“Hey, baby,” Eve said, her voice a seductive whisper.
“Mmm. Hey, yourself,” Adam replied, his deep voice making Eve smile. “Where are you?”
“In bed. I thought I’d give you a call before I went to sleep.”
“Are you ready for tomorrow?”
“Everything’s set,” she told him. “The gallery looks great, and everything has been checked and double-checked. I don’t see anything going wrong.”
Eve fluffed her pillows up behind her and lay back to unwind, with Adam’s voice soothing her.
“But are you ready, Eve? This is a big night for you. I know the reopening of this gallery means a lot to you.”
Adam loved just listening to Eve breathe. If they never said a word to each other on the phone, he would be happy to just listen to the soft sexy sound of her drawing breath.
“I’m ready. I’ve waited for this for a long time. It is a big night for me.” Eve paused. “I’m glad you’re going to be there with me, Adam,” she said quietly.
“I’m glad you want me there with you, baby,” he replied, his voice raw with emotion.
Eve closed her eyes and thought of the night before with Adam. “Last night was wonderful,” she said aloud.
“Yes, it was.” He had thought about last night every minute of the day. The only thing that would have made it better was if he could have stayed. He’d awakened in his own bed wanting to take her in his arms.
“When I woke up this morning, I could still feel you inside me,” Eve whispered. “I wished you were here to make love to me.”
“Eve...”
“Adam,” she interrupted wondering why had she told him that? The need for him was growing more and more each day. She just wished she knew why, and if it had anything to do with her unexplored attraction to Lainey. She couldn’t be falling in love with him. Could she? Whatever the reason, she had revealed too much to him. “I should go. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow. I have to be at the gallery early, so I’ve hired a limo to pick you up. Is that okay?”
“Yes, that’s fine.” Hearing Eve tell him that she had wanted him there that morning had made Adam’s heart soar. It was a step, Adam thought. He knew it was hard for her and that she needed more time and he was determined to give it to her.
“I’m sorry we can’t show up together,” she told him. “But, I think I’m going to enjoy seeing you arrive alone.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
“So I can see you step out of the elevator, the best looking man there, knowing that you’re there for me. Adam...”
Eve hesitated. What was she about to say to him?
“Yes, Eve?”
“Sweet dreams, l’amant.”
“You’re making it hard for me to hang up,” he told her.
She heard the frustration in his voice and knew he wanted more. But her attention was being pulled in so many directions.
She wished she knew which route it would take.
Eve read the paper and drank her coffee as she rode the elevator up to the gallery. She had decided to wear black slacks that were made for her body, and a white button down long sleeve, silk shirt that was unbuttoned enough to expose the swell of her breasts. The look was stylish and sexy, and exactly what Eve wanted for the photo shoot. When the doors slid open, she stepped out of the elevator and into chaos. The gallery was full of florists and deliverymen, one of whom was leaning against a bronze statue of a boy holding a dolphin.
“That’s a $500,000 piece you’re using as your personal leaning post,” she told him. And as the young man bolted upright, “Stand up straight. It’s better for your posture.”
“Ms. Sumptor?” A young, slender brunette stepped in front of Eve.
“Yes?”
“I’m Molly Burke with Ava’s Exotic Flowers,” the young woman announced nervously.
“Is something wrong?” Eve demanded.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but only half of your order arrived.” Whatever response the girl expected, it was most likely not the one that resulted.
“Do you expect the other half anytime before the opening?” Eve asked pleasantly.
“I don’t know,” the girl stammered. “They didn’t say. I’m sorry, Ms. Sumptor.” It was clear that she was waiting for yelling to begin.
Eve took another sip of her coffee. “Well,” she said, “We’ll just have to compensate by alternating the roses with orchids. If the rest of my order comes in before the opening, I’m sure you’ll figure out what to do with them.”
“Ms. Sumptor?” A lanky man replaced the young woman. He too, looked extremely nervous.
“Yes?”
