"The only thing I can see from my living room window is my neighbor's blinds," Bridget said wistfully.
"As I said before, your choice, Bridge."
"Not entirely. Neither of you could afford these digs on your own," Bridget replied with a hand on her hip.
"You could always room with Lydia," I suggested, only half serious.
"Yeah right, I can't keep up with her," Bridget responded. She was right. Lydia was a partier and often entertained late at night. Living with her would be complicated for Bridget, to say the least.
"Okay, come on, Bridge. Let's see you in your dress again." I clapped my hands like a giddy teenager.
She'd already had her hair and makeup done during our excursion. Both the hairdresser and makeup artist had done exquisite jobs making her look well put together, but in an understated, natural way that was in-line with who she really was.
While Grace helped Bridget shimmy into the emerald green dress, which really set off the color in her eyes, I made my way to the kitchen. With an open bottle of my favorite Cabernet and three glasses, I stopped by my room to grab a pair of heels I'd had in mind when we bought the dress. One glance and I was certain they complimented it as well as I'd imagined.
Returning to Grace's room, I found Bridget already changed. She somehow managed to look absolutely stunning while simultaneously appearing uncomfortable for a beautiful woman wearing a designer dress. So much so I almost regretted roping her into it, but it was for her own good.
She was so lonely; we all knew it. If we didn't give her little pushes now and then, she would likely stay that way forever. It wasn't that I wanted to change her. I loved that girl, and I'd be damned if I let any man near her who wouldn't love her for who she was. That didn't mean we didn't need to bait the hook a little. If there was anything I knew, it was how to get a man's attention. Of course, she'd already managed to capture Mr. Slade all on her own, despite her best attempts to hide her beauty with baggy clothes and messy buns. A little bit of fun with a sexy and successful man like Josh Slade would do wonders for her confidence. Who knew, maybe it would turn into a relationship. Since I'd had zero desire to keep the men I attracted around beyond the scope of my jobs, that wasn't really an area I could help her with. I wondered what Grey was doing for the evening. I hadn't heard from him since he'd sent me the good luck message the day before.
After a heavy-handed pour I handed Bridget a glass, knowing the wine would help her loosen up and adjust to her foreign attire and the idea of going on an actual date more quickly. With the second glass in her hand, Grace herded Bridget into the bathroom to take a look at the full effect for the first time.
"Wow, I look really good." She covered her mouth as if she was embarrassed by paying herself a well-deserved compliment.
"You look amazing, Bridge. Mr. Slade won't know what hit him," I said. Something was familiar about that name, but I couldn't quite place it. The buzzer sounded on our intercom.
"Your car is here," Grace said after answering.
"Just relax and be yourself. He already likes you. Now you just need to figure out if you like him. That's all this is." I helped her slip on a light shrug. "If you decide you don't or you need an out, just text one of us and we'll get you out of there, okay?"
She nodded and reached for the door. "Thanks, for everything," she said softly before taking off on what was probably the scariest adventure she'd had in a long while.
She'd hacked into sophisticated corporate networks, even a few government databases, but that was all done behind the safety and anonymity of a computer screen. If our business taught us anything, men were far more dangerous than computer viruses and firewalls.
❖
"How long do you give it before she calls?" Grace asked as soon as Bridget was gone.
"I don't know. She might make it through the night. You should see this guy; he's pretty hot."
"Aw, our little baby is growin' up." She utilized her Southern accent to the fullest. We both had a good chuckle.
"Maybe we should have had the talk with her before she left," I said, turning our chuckling into a full-blown fit of giggles.
"Oh. My. God. I can't. Breathe!" Grace choked out.
My phone vibrated on the counter.
"Shit, it's Patty," I said, trying to stifle my laughter to take the call. "Hey, Patty. What's up?" I asked before putting the phone on speaker.
"I'm sending over a file from the investigator right now," she replied. "Check your e-mail. Mr. Michaels had a very busy day."
I opened the file on my laptop. It contained several pictures, which were taking their time downloading.
"Okay, they're coming through now," I said as Grace huddled in next to me for a better view.
"It's the woman from the other photos," Grace observed.
"Yeah, they met at La Cara for lunch, but it was cut short," Patty said through the speaker. "According to Bobby, she seemed pissed. Tried to touch his arm before he yanked it away. Then she showed him something, and he threw some money down on the table and stormed out. She looked pretty upset. If I had to put money on it, based on the pictures and what Bobby witnessed, I'd say it looked more like a breakup than some paparazzi setup."
"That's great for us," Grace chimed in. "Maybe he was clearing the way before his time with Claudia at the gala Saturday night."
"Here's hoping," I said, trying to sound pleased, although the knot in my stomach told another story. Going into the job, there was a chance Gregory wasn't a cheater, and I wouldn't have to go as far as sleeping with him to get Elsa the answers she needed. If Grace was right, that chance was growing slimmer by the day.
"Yes, I'd say it's excellent for us," Patty added. "If he was already cheating with that woman, Claudia shouldn't have any trouble getting him to do the deed on camera."
If Patty only knew how misplaced her confidence was.
