Lily (ScentSations Empire Book 4) Read online

  Lily

  Copyright © 2018 by Colbie Kay

  All rights reserved.

  Names, characters, and incidents depicted in this book are the product of the authors’ imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, email, information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the authors, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Designer: Tracie Douglas with Dark Water Covers

  Editing: Maria Vickers

  Formatting: Stacey Blake, Champagne Book Design

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  Playlist

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Other Books by Colbie Kay

  To all the women that found their real life book boyfriend.

  I DON’T KNOW WHY I even bother with this shit anymore. After a weekend out, Monday morning rolls around, and it’s one ridiculous article after another on every fucking social media site and magazine. Can I not have some privacy? I guess not being a Wentworth; it comes with the territory.

  Sighing heavily, I begin to read. Front page news: Caleb Wentworth, Savannah’s most eligible bachelor was spotted at the hottest nightclub in Georgia with Giselle Drake. Will she be the lucky one to become Mrs. Wentworth?

  Christ sakes it was dinner people! Turning off my computer, I stand up from my desk chair and walk over to the wall of windows in my office. I look down from the twentieth floor, and my mind drifts.

  I pull into the iron gates of my grandfather’s two-million-dollar mansion. Taking the key out of the ignition, I step out of my black Benz and adjust my gray Armani suit. My grandfather’s been expecting me, and with the security cameras, I’m not surprised Gerald is already waiting for me with the front doors open. “Mr. Wentworth,” He acknowledges with a dip of his chin.

  “Gerald, nice to see you.” Gerald has been my grandfather’s butler for as long as I can remember. They are growing in age together, both wrinkled and not a hair left on their heads.

  “He’s waiting in the library for you.”

  I walk through the first floor until I get to the room with chairs, walls made of shelves filled top to bottom with books, and a ladder that slides left to right in order to reach the top. My grandfather spins around to face me in his wheelchair. With a smile on his lips and a lit Cuban cigar between his fingers, he says, “Hello, Caleb.”

  “Grandfather.”

  “Have a seat.” He waves his hand over to one of the empty deep brown leather chairs. “I’ve called you here today because it’s your twenty-ninth birthday. You know I’m retiring soon, Caleb, and I want you to take over the company.” Elated, I grin like a Cheshire cat. Happy Birthday to me!

  This is what I have worked so fucking hard for since graduating college. Just turning twenty-nine years old, I would be the youngest person to ever take over a competitive investment firm. It’s my ultimate goal, and I have busted my ass to get where I am today.

  A cloud of smoke rolls from his mouth. “There is one stipulation of course.”

  My brows pull down with confusion. “What is it?”

  He puts the cigar out in the ashtray sitting on the table between my chair and the empty one. His gleaming eyes connect with my worried ones. “You have to be married by the time you turn thirty. I’m keeping the company for one more year. If you are married on your thirtieth birthday, then I will sign it over to you.” My birthday suddenly turned to shit, and all of my hopes and dreams deflated with his idiotic stipulation. Who orders someone to get married? It’s asinine!

  I laugh in his face at the audacity, and for a moment, I think he was only kidding, but the seriousness in his frown, the coldness in his stare tells me otherwise. My fit of laughter dies. “You can’t be serious, Grandfather!”

  His eyes narrow to small slits. “I assure you, I am completely serious, and if you are not married by the time you turn thirty, I will sign the company over to Wyatt Enders.”

  My jaw practically hits the marble floor. “Wyatt Enders! Grandfather, he doesn’t know his head from his ass!” I try to make him see reason while shaking my head.

  “Then you better start trying to find a wife, Grandson.” He gives me one final evil smirk before rolling himself out of the room. I’m frozen. What the hell just happened? Why would he put a condition like that on me?

  A bird hits the window, breaking me out of the flashback. That conversation happened nine months ago, and I’m not any closer to finding love today as I was then, but at that moment when my grandfather challenged me, I thought I had all the time in the world. The last nine months have flown by, and now, I only have three months to find someone I can tolerate. Falling in love with me isn’t the issue. Women who don’t even know me love me. It’s the women in this city that are the issue.

  What I mean by tolerating is: I don’t want a socialite, I don’t want a gold digging, materialistic, self-absorbed woman. I want someone I can have a real conversation with, someone who doesn’t take selfies every five seconds with those god-awful duck lips. I want a real woman with curves that I can grab onto, and who won’t feel like I’m breaking her. She needs to be smart, well educated, and most importantly, she needs to be someone that will fall completely in love with me. However, it also needs to be someone I can get rid of after the company is mine.

  My secretary, Wendy’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts, “Mr. Wentworth, I have scheduled your meeting at ScentSations Empire for Monday morning at eight A.M.”

  Walking back over to my desk, I push the button and respond, “Thank you, Wendy.”

  “You’re welcome, Mr. Wentworth.”

  I’ve done my research on ScentSations Empire and have been wanting to invest with them for a while. I’ve heard great things about their fragrances. I had a few dates that wore one of their high-end perfumes, and they smelled divine. I’m hoping they will see the value in my proposal.

