Piper shook her head and grinned. What was the point in marrying a stockbroker besides his bank balance? A few things sprang to mind like loving his innate integrity, good looks, sense of humor, and ideally consummate skill in bed. She clearly had a long way to go before she could ever feel at home with people like this, but doors were opening and bright shafts of possibility were shining through.
Like it or not, she had Matt DeLeo to thank for that.
She looked around to see if she could spot Matt. She wanted to share her good news and, even if it stuck in her throat, to thank him. All the thoughts she’d been having about stockbrokers pointed to the fact that he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. A drifter, maybe, but he was no swindler. He had old-fashioned values deep down beneath the strange combination of tattoos and sharp suits. And he was really nice to her cat.
Suddenly a finger jabbed into her shoulder and she heard a cringe-worthy familiar male voice. “What you doing here, Red?”
She spun around sharply enough to spill a few drops of champagne on her jacket. Cold blue eyes, blond wavy shoulder-length hair, and a not very good shave greeted her. Her stomach felt like a boulder had been dropped on it. “Stanley.”
“You’re looking very good for a girl who should be mourning the love of her life.”
“Are you suggesting I should still be in pieces because you dumped me for a dimwit who models herself on an overgrown Oompa-Loompa?”
“Oompa-Loompa?” Stanley laughed. “Oh, gotcha, but Millie’s tan is real.”
“Yeah, sure it is, just like her orange XXL breasts. But whatever.”
“Ouch.” He grinned and there were a few herbs from the complimentary canapés sticking to his front teeth. “You sound bitter.”
How dare he comment on how she looked, felt, or sounded! “I have news for you, Stan. I’ve moved on with my life.”
“So have I,” he said with a sickly smoothness that made her throat constrict. “Millie was just a phase.”
She felt his gaze on her breasts and then her throat and it repulsed her. How could she ever have thought she was in love with this creep? “Right.”
“She was a mistake, I admit it. I was a fool to think she could ever replace you. I was blinded, seduced by her.”
“Oh, give me a break. It was all her fault? You dumped me on Christmas Eve because she cast a spell on you or something? Or did she drug you with one of her very special cocktails?” Piper let out a hollow laugh and shook her head with disbelief. “It’s not working, Stanley. I’m not that stupid and lacking in self-respect anymore.”
He stroked a damp fingertip down her cheek. “I’ve been meaning to call you and beg for forgiveness, but thought it might be too soon.”
She took a quick step backward to get his finger off her. “Too soon for what? For me to forget what a manipulative bastard you actually were to me over all those years we were together? Too soon for me to get so desperate for your company that I’d let you get away with treating me like a piece of trash?” She stepped back to evade his touch. “Get real, it’s not going to happen.”
“So melodramatic,” he said. “That much hasn’t changed about you.”
“Worried I might embarrass you? That’s pretty much a trademark. You always did your best to exclude me from any of your precious work functions. I guess that’s why you’re here—work. Charity was never very high on your list of priorities.”
“You’re right, this is a corporate invite. Business before pleasure, you know that’s the way I need things to be.”
“Business before everything, right? Except for slutty cocktail waitresses.” Stanley had the ability to make certain words sound unbearably disgusting, especially ones that fed his pomposity. Words like corporate and business were like verbal tics. And then she noticed he was carrying a leather iPad case with his initials embossed in gold on it. She’d have laughed if she didn’t feel the sudden urge to vomit all over his far-too-pointed shiny shoes. Stan was such a dick. If only she’d been able to see it when they were together.
He snorted in the condescending way he always did when she dared to contradict him or stand up for herself. “She has teeth now as well as a fancy outfit.” And then he made a pathetic growling noise in the back of his throat that sounded like a drain. “Bite me, baby, I can take it. We were made for each other. Let’s give it another try, you and me. What do you say?”
