“Darling, it’s so good to hear from you,” Patrice said. “I’ve been worried. I was so sorry to hear about your old friend. It’s such a tragedy.”
Did I mention I really liked Patrice? “Thank you. I’m okay. Honestly, I’m happy to be home and getting back to work. Which is why I’m calling. The seven-seater corner sofa we ordered for the main family room is no longer available in that specific dark blue velvet. Why they couldn’t tell us this sooner, I don’t know, but they have provided me with alternative fabric samples. They express-mailed them, so I can send those to you ASAP and you can decide whether you like any of the options. Depending on the change of fabric, we may have to tweak the rest of the design in that room.” We’d based a lot of it around that piece of furniture.
“Well, I’ll have a look at the samples and we can discuss. Preferably in person, darling, because I have a bit of a favor to ask of you.”
“Oh?”
“Did you hear on the news about that volcano in Iceland erupting?”
That was random. “Yes, I did, actually.”
“It’s causing quite a lot of air travel disruption in Europe, and a guest of ours is a little bit stranded. Now, normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but Danby is working on a huge case and is too busy for any kind of entertaining.” She referred to her husband by his surname instead of his given name, Michael, because they had a twenty-six-year-old son who shared the same name. “As for Michael, he’s stranded in London on a business trip so he isn’t here to help keep our guest entertained either, and I’m organizing the annual Sophia Claymore Benefit for Breast Cancer next week. I am snowed under. We have no idea how long our guest will be stranded in Boston. He was only supposed to be here for four nights, but right now they’re estimating a week or two for the ash cloud to clear. I know you are so very busy, but our guest is around your age and I was hoping you might be able to see him. I want him to have a good impression of Boston, darling, and I couldn’t think of anyone better than you for him to get to know. Also, I know you’re single …”
Stunned, and cornered, and wondering how I could get out of this without upsetting a longtime client I admired, I stuttered for words. “Well … um … Are you … Is this an attempt at matchmaking, Patrice? I’m flattered, but I actually am very busy with work right now.”
“It’s not an attempt at matchmaking, I swear. I just thought it might be nice for you to have something other than work as a distraction during such a trying time. Plus, to be blunt, my other friends are either boring fusspots, functioning alcoholics, or middle-aged housewives who would hit on him. It’s only for a week, maybe two. It wouldn’t take up too much of your time. I just … thought perhaps you could show him around town, take him to dinner a couple times.”
I could practically hear Stella shouting in my head to say yes. We couldn’t afford to hurt Patrice Danby’s feelings or piss her off. And it was only for a week or two. I just had to hope that she was kind enough not to land me with an obnoxious sleaze. “Well, I’d be happy to if it would help you out.”
“Oh, you are a sweetheart!” she exclaimed happily. “Let’s meet for lunch with those samples so I can introduce you two. He’s here on business so he’s occupied during the day but did promise he could meet us for lunch if you said yes.”
“So you’ve told him about me?”
“Well, yes, your name came up. I must have been going on about how wonderful you were because he seemed intrigued.”
Great. Now he had expectations.
“That’s nice.” I winced.
She laughed. “Don’t worry, darling. He’s perfectly charming. We’ll meet at Deuxave, yes. One o’clock.”
“I’ll see you both there.”
Not five minutes later, Stella poked her head around the door. “How’s it going?”
“Patrice Danby is trying to set me up with a guest of hers who’s stranded here because of that damn volcano eruption.”
She grinned. “And you said yes, of course.”
“You owe me.”
“Ava, it’s Patrice. She would never try to set you up with a cretin.”
Ten
Yet, apparently, Patrice would try to set me up with a cretin. My heart was thudding hard in my chest as the hostess led me to Patrice’s table at Deuxave, a French restaurant in Back Bay. Confusion and anger were my foremost feelings.
Because the man rising to stand from Patrice’s table at my approach was none other than Caleb Scott.
The Bastard Scot.
