The Business of Love

by Anna James

  Had only twenty-four hours passed since she and Dante were together in San Francisco? Only twenty-four hours since they’d made love? Her heart sank. No, they hadn’t made love. They’d had sex. A case of lust, pure and simple. And she’d do well to remember that.

  The ringing stopped. Damn. What if it had been Dante?

  The phone rang again and she pounced on it and snatched up the receiver. “Dante?”

  The caller sighed. “No, it’s Trey.”

  “Sorry.” Pulling the bed covers aside, she let both legs drop to the ground and stood. The room started to spin. She groaned and sat down on the edge of the bed. “I’ll call you back.” Lord, what was wrong with her?

  A loud knock a few moments later had Sophia rising from the bed and hurrying to the door. She peered through the peephole and found Trey standing on the other side. Opening the door, she asked, “What are you doing here?” He tried to push his way in but she stopped him.

  “I was downstairs in the restaurant when I phoned. I heard this God-awful sound come from your end of the call and thought something horrible happened to you, so I convinced the registration clerk to give me your room number and I rushed up.”

  Heat crept up her neck and flooded her face. “I’m fine. What were you doing in the restaurant? We were supposed to meet at the real estate agent’s office.” She glanced at the bedside clock. “And not for another hour.”

  He grinned. “I thought we could have breakfast and then head over together.”

  Her stomach pitched and rolled. “I’m not hungry, but don’t let that stop you. I’ll shower and meet you downstairs in half an hour. We can prioritize the list of properties you’d like to see. Will the contractor be meeting us as well? I think he needs to be there. I’ll need his estimates to rehab each of the properties. Otherwise, I won’t be able to run the numbers.”

  “He’ll be there. Now go get ready. I have a surprise for you.”

  Oh, no. What had he gone and done now? “I’m not very fond of surprises. Why don’t you just tell me?”

  He shook his head and smirked. “Nope. You’ll have to wait and see.” After a glance at his watch he added, “Thirty minutes. Don’t be late.”

  It only took her twenty-five minutes. Trey gave her a quick kiss when she arrived in the lobby, put his arm around her shoulder and guided her toward the exit of the hotel. “Come on, let’s go. I want to show you your surprise.”

  She eyed him warily. “Trey…we need to review your list of properties.”

  “Relax. I already gave the list to the agent. She has five appointments lined up for us today, and we still have twenty-five minutes before we need to meet her.”

  “It’ll take twenty minutes to get across town in this traffic.”

  He waved off her concern and tugged her toward the door.

  She let out a resigned sigh. “Where, exactly, are we going?”

  He wiggled his eyebrows. “Outside.”

  The doors swooshed open and she gasped. A shiny red BMW convertible sat at the entrance to the hotel, wrapped in an enormous red bow.

  “For you,” he said.

  Her mouth gaped open. Good grief, he bought her a car? No, there must be some mistake. “You’re joking—right?”

  “Nope. It’s all yours, baby.”

  Why would he do this? It didn’t make any sense. She turned to face him and noticed the small group of people who’d gathered around them. They had an audience. Great. Just great. Plastering a smile on her face, she leaned in close to him and whispered, “I appreciate the gesture, really, I do, but I asked you not to buy me anything.”

  He grinned back. “You said no to the house, but you never told me I couldn’t buy you a car.”

  I would have if I’d known you were planning this. “Same thing as far as I’m concerned.”

  “What do you say we take it for a spin?”

  The crowd clapped and cheered.

  Dear Lord, what was she going to do now? “You shouldn’t have done this, Trey. I can’t accept it. It’s too much,” she whispered.

  “It’s not too much and you need a car.”

  Sophia pulled him aside so the congregation wouldn’t overhear. “Please. I don’t want to fight about this with you.”

  “I don’t know why you’re upset. Most people would jump out of their skin if someone surprised them with a new car.”

  “You make it sound as if I’m ungrateful.”

  His eyebrow arched up.

  “That’s not fair, especially, when you knew how I felt.” She glanced down at her watch. Great, now they’d be late for their appointment. “We have to go.”

  He walked over and tapped on the window. “We’ve got a meeting across town and we’re already late. Take it back to the dealer and we’ll stop by later to settle up.”

  The car sped off and the crowd dispersed. “I know you meant well, but you shouldn’t have put me on the spot like that.”

  “I only wanted to surprise you.”

  “Come on, Trey. I understand money is no object for you, but can’t you see how inappropriate it is to give me a gift of such magnitude?”

  He folded his arms over his chest and grimaced.

  Did he not understand? “Friends don’t give friends expensive cars as a gift.”

  “You’ve gone through hell these past few weeks and I only wanted to help.”

  He only wanted to help. Like he’d always done. How could she stay angry with him? “I do appreciate the thought, but—”

  “I know, I know, you can’t accept my generosity, friend. What am I going to do with a new car?”

  She grinned. “Donate it to your favorite charity. You’ll get the write-off and they can raffle it off and make two to three times what the car is worth.”

