by Rachel Grant
His parents’ marriage had been an unhappy one, and their hostility with each other had extended to their two sons. Josh had witnessed his brother Ari’s controlling behavior toward Lori and his takeaway had been that Warner men were too messed up for real relationships. Best not to ruin someone’s life by getting serious—or having sex without a condom.
The philosophy had carried him through his years in the Navy and beyond. Now he was thirty-seven years old, and he’d never attempted a serious relationship before, but there could be no half-assing this thing with Maddie.
First of all, he didn’t want to, but equally important, the moment he’d introduced Maddie to Ava, he’d known there was no going back to trying to keep it casual. He wouldn’t have a random string of women parade through Ava’s life. She needed to know she could count on Josh, and that meant showing commitment in everything he did. His work, his friendships, and his love life.
If he’d wanted to casually sleep around, that was fine, as long as Ava didn’t know about it. Ironically, Ava would probably prefer if he slept around and she never met the women involved, as it would mean she remained the number one priority in his life, but he also believed that if she gave Maddie half a chance, Ava would become attached to her too.
His stomach clenched at that idea. What if he screwed up this thing with Maddie, and Ava lost another adult?
He never should have kissed Maddie. He shouldn’t want to keep kissing her. But it was too late now. His niece and potential girlfriend had spent two days together, and they’d both been positive when he spoke to them on the phone. Ava had even admitted Maddie was kind of okay.
He smiled thinking of the lukewarm, grudging compliment.
A fish jumped nearby, breaking the silence of the dawn. He pulled out his cell phone and snapped a picture of the sunrise above the trees and sent it to Maddie.
Josh: You were right. This is what I needed.
He didn’t expect an answer—it was just before six a.m. on a Saturday, after all—but his phone buzzed a minute later.
Maddie: Beautiful. Glad you’re taking time for yourself.
He typed a reply, hesitated, then hit Send.
Josh: This is great, but not quite the selfish moment I want right now.
Maddie smiled as she stared at the text, remembering exactly what the word “selfish” meant to Josh.
Maddie: Word on the streets is Ava is spending the night at a friend’s tonight.
Josh: The streets are accurate as usual. I promised to take you out to dinner tonight. Change in plans. Instead of a restaurant, let’s eat at my place, 6:00. I’ll cook.
Heat flashed through her, and she grinned as she typed her response.
Maddie: Hmmm… Can you cook?
Josh: I’m no chef, but I make a mean MRE.
She laughed.
Maddie: Meals Ready to Eat? Hard pass.
Josh: Damn. Okay, how about mini-Beef Wellingtons with roasted veggies and au gratin potatoes?
Maddie: That’s more like it. I’m in. But you won’t possibly have time to make a welly.
Josh: That’s where the mini part comes in. It’ll be fabulous, I promise. You bring the wine.
Maddie: Deal. Can’t wait.
Josh: See you tonight. Arrive hungry.
She hesitated, then decided to go all in on the flirting.
Maddie: I’ve been hungry since the night we met.
Josh: You might want to pack an overnight bag. I mean, a freak snowstorm might hit, and you’d be trapped at my place with no toothbrush.
She laughed. They were in the middle of a rare heat wave, with temperatures expected to go above ninety in the city today.
Maddie: I think an earthquake or volcano eruption might have higher likelihood.
Josh: Mt. Hood has been jealous of the attention St. Helens has been getting for 40 years…
Maddie: When you put it that way, I’d be foolish *not* to pack a bag.
Josh: See you at six. And Maddie, thanks for letting Ava stay with you. I know she can be difficult, but it meant a lot to her. And to me.
Maddie: I’m glad I could help you both. She’s a sweet young woman. You’re doing a great job by her, you know.
Josh: Thanks. I hope I am. I feel lost half the time.
Maddie: Keep doing what you’re doing. You’re on the right track. She feels loved, and that’s the most important thing. Security will come over time.
Josh: Thanks.
Maddie: Now get back to relaxing.
