by Eugene, Lisa
I heard Michelle’s loud gasp and Mr. Wilkinson’s crude curse, but what I failed to notice was the lethal coil of Josh’s body just before he swung his arm and struck me brutally across the face.
“You fucking whore!”
I staggered back from the blow, more stunned than hurt. I caught my balance just in time to see the blur of Luke’s large body crash into Josh. Luke released a maniacal roar and the soul-shattering sound resonated down to my toes, quaking my entire body. I thanked God for the loud music that must have drowned out the sound in the other room.
My lips parted and I let out a broken cry, my palm cupping my throbbing jaw. Luke had Josh pinned against a wall, his fist driving into him repeatedly, the dull thuds were punctuated with Josh’s painful grunts as blood squirted from his nose onto his sterile tux. Mr. Wilkinson struggled to pry Luke off Josh, but Luke’s blind fury was evident with each deliberate strike. Finally Mr. Wilkinson was able to tear him away from his son, yelling harshly, his craggy face a mask of outrage.
“Get out of here! Go!” he yelled to Luke.
Luke swiped a hand across his chin, his chest rising and falling rapidly. The fog seemed to clear and he stepped back and turned to me.
“You okay?”
I nodded silently, words stacking like dry rocks in my throat. He gave me a last lingering look before he stalked from the room.
I stood still, my limbs suffering the effects of minor tremors. I stared at the door where Luke just exited and a whimper crawled up from my throat. My gaze flew back to Josh’s battered body and I felt no remorse. In fact, I felt nothing at all. It was just then I heard the excited peal of the MC from the other room. His trumpeting voice announced a special surprise for the soon to be married couple. I squeezed my eyes shut and cursed my mother under my breath. I should have known.
I was vaguely aware of Michelle easing close to me. My friend’s venomous gaze left Josh and she wrapped an arm around my shoulders, leading me numbly through the door.
“Are you okay?” Michelle asked me when we entered the adjoining kitchen.
I stared ahead, unseeing, still stunned by the evolution of tonight’s events. My muscles loosened as a deluge of tears erupted and I buried my face in Michelle’s shoulder and sobbed.
“Geez, Kay!” Michelle sighed, embracing me. “Why didn’t you tell me that my boss was Mr. Pumpernickel?”
*************************
Luke
I pounded my fist on my desk and swore vividly, causing a stack of pens to topple and flee from my anger. They rolled across the top toward Bruce, Steven, and two other administrators who sat opposite me. The men winced and exchanged cautious glances. Bruce just informed me that Mr. Kotobuki pulled his account and decided to go with another agency. He was also requesting the fifteen-thousand dollar advance he’d given Davenport PR by the end of the day. According to Steven, there were still a number of high-profile clients who hadn’t responded to their calls. Christmas was just two days away, and I knew it was typically a slow time. I hoped my clients’ elusiveness was due to the fact that many were busy with the holiday. I scrubbed a palm up and down my face and cursed.
The weekend had started off horribly with the incident at the Vandercamp holiday party and things had not improved. Although I had to admit that pounding Josh had felt incredibly therapeutic, Katie probably hated me for what I’d done to her fiancé. I’d almost lost my mind when the bastard struck her. Every time I thought of it, I itched to beat the shit out of him all over again.
I had to rid myself of this murder charge hanging over my head. Jack had told me he was working on getting a subpoena for the security video from Sensations, but was hitting all sorts of road-blocks because the club was being difficult. I knew places like that had limited video surveillance for fear of deterring clients. I hoped, though, that Jack could prove I was nowhere near Ms. Carmen’s room when she was murdered. The phone rang and Maria’s line lit up, interrupting my thoughts.
“Mr. Grummel has arrived,” she announced.
I thanked the men, giving them instructions as I stood.
“Do you want me to stay for the meeting?” Bruce asked.
I shook my head, walking them to the door. “No. I think I’ll handle this alone.” I clapped a hand on Bruce’s back, thankful for the offer of support.
“I’ll be in my office if you need anything,” Bruce replied.
