“Excellent,” Mark said, as he plucked a canapé with caviar off a passing silver tray. “I didn’t realize your fingers had lost feeling.”
“Whenever I’m really nervous, my fingers go numb.”
“Here”—he held out the small toast point—“try this. It’s fabulous.”
Eva open her mouth and he pushed the canapé in. She chewed slowly. So far everything she had eaten had been mouthwateringly delicious. “Let’s follow him,” she said.
“No, I think we’re better off here. We’re getting a good random sampling.”
“I like your logic.” Eva looked around at the glitterati in their sparkling gowns and jewelry and thanked heaven yet again that Ruth had made her wear the diamond and rubies. Although she was just a pretender to the throne, Eva knew she looked the part. And that helped. It make her feel comfortable. “I wonder where the photographer from Us is. I’m tempted to photo bomb every shot. Ruth failed to clarify under what conditions I should get in the magazine, only that I should.”
“I wish I could help you out,” he said regretfully, eyeing a tray of crab cakes, “but I only know the photographers from my magazine. Do you think if we move four feet to the left we’d be in the path of that woman?”
Eva quickly calculated the waitress’s vector. “Perhaps three feet. I’m willing to give it a try.” When they were in their new position with crab cakes in hand, she said, “Are any of your photographers here?”
“No. All the ones I know cover foreign wars, not the culture wars,” he said, finishing his martini. “So tell me, does feeling in your fingers mean I can leave you here for a second while I go to the bathroom?”
When they had entered the museum, Eva had laid down the ground rules, the most important and inviolate of which being that he didn’t leave her side for even a fraction of a millisecond. He had complied without complaining for almost forty-five minutes.
Eva wiggled her fingers. They really seemed fine. “Okay, you go to the bathroom. I’m going to wander over there to the bar to get another drink. We will rendezvous back here in five point two minutes. Let’s synchronize our phones. As far as my calculations go, we are more than halfway through cocktail hour. We’re doing well. Dinner and dancing should be a breeze. The auction itself is the only unknown in the equation. Remember, we have nothing to fear but fear itself.”
“Excuse me?” he asked, curious about the seeming non sequitur.
“Fear is insidious,” she said, wondering what she would do if Mark was gone for more than five minutes. What if there was a line for the men’s room? Get a grip, Butler, she ordered herself. There’s never a line for the men’s room. “Oh, God, I’m losing feeling in the tips of my fingers.”
“Are you all right? I can stay. I don’t have to go.”
“You don’t have to go?”
He flushed slightly. “I do have to go, but I can wait a little while, until feeling returns to your fingertips or something.”
It was a lovely offer, but Eva shook her head. “No, I’m going to be brave and you’re going to be sensible. I’ve spent enough time in bars to know how to stand alone and look fascinated with myself.”
Mark kissed her cheek as encouragement. “You’ll do fine, kid.”
As if to test his prediction, she forced herself to stand there for a minute. She didn’t want it to look as if the bar was her only lifeline. It was, of course, but nobody else had to know that.
“You know, being invited with a guest was merely a courtesy. You weren’t supposed to actually bring one,” a voice said from behind her.
Eva spun around with a dazzling smile on her lips. “Reed!” she exclaimed, genuinely delighted to see him. She had looked for him in vain when they’d first arrived. “It’s so lovely to see a familiar face. I mean, I’m surrounded by familiar faces, but yours is the first one that actually finds mine familiar as well.”
He laughed, glad to finally be near her. He had been watching her from the moment she’d arrived, waiting for her bodyguard to leave her side. For a while it had seemed as though he would stick like glue for the entire evening. And no wonder. The way she looked tonight, he wouldn’t let another man within ten feet of her if he could help it. “You look stunning,” he said. “Absolutely stunning.”
Eva’s breath caught in her throat, not so much because of his words but because of the glow in his eyes. “Thank you. In the last twenty-four hours, a very dear friend had to threaten half of New York to get me to look like this.”
“The effort was well worth it,” he assured her.