Josh: Yes, ma’am.
She set her phone on the nightstand and lay back on the pillow. Her belly was fluttery and excited at the thought of their date tonight—complete with overnight bag—but the feeling was tempered by what Ava had revealed on Thursday. She wished she could set the concerns aside, but it popped into her mind every time she thought of Josh—which was about four times a minute.
She believed Josh was genuinely attracted to her, but how much of that attraction was built on similarity?
And really, could she blame him? She’d been attracted to Trina too, and had always considered the comparison a compliment.
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, remembering her mother’s words: “Don’t go borrowing trouble.”
Was she looking for reasons for this heat that flared between them to flash out and disappear? Or was the concern justified? She didn’t think she could take rejection after her last relationship had ended with humiliation and heartbreak.
Telling her friends and family, including her perfect brother, after the invitations had been mailed that the groom had decided he preferred the maid of honor had been devastating.
It’s just a date, she reminded herself.
She took another deep breath and allowed herself to remember how it had felt to be pushed up against the side of Josh’s garage as he kissed her. The heat had been blistering.
Josh wanted her.
And tonight, he’d get what he wanted.
Maddie startled at the sound of her ring tone, a shrill sound that mimicked the push-button landline phones of her childhood and teen years. After dropping Ava off at her friend Marcus’s house, she’d settled in to work on transcribing the documents she’d photographed in the Nielsen Steel archives on Tuesday. She’d been engrossed in the task for hours, her house silent but for the fan she’d set up in her office, and the loud ring pulled her mind out of eastern Oregon in 1937, as if she’d been dragged through a time warp.
She shook her head, taking a deep breath in the twenty-first century, and glanced at the phone. Caller ID was an unknown Portland number. Usually, she’d let unknown numbers go to voicemail, but she was responsible for Ava until Josh returned to the city even if the girl wasn’t physically at her house, so she answered. “Madeline Foster,” she said, using her business voice.
“Ms. Foster, this is Cliff Nielsen.”
Surprise rippled through her. C-IV didn’t even make the top five hundred list of people who might call her on a Saturday afternoon.
“Mr. Nielsen.” She paused to find the words. “How can I help you?”
“Cliff, please. I’d like to discuss my great-grandparents’ papers with you. I’m flying to Japan tomorrow, so my time is limited. Tonight, I’m attending a charity auction—a private reception at a local history museum catered by one of Portland’s finest chefs to benefit the Columbia River Historic Preservation Commission. They’re raising money for several museums and to restore a half dozen properties in the Portland area. I’ve purchased a ticket for you to attend as my date.”
She pulled the phone away from her ear and frowned at it. She didn’t know much about the one percent, but even she knew these kinds of fund-raisers were more about society than the cause. And he wanted her to be his date? Then there was the fact that he seemed to think she’d go all fluttery and fail to notice the command in his words.
She was neither fluttery nor in the mood to be commanded. “I’m sorry, was there a question in that sentence?”
“It’s important you understand I’ll be gone for several days. Tonight is the only option.”
“Try again.” She held her breath to hide her nerves. Even though she was in the right, this felt dangerous. He was the richest man in Portland, possibly even the whole state of Oregon, and with money came power. He could bad-mouth her to the State Historic Preservation Officer. She could be quietly removed from the roster of Secretary of the Interior qualified archaeologists to do NAGPRA consulting.
“I’m screwing this up,” Cliff said. “I’m sorry. There’s a reason my assistant usually handles my calendar, but as this is a social event, I thought I should call myself.”
She said nothing into the silent pause.
Finally, he said, “Will you attend the fund-raiser with me tonight?”
As victories went, it was a small one, but it still made her smile. “No.”
“Please?”
“I’m sorry, Cliff, but I have a date tonight. With my boyfriend.” She’d feel guilty about repeating the boyfriend lie, but Josh had called her his girlfriend to the man’s face, so she would run with it.
“Surely you can reschedule.”
