leaving her with her mouth open in shock. 

James Monroe has talked Mellie (Amelia) into leaving for the night.  He ask her to wait for him by the bar while he gets her purse from their table.  Amelia is impatient and determined to have her way.  Kara comes into the room.  Amelia finishes off the half shot of scotch that James was drinking left at the bar.  She needs some liquid courage to approach her own child.  She doesn’t know if Kara is aware of her attempts to seduce Braylin.  She doesn’t think he will talk about what happened on that night to anyone.  The tabloids even got the story all wrong her actual involvement remains a secret to this day because the Hurst family managed to pay everyone off.  

Braylin walks back into the room in time to see Mellie Monroe approaching Kara.  All he can think is she is about to ruin any chance he could ever have with Kara if she tells her about that night.  He hates Mellie.  She is an evil sorceress, a cougar of the worse kind.  She feeds on control and sex.  He can’t understand why her husband stays with her.  Everyone knows how bad she treats James.  Her flings with other men are talked about endlessly.  He has to get to her before she can get to Kara. 

Logan sees Braylin walking toward Amelia (Mellie) who is approaching Kara.  His intent is to stop Braylin from getting to Kara first.  He is hindered in his efforts by James grabbing his arm. 

“Stay out of it Logan.”  The look of fury on James face makes Logan back down.  Nanna Rita has managed to position herself in Braylin’s path.  She walks up to her grandson grabbing his arm to hold him off. 

“Braylin, you will understand why I am doing this momentarily.  My dear she is going to need you shortly, I need you to be strong for her.”  Nanna Rita tells him but he doesn’t understand.  He looks from his grandmother to where Mellie Monroe is laying her hand on Kara’s shoulder to get her attention. 

Kara turns around feeling the touch on her shoulder.  Amelia (Mellie) takes a step back.  She can see a haze of faces surrounding them.  People left at the gala have noticed the striking resemblance between the two women as they stand facing each other.  They are the same height, each wears the same bracelet on opposite arms.  Kara is wearing the bracelet Braylin gave her on her left wrist while wearing a single bracelet with a heart on it from the set of charm bracelets her father gave her on her right.  Amelia wears the same single bracelet on her left wrist given to her by her former husband.  A diamond bracelet given to her by James is on her right. 

Their hair is even done up in similar ways.  Kara’s is natural, a deep brown color with highlights while Amelia’s is a dark highlighted blond.  They each have a permanent small mole just below their bottom lip that is only recognizable up close.  Seeing them standing so close together, the resemblance between them is unmistakable.  There is no doubt they are related.  Michelle gets her husband’s attention as she recognizes the resemblance, he is talking to Lester.  They walk