“My flight’s scheduled to leave in about twenty-five minutes,” he explained. “I was just on my way to my gate when I saw this incredibly sexy woman sitting here all by her beautiful self.”
Could he lay it on any thicker? It was all she could do not to roll her eyes, but she had no intention of wasting the effort on him. Not when she was so tired.
He did a once over and let out a low whistle. “I like this new you. You look damn hot.”
Was he for real? Raise the hemline of her skirt a few inches and she suddenly went from Ice Princess to Goddess status.
“Trey will be back any moment,” she warned. “He had a business call to handle.”
“Of course, he did,” he replied as he glanced around. His gaze shifted back to her. “From what I’ve heard, Landers is married to that company of his. I’m surprised he even took the time away to come here.”
“He works hard.” Unlike you.
Rick was good at pawning his job tasks off to others, using his status as owner’s nephew to get his co-workers to do things his way.
“Too hard to have much time left for ‘socializing’ in Pittsburgh. He’ll leave you high and dry in no time.”
“Nice try, Rick, but I think I know Trey a little better than you do.”
His gaze moved over her in a perusing manner, his smile widening. “I’ll just bet you do.”
His ogling made her feel like a slab of meat dangling in front of a ravenous dog. “I’d better let you get to your gate.” She started to turn away.
“I thought you’d be gone by now,” he said, intentionally hooking her back into the conversation. “your flight was scheduled to leave before mine.
Angie pivoted back around on her new four inch heels. “Our flight’s been delayed.”
It was hard to stand there with her ex, a man she once cared about, thought cared about her, and not compare him to Trey. Trey was taller. Better looking. More thoughtful. More everything. What had she ever seen in Rick?
He moved toward her with a smile that set off warning bells in her head. “I’m glad.”
Angie took a step back. “Where’s your friend?”
“Things didn’t work out,” he said, then muttered, “The bitch took off with some high roller.”
Served him right, the ass. What was that old saying? What goes around comes around?
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she lied.
“Don’t be. She’s not the one I want. You are.”
“Rick, don’t.” Angie looked around, hoping Trey would come to her rescue, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Look, I know you’re pissed at me right now. I don’t blame you. I screwed up big time.”
“It’s in the past.” In other words, she didn’t care to go there with him.
But her ex had other plans; keeping it in the present being one of them. Rick stepped forward, closing the distance between them again. The next thing she knew his hands were skimming up and down her arms. “We really need to talk. About us.”
She stiffened, his touch no longer having the effect on her it once did. All she felt was revulsion. “There is no us. I’ve moved on.”
“With Landers?”
She raised her chin. “Yes.”
“I can offer you more than he’s willing to if you’ll just give me another chance. You wouldn’t be just another fling for me.”
His words had her head snapping back into place, her eyes meeting his. “What?”
“That’s all it is,” he replied. “Between you and Landers. He told me so.”
“He did what?” Angie refused to believe what she was hearing.
“I ran into him in the casino that first night. He played the usual tough guy and told me to back off where you were concerned. He said that thawing the Ice Princess was his goal this week.”
No. Trey wouldn’t have said that. He was supposed to make Rick jealous, but he’d never say something like that. A niggling of doubt crept into her mind. Trey had left that night and then returned to make love to her. That hadn’t been part of the plan. Even if he had said that to her ex, it was only to make him think…
Think what? That she and Trey were having a fling? They had. So what was it now? Despite saying that he loved her, Trey hadn’t mentioned anything about their ‘new’ relationship continuing once they got home. His declaration of love had come about in the heat of passion. Had he even meant it?
Her old insecurities returned with a vengeance and all the ‘what ifs’ raced through her sleep deprived mind.
Angie looked away, emotion in the form of hot tears stinging her tired eyes.
“He’s not the man for you,” Rick said, wrapping his arms around her. “I am.”
*
Trey snapped his cell phone shut and shoved it back into the holder clipped to his belt. Despite having been away nearly a week, things were still running smoothly at Multi-Med. Not that he should be surprised. He had every confidence in his staff. But this was the first time since starting his company that he’d allowed himself to indulge in some time away from the office for pleasure and not business. He thought of Angel. There had definitely been pleasure.
And love.
He’d told Angel he loved her. The memory of it brought a smile to his face. He’d been so caught up in their lovemaking the words had come out before he even realized he was saying them. But he’d meant them all the same.
The only problem was, he wasn’t sure how Angel felt about them taking things further after they got home. She hadn’t brought him to Vegas to start a relationship. Not even for hot sex, though they’d certainly had that. She wanted help jump starting her non-existent love life.
Well, they’d done a hell of a lot more than jump start it, he thought with a smile. They had revved the engine and kept it running all week long.
Trey chuckled. Wait until his sister found out that he’d fallen in love with her best friend. His best friend. It felt good. Damn good. Now he just had to convince Angel that he was the man for her.
With determined strides, he started back to the gate where Angel was waiting. They’d have the entire flight home to talk about their relationship and what direction they want to take it in once they got back to Pittsburgh. Something they hadn’t had the chance to do yet. Not that he was complaining about making love to Angel all night long, but there definitely needed to be some talking done.
