“Thanks to Laurella,” Calum said, his expression one of intense pride.
“It was a team effort,” Laurella said. “I’m so pleased.”
“Calls for a celebration,” Zane said. “Drink?”
“Rain check?” Calum replied.
Zane glanced between him and Laurella. Then he laughed. “I guess three’s a crowd. Go on. Get out of here, both of you.”
Calum stood and walked around to Laurella’s side of the table. He took her hand, a public display of affection he rarely used at work unless they were alone in her office or his. He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to her palm. “Come on, beautiful. There’s a cocktail at our favorite bar with your name on it.”
It didn’t take long to reach Jax’s hotel. Inside, the lounge area was quiet, although at almost six in the evening, that wasn’t too unexpected.
“This is a nice surprise,” Jax said, placing two napkins on the bar.
“We’re celebrating.”
“The pitch went well?”
Calum grinned and slipped his arm around Laurella’s shoulders. “Thanks to this amazing woman, yes.”
“Then drinks are on the house.”
“What do you want, beautiful?” Calum asked as he pulled out a bar stool for Laurella.
“Surprise me,” she said.
Jax grinned. “Ah, someone who appreciates my creative talents.”
“You’ll regret that,” Calum said. “Jax has been known to mix the most disgusting concoctions when left to his own devices.”
“I take offense at that,” Jax said.
“Truth hurts,” Calum hit back.
Laurella chuckled. “Every time I come here, I’m always reminded of my family. We can bicker with the best of them.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting them,” Calum said as Jax poured all manner of alcohol into a cocktail mixer.
“Be careful what you wish for,” Laurella said. “My family have a fearsome questioning technique with any would-be suitors.”
“I think I’d be up to the task.”
A sudden urge to have her family meet the man who’d become so important in her life rushed through her. She tilted her head to the side. “Okay, lover boy. How about we fly to Italy in late August? The Sorensen’s deal should be well underway by then, and as long as we’re contactable, Zane shouldn’t have too much of a problem with us both taking a vacation at the same time.”
Calum slipped a hand around the back of her neck, his thumb brushing the soft skin there. “Sounds like a plan.”
Jax placed a tall fluted glass in front of her. “Try that. And if you like it, I’m putting it on the menu. I’ll name it after you.”
“Really?” She took a sip. “That’s strong but delicious.”
“Just like you,” Calum said.
“Smooth talker,” she responded with a laugh.
Jax set down Calum’s drink and discreetly moved away, giving them privacy.
“Are you really okay with Sorensen’s teaming you up with someone on their side?” Calum said.
She nodded. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Calum shrugged. “What if they’re a pain in the ass?”
“I have some experience in dealing with men like that.”
He laughed. “Seriously, though. What if they’re difficult to work with, or you can’t agree on the right direction to go in?”
“Again,” Laurella said, “I’ve got some experience in that area.”
Calum narrowed his eyes. “Carry on teasing me, Ricci, and you won’t get laid tonight.”
She snorted. “As if. One glimpse of my garter belt, and you’ll be putty in my hands.”
He ran a finger up the outside of her thigh, gently pushing her skirt upward. “You’re wearing a garter belt?”
She slapped his hand away. “I might be.”
He picked up both their drinks, stood, and began to walk away. “See you later, Jax.”
Laurella scrambled off the chair and went after him. “Where are you going?”
“We’re going downstairs. And I’m going to slowly undress you and then peel that garter belt off with my teeth.”
Chapter 21
“All set?” Calum asked, opening the door to the boardroom. They were about to meet the representative Brad Novak had arranged to be their opposing number within Sorensen’s.
“I think so.” Laurella set her notebook and pen in front of her. Nervous tension bit at her insides, although she couldn’t understand why. The worst was over. They’d secured the deal.
“Relax.” Calum reached across the table to still her hands.
She took a deep, cleansing breath, blowing out as Ellie walked in, juggling a tray of coffees.
