Jared came up behind her. “Celia, hello,” he said, leaning in close. “I thought you were bringing this new boyfriend.”
“Unfortunately, he couldn’t make it.”
“Oh, well, that’s too bad. I was looking forward to meeting him. Maybe next time.” Jared must have known she was completely full of crap. They both knew she wasn’t seeing anyone. “But as long as this boyfriend isn’t here, why don’t we go somewhere a little more private?”
“What do you suggest we do there?” she asked, pivoting her body toward him. Then she could feel the recording wire nestled between her breasts. He looked down at her chest. She had to control the shudder that threatened to roll through her. “Shouldn’t you be schmoozing and hobnobbing with potential clients?”
“I’d much rather see what’s underneath that dress.”
He would see soon enough. Because that was a line she’d wanted to hear. She summoned her best acting abilities, and she looked shocked. “Mr. Foster,” she gasped, pouring it on a little thick, she thought. “You’re my boss.”
“I am your boss,” he agreed. “But that’s all the more reason for you to come with me. I’ll make it worth it to you.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, hoping he’d say more.
“You know what I mean.”
“Celia!” She heard a voice call across the crowd to her. She cursed, thinking that this was her one shot to take down her boss, and someone was interrupting it. She turned, and saw it was Quin.
Jared turned on a smile for his potential partner, and they shook hands.
Quin turned to her. “Sorry I’m late,” he told her before he kissed her—hard and with passion—in front of Jared, whose shocked face must have matched her own. “It looks like it’s going to be a great party. Hell, I might even find myself leaving with a yacht. It can be a business expense, right?” He laughed, and Jared did, too, but her boss’s eyes were mean, jealous, suspicious.
“Well, you got a good look at one of our best in St. Martin,” Jared told him.
Quin looked Celia up and down. “I certainly did. Want to look around, babe? See what we like?”
“Yeah, sure,” she said.
When they were out of Jared’s earshot, walking hand in hand, Celia turned to Quin. She was somewhat annoyed that he’d interrupted her incriminating conversation with Jared, but still she was relieved to be away from him. “I didn’t expect that,” she told him.
“I was coming, anyway, and I felt really badly about the way we left things the other day. I don’t want you to think that I only care about the money. Because I don’t. I would gladly rip up Jared’s contract if it was only up to me. But there’s now a lot more at play in this deal, and we want it. But I don’t want it to be at the expense of our friendship, or my conscience.”
“Neither do I.”
“I don’t know why you needed a boyfriend today, but given the fact that you work for Jared, I understand why you might. But either way, I’m here to help.”
“Thank you.”
He stopped walking and turned to face her. He took a deep breath. “But I think it’s best if we just work on being friends. There’s too much drama with what we’re doing.”
“I agree. Turning to sex needlessly complicates things.”
“Just friends?” he asked.
“Just friends,” she confirmed.
“It’s a shame, though—who’s going to teach me to how to romance a woman?”
“Hopefully not the same person who shows me how to be more assertive in bed.”
Quin laughed and looked around. “Uh-oh,” he said. “Jared is watching us.” He kissed her hand. “We’d better start being a lot more convincing.”
For most of the afternoon, Celia kept her eyes on Jared, and every time she looked in his direction, Jared looked back. Celia knew that Quin knew he was potentially jeopardizing the deal.
“What happens if you don’t do the deal with Seacoast?” she asked. “I don’t want to be the reason you don’t succeed.”
He shook his head. “The more I think about doing business with his company, the more I want to reconsider. It was what I wanted. It was my goal for the past year, but it doesn’t feel right. I want to do the right thing by you, by everyone.”
Celia realized that she’d misjudged him. And they put on a show of being a close, loving couple. It wasn’t hard, but she had to remember that it couldn’t go anywhere. They had agreed on being friends. Anything else would just lead to more hurt for both of them.
As time progressed, the crowd dwindled and she and Quin sat on the end of the pier, their legs hanging over the edge.
“Thanks for coming today,” she told him. “You really pulled me out of a bind. Jared is becoming more and more insistent.”
“Glad to do it. What’s he doing now?”
She sighed. “Since St. Martin, he’s increased his attempts to get me into bed. He’s persistent.”
“That’s so goddamn wrong,” he muttered. “Can you report him?”
“It’d be pointless without irrefutable proof,” she said. “You know what it’s like, allegations like that aren’t taken seriously. I need to catch him in the act. So, I’m torn between wanting to get him alone, which I never want to do again, so he can dig his own grave, and being completely repulsed by him.”
“So why are you doing it?”
She took a deep breath. She’d vowed to herself that she would never tell him. “Early in my career, I was hired by Jared Foster at one of his start-ups in New York. It was a great job at a trendy place. I thought life was amazing. But then he started getting too close, heavy with the innuendo... And I wasn’t the only one.”