"Where's Gregory now?" I asked.
"Bobby had just followed him to his house when we spoke. He went back to the office after his little date with the mystery woman. But get this, on his way home he stopped at a florist and came out with one hell of a bouquet, presumably for Elsa." Salving his guilt most likely.
"He's covering his tracks," Grace added.
"Looks that way. I'll be in touch if I hear anything more from Bobby. Good luck on your first day at the new job, Claudia."
"Thanks, Patty. We'll talk to you soon."
"I have to admit a part of me was kind of hoping Gregory Michaels would prove us wrong." Grace studied the photos Patty sent more closely. "You can hardly blame him, though. This chick really is something. I'd kill to have the whole "sexy no matter what I'm doing vibe". Kind of like what you have going on girl." She smacked me on the ass while I poured another glass of wine.
"You're plenty sexy, woman. You certainly don't have any trouble putting asses in the seats, and I'd kill for that whole exotic vibe you've got going on, so quit it with that shit."
"You ever think about what you're going to do when we're done with all this shit? I know you want the whole Tuscany thing, but what about the rest, what about an actual relationship? You've always had a pretty healthy appetite, you know, sexually, but I can't remember you being with a guy who wasn't a job since we started this."
She was right. I hadn't slept with a man who wasn't a mark since college. We'd stayed busy enough with clients that the itch was scratched often enough for me to get by. She and Lydia didn't follow the same line of thinking, but the men Grace saw were few and far between simply because of the nature of our business, and Lydia's never lasted more than a night or two. What we did for a living wasn't exactly something that could be shared with a boyfriend lying in bed at night. Telling a man, "Oh hey, I sleep with other guys for work every once in a while," probably wasn't a good way to move a relationship forward.
"No, I haven't really thought about it, but I'm sure I'll figure something out, for the sex at least. I don't see any need to change the rest."
"After a
ll this time, you still don't want anything more? Don't you worry about being lonely?"
"I've got you and Lydia and Bridget. Who needs a man with all you crazy bitches to keep me company?" I nudged her shoulder. Her expression was a little sad, but the emotion disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
The truth: I wasn't sure about anything anymore. I was trying to be discreet, but I'd looked at my phone about thirty times since Patty called. I still hadn't heard a peep from Grey.
"Hey, I've been meaning to tell you," Grace said, catching me looking yet again. "I got a couple of weird calls today."
"Weird how?"
"The first was on my regular cell--a guy. He just asked if I was Grace Dawson and then hung up as soon as I said yes. The second was on my burner, and whoever it was didn't say anything, just sat there for a second then hung up. Both were blocked."
"That is weird. You should have Bridget look into it and see what she can dig up."
"I'll shoot her a message tomorrow. Maybe she can get to it on her lunch break or something."
"It would probably be a good idea to swap out your burner, too. Lydia could do that for you first thing tomorrow, and then you can just leave the other one with Bridget."
"Can I just say how damn excited I am for this event Saturday?" Grace said, changing the subject.
She tugged on her earlobe, something she always did when she was upset. The calls were bothering her more than she was letting on. It bothered me, too. No one but us girls, Patty, and the people we'd given them to for the Michaels job had the numbers for our burners.
"Yeah, me, too." I tried to match her enthusiasm, but I was more worried than excited.
There was a chance Grey would be there. It would make sense, considering Elsa's foundation was running the event and G&G Components was one of its sponsors.
I could text him and ask if he would be back in town by then, but what if he took the contact as a sign of hope? The last thing I wanted to do was lead him on. Elsa's case was my priority. It had to be. Still, I wasn't entirely confident in my ability to stay away from Greyston Michaels. As much as I hated to admit it, he had an effect on me I seemed to have no control over. I was attempting to hold out hope my one night with him had its intended effect and when I did see him again, the attraction would be less potent--manageable. With another glance at my phone and thoughts of my one night with Grey heavy on my mind, it was hard to imagine anything could make me want him less.
❖
Patty had given Bobby, the investigator, and his partner Jason, who was assigned to follow Grey, all of our numbers to make things easier. She did have other clients and homewreckers to juggle after all.
Jason checked in with Grace about an hour after Patty called with nothing of interest as far as the job was concerned to report. Grey was still out of town. Bobby called shortly after.
"I followed my guy and that pretty wife of his to his parents' place. The other brother, the youngest, came by late with a tall blonde," Bobby said through the phone.
"Did you get any pictures?" I asked while Grace gave me a confused look. "The mystery woman is blonde, could be her," I lied. I was confident who it was, but I wanted to be sure. More than that, I wanted to know what the story was between her and Grey.
"Sure, sending them now," he replied.
The photos confirmed my suspicions. It was Ashley Slade. I found myself wondering again if she was dating Chad. I'd assumed they were a couple at the restaurant, but when I saw the picture of her and Grey, I thought they might just be friends. Still, I didn't know Chad or Ashley. Maybe Chad was the kind of guy who would date his brother's ex, and Ashley was the kind of woman who would date her ex's brother. I was in no position to judge.
After discussing the schedule for the next day, I took the opportunity to at least ensure I would be getting a heads-up before the gala.
