by Tara Lain
Laurie clicked off. Shit. Move fast. He leaned forward. “I need to change the address I’m going to, okay?” He gave the guy Grove’s penthouse number.
“It’ll cost you more.”
“Yes. Sure. Just get there fast.” He dialed Grove’s number. Voice mail again. Damnation. He’s got to be there. If he’s not, I’ll just let myself in and wait.
The taxi screeched around the corner and slowed noticeably as he entered the Nob Hill neighborhood. Grove did like to live at the top of the food chain. These elegant older condos often sold for millions. With an impressive show of brakes, the driver stopped in front of Grove’s building. As soon as Laurie got out of the taxi, the bellman greeted him. “Oh, good evening, Mr. Belmont.”
“Hello, Ralph. Would you get the bags for me from the trunk and hold them at the desk? I need to see Mr. Chilcott.”
“Of course, sir.”
Laurie paid the driver extra for risking Laurie’s life and walked into the elegant old lobby. Very different than his comfortable, trendy building in the Mission District, but Laurie still loved it. He walked to the desk. “How’s the family?”
“Excellent, thank you. Bernie’s gotten a baseball scholarship to college.”
“I knew he’d do it.”
“Shall I ring up for you?” Ralph smiled.
“No, thanks. Have the key.” He pulled it from his pocket and waved it. “I’ll pick up the bags later or possibly in the morning.”
“I’ll look after them.”
“Thanks, Ralph.” Okay, plan what you want to say. He hopped on the elevator and leaned against the wall on the way to the fourth floor. If he’ll just loan me the money, I can pay him back with interest. He intertwined his fingers and blew out his breath. How soon is it reasonable to think of paying him back? Maybe a payment plan. I pay interest for a year and then start on principal. Grove will know what he wants. He always does.
The elevator stopped, and he got off. How do I get my money out of Armisted? Grove will know. He walked halfway down the hall and stopped again. Oh hell, he didn’t want to have to borrow from Grove to start the business, but being required to keep half his money in company stock and giving the other half to his parents really sucked his savings plan. His hands shook. Grove kept saying he wanted to invest in Laurie’s design shop. Now he’d get his chance.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
QUIETLY, HE fit the key in the lock. Might as well make it a fun surprise. Grove’s silence usually meant he was up to his ass in alligators at work. He looked in and called, “Grove?”
Nobody.
His stomach growled. No food since lunch at the rodeo. That seemed like half a lifetime ago—a life he’d never get to live again. That made him so sad he wanted to crawl under the covers and never come out. Suck it up, Laurie. This is real life.
He wandered into the kitchen, opened the huge built-in refrigerator, and extracted some almonds and a piece of cheese, poured a glass of iced tea and carried it to the granite island, then slid onto one of the black leather stools.
What a weird day. Rodeo. Exciting and horrifying at the same time. The smell. Jesus. And that horrible man. He’d looked at Laurie like lint on his dirty jeans and treated his own son like an animal. And here I am, back in my own polite world full of elegant design and good manners—if you don’t count the sharks circling on the edges.
He glanced at his watch. Where is he? Laurie’s stomach wouldn’t settle, and the almonds got stuck in his throat. Could Grove have driven back to Chico on the very night Laurie came home? Shit, that would be my luck this week.
He took a mouthful of tea, stuck the glass and plate in the sink, and walked into the living room. I could watch TV. Too nervous. He sat for a minute, then got up again and wandered to the window. The fog had come in big-time. He could stay here tonight, but if he didn’t see Grove, he had to show up at work. Shit. If I sign a noncompete, Carlson has me. He’s right. I might win in a lawsuit, but I can’t afford to pay for one.
He kept some clothes at Grove’s and his toiletries in the bathroom. Plus he had his bags downstairs. Ralph could bring them up. That would be more than enough wardrobe choices to look smashing tomorrow—and smashing he needed to be.
Hell, if he was staying, he might as well slip into something sexy for Grove. He had that deep rose gown in Grove’s closet. That should do the job. He wanted Grove to take their business deal seriously, but it had been four days since they’d had sex. Grove was going to be distracted, no matter what.
