by Anna del Mar
“Ally sent me to the rescue,” Stuart said.
“Oh, I can manage,” I said. “You don’t have to rescue me.”
“But I do,” he said, flashing his infectious smile. “Seth told Ally and Ally told me. Double Erickson orders. Those have to be followed or I risk catastrophe.”
I had to laugh. “I think I know what you mean.”
“Ericksons spend an inordinate amount of time manning long reception lines at parties,” he said. “I’m afraid my company will have to suffice for the moment.”
“What about the other family members?” I asked. “Don’t you spend time with them?”
Stuart waved a finger from side to side. “We do not fraternize with the enemy. We stick by the good Ericksons and we don’t go to the dark side, ever.”
“The dark side?” I said. “You mean Benjamin’s side of the family?”
“The Alex faction,” Stuart said. “That’s him over there. The one with the dark curls? He just weaseled his way between Seth and Jeremy. Did you see that? Ally just gave him the look.”
“The look?” I said.
“Yes, you know, the Erickson look?” Stuart said. “The narrow-eyed, straight-lipped glare that burns a hole in your skull and activates your acid reflux?”
“Ooh,” I said, laughing. “Yes, of course, the radioactive look.”
“Radioactive is right.” Stuart grinned. “You’ve got to have guts to stick with an Erickson. You’ve got to have gastric endurance.”
“Stop terrorizing me,” I said. “Astrid already did enough of that for a day.”
“Astrid?” Stuart grimaced. “Ouch. Do you want me to call the ambulance?”
“I’ll live.”
“Sorry you had to go through that,” Stuart said. “I wish I could tell you it gets easier to climb the Astrid glacier, but there isn’t a pair of crampons sharp enough to conquer those heights. Did you see that?” Stuart elbowed me. “Alex just spoke to Astrid. She spoke back!”
“Um...is that unusual?”
“It’s a bit surprising, after what Alex did to Seth last week with that Star Lake mess,” Stuart said. “On the other hand, she’s got no proof that Alex was behind the hoopla and Astrid is the neutral element, Switzerland on steroids. She will not favor one grandson over the other without solid proof.”
“She did lose two sons,” I said. “I’m sure she loved them both.”
“But think about it,” Stuart said. “She must be partial to Arthur’s kids. After all, she brought them up single-handedly. Seth, Jer, and Ally were orphaned. Whereas Ben’s children still had mothers to care for them, even if Ben’s wives were all certifiably insane.”
“Alex’s mother too?” I asked.
“Alex’s mother especially.” Stuart downed his drink. “She is greed in the flesh and she taught it to her son, who worships the mighty dollar. Alex is the most rapacious of the Ben lot.”
“Sounds like a reality show.”
“An Erickson reality show would be all drama,” Stuart said. “I don’t know what more proof Astrid could want. Alex has been jealous of Seth all his life. Ally says Alex was always trying to throw a wrench in Seth’s plans. He even stole Seth’s girlfriend when Seth was sick. Talk about a low blow.”
Girlfriend? My antennae perked up. I was about to ask Stuart for details when Astrid and her brood broke out of the reception line. She headed for the balcony overlooking the atrium and waited for her family, the governor, and her most notable guests to arrange themselves behind her. The crowd broke into applause. Seth stepped up to the podium, welcomed everybody and wished his grandmother a happy birthday. Then Astrid took to the mike, thanked the crowd for their contributions to the Alaskan Conservation Fund and invited them to proceed to the dining tents.
“Twenty thousand dollars a person,” Stuart said, as we flowed with the crowd out the terrace and down to the lawn. “That’s how much an invite to this lovely party cost these folks. I don’t know about you, but where I come from, that’s an obscene amount of money. She raises millions a pop. No wonder she’s the queen of queens.”