“Thank you again.” She looked around, trying to avoid his startling sapphire gaze. “This is all so lovely. Have you been to many of these?”
“Too many. You don’t have a drink. Let’s see if we can fix that.” He deliberately led her to the bar on the other side of the room, out of her date’s sight line, should he return to the spot where she had been standing. Cole didn’t want her to be found so easily.
Eva tried not to shiver from his hand on her elbow. “I was very surprised to get an invitation. Do I have you to thank?”
“No, this wasn’t my doing. But I’ll be sure to thank the person responsible.” At the bar, he ordered her a red wine.
Although she was disappointed that he hadn’t invited her himself, she knew the invitation meant her proposal had gotten into the right hands. Someone at Hammond had wanted to meet her. Hopefully it would be the boss himself. “Ah,” she said, accepting the glass. “Just what I’ve been drinking. How’d you guess?”
He shrugged carelessly. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
“I don’t know if enjoying is the right word. There are too many things going on around me and in my head for there to be enjoyment, but I’m very glad to be here. And there’s the possibility for enjoyment later on, assuming I don’t make any huge social gaffes. I’m a little nervous about the auction.”
“Stick with me and you’ll be fine.”
“All right,” she said softly, looking deeply into his mesmerizing blue eyes. He’s too attractive, she thought. There’s no way I can be fine with such a beautiful man. “Um, I…uh…want to thank you again for meeting with me on Tuesday. I sent off my proposal first thing Wednesday morning. I haven’t heard anything yet, but I can only assume that it got into the right hands. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here, would I?”
She was angling for confirmation of this, but he didn’t give it. Her date was approaching. Eva noticed Mark a second later and smiled at him. “Mark,” she said, taking his arm with her free hand, “there’s someone here I want you to meet. This is Mark, a very good friend of mine.” Then she turned toward Reed. “And this is—”
“Please, Eva, a man like him needs no introduction,” Mark said, interrupting her and holding out his hand. “Hello, Mr. Hammond. It’s a pleasure to meet you.
Eva felt her heart drop to the floor, and she clenched her fist around the wineglass so that it wouldn’t slip out of her suddenly jointless fingers.
“I work for a rival newsweekly,” Mark said when he saw the devastated expression on Eva’s face. It was clear she hadn’t known whom she was talking to. “And I want to compliment you on World Events. It’s an excellent magazine. Your coverage of the situation in Kashmir, in particular, is outstanding. I’ve been in the region myself and find your articles really capture what’s going on.”
Cole could also see that Eva was distressed. Damn it, this wasn’t the way he wanted her to find out. He had been planning on telling her this evening, just not yet. Perhaps after she finished her third glass of wine. He knew she’d be embarrassed when she learned the truth, but he’d hoped to dull that with drink and flattering words. Now all he could do was give her time to pull herself together. He focused on Eva’s friend. “Mark? You wouldn’t happen to be Mark Roberts? I read your piece on Afghanistan last month. Brilliant stuff.”
Mark flushed from pleasure. “I’m honored that you remembered my name, Mr. Hammond.”
“Cole, please. And
I make it a point to remember the names of excellent journalists who write for the competitor’s magazine. How do you know Eva?”
“We went to college together,” Eva said, coming out of her trance. There was nothing for her to do with this new information but to deal with it and move on. At least now she would stop building dream castles around Reed. Reed didn’t exist. “I’ve known Mark for more than ten years.”
“And how do you know Eva?” Mark asked.
“We’re discussing a business deal,” Cole explained. “In fact, there’s something we need to talk about right now. Will you excuse us for a moment?”
Eva wasn’t having it. She didn’t want to talk to him. “Actually, cocktail hour is almost over, and I fear we’re monopolizing our host. I couldn’t in all good conscience take up any more of your time. It was nice seeing you again, Mr. Hammond.”
Mark echoed her words and led her away. The second they were out of earshot, he said, “Are you okay?”