  He sighed. “Always the financial planner, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. Come on, let’s go.” Sophia sighed and wondered what other surprises he had up his sleeve.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Sophia waited silently while Trey approached the host and gave his name. She peered around. The Art-Deco restaurant with its soaring ceilings and expansive windows embodied urbane sophistication and offered a magnificent view of the beautiful Madison Square Park.

  “Right this way, Mr. Jackson.”

  The host led them up to the balcony level and into a small room overlooking the main dining room. Although there were other tables in the space only theirs was set. “You rented this entire room—for just the two of us?”

  He shrugged off the gesture. “Sure, why not?”

  What could she say when he obviously believed it was no big deal?

  The sommelier approached the table and handed a wine list to Trey. He took a quick look and then handed the elegant sheath back. “A bottle of your best champagne. We’re celebrating.”

  Sophia almost groaned out loud when the steward gave Trey a knowing wink. “The successful completion of phase one of a project we’re working on together,” she added. Yes, after a week of searching, they’d finally found a building for the homeless shelter project they could both agree on.

  The server nodded. When he left, Trey slid a small gift-wrapped box across the table toward her.

  She pushed it back. “Trey.”

  He nudged it toward her again. “It’s a birthday present.”

  A warm smile spread across her face. He remembered. Clair and David had called earlier in the day to wish her a happy birthday, but Trey hadn’t said a word and she figured he’d forgotten the date. “We don’t usually exchange presents.”

  “I know, but when I saw this, I thought of you.” He gestured toward the package. “Please, open it.”

  She hesitated, not knowing what to expect.

  “I promise it isn’t anything extravagant, just a little something.”

  A “little some
thing” to him meant something entirely different to most people. Trey did everything to the extreme. Renting out this entire dining room for just the two of them was a perfect example and buying her a new car was another. “You’ll have to forgive me, but I’m not sure you know the difference between what’s considered excessive and what’s not.” His hearty laugh drew another grin from her.

  “Cross my heart. I happened to see it in a little shop down in Soho on my way home from dinner last night.”

  Sophia unwrapped the box carefully and drew in a sharp breath when the present was revealed. A small hand-carved ornate wooden box with gold inlay around the edges sat before her. Moisture gathered in the corner of her eyes.

  “I know how much your mother’s jewelry box meant to you, and I’m so sorry it got ruined in the robbery. This one doesn’t have the little ballerina on the inside that twirls around when you lift the lid, but I thought you might like it anyway. You can store your keepsakes inside.”

  She gave him a watery smile, incredibly touched by the gesture. “It’s lovely. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  The sommelier arrived, popped the cork on the bottle of champagne and poured a small amount into each glass.

  “Cheers. Here’s to us.” He leaned in and kissed her.

  His warm lips touched hers. He opened his mouth.

  She yelped. “What are you doing, Trey?”

  He gazed at her steadily. “What?”

  “That…” Her hands gestured around wildly. “Kiss.”

  His shout of laughter made her gasp.

  “Relax, Sophia. It’s not like I’ve never kissed you before.”

  Yes, he’d kissed her before. On the cheek. Or, a chaste brush of his lips over hers, but not with his mouth open and his tongue.

  “Really, it’s not a big deal.”

  Heat invaded her cheeks. Had she misunderstood?

  He picked up his glass again and inclined it toward hers. “To our continued success on this project.”

  Yes, she’d overreacted. Sophia touched her glass to his and then took a sip of the bubbly liquid.

  “Sanford is pleased with the purchase. He’s expecting the construction to start as soon as we close.”

  “A lofty goal considering we don’t even have a preliminary concept yet, let alone detailed plans for construction.”

  “We will,” Trey said confidently.

  Sophia laughed. “How will you manage that when the architect told us this afternoon he couldn’t deliver the conceptual drawings until the end of the month?”

  Trey let out a sarcastic snort. “Money talks, and the more you promise, the louder it speaks.”

  “I’ll believe it when we receive the plans, but for now I can use the break. I need time to catch up on Baker Investments business.”

  Trey frowned. “I thought you’d delegated most of your responsibilities to the others in your office?”

  Her eyebrow arched up. “What made you think that?”

  “I figured you’d have to now that you’re going to be living in New York full time.”

  “What do you mean? I’m not moving to New York, Trey.”

  “But you agreed.”

  “I didn’t agree to anything that required me to move to New York.”

  He shook his head. “But Sanford is expecting you to be here, and so am I.”

  “No, Trey. I have other clients and they are just as important to me as you are.”

  Trey drew in a sharp breath. “You committed to running this project.”

  “Yes, I did. But you can’t expect me to be here, in New York, twenty-four seven. I live in LA.”

  Trey nodded. “That’s exactly what Sanford was expecting.”

  Her eyes widened. “Are you telling me Sanford expects me to relocate to New York City for the duration of this project?”

  He nodded. “I thought that was clear when we spoke in your office last week.”

  Last week? Had only seven days passed? It seemed a lifetime ago. She thought back to that day. Had she missed something?

