Swann's Revenge

by Shira Anthony

  “Thanks. This is the first time I’ve used the grill since we moved in. When I was commuting to the city, Lacey and I would always spend Sundays together. When the weather was good, we’d play in the yard and cook dinner on the deck.” He shrugged. “We’ve been so busy unpacking, I almost forgot how much fun it was.”

  “My stepfather made the best ribs,” Graham said. As he spoke, Dan saw longing in his expression. “When I came home from college, he’d invite some of the neighbors and my mom would make her killer slaw. Best damn welcome-back party I could have asked for.”

  “Butter, Daddy,” Lacey announced and pointed an ear of corn at Dan.

  “What do you say?” Dan prompted her.

  “Butter please,” she replied.

  Dan took the corn and stuck a holder into each end, then slathered the corn and salted it before handing it back to her.

  “Lacey?” Dan said.

  “What?”

  Dan sighed. “What do you say?”

  “Thank you!” she said brightly before biting into the corn.

  “You’re very polite, Lacey,” Graham observed.

  “Daddy says I gotta be,” she answered, mouth full of food.

  Dan made a face, and he and Graham laughed. “I try,” Dan said with a sigh. “We’re working on the not-talking-with-your-mouth-full part of that.”

  “I wasn’t very good at that either,” Graham said with a self-deprecating grin.

  “I have a hard time imagining that,” Dan said. Graham’s manners were better than perfect. He’d clearly aced the etiquette course. Even the way he moved was sophisticated. If you didn’t look too closely, you’d never even notice the slight gawkiness beneath the perfect exterior. But Dan liked that incongruity—it made Graham seem human, approachable. At least most of the time.

  “You’d be surprised,” Graham replied. He looked as though he were going to say something more about it, but seemed to think better of it. Instead, he lifted a piece of steak to his lips and chewed it in the same graceful manner he did nearly everything.

  “Graham Swann chew with his mouth open?” Dan said with a chuckle. “Now that’s something I’d have liked to have seen.”

  “I can assure you it wasn’t a pretty sight.” Graham looked at Lacey, who was making quick work of her corn, and added, “Lacey is far better behaved than I ever was.”

  “She’s a great kid,” Dan agreed. “But she’s normal. We have plenty of disagreements. Don’t we, Lacey?”

  She nodded emphatically, her face now covered in butter and corn. They were past the days of tantrums on the floor in the middle of the supermarket, but Lacey still had her moments. He was a less than perfect parent, but Lacey was a normal, mostly happy kid. And that was the goal, wasn’t it?

  An hour later, Dan and Graham gathered the dishes and brought them inside. The conversation hadn’t strayed beyond comfortable topics, and Dan enjoyed Graham’s company. Having sent Lacey upstairs to brush her teeth and get into her pj’s, Dan washed the plates as Graham dried them.

  “The dishwasher’s been broken for the past week. I haven’t had a chance to meet the repair guy, not with the motions hearing.”

  “Don’t sweat it. I like drying dishes. It’s very… relaxing.” Graham set down a plate and reached for another, brushing Dan’s arm in the process.

  Dan looked up. Graham gazed at him, his usually controlled features now soft and gentle. Open. Maybe it was the two beers he’d had with dinner. Or maybe it was the comfortable conversation and the beautiful summer evening. Whatever the reason, Dan didn’t think. He leaned in and kissed him. And Graham kissed back.

  Dan savored the contrast of Graham’s soft lips and his slightly rough cheek. Dan sought Graham’s tongue as they tangled over smooth teeth. Graham drew closer, the warmth of his body reassuring and leaving Dan out of breath, off-kilter. Graham slipped his fingers through the hair at the base of Dan’s neck, sending shivers of pleasure through Dan’s body. Dan explored the topography of Graham’s hips, his fingers tracing the indentation there and traveling up his spine. Graham’s hard response pressed against his thigh told Dan he wasn’t the only one who wanted more.

  Dan imagined ghosting his fingers over bare skin, listening to stuttered breaths as he explored the peaks and valleys of Graham’s chest. He stifled a moan and focused once more on Graham’s delicious mouth and the way Graham held him close.