Steven shrugged into the trench coat he was carrying. “I have to run out for a meeting, but I’ll be back later.”
I nodded and said goodbye to the men just as Maria was showing Mr. Grummel in.
I shook Tom Grummel’s hand and ushered him into the office, noticing the man’s slow gait and sickly pallor. He said nothing, but it was evident that Tom’s condition was quickly deteriorating.
“Where’s Glen?” I asked, reclaiming my seat.
Tom coughed into a handkerchief and took a moment to respond. “He had some things he needed to attend to.”
I nodded and inclined my head to Tom, indicating he should say what was on his mind. I could tell by the pucker of his forehead that he was burdened.
“Look, Luke, you know I have a great deal of respect for you—not only as a person, but as a business man. I’m sorry for your personal troubles, but in light of recent events, I believe an alliance with Davenport PR would be a mistake. I wanted to tell you in person.”
I sat silent for a moment, my fingers in a steeple beneath my chin. I wasn’t surprised by this news, deeply disappointed, but not entirely surprised. Somewhere deep down I’d hoped that Tom would still trust in my ability to lead and manage a successful company.
“You know this will all blow over. We’re still a good fit.”
Tom’s rough laugh turned into a crackling cough. “For your sake I hope it will, but unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of time. Frankly, my staff is worried about the viability of Davenport PR. I have people who’ve worked for me for decades and I have a responsibility to them. I know a lot of your clients have jumped ship. Some have come over to ACE.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and blinked hard. I could tell it would be futile to try to convince Tom. The man had made up his mind.
“What will you do?”
Tom shrugged wearily. “Glen has made a convincing argument that he can take over. He wasn’t my first choice, as you know, but he’s a hard worker and my staff know him.”
I bobbed my head slowly. I didn’t know Glen that well, and although I’d inquired about him taking over once before, didn’t really think he had the kind of money to buy ACE. I had made an extremely generous offer to Tom, but I understood the pressures the man was under. Perhaps he’d worked out a deal with Glen.
“I understand, Tom. If you change your mind, my offer is still on the table.”
Tom stood and nodded gravely. “If there’s any way I can be of assistance, all you need do is ask. I’m sorry, I have to get back to my office.”
“Thank you for that. Same here,” I said, standing. I watched Tom get short of breath with each step. “Should I have Maria have a cab waiting for you downstairs?”
Tom shook his head. “No, thanks. I took the company car today. It’s already waiting.”
I held the door open as Tom exited, feeling thoroughly deflated. Walking back to my desk, I sank into my leather chair.
Looking at the work piled on my desk, I cursed. It was barely ten a.m. This day had to get better.
I heard the intercom buzz from the doorman downstairs at the same time my doorbell rang. Figuring Mrs. Rogers forgot her keys again, I pulled myself away from my laptop and went to open the door. Mrs. Rogers had taken Livy on a play-date and I was expecting them back at any moment. The time alone had given me the opportunity to work on a campaign for a popular rap artist who was planning a NYC tour this summer.
When I pulled the door open and saw Katie standing in the hallway, I couldn’t suppress my shock. She was achingly beautiful with her hair pulled back in a ponytail and a hint of gloss on
her lips. She dragged her bottom lip through her teeth and I realized it wasn't gloss at all that made her lips so full and tempting, but the fact that she worried them in her nervousness. My gaze traveled to the slight bruise coloring her jaw and my temper flared. Other than her apparent unease, I couldn't read what was behind her wide, blue eyes. Had she come to unload her anger? Was she pissed that I’d intruded on her family’s Christmas party and attacked her fiancé? Was she going to warn me to stay away from her—from Josh? Josh was probably still livid. He probably didn’t know she was here.
I shifted my weight, trying to stem my rising anger. I just didn’t get Katie, and still wondered what she saw in Josh Wilkinson. When was she going to wake up and see Josh for who he really was? The fact that he would strike her in anger should be proof enough of his extreme volatility. Why would she put up with that shit? I would treasure her, love her.