“One of the cases of Dom Perignon was accidentally dropped and destroyed,” he told her.
“Of course it was,” Eve answered, amused. “Then this is what I would suggest you do, Mr.?”
“Banks. William Banks, ma’am.”
“I would suggest that you go to every liquor store in the city and buy every bottle of Dom you can find, Mr. Banks,” Eve said easily. “And if you can’t locate enough Dom, buy Cristal.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Ms. Sumptor?”
“Don’t tell me,” Eve said as a middle-aged woman wearing a blue serving outfit stepped up to her. “The caterer has come down with a case of food poisoning.”
“She has? But, I just spoke to her...”
“Calm down,” Eve said, laughing. “I was joking. What is it?”
“Oh!” The woman put her hand to her heart and let out a relieved laugh. “The caterer wanted me to tell you that four of her people wouldn’t be able to show up tonight. She wanted to know if eight servers would do instead of twelve.”
“Tell her I expect her to find four more people,” Eve said amiably. “I want twelve servers here tonight.”
“Ms. Sumptor?” A familiar looking blonde holding a microphone and followed by a camera man blocked her way. “Lisa McBride, Channel Four News. I was wondering if you’d like to do your interview now.”
“Could you hold on for just one moment?” Eve asked her. “I need to speak to my assistant. It will only take a minute.”
She hurried towards Lainey before anyone else could stop her.
“Good morning,” Lainey said, trying to hold back her amusement.
“Has it been like this all morning?”
“Pretty much. I think Mikey is going to have a nervous breakdown. He’s been arguing with a woman from the flower shop about where the floral arrangements should go.”
“I’m sure he can handle it,” Eve told her, noticing that Lainey, too, had chosen to wear black slacks and a powder blue blouse, the top three buttons undone. “You look great,” she told her, flattered with being imitated.
“So do you,” Lainey told her.
Remembering the gentle kiss of the night before, Eve grinned and handed Lainey her coffee. “Finish it for me,” she said. “I have to go and do interviews now. There’s a blurb here in the newspaper about the opening. Your name’s in it, too.”
Lainey took a sip of Eve’s coffee and smiled. Since graduating with a degree in art history, this was what she had wanted to do. She was part of one of the most prestigious galleries in the city, and she couldn’t be happier despite all of the pandemonium around her. Today was going to be a long and wonderful day she thought.
Two hours, a dozen interviews and what seemed like thousands of photos later, Eve found her way back to Lainey.
“Thank God I don’t have to do this every day,” she said and positioned herself behind the display to hide. Lainey handed Eve a Diet Coke. “I stole it from the caterer. I think she’s out for my head now,” she joked and felt heat course through her body when Eve let out a throaty laugh.
“Well, thank you for risking your life for me. I’ll make it worth your trouble. I promise.” Eve’s voice was raspy and sexy from talking all morning. “How are you holding up?” she asked Lainey, taking a sip of her stolen Diet Coke and studying Lainey over
the rim.
“I think I’m doing pretty well,” Lainey answered proudly. “Not bad for an old mother who hasn’t worked in years.”
Eve raised her brow. “An old mother?” She leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice. “You’re too beautiful and exceptionally sexy to be called an old mother,” she said softly, satisfied when Lainey flushed slightly.
The gallery was still in chaos, and would be until right before the opening, but there was something Eve needed to take care of and thought now would be the best time. Besides, she knew Lainey would be safe here until she could get back to her.
“I have to leave for a little bit,” she told Lainey. “Do you think you can take care of things here until I get back?”
“I won’t have to do interviews will I?” Lainey asked hesitantly.
Eve chuckled. “No. That portion of the day is over for now. There’ll be more photographers and journalists tonight at the opening, but I’ll take care of them. You’ll be able to just enjoy the night.”
“What about you? You should be able to enjoy yourself, too.”
“I will. But, it all comes with the territory.” Eve took another sip from her can and handed it back to Lainey. “I have to go. I shouldn’t be too long. Don’t leave the gallery. If you need something, have Mikey go get it for you.”