“Laurella, Calum—Mr. Novak and his colleague are here. Is it okay to show them in?”
“Please, Ellie,” she said, gratefully taking one of the coffees.
Calum took another.
Ellie disappeared, returning a few seconds later with Brad Novak in tow. Laurella gave him a warm, welcoming smile—and then her attention fell on his companion, who was a step behind.
Bile rose from her stomach, burning a passage to her throat. A piercing internal scream vibrated in her ears, and sweat drenched her skin even as an icy chill swept over her. Oh God, no. It couldn’t be.
She couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. Her heart thumped against her ribcage. Thud. Thud. Thud. The heartbeats escalated in speed and intensity.
“Laurella, Calum, it’s good to see you again.” Brad shook hands with Calum, but when Laurella held hers tight to her sides—because she was frozen in place—a frown drifted across his face.
“Glad to have you here, Brad,” Calum said, clearly oblivious to Laurella’s terror.
“This is Alberto Vorino,” Brad said.
“Ciao.” The bastard dared to touch Calum’s hand. She curled her fingers into fists, digging her nails into her palms. “Good to meet you.”
Vorino’s focus cut to Laurella. “Ciao, bella. It’s wonderful to see you again, Laurella.”
Calum narrowed his eyes, and then he smiled. He smiled!
“Oh, of course,” Calum said, sending a teasing grin in her direction. “You two used to work together.”
“Indeed,” Vorino said. “Laurella was a wonderful member of my team, although we didn’t work together long. I always knew she had so much potential. I’m delighted to see that potential fulfilled.”
Still, she sat there, mute. The words refused to come. Fear was a strange thing. She felt as if she’d been put in shackles that made it impossible to move, even though every fiber of her being was screaming for her to run—and never come back.
“Laurella?” Calum’s voice broke through her paralysis, a puzzled expression on his face. Her neck felt stiff, and she struggled to lift her chin and meet his gaze.
“Yes?”
“Are you all right? You look awfully pale.” The concern was prevalent in his voice, in his posture, in the way his eyes bored into hers.
Stai calmo. Stay calm. Breathe.
She pasted on a smile, but it felt all wrong. It didn’t belong there. “I’m fine.” She forced herself to face Vorino. “What kind words. Thank you.” Her tongue felt too thick in her mouth, and her voice sounded strange to her ears.
Vorino smirked, the sides of his mouth curving upward. The bastard. He knew exactly what he’d done, yet there he was, pretending everything was okay.
“I know we didn’t have the most auspicious of goodbyes, but I can forget it—if you can.”
Forget it? She’d never forget what he’d done to her. If she lived to be a hundred, it would remain with her. Calum had soothed her ravaged soul. He’d shown her tenderness and love. He’d made her believe in fairy tales. But sitting there, facing the man who’d brutally attacked her and unable to utter a word, she felt the hole Calum had filled in her heart tear open with such force that she struggled for breath.
“It was a long time ago. I’
m sure we can be professional.” That wasn’t her speaking. It couldn’t be. Who was this imposter, this woman who managed to calmly sit there without launching across the table and scratching Vorino’s eyes out until he bled? Like he made me bleed.
“Oh, that’s right.” Calum laughed. “She took your job at Spirito. No wonder the atmosphere has turned a touch cool in here.”
Brad looked over at Laurella. “Are we going to have a problem, Ms. Ricci?”
From the corner of her eye, she saw Calum staring at her, an expression of concern on his face. Dredging up every ounce of strength she still had within her, she shook her head. “Not at all. Alberto has always been a very talented marketer. I’m sure we’ll make a very good team.”
Over my dead body. Or preferably over yours, you utter bastard.
“Excellent,” Brad said. “Then let’s get to work, shall we?”
While the three men discussed the best way to manage the account, Laurella’s mind whirred, desperately searching for a way out of this untenable situation. She came to only one conclusion: if Vorino stayed on this account, she couldn’t.