She stared at him with the most disgusted expression she could muster—how could she have stayed with him for so long? Or maybe he had grown more offensive? She felt the words come bubbling out, like a locked gate that had suddenly been opened after seven years. “You are, and always have been, a complete dick.”
She turned to leave, but Stanley grabbed her by the wrist and gritted out a false smile, a baring of teeth that held the kind of warning she recognized immediately. “We haven’t finished talking yet, honey pie. I’d like to introduce you to my new boss. He’s been asking about my significant other and the timing’s perfect for a surprise reunion.”
“Let go of me,” she said. “People will notice, you idiot.”
“Then stop being difficult and come along nicely.”
“No, Stan, we’re over and there’s no going back this time.” She tugged ferociously to get free, but he was stronger. And people were beginning to stare. What the hell did he think he was going to achieve by this ridiculous caveman impression?
“Do we have a problem?” Matt’s deep voice oozed authority and control, and one look at his face told her he wasn’t in the mood for games. Dark eyes flashing like daggers, he looked utterly lethal. If there was ever a good time to swoon over hero material, this was it, and Piper was truly impressed with his timing.
“I don’t think we’ve been introduced,” Stanley snapped, but paled under Matt’s scrutiny. “So why don’t you mind your own business and leave us alone?”
“Because Miss Reilly is my business and I don’t like the way you’re handling her.”
“Exactly who are you?” Stanley spluttered a fake laugh. “Security?”
Matt reared up to his full height. “I’m your host, Matt DeLeo. This is my party, and I don’t recognize you.”
Stanley let go of Piper’s wrist and held his sweaty palm out to shake Matt’s. “Stanley Saunders. I’m part of the Cooper and Slatt corporate party.”
“Corporate, huh?” Matt folded his arms over his chest and nodded calmly. “I so hate that word.” He turned his gaze on Piper and she felt overawed by his presence. She’d never seen him like this before, exuding power and authority. She’d be turned on if she wasn’t so terrified about how this was going to turn out. “Is this guy the Stanley?”
Piper closed her eyes and nodded as she heard Stan take a sharp intake of breath.
“In that case, Mr. Saunders,” she heard Matt say, “consider yourself uninvited. I don’t let losers anywhere near my projects.”
“Losers? How dare you,” Stanley spluttered. “I graduated from Yale and have important clients all over the country.”
Matt waved his hand around his head as if an insect was annoying him. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, great, big deal, now get out.” A massive hulk of a security officer sidled up and politely gestured for Stanley to follow him. “And don’t be surprised when you get called in by your boss in the morning because Cooper and Slatt is now on my blacklist.”
Stanley glowered at her. “Well, I hope you’re satisfied, Piper. You wrecked my career, you stupid little bitch.”
Piper gratefully took the hand that Matt was offering her. She couldn’t get away from her awful ex quickly enough and the feeling was liberating. There was nothing left in her heart for the man, and the last few minutes had erased any lurking doubts from her mind. He was a total douchebag. “Good-bye, Stan.”
“I won’t forget this,” he hissed. “And you haven’t seen or heard the last of me. Passion Creek isn’t big enough for you to hide forever.”
They watched him wriggle as the security guard almost lifted h
im off the floor as he was “guided” out of the gallery.
Matt blew air out through his teeth. “I hope you weren’t still holding a flame for that jerk, because I think I just messed up your last chance.”
“How will we ever buy a decent house and have babies now that you’ve trashed his entire career?” She winked at him when she saw a slash of horror cross his face.
He shrugged with relief when he realized she was joking. “Shit, was I that good?”
“Ballistic, nuclear, amazing.”
“So no hard feelings?”
“Regarding Stan? No way, but I wasn’t being paranoid about bumping into him, see?”
“Perhaps I need to talk to some people about that.”
“Um, no, just leave it alone for now. It’s over and he’s a coward.”
He scratched his chin and looked serious. “Okay, if that’s what you want, but maybe you shouldn’t go back to your place tonight. I’m guessing he’s been there before?”
