by A. C. Arthur
Brock cleared his throat, having just realized that he must have said her name aloud. “Noelle’s great,” he answered quickly. “I mean, she certainly knows her job. We met with Kent and Josette yesterday and she and Josette really seemed to hit it off. I think we’ll be able to proceed on schedule.”
“Good. Noelle really takes pride in her work so I have no doubt she’ll do well. How are we coming on the additional permits you said you needed?”
“Does she have a boyfriend?” Brock heard himself asking instead.
“What? Who?”
“Noelle. Does she have a boyfriend back in Vegas?”
For a moment Linc was quiet. “Not that I know of. I mean, at least not anymore. Should I even ask why you want to know?”
“No. It’s nothing. I was just asking because she’s a pretty woman. I figured there would have to be someone in her life missing her while she’s all the way out here working for the next few months.” And if there was, how was he going to react to that fact?
“Uh-huh,” Linc said.
“Let’s get back to the gaming permits,” Brock said, cursing to himself for even bringing that personal question about Noelle into this business conversation. “It’s June now, and everything should be in no later than the first of August. By Labor Day weekend we should be up and rolling as planned.”
Brock continued to rattle on about permits and casino business while Linc simply listened. When he’d finally come to the end of his updates, he asked, “So is all that cool with you?”
“Don’t touch her,” Linc warned in a tone that Brock didn’t hear him use often.
“What?”
“I said, don’t touch her. I don’t care how good you think she looks, how attractive you might think she is, Noelle is off-limits. She’s been through a lot in her young life and the last thing she needs is a summer affair.”
“And you think I’m looking for a summer affair?”
Linc paused. “I don’t know what you’re looking for, Brock. What I do know is that women are a dime a dozen to you. I remember a time when they were for me, too. You take your time, but when you decide on one you proceed full speed ahead. So I’m just warning you not to decide on Noelle.”
“Linc, she’s an adult. She can make her own decisions.”
“She’s my wife’s sister. You have no idea what I’ll have to go through if you mess with her. And she’s like a kid sister to me, so don’t go there.”
“She’s not your kid sister by blood and you and I aren’t blood relatives.” The moment Brock said it he knew it was a mistake. The Donovans had done nothing to him but accept him with open arms. Taking his anger about the situation with his parents out on them wasn’t called for. “That’s not what I meant. I apologize,” he said quickly, because that’s the type of man he was. If he was wrong, he owned up to it.
“I can’t believe that still bothers you.”
“It doesn’t,” Brock insisted, pinching the bridge of his nose. Apparently, along with his new houseguest fresh feelings about what happened to his parents all those years ago were back. Not that they ever stayed gone for long anyway. That had been a painful time in Brock’s life, a time that he relived year after year. Having Noelle here could have been a buffer, but instead he felt as if the wound was open and fresh once more.
“That’s an obvious lie. Look, I don’t know much about what happened with your parents—Uncle Albert and Aunt Darla thought that was your personal business. But if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here.”
Clearing his throat, Brock replied, “Nah, I’m cool.”
“Then just know that outside of our familial connections I’m very protective of Noelle because it seems like she attracts every bum that walks the Earth. Not that you’re remotely in that category, but I’m just tired of seeing her go through so much because of the men she chooses to date.”
Brock was rubbing his fingers over his chin, thinking about Linc’s words. “I hear you. Nobody likes to go through a lot of unnecessary drama.”
“And Noelle has had more than her share. So just take it easy with her.”
Brock laughed. “Hey, it’s me you’re talking to, not Trent.”
Linc had no choice but to join in on that laughter. “Man, you should see him with Tia. He can’t wait until she has that baby so he can marry her. I’m telling you I never thought I’d see the day.”
“I know. When I heard, I couldn’t believe it. I felt like all my bachelor mentors were gone.”
“That’s right, you are younger than us. But you wait, one day you’ll take that plunge, too.”
“No,” Brock said with finality. “I won’t. Marriages don’t last in my family. Things go bad and change for the worst and there are always casualties.”
“You weren’t a casualty, Brock. You were their son and I’m sure if they could have changed the outcome of the situation they would have. Sometimes things just happen and we have no choice but to roll with the punches.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. And I think you ended up with a pretty good life regardless. You’re a success, your business is a success. You came into our family just in time for me and Trent to team up with you and Adam to kick your butts in spades, too.”
Another chuckle and Brock was appreciating his connection with the Donovans once more. “Now you’re dreaming. You and Trent never kicked our butts. Now, Bailey and Brandon, they can play a mean hand. Something about that twin connection they have,” Brock said, thinking of his adopted twin sister and brother.
“True. So true,” Linc chimed in. “Hey, what’s going on with those two? Brandon was here a couple of months ago, talking about this fancy new job he’s got in Houston. But I haven’t heard anything about Bailey.”
“I talked to Brandon about two weeks ago. He’s loving the new job at TJB Investments. In fact, he’s doing such a good job his boss, I think his name is Ty Braddock, has given him even more responsibilities. It seems Braddock and his wife have just had a baby and he wants to spend some time at home with them. As for Bailey, I’m surprised Trent didn’t tell you the job he worked out for her.”