“Darling, don’t you look beautiful as always?” Patrice moved toward me before I’d reached the table and gently took me by the shoulders to kiss my cheeks, one after the other.
I smiled at the attractive older woman, hoping it didn’t come across as brittle as it felt. Patrice Danby wasn’t what anyone would call a typical beauty, but there was something striking and charismatic about her that made her lovelier than mere ordinary beauty. Tall, extremely slender, she had, according to photographs, always had the kind of figure expected of a model. Clothes hung beautifully on her, like works of art, and the designer houndstooth shirtdress she wore with black leather heels was no exception. Her dark blond hair was cut stylish and short, much like Stella’s.
“As do you,” I responded, my eyes involuntarily glued to Caleb Scott as he stared impassively at me.
“Let me introduce you to our guest, Ava.” She guided me over to him and I was sure my expression was screaming at him, What the hell is going on?
He looked different. Although he was still unshaven and his hair was the same, he was wearing a beautifully cut tailored suit. No tattoos in sight. He could have passed for a civilized gentleman, and this look on him was almost as hot as the henley and biker boots.
To my shock, he held out his big hand to me and politely said, “Miss Breevort.”
“Oh, call her Ava, Caleb. Ava, this is Caleb Scott.”
Gingerly, I reached out and took his hand, staring into those amusement-filled ice blue eyes, trying to find the explanation for my current predicament.
“Ava.” His voice rumbled over my name as he gently squeezed my hand. I felt a sparkle of lust fizz in my belly.
Damn him.
“Caleb,” I said softly, all the while feeling extremely confused. About a lot of things.
For some reason my saying his name made his hand tighten around mine, but then it was almost like I’d imagined it, because suddenly we were no longer touching. He took his seat quite abruptly in that well-renowned ill-mannered way of his.
A gentleman always waits for a lady to be seated first.
Oh, who cared? I wanted to know what the hell he was doing here. I took my seat across from him, ignoring the way Patrice was glancing back and forth between us as I studied his face. He just stared dispassionately at me. Had he orchestrated this? How did he manage it?
“Well.” Patrice’s voice drew my gaze back to her. Her eyes were bright, her lips tugging into a delighted smile like she knew a secret we didn’t. “Isn’t this lovely?”
“Lovely,” I murmured, taking a sip from the water glass at the table. “So, Patrice, how do you and Mr. Scott know each other?”
“You must call him Caleb.” She smiled fondly at him, a smile he returned, dumbfounding me even further. “Caleb is good friends with my nephew, Duncan. My nephew and his family are the ones we’re decorating the guesthouse for.”
Understanding dawned. “Your family from Scotland.”
“Exactly. And I was telling Caleb why we couldn’t give him the privacy of the guesthouse during his stay, and got a little carried away on the topic of the redesign. But he was so impressed by your work, Ava, I thought I should introduce you. Caleb is the CFO of Koto’s UK division. Isn’t that impressive?”
I managed only to stare at him as my brain whirred with a million questions. Had Caleb really arranged this somehow? “Very impressive.”
There was a lull of silence that caused a crease between Patrice’s brows. She opened her
mouth to speak but was stalled by the appearance of the waiter. Once he’d taken our orders, Patrice continued, “Caleb was staying at the Four Seasons and we were having dinner when he told us of this whole volcano fiasco disrupting his travel plans. Well, of course we couldn’t see him stuck at some hotel for a possible two weeks. The expense is ridiculous when you have friends nearby. Even though our house is outside the city, it’s not far—just a short drive to the Koto offices.”
I looked at Caleb and found him studying his water glass. Why did I get the impression he would have preferred to stay at his hotel? And if that was true, why was he humoring Patrice? That was something someone who cared about other people’s feelings would do. Hmm.
Silence fell over the table again and I saw Patrice frown in concern. Not wanting to upset her by being rude to her guest, I offered, “Do you have a rental car to get back and forth from Wellesley Farms? I can recommend somewhere.”