“I’ll be fine and promise not to answer the doors to strangers once you’ve dropped me off.”
“We can go now if you like.”
He seemed genuinely concerned, which softened the brittle way she’d been feeling during the Stanley incident. “My nemesis has left the building, so let’s do what we came here to do. And I’ve only seen one painting, for goodness’ sake.”
“And I think you’ve only had one drink, half of which that bonehead spilled all over you.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, I’ll get it cleaned first thing.”
“Nobody but you is ever going to wear that outfit, so if you want to wear it again, I’ll pick up the dry cleaning bill. And if the stain doesn’t come out, I’ll get you a replacement.”
“It’s the most fabulous outfit I’ve ever worn,” she said quietly. “I hope it’s not ruined with that Champagne stain. I was going to ask you if I could keep it after the official PCB No.68 launch, you know, when we go our separate ways.”
“Why would you need to ask that? I’m not going to try and squeeze into it.” They both laughed as he pointed ironically to the breadth of his chest and the length of his legs compared to hers. “And no other woman could ever do it justice after you, Piper. Those heels are just…they’re just wow.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, remembering how Stanley would sulk if she wore high heels because it made him look short. “Thank you for the compliment and for buying them for me.”
“Don’t thank me, it was all part of the deal.” He snapped his gaze away from her. “I blackmailed you into it, remember?”
She had almost forgotten that small but pertinent detail, almost forgotten that she should be resenting every moment she spent with Matt DeLeo, but somewhere along the line she had slipped into wanting to be with him. It was a dangerous place to be. She had no long-term place in his life and no hope of ever achieving that—he’d made that absolutely clear and she’d been singing from the same hymn sheet ever since they’d met in Sanibel.
Perhaps it was the sudden, in-your-face contrast between Stanley and Matt that was unsettling her. Matt was the tall, dark, handsome hero versus the self-interested cheat who had made such a fool of her over the years. Her heart had been stamped on enough. She should take an immediate emotional step backward before she got terminally stung as well.
“I could do with another drink, that’s for sure,” she said, and he handed her a long, tall glass of something rose-colored and bubbly. She held the flute up to the light and squinted at it. “Perilously close to pink there, DeLeo, but I’ll take it. Networking is thirsty work.”
“Made any good contacts yet?”
“One very good one, a lady named Fiona Potts. She seems very interested in my jewelry.”
“Ah, yes, Fiona, one of Passion Creek’s most generous patrons, along with her husband. But they like to keep their philanthropy as private as possible. They do it for the right reasons, not just to look good.”
“Mmm, this is nice,” Piper said with raised eyebrows. “Raspberries, ginger…it doesn’t taste like alcohol at all. What is it?”
Matt smirked and snatched up a canapé from the table. “Try it with some of this duck liver pate.”
Both her hands were full, one with the glass, the other with her purse so she had no choice but to let him feed her the dainty piece of toasted bread and its savory topping. She chewed slowly and nodded her approval. “Yum, that works well,” she said after swallowing. “I could eat and drink a whole boatload of this.”
He smiled and took a mouthful of the pink fizz himself. “I like it with mascarpone cheese or mussels in garlic.”
She thrust her purse into his free hand. “Hold this while I find a plate. I’m absolutely starving, and I blame you entirely for your wine pairing expertise.”
“It’s not wine.”
“Then… Oh no, you’re kidding me? It can’t be.”
He twisted the stem of his wine glass to reveal a logo etched into the glass. “PCB No. 68 also goes very well with prune, cherry, and apricot tarts, according to the market research done so far. You are going to have an absolute blast at the launch. Don’t have lunch that day.”
“Pink beer. I just don’t believe you got me to drink pink beer. I hate beer. But this doesn’t taste like beer.”
“Brewed in the same way, but with a secret blend of fruit and botanicals. Different, isn’t it?”
She held the glass up to the light and stared at it. “And it’s more of a blush rose color. Coral, fuchsia, or salmon, not nasty old pink.”
