by Carina Adams
Hawk didn't pull it away, but arched an eyebrow instead. "Trust me, L.K. you'ah gonna need it to get through tonight."
Chapter 21
Jo
Hawk had been right. I had needed a drink to calm my nerves. We got stuck in a long line of limos and waited almost half an hour for our turn to be dropped off. The time gave me a chance to watch Hawk and his date Tabby. They looked so comfortable together that it made me miss Matty. Hawk surprised me at every turn—tonight he was attentive, cuddly, and looked at Tabby with eyes full of love.
The term chubby subby seemed even more obnoxious now. Yes, she was chubby; but no bigger than I’d been a few years ago, so she maybe wore a sixteen. She looked exquisite in a black mermaid style gown that clung to the top half of her body, showing off an incredible hourglass figure, and then flared out into gorgeous skirts. It was the subby part I was having trouble buying, because she was the furthest thing from submissive. In fact, the way Hawk fawned over her, one would think he’d be the sub.
Our car finally dropped us in front of a group of men with cameras. Rob just shrugged when I asked about them, but Tabby, Hawk’s date, laughed and told me that they were always outside events like this, hoping to catch a celebrity in the mix. They took our pictures as we walked in, talking to Rob and asking about me, but he only smiled before guiding me into the building.
I couldn’t begin to remember all the faces and names of people I was introduced to. While I was chatting with a very sweet woman in her sixties, I saw a man in dress blues grab Hawk and yank him into a hug. I turned to Rob, eyebrows raised. He leaned in, close enough so no one else could hear him, and explained, “Hawk’s dad, the Superintendent-in-Chief of Boston’s finest.” I watched them closely, surprised to see how happy he looked to see Hawk, and how he genuinely seemed like a proud papa. So, Hawk’s dad was a cop? Not at all what I expected.
The surprises kept coming. For an hour before dinner, we mingled over cocktails and chatted with the other hundred guests. When Jessie had told me it was exclusive, I hadn’t realized that meant small and private. I’d just come back from the bathroom and was scanning the small crowd for my friends when an older gentleman stepped up beside me.
“You look absolutely bored, my dear.”
“Not at all,” I smiled up at him. “I don’t know that many people here, but I am most definitely not bored.”
He held out a hand and gave me a mischievous smile. “Henry Butler.” As I put my fingers in his palm, he pulled my hand to his mouth, giving it a quick peck. He didn’t let go. “My friends call me Hal.”
“Hal? Not Hank?” I asked, trying politely to get my hand back.
He wrinkled his nose, aristocratically. “No.” He dismissed my question as if I was a silly little girl. “Hank isn’t any good for politics. Would you vote for a Hank Butler?” He chuckled. "Maybe if we lived down south."
“Oh? You’re a politician?”
He shrugged, still smiling. “Something like that.” He finally let go of my hand, but only to grab a glass of champagne off a waiter’s tray and offer it to me. I took it, happy to have my hands filled with something other than his. “And you? Who can I tell people it was that kept me entertained this evening?”
“Look who I found walking around like a lost puppy.” A voice I never thought I’d hear again purred, and I stiffened as I watched Taylor put her hand on Hal’s shoulder and reach up to give him a peck on the cheek. “Hi, Daddy. Sorry I was late.” She was out of breath, as if she’d just run across the venue.
Before I could react, a familiar hand found the small of my back and Rob’s voice filled my ears. “Senator, I’d like to introduce my date, Josephine Walker.”
Senator? Internally I rolled my eyes. I knew that Taylor came from what Matty called ‘Boston royalty,’ which in reality meant ‘old Boston money,’ but I hadn’t known her father was a senator. I looked from father to daughter, realizing again how beautiful she really was, and noticing that Taylor got both her height and striking features from Hal. Too bad she didn’t inherit his charm.