  “Daddy,” Lacey shouted from the stairs, “I can’t find Sammy!”

  He and Graham pulled apart, both of them breathing heavily, trying to regain their bearings. Back to reality, Dan blew a slow breath between tight lips and offered Graham a reassuring smile. Graham didn’t return it.

  “I’ll be right there,” Dan called his eyes still on Graham.

  “I should be going,” Graham said. Discomfort flickered in his eyes, but the hunger was just as obvious.

  “You don’t need to leave. I’ll be back down in a few minutes and we—”

  “I’ll see you on Monday.” Cold. Once again in control.

  “Daddy!” Lacey charged into the kitchen, grabbed Dan’s hand, and began to pull him out of the kitchen.

  “Night, Lacey,” Graham said. “Maybe you can show me more of your coloring next time.” He seemed to realize he’d just invited himself back, because a hint of pink tinted his cheeks.

  “We’d like that,” Dan said and winked at Lacey. “Wouldn’t we?” Maybe the kiss hadn’t been a mistake after all.

  “Uh-huh.” Lacey let go of Dan and ran to Graham, who picked her up and gave her a big hug before setting her back down again. “Daddy and I are going to the akarium next week. Can you come too?”

  “Aquarium,” Dan put in. “The one near Kure Beach.”

  Graham chuckled. “I got that.”

  “Lacey, I’m sure Mr. Graham—”

  “Would like to go,” Graham finished. “I haven’t been in years.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Graham nodded. “What day are you planning on going?”

  “Saturday,” Dan answered. “Sunday if the weather on Saturday’s nasty.” Graham wouldn’t want to make the long drive in rainy weather either.

  “Keep me posted.”

  “He’s coming, he’s coming!” Lacey shouted and wiggled out of Graham’s arms. “Daddy, he’s coming!”

  Dan laughed. “I heard that. What did we say about using your indoor voice?”

  Lacey pressed her lips together and stared downward, then gazed back at Graham when she thought Dan couldn’t see. Dan repressed a snort and winked at Graham.

  “I really should go.” The color lingered on Graham’s cheeks. “Thank you for tonight.”

  “Of course.” Dan swallowed hard. Both the lingering effects of the kiss and the way Graham seemed to genuinely care for Lacey made him feel momentarily unsteady. “I’ll see you Monday.”

  “Sure.”

  Dan scooped Lacey up and walked Graham to the foyer. As Graham opened the door to his car, Lacey shouted, “Bye, Mr. Graham!”

  They watched Graham’s car disappear down the driveway. “Time to get you into bed,” Dan said as he carried Lacey up the stairs. “You’ve got swimming lessons first thing in the morning, and you need to get some sleep.”

  He wasn’t sure how well he’d sleep, but he was pretty sure who would inhabit his dreams.

  Chapter Fifteen

  GRAHAM made it to the office by seven on Monday, having spent an extra hour at the gym. Working out always helped him feel more centered. And this morning, of all mornings, he needed focus. But in spite of the deserted office and the extra workout, he caught himself staring blankly at the file he was supposed to be reviewing. Several times.

  He sighed and took another long sip of his coffee. What the hell had he been thinking, kissing Dan? And then, he’d agreed to go to the aquarium.

  It was a mistake. He’d told himself that at least a dozen times over the weekend, and each time his resolve lasted only until he remembered how good Dan’s mouth ta
sted and how good his body felt pressed against his own.

  Of course it felt good! He’s got a great body, a good personality, and he’s sharp as a tack. Why wouldn’t it feel good?

  “Because it’s insane.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose and put his face in his hands. He needed to think this through. Figure a way to back out of the aquarium thing, because that would only lead to more. He needed to let both Dan and Lacey down somehow and—

  “That bad?”

  He jumped at Terri’s voice. “One of these days,” he said, “I’m going to—”

  “Thank me for my sixth sense and wonderful personality?”

  “Something like that.” He took another drink of the coffee and looked up at her.

