by Lee, Nadia
But it wasn’t going to be. Natalie started to pack the baskets. “If it’s all right with you, I’d like to get going.”
Alex took her wrists gently. “What’s wrong?”
She tried to free herself, but his grip firmed. “Nothing,” she said more sharply than she’d intended.
“You can talk to me, Natalie.” The softness of his voice tempted her to confide in him, but she couldn’t. He was going to be another fleeting figure in her life, and she was being stupid about him, just like she’d been stupid about all the other men before him. Inexplicably it infuriated her, and she couldn’t seem to contain the churning emotion.
“I don’t talk to people who play games with me,” she said, her words coming in a harsh whisper. It was time she dealt with reality. “You want to know how long it’s going to take to seduce your new senior lead financial analyst, right? Isn’t that why you promoted me the second you came in and made that ridiculous bet?”
His face lost all expression, and his eyes went the color of slate, as dangerous and unpredictable as a rockslide. “Let’s pack.” The unexpectedly soft tone to his voice intensified her guilt and unease. “I’ll drop you off at your place.”
Her anger was gradually replaced by shame as he put the picnic things back into the baskets. She wasn’t being fair to him. He hadn’t done anything to deserve to bear the brunt of her anger at the world.
“Alex…” What could she say to salvage the situation? “I—”
He took the baskets to his car. Tension hummed in sync with the engine on the drive back. He didn’t say a word. It was as if he’d erected an impenetrable wall around himself. And for some reason, she wanted the barrier gone.
“Alex, about what I said—”
“Forget it.” His hand tightened over the shift, and the car swerved dangerously, making her gasp. The Lamborghini screeched to a stop in front of her condo. He reached over and opened the door.
“Here you are,” he said, his voice cold.
She bit her lower lip and got out of the car. “Thank you and I—”
The car took off, the door slamming down shut from the momentum. She found herself looking at a flash of yellow vanishing around the corner. “—’m sorry.”
* * *
Damn. What a frustrating woman!
Alex had had to leave before he did something that would permanently damage the fragile relationship between them. He had begun his strategy of seeking revenge against the Rodales, but something about Natalie made him doubt his assumptions.
He knew who she was, what she was supposedly capable of. But a woman who had no problem betraying her employer and coworkers wouldn’t have done her duty for a family she clearly seemed to feel uncomfortable around. She could’ve told him about how she’d truly felt, but she’d defended them at the restaurant…and again at the picnic.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. He remembered the way her hair cascaded over her shoulders. It made him want to feel it on his cheeks, against his skin as he made love to her.
Damn it. She was only supposed to be a pawn in his plan. A minor piece.
He had hoped for a cool, calculating bitch. Someone who cared only about herself. Like Emily Rodale. Or his mother. That would’ve been easier to deal with.
Natalie could certainly be cool, but she didn’t seem to be the calculating type. He’d been planning to make a late entrance at Brian Hall’s party today with her on his arm. A politician in Brian’s faction owed him a favor and had secured him an invitation. Now Alex would be going there alone. Damn cell phones!
Still, it wasn’t a major setback. Far more urgent was the need to reassess the situation surrounding Rodale International, the Halls, and DDE. The intel he had was obviously out of date, and without accurate information, it would be impossible to predict the various players’ moves and develop contingency plans.
The Rodales were one of the largest contributors to Brian’s campaign. And Emily Rodale was Natalie’s godmother.
Why had Natalie turned away from him the second she’d talked with her mother? Something wasn’t right. Was Natalie working for them, giving them confidential information about DDE, as Ethan suspected? It could well be. The Rodales seemed to know far too much about what DDE was doing.
Still, that didn’t make any sense. If she got caught, it wasn’t just her ass on the line. The scandal could end Brian’s career. Would end it, Alex thought savagely. He would see to that.
