More Lipstick Chronicles

by Emily Carmichael

  “I don’t know exactly. I didn’t have a plan in mind when I came in here.”

  He picked up a folder. “I have work to do. When you decide what you want, let me know.”

  “You.”

  He looked up.

  “I want you. On any terms I can have you.”

  Sitting back again in his chair, he pondered her, “That’s an interesting proposal.” He raised an eyebrow. “Any terms?”

  Intuitively she knew a show of weakness would be her downfall. She could barely tolerate this cruelty from him. But she’d thrown so much away. “On any terms.”

  He cocked his head. “I’ll think about it. Call me later. I’ll let you know.”

  “Will you take my calls now?”

  “Today I will.” He nodded to the door. “As I said, I have work to do.”

  She stood, her legs wobbly. Clutching her Fendi purse, she turned and strode to the door.

  “Elyssa?”

  She turned to face him. “Yes?”

  “If I do agree, it won’t be like it was before.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Don’t expect too much from me in the way of emotional investment.”

  “I see.”

  “Still interested?”

  “Yes.”

  “All right. Call me later.”

  Tears formed in her eyes, but she battled them back. It was clear she was going to have to fight for him. And it might not be a pleasant fight. Physically exhausted, emotionally drained, she wondered if she was up to the battle.

  That thought resurfaced days later when Bethany answered Joe’s front door dressed in one of his shirts, long black leggings and what were likely his socks on her feet. Her smile was candy-sweet, as it had been the last few times Elyssa had seen her here. She was always around, doing God knew what, but Joe had made it clear that Elyssa had no right to ask questions. The day of the board meeting, when she’d called him in the afternoon, he’d made everything very clear. They’d date occasionally. He didn’t think he was interested in sex with her right away. She wasn’t to question him about other relationships. Or complain about his treatment of her.

  “Is Joe here?” Elyssa asked, wanting to wipe that sugary smile right off Bethany’s face.

  “Yes, he’s upstairs. I’ll get him.”

  Elyssa stepped inside, watching Bethany’s lithe body bound up the steps toward Joe’s bedroom.

  Elyssa wandered into the den, and over to the French doors, remembering the first time she came here and how she struggled to suppress her attraction to Joe. She hadn’t been able to do it, which had led her to this very untenable place in her life.

  “Well, this is a surprise.”

  She turned, and her heart somersaulted in her chest. He looked rested, healthy, content. Today, he also looked . . . satisfied, dressed in jeans and an unbuttoned sports shirt. She’d suspected he might be sleeping with Bethany, but she didn’t ask. She’d taken the coldness. The broken dates. The absolute reserve he had with her when they were together. But this . . .

  “I shouldn’t have come.” She glanced upstairs where Bethany had gone. “It was a mistake.” Straightening, she crossed the room and brushed past him.

  She had reached the door when he came up behind her. Close. He hadn’t touched her once, not even casually, since he’d agreed to see her on his terms two weeks ago. He slapped a hand against the door, preventing her from opening it.

  “I can’t stand to think of you with her, Joe. It’s worse than not having you at all.”

  “Now you know how it feels.”

  Resting her forehead on the smooth wood, she asked, “That’s what this is all about? Revenge?” When he didn’t respond, she added, “You know I didn’t sleep with Parker.”

  “You would have.”

  Shaking her head, she reached for the knob. His hand came out and covered hers. His felt big and warm and she wanted him to hold her more than she wanted to take her next breath.

  How pathetic.

  Her whole body deflated. As if he knew he pushed her too far, had hurt her too much, he placed his hands on her shoulders but didn’t turn her to him. She let him cradle her back against his chest. Kiss her hair.

  “I can’t stand this, Joe. You’re being so distant.”

  She felt him swallow. “I can’t let you close, Lyss.”

  Lyss. The word brought tears to her eyes. “Will you ever?”

  He hesitated. “I don’t know.”

  “I see.”