He gave me a slight shake of his head. “Danby kindly offered me the use of his Maserati while I’m here.”
I almost laughed. That sounded like Danby. He and Patrice were two of the most generous people I’d ever met. “He must really trust you to remember to drive on the right side of the road.”
Patrice chuckled while Caleb smirked at me. “I suppose he must.”
My eyes narrowed at his restrained answer. Where was the cutting, biting kind of insults from the man I’d slept with?
As the seconds ticked by, we got locked in a staring contest, his expression challenging, mine likely suspicious. It was only when Patrice cleared her throat that we broke eye contact. My client’s gaze moved from me to Caleb, that frown deepening between her brows. “Perhaps it’s just my imagination, but I’ve had the feeling from the moment Ava walked in here that you two already know each other.”
Did I also mention that Patrice wasn’t stupid? I flushed, hating to be caught in any sort of pretense, and worrying over whether I should continue to bury us in more lies, which I hated to do. But I didn’t know what would be worse—
“You’re not wrong, Patrice. Apologies.” Caleb threw me a taunting smile. “I met Miss Breevort in Phoenix. We were on the same flights tae Chicago and Boston. When you said her name, I couldn’t help but want tae surprise her. Sorry for the mischief.”
“Ahh.” Patrice’s whole face lit up. “How wonderful. And what a coincidence. I bet you thought you’d never see each other again.”
“You’re not wrong.” I laughed a little hysterically and saw Caleb’s grin widen. Alarm pierced me. “I didn’t mean to pretend otherwise, Patrice, but I was caught off guard and not really sure what Mr. Scott was up to over there. He’s full of mischief all right.” I said it cheerily but my teeth were gritted.
The bastard let out a huff of laughter.
“I think it’s fabulous. In fact, I really feel like I shouldn’t even be here.” Patrice reached for her purse, giving me a knowing smile. “You two should spend lunch together alone, get better acquainted. I have so much to do, I should really run.”
Panic flooded me. “But, Patrice, you’ve already ordered.”
“Oh, I can cancel that.” She placed a hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “I’ll see you back at the house when I see you. But please don’t feel like you have to put in too much of an appearance. I know you’re busy with work and”—she glanced at me—“you’ll have Ava to keep you company.”
“Thank you again, Patrice. Your hospitality is appreciated.”
My jaw dropped.
Did he just say thank you?
“Oh, no no. No thank yous. We like having company in that big house.” She rounded the table to me and bent down to kiss my cheek. “We’ll talk soon, darling. Have fun.”
“But Patr—”
She was already strutting away over to the hostess to cancel her order.
And then she was gone. Without her fabric samples, I might add.
Reluctantly, I turned back around in my seat and stared across the small table at Caleb. “What the hell?”
He cocked his head slightly, frowning. “Patrice was so sure you’d be accommodating. I dinnae think she knows her interior designer very well.”
“Stop messing around. Last time we spoke I got the sincere impression it would be the last time. What with all those other beautiful women in Boston just waiting for the chance to jump on board Caleb Scott.”
His lips twitched, drawing my attention to the thick stubble he was sporting, which immediately sparked the memory of it tickling and scratching my skin. Damn. My legs automatically squeezed together, trying to quell the insistent tingling sensation between them.
“There are plenty of beautiful women in Boston, I’m sure many of whom are good in bed … Very few are fantastic in bed, however.” His now heated eyes blazed at me meaningfully, making my clothes feel too tight, too hot.
I scoffed, trying to dampen the arousal he awakened in me. “I’m sure there was a compliment in there, but I’m not interested.”
Caleb calmly reached for his water glass and took a sip. When he was finished, I found myself recaptured in his gaze. “One thing you should know about me, Ava, is that I’m a very determined man. When I want something, I usually get it.”
My heart stuttered in my chest. What exactly did that mean? “And you want …?”
Quite abruptly he scowled. “I’m stuck here, which frankly pisses me off. Now I can spend my free time in the evenings being pissed off or I can spend them in bed with you. I know which one I’d prefer. And if you’d stop lying tae yourself, you’d admit that you want another go-around with me.”