Laurie peered at the fog again. Getting worse. Soon they wouldn’t be able to see the lines on the street. Damned if I’m trusting some cabbie who thinks the Mission District is in Silicon Valley.
Decided, he walked down the hall toward the back bedrooms. The master was at the end, but Grove had created a special dressing room closet out of a small bedroom. The room had a door to the hall, as well as connecting to the bedroom closet. Laurie opened the door and looked over his shoulder down the hall. Odd. Bedroom door was closed.
He slipped inside and turned on the soft little light on the center table. He’d put it in so he could get dressed early and go to work on the nights he stayed over without disturbing Grove. Now he liked it more than the bright dressing lights. More romantic.
He found the rose-colored gown on the one rack in the closet he’d cleared for himself. Interesting. There was a silk shirt hanging askew on the rod—brilliant yellow and red. Yuck. Hope Grove doesn’t think I’d like that.
He unfastened his scarf and started to take off his jacket.
A sound like a giggle.
Laurie looked toward the bedroom door. Did I hear that?
He walked toward it.
Another giggle, soft and lower.
His belly clutched. Some piece of his brain didn’t want to open the door. Too complicated. Too much to know. Too much everything. With a resigned sigh, he pressed down on the door handle and pushed it open.
Yep. Just what he expected. Just what he should have expected yesterday and the day before. Maybe what he should have known for a long time. Grove’s hairy ass pointed at the ceiling as he rammed his cock into some young guy with ink-black hair spread out over the pillows. The guy giggled and bounced his butt in the worst imitation of actual pleasure Laurie had ever seen—and man, he ought to know.
How do I feel?
One answer. Stupid.
He turned, pulled his jacket and scarf back on, grabbed a couple of pieces of clothing and shoved them into his pockets, then walked out into the bedroom and crossed to the bathroom.
Unh, unh, unh.
He opened the bathroom door and flipped on the light.
“What? What the hell?”
Laurie grabbed a small bag from the dressing table, loaded in his cosmetics with a swipe of his hand, and then pulled his favorite body lotion from the top drawer. Not leaving that behind.
“Laurie, what the fuck are you doing here?” Grove stood in the bathroom door, clutching a thin cotton blanket at his waist.
Laurie stared at him. “Undoing a lot of mistakes.” With a whirl, he stepped close. “Excuse me.” He walked past Grove, bumping his shoulder, and headed down the hall.
“Come on, Laurie, this didn’t mean anything. It was like you and that cowboy. You weren’t here. I was lonely.”
A screech came from the bedroom. “Like fuck!” The brunet appeared in the bedroom door, stark naked. “Tell him he’s a loser like you told me, Grove. Tell him how you prefer me. How I’ve been your baby for half a year. Tell him.”
Laurie turned and surveyed the guy, starting at his feet and traveling to his crotch. “I can tell you’re his baby. That explains why you’re so small.” With that perfect line, that still tasted bitter in his mouth, Laurie spun on his heel and left the apartment.
“Laurie. Damn it, Laurie.” Grove’s voice echoed down the hall. An echo from Laurie’s past.
When he got to the lobby, he drew in a breath to try to get his stomach to stop flipping.
“You know to call me Laurie, right?”
“Sure, Laurie. But are you okay?”
Another inhale. “Not exactly. I just found out how long Grove’s had another boyfriend.”
“Oh.” Ralph looked down at his hardworking hands. “I’m really sorry about that. I hoped he was just a friend.” He looked up. “I just didn’t know if I should tell you.”
“No, I totally get it. After all, Grove lives here. Not me.”
“I’ve never thought of it that way. But I didn’t want to tell tales out of school, as they say. I just hoped it wasn’t a bad situation for you.”
“Thanks, Ralph. I won’t be coming by again to see Grove, but I’ll stop in to see you sometimes, if that’s okay.”
“I’d like that. Can I get you a cab and put your bags in it?”