  His hands stayed on her. Squeezed her gently. She reveled in his touch. “Why are you here?”

  “I thought you might want to go for a walk today.” She nodded outside. “It’s a gorgeous day.” She shrugged. “But you’re busy. I’ll be going.”

  She prayed he’d ask her to stay. Tell her that nothing was going on with Bethany, that the woman was indeed redecorating his office. But he said neither, and let her go.

  She walked out into the beautiful summer afternoon alone.

  “In light of the information Allheart released to Red Door, they’re prepared to give us a letter of intent to buy, subject to due diligence.” O’Hare made his comment with a fat smile on his face and a fond glance at Elyssa.

  Joe wanted to jump across the table and stuff that smile down the lawyer’s throat. It had been three weeks since he and Elyssa had started seeing each other. And it had been four days since she’d come to his house. If anything, she looked worse than she had at the last board meeting. Of course, the way he was torturing her wouldn’t be good for anybody’s health.

  But this brief moment of self-denigration flew out the proverbial window for Joe when O’Hare reached out and touched Elyssa’s arm. In an instant, he was filled with the image of what would have happened if he hadn’t arrived to break it up.

  “I think the time is right for due diligence.” Her voice was firm. Grace under pressure. She was tough, in so many ways.

  Still he tried to thwart her. “Do you understand, Elyssa, that once you put this in motion, it’s almost impossible to reverse?”

  “Not if the price isn’t right, Joe. All she has to do is reject an offer based on money,” Martin argued.

  “You don’t think we should do this, do you, Joe?” she asked simply.

  He shook his head and picked up a folder. “No. I’ve done some research on Red Door. They have a track record for eating up smaller companies. They’re a huge corporate structure; what makes Allheart special will be absorbed by policies and procedures already in place. Your company will lose its identity completely.”

  Martin shook his head. “But if the owner and stockholders are remunerated well enough, what does that matter? None of us will be there anyway.”

  Joe saw the frown on Elyssa’s face and went in for the kill. Just like he’d been doing personally for three weeks. He’d taken emotional target practice on her, and damn it, she accepted it all. “Is that what you want, Elyssa? You created this baby. Took it to where it is today. Do you want to see it disappear, as if it never happened?”

  She waited a very long time to answer. “I’m not sure. Maybe it’s time to move on.” She bit her lip. “Some things don’t seem as important as they did before.”

  He knew she didn’t just mean Allheart. He didn’t blame her, of course, but he was surprised she couldn’t weather his mood for even a month.

  “What you say is poetic, Joe, but a little too sentimental for my taste.” This from his partner, Harold. “Elyssa will walk away from this with more than enough money to go anywhere in the country and start whatever kind of company she wants.”

  Anywhere in the country.

  Away from me.

  “Or, she can retire to the Caribbean and drink piña coladas all day if she wants.” O’Hare touched her again and Joe felt his fists clench.

  Other board members chuckled nervously.

  “How many piña coladas can Elyssa drink before she gets bored to tears?” Joe asked nastily.

  Martin
said, “I don’t think that’s the issue. Where are you on this, Elyssa?”

  Joe could see a thousand thoughts flash through her mind. “I’d like to accept a letter of intent. Let them come in and investigate the company. If the price isn’t right, we just won’t sell.”

  “And if it is?” Harold asked.

  She shrugged her shoulders, the action making the sleeveless green silk dress ripple across her skin. “Then I’ll develop a taste for piña coladas, I guess.”

  She’d successfully broken the tension Joe created. The board seemed relieved.

  Joe felt fury bubble up inside of him. He stood. “Fine. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  And, making a complete and utter ass of himself, he stomped out of the conference room.

  Elyssa held the phone away from her ear. She felt battered these days by everybody close to her. “Quit yelling, Elliot. I can hear you just fine. And you haven’t said anything I haven’t already told myself.”

  “Then stop this . . . this penance right now. Even Mary thinks you should tell him to go to hell.”

  “Well, if Mary’s pissed off at Joe, we know he’s in big trouble.”