"Listen, Bobby, can you tell Jason to text me Saturday if his guy starts heading toward the event we're attending?"
"Sure thing," he replied before ending the call.
Grace was still watching me.
"I just want to be prepared for the dynamic of the evening. It might be tricky trying to navigate the two brothers in the same room, trying to tell them apart."
"I doubt they're going to wear matching tuxes, Claud," Grace said. "Although that would be kind of hot." She giggled.
"I can't say I'd mind getting the two of them alone in the same room," I added, which made her giggle even more. The wine had gone to her head. "We should probably call it a night. Tomorrow's a big day. First day at the new job, and it's not looking as if Bridget is going to need us tonight," I said, checking the time.
"You're right. If I drink any more wine, I'm going to regret it tomorrow. Good night." Grace put her glass in the sink and headed around the corner to her room.
It was a bad idea, but I couldn't get Grey off my mind.
Me: Hey, you have plans Saturday?
His response was immediate.
Grey: Hey, nothing I can't get out of for you...
Shit. Now what was I supposed to do. He thought I was asking because I wanted to see him. Maybe I did. It might not be so bad if he was at the gala. What the fuck was I thinking? It would be a disaster if I wanted to actually do my job. I can't imagine Gregory would be interested in me if I spent most of the night dry humping his twin in some dark corner. Either way, I needed to know so I could prepare myself.
Me: I actually have plans. Gregory invited me and my friend to the charity gala.
Grey: I heard you got the job. Congrats!
Me: Thank you! Will you be at the event?
Grey: The whole family will be attending, except Elsa and how could I resist now that I know you're going?
I smiled and then frowned. So I would see him there.
Grey: Don't worry. I'll keep my distance if that's what you still want.
Me: Thank you. I need to get to bed. First day at the new job tomorrow.
Grey: Mmm, now you have me thinking about you in my bed...
Grey: Come over
Me: That's not a good idea
I entertained the idea of going for a solid minute.
Me: It's late & I have to get up early.
Grey: I know, had to try.
Me: Good night
Grey: Good night, beautiful
I wasn't going to need that text from Jason after all. Grey was definitely going to be at the gala. I was so screwed.
Chapter 10
"Okay, Claudia, that's it. Who are you talking to?" Grace eyed me after I checked my phone for the hundredth time since we'd arrived at the nail salon.
"Just Jessica checking in, again," I said, slipping the phone back into my purse.
"How was it yesterday?" she asked with concern.
I imagined she'd been dying to ask how I was feeling because I'd come home from my annual visit to my mom's grave the night before, but she'd resisted the impulse. Bringing up Jessica, who always went with me, opened the door on the subject.
"It was fine. I don't think it will ever be easy, but I think I handle it a little better every year," I said just as the attendant signaled our chairs were ready.
My burner phone buzzed as we sat down for our pedicures, the screen showing it was Janet. "Hey, Janet!" I said, genuinely happy to hear from her.
Much to my surprise, we'd become fast friends. My first two days working at G&G had been uneventful with Gregory in meetings and Grey out of town until Friday night. Most of my time was spent meeting the rest of the office staff, including a couple of angry women Stacy from accounting warned me about. I was grateful when I finally ran into her again, and we promised to make plans for lunch once I was settled in. Beyond that, the only things I accomplished were filling out my new hire paperwork and helping Janet sift through proposals from interior designers bidding to redecorate the executive floor. Apparently, Gregory hired the daughter of one of G&G's largest vendors for the work as a favor, a decision which resulted in a lot of laughs a
s Janet took me around the office cracking jokes about the young lady's rather unusual taste.
"Hey, Claudia. Gregory wants to send a car to pick you and Ms. Dawson up for the event this evening. Where should I send it?"
"Oh." Covering the mouthpiece of the phone with my hand I turned to Grace. "Gregory wants to send us a car tonight. Janet is asking where to pick us up."
"Send her to your apartment," Grace whispered.
She was right. We'd have to get ready at the penthouse and head over to the decoy apartment I hadn't set foot in since signing the month-to-month lease. I gave Janet the address for the building, which luckily wasn't far from our actual building, and told her we would meet the driver downstairs at six.
"Have fun tonight!" Janet said before hanging up.
"Getting ready and getting over there on time is going to be a pain in the ass," I said, rifling through the pile of magazines on the table next to me.
"It's not a big deal. We'll just have to drive over to the other place a bit earlier," Grace replied, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. I wished I was feeling so relaxed.
"It'll have to be a cab. I didn't request a parking space when I leased the other place."
"Fine, we'll take a cab. Crisis averted," she replied with a gasp. Smart-ass.
She was right, but I was so anxious about seeing Grey later that night every little thing was getting to me.
I sat back in the large chair, trying to relax as the technician massaged my calves and feet.
After our mani-pedis we stopped for a light lunch in one of my favorite cafés before we found ourselves seated in yet another salon, this time for hair and makeup. I wore mine partially up with the back hanging down in smooth waves thanks to a set of oversized hot curlers.
Grace opted for a Brazilian blow out and a sleek, flowing style.
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