“Thank you. You know, there are still two of Grove’s bags at the ranch where we went on vacation. Would you please tell him I had to leave them there? I couldn’t bring them all.”
“Of course.”
“Thanks again.” He followed Ralph out to the street. Bye-bye, Nob Hill.
IN THE morning Danny walked straight to the kitchen before he went in the dining room. Felicia looked up from her stove when he stuck his head in the back door. “Morning, Danny.”
“Morning.” He stepped into the big, warm room full of the scents of bacon and hot dough. His mouth watered. “Hey, did you happen to see Laurie Belmont leave last night?” Yes, he should let it go, but he woke up three times last night dreaming of Laurie. Is he okay?
“Yes, he came in here before I finished cleaning up the kitchen yesterday evening. Said he had an emergency and needed to leave.”
“Oh.” He swallowed. “Did he say what it was?”
“No, but he wasn’t his usual smiley self.”
Danny frowned. “I just know his dad’s in bad health. I hope everything’s okay.”
“Me too. He’s such a sweetheart.”
“He didn’t check out with Rand?”
“He couldn’t find Rand and Kai and needed to leave fast for his plane. I saw a cab waiting for him. He told me to tell Rand to charge everything to Chilcott’s credit card and left two of his suitcases. He said he couldn’t manage all the bags on his own.”
“He did have a lot of suitcases.”
She grinned. “That wardrobe doesn’t come out of a backpack.”
An image of a red bustier flashed in his mind. “Got that right. Where are the suitcases?”
“I put them in the storage room at the ranch house. I let Rand know this morning.”
“Thanks, Felicia.”
“Breakfast’s ready.”
“Smells good.” He patted the wall and walked through the doorway into the dining room, where every face turned up to him with wide eyes and plastic smiles. Funny, he’d obsessed so much about Laurie all night, the whole bull ride and encounter with Eldon had slipped to the back of his mind. “Morning.”
Nora patted the seat next to her, and he slid into it as Felicia came in to serve their food. He tried filling his mouth with cinnamon rolls—the group favorite, so Felicia made them almost every day—staving off the onslaught of questions. No such luck.
Aliki chewed and talked at the same time, spraying a few spicy crumbs onto his plate. “Danny, you were, like, amazing. Like Superman or Captain America or something.”
Danny laughed. “Gotta get me a cape.”
Andy waved a fork. “How do you do it? How do you stay on? I mean, do bulls always do the same thing? Do you know what to expect?”
Arthur grabbed his son’s arm, laughing. “Easy, boy. Let Danny eat.”
“Sorry.”
Danny swallowed a bite and grinned. “It’s fine. No, bulls seldom do the same things. Every bull is different. You can learn some things by watching them in videos, but you don’t know until you get to an event what bull you’ll draw. So a bull rider has to prepare for the unexpected. It’s about balance and riding the bucks, not trying to respond to every move a bull makes. Even the best riders get thrown off. A lot, actually.”
Lani gazed at him seriously. “How do you keep from getting hurt?”
“Unfortunately, you don’t. Bull riders break more bones than probably any other kind of athlete.”
Aliki murmured, “Wow. Uh, maybe you should stick to horses.”
“Actually, that’s pretty good advice.” If only he could take it.
Nora looked around. “Where’s Laurie this morning?”
Danny tried to look neutral. “He left last night.”
“Because he was so upset about the rodeo?” Nora took a bite of egg.
“What? No. He told Felicia he had an emergency.”
“Oh well. I hope everything’s okay. Poor dear, he sure was freaked at you being on that bull. I honestly thought he’d be sick.”
Aliki leaned close. “I think Laurie kind of likes you, Uncle Danny.”
Nora chuckled. “I think Aliki’s very smart.”
Danny swallowed hard, then cleared his throat. “It was great meeting him, but he’s gone now, back to his city life.”
Felicia poured coffee in Arthur’s cup. She glanced up. “Of course, someone has to figure out how to get Mr. Chilcott’s bags home.”