  “Damn right.”

  Elyssa had had enough of the badgering, so she lied to her brother. “Someone’s at the door.”

  “Don’t let Monteigne in.”

  She snorted. “It’s not him. He hasn’t come here since that night. He wouldn’t stoop that low.”

  Elliot let out a blistering curse, but she finally got him off the phone with a promise to call him later.

  After she set down the receiver, she picked up her wine and wandered around the apartment. Alone—again—this Friday night, she was unable to stop the memories.

  She saw her and Joe that first time here, when they’d decided to make love and how he’d taken her standing up against the door. Then she saw him a week ago, when she sat across from him in a restaurant and he flirted outrageously with the young waitress.

  Maybe Elliot was right. Maybe she should just end it now. Not only was Joe treating her like dirt, and hurting them both in the process, today he’d made a complete fool out of himself in front of his colleagues. And her staff was walking on eggshells, afraid she’d shatter like delicate Steuben glass if they said something wrong. She and Joe were destroying each other.

  She stopped in front of a pretty antique mirror they’d found at a market in Virginia. One night, he’d undressed her in front of it, and his sexy commentary as he took off each piece of clothing was almost enough to make her come.

  That was probably the worst of it. Physically, he wouldn’t get near her. That one Saturday afternoon when he touched her was an aberration. He’d gone back to his cold, long-distance approach the next time she saw him. And she missed him so much, she was willing to do anything if he’d just make love to her.

  The buzzer rang and Elyssa distractedly went to the door. She was shocked to find Joe on the other side of the peep-hole. She opened the door and greeted him, trying not to seem too surprised or pleased to see him.

  He barely resembled himself. His hands were jammed in his pockets. His tie was off, his suit rumpled. His face was stubbled and he looked terrible. “I want to come in,” he said brusquely.

  “Come in then. You have a key, you could have used it.”

  He strode through the door and she closed it, her hand trembling on the knob.

  “I threw your key away.”

  “I see.”

  “Are you alone?”

  She swallowed hard. “Yes, Joe, I’m alone.”

  He prowled the room.

  “Can I get you something?”

  “A scotch. Make it a double.”

  She remembered the night she followed him to his house, the night he found her with Parker. He’d downed two scotches. Now he drank the one she gave him fast, too.

  “You seem upset.”

  He faced her, finally. She couldn’t decipher the mood he was in. “Wouldn’t you be if you’d made an ass out of yourself like I did today?” he spat in answer.

  “Joe, I don’t understand this. Why are you behaving so negatively about the possible sale of the company?”

  He didn’t answer. Instead, a look came into his eyes, but it wasn’t a pleasant one. Setting the glass down, he came toward her. Reaching up, he pulled the tie out of her hair, which fell around her shoulders. He fisted his hand in the unruly mass. “I remember the first time I saw this.”

  “At the gym.”

  “I almost swallowed my tongue.”

  She smiled.

  He pulled on a thick lock. “Does Quest like it?”

  Her throat clogged.

  “I know he joined your gym.”

  “Joe, I—”

  His fingers slid to her mouth. “Shh. Have you missed me? Missed us?”

  “You know I have.”

  In an abrupt, unexpected move, he yanked her hips to his. He’d played rough before; she shouldn’t be afraid, but . . . something was different.

  “I’ve missed us, too,” he said without a hint of affection.

  She raised her arms to wind them around his neck. He stopped her. Instead, he exerted pressure on her shoulders. “I want you on your knees.”

  Nothing she hadn’t done before. Nothing she hadn’t loved doing. But tonight it seemed . . . Banishing the thought, she lowered herself to the floor.

  Before she finished, he pulled her up. Backed her to the sofa. Came down on top of her like a man crazed. “I want you to scream for me. To beg.” His mouth was everywhere.

  Somewhere in the drugged recesses of her mind, she knew she should object. He tore off her clothes, then he pin-ioned her hands above her head.