Was there ever a more obnoxious man alive? My blood was hot with anger. “Do you ever think about what you’re going to say before you say it?”
“You’re offended?” He raised an eyebrow.
I leaned across the table, lowering my voice to his. “You just told me that you want me to be your entertainment while you’re stranded in Boston.” I sat back in my seat, my pulse racing even harder because the truth was, despite my aversion to him, I was still stupidly attracted to him. As in seriously wanted to launch myself across the table at him and rip off his clothes right then and there. What was wrong with me?
“No. I suggested we screw this attraction out of our systems.”
“We are in a nice restaurant,” I said between gritted teeth.
“Then let’s take this conversation elsewhere.”
“I’m hungry.” But I wasn’t sure I really was. I was just stalling.
Caleb glanced impatiently at his watch. “I have tae get back tae the office in forty-five minutes.”
Understanding what he meant, I decided I didn’t care where we were and threw my napkin across the table at him. “We are not having sex on our lunch break.”
He didn’t even look at the napkin. “But we are having sex?”
I shook my head at his single-mindedness. “I suppose I should feel flattered that you went to so much trouble for a booty call.”
Caleb didn’t even flinch at my sarcasm. “It didn’t sit right leaving things the way we did. I only walk away when I’m bored, Ava. I’m not bored yet. Are you?”
“When you say you only walk away when you’re bored … what about the women? Do you care if you break their hearts?”
He gave me a condescending smile. “It’s only ever about attraction. No one gets attached long enough for feelings tae be involved.”
“So you think.”
“Are you telling me that you dinnae want tae sleep with me because you’re afraid you might develop feelings for me?”
“You know I don’t even like you.”
“Exactly. So what’s the harm in it? Live a little, Ava.”
His comment made me think back to the other night in his hotel bed and how everything else had disappeared for those few hours we were together. It was just him and me and the pleasure we could bring to each other. There was something compelling about how lovely it was to disappear into something new. Especially now.<
br />
Our food arrived before I could answer, and Caleb unexpectedly stayed patiently quiet as we ate and I mulled over the pros and cons of sleeping with him again.
The pros were obvious. Unbelievable satisfaction with no strings attached. And Caleb would be gone again in a week or two, so I wouldn’t have to face him once we’d gotten each other out of our systems.
On the other hand, I’d once again be sleeping with a man I didn’t even like. How would I feel about my integrity when it was over? Or was I making too big a deal out of it?
“You think too much,” Caleb said, pushing his empty plate away from him.
I finished up too. “Just sex?”
His expression sobered and he nodded.
I lowered my voice. “I know I should have asked this in Chicago, but … are you clean?”
“I get a regular health check. You’re the first I’ve been with since my last. I can e-mail you the results if you want.”
“I want.” Maybe it would sound crazy to him, but I needed to be careful. I wasn’t the reckless type.
Caleb didn’t seem perturbed by my response. “And you?”
“You don’t have to worry about me. I had a health check after my last relationship. I’m clean. I can try to get those results if you want.”
“I want.” His eyes darkened to a sliver. “So does that mean you’re up for this?”
I felt like my heart was in my throat, my pulse was beating so hard. “Yes.”
Thankfully, he didn’t respond with a smug smile. “Your place or mine?”
The idea of carrying on with him under the Danby roof made me shudder. It was so horrifically unprofessional. Yet I wasn’t sure I wanted him inside my apartment, my private space. “I’d prefer neither, to be honest.”
“I still have my room at the Four Seasons.” He stood up abruptly and pulled out his wallet. “Patrice is very kind, but I like my privacy. For now I need tae get back tae work. Do you have a card so I can contact you?”
Betraying my desire to be cool, my fingers trembled a little as I opened my purse to find a business card. I held it out to him as he dropped a pile of bills on the table to cover lunch. “Thanks for lunch.”
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