“Eve...”
“Lainey. Do this for me, please?” Eve’s eyes pleaded with her.
“Okay. I won’t go anywhere. I promise.”
“Thank you. If you need me for anything, you have my cell number. If you can’t reach me on the cell, I’ll be at Sumptor, Inc., so you’ll be able to catch me there.”
“Sumptor, Inc.? Oh, God, Eve. Do they know about what happened to Jackie?”
“Don’t think about it,” Eve told her. “Just focus on what’s going on here and what has to be done before tonight. Okay? I’ll be back soon.”
Eve passed a deliveryman as she stepped into the elevator. “Watch out for her,” she said without turning her head. “I want her safe.”
Eve walked into Sumptor, Inc. and headed straight for Meredith’s office. It didn’t surprise her to find Katherine sitting there with Meredith.
“Ms. Sumptor!” Meredith exclaimed as Katherine stood up, ready to leave.
“Sit down, Katherine.” Eve’s voice was cold. “Don’t say a word. Either of you. You will listen to me and you will remain silent.”
Eve slammed the door shut behind her and positioned herself between it and the two women. “Yesterday,” she said, “you fired one of my best employees.”
“Ms. Sum...”
“I said you will remain silent, Meredith!” Eve shot the nervous woman a scathing look. “You’ll explain to me why you let Jackie Sawyer go later. But, right now you’ll listen. As of this moment, you do not have the authority to fire anyone. The only thing you two will be able to do is come in here, do your job, and go home. All of your security clearances have been revoked.”
“But...”
“Shut up, Katherine!” Each word was said with a crisp iciness and Katherine shrank back in her chair. “Say one more word and I’ll have you demoted to janitor by the end of the day. I want to know what happened. I want to know why Jackie isn’t sitting at her desk today.”
“Actually, Ms. Sumptor,” Meredith said, obviously thinking fast, “Jackie found a new job.”
“Bullshit,” Eve interrupted quietly. “I detest liars, Meredith. Try again.”
“Ms. Sumptor, I hate to have to tell you this,” Meredith said stiffly. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but, Jackie has been stealing money from the company and its clients. I let her go to protect you.”
“Bullshit,” Eve repeated, her eyes burning.
“I have all the evidence here in black and white,” Meredith said hastily, shuffling papers on her desk trying to find the tainted accounts.
“What you have is nothing,” Eve told her. “Do you have any idea who you are dealing with? Any idea what you’ve done? Jackie Sawyer’s body was found in her apartment yesterday.”
Meredith and Katherine gasped.
“You’re both in way over your heads,” Eve continued. “I could fire both of you right now, and I should. But, I won’t. Not yet. But I swear to you, I will get to the bottom of this. Until then, I’m watching you. Don’t think that I’m too busy with the gallery not to know what’s going on here, I know more than you could ever imagine.” Eve turned her icy stare to Katherine. “Get back to your office, now.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Katherine rose.
“Don’t let me catch you here in Meredith’s office again,” Eve said with quiet fury, stepping aside to let her pass. “Do you understand?”
“Y-yes, ma’am,” Katherine stammered.
Once Katherine was gone, Eve went to the desk and looked Meredith in the eye.
“Do you think this can’t happen to you?” she demanded. “Do you think you’re so important in this game that you’re indispensable? You’re not.”
It gave her more than a little pleasure to see the sheer terror in Meredith’s eyes, Eve discovered.
“You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into,” she went on. “I told you not to cross me. I could be the only one that can save you.”
Leaning her hands on the desk, she saw Meredith’s hand move to the telephone.
“Who do you want to call, Meredith?” Eve said contemptuously. “Hmm? Who do you think is going to help you? Be careful who you trust your life with. You wouldn’t want to make the wrong decision, would you?”
Eve straightened. She wanted so much to punish Meredith severely for what she had done. But Eve wasn’t her father.