  No, she hadn’t. He’d asked a few questions, but not once did Sanford say anything that led her to believe she’d have to move to New York if she took on the project. How could he expect her to up and leave with her other responsibilities?

  Silly question, her brain scoffed. We’re talking about Sanford Jackson here.

  Sophia let out a silent groan. Yes, they were. And, yes, he would indeed expect her to be at his beck and call. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Why hadn’t she remembered that?

  “Of course you’d have to be here. How could you manage a project of this magnitude from LA?”

  Dear Lord, what had she gotten herself into? How could she move to New York City now, when Dante was in LA? “I can’t, Trey. I just can’t relocate at this point.”

  The color drained from his face and every muscle stiffened. “Sophia, please. Sanford will freak out if I tell him that. Trust me when I say he wasn’t kidding when he threatened to find someone else to manage my investments. He’ll do it without hesitation.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Sophia sat in the front seat of the car she’d rented and stared out at the stunning vista. The picture of Leone Estates Dante had purchased for her from the small gallery by the pier hadn’t done the vineyard justice.

  The rugged Mayacamas mountain range stood to her right, majestic in its entire splendor. Hills and planes filled with vibrant hues of greens, reds and browns covered the landscape. In front of her stood a sand-colored stucco ranch with clay roof tiles, the Leone family home, the clerk had told her when she’d stopped at the gift shop after arriving. It sat high on a hilltop at the back of the property, overlooking the vast expanse of the Sonoma Valley.

  But she couldn’t sit there all day, so she got out of the vehicle. She wouldn’t be here at all if Dante had bothered to return any of her calls. Her hands clenched into fists. The man infuriated her beyond measure. How were they supposed to run a business together when he wouldn’t talk to her?

  Okay, things had been strained between them since he’d proposed to her.

  And she turned him down.

  No. For goodness’ sake, he’d only proposed out of obligation and there was no sense in discussing the matter further until they knew one way or the other. Besides, it didn’t matter. Her call had been about the business, not anything personal, and when he hadn’t gotten back to her after two days, she’d booked a flight to San Francisco and drove the short distance from the airport here.

  They needed to discuss Sanford’s latest demand and time was running out. The meeting with the architect was scheduled for next Wednesday and Sanford expected her to be settled in New York by then.

  She strode with purpose up the stone walkway and knocked on the front entrance. The door opened a moment later and a man resembling Dante peered down at her, an inquiring expression on his face.

  “Can I help you?”

  She licked her lips and stared into the man’s piercing blue eyes. The same eyes as Dante’s.

  The man frowned.

  Well, what do you expect? You’re acting like a complete idiot. Pull yourself together. “I’m here to see Dante Leone.”

  The man gave her a contemplative glance. “And you are?”

  “Oh, right. I’m Sophia Hamilton. I’m Dante’s business partner. I—”

  The man grinned, the same smile that made her spine tingle, her toes curl and had her heart beating a crazy tattoo. It didn’t pack nearly the same punch coming from this stranger. He stepped aside and gestured for her to come in. “I’m Wyatt, Dante’s brother.”

  Sophia stepped into the entryway and peered around. The combination of cool Travertine stone flooring and light wall color paired with dark wood accent pieces and lighting gave the space a relaxed elegan
ce.

  “I’m not sure where Dante is at the moment. Why don’t you have a seat in the living room while I go and take a look around?”

  Sophia nodded and followed him to a large room at the end of the hall. The sun shone brightly through the floor to ceiling windows lining the south wall. Three sets of French doors on the adjacent exterior wall led out to a large wood deck offering more spectacular views of the vineyard and the Sonoma Valley below. Again, the mixture of light floors and walls mixed with dark wood accent pieces and comfortable furniture offered a tranquil charm and Sophia couldn’t help but feel welcome in this space.

  “You’ll have to forgive my brother. Sometimes his social skills can be a bit lacking.”

  Sophia whirled around. India Leone stood a few feet away, a tentative smile on her face. They hadn’t seen each other since the evening she and Dante were supposed to meet with Lucas Morgan at the Acquati hotel in San Francisco. “Hello, India.”

  India offered Sophia a tall glass. “I thought you could use a cool drink while you wait for Wyatt to find Dante. It could be a while if he’s out on the north hill.”

  She’d been apprehensive when Dante’s sister first appeared, having no idea what to expect after the fiasco in San Francisco, but her calm, easy manner put Sophia at ease. “You have a lovely home.” She gestured around the room with a wide sweep of her hand. “I was just admiring the décor.”

  India beamed a wide smile. “Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”

  Sophia tilted her head to the side and gazed up at the taller woman. “Are you the decorator?”

  The smile grew. “I am.”

  “You’re very talented. This room is lovely. How long have you been doing this?”

  “A few years.”

  “Sophia, what are you doing here?”

  Both women turned around to find Dante looming in the archway at the entry to the room.

  India rolled her eyes. “Clueless,” she whispered.

  Sophia would have laughed, but she was too busy staring up at Dante. He gazed back at her with those gorgeous, glittering, sapphire blue eyes.