Dressed in a form fitting, sparkly black gown that showed off her perfect hourglass figure, she oozed sophistication. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled back in a knot and she’d chosen to forgo jewelry, leaving her long neck bare. The look would have been plain on anyone else, but on her it looked elegant. Her makeup brought attention to her large purple eyes, the only indication she wore contacts, and her perfect heart shape mouth. Not for the first time, Helen of Troy crossed my mind as my eyes moved over her. Taylor had a face that would make men fight battles for her, and a rare beauty that would launch a thousand ships. She was simply stunning.
Taylor moved around her dad and offered me a sincere smile. “Jo! How nice to see you.” I almost forgot why I hated her. Almost. Then she stepped towards me, putting hands on my shoulders, and kissed each cheek. I could have sworn I heard her hiss the word "Please" but I was too distracted. The move made the giant engagement ring on her finger reflect the light. I hadn't seen that ring in a few months, but there was no denying it was the same one she'd shown me last July. Before I could react, she’d stepped back and was looking back to her father. “Jo is a close friend of Matt’s, Daddy. But, I hadn’t realized that the two of you were dating.”
She turned her gaze back to Rob, whose hand was gripping my back, fingernails digging into my flesh. He turned to me, face sober. “A woman like Jo is a rare find.” Gray eyes met mine. “She has the ability to make a man forget every other woman he’s ever been with. She understands that not everything is how it may seem, and waits to make judgment until she has all the facts, because she knows that when a man loves her, he would do anything to keep her safe.” I raised an eyebrow.
Considering that didn’t sound a thing like me, and I was none of the things he had just rattled off, I got his message loud and clear—there was more to this than what met the eye. I didn’t know why Matty’s ring was still on Taylor’s finger, but I knew he would explain later.
His hand drifted up to my face and he cupped my cheek. “We aren’t dating. But, Jo has moved in with me.” Conveniently leaving out the fact that we had a strictly platonic relationship, he continued, “I’ll gladly take every bit of her I can get.” Right now, he had a part to play. Apparently, I did, too.
“I never thought I’d see the day Robert Doyle would settle down!” Hal’s voice was full of humor. “Darling, I think you may be rubbing off on him!” He turned from his daughter to me. “So, you and my son-in-law are friends? I’m sorry to say I don’t remember meeting you.”
“Future son-in-law, Daddy,” Taylor corrected, looping her arm through her his. “And Jo is always invited to our parties, but has had some difficulties over the past few years.”
His features wrinkled, and I could tell he was skeptical. I glanced towards Taylor, seeing the worry that she was trying hard to mask. I was missing something, that was obvious, but she seemed worried that I was going to ruin their charade. I stepped closer, hoping to ease his curiosity.
“I’ve been going through a nasty divorce.” I waved my hand at Taylor and Rob. “They like to try to protect me. To be honest, I haven’t been up for parties.”
Hal seemed to accept my explanation and offered his condolences before moving on to lighter topics. But, I didn’t miss the look of relief that passed between Taylor and Rob, or the way that Rob stole me away from Hal as soon as he could. As we walked to our table, he leaned in, grinding out just one word. “Later.”
*****
Jonathan Greenwood was not at all what I expected. He didn’t look like how I thought a lawyer would, even though he was clearly more comfortable in his tux than the rest of the men at my table. He had accented his with a gray homburg hat and matching wool scarf, making him stand out from the rest of the black and white clad men. He was a solid six feet tall with wide shoulders, a thick chest, large arms that proved he worked out, and was shaved bald. If I didn’t know better, I would say he was hiding some serious
ink under his formal wear and liked to ride a Harley on the weekend.
Thankfully, we hit it off immediately. He laughed at my jokes that no one else seemed to understand, and winked at me when he told me he was also fluid in sarcasm. His quick smile calmed my nerves. We chatted easily all through dinner, and I almost forgot that we were at a table filled with other people. During the speeches and the start of the silent auction, he slid his chair closer to mine and kept me entertained by pointing out guests and gossiping about each one conspiratorially. By the time the last plate had been cleared away, I felt like we’d been friends for years.
He held out a hand as he stood. “Would you do me the honor?”
I smiled and walked with him to the floor, nervous. “I can’t dance very well. No rhythm.”
