by Dawn Brower
“I want to talk to you about Eric.”
He waited for her reaction. Nothing. She kept ignoring him. Damn her.
“I told you I wanted—”
“I heard you. I'm not acquainted with any Erics, so I don’t know what you want to talk about.”
He was stunned. Could she really have forgotten Eric already? He had only been dead for a couple of years, but he would never forget the details leading to his friend’s death.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Believe what you want, Wes. I really don’t give a damn. Do you want to know what I care about? I care about the fact that since the moment I met you everything I do only makes you hate me more.”
She stopped and stared directly into his eyes. “I’m done. I’m no longer going to allow you to dictate what I can or cannot feel or do in your immediate vicinity.”
“As if you ever had any feelings to concern yourself with—no wait, you do have some emotions. Unless they are self-serving such as greed and self-preservation you don’t have any use for them.”
“You don’t know a damn thing about me. I’m tired of you acting like you do. You don’t and you never will. So quit harassing me, and go find someone else to terrorize,” Vitoria spat the words at him. Her face a brilliant shade of red as her anger became more pronounced.
“I can’t do that. Not until you admit what you did. Take ownership for your own actions.”
“I assume this has to do with whoever this Eric is. Guess what? I’m not owning up to anything to do with someone I don’t know. So you can keep on waiting because you are getting nothing from me.”
“I'm not sure why this surprises me—but it does. You’re a selfish bitch.”
“Yeah, and you’re an arrogant bastard.”
Wes stormed toward her and raised his hand. He wanted to smack some sense into her. Looking at his hand high in the air, a notion of what he was about to do entered his mind. He would not stoop to her level. Instead, he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.
A shocked gasp filled the air. He took advantage of her open mouth and kissed her. Not one of passion, but one of anger. It was brutal and punishing. Wes couldn’t force her to admit her culpability in Eric’s death, but he could make her feel his pain.
Vitoria bit his lip, and he tasted his blood on the tip of his tongue. It only made him want to kiss her more. Pulling her tighter into his arms, he deepened the kiss. Their tongues dueled for control as each sought to get the upper hand. Neither one of them managed to come out on top. Wes pushed her away, wiped his hand over his mouth, and laughed.
“At least you have one thing going for you.”
He left her staring after him as he exited her room. Nothing had gone as planned, but at least he’d been able to surprise her. They were not done discussing the subject of Eric. He palmed the key he still had to her room. Later, after he had some time to think, he would come back and pay her another visit.
Chapter Seven
Vitoria rolled over to the side of her bed and slammed her hand against the screaming alarm clock. She opened her eyes to a very narrow squint to see that the sun had yet to rise.
After Wes left the previous night, she did her best to try to get some sleep. As soon as her eyes closed images of him floated through her mind. Why did he have to be so damn sexy—and that kiss, wow. It took everything she could muster to get it out of her mind. His anger bled through loud and clear, but he couldn’t fake the desire that followed soon after. He desired her at least as much as he hated her.
She couldn’t lay abed and think about how much she hungered to strip naked and do the horizontal dance with Wes. Vitoria had more important things on her agenda for the day. Sitting up, she slid off the bedspread and placed her feet on the floor. Her body had a tight, wound up feeling, so she stretched out the kinks of the hard night’s sleep. As her arms rose above her head, the phone rang, reverberating against the walls of the room. Vitoria stood up and walked across the room to retrieve it.
“Hello.”
“You forgot to call me last night,” Alison replied.
“I had a stressful evening. Calling you was on my to-do list. I have to admit, I didn’t expect you to be so proactive.”
“Yeah, I made a decision—didn’t see the point in waiting.”
Vitoria’s interest was piqued. She hoped Alison made the right decision. The one bringing her to live in Seattle and continuing on as her assistant. “What did you decide?”
“I thought about it and took everything into consideration. The thing is I have to do what is best for me. So I’ve decided I would like to move to Seattle. It would be a nice change of scenery, and even though you’re the most anal boss I’ve ever worked with—well you’re also the most fair,” Alison explained.
Vitoria fist pumped the air and did a silent yes at her news.
“Good, I’m glad you made the right decision. Now on to the details. How soon can you get out here? I need you yesterday.”
“Isn’t it like you to jump right into business,” Alison replied in a droll tone.
“I have priorities. So when?”
“I’ve already contacted the movers. They’ve begun packing your apartment. We need to know where to send your belongings.”
“I won’t have all the details for a few more days on where I’m going to be living. After I look at a few apartments I will get in touch. What about the office? How is the packing going?” Vitoria asked.
“I’ve been supervising the progress. It should be all packed up over the next day or two. Do you have office space yet?”
“I do. Once the office is all packed up, I want you to be on a flight out here to arrange the new office’s organization. Will you be able to do that?”
“Yes, I don’t have much to pack up here. I only have a few large items. Most of the furniture in my apartment belongs to my roommate. All I need to ship is my bedroom set. I can make those arrangements today.”