He made a mental note to thank his sister for not giving him the chance to back out of this trip with Angel. It was amazing how a few days could change a person’s outlook on life so completely. He felt like a new man.
Angelina Rossi was smart, sexy, playful, and even enjoyed watching football with him on Sunday afternoons. Hell, she even kept his favorite beer stocked in her fridge for game days. How lucky could a guy get? Why had it taken him so long to realize his good fortune?
Now that he knew his company wouldn’t fall apart the moment he stepped away from it, he could actually contemplate a future with Angel in it. He’d make the time for her. For them. And if she was willing to put up with a few late nights and an occasional trip out of town, they could make this new relationship of theirs work.
He would do anything for Angel. She was everything he’d ever hoped for in a woman. Honest, caring, and…
Trey stopped dead in his tracks, causing several scurrying passengers to stumble around him in the concourse.
…In her ex’s arms.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kathy, cheery as usual, popped her head into Angie’s cubicle. “Hey, Ange. No lunch date today?”
Angie looked up from the trip planner she was putting together for some clients. Kathy was referring to her usual Thursday lunch she always took with Trey.
“Not this week,” she replied with a sigh. “I have work to catch up on and Trey’s busy, too.”
Too busy to see me.
She had spent the past week, since returning from Vegas, trying to figure out what had changed between her and Trey that last day. He h
ad returned to their gate after his phone call very distracted. When she asked him if there was a problem with Multi-Med, he told her it wasn’t anything she needed to worry about. That had never happened before. They always talked about everything, his company included.
But it wasn’t just that. Trey had barely spoken two words to her during their flight home. He blamed it on being tired, but she knew it was more than that.
The emotional distance she felt from Trey now confirmed her concerns. And despite the creative array of excuses he had given her since returning home, Angie knew he was avoiding her.
Avoiding them.
“Angie,” Kathy prodded, her voice tinged with concern as she stepped inside the cubicle. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I’m fine.”
“Yeah, and I’m Playboy Playmate of the month.” Kathy took a seat in one of the empty chairs across the desk from Angie. “Come on, Ange, we’ve been friends for too long for me not to know when you’re not all right. Does this have something to do with my brother?”
“No.”
Kathy arched an accusing brow.
Angie groaned. “Okay, maybe it does have a little to do with Trey.”
“A little?”
“A lot,” Angie blurted out, tears blurring her vision. “Are you happy now?”
“At least, we’re getting somewhere.” She settled back in the chair and crossed her legs. “Talk away.”
She didn’t feel like talking. She felt like crying. “I can’t. Not here.”
“Everyone’s at lunch,” Kathy assured her. “No one’s going to hear anything.”
Angie closed the file she was working on and sat back with a sigh. “He’s avoiding me.”
Kathy laughed. “Avoiding you how? You two live across the hall from each other.”
“He’s been working a lot since we got home. More than a lot.”
“So how’s that any different than what Trey did before you two went to Vegas? You and I both know he’s always been a workaholic.”
“But he hasn’t been by for coffee at all since we’ve been home.”
Kathy shook her head. “Boy, do you have it bad. Especially since the paranoia seems to be setting in. Must have been some week in Vegas.”
She hadn’t gone into any details about the week she’d spent with Trey and Kathy hadn’t pried. It was a silent agreement between friends, both of them knowing that her affair with Trey wasn’t up for discussion.
Angie dug in her desk drawer in search of a highlighter. “I really need to get back to work,” she told Kathy, her voice tight with emotion.
“I’m sorry, Ange. I’m not trying to make light of things.”
Angie nodded. “I know that.”
“Look, we both know how my brother is when it comes to his company, yet he still took the time to go to Vegas with you. That’s a miracle in itself. The guy never takes a vacation. I’m sure he’s just trying to get up to speed on what he missed while he was away. Stop worrying.”
“You’re wrong, Kathy. I wish you weren’t, but the truth is Trey regrets having slept with me.”
“That’s crazy. Trey cares about you. I know he does.”
“If anyone knows what a relationship brush off is, it’s me,” she reminded her friend with a frown. “Only my previous relationship brush-offs were because I didn’t put out.” She swallowed a sob. “I just can’t seem to get this relationship thing right.”
Kathy reached across the desk to lay a comforting hand on Angie’s. “I hate seeing you this way. Especially when I know you’re wrong about Trey’s feelings for you. Thinking he would avoid you after you two…you know. Are you crazy?”
About Trey, yes.
“No, I’m being realistic,” she replied as she fidgeted with the highlighter she held in her hand, clicking the lid off, then snapping it back on repeatedly. “I never should have broken the rule.”
“Will you stop that?” Kathy snatched the neon pink pen from Angie’s hand. “You’re making me nervous and I’m not a nervous person.”
Angie tunneled her now empty fingers through her curls. “Sorry.”
“Now getting back to our conversation, what rule did you break?”
“I slept with my best friend.”
