by Violet Paige
Renee hesitated. “I’m working on it. I’m as surprised as you are about the special committee hearing tonight.”
“I pay you not to be surprised.”
She exhaled. “Honestly, I think it’s just a formality. You shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”
“But if I do? If you’re wrong? If I don’t get the casino permits?” I couldn’t sit. Renee’s office was near the river. I watched a barge float past, pushing cargo. It wasn’t one of my vessels.
Renee was in her early fifties. She had two kids who were both in high school. They both wanted to go to LSU. They were a family of tigers. Her diploma hung on the wall, along with portraits of her children when they were younger.
Renee never worked for my father. I hired her the day after he died. I needed someone I could trust. It came down to her or a man with a rust-colored mustache. I choose Renee. She had been a business and legal force ever since. For something like this to happen, was unusual. Unprecedented.
“Why don’t we get some coffee, Kennedy?” she offered. “We could talk through what the committee might do.”
Over the past four years, she had also stepped in as a type of surrogate mother. Although, neither of us would admit to categorizing her that way. She was sharp-witted and brilliant, but she was also kind. As long as I paid her well, she kept my secrets. I sometimes looked at the photos of her kids and envied them. They had a mom who was strong and maternal. I didn’t know how that worked. How any of it worked in a functioning family.
“No.” I shook my head. “I have more meetings. I left the site and rushed here as soon as I had the alert. I don’t need the extra stress right now. I can’t lose this. If the casino doesn’t open, I’m screwed.”
Renee rounded her desk and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “The casino legislation is going to happen. Patience. Okay?”
Her voice was calming, but my stomach continued to do flips. “Thanks, Renee. Keep me updated every hour.”
“All right. Even if the session runs past midnight?” she asked.
“Especially if it does.” I rarely slept at night. I would wait for her calls.
“You’ve got it. Anything else I can do to help?”
I shook my head. “Just get that law passed.”
The rest of the day I spent in and out of meetings. By the time I arrived home, all I wanted to do was kick my heels across the room and sip a crisp wine.
Bella greeted me in the kitchen. “You’re home so late. You’ve been working a lot, Ms. Martin.”
I managed a smile. “It’s part of my responsibilities.”
The sun had started to set.
“Can I bring you cocktail?” she asked.
“Yes. Wine in the pool courtyard, please.”
“I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
I changed into a swimsuit. It was a red one-piece with a deep V that stopped just below my navel. The sides had been strategically cut away. I was hot, and I thought about swimming laps tonight.
I emerged on the pool deck, followed by Bella. She brought a wine chiller as well as a cheese plate.
“Just in case you get hungry.”
“Thank you.”
I made sure the volume on my phone was turned up. I didn’t want to miss Renee’s call.
I tasted the wine and leaned back, staring up at a starry sky.
“Carpe noctem?” The growl invaded my ears and rattled my spine. “Your company is carpe fucking noctem? I still can’t believe it. I’ve heard it. Read it. Seen the doc and I still don’t believe it.”
I almost shattered the glass at the sound of his voice. My eyes opened.
“How did you get in here?”
Knight grinned. “I just told them who I was at the front door. I was even given condolences by your butler. Seems my father used to pay you visits here.”
“You should go.” I swung my legs around, but Knight was there, blocking them. His solid body an obstacle to any movement I made.
All I could think about was this moment five years ago. Here. Him chasing me down. Kissing my lips.
“I’ll call Kimble,” I warned.
He huffed. “I’m surprised about a lot of things since I’ve been back. Keeping him on your payroll is at the top of my list.”
“You don’t have the right to judge anything I’ve done while you’ve been gone.”
The look in his eyes said otherwise.
19
Knight
The suit. She was wearing a red bathing suit. At night. Under the fucking starry sky like a damn siren. Who wears a fucking bathing suit when the sun goes down?
“Kennedy.” My jaw clenched. So did my fist and in it the notice I had received from her office. Scrawled across the top in embossed gold were the words Carpe Noctem, LLC. “What is this?” I demanded.
Her eyes fell to my fist. It gave me a brief second to scan her breasts. To admire the way the dip between them made my mouth water. She’d always had the most beautiful skin. Skin that should be licked and tasted. Worshipped.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She tried to reach for the paper, but I recoiled. “If that’s from my accountant, it’s only a routine letter. You can throw it out. We’ll set up a new payment plan. I meant to tell him to extend the grace period since, well, since your father…”
My eyes narrowed. “The interest rates on these loans are absurd.”
She sighed. “Your father agreed to the terms. He was willing to pay the interest.”
“Well, I’m running things differently than he did. I can’t agree to this. I’m not going to pay you double what I should.”
She shrugged. “The contracts were signed. They aren’t renegotiable. No one in their right mind would redistribute that money at a lower interest rate. I have to abide by the original agreement.”
“You could tear them up.” I tried to keep my eyes on her face, but it didn’t rein in my restraint much better than a full view of her legs. I’d always loved her legs. Long legs I had stood between. Kissed. Massaged. Felt the firmness of in my palms.
“But I won’t,” she answered. How did I shake her? How did I knock logic into her?