“Go ahead and charge the cost to my business account. I meant what I said when I said all expenses for the move will be paid.” Vitoria paused to get a breath. “Once you book your flight, let me know when you’ll arrive, and I’ll arrange a room for you here at the hotel I’m staying at.”
“Sounds good. I only have one thing more to discuss with you,” Alison explained.
“Oh? I thought we covered everything.”
“No, you’re forgetting your client list.”
Vitoria smacked her head. Lack of sleep was making her an idiot. How could she have forgotten about her contact list? At least she could count on Alison to have her best interests lined up in fine detail.
“Right. I’m sorry, my mind isn’t up to its full potential yet this morning. How did it go?”
“I contacted everyone.”
Vitoria ran her hand up her arm as a chill caused goose bumps to spread across her bare flesh. “And?”
“No one wants to terminate their contract. They said they didn’t have any problem coming to you if necessary, but would prefer you fly in to see them. Every one of them said you’re the best publicist they’ve ever had.” Alison stopped talking. Vitoria could hear her take a breath. “That’s good news, right?”
“Indeed it is. You explained that I’d still come out for emergency cases right?”
“I did. That was all the reassurance they needed to keep the contract in place.”
Vitoria was ecstatic at the way things seemed to be falling into place. It couldn’t have gone better if she planned it. She liked the idea of starting over in Seattle. Even if she had to put up with the likes of Wes Novak. “Spectacular. I’ll leave everything in your capable hands. When you get settled here, we will tour our new office space, and I will give you a copy of the keys. If you don’t have any other news or questions, I’m going to let you get to work. I have some things to take care of here on my end.”
“I’m good. I will call you if I need anything.”
“Thank you, Alison. Have a good d
ay.”
Vitoria pressed End and set her phone on the table. She needed to make some more calls, but it could wait until later. She needed some sustenance and a shower. Maybe she should order room service first and then hop in the shower. She pondered her options and decided to order a quick breakfast. The food order in, she grabbed her essentials for a shower and hopped in. When she walked out of the bathroom, donning a fluffy white robe, a knock sounded on the door.
“I have an order for breakfast.”
“Please bring it in. It smells heavenly.”'
The waiter pushed the service cart inside of the room. He took everything and placed it on the small table. Vitoria handed him a tip after he set the tray on the table.
“Thank you ma’am,” he said as he turned to leave.
Vitoria sat down and inspected the contents. She picked up her fork, prepared to eat some of the fluffy scrambled eggs when her phone started to ring. Who was calling her now? Ginnifer's face flashed across the screen of her phone. A soft smile formed on her face—her best friend always a welcome interruption. She ran her finger across the accept button and put it on speaker to leave her hands free.
“Hello, Ginny.”
She set her fork down, picked up her toast, and spread some strawberry jam on each slice.
“I thought you might be awake.” Her best friend’s laugh floated through the phone.
“You’re interrupting my breakfast.”
Vitoria took a bite of her eggs while she listened to Ginnifer talk. She didn’t have time to eat after the call, and it would be cold if she let it sit until later.
“Really? I figured you would have already eaten and run out of your room by now. You’re not on top of your game this morning.”
“You’re right, and it’s all your fault,” Vitoria exclaimed.
“Me? What did I do?” Ginnifer gave her the most innocent-sounding tone in her repertoire.
“Did you have to send Wes after me? That odious man hates me.”
She could hear Ginnifer sigh. “I would think you both had gotten over that ridiculous feud by now.”
“I tried, really I did.” Vitoria stared down at her fingernails and remembered she needed to get a manicure—it kept slipping her mind. Talking about Wes irritated her, and she tried to feign boredom, but he riled something inside of her. She couldn’t do anything about those unwanted feelings. Fixing a physical imperfection was much easier. “He won’t let it go. Which reminds me, do you know someone named Eric?”
“No, should I?” Ginnifer asked.
“Not necessarily. Wes mentioned him. It was almost as if he expected me to know him. I thought you might, ’cause you’ve been living on the ranch for a while now.”
“I’m sorry, I have no idea who he is. I could ask Dallas.”
Vitoria considered her options. Did she really want to bring Ginnifer into her feud with Wes? She was about to marry his brother. It wouldn’t be conducive to holiday gatherings if they were not getting along. “I appreciate your offer of help, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Forget I asked.”
“If you change your mind—”
“I won’t,” Vitoria interrupted. “Is there another reason you called?”
“Well…”
“Wait, let me guess. You’ve had a change of heart and decided against marrying Dallas. You need my help to make a quick escape. Say no more. I will be there in three clicks of my heels.”
She could hear Ginny’s chuckles get louder as she gasped for breath. “You’re being silly now. Of course I haven’t decided against marrying Dallas.”
“Are you sure? I could arrange to have horses on hand for a quick escape at the wedding. I know a handsome rancher.” A smile formed on Tori’s face as she pressed her tongue to the inside of her cheek with amusement.
“I’m quite sure. I love him—this is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”
“Good. I’m glad we cleared that up. I’d hate for you to get to the altar and suddenly realize you’d made a horrible mistake. I spent an awful lot of money on a bridesmaid dress already.”