“I don’t believe that for a second!” He pulled me closer to him. “There’s this little village in the south of France…” I was so engrossed in the story of how he learned to dance that I completely spaced everything else, including my nerves and my awkwardness.
Well into our third song, he moved his mouth to my ear, voice low. “So, which one do you belong to?”
I pulled my cheek off his chest and found him peering down at me. “I’m sorry?”
He smiled but it didn’t touch his eyes. “Which Bastard do you belong to?” I felt my eyebrows rise. “There are many things I am, but naïve is not one of them,” he scolded, eyes gleaming with something I didn’t recognize. “I always do my homework, Ms. Walker. The Bastards have been trying to snag my attention for months, and I have no doubt that you, as absolutely delightful as you are, are another attempt to plead their case.”
I didn’t argue. There was no reason to when he had hit the nail right on the head. He gave me a small smile and continued, “I know you aren’t a club whore—you’ve too much education and class to reduce yourself to that.” I wasn’t sure if I should thank him or be offended, but he continued thinking aloud before I could interrupt. “You’re here with Rob, but I can’t imagine he’d let me monopolize all your time if you were his. Even if he wants you to get close to me, the Bastards are a jealous lot. He’d rather die before he’d let me hold you like this. So, if you’re not Rob’s, and you definitely aren’t Jeremy’s type, I can’t help wonder which one has claimed you.”
“I don’t belong to anyone. No one has claimed me.” I shook my head when I thought he’d argue. “It’s complicated.”
He chuckled. “It always is, isn’t it?”
I sighed, watching the other couples dance around us. “I fell in love with one of them before I knew he was part of the club.” I lifted a shoulder, deciding to stay with the truth as much as possible. “Then, my life fell apart, and I needed to start over, so I came down here to go to school. Rob’s been a great friend.”
“And the one you love?”
I hesitated, not sure how much to say. “Is taken.” Without meaning to, my eyes found Taylor, who was twirling around the floor with Rob, both looking serious as they had a quiet conversation.
Jon, as he insisted I call him, followed my eyes. “Ahh.” After a few minutes of silence, he shifted, moving my head back to his chest. The song ended and another began before he spoke again. “I’ve met Matt a few times.” I stiffened. If there was a connection between Matt and Jon already, why in the hell was I here? Mistaking my reaction, he apologized. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t.” I forced a smile, but the look he gave me told me he knew it was fake. As the music stopped, I pulled away.
His hand found the small of my back and he leaned toward my ear once again. “If it makes you feel any better, I won’t be going to the engagement party.” He stood, looking towards my date. “I’ve suddenly realized that something will come up that day, a schedule conflict.” His eyes twinkled as they looked back at me. “I would love for us to have dinner that evening, maybe show you around the city.”
I nodded, half-numb as my heart thundered wildly in my chest. I’d done what I was supposed to do. I’d created a bond that would hopefully lead to the end result Rob was so desperate for. However, I was more confused now than I had been in months. Engagement party? What in the hell was going on, and why in the hell had no one told me?
*****
The ride back to the apartment was filled with tension. I had wanted to demand answers, but the warning look on Rob’s face told me I would have to wait. As our driver weaved in and out of traffic, I felt my annoyance grow. Maybe there was a perfectly good explanation, but the jerk could have at least warned me. No wonder Matty hadn’t wanted me to go tonight! He was going to give me some answers, and he was going to give them to me immediately.
I stormed out of the limo and into the building behind Rob, barely offering Hawk and Tabby a terse goodbye. Rob tried to say something once the elevator began to move, but I shook my head. “No." I snapped. "Just save it! Matty and I need to have a long talk.” He’d only nodded and pulled his cell from his pocket.
I heard the chimes signaling the phone coming to life as I stepped onto the lower level of our house, marching straight for Matty’s room. I didn’t care if he was sleeping, his ass was getting up and finally answering all the questions I had. There was no escaping it this time.