She took a deep breath. “I think I’m all right, considering I just ruined my career. Wyndham’s will never get the Hammond collection after this and you know what? I don’t care. It’ll probably bug the hell out of me tomorrow, but tonight, I’m too angry and disappointed. Oh, my God, Mark.” They were in a deserted corner now, and she felt comfortable laying her head against his shoulder. “Cole Hammond. I have a crush on Cole Hammond. How self-destructive can a girl get?”
He didn’t have an answer for that. “Do you want to leave?”
“Yes,” she said without thinking. Of course she wanted to go home and lick her wounds in private. But she reconsidered. “No, we’ll stay. My foolishness needs to be punished. And I’m feeling remarkably calm. Maybe because Cole Hammond is so unbelievably ridiculous. It’s the things that are right outside our grasp that taunt and hurt us the most. Cole Hammond is so far away he and I aren’t even on the same planet. This is good. Reed whatever-his-name, if he existed, probably would have really broken my heart. Now it’s just bruised.”
Mark listened to this speech and then enveloped her in a hug. “You’re going to be okay. We both are.”
Eva pulled back. “What are you worrying about? I tell you I saw lust in Ruth’s eyes today. You, my friend, are home-free.”
He smiled sadly. “Well, I’ll believe it when I see it and not a moment before.”
***
From across the room Cole watched Eva disappear into Mark’s arms, and he felt a knot of jealousy coil in his gut. They were just friends. Knowing that they had met in college ten years before convinced him of that. But still it tore at him to see her in another man’s arms. That was a problem. He had never felt this way before and wasn’t particularly sure he liked it. Perhaps things had worked out for the best. If Eva could make him feel like this on such short acquaintance, it unsettled him to think what she would be able to do to him when he knew her better. Maybe he wouldn’t pursue it further. He’d let his mother deal with Wyndham’s and he’d stay out of it.
The hell he would.
Cole was walking over to the quiet corner where Eva had sought solace when his mother intercepted him.
“Cole dear, I was just telling the Mercers about your new project,” she said, after he introduced her to a well-groomed couple in their fifties. “They own luxury resorts in the Caribbean and all over, and since your new site is dedicated to travel, I thought you could all discuss a promotion for the launch.”
Although he thought the idea had merit, Cole couldn’t help but wish the Mercers to the devil and his mother along with them. Loretta Hammond was the consummate hostess, and she didn’t only arrange introductions to further her or her son’s business. She genuinely enjoyed bringing people together.
Cole spoke with the Mercers for several minutes, deciding in the end that he’d have Philip get in touch with them about a promotion. It was a very good idea indeed, and he made a note to thank his mother later. Just as soon as he strangled her for thwarting his chance to talk with Eva. She was no longer hiding in the corner. Cole was afraid that she was no longer hiding at all. What if she’d left? He wanted to follow her but had responsibilities to his mother and Hammond Communications that he couldn’t abandon no matter how much he wanted to. That was why he was relieved to spot her ten minutes later at the bar, refreshing her drink.
This time he made no progress at all. As soon as he changed directions, he was accosted by Lucy’s parents. Cole wanted to be rude but this evening meant a lot to his mother, so he restrained himself and watched Eva walk away.
Cocktail hour ended soon after, and they were called into the dining area amid the famous Frank Lloyd Wright spiral. Cole considered approaching her table but hosting duties prevented him from taking a moment for himself. He knew exactly where she was seated—it was only when he had found her place card earlier that he had known for sure she was coming—and he kept one eye trained on her at all times.
At some point during the three-course meal, his mother leaned over his shoulder and said, “Your Ms. Butler is here. I haven’t had a chance to say hello, but I’m looking forward to it. You must introduce me.” Then she moved along to the next table, sparing him the need to reply.
During the half-hour fashion show-auction, Eva hung back from the crowd. He could tell that she was intrigued by the event. Lacking the austerity of an auction hall, it differed greatly from anything Wyndham’s had ever mounted. Her interest was almost exclusively professional. The clothing, though some of it quite gorgeous, didn’t hold her attention. Despite her very beautiful, very sexy red dress, she wasn’t consumed by fashion. He’d noticed that right away and had found it appealing. He had dated too many clotheshorses.