  One of my business associates invested in the company when they were first starting out, and he greatly praised the five women that have built their empire. To say I’m excited about this meeting and to get a glimpse of their lab is an understatement. Now…I just have to wait a week, but in the meantime, I can prepare for the meeting and keep searching for the wife I don’t want.

  IT’S BEEN A LONG STRESSFUL week at work getting ready for the launch of my very own fragrance. I can’t believe it! Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be where I am today with four of my best friends—no, that isn’t right. They’re my sisters, my family. I met them all my freshman year of college, me being the only Georgia native. Somehow, we all clicked and instantly formed a bond stronger than anything we’ve ever known, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. I think the one thing that drew us together was our names. Each one of us is named after a flower or scent. And as fate would have it, five years ago when we were looking for a place to start our business and to live, we found the perfect place on Daisy Lane. How crazy is that? But…we inst
antly fell in love with the property, and now, only five short years later, we have built an empire.

  I consider myself the black sheep of our little family. The other girls are all about their purses, clothes, and shoes, but that’s not me. They’re all gorgeous, confident, and own the strong-willed women they have become, but that’s not me either. I’m just Lily, the shy, awkward, nerdy girl that would rather spend her time reading a book at home with her two beloved hermit crabs than being out in a crowded bar. But…that’s exactly where they drag me to every chance they can on Friday nights, and tonight is no exception.

  Rummaging through my closet, I pull out my favorite overalls with the cute little flower patches I’d sewn onto them and then reach for a plain pink t-shirt to go underneath. Next, I grab my glittery silver chucks, shut my closet door with my hip, and begin to get dressed.

  As I’m pulling my dark brown hair up in a loose ponytail, my phone dings letting me know to check my digital feed app on my phone. After opening the app, all four ladies appear standing outside my door. Rushing through my penthouse, I quickly open the door with a dazzling smile. Their ear to ear smiles drastically fall at the sight of me. “What?” I huff, but I already know what’s coming.

  “You can’t wear that!” Cinn, the president of our empire, tells me while rubbing her baby bump.

  “No. You go change right now, Lily,” Jazz, the vice president—and stick in the mud at times—demands while pointing her finger toward my staircase.

  “Why, Lily, why?” Rainee, our vice president of marketing, cries.

  “Lily, c’mon now.” Dahl puts her hand on her hip and stares at me like I’ve grown two heads.

  Dragging my gaze across the line of women, I stand my ground. I shake my finger at all four of them. “All y’all got your name brand dresses on with matching purses and heels as high as the freaking sky, but that’s not me and ya’ know it. We go over this every single time, and I’m not changing my clothes or who I am for not a one of y’all. I love you ladies, but if you want me to come, then take it or leave it.” I rest my fists on my hips and wait.

  “Fine,” They all grumble in unison; the grins reappear.

  “You know we love you just the way you are, but we still try to get you to convert to the dark side with us,” Dahl jokes. Dahl’s the one I’m closest to and love dearly, even when she is getting me into some kind of mischief. We spend all day in the lab together, so it’s only natural we would gravitate toward each other more than the others. Kind of like Cinn and Jazz sharing an office.

  I grab my purse from the table right next to my door and lock up before following behind to the elevator. We take it down to the lobby of our headquarters, and Max, Lavender’s driver, is already waiting beside our security team’s Tahoe. He’s been working for us for the last two years and was hired by Storm Securities.

  “Lookin’ good tonight, Max,” Dahl comments on his appearance just to give him a hard time like normal.

  He smirks while holding the door open. “If only you were twenty years older, my lady.”

  I slap her arm; she turns to playfully glare at me. “What?” She shrugs her shoulder. “He’s a silver fox. I can’t help myself.” I have no response because well…that’s Dahl. And I have to agree, he’s a sexy silver fox. She steps into the SUV, and I follow suit while laughing at her.

  Savannah Lounge is the go-to place for the ladies when they need a night to unwind from the long work week or to simply get a free night with the girls. It’s a two-story, upscale, bar and grill with a rustic yet modern feel. Outside, it reminds me of a beautiful log cabin in the middle of the city with a balcony on the second floor. As we enter the main foyer, we can either go up the stairs to the restaurant or downstairs to the bar and dancefloor. Since we aren’t eating, I trek behind the others down the staircase. The lights are turned down, but the DJ does his thing with the lighting, making all different colors appear with strobing effects. The restaurant is intimate while down here is lively and filled with customers. We wade through the crowd of people until we finally make it to the VIP section in the dark corner. Gus, the VIP security, recognizes us right away. “Hey, ladies! Shew, Cinn, you ‘bout ready to pop that kid out yet?”

  “I wish! I still have a couple months to go.” She smacks his shoulder as he opens the glass door for us. “I could give you all the dirty details, but I’ll save you.”