But how would she explain it to Calum and Zane? She couldn’t tell them the truth. It was too painful. Too personal. She might be in love with Calum, but only Papa and the CEO of Spirito knew the details of that terrible time. If she told Calum, it would taint their relationship. He’d say it was okay, of course. That he felt the same about her as he ever had. That he still loved her. But they were just words, because once he knew, every time he touched her, every time they made love, he’d see Vorino and the part of Laurella he’d stolen that she would never get back.
No, however she solved this situation, the truth wasn’t possible. She’d have to figure out some other reason why she and Vorino couldn’t work together. But no matter how hard she searched her mind, she couldn’t come up with a plausible excuse.
Laurella struggled through the next hour in a daze. Every time Vorino opened his mouth, she found herself digging her fingernails into her palms so hard she drew blood. She barely paid attention, the words spoken by the men around the table reaching her through a kind of fog. Calum shot the odd confused glance her way, but when she remained like a statue, he led the meeting, saving her—and the deal with Sorensen’s.
She came to when Brad Novak got to his feet, only because the chair he was sitting on scraped loudly against the wooden floor. Relief rushed through her. Soon, he’d be gone, and she could think again. Breathe again. She could strategize and plan her escape from this account. It seemed impossible—was impossible. But regardless, she needed to find a way to make it happen.
“I’m looking forward to working with you again, Laurella.” Vorino’s voice was like a dagger to her heart.
The man had broken her once. He wasn’t going to break her again. She kicked up her chin, steeled her mind and, somehow, managed to form her lips into the semblance of a smile.
“Likewise,” she murmured, glaring at the man with barely veiled hatred.
The bastard knew how difficult this was for her. It was right there in his eyes. They held not a trace of regret. It was the same expression he’d worn after he’d destroyed her life. He had refused to believe he’d done anything wrong.
“We’ll be in touch,” Brad said, shaking Calum’s hand. He nodded curtly to Laurella.
“I’ll see you out,” Calum said.
Laurella began to gather her things when Calum said, “Wait here for me, Laurella. I won’t be long.”
Dread crept over her like an icy chill, further numbing her brain. And so it begins. Calum would want to know what had happened to the excited, driven woman who’d been at the forefront of this deal and why she had turned into this fool—this quiet, uninvolved nonparticipant—in front of their most important new client.
She drifted over to the window and stared down at the busy street below. New York was an enormous city with millions of people living in Manhattan, but there wasn’t room for her and Vorino. Why had he come back now? Maybe he’d seen her achieving her dreams and decided to destroy everything she’d worked so hard for—his way of sticking it to her in a final hateful act because he blamed her for the fact that he’d lost his job at Spirito.
Calum burst back into the boardroom, slamming the door behind him. “What the fuck is going on?”
Laurella jumped but remained with her back to him. She couldn’t look him in the eye in case he read the truth within hers.
“Not my best day,” she said, hoping to inject a bit of humor even as she wanted to throw herself into his arms and blurt out the whole sorry mess. In her dreams, he’d stroke her hair, kiss her temple, and tell her he’d make everything okay. Except this wasn’t a dream. It was the worst kind of nightmare. And Calum couldn’t help her. No one could.
“A fucking understatement, Laurella. Jesus, Brad just questioned whether you’re the right person to work on this account.”
Her pulse jolted. Would it be that easy? “Maybe I’m not,” she said.
“What the hell does that mean?”
She didn’t reply.
Calum made a frustrated noise. “Look at me,” he demanded.
She shook her head, tears pricking at her eyes. She blinked furiously until they receded.
Calum appeared at her side. He gripped her arms, turning her until they were standing toe-to-toe. She kept her head bent. He gently tilted up her chin. “Talk to me, please. You were fine until Vorino appeared. Is this because you’re embarrassed that you tried to seduce him and then took his job at Spirito?”