“Where were you when I was brainstorming a name, Miss Piper? I feel the urge for an emergency rebranding exercise.”
“Not on my account,” she said and smiled as she spotted a pile of china plates stacked up a few yards away at the end of the table. “I’ll be back in five and then you can do the same.”
“Don’t rush,” he said and tucked her purse under his armpit. “There’s someone I need to speak to quickly.”
Three hours flew by in a whirlwind of food, drink, and swapping business cards as the entire gallery buzzed with laughter and excitement. “I can’t believe I never noticed the PCB logo all over the place until you made me drink my first evil glass of beer,” Piper said happily. “And you should have told me beforehand that you were the official sponsor of the evening.”
“I didn’t want to make you nervous.”
“Who said I’d be nervous?”
“You might have been. I didn’t want to put unnecessary pressure on you. And as for the evil beer, you didn’t need to drink a few pints of it for my sake. I’d have understood.”
He gave her one those bone-melting looks and she couldn’t stop a stupid smile spreading across her face. It was the beer, just the beer, nothing else at all. “I think it’s time I went home before I let myself down and get another refill. It’s addictive.”
“It’s Passion Creek’s very own love elixir,” he whispered in her ear. “If you believe in that kind of thing.”
She snorted. “I absolutely do not.”
She watched as he caught the eye of the security guard standing by the exit and tapped an imaginary watch on his wrist. “Let’s get out of here,” he murmured. “Don’t want to be here until dawn touching flesh and smiling sweetly.”
“All for a good cause though,” she said kindly. “For charity.”
“Sure, but there’s only a handful of people here tonight who aren’t here because of self-interest.” He shrugged. “Not that I care. As long as my foundation to expand access to educational opportunities is a few hundred thousand dollars better off, they can do what they like.”
“Educational opportunities?”
“Scholarships for high-achieving minority students, poor students, computers in libraries so everyone can get on the grid. Everyone.”
“Nice. Emptying the pockets of the rich to give to the poor. I like it.”
“I want to put something back, give some of those city kids opportunities I never had. Make them
less dependent on the incomes of their parents. Give them half a chance at least.”
“A latter day Robin Hood?”
“That guy had more morals than I do.” He indicated that she should head for the door and she felt the warmth of his hand guiding her between her shoulder blades. “And I haven’t worn tights to work so far.”
“Maybe you should try it.” She giggled. “My lips would be sealed.”
“Let’s get out of here,” he whispered into her neck as they made their way through the chattering crowds. “I want to kiss you.”
Chapter Ten
I want to kiss you.
Those words thrilled her, but also left her speechless because she could hardly wait for him to follow through. She wanted his lips on hers, his strong arms pulling her into him and up against the hardness of his muscled torso. She wanted to sink into him and into sensual oblivion.
The exit door swung closed behind them and, without speaking, they rushed into the waiting elevator. It was empty: just them, the mirrored walls, and the sound of their breathing as the door slid shut. Piper lost herself in the sight of him for a moment and then tugged off the black sliver of silk around his neck. She stopped breathing for a second as he jabbed his fingers at the elevator control panel and the metal box lurched to a halt with a squeal. The interior lights stuttered, but to her relief they weren’t plunged into darkness. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I said I wanted to kiss you.”
“But what if someone thinks the elevator has broken down and they catch us—”
“Catch us?” The shock of the elevator grinding to a halt and the sudden, treacherous heat building between her thighs stole any words of reply. Her heart raced with excitement as his hand inched toward her face and delicately traced the contour of her cheekbone. His fingers threaded through her hair and bunched together firmly, gripping the back of her head as his lips slanted down over hers. “Then we should do this quickly.”
She closed her eyes and tilted back her chin to bare her mouth and throat to his hovering lips. Her voice was husky. “You mean…in here? Elevator sex?”
Blackmailed by the Billionaire Brewer Page 10