  “Thank fuck for that.” He lets out a deep laugh. “Have a good night.” If you didn’t know Gus, he would scare the daylights outta you because he’s well over six foot and is 350 pounds of pure muscle. He doesn’t have an inch of skin not covered in tattoos, not even his shaved head; however, we all know how much of a teddy bear he really is.

  Rainee responds with a mischievous smirk, “Oh, we will.” I bet she’s wondering if we’ll have the ever-so-nice Mazie as our waitress tonight. Mazie is the type to be extra friendly to the Male customers and gives female customers a less than quality service. Honestly, I have no idea how she still has a job.

  Soon after sitting at our usual table, the waitress comes over and thank goodness it isn’t Mazie. She takes our drink order, and when she walks away, Jazz speaks loudly over the blaring music. “Do you know who we have a meeting with Monday morning?”

  “Who?” Dahl questions with an arched brow.

  “Caleb…” I start to zone out, already feeling the beginning of a migraine coming on.

  I wish I were at home reading my book. I wonder if Hank is going to take Jaqueline up against that wall? Hmm…but what will happen when she finds out his dark, dirty secrets? That man has a wild side to him that could make even Dahl blush. I felt my own face heat up when Hank told Jaqueline he would make her buck like a bull and to giddy up, cowgirl. His lips smashed against hers, and that’s…

  “Earth to Lily.”

  “Huh?” My wide stare lands on Jazz.

  “I said we’re going to dance. Do you want to come?”

  “Oh, no, I’m just gonna stay here and order another drink.” Which I do when the waitress happens to come over right then.

  A few more drinks in and several booming songs later my head is pounding worse than before. I check in my purse for my pills, but I must have left them at home. Closing my eyes, I take my glasses off and drop them into my purse. I rub my temples, trying to relieve some of the pressure, but it’s not helping.

  “You okay?” Dahl asks.

  I squint to be able to see her. “A migraine.”

  She sits down beside me. “Shit, Lil, do you have any of your pills with you?”

  Shaking my head, I reply, “No, I think I’m going to go to the bathroom. Can you call Max for me?”

  “Yeah, I came over to find my glasses anyway.” She laughs. “I tripped on the dance floor and luckily, a guy caught me before I face planted with my ass in the air. Unfortunately for him, he had his hands on my ass cheeks and my face in his crotch when his girlfriend came back over. She gave him a good kick in his junk.”

  I join in her laughter. “Dahl, that’s really not funny. Poor guy. Did you explain to the girlfriend what happened?”

  She nods, still giggling about the situation. “Yeah, and I figured I better find my glasses, but damn I hate wearing them. They cramp my style, ya’ know.”

  Shaking my head, I agree, “I know, but you’re always getting yourself in trouble because you don’t wear them. Okay, I’m going to the bathroom.”

  I stand from my chair, and thank goodness we’ve been here enough that I can navigate my way to the facilities. I can’t see five feet in front of me without my glasses. Turning on one of the faucets, I let the cool water fill my cupped hands and then splash my face, soaking it. I repeat the process a couple more times before drenching my neck. I grab a paper towel, wipe the excess water off, and I’m ready to head outside.

  Crap! Lily, what the hell were you thinking? I chastise myself for leaving my purse at the table because Dahl might not be there any longer. I love her to death, but the girl gets sidet
racked quite easily. Sure enough, I find the table and Dahl isn’t here anymore. Either she found her glasses or she forgot about them, which isn’t unusual considering I’m the one that finds them for her most of the time. Shaking my head, I reach for my purse and give a silent prayer she didn’t forget to call my ride. I just hope Max is outside waiting so I can get home and crawl into my bed.

  I came home last night, took one of my pills, and went straight to bed. Now it’s Saturday evening, and my head is still killing me, so I’ve stayed in bed all day today. I’m missing my whole weekend because of this dang migraine. I’m missing my book and living vicariously through the characters; and I’m also missing Hermie and Henrietta, my hermit crabs. I really do have a sad life when I look forward to watching some crabs sit on a log. But I love the little ugly things.

  My phone begins to ring beside me. Groaning, I roll over, and without opening my eyes to see who is calling, I answer, “Hello?”

  “Lily, darling, how are you?”

  Placing my arm over my eyes, I sigh into the phone. “What do you want, Mom?” I already know what she wants. It happens every time she calls—the only times she ever calls—it used to be every few months or so, but now it’s happening almost monthly.

  “Your father and I need some money.” She doesn’t try to make small talk. She just gets right into it, doesn’t she? I shake my head, and if I could open my eyes, I’d roll them so hard right now.

  Exasperated, I tell her, “I just gave you twenty-thousand last month. I’m not doing it, Mom.”

  “You’re just going to let us starve? Let us lose our home?” She cries, but her sobs are fake. She thinks she can make me feel bad, and sometimes she catches me during weak moments, but today isn’t one of them.

  “Don’t try to live a life you can’t afford, and you wouldn’t run out of money. It is not my responsibility that you went into debt, and it isn’t my job to take care of you. You never bothered to take care of me, your daughter, but now I’m supposed to jump when you say how high?”