“Trent? What’s he doing for Bailey? You know those two mix like oil and water.”
Brock laughed remembering the heated arguments between the two cousins who had opposite views on everything from the weather to politics. “I know. But as soon as Trent got wind of the fact that Bailey was looking to go into law enforcement, he stepped in. Said he wasn’t about to have her carrying guns and running loose on innocent citizens. He got her a job with his new PI firm.”
“So Bailey’s in L.A. with Trent?”
“Nah, like you said the two of them don’t mix. She was looking for a change of scenery and was actually considering heading out east to maybe work with the FBI in D.C. She’s still thinking about that but in the meantime Trent put her in his east-coast office with, what’s his partner’s name out there?”
“Sam Desdune,” Linc offered.
“Yeah, that’s him. She’s pushing papers here for their east-coast cases, doing strictly office stuff until Sam and Trent think she’s ready for more heavy-duty work. Which, since we both know how protective Trent is of the womenfolk in the family, will be ten minutes after never.”
Linc laughed along with Brock. “That’s the truth. But I’m glad she’s spreading her wings a little. Uncle Albert had been kind of keeping her close since Aunt Darla’s death.”
“I know,” Brock said, not really wanting to relive the sadness of another lost loved one.
“So, all right, get moving on the casino. Jade and I will be there in September for the opening.”
“Cool. It’ll be ready.”
“And, Brock,” Linc said solemnly.
“Yeah?”
“Remember what I said about Noelle. She’s been through a lot. I don’t want her hurt again.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not in the business of hurting women,” Brock responded.
An hour after he
’d disconnected with Linc, Brock was still thinking about his cousin’s words. So Noelle had been through a lot, she was attracted to bums. All that spelled out drama to Brock, the one thing he didn’t need more of in his life. Linc didn’t have to warn him anymore—what he’d told him alone should keep Brock away from her.
However, the attraction was there, thick and intense. So much so that they’d already acted on it and he’d even tried for a second round. But Noelle didn’t seem to want that. As attracted to each other as they still were, Noelle had left him hanging in the kitchen last night, effectively killing the idea of another round in bed with her.
In fact, she’d moved so fast to get away from him he would have thought it hilarious had he not seen the moment her eyes grew leery.
This had been the second time he’d sensed this other side of her, this softer more vulnerable side than the bravado she always put forth. The first had been just before she’d left him in the bedroom. For a moment he’d thought she was afraid of him or what had happened between them. But that just didn’t seem right. The last thing he would associate with Noelle Vincent was fear. She didn’t seem to know the meaning of that word. Yet something had her shaken. Now Brock knew that was most likely something from her past, something he should probably steer clear of.
The only problem with that assumption was the overwhelming need he felt to be near her, to make her smile and keep her smiling.
With a sigh, Brock wondered what he’d gotten himself into by not reigning in his desire for the vivacious stranger. Initially he’d been worried about her coming out here and hampering the project. Instead, she was wreaking havoc on his body, his thoughts and the position he’d taken with women all his life.
Brock wasn’t the marrying type and even though Noelle had assured him their one night stand was over and done with, she’d also admitted to believing in love and happy endings.
She believed that one day she’d find both those things. But this was not the day and Brock was not the one to give them to her. So, yes, it was best that he take Linc’s advice and not touch her again. It was best for him and for Noelle.
Now if he could only convince his traitorous body of his decision.
Chapter 11
Sitting on the deck as the sun beamed down in the early afternoon, Claudette Simmons flipped through the latest edition of Mega Explosion magazine. It was a magazine dedicated to all news in the gaming industry. She read them because her father had always read them, and he’d done so because he was fascinated with the inner workings of casinos. So much so that he threw each of his paychecks away by gambling.
Claudette had a better way to spend her money, she thought with a smile and a gaze at the eighteen-karat flawless diamond on her left hand. That was her latest gift from her husband, Luther, the lying, conniving bastard that he was. Still, his bank account and tireless dedication to keeping her in the lifestyle to which she’d grown accustomed kept her with him.
At least that had been her frame of mind until she’d received that package last night. The pictures burst into her mind and she cringed. Sure, Claudette had known her husband was a philanderer—that’s how she’d met him. Usually Luther’s affairs were on the down low. She knew, of course, because she had a private investigator on retainer for his cheating ass. That was a pro-active measure on her behalf. Divorce accounted for the demise of three out of four marriages in the U.S. Claudette was no fool. She planned to stay ahead of the game and keep everything she could in the event that her union with Luther went downhill.
Something she sensed was about to happen.
Besides, he was embarrassing her now. By being seen publicly with his mistress. That brought her name into his scandalous behavior and that was not allowed. She just needed to figure out a good way to hit his ass hard. No, she wasn’t going to divorce him just yet. But she wanted to bring him to his knees to show him that he’d finally met his match.
As she sipped her coffee and continued to flip through the pages of the magazine, her mind buzzed with options. Then she saw it.
It was her. The girl in the pictures with Luther. She’d never known any of Luther’s mistresses’ names, never cared to, until now.