After the auction, the DJ was sent home and a twenty-piece orchestra played classic tunes. Now, thought Cole, was finally the time to talk to Eva, and nothing, not even his mother, who was rapidly approaching him, would stop him.
“Mother, I don’t have the time to—”
“Would now be a good time to introduce me to Ms. Butler?”
Smiling brightly, he offered his mother his arm. “I’d be delighted.”
Eva saw them walking toward her table, and Cole noticed the moment she realized she was trapped. There was no running away this time. Not from the Hammond matriarch. Cole was prepared to press his advantage to a shameful degree.
“Ms. Butler,” he said, approaching her. She backed up awkwardly and only stopped when her legs hit Mark’s chair. “I want you to meet my mother, Loretta Hammond. It’s she you’ll have to convince if you want the Hammond collection to be a feather in your cap. And this is her escort, Mark Roberts.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Hammond,” said Eva, determined to be professional, even though she believed Wyndham’s didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell. “Thank you very much for inviting me. It’s a lovely affair and from what I saw of that auction, a very successful one as well. The Hammond Foundation is a very worthy cause. You must be very proud to have done such a wonderful job.”
This was a lovely speech and one that Eva had practiced several times the night before. Loretta took her hand and held it for a moment. “Considering that you’re the auction expert, I take that compliment very seriously. Thank you. And thank you for your generous donation to the foundation.”
“It’s the least Wyndham’s can do.”
“Yes, Wyndham’s. My son says you have put together an impressive proposal.”
Eva’s eyes flew to Cole. He was staring at her with his intense blue gaze, giving away nothing. “I’m relieved that he thinks so,” she said demurely.
“We’ll have to set something up for next week.”
“I’d like that.”
Cole smiled. “Mother, since business is done, perhaps you can persuade this very beautiful woman in the stunning red dress to dance with me? For some inexplicable reason, she seems wary of me.”
Loretta laughed. “It’s hardly inexplicable. But I don’t think one dance would do her any harm.”
Eva could think of no graceful way out, so with a desperate look at Mark, she accepted Cole’s arm and let him escort her onto the dance floor. The orchestra was playing something slow and sexy that Eva didn’t recognize. As he pulled her into his arms, she cautioned herself to be strong. This was Cole Hammond. Not the almost-within-her-grasp Reed.
“Finally,” he said softly in her ear, “a moment alone. I’ve been trying for this all evening.”
“Have you, Mr. Hammond?” she said coolly, fighting the wonderful feelings that were coursing through her body.
He tightened his grip. “Can you doubt it? That red dress has been driving me crazy for hours.”
Eva’s body responded to the warmth and strength of his, but she resisted. “I’m sorry, Mr. Hammond, if my presence here this evening has been a problem for you.”
He laughed in her ear, a low husky sound that sent shivers down her spine. “Yes, Mr. Hammond me to death. I know you’re very cross about that. And I suppose I deserve it.”
“On the contrary, Mr. Hammond,” she said, striving to remain indifferent, “it is what I deserve for not extensively googling a potential client.”
He smiled, amused. “You don’t sound as if you believe that.”
“I do, Mr. Hammond. I should never have behaved so foolishly, and I learned a valuable lesson. It will never happen again.”
“That’s a shame. I had a wonderful time with you at lunch the other day.” He pulled her closer. “I was hoping we could repeat the experience soon.”
Eva closed her eyes and willed herself to stay strong. He certainly knew what he was doing. No wonder women fell all over themselves to be with him. She would not. “It was just a business meeting, Mr. Hammond. I daresay you have at least a dozen a day.”
It irked him that she could be so dismissive of an experience that had stayed with him for hours and days afterward. “It was not just a business meeting,” he insisted, his voice no longer quite as smooth. “It was more than that and you know it. If had just been a business meeting you wouldn’t have looked at me as though you wanted to devour me in the cab. And if it had been just a business meeting, you wouldn’t have looked so disappointed when I hopped back into the cab without making further plans.”
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