  During the next half hour, Elyssa screamed. And begged.

  He came on a ragged shout. On a blistering curse. When he was done, and sanity returned, he drew back. His face was ravaged as he looked down at her.

  Raising his hand, he touched her cheek. “I’ve never seen you cry. Not once in the fifteen months I’ve known you.”

  Tears streaming down her face, she whispered, “I’ve never had this much to cry about.”

  As indictments went, it was powerful. “I told you I couldn’t let you close.”

  Swallowing hard, she answered, “Then let me go.”

  “What?”

  “I can’t take this anymore, Joe. I thought I could. But it hurts too much. And it’s wrong.”

  She watched him shut down. She wished he’d open up, tell her how hurt he was, let her make it up to him. But after what had just happened she knew he wouldn’t and she knew she couldn’t take it anymore.

  “Fine.” He rolled off her. He was still dressed, and when he rose, he turned his back to her to rearrange his clothes.

  She reached for the blanket on the couch and wrapped herself up in it.

  He faced her. “I’m going and I won’t be back.”

  “I know.”

  “Goodbye, Elyssa.”

  “Goodbye, Joe.”

  After he left, Elyssa lay there for hours thinking of how far she’d gone for the sake of that man—and how far she had to go back to the woman she had been before.

  Chapter 6

  “Thank you, ladies. It’s been a pleasure working with you.” Garson Cummings, the head accountant from Red Door, smiled his slick golden smile, aimed particularly at Carole. He looked like a three-piece-suited Robert Redford. “You’ve got a shipshape operation here.”

  Carole smiled back weakly. “We like to think so, Mr. Cummings.”

  Dana and Alix choked back grins.

  “Call me Garson, please.” He grabbed his laptop and turned to leave Elyssa’s office.

  “I’ll show you out.” Robyn’s demure demeanor—aided by the black leather miniskirt and black stretch blouse she was wearing—made them want to laugh all the more.

  Avoiding each others’ eyes, they let the June breeze waft in from the window while they waited for Robyn to return; when she did and they were
sure the Red Door executive was gone, all five Allheart ladies collapsed into gales of laughter.

  “Shipshape?” Carole could barely get the word out. “My grandfather used to say that.”

  “I thought his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets when you leaned over him, Carole.” Dana couldn’t stop giggling.

  Carole grasped the top of the short-sleeved Bill Blass jacket she wore. “I didn’t realize I was gaping.”

  “You look dynamite.” Elyssa smiled. “It was minimal gaping, really. All of you look great.” Elyssa smiled at Dana and Alix and Robyn. “Monogamy becomes you.”

  For a change, all of the women were settled and happy with their respective men at the same time and it showed. The four couples had rented a cottage on the Maryland shore for the first week in September; Elyssa and Joe had been planning to join them.

  As if they’d all had the same thought, her coworkers quieted.

  “All right, lose the sympathy. I’m fine.”

  Smiling briefly, Carole squeezed her arm. “We know you are.”

  Thanks in many ways to them. Without Elliot in town, all four Allheart women had pulled Elyssa through the blackest period in her life. Joe had taken to heart what she said that night—and literally dropped out of her life; she’d guessed he was probably as disgusted by his own behavior as she’d been with hers. She hadn’t seen him outside Allheart business again. At first she’d cried for a week. Then she channeled everything into working until she dropped. It took intervention by these friends—in the form of late-night girl talk, several bottles of wine and mile-long walks in the warm summer weather—to bring her around. But finally Elyssa was on the mend. And it felt great.

  She stood and smoothed down the new daisy yellow DKNY sundress she’d bought on one of their therapeutic shopping expeditions. The strappy black Ferragamos on her feet complemented the outfit.

  “What time are you leaving for Elliot’s wedding?” Carole asked.

  She checked her watch. “Four.”

  Robyn smiled. “I hear Mary’s brother is dreamy.”

  Elyssa rolled her eyes. “Cameron Jenkins is a nice man.”