But Matty wasn’t in his room. And there were no signs he’d been here all night. Groaning in frustration, I started to yank the bobby pins out of my hair, letting the curls cascade down around my shoulder. I’d go upstairs and face him, but I refused to do it in this damn dress.
The sharp double knock on the door startled me. “Jesus, Matty, it’s your room too, you don’t have to knock!” I yelled as I started to untie the knot on my hip. The knock came again, though, and I hurried around the bed and pulled it open.
Rob, jacket off and bow tie undone, stood in the hall, holding up a finger to me. I raised an eyebrow, but he shook his head. “No, we’re on our way. Just keep him there!” he snapped into the phone before jabbing it with a finger.
He jerked his head toward the stairs. “You’re comin’ with me. Let’s go.”
Go? Where? “What’s wrong?” Panic started to rise. “What did you do now?”
“Me?” he asked incredulously, holding up the phone before shoving it into his pocket. “Eighteen messages. That’s how many I have, but I only needed to listen to one to get the fuckin’ point.” He grabbed the edges of the doorframe, leaning into the room, every line of his body stressed with tension. “Matty is at the club, totally fucked.” Dark eyes narrowed at me. “I’m thinking that has more to do with you than me.”
Well, that explained why my boyfriend wasn’t here. I turned back into room, exhausted, intent on changing into pj’s and falling into bed. “He’s pissed at me.”
“Yeah,” Rob snorted. “You could say that. You didn’t tell him you were coming with me. Why the fuck not?”
I turned back to him, irritated at his accusing tone. “Are you freaking serious right now? It takes seriously large balls to be irritated with me for keeping a secret after all the shit I found out you have been lying about! But, to answer your question, I didn’t tell him because I thought that you would! You tell him everything else I do!”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my plates a little fuckin’ full right now!” he bellowed. “Is that really why you didn’t tell him, L.K.? Or, was it some sort of screwed up payback?” My mouth fell open in shock, but I couldn’t form the words to argue back. The asshole took that as a sign of guilt. “You need to stop fuckin’ with his head or so help me God, I will…”
I cut him off before he could finish his threat, white hot anger scorching through my body as I stepped towards him. “What? What are you gonna do?” My eyes flared—if only looks could kill. “We had a fucking argument! Wasn’t our first, sure as hell won’t be our last! Couples do that every now and then. I’m not some weak-minded little twit that's gonna roll over and do whatever the fuck he wants me to do, whenever the fuck he tells me to do it. He doesn’t own me! I
am my own person and just because I make choices on my own, doesn’t mean I’m fucking with his head!” My fists balled at my sides, all exhaustion gone.
He watched my rant, unimpressed. “I like you, L.K. In fact, I fuckin’ adore you. But, Matt’s my best friend. Yeah, I would take a bullet for any one of my brothah’s, but Mateo and I have been through the fuckin’ ringah togethah. There isn’t a friggin’ thing I wouldn’t do for him.” He stood, pulling himself up straight. “There is a lot of shit goin’ on right now, and I need Matt thinkin’ straight, not drunk off his ass or fucked up ovah you.” He pointed at me. “You ahh gonna go ovah theah and straighten this shit out. And, you’ah gonna do it right now!”
It was my turn to snort. “Oh? And what am I gonna do—stroll in there and take the bottle away?” I’d done it once before, and it hadn’t been easy. Matty was a mean drunk.
He glowered angrily and I stepped back, momentarily terrified. “That’s exactly what you ahh gonna do.” If possible, his face got even darker. “You say you wanna know what secrets he’s keepin’. Well, I’ve watched him drink himself half to death ovah the last few months. We don’t sit around bitchin’ and moanin’ about our feelins, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what’s wrong.”
I shook my head, feeling the blood drain. No. Matty had drunk himself into oblivion once before, a long time ago when he and Becky got divorced. I’d been so sure he was going to kill himself, either with alcohol or by making a stupid decision because of it. Getting him sober had been hell, and I doubted he remembered the days I’d spent with him, or the things he’d said while drunk. He’d promised me that he would never let anything get him that low again. The idea scared me more than anything else.