“Oh, back to that again.” Kathy rolled her eyes. “Come on, Ange, you made up those rules. You have every right to break them.”
Kathy made everything sound so simple. It wasn’t. Life had gotten very complicated. The man she loved was doing everything he could to avoid her, while her ex, a man she had no feelings for whatsoever anymore, had been pulling out all stops to get back in her good graces.
Rick’s attentiveness was making the work situation more than a little uncomfortable. And her personal life… Well, it was back to its usual suck mode.
“Angie, I brought you…” Rick’s words trailed off as his gaze shifted to Kathy. The two stood in their usual I-can’t-stand-you stare-off while the aroma of steamed vegetables and soy sauce filled the tiny cubicle.
“Stir fry?” Angie surmised, breaking the silence that had suddenly enveloped her office space.
Rick was under the misconception that food was a way to a woman’s heart. That only worked for men. Unless, of course, it was chocolate. But in Rick’s case, he could have brought her the entire Gorant’s chocolate factory and it wouldn’t have made a difference to her. She loved Trey, even if her feelings weren’t reciprocated.
Rick turned to her with his whitener-enhanced smile. “I thought you might be hungry since you didn’t take your lunch break today.”
“If she had any appetite, I’m sure it’s gone now,” Kathy muttered under her breath. She and Rick had butted heads since he came to work for his uncle two years before. Thankfully, his uncle liked Kathy better.
Angie wasn’t in the mood for a go-around, battle of the mouths between her ex and her best friend. She had enough stress in her life already. So she stood and took the Styrofoam container from his outstretched hand. Setting it down on her desk, she pulled open the bottom drawer of her desk and reached for her purse. “How much was it?”
“It’s on me.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Kathy mumbled with a sweet smile.
Rick’s smile slipped several notches.
“I can’t let you pay—” Angie began, only to be cut off by her ex.
“I’m not taking any money from you. A few minutes of your time over a cup of coffee will suffice.”
Kathy’s head snapped around as she gave Rick her best are you an idiot stare. “There’s a song written just for guys like you.” She broke into the verse with exaggerated country twang, ‘What part of no don’t you understand?’
“I can see why you went into travel instead of singing for a living,” he said, then turned his attention back to Angie. “I’ll catch you later, when you’re available.” Shooting one final glare Kathy’s direction, he turned and walked out.
“Available my ass,” her best friend grumbled, then flipped open the container. She plucked a steamed floret of broccoli out of the mixture, popping it into her mouth. “Can’t the guy take a hint?”
“No,” Angie said with a sigh as she sank back down into her chair. “He can’t.”
Rick continued to stop by her apartment every day wanting to ‘talk’, and she kept right on turning him away. He was like an annoying little gnat that wouldn’t go away.
Kathy shrugged. “Oh, well, guess it’s to be expected. The man has the I.Q. of an ant turd.”
Angie couldn’t help but smile at that, despite her dismal mood. “You’d better watch it, Kath,” she said, her voice lowered despite the still empty office. “You don’t want your opinion of Rick to get back to his uncle.”
“My opinion?”
“About his I.Q….”
Her friend burst into laughter. “Where do you think I got that info from?”
“His uncle?”
“Now what kind of employee would I be if I broke my boss’s confidence? Of course, I
did have my fingers crossed when he made me promise not to repeat the ant turd thing. It was too good to pass up.”
“You are so bad,” Angie said, shaking her head.
“But bad is fun, Angie. I keep telling you that. Now cheer up.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Look, I have to hit the ladies room before I get back to work. Cindy and I are putting together a fan cruise package for WDVE this afternoon. If you need to talk some more, you know where my office is.” Snagging another piece of broccoli, she slipped from the cubicle.
Talking with Kathy usually helped, but there was no help for this emotional mess she had gotten herself into. The hardest part was being honest with herself. She knew where Trey stood in regards to his company and getting involved in lengthy relationships. But somewhere along the line she’d let herself believe his feelings had changed. Maybe he’d even believed that, too, briefly. But coming back home had forced things back in perspective for both of them.
Trey would never intentionally hurt her. She knew that, despite her aching heart. He probably thought keeping his distance from her would make things easier until they could settle back into their old routine of just being friends. But it hadn’t.
Rick’s unexpected visits to her apartment and suck-up attempts at the office were driving her crazy. While she, on the other hand, had driven Trey away. All she knew was that she couldn’t go on that way much longer. Something had to change.
“Knock. Knock.”
Angie looked toward the open doorway and smiled. “Hey, Cindy. You’re back from lunch early.”
“Work calls.” Her gaze fell on the Styrofoam container. “Glad to see you’re eating something.”
She wasn’t, but she wasn’t in the mood to get into her poor eating habits since returning from Vegas. “So what’s up?”
“I have a delivery for you.”
“Chocolate, I hope.”
Cindy laughed. “Yeah, right, as if I’d be willing to give that up, even to you. Actually, I’m just dropping off this month’s company newsletter on my way to Kathy’s office.”
Only in Vegas Page 14