The intercom buzzed from the doorman again, drawing my attention. With annoyance, I ushered her into the apartment and stepped quickly to address the nuisance.
“Mrs. Vandercamp is here to see you,” Harry said when I pressed the intercom.
“She’s here, but thanks for the heads up.”
“You’re welcome.”
It seemed my one hundred year old doorman missed my pointed sarcasm, and I couldn’t help but notice Katie’s lips twitch with mirth. I signed off and turned to her.
“Harry isn’t as efficient as the army you have protecting your building. He seems to not realize that he has to announce guests before he sends them up.”
She smiled fully then and my gaze drank in her pink lips. “I don’t know about that. My doormen seemed to buy your disguise as a Chinese food delivery man.”
“Ah, yes!” I snapped my fingers at the memory, then held her gaze steady. “I guess we’re both living with a false sense of security.”
She tilted her head and regarded me and I wondered if she realized I’d taken a shot at her relationship with Josh. I wanted her and it was killing me. I’d worn her gift the other night to remind her there was something between us, but I was starting to think I’d been kidding myself—seeing something that wasn’t there. I’d stupidly allowed hope to breathe life into the dead spaces of my heart. I’d been good for a quick fuck, but nothing more. She’d made her choice.
I leaned a hip against the granite counter and folded my arms across my chest.
“So what brings you by, Kay?”
She started fidgeting with the fur collar of her coat, and her chest expanded with a deep breath.
“I wanted to let you know where I spent my day.”
I quirked a brow, giving her my full attention.
“I’ve been at the District Attorney’s office. I told him everything.”
I pushed off the counter, my body going rigid.
“Oh God, Kay! You didn’t need—”
She raised a shaky palm, halting my words. “Yes, I did need to. It was the right thing to do. Luke, I see what this has done to you and your business. I can’t let it go on.”
I walked quickly to her. “I would have found a way.”
“I should have done this sooner. I’m sorry.”
She stared into my eyes and the power of her emotion dissolved my fortitude. I desperately wanted to hold her, to feel her. Instead, I speared my fingers through my hair, grabbed a chunk, and squeezed my eyes shut.
So fucking frustrating…
“They have to investigate my story,” she continued. “Since I was registered under an assumed name, it makes things more complicated, but Sensations has copies of my medical records in the system under the alias. It will match. They’ll know it was me.”
“What was your alias?” I asked, staring down at her. Disbelief still clouded my vision. She was indeed full of surprises. What about her reputation? The foundation? She was a courageous woman with inner strength I never imagined. She had her own dragon.
She hesitated a fraction then bright red splashed across her cheeks and she groaned. “Ivanna Gettof.”
I was silent for a moment, thinking I’d heard wrong, then turned it over again in my head. I bit my lip, trying to hold back my amusement. “Seriously?”
She groaned thickly and pushed on my chest, causing laughter to spill from my throat. I liked her touch on my body, though she was barely able to budge me. Her impulsive maneuver had seemed almost flirty, and I had to stop myself from grabbing her hands and pulling her into my arms. God, she was beautiful, even though she was clearly mortified.
“Eddie, Michelle’s boyfriend, has a weird sense of humor.”
“Apparently.” I folded my arms across my chest, needing to do something with my hands. “Katie, word can get out. The foundation may suffer from a scandal.”
“I had my attorney with me. He promised me this matter will be handled as discretely as possible. Either way, what’s important is clearing your name.”
I took a deep breath and stared her down hard, trying to invade her head and analyze her motives. Why had she done it? This week I’d taken so many hits, I needed to know she truly believed I didn’t do it, that she had unequivocal faith in my innocence. I knew she must have also heard the rumors about Roslyn.
“Are you sure about your statement, Kay?” I asked softly.
Her forehead gathered. “Of course.”
“We fell asleep. I wasn’t there when you awoke. How do you know I didn’t do it, that I didn’t leave in the middle of the night and kill Ms. Carmen?”