Or the empress of all queen bitches. I bit my rebellious tongue back and, wedged next to Stuart, made it to the proper table, where my name was engraved on a silver placeholder, next to Seth’s. I had to say good-bye to Stuart, who was assigned to the opposite side of the incredibly long VIP table. I took in the fresh flower arrangements on the tall silver stands, the vintage bone china, and the crystal chandeliers. I guess I knew what to expect if I ever donated twenty thousand dollars to a cause.
Eventually, Astrid led the VIP procession. She took her place at the head of the table, escorted by Jer, who sat next to her, along with the governor and his wife and a host of celebrity guests. Ally joined her husband somewhere north of me. Several chairs south from me, Alex pulled out the chair for a red-haired hottie, whose long curls provided a lot more coverage than her mini-dress.
I found myself glancing at the woman. So this was the girlfriend Seth had been with when he got hurt, the one who left him for Alex. Wow. She was so different from me. In every way. What had Seth seen in her? What could he possibly see in me? How would he want to be with me when he’d been with her?
Seth was the last one to come to the table. Undoing his coat’s top button, he took his seat next to me, reached out for my hand, and leaned over my shoulder.
“Did Stuart find you?” he said.
“Yes, sir,” I said. “And he did his duty. He welcomed me to Ericksonland.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Ericksonland?”
“It’s more than a concept, you know.”
He broke out into a fit of quiet laughter. “I love it.”
The smile on my face widened. I felt as if I’d been deprived of joy when Seth finally sobered up.
“Sorry about the solo grandmother encounter,” he said. “Was it bad?”
“It was like fumbling into a tigress’s cage wearing a raw steak gown.”
“Damn,” he muttered. “I know how Grandma can be.”
“I’m so glad she doesn’t own wolves instead of dogs.”
“Oh, fuck.” Seth grimaced. “Please don’t tell me she did that thing where she set Devon and Daemon on you?”
“Okeydokey,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I won’t tell you.”
He swore under his breath. “I know this has been a dud so far, but we just have to get through dinner and then we’re home free. Bear with me, will you?”
“I shall try.” I sighed as the first plate of the fourteen-course meal outlined on the printed menu was set before me. Only thirteen courses to go.
* * *
Dinner was an endless affair and, even though some courses held only microscopic samples of rare delicacies, fourteen courses was a lot of food. My favorite part of the meal comprised a trio of gigantic crab legs. Seth had to get the meat out of the armored shell for me, but once I tasted it, I was in food heaven.
After dinner, we tried to recuse ourselves from the table, but the governor wanted a word in private with Seth. I drifted back to the atrium, where several bands took turns entertaining the crowd. I watched the people dance, took a self-guided tour of the house and ended up at one of the bars on one of the grounds’ overlooks. By then it was getting colder, which was not a problem, since attendants dressed in Andean costumes made an appearance, distributing exquisite merino shawls to the partygoers.
I wrapped myself in a fine cream shawl and enjoyed the stunning views. A pair of otters played in the surf and several eagles fished along the coastline. I leaned over the railing and spotted a lighthouse at one end of the property, a straight white tower standing like a sentinel on the rocky shore.
Out of the corner of my eye, I tracked Alex Erickson, assessing me from afar. I had no interest in meeting him, so I straightened my spine and
bristled with hostility, letting my body language do the talking. Either the idiot couldn’t read my not-so-subtle cues or he chose to ignore them altogether. Next I knew, he leaned on the railing next to me.
“My great-grandfather had that lighthouse built in the 1930s.” The breeze toyed with his curls. “It was before Alaska became a state in the union. My father used to keep an apartment out there, for when he was out of sorts with his wives.”
“I suppose that would make your father Benjamin.” I glanced at him. “And you are, of course, Alex Erickson.”
“At your service.” He appropriated my hand and kissed it. “Enchanté.”
“I’m afraid I can’t say the same in reference to you,” I said, retrieving my hand from his clutch.
“Don’t tell me a beauty of your caliber has already chosen sides.” He flashed his version of a seductive smile, which struck me as fake and faulty at the same time. “From what I’d heard about you, I gathered you’d give a guy a fair chance.”