“I’m quite sure, Tori,” Ginnifer’s voice was overflowing with happiness. “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life. I promise.”
Vitoria believed her. Ginnifer did really love her fiancé. She saw it whenever Ginny looked at him. It spilled out of her eyes, showing bright and clear for anyone to see. No one had ever given her friend such unadulterated bliss before.
“All right, since we have that settled, tell me why you called me.” Tori speared a piece of scrambled egg and slid it into her mouth. It was deliciousness, full of butter and salt.
“I got a call from the dress shop. They need us there an hour earlier. I wanted to make sure you could still make it. I know you have other plans while you are here,” Ginnifer explained.
“Nothing I can’t postpone until later on today. So we need to be there at ten instead?”
“Yes”
“Okay I’ll plan on seeing you a little bit earlier. Maybe we will finish in time for lunch.”
“Count on it. I’m sure I’ll be starving by the time we are done,” Ginny exclaimed. “I will be in desperate need of an extensive and drawn-out meal with my best friend.”
“Is that a subtle reference to your very active sex life?”
“Of course not—Okay maybe a little.” Ginnifer sighed. “I miss you, and I want to spend time with you. I’m looking forward to seeing you later, but now I’ve got to get ready to leave. I’ll see you soon.”
“Bye Ginny.” Tori pressed End and settled in to finish her breakfast. She had a lot less time to get things done than she anticipated. The important stuff was already done though. Alison was on board to move out to Seattle and handling things for the transfer of all their belongings. All she had left to do now was get dressed and meet her best friend at the dress shop.
After they had a nice lunch, she would call the real estate agent and see about looking at some apartments. It was time to find a new home here in Seattle. A warm happy feeling spread though her at the thought of her plans to relocate. She missed being close to her best friend, and she had a really good feeling about her decision to move to the west coast.
Chapter Eight
“Damn, you look rough.”
Wes turned to see his brother, Dallas, leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen. His arms were folded across his chest, legs crossed, and on his face—smugness. Great, just what he wanted to deal with early in the morning, his know-it-all brother smirking at him from across the room.
The early drive back from Seattle hadn't improved his mood any either.
A hangover from hell filled his body to the brink, the pounding in his skull creating a beat all its own, and his stomach rolled with nausea so great he could barely keep upright. “I don’t feel up to this right now.” He stumbled over to the counter, pulled a mug out of the cupboard, and filled it will coffee.
“I can see that. Drank a bit too much last night—doesn’t surprise me though. The way you pounded them back, it was apparent you were parched. The real question is what had you so desperate to drown yourself in alcohol?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Wes took a swig of the coffee. It burned as it went down his throat and tasted like tar. He couldn’t stand coffee, but he needed something to jolt him back into the living. His whole body ached, and if he didn’t know better, he’d believe he truly was the walking dead—the way his body screamed at him, it did have the death warmed over feeling.
Dallas walked over, grabbed his own mug, and filled it with coffee. He took a sip of it and stared at Wes over the brim.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I’m waiting for you to be ready to talk about it.”
“I told you—”
Dallas interrupted him, “Yes, I know. You don’t want to talk about it, but you’re not going to stop this brooding until you get whatever is bothering you off your chest.”
Wes
stomped over to the table and set his mug down with a loud thud. He yanked a chair back and sat down. “Why can’t you let this go?” He rested his elbows on the table. Leaning his head forward, he let it fall onto his open palms. “My head hurts too much to talk about anything.”
“You know if you—”
Wes lifted his head from his palms and glared at him. “I don’t need any lectures. I seem to remember a time when you drank way too much all the time.”
Dallas pulled out a chair and sat at the table. He set his coffee down, reached over, and placed a hand on Wes’s arm, shaking him to attention. “I seem to recall it had a lot to do with a woman. Does this new drinking habit have something to do with Vitoria Miene?”
Wes slammed his fist on the table. The coffee cups lifted up slightly from the vibrations sending a small ringing sound through the room. “I don’t want to talk about the she-demon.”
“Ah, so I’m going with a yes.”
“I hate her.”
“Yes, I know. Everyone knows, but Wes you have to try to at least be civil.” Dallas scrubbed his hand over his face and took a deep breath. “She’s Gin’s best friend and will be around a lot. I’m not asking you to become her best friend—hell, hate her with every ounce of your soul—but please at least try to do it in a way that won’t upset the love of my life.”
Wes didn’t want to hate Vitoria. He really wanted to like her, but he couldn’t. Not knowing what he did about her and how truly selfish she could be. If only he could make Dallas understand why.
He didn’t have a clue what he went through because he was too lost in his own devastation. It took him a long time to get over his ex-fiancée, Melody's, betrayal. When she made an appearance on the ranch last September it finally allowed him some closure. Dallas let go of all that pain and opened up his heart to Ginnifer.
When Eric died, Wes had been alone in his grief. He needed his brother, but Dallas hadn’t seen anything, even when it was right in front of him. Now he had to sit here and listen to him scold him because he didn’t like his fiancée’s best friend.