Chapter Six
Later that afternoon, Natalie found herself next to Charlie Rodale in his glossy silver Porsche convertible. The sun warmed her cold skin but did very little to soothe her churning stomach. Trees blurred into an endless stretch of green as the car sped along the highway. As a family friend, a generous contributor to Brian’s campaign, and Emily’s only son, Charlie had received a gold-embossed invitation to Brian’s barbeque party. He had accepted, of course, and asked Natalie to accompany him.
Natalie was still upset with herself about the picnic, for taking her frustration with Louise out on Alex. That had been wrong. She smoothed a hand over her hair and her white dress. She couldn’t afford to dwell on Alex right now. She was going to have to face Louise in less than fifteen minutes.
“What are you thinking?” Charlie said.
“Nothing.”
He glanced over at her. “We don’t have to go.”
His golden hair was tousled as if he’d just gotten out of the bed. It made him look absurdly endearing, and she smiled. “Yes we do.” She didn’t even want to imagine the kind of tongue-lashing she’d get from Louise if she skipped the event.
“I hear there are a couple of new hotels that are paying couples to test their mattresses for them. You know, gauge ballistic reaction, that sort of thing. We could maybe help them out. Do our bit to contribute to the success of local companies.”
Natalie shook her head and laughed, the knot in her stomach loosening a bit. Charlie always did help her to relax.
Charlie shrugged and smiled gamely. He’d never made it a secret that he was interested in her. She refused to encourage him, but since her breakup with Marcus, he had become more aggressive in his pursuit of her. It made her sad sometimes. Although she loved him dearly, it was purely platonic on her side.
He drove into her parents’ immaculate neighborhood, with its perfectly trimmed, perfectly green lawns and elegant, moneyed mansions. He parked his car in their driveway, got out, and opened the door for her.
“It’s still not too late to ditch the party.”
Her lips twisted. “You don’t have to deal with Louise afterward. I do.” She took his hand. “Come on.”
American dogwoods, the Virginia state flower, grew on the front lawn of the Hall residence. The wind carried the sweet fragrance of roses growing in the back. Natalie saw a man in black semi-casual clothes walking toward the house from the opposite side. Her heartbeat skipped once, then accelerated.
“Alex,” she said.
“Natalie.” His gaze dropped to her hand, which was still holding Charlie’s, and the timbre of his voice changed. “Rodale.”
She felt herself flushing, hot and cold all at once. Why did she feel bad? It wasn’t like they’d ever agreed to see each other exclusively.
“Damon.” From Charlie’s tone, it might as well have been Demon.
She tightened her hand around Charlie’s. “Come on, we’re late. Let’s go.”
Alex stepped in front of them and preceded them up the walkway. His gait was casual, as if he didn’t give a damn about what she was doing with Charlie. She concentrated on not noticing the way his broad shoulders and hips moved under the perfectly fitted clothes.
They stopped in front of the white, paneled door. Alex rang, and Natalie and Charlie waited behind him. Louise appeared, decked out in a gorgeous lavender dress that showed off her slim legs. Her face lit in a polite greeting, the perfect politician’s wife’s mask that never wavered in public.
“Thank you so much for coming. Y
ou must be Alex Damon,” she said. “So glad to meet you in person.”
Alex favored her with a smile. “The pleasure’s all mine.” He shook hands with her and slipped inside.
Louise turned to Charlie, hugged him, said something while pointing at a group of men who were talking farther into the house, and gently pushed him toward them. She turned to Natalie once he was out of hearing range. “Thanks so much for your help, Natalie.”
Natalie gave her a tight smile. She no longer tormented herself about why Louise treated her like a pest she couldn’t get rid of. It was simply one of the indignities of life. Louise, of course, would deny to her last breath that she treated Natalie any different from Belle.
“Well, come in and say hello to everyone. Mix around. You know how critical this year is.”
Natalie stepped into the ivory marble foyer. Gold-trimmed chair rails ran around the walls, dividing them into unequal halves: champagne on top and pastel blue on the bottom. Louise had redecorated not too long ago. She claimed it was important to have a “dignified” home.