“Did he touch you?”
“No, but not for lack of trying. I reported him to HR. And I was the one who was reprimanded. I was fired, blacklisted in the city because he was the one with the connections. So I eventually moved on. And now he’s here, and that’s why I’m here. I figured that the next time I reported someone for abusive behavior, I would make sure I had everything I needed to take him down for good.”
“How about I kick his ass for you?”
She smiled. “Maybe I’ll take you up on that. But trust me. I’ve got complete control of this.”
He was quiet for a bit, but then he looked at her. “What can I do to help you?”
She was relieved that he didn’t want to try to take over. It was her battle to fight and while she didn’t need his strength, she needed his support. “I just want you here. You believe me. That’s enough.”
“You’ve got it.” He exhaled as he looked out at the ocean. “I’m going to cancel the deal with Seacoast Prestige.”
“I can’t ask you to do that. It’s a good opportunity for you guys.”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re okay and getting rid of all of these abusive assholes. The world is better without people like him in positions of power. What are you going to do after?”
“After I report him?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know. Find another job, I guess.”
“Don’t look too hard,” Quin told her. “I’ll hire you at the distillery.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I know Gemma is looking for someone who’s good with computers. She’s automated part of the distilling process.”
“That would be great. Thanks the recommendation. It’s a good thing we’ve agreed to be just friends, though. I can’t work for you if I’m sleeping you with you. Especially once I take action against Jared. That will be the first thing people will see. The optics on that will be terrible.”
Quin nodded. “You’re right. It’s for the best.” He looked over his shoulder. “Looks like the party is dying down.” He stood and held out his hand to her.
Celia looked, too. Jared was nowhere to be
found. She put her hand in Quin’s. “Yeah, I guess so.” She knew that she and Quin had agreed to be friends, but spending the day with him was more fun than she’d had in a while. “Do you want to come over to my place?” she asked, before she could even stop herself. She had a sickness. That was the only excuse. Quin was willing to be her friend, and she should be happy with that. But that didn’t mean she didn’t want him again... Just one more time.
Quin hesitated before answering her. “I want to say yes. But I think it’s best if we say goodbye here. Let’s not let this get any more complicated than it already is.”
Shot down. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Celia nodded. She knew that would be his answer, but if she’d gone home without at least asking, she would have lived to regret it.
“You’re right. I can’t believe I just asked you that. We have to be smart.” She stepped up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. The rasp of his five o’clock shadow abraded her lips. “If that’s what you want, too—”
He turned his head and stopped so that their lips were just a whisper apart. “If this was about what I wanted,” he said huskily, “I’d be inside of you right now, but it’s about what’s right. We have to focus on what’s important.”
“I know,” she told him, still wanting him more than anything. A physical relationship wasn’t what she needed. “Rebuilding our friendship is important to me.”
“It’s important to me, too.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
QUIN SAT DOWN with Reid and Gemma in the conference room once again. He’d messaged both of them earlier that morning to tell them that he’d made a decision, and whether Reid and Gemma agreed with it or not, he didn’t care.
“What’s up?” Gemma asked as she sat across from Quin.
He put the Seacoast contract on the table. “We’re not signing this.”
“Really?” Reid asked.
“Jared Foster is everything that’s wrong with powerful men. And I don’t think it’s worth our souls to get in bed with him.”
Reid looked disappointed, but he never said as much. “All right, I trust you. If you feel this is the right call, then that’s the decision we make.”
“Yeah, I’m with you,” Gemma said. “I don’t even know the stories, but if it’s enough for you to cancel the deal, then I’m in, too. I don’t want us in any way to be connected to anyone like that.”
Quin breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he’d spent months buttering up Jared for his business, it felt like a weight had been lifted from him. There would be more deals for them. They had options. They would find another channel to make sure their luxury rums got in the hands of the rich and powerful. “Thanks for understanding, guys. I really wanted this to work out. But it didn’t.” He sighed and turned to Reid. “Are you okay with this, knowing it’ll probably end up going to Cain?”
“I can’t say I’m okay with John Cain getting the upper hand on us. But the thing we have going for us that the Cains don’t is that we have integrity. I’m okay with this decision. There will be other deals and options for us.”
“Okay. But that’s not all,” Quin said before he could stop himself.
“What is it?” Reid asked.
“I know I’ve let you guys down in the past. I really wanted this to be my, I don’t know...redemption, I guess.”
“Does this have anything to do with the last distribution deal we had?”
Quin sighed. “Yes and no. I know I screwed up. I ruined that deal, so I take responsibility for it. I’m just sorry that I let you down. And that’s why I pursued Seacoast Prestige so heavily. I wanted so badly to be a part of Rexford Rum’s success, like an important part of the company.”
Reid and Gemma looked at each other for several seconds before either of them spoke.