  “How was Friday night?” she asked with her usual canny grin.

  “You set me up.”

  “You didn’t answer my question. Friday night?” She sat on the corner of his desk and crossed her legs.

  “It was acceptable,” he lied.

  “Sure it was. That’s why you have that dreamy look in your eyes and dark circles to match.” She folded her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows, reminding him of Katharine Hepburn about to give Spencer Tracy a piece of her mind, but always two steps ahead of him. It was part of what he loved about Terri and why he trusted her as much as he did.

  “Terri….”

  “Hmm?”

  “What do you expect me to say?” he grumbled.

  “You don’t look angry with me.” Of course she wouldn’t deny she’d set them up. “So you had a great time.”

  “No. Yes.” He gritted his teeth, then immediately released the tension in his jaw.

  “And?”

  He sighed and shook his head. “I agreed to go with Dan and Lacey to the aquarium next weekend.”

  “That’s wonderful.”

  “It’s a mistake, mixing business and pleasure.”

  “When’s the last time you had a real date? No, strike that. When’s the last time you even looked at another man with something more than a one-nighter in mind?”

  If she only knew! “A good lawyer never asks her witness a question without knowing the answer.”

  Her musical laughter filled the office. “The answer is ‘way too fucking long.’” They’d never much spoken about his love life, although she’d always been open about her own.

  “I don’t need a matchmaker, and I sure as hell don’t need a relationship.”

  She shrugged. “Sometimes things are obvious when viewed from a different perspective.”

  “I don’t need your help.” How many times did he have to tell her before she got the message? “Besides, there are way too many complications.”

  “There don’t have to be complications if you have two adults involved,” she finished. “I can see how well you two work together. You admire him.”

  “Getting involved with him is huge mistake. If things don’t work out—”

  “Then you’ll be adults about it.”

  “You’re supposed to say that dating a colleague is risky,” he replied. He sure as hell knew it was.

  She hopped off the desk. “What do you want?” She narrowed her eyes and held his gaze as if challenging him. Her courtroom face. He also knew he could resist it, but for some unfathomable reason, he didn’t.

  He inhaled a long breath and said, “I don’t know.”

  She stared at him, clearly surprised.

  He laughed. “You expected me to totally dismiss the idea.”

  “I did.” She laughed and shook her head. “Which means….”

  “Nothing,” he finished.

  “Touché.”

  “I want to offer him a partnership,” he said.

  “You’re going to give me whiplash, as fast as you pivot.”

  “Any objection, Counselor?”

  “None. He’s great.” She raised her eyebrows and added, “But do you think you can handle it? Partnership means he’ll be here for the long haul.”

  “Nothing to handle.” Total bullshit, but for once, she didn’t call him on it. “This is just business.” He’d let Dan and Lacey down gently, and he’d back out of the aquarium.

  She made her way to the door and waved as she walked through it. “Yeah,” she said under her breath.

  “What was that?”

  “It’s great,” she said over her shoulder, then closed the door behind her.

  He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He just needed to remember that this was all about business, and things would be fine.

  Chapter Sixteen

  DAN arrived at the office a little after eight, having dropped Lacey off at the childcare center five blocks away. It had taken time to snag her a spot, but the new arrangement was a million times more convenient. He’d even brought his lunch a few times and eaten with her on the grass outside the State Capitol Building.

  He tossed his jacket onto one of the chairs and loosened his tie. Outside it was a surprisingly warm day for late October. His mother had laughed when he’d told her he was settling in fine but that he was glad the snow stayed up in her neck of the woods for the most part.

  “Y’all’ve been away from the South too long,” she observed in her sweet mountain drawl. “Of course, we’d love to have you and Lacey move back up here. It’s far cooler in summer. You’ll see.”

  He thanked her for the offer, but he knew he’d never move back. The mountains were beautiful, but the memories of growing up there weren’t ones he cared to revisit. Years of trying to be what people expected had taken their toll. When he met Benn after grad school—proud, out, in-your-face Benn—the world opened. His mother had come to love Benn. His father had come to their wedding, but he’d been visibly uncomfortable. In the end it was Lacey who’d broken through the barrier around his father’s heart. His father and Benn had never been close, but his dad had flown with his mother to New York for the funeral.