LAURIE LAY on his bed in his apartment, fingers jittering on his cell phone. It’s too early to call Mama, right? Yeah, you wish, chicken.
He sat up, already fully dressed. He had to be at the office in an hour and a half. Earlier would be better. If he could get there before Carlson and look deeply busy, maybe he could avoid the whole contract issue for another day.
But before anything, he had to call his mother.
Shit.
He dialed and waited for her quavering voice. “Hello, dear. Did you ask Grove about your father?”
Oh man. “No, Mom, I didn’t.”
“What? But you said—”
“Grove and I broke up.”
“What!” He could hear her gasping for breath. “What have you done, Laurie? My God. How could you?”
Thanks for the fucking vote of confidence. “I came home last night and went straight to Grove’s to talk to him about Daddy and, uh, some business matters. I found him in bed with another man.”
“Oh no. He lost interest in you. But surely it’s only temporary. You’re so beautiful.”
He smoothed the crease between his eyebrows with his thumb. “Mother, did you hear what I said? He was in bed with someone else, someone he’s been cheating with for six months or more, apparently.”
“Dear, these things happen in relationships. Men have appetites.”
“When exactly did I stop being a man?”
“You know what I mean.” He could practically see her waving her hand. “A man like Grove—powerful, rich. They’re used to having whatever they want.”
“Yes, well, he no longer has me.” Funny how that didn’t even make him sad.
“You can’t do this, Laurie. We need Grove.”
“We?”
“You, your father, me. We have no other options for stopping the takeover. You have no other options for getting out of that company that doesn’t appreciate you.”
How many times and in how many different ways had she told him that in his life? You have no other way to get an A in Calculus—except to be nice to the teacher. She never quite defined “nice.” You can’t get a scholarship to college on your own. You need your father’s best friend to speak to the head of the department. Of course, he just might want a blowjob on the side, but she didn’t have to know that. “Mother, I’m twenty-four years old. I’m smart. I have a lot of options in life without being some man’s whore.”
“Lawrence Belmont, don’t you dare use that word. Of course you’re smart. But you can’t get your father’s company back.”
“You’re always telling me how weak and sick Daddy is. Isn’t it better for him just to negotiate an acqui
sition?”
Her voice frosted. “And what would we live on? Your father would die without his company.” Her voice broke slowly into sobs. “And people expect—I mean, how would we live? Oh, Laurie, you have to do something.”
He let out his breath slowly. They’d taken him in when no one wanted him. They’d cared for him. And now his father’s company, that he’d worked so hard to grow, was in danger from a hostile takeover by the son of his former partner. He had to do what he could. “I’ll try to find a lawyer.”
“We—we can’t afford that. Grove is the best, and he was fr-free.” The last came out in a rush of sobs.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you, darling. You’re so good to us.”
He hung up. Not one more sob or he’d—what? Cry? No. Puke. One more sob and he’d puke.
Speaking of puking—he slowly rose from the bed, grabbed a jacket for later when it got cold, and left the apartment. Time to go to work.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
DANNY STOOD at the front desk of the beautiful old building. A tall gray-haired man whose name badge said Ralph smiled at him. “Yes, sir. Mr. Belmont told me these bags were still at the ranch. I assume you came from there.”
Danny glanced down at his jeans, denim shirt, old leather jacket, cowboy boots, and the cowboy hat he held in his hand and grinned. “You guessed that, did you? Is Laurie—uh, I mean, Mr. Belmont—here?”
“No, sir. It’s my understanding he won’t be coming back.”
Ker-slam! His heart bumped the inside of his ribs. “I see.”
Ralph cocked his head. “I’ll be glad to take those up for you, sir. Or perhaps you’d like to take them yourself?”
Something about the gleam in those dark eyes made Danny nod. “Do you happen to know where Mr. Belmont lives or works?”
“No, sir, I do not.” He smiled.
“Well, I guess I’d like to take these bags upstairs, if you don’t mind.”
“Very good, sir. Go right up. Fourth floor. Number four seventeen.” He flashed his large, white teeth. Grandma had to be in there somewhere.