He finished with a grin—and she took a knife to the heart. The room began to spin. Did he think so little of her? Did he believe she’d attempt to sleep with Vorino just to get on the next rung of the ladder? Oh my God. The man she thought she loved didn’t know her at all.
She pushed hard against his chest. “Get your hands off me!”
His smile fell. “Laurella…”
“You think I tried to seduce that disgusting excuse for a human being? Oh, of course that’s what you’d believe. Vorino is a master manipulator. A man whose lies trip off his tongue so easily, so convincingly. But you? I thought better of you. Turns out I was wrong.”
She clamped a hand over her mouth as fear ripped through her. She’d said too much. No, no, no. She needed to get out of there.
She made a run for the door. Calum got there first. He stood with his back against it, barring her way.
“Wait. Just wait. Talk to me.”
She shook her head. “Let me go, Calum.”
“Not until you talk to me.”
“Let me go!” She shoved him.
Calum was a big man, and he could easily have held his ground, but he must have read the desperation and fear in her tone because he moved to the side. She wrenched open the door.
Calum clasped her arm. “You’re scaring me. I’ll let you go for now. But we are having this conversation, whether you want to or not.”
She averted her eyes, and when his hand fell to his side, she left the room. On wobbly legs, she managed to make it down the hallway. The moment she closed her office door behind her, she broke down. Her legs gave way beneath her, and she sank to the floor. Silent tears flowed. She wanted to bawl loudly but couldn’t risk attracting attention. Everything was falling apart. She couldn’t think straight, her mind a fog of fear and terror.
Eventually, she staggered to her feet, dried her face as best she could with some wipes, and grabbed her purse. She tentatively opened her office door. Apart from a couple of employees heading toward the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee, the hallway was quiet. She slipped outside and headed for the elevators, the whole time expecting to hear Calum’s concerned voice behind her, but she made it to the street without interruption.
She needed to come up with a plan. And fast.
Chapter 22
Laurella let herself into her apartment and closed the door. After making sure the deadbolt and chain were securely fastened, she dragged a chair over
and stuck it in front of the door—a habit she’d abandoned since coming to New York, but now that he was back, the superstition was back, too. At least with the chair there, if anyone broke in, the clatter would alert her, giving her vital seconds that could make all the difference to her safety.
Her legs were still trembling as she made her way over to the kitchen. She opened the cabinet where she kept a small amount of alcohol. Spotting a bottle of whiskey that Calum had brought over a couple of weeks earlier because he often liked a tipple before bedtime, she grabbed it and poured three fingers into a glass.
Her heart ached when her thoughts turned to Calum. Nothing would ever be the same now. While her secret had always existed, it had been buried deep enough for her to pretend it had never happened. But that terrible period from her past had burst into her present, bringing chaos and turmoil and misery along with it.
She collapsed onto the couch and sipped at her drink. What should she do? The same question was on a loop inside her mind, but each time it came around, she found no answers. One thing was certain, though—Calum wouldn’t let this lie. He might not have stopped her leaving the boardroom, but his intention had been there in the flashing of his eyes and the firm set of his jaw. He’d want to know everything. She couldn’t lie, yet she couldn’t tell him the truth either.
Tears threatened to fall once more. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying desperately to calm the storm brewing inside. Her earlier questions came back to haunt her. Why now? Vorino must have known she was working at Necron. Was that why he’d turned up at Sorensen’s? She should have asked how long he’d been working for Brad, but she’d been so shell-shocked at his arrival that she’d barely been able to summon the ability to breathe, let alone address her tormentor.
Her cell rang, but she didn’t answer. It was probably Calum, and she wasn’t ready to answer his questions. The ring tone stopped, only to start up again. And then it happened a third time.
Laurella pushed herself to her feet. Her legs felt stiff, and her back ached, not to mention the oncoming migraine stabbing behind her eyes, all brought on by stress, no doubt. She snatched up her cell, readying herself for Calum’s onslaught.
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