“Please,” I said. “No need for flattery here.”
“Flattery?” He flashed a phosphorescently white set of teeth. “Surely, you haven’t looked in the mirror lately.”
Really? Was he making a pass at me, right here, in broad daylight?
I shot him a cutting glance. “It won’t work with me.”
“What won’t work with you?” he asked.
“Your shameless flirting.”
His shrewd stare took me in. “Feisty, aren’t you?”
“I’ve been called worse.”
Alex pulled out a monogrammed case from his pocket and eyed me as he put together the halves of an electronic cigarette. I got the clear sense he was trying to figure me out. He had the poise of a proper Erickson plus a set of swarthy looks that must have come from his mother’s side. A head of curls topped a wide forehead and framed a narrow face that reminded me of the painting of Napoleon I’d just previewed in the gallery.
“Everybody in the family is talking about you,” Alex said.
“Glad to be pulp for the rumor mill.”
“You’ve got spunk.” He puffed on his e-cig and released a cloud of vapor. “You and I may be able to get along.”
“Not for anything, Mr. Erickson, but I’m not looking to get along with you.”
“Please, honey, call me Alex.” His eyes perused my face. “Don’t be so fast to take sides. The differences between Seth and I aren’t personal. We have diverging business visions. You might be surprised to know that I think Seth did a good job with E&E, at least before he left for Afghanistan.”
“I’m shocked, really.”
“It’s a shame that he couldn’t do the same after he returned,” he said. “But war changes people. It changed Seth and now E&E is suffering for it.”
Seduction hadn’t worked, so he was on to persuasion. “Is that your full script?”
“And here I thought I had the makings of a storyteller.” His confident smirk irked me to no end. “Everybody can see it. You should see it too. The wounds. The burns. They’ve affected his capabilities to run the business.”
My fingers tightened around the railing. “How?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Alex said. “He’s lost his leadership abilities. He suffers from post-traumatic stress. He’s lost himself.”
“And how do you know all of that?”
“Gina?” He called to the red-haired stunner, who stood nearby talking to a neighboring group that looked decidedly like part of the dark-haired Erickson clan.
She trotted over like one of Astrid’s dogs. “Yes, Alex?”
“Tell Summer the things you learned when you were with Seth.”
Gina leaned over, as if confiding in me before she recited her lines in an annoying, shrill, nasally voice. “He has a bad temper and is as cranky as they come. He’s no fun anymore. He’s a hermit and he’s violent sometimes. It’s why I had to leave. Besides, he can’t do it anymore.”
“It?”
“You know what I mean.” Gina clutched her little silk purse and wiggled it flaccidly between her legs. “It doesn’t work anymore.”
For Pete’s freaking sake. I looked from Gina to Alex. Talk about an all-out defamation campaign. As if a person’s business abilities were somehow tied to his sexual prowess. It was an outdated, stupid, asinine slur that a, was a big huge lie—as I knew very well—and b, didn’t have any bearing on anything, but I bet it could do harm in certain circles.
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.
It was Alex who answered. “Because you can help unmask Seth and de-mystify this legend he’s built around himself. You can let others know the truth about who he really is. And because there are plenty of rewards available to you if you do precisely as I ask.”
Crafty son of a bitch. He’d gone from seduction to persuasion to bribery in four minutes flat. He was a piece of work and as bold and arrogant as they came. The SOB wanted me to help Gina spread the dirt around and he was willing to pay a fee for the job. Fourteen courses revolted in my stomach. He must have thought that I was as pliable, or at least as buyable, as Gina was.
I tried to keep my cool, I really did try hard.
“What about you, Alex?” I said calmly. “Have you suddenly grown the management skills necessary to run E&E? The experience? What about the cojones? Or are you planning on operating on pure and naked ambition?”
“Don’t get your pretty little head all riled up,” Alex said. “You don’t need to pretend with me. I saw how Seth looked at you today. You’re in a great position to play the game. Why not try to make the most out of it?”