Her gaze never wavered from mine. “Because I know. I know in here.” She placed her fist against her heart and I wanted to weep. “There’s no way you could have done it. And that’s what I told the police.”
I stared for a moment, then I inclined my head and my lips twisted wryly. There was something in the way she’d said that. I tried to subdue my smile. “What exactly did you tell them?”
Now the blush rushed back to her cheeks and she became preoccupied with a spot above my head. “That we were…ah…busy all night long. That we didn’t sleep.”
I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded, trying not to laugh. I could tell this was difficult for her. I couldn’t imagine what it had been like with the DA and her lawyer.
“Alrighty then. Perhaps that’s a rumor that will work to my advantage.”
I saw her lips twitch, but she still kept her gaze averted. “I also told them you were with me the night of Mr. Kotobuki’s party. That’s easy enough to corroborate. The doorman at my building saw you. I hope that will help.”
“Thank you for doing this, Kay,” I said softly. “I know things must be difficult now with Josh and the wedding.”
She wrinkled her nose at the sound of Josh’s name and hope awoke again from its slumber, ears perked and eyes wide. Damn fool… I watched her throat work down a swallow and squished the urge to press my lips against the pulse at her neck.
“There is no wedding,” she said slowly.
I found I was too tongue-tied to respond. I stared silently, my posture stiff, my sluggish heart in my throat.
“I—I can’t go through with it.” She sighed heavily, her voice rippling like water over pebbles. “I—I thought I could, but I know now it would be a big mistake. Josh has issues. Issues that can’t be easily fixed. I can’t marry him.”
I cleared the gravel blocking my parched throat. “Is that the only reason?” I had to know. I watched her gaze ramble around the room, searching for a foothold, then it landed on my open laptop. She was quiet for a minute before she drew her attention back to my face.
“Uh…I can’t marry him because I have feelings for someone else.”
“Go on…” My whisper was breathless, barely audible. Her gaze flickered back to the screen of my laptop and I wondered what had caught her eye.
She shook her head, seeming to clear it, and brought her gaze back to mine. She dragged her plump bottom lip through her teeth and I almost groaned aloud.
“You once said you wanted to get to know me.”
<
br /> I nodded.
“You once said that you wanted me.”
“God… I do,” I choked.
She swallowed hard. “I—I want you too. I want—”
She hadn’t finished the sentence before I had her crushed in my arms. I pinned her to my body and sealed my lips over hers, sucking that bottom lip into my mouth and tasting the promise that flavored her soul and seeped into my senses. I brushed my lips over her lids and kissed the bridge of her nose. Not wanting to leave an inch of skin unattended, I sprinkled kisses along her jaw, gentling at the bruise, then tasted the curve of her ear. She was here. In my arms. She wanted me. She’d chosen me.
I’d so longed to hear those words from her. I’d been so afraid to trust, to hope. My heart squeezed tight in my chest with my feelings for her, feelings I’d planned to lock away in a box deep inside and never give freedom to. I had known, though, that they might slowly eat away at me. I’d been through so much, and Katie affected me like no other woman had.
We stood holding each other for a few minutes, the cadence of her breath matching with mine. She pulled back and rubbed the tip of her nose against mine then gently kissed my lips. The little moans rumbling from her throat were driving me crazy and I grew instantly erect, my cock knocking against the seam of my pants.
“Kay,” I groaned impatiently, as if surfacing from a dream, still afraid to believe. “What about your parents? All the pressure?”
She pulled back and cupped my face, looking into my eyes. “They’ll just have to deal with it. I told them the wedding is off—again. This time I’m not changing my mind. Michelle once told me I’m always trying to please everyone. I’ve decided to think about what I want for a change. And I want you, Luke.” She swallowed hard. “I want you.”
I closed my eyes for a minute, drinking in her words.
“Michelle and I spent yesterday making phone calls and canceling the vendors my mother hired.”
I lifted my lids and stared, loving the passion that burned in her eyes. “I always did like Michelle.”
“She’s a true-blue.” Katie gave me a sloppy smile.