Multimillionaire Lincoln Donovan will unveil his second casino coming this Labor Day on Maryland’s scenic Eastern Shore. This one-hundred-million-dollar project is being headed up by Brock Remington of Remington Construction and Noelle Vincent, sister-in-law to Lincoln Donovan and manager of the renowned Gramercy I in Las Vegas.
So Luther’s new toy was related to the reputable Donovans, she realized after reading the article. Rubbing a long, manicured nail over the picture, Claudette’s mind began to click. The girl was pretty enough. Well, her mouth was too wide, her eyes filled with a childish gleam, but she had great hair and a pretty, clear complexion. The picture of the woman standing next to Lincoln Donovan was a waist-up shot, but Claudette could see enough to know that she possessed the curves that Luther preferred.
“Interesting,” Claudette whispered. “Very interesting indeed.”
The next week flew by with Brock spending most of his time in his office, dealing with issues about materials and fighting to get the gaming permits on time.
He’d seen Noelle mostly in passing because she and Josette had been working nonstop on the VIP rooms. He remembered a note she’d scrawled and stuck to the refrigerator a day or two ago about lighting and needing to sit down with him to go over floor plans and structural points, but Brock hadn’t found a spare moment. Which was sort of on purpose. Brock figured the less time they were actually in each other’s presence, the easier it would be to get over this desire for her. That, unfortunately, wasn’t working.
Until tonight.
It had been a very long day, one that he’d been dreading since this time last year, one he would continue to dread for the rest of his life. It was his birthday.
Looking at his watch as he stuck his key into the door of his house, Brock saw that it was just a little after eight. He wondered if Noelle was still awake. Maybe she was what he needed tonight. They could talk if she was around. Brock liked talking to Noelle, although he had to admit, he didn’t want to talk about business. He’d had enough of that for the time being. And while he’d been doing his damnedest to steer clear of her, today she’d been on his mind a lot.
She shouldn’t have been, that was certainly true. She’d made herself perfectly clear regarding their moment of indiscretion and she’d seemed anything but brokenhearted over it. So there was really no valid reason why he couldn’t leave well enough alone. There were millions of men all over the world who longed for a woman to take one moment of highly satisfying sex as nonchalantly as Noelle apparently had. However, Brock was finding it a bitter pill to swallow.
Aside from that, he really liked spending time with Noelle. That morning they’d spent touring St. Michaels had been one of the most relaxing and fun times he’d ever spent with a member of the opposite sex who he wasn’t related to in some way. Knowing she would be home when he arrived and there in the morning when he awoke was comforting on some level because he’d never had that type of companionship before. Surely there wasn’t any harm in enjoying it while it lasted. If there was he was too tired to think about it right now.
Letting himself into the house and closing the door behind him, Brock crossed the small foyer and headed directly into the living room, hoping Noelle would be there. Flicking on the lights, he saw, with disappointment, that she wasn’t. Walking through the front end of the house didn’t produce her, either.
So he was heading to the kitchen to get himself a snack and then off to bed when he thought to check the porch. The moment he stepped through the threshold of the enclosed unit to the side of his house the lights switched on and three voices yelled, “Surprise!”
Across the room they stood, Kent with a drink in his hand, Josette with a cake and enough candles that once lit would surely start a small fire, and Noelle with a blue Mylar balloon with Happy Birthda
y scrawled over it.
“Surprise, indeed,” Brock said, sending a warning glare to Kent.
“Don’t shoot daggers at me, man. I tried to tell them this was a bad idea. I told them you didn’t celebrate your birthday and that you wouldn’t like us trying to, either. I told you, didn’t I?” Kent took another sip of his drink after nodding to his wife.
“Yes. He told us,” Noelle offered, moving closer to Brock. “And I told him it was ridiculous. Everybody’s given one day in their life to celebrate something as simple as living. So you’re not allowed to pass that up. It would be like…blasphemy or something.” With an outstretched arm, she offered the balloon to Brock.
“Happy birthday,” she said sweetly.
Had they been alone and she’d offered him the silly looking balloon and that gorgeous smile of hers, Brock might have been inclined to let his negative feelings about today go. But with Kent giving him a knowing grin and Josette putting the cake on the table and flicking the lighter to each candle, he just felt more irritated.
“Thanks,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Come on, we’ve ordered dinner and Josette had this great cake made for you. Surely you can withstand a little celebration.” Noelle had grabbed him by the hand and was pulling him toward the table.
“Of course, I can,” he told her. But he wouldn’t like it. Kent knew he wouldn’t like it and he knew why. This was the day of his birth, yes, but it was also the day his father had died and his mother had lost her mind. It was not a day Brock wished to commemorate at all.
So the threesome sang “Happy Birthday” with Kent slightly off tune and Noelle sounding as if she’d grown up in the church choir. She sat beside him as they ate, she and Josette keeping up pleasant conversation the entire time.
An hour later, Brock thought he’d finally reached his limit when Kent handed him an envelope.
“Just a little something from the missus and myself,” he said with a chuckle.