  Life moves on.

  Dan ran a hand through his hair and opened one of the files. Almost immediately, someone knocked on his door. He looked up to see Graham peering through a half-open door.

  “Am I interrupting?” Graham looked more uncomfortable than usual. He probably regretted the kiss of Friday night and Lacey’s invitation. Dan knew he shouldn’t be disappointed, but he really hoped Graham would be more relaxed around him after the weekend.

  Dan hadn’t decided yet whether he’d give Graham an easy out or push him to do something he might actually enjoy. He knew he wasn’t playing fair, but Graham was hardly a pushover. If he really didn’t want to tag along, he’d figure a way out of it.

  “Not at all. Please, come in.” Dan gestured to one of the chairs.

  “Thank you.” Graham sat, back ramrod straight. Dark circles shadowed his eyes. Dan expected him to say something, but for a long moment, he remained silent.

  “I had a great time Friday,” Dan said in an effort to put Graham at ease.

  Graham’s shoulders rose and fell, as if the words had released the tension there. “About that. I apologize. I never meant things to go that far.” Graham frowned.

  Dan strangled a sigh and forced his thoughts from how good those full lips tasted. He wanted to kiss Graham again, but he’d expected Graham to back away.

  “Do you have plans for lunch?” Graham asked before Dan could figure out what to say. “I’d like to discuss next steps.”

  “I… sure.” He hadn’t expected the offer of lunch, and he certainly hadn’t expected Graham would want to talk about how the two of them might move past Wilmington, but he was glad for it. Maybe if they talked things through, Dan might be able to persuade Graham to take a chance on their relationship outside the office.

  “Good,” Graham said this as though he’d just finished negotiating a settlement agreement.

  “I’ve got a phone conference at eleven. Will twelve fifteen work for you?”

  “That’d be fine.” Graham stood, took a few steps, then turned back. “Sushi?”

&
nbsp; “Perfect.”

  “Good. I’ll see you at twelve fifteen.” Graham hesitated just a moment, then walked out.

  Dan drew a long breath. Lunch couldn’t come too soon.

  GRAHAM picked up a bit of spicy tuna roll and glanced at Dan across the small table. Bit by tiny bit, the tension in his back and shoulders eased as if being the focus of Dan’s laid-back attention unthawed those muscles. With each chuckle, with each tilt of Dan’s head, with each bright smile, Graham relaxed a little more.

  This is business. Nothing more.

  When they’d first been seated in the corner of the tiny restaurant, Graham had done his utmost to make sure he didn’t accidentally brush Dan’s leg or even touch his foot with his own. Avoiding Dan wasn’t an easy feat, given the tight space between their table and the next. Graham’s knee began to ache from the awkward position, and he shifted in his seat, causing his knee to press against Dan’s. He tensed, but Dan seemed untroubled by it, so Graham left it as is.

  “Terri and I are happy with your work,” Graham said in an effort to dispel the low buzz of desire from the physical contact. “We’d like to offer you a nonequity partnership with an option to buy into the business over the next five years.”

  “Of course. Thank you. I’m definitely interested.” Something Graham couldn’t quite read flickered in Dan’s eyes. Had he been expecting something else from this conversation?

  “Good. Then I’ll put together a contract,” Graham continued. “In the meantime, I’m having my accountant work up some numbers for a valuation. That should give you an idea of return on investment. Then we can sit down and talk about a buy-in figure.”

  “No rush.” Dan appeared entirely unconcerned.

  Graham understood that this was only the opening salvo in negotiations. He also understood Dan wouldn’t want to appear overly interested. This wasn’t at all personal. Still, he bristled at Dan’s lack of enthusiasm. “Of course,” he said with more force than he’d intended.

  Dan smiled again, took sip of his of tea, then set his cup down. “I’m honored that you think enough of me to extend the offer.”