Easy, Silva. No need to rip his eyes out. “What do you mean?”
“The lines are drawn,” he said. “The board meeting is coming up. There will be winners and losers. You’re a latecomer to the show, but you could still stand to benefit, as long as you do your part and stick with the winners.”
Now I wanted specifics. “And how would I do that?”
“I’d love to be able to anticipate Seth’s approach to the board meeting,” Alex said. “You get me the information I need and I’ll take care of you. You’ll go back to Miami in a different income bracket, if you get my drift. You’re a smart girl. Surely you want to capitalize on your short time in Alaska?”
What a fucking lying, worthless piece of shit. He thought an awful lot of himself if he thought he could persuade me into doing something so nasty and low handed. And one other thing. He knew freaking squat about me if he thought I’d go for it.
“Think about it, Summer.” His hand slithered down my spine and flirted with my ass, right in front of his dimwitted girlfriend no less. “You could come out of this with an improved net worth.”
Don’t smack him. Not yet.
“You Ericksons.” I sighed, gazing at the seagulls rioting over the ocean. “You think the whole world is after your money. And maybe that’s true, I don’t know. Your answer is a big fat no.” I grabbed his wandering hand and slapped it on the railing. “Now bug off and leave me alone.”
Alex’s jaw dropped. I don’t think anyone had ever spoken to him as I did. Gina didn’t know how to react, so she looked to Alex for direction. Muffled laughter drifted in from the audience next door. It was obvious that the Erickson cousins had been eavesdropping on our conversation. Now they pressed even closer. They fit squarely into Astrid’s spectator category and not in a good way.
I was furious, teetering at the edge of a major Silva rage. I caught a glimpse of Ally and Stuart coming down the steps. Ally looked absolutely gorgeous in the emerald green dress we’d bought together, but her mouth tightened in alarm when she saw me with Alex. Dragging Stuart along, she set a straight course toward us.
“Summer?” she said. “What are you doing? Why don’t you come have a drink with us?”
“You mean what am I doing with these two?” I said loudly enough for the spectators to hear. “I was actually about to conclude a fascinating conversation, comparing notes with poor Gina here, whose experiences with Seth were so different from mine.”
Ally frowned. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“Don’t pay any heed to Summer.” Alex put away his e-cig. “She’s upset. She misunderstood something Gina said.”
“I didn’t misunderstand a thing,” I said. “My ears work quite well, thank you very much. See, Ally, Alex is trying to convince me that Seth is not fit to lead and Gina here says that Seth was moody and violent with her.”
A deep flush crept over Ally’s face. “Really?”
Gina fidgeted with her purse. “I didn’t mean it like that...”
“She said that’s why she had to leave Seth for Alex.”
Ally crossed her arms. “Is that so?”
“Ally, Summer?” Stuart jumped in to defuse the tension. “How about some punch?”
“In a moment,” Ally said.
I flashed my most ferocious smile. “I was about to tell Gina that Seth has been nothing but sweet and wonderful to me. He’s the kindest, smartest, most gracious person I’ve ever met. I was about to confide to these folks, and to the rest of the family if it mattered to anyone, that Seth is an extraordinary lover. His stamina is exceptional. Sex with Seth? Extraordinary. I’m not big on counting, but last time?” I flashed seven fingers in the air. “In a row.”
Ally’s jaw dropped. Stuart had the decency to stare at his feet. Alex’s murderous glare beamed on me, and the little crowd next door stirred with murmurs.
“Really?” Gina’s eyes rounded to the size of saucers. “Seven times?”
Alex snapped. “Shut up.”
“I’m sorry to hear you were not so fortunate,” I said. “I hope you have better luck with Alex here. But honestly?” I ran my eyes up and down his body and scoffed. “I doubt he has what it takes. If you’ll excuse me.”
“Summer?” Ally trotted after me. “Please come with us.”
“I’m good,” I lied, widening my stride. “I feel like taking a walk.”