Meredith would suffer the consequences, the lawful way.
“Don’t show up at the opening,” she said. “The press will be everywhere, and I don’t think you’ll want a photo of me throwing you out in tomorrow’s paper. Have a pleasant day, Meredith.”
Eve stepped into the elevator and pressed the ground floor button. Reaching into her pocket, she brought out a small earpiece, fitting it into her ear. “Okay, ladies. Give me something to work with,” she said to herself and listened.
“Jackie is dead!” As Eve expected, Katherine practically ran into Meredith’s office the moment Eve was gone and slammed the door behind her.
“Jesus Christ, Katherine!” Still shaken by Eve’s visit, Meredith jerked dropping the bottle of aspirin she had been fighting to open. “Are you out of your mind? Sumptor could come back.”
“She’s gone. I made sure she had left before coming in here.” Katherine paced nervously around the office. “She scares me, Meredith, and, now this? You never told me he’d kill Jackie.”
“I didn’t know!” Meredith gave up on the bottle and threw it across the room. She pressed her fingers to her temples to try and relieve the pressure that was building up there. “All I did was leave a message that she should be watched. I didn’t know he was going to kill her!”
Nausea threatened to take over as Meredith struggled to get back in control.
“Say his name, Goddamnit,” Eve swore as she slipped behind the wheel of her Jaguar. “Give him to me.”
“I want out!” Katherine said. “I didn’t know murder was going to be involved!”
“There’s no way out, Katherine. If we try to leave now, the same thing could happen to us.” The sickness washed over Meredith, almost overpowering her. “We have to see this through.”
“I didn’t sign up for this, Meredith. We were supposed to just alter the books. Sumptor would lose money and possibly the company and we would get paid. No one was supposed to get hurt.” Katherine sat down in the chair and covered her face with her hands. “No one was supposed to get hurt,” she repeated.
Katherine looked up at Meredith. “She knows, doesn’t she?”
“I don’t know what she knows!” Meredith replied angrily. “He said he’d take care of her. Instead she’s breathing down our necks.” She sighed heavily. “I need
to think. We’ve come too far, and now we could be accessories to murder.”
“I had nothing to do with that! I don’t even deal with – with whoever it is you are dealing with! I’m not going down for this, Meredith. You find a way to get us out of this or I’m going to Sumptor and telling her everything!”
Meredith watched Katherine storm out of the office before she picked up the phone.
“Eve! Where are you?” Relief flooded Lainey’s voice when Eve called. The rest of the day had been a nightmare. Everything that could have gone wrong did, but Lainey had no intention of telling Eve that. She wanted Eve to know that she could count on her to take care of the gallery when she wasn’t there. “How did things go?”
“As expected,” Eve answered, deciding not to upset Lainey with any details. “I’m in the car, on my way home to change for tonight. I called to tell you to have the limo take you home so you can get ready, too.”
“What about all of the people here?”
“Tell Mikey to stay there. I’ll be there as soon as I can to relieve him.”
“Are you sure? I can stay until you get here.”
“Lainey. Go home and relax for a while. You don’t need to be there early, so just come at eight. Jack will appreciate not having to be there any longer than necessary.”
“If you’re sure,” Lainey said, slightly disappointed, but didn’t know why.
“I’m sure,” Eve said. “Are you alone?”
People surrounded Lainey, but she could have been alone since no one was paying attention to her. “As alone as one person can be in a room full of people. Why?”
“I just wanted to make sure no one would see you blush when I told you I can’t wait to see you tonight,” Eve said, her voice turning seductive. “It’s going to be very hard for me to keep my eyes off of you.”
“God, Eve,” Lainey whispered.
“I’ll see you tonight, Lainey,” Eve said softly. Despite everything that had happened, Jackie’s death, the confrontation with Meredith and all the rest, she could not get the picture of Lainey as she would look tonight out of her mind. She knew if she acted on her feelings it would complicate her life further than it already was. She was beginning to not care about the consequences.
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