Natalie thought it was rather pretentious. In good taste, of course, but pretentious nonetheless.
She went to the living room, where the majority of the guests had congregated. There was an overabundance of fifty-something men, all silvering hair and golf tans. Many of them were with thirty-something women. Everyone had drinks in their hands.
Framed family portraits and photos sat on the gigantic fireplace mantel. The pictures showed a happy and well-adjusted family. Looking at them never failed to stir a bitter mixture of sadness and disgust in Natalie.
She plucked a flute of champagne from a tray and scanned the area. She knew almost all of the guests, but she suddenly felt too tired for superficial chitchat. Finally, her eyes zeroed in on Emily Rodale. Thank god.
“Oh, there you are,” Emily said as Natalie approached. “More and more beautiful every time I see you. How’s work?”
“It’s going well. I just got promoted.”
Emily’s eyebrows, already plucked and painted into high arches, gained a bit more altitude. Despite her ultra-conservative high-society background, she’d been a feminist since day one and always showed a keen interest in Natalie’s career. “Really? So now you’re…what?”
“Senior lead financial analyst. First-in-command in my department, so to speak. I still report to the company president, though.”
Emily laughed. “Well, perhaps not for long, knowing you.” She raised her wineglass. “To success.”
Natalie clinked her flute with Emily and took a deep swallow, suddenly feeling better. Sometimes she wished she were Emily’s adopted child instead of Louise’s. Who knew where she would be now if she’d had this sort of support and encouragement when she was growing up?
“So, now that…” Emily’s words trailed off as her eyes focused on a spot beyond Natalie’s right shoulder. The transformation was immediate and dramatic. Her eyes shuttered, ice replacing the warmth in them, and the smile left her lips.
Natalie turned her head and saw Alex standing behind her. A dash of insolence twisted his lips.
“How did you get in?” Emily said. Despite her size, she managed enough condescension to outdo any member of the French aristocracy.
“The same way you did, I imagine. Massive donations, friendships based on mutual blackmail, wrecking the lives of those around me to satisfy a ruthless ambition…” He smiled charmingly. “The usual.”
What the…? Natalie glanced from Alex to Emily and back. How had he gotten an invitation? Maybe he knew Brian…or Belle, although she doubted it was the latter.
“Don’t be so shy, dear.” Alex put his arm around her. “You didn’t tell me you knew Emily.”
Natalie didn’t understand his game, but she had no intention of getting caught in the middle of it. “You didn’t ask.” She ducked out from under his arm and made a quick exit, heading toward the kitchen.
When she was almost to the kitchen door, Belle suddenly appeared in front of her. She was a fifth-carbon copy of her mother, from her blonde hair all the way down to her size-five shoes. Natalie gave Belle a curious look, then paled when she saw the couple coming up behind her.
“Marcus,” Natalie whispered.
She’d done her best to avoid any social situation where she might cross paths with her ex and his new wife. But here they were, directly—unavoidably—in front of her. Was this Louise’s way of forcing a “reconciliation?”
Marcus saw her and paused, then put a hand on the small of his wife’s back. They made a handsome couple, his dark looks complimenting her fair, all-American girl-next-door vibe. “Hi, Natalie.”
A bright smile curved Belle’s lips. “You know Marcus, of course, but have you met Sandra? She’s expecting. Already! Isn’t it wonderful?”
Natalie smoothed a nonexistent wrinkle on her dress. “Congratulations.”
She couldn’t believe Belle was doing this. Belle had always enjoyed tormenting her, but this was taking things too far. It was one thing to be a malicious teaser, another to be downright cruel.
Sandra looked at Natalie with an uncertain smile, then at Belle, then returned her attention to Natalie. “Thank you. This is a lovely party. You must be very happy for your father.”
“Yes.” Natalie glanced at the vulgarly large diamond ring on Sandra’s finger and then to her slightly protruding stomach.
Loved, married…and now pregnant.