“I don’t cancel plans to go out on dates with other men. Not even with billionaires.”
“I’m not quite a billionaire,” he said with a chuckle.
Interesting that he didn’t deny asking her out on a date—but then, he’d called it a date when he mentioned the ticket, so it wasn’t a great leap on her part.
“Have your assistant call me to set up an appointment to meet at your office when you get back from Japan.”
He let out a sigh. “What if I got a ticket for Warner to come too? Will you go, then?”
“We’ll both be your date?”
He laughed. “Wouldn’t that make an interesting photo for the paparazzi? No, I’ll find another date. Too bad, though. I think we’d have made an interesting headline.”
She frowned. What did that mean? Did this have anything to do with her brother, Alan? The two had almost certainly met at some point. She wanted to ask, but delving into potential motives C-IV might have for asking her out was the sort of ego beating she didn’t need.
Josh liked her for who she was. At least, she hoped so.
Damn, the dating landscape was riddled with land mines.
“I’ll ask if Josh is willing.”
“It’ll be good to have Warner there. We can talk about the contract between Nielsen Steel and Raptor.”
C-IV was a baffling man. Now he spoke of hiring Raptor as if it were a done deal. “I’ll get back to you after I speak with him.”
“He won’t say no. I’ll have a courier deliver the tickets to Warner’s home. See you at seven. The event is formal—if Warner doesn’t have a tux, I can have one sent over. You’ll need a dress. I can get you an appointment at a shop downtown in the next hour—”
“I have a dress,” she said. She wished she could say no, but she would likely need access to his archives again.
Cliff hung up, and she let out a sigh before dialing Josh. He picked up on the first ring. “Hi, beautiful, good timing. I’m just pulling into the grocery store parking lot.”
She imagined the delicious mini-Wellington he’d planned to seduce her with. It so would have worked. “Sorry, Josh, but we’ve got a change of plans.”
11
Much as he’d hated having their dinner plans ruined, Josh had to admit seeing Maddie in a sexy violet evening gown might be worth having to put up with C-IV for a few hours. Her hair was sleek and smooth, the curls tamed and styled in a simple way that made her look like a fifties-era film star like Grace Kelly, while the gown also had simple, elegant lines—narrow off-the-shoulder sleeves with a heart-shaped neckline that clung to her full bust. Cinched tight at the waist, the gown flared out below the hips. Mermaid style, if he remembered correctly.
His coworker Tricia had worn a gown with a similar cut to several black-tie events they’d worked in DC. She’d told him she liked the style because she could easily conceal a gun just below her knee thanks to the flare of the fabric. There was even a slit in the seam so she could grab it in a hurry. Above the knee, there was no room to conceal anything.
Tricia was a beautiful Black woman with blue braids, flawless smooth skin, and perfect, toned curves. She always stunned in her evening wear—and no one ever guessed she was undercover security and packing heat.
He hoped she was enjoying the symposium in Indonesia. He’d meant to check in with her, but he’d spent his time at R&R enjoying…a little long-overdue R&R.
Now he was picking up his date for a black-tie event he didn’t want to go to, wearing a tux he’d donned many times to work security events with Tricia. No doubt tonight would be work—he wasn’t providing security, but he’d have to schmooze with C-IV—yet it was still a date. Hopefully, they could slip out before the auction began and go back to his place for a real dinner with dessert.
His gaze swept down Maddie’s body as she twirled to show off her dress. With her petite frame, he could pick her up and make love to her without need for a wall to provide support. He’d had that fantasy on repeat for days.
Yeah. He couldn’t wait for dessert.
She set her alarm, grabbed her overnight bag, and locked the front door.
He took the bag from her as he led her down the path to his SUV. He tucked the bag in the backseat, then faced her. “All set in case of volcanic or other seismic activity?”
She laughed and leaned into him. Rising on her toes, she whispered in his ear, “Oh, the earth is definitely gonna move tonight.”