I felt the electric charge at the end of my thumb before it even grazed her shoulder. She stared at the end of my hand. Was she daring me to touch her? Begging me? My thumb inched closer. I fought every instinct in my body to keep my hands off her.
The instant my hand clasped around her the heat surged between us. I’d lied to myself when I’d fucked other women. I said I could forget Kennedy. For years I had let the lie take over. Five years it built in Paris. London. Munich. The lie was layered with women. I never looked in a woman’s eyes and felt devotion. Any of them could have been Venus, sprung from the sea—it didn’t matter. No one else was Kennedy. There were no emotions with the other women. Nothing and no one came close to what this woman did to me. What she used to do to me.
The letter fell to the pool deck. “Knight.” Her voice was soft and sexy. A call to my primal side.
I cupped the side of her cheek. “Don’t say another fucking word,” I growled as I took her mouth against mine. It was a kiss that had been raging beneath the surface since the night I left New Orleans.
My lips burned for hers in a way I didn’t know was possible. I wanted to bruise her. Bite her. Leave a mark from this kiss she would never forget. She drew a ragged breath and tried to push off me, but I wrapped my arms around her, grazing her skin. Digging my fingers into her flesh.
Our tongues tangled as if we were each trying to sear the other one more cruelly. My heart pounded beneath my ribs. I’d opened the gate to a dangerous game. I couldn’t undo it. I’d wanted this woman when we met. Nothing had changed what her body did to me. My hand slid along the dip of her lower back until I gripped her ass firmly. She hissed, but the kiss raged on.
How long could we stand next to the pool this way? Groping. Desperate to crawl under each other’s skin.
“You hate me,” she whispered. I lowered my mouth
to her neck. I kissed her throat, following the V the swimsuit made.
“No.” I hooked a finger beneath the strap, it was fastened with a figure-eight clasp. “I can’t.”
“Only five minutes ago…”
I took a full handful of her ass in my palm. “Stop talking.” I kissed her roughly. She threw her arms around my neck.
I was drowning. Getting drunk on her lips. When it abruptly halted at the sound of Kennedy’s phone. She wrangled herself free and dove on the chaise to grab it.
“I need to take the call. I’ve been expecting this all day.”
“Go ahead,” I groaned.
She held the phone to her ear. “Renee? Oh God, what is it? What happened? Did they vote?”
I rubbed the side of my jaw, watching her walk to the end of the pool where the diving board was perched. I lost the rest of the conversation. I sat on the end of the chair.
Minutes later she padded over in her bare feet. “I’m sorry, but I have a long night ahead of me.”
“Everything all right?” I stood, towering over her.
“No. It’s not. But I’ll handle it.” She smiled. “I always do.”
“You won’t tell me what it is?” I asked.
“No.”
I studied her, wondering where this unfazed version of her had come from. Paul told me she had been trained. But the woman in front of me had instincts. She had confidence and command. I was starting to understand why they called her a queen. It wasn’t an exaggeration or an honorary title. She had the kind of fire in her eyes that would put men’s head on spikes.
I retrieved the letter we had trampled and shoved it in my pocket. “I’ll call my accountant tomorrow,” she explained. “I am sorry about the mix up.”
“I’ll make the payments. I don’t agree with the contracts, but money’s not an issue. Not with me running the organization now.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Kimble walked into the courtyard. “Do you need me?” he asked.
“Everything’s fine. Mr. Corban is leaving. Can you set up my office, please? Tell Bella I’ll need dinner served there tonight. I just have to run upstairs and change.”
He nodded, but his eyes were on me. Hounding me like they always did.
“Kimble,” she pressed.
“I’ll take care of it.” He was hesitant to leave us. “The office will be ready.”
Kennedy draped a pool towel over her arm. “I’m sorry about this. All of it.” She looked up at me.
My fingers grasped her wrist. “Have dinner with me. Tomorrow night?”
“Is it business or pleasure?” she asked.
“Pleasure. Only.”
I saw the way her eyes lit. It was only a second, but the flame was there. It was real.
She scrolled through her phone to check her schedule. “Any time after six,” she reported.
“I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“Where are we going?”
I chuckled. “It’s a surprise.”
“You always liked to surprise me.” She grinned.
“Maybe I still do.” I walked with her to the foyer.
“Good night.”
“Good luck with your crisis,” I called to her as she ascended the massive staircase.
By the time I was done with her, Kennedy Martin wouldn’t know what hit her.
20
Kennedy
I hadn’t pulled an all-nighter since college, but that was exactly what happened when Renee called to tell me the sub-committee on gambling legislation wanted to postpone their vote.
I was on the phone with our lobbyist three different times. We scrambled to try to push for an early morning vote. I talked to every big donor I knew. I had to apply pressure. Someone needed to make this vote happen or I was in jeopardy of losing the Crescent Towers.
I finally climbed into bed at 6am. I plugged my phone into the charger, turned the volume on high in case there were updates from the team, and pulled a sleeping mask over my eyes. The cool satin was soothing.