Jealousy should have been eating at her, but it wasn’t. Although she was sure that Belle had intended to embarrass and humiliate her, Natalie didn’t feel anything except relief that things hadn’t worked out between Marcus and her. Why had she feared facing him again so much? She couldn’t even remember what had been so dazzling about him.
She glanced at Sandra, curious to know what it was about her that had caused Marcus to tie the knot so quickly. The woman glowed despite being in an awkward situation. What made her so happy and content, like she knew she belonged?
“There you are.”
Natalie felt Alex come up behind her. Before she could protest, he turned her around and planted a kiss on her cheek. Even though it was a casual peck, her senses instantly came alive. It was all she could do to keep her hands from reaching for his shoulders, her body craving another dose of the delicious heat from the morning. How could she have compared him to Marcus? Marcus paled against the intensity of Alex’s magnetism, like a match against a bonfire.
She settled for slipping an arm around him, sensing Belle’s gaze boring into the back of her head and feeling a small bit of satisfaction and gratitude, along with an equal measure of confusion. Alex had been angry hours ago, cold and remote just minutes before. Why was he helping her?
Alex turned to the trio before them, his hand burning a brand into her waist. “Sweetheart, who are these people?”
“This is Belle, my sister. And this is Marcus O’Dell and his wife Sandra.” Natalie cleared her throat. “Everyone, this is Alex Damon.”
Belle’s eyes widened a bit. “I thought you looked familiar. How did you two meet?”
“Work,” Alex said. His eyes were cold as they gazed at Belle, who seemed to draw back a little. He turned back to Natalie. “I’ve yet to be introduced to your father. Would you mind?”
She drew him away from the group. Natalie still didn’t know what to think about Alex’s behavior, but anything was preferable to giving Belle time to come up with something new. Her hand in the crook of his arm, they went to the french doors in the living room that connected to a small wooden platform with steps to the backyard. Several men were gathered around a huge barbeque grill, from which gray columns of smoke rose. Most of them held beers, and Brian was laughing at something one of them said.
“Natalie.” Louise’s voice came from behind them. “Would you take a bottle of barbeque sauce to your father?”
Natalie was looking for an opportunity to ask Alex about his capricious behavior, but it didn’t look like she was going to ge
t one. She sighed and squeezed his arm lightly. “Can you wait for just a minute?”
“No problem.”
She went back and into the kitchen. State-of-the-art stainless steel appliances shone like alien jewels beneath cherry cabinets. The counters groaned under the weight of enough cheese to permanently clog every guest’s arteries. Louise’s heels clicked on the hard tiles as she moved around. She handed Natalie a large glass bottle. “Here.”
Natalie took it and turned to leave, then stopped. “Did you know the O’Dells were coming?”
Louise concentrated on uncorking a bottle of Riesling. “Of course I knew. I made up the guest list.”
“Did you see how Belle made sure to introduce me to his new wife?”
“I noticed the group of you talking. Why?”
Natalie knew she shouldn’t pursue the subject. She would only get shot down and made to feel silly and small. In all her years, she could never remember winning an argument with Louise. But something about Alex’s earlier support emboldened her. “It was stupid to stage that scene, don’t you think? It embarrassed them.”
“No,” Louise said, still working on the cork. “You embarrassed them. They have every right to be here.”
“And I don’t?”
“It was necessary for you to come. People would have noticed your absence.”
Natalie tightened her hand around the barbeque sauce bottle so hard it began to tremble. Decades of frustration welled up inside her until she could no longer suppress it like she usually did. “Why do you hate me so much? What have I ever done to you?”
Louise gave her a tiny smile. “Must we discuss this right now?”
“Yes, Louise, I think we must.”
Louise sighed, put the wine aside, and faced her, hands folded sedately against her dress. “Very well, then. No one ever told you the truth about your origins, but Brian found you.” Louise’s voice was as cool and even as paving stones. “That’s right. He found you in a trash bin in DC and brought you home instead of waiting for me to give him the child he so wanted.”