Reid cleared his throat. “Quin, do you feel like you are anything but an integral part of the company, or our family?”
“I feel like I add less than either of you.”
“That’s just not true,” Gemma insisted.
“I thought we were past that,” Reid said. “I apologized for what I said to you.”
A long line of Quin Rexford fuckups. “I know you did. But it doesn’t mean it wasn’t true.”
“This company succeeds because of the three of us,” Reid said. “We all play a role in it, and neither of us could ever hope to do what the others do. You play as big a part here as Gemma and I. Sure, we fight, we disagree, but that’s what family does. We work together, and that’s why we’re successful.”
For the first time in a long time, Quin felt like he belonged at the table with his brother and sister. “Thanks. I guess I have a phone call to make.”
* * *
Celia parked her car in her driveway. It had been a long day at work. Throughout the day, Jared had found dozens of reasons to stop and linger at her desk. Having to share the space with him had left her exhausted. She was looking forward to drinking the better part of a bottle of wine and taking a nice, long, hot bubble bath.
Nice, long, hot... There was something else on her mind, too, apparently. She hadn’t seen Quin since the mixer and their conversation on the pier. They’d texted back and forth, but he’d kept his distance. She assumed it was a way for them to reject the physical chemistry between them. If they weren’t in the same room, then they wouldn’t be at risk of sleeping together. But that didn’t stop her from wanting him.
She dug into her purse to find her house keys. A car beeped nearby, but she ignored it as she went through the contents of her purse. The horn beeped again. She looked up and saw a Range Rover parked on the street in front of her house. It was Quin.
She walked across the yard and the window in the Range Rover lowered. She leaned over the door and smiled at Quin—as handsome as ever—behind the wheel.
“How was your day?” he asked with a smile. His eyes hidden by dark aviator sunglasses.
“Tiring. And yours?”
“Mine wasn’t bad. Have you eaten?”
“Not yet. You just caught me coming home.”
“Come with me.”
Without hesitation, she opened the passenger door and got in. “Where are we going?”
“Not far,” he told her, reaching over and taking her hand. She warmed from his simple touch as he took off up the street. “I took care of something that’s been giving me a lot of stress recently. I feel much better now.”
“That’s good. I’m happy for you.”
He frowned. “Has Jared been bothering you lately?”
“No more than usual,” she said. “I’ve compiled all the evidence I have so far. Not sure if it’s enough, but I can’t wait to lower the boom.”
“Yeah, it’ll be good.” His stare darkened, and she sensed the shift in mood after talking about Jared.
He turned into the entrance of the Miami marina. The sun was setting over the water, casting an orange hue over them. He got out of the car and Celia followed suit. Quin reached out his hand and she took it. They walked until they stopped at a gangway in front of a huge yacht—one like they’d been on in St. Martin.
“What are we doing here?”
“Well, today the business I took care of is that we aren’t going to be stocking rum with Seacoast Prestige.”
“What?” she asked. “That would have been so good for you!”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t worth it. But Jared did offer me the use of one of his yachts for the night—to change my mind, I guess. So I thought we’d have dinner, some drinks, spend a bit of his money. What do you think?”
“I’m sure we could find six or seven bottles of Dom Pérignon to open, whether we drink it or not,” she said, all for costing her boss as much money as possible.
He wrapped his arm around her. “Now you’re talking. Let’s go.”
* * *
They were seat
ed at the small two-top table that had been set up on the yacht’s sky deck as the steward removed their dinner plates and replaced them with dishes of chocolate mousse. Quin had been surprised by Jared’s offer of his yacht for the night. It might have been a peace offering to change his mind about the supply deal. But he also knew that Jared didn’t do anything to be nice. He couldn’t think of what Jared would have to gain, but didn’t want to think about it. For now, his night was turning out perfectly. The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, the champagne was chilled and his company was exquisite. It had been torture staying away from Celia for the past couple of days.
“How was that for a dinner?” He looked across the table at Celia. The sun had fully gone down, and the moonlight cast a soft white light over them, while the lapping of the waves against the hull created a relaxing mood.
“It was delicious,” she said, spooning up some of the mousse and tasting it. He was stock-still as she closed her eyes and hummed at the flavor. His body tightened in response to her overt pleasure. “I don’t know what Jared’s ulterior motive is,” she said. “But this has been incredible. Thanks for inviting me.”
“There’s no one I would rather have here.” He paused. “You think he might have an ulterior motive, too?”
“Jared’s a bad person. He didn’t loan you the use of his yacht out of the goodness of his heart.”
“That’s what I thought, too. But I just don’t see why this would benefit him.”
She shrugged. “Maybe he wants your rum and wants to curry your favor.”
“Maybe.”
“Either way, we’re here in the middle of the bay, and Jared is nowhere in sight,” Celia said with a smile.
“That’s true.”
As You Crave It Page 14