He grinned and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body flush with his. “You’re stunning in that dress, but still, I can’t wait to strip it off you.”
“I’m thinking the same thing about your tux.” She stroked the silk of his lapel. “You sure you want to do this? We can come up with an excuse.”
He shrugged. “I’ve got to go. If I get Nielsen as a client, it would be a huge step toward making the Portland office viable. I owe it to Keith. I can’t blow it by being a no-show, even if the prick did ask you out.”
“I’m not one hundred percent sure that’s what he was doing, if that makes a difference.”
Josh cupped her cheek. “I might need him as a client, but I won’t put up with any more bullshit. Keith will understand. If he comes on to you in any way, tell me. Some guys with his power and money get off on making their subordinates submit—either themselves or their significant others. I don’t know if C-IV does that, but it doesn’t look good so far.”
“But why would he need to do that? He’s, what, in his midforties? Single. Attractive. Obscenely wealthy. Why take people by force when he could get it willingly?” She frowned. “I mean, I know why. Rape is always about power and control. It’s never about sex. But with some people, it just boggles the mind.”
“I think for some, when you grow up with all the power and control, you need to find new ways to get off.” He smiled and kissed her forehead. “I sure wish I could have seen his face when you demanded he actually ask, then said no.”
She flashed her teeth at him. “Yeah. Me too.”
He reached to the side and opened the passenger door for her, and gave her a hand as she stepped up to the high seat in her heels and dress. After she settled in, he pulled the seat belt across her lap, his hand unnecessarily running across her body as he did so. He secured the buckle and leaned in to kiss her bare throat, taking a deep breath and catching the faint scent of perfume.
She’d texted him an hour ago to ask if he was allergic to perfumes. Now he was glad he wasn’t, because the scent was subtle, sexy, and enticing.
He couldn’t wait until the reception was over and he could take her home and finally explore every inch of her.
“So, I looked up what I could find about the fund-raiser, and the tickets cost five grand each,” Maddie said as Josh drove to the museum, which was in an old renovated warehouse in the Pearl District. “Plus
, we’re expected to bid on things so we’ll look generous to the other attendees.”
“I’m not worried about looking cheap among the Portland elite. I donate to charities when I can, but it’s not for recognition or any other kind of cookie.”
“Darn, I had my eye on a diamond bracelet in the catalogue that’s only thirty-five thousand dollars.”
“Jesus. What I could do with thirty-five grand.”
“Right?”
“College for Ava, for starters.”
“Damn, I didn’t even think of that. It’s right around the corner, isn’t it? She’ll be taking the SAT in a few months.”
“Yeah. She says she isn’t sure she wants to go to college—which is fine if it isn’t right for her. I mean, I didn’t go to college, and that was the right call for me, but I think she’s saying it because of money. I don’t blame her for not wanting to mortgage her future. It’s another reason I need to get this Portland office off the ground. Job security for me is security for her.”
She squeezed his knee. “I promise I’ll be nice to C-IV tonight.”
“Not too nice, though. He doesn’t get a pass for being a prick if he comes on to you.”
“That’s fair. No passes for passes.”
They arrived at the historic building and parked. The museum had gone all out on the high-brow frills. There was even a red carpet leading to the entrance. Josh presented their tickets and they were led inside, past the rustic front rooms with historical exhibits about the Oregon Territory and into a ballroom that could have belonged to a wealthy lumber—or steel—baron.
Maddie guessed there were around two hundred guests, the men in dark tuxes with bow ties and the women in a sparkling array of colors. Thankfully, the old-fashioned ballroom had a very modern air-conditioning system, because the room would be sweltering in this heat wave.
A jazz quartet played softly in the corner as people mingled, cocktails in hand. Servers circulated with platters of hors d’oeuvres. The guests were a sea of white faces—which shouldn’t surprise her, given Oregon’s history—but still, it was jarring. She’d attended similar events with her ex-fiancé—he’d been an attorney with political aspirations—but the crowd had never been quite this pale.