Six hours later I awakened. “Shit. Shit. Shit.” I threw the mask on the floor. I had missed callas and texts from Renee. I quickly dialed her.
“Where have you been?” she asked.
“Sorry, just tell me. Did they vote? Did we get it?”
“The vote has been postponed indefinitely.”
My heart sank. “Indefinitely? That can’t be right.”
The blinds were closed in my room. Only sunlight filtered at the very edges near the drapes. I felt disoriented. I stood to open the curtains.
“I’ve got some ears on the ground. I think I know what happened.”
“Tell me.” I was desperate for answers.
“There’s a new lobbyist. He showed up last night. He has a big backer in the tech industry who are swaying Senators Merritt and Hyde. Apparently, a huge PAC was set up in the last few days with enough money to fund both of their re-election campaigns.”
“I can fund their re-election campaigns,” I argued. This couldn’t be happening. “Who is it? Who is the donor?”
“You know how these things go. Shell companies fund the PAC.”
“I want to know who it is. I want a name.” The landscapers were outside mowing. I turned from the window.
“We’ll find out who it is, but it’s going to take time. I need a few days, maybe a week.”
“Do you have any leads? Anything?” I was grasping at straws.
“All I know is the PAC is called BONO. For the Better of New Orleans.”
“Doesn’t ring a bell.” I felt despair. Dread.
“Me either.”
I groaned and plopped on the bed. “Renee,” I pleaded. “Don’t let this happen to the project.”
“I won’t. In the meantime, I’ll still use our contacts. Our lobbyist is still working. Construction is going well, right?”
“Yes. It’s on track.”
“That’s good. Keeping the project on schedule is key to pushing the legislators. It’s going to come together, Kennedy. You’ll see. Focus on those things you can control, and I’ll focus on the others.” She was one of my only employees who called me by my first name.
“I could go under,” I whispered.
“You won’t,” she urged. “You won’t.”
I took a giant inhale. “Call me with any updates.”
“I always do.”
I hung up with Renee. It was after noon, long past when I usually drove to the office. I would work the rest of the day from home. I wandered to my closet. Work from home meant work casual attire. I saw the red swimsuit hanging by the door.
I remembered Knight’s visit. The kiss by the pool. I touched my lips lightly, wondering if they appeared blue. Knight had kissed them raw. It was a brutal punishing kiss. It drained logic and sanity from my head. I’d waited five years for that kiss. I could still feel it burning my skin. It made me wonder what he had in store for our date tonight. More than that, I wondered why I agreed to go.
I watched from my bedroom window when Knight pulled into the circle drive. I was hidden by the curtain. He wore a dark suit. Fitted. From this far away he still looked edible. I took a full inhale. The doorbell rang, but I didn’t budge. It wasn’t long before Bella knocked on my door.
“Ms. Martin, your guest has arrived,” she announced, and I pretended I wasn’t aware that the air was twenty degrees warmer since he walked through the front door.
“Thank you, Bella. Tell him I’ll be down in a minute.” I was dressed. I stepped into the high black heels that added inches to my height. I hesitated in front of my vanity. I flipped open the marble box and pressed the button underneath the velvet shelf. The tiny door popped, and I retrieved the necklace. It was a bold statement. I touched the pearl against my skin once the clasp was fastened. It was a night for surprises.
I took one step down and I saw him. I swallowed, wondering if I should call off the date. The man waiting for me at the bottom of the staircase looked like a wolf re
ady to draw in his prey. Was it the Knight I knew, or was it a new version that had let in more darkness than light?
I took a second step and then a third, until my hand was in his.
“You look gorgeous.” He leaned to kiss me on the cheek.
“Thank you.”
“You ready?” he asked.
“I am.” My phone was tucked in my small purse. I had silenced it. “Where are we going?”
“I have a full evening planned. You’ll see.”
“Marguerite’s?” I guessed. I had been to visit her a few times after Knight’s move to Paris. She knew I missed him. But eventually, even that became too difficult for me.
He chuckled. “Even better. Trust me.”
I expected Knight to drive us out to the bayou. He liked the places on the road less traveled. The anonymity that came with dive bars and local haunts. As we turned through more downtown streets, I had a sinking feeling. It felt off.
He pulled along the curb as the valet hurried to the driver side of the car.
My eyes cut to him. “Is this a joke?”
“Is there something wrong with the food here? I heard it was the best in the city. Now.”
The curly French writing scrawled on the marquee lit behind his head. We had arrived at the Vieux Carre.
When I didn’t answer he quieted the music in the car. “Look, it’s a little ironic. I thought it would be a good place to start our truce.”
“That’s the truth?” I questioned.
“It seemed like a good place to start. You can show me around your hotel. But we do have reservations that start in five minutes. I could cancel?”
“No. No.” I shook my head.
The door swung open and the valet’s eyes bulged when he realized who I was. “Ms. Martin.”
“Good evening.” I smiled sweetly.
Knight nodded at me. “I knew we’d have excellent service at least.” He offered his hand as I stepped on the curb.
“Ahh, I see. You’re here for the service.”
He chuckled. “I just want to see where the night takes us.”