by Chloe Blake
“It’s not you.”
“Have you talked to her?”
“No,” she said to his concerned expression. “But I will.”
“When?”
“Later. Right now I want to enjoy our time.”
“We don’t have much left, do we?”
She shook her head.
“You could stay, you know.”
She looked at him, his eyes lowered, then he caught hers again.
“No, I need to get back home. My life is waiting.”
“About the shares. I was thinking—”
“Tomorrow. Let’s do it tomorrow. We can go to James’s office. He’ll have copies of your paperwork. I’ll have Jen call in, as well.”
Nic bit the inside of his cheek and squeezed her hand tighter, as if he didn’t want to let go. Then he nodded slowly. “As you wish.”
They finished their coffee in silence, holding hands, staring out the window. Words with feelings hung in the air but were never spoken. Nic’s phone jumped and he quickly grabbed it, only to grimace and turn it over.
“She’s still looking for you?” Maya asked softly.
“She’s always looking for me.”
“You’ve never slept with her? Not once?”
He sighed, like a man caught. “It was a sloppy drunken thing. It was nothing.”
“She thinks it was something.”
“It was five years ago, and I haven’t touched her since. Had I known I would be paying for it for the rest of my life, I never would have even kissed her.”
Maya twisted her lips, unconvinced a woman would be pining over a man for five years without encouragement. “Why don’t you just sit her down and tell her you’re taken.”
His gaze locked on hers. “Am I taken?”
Alarm bells went off in Maya’s head. God, why did she always say the wrong thing? That sounded clingy. “I mean not interested.”
He stared at Maya for a moment. “Are you finished?” he asked in a low voice.
She nodded without looking at him.
“Then let’s find you a dress.”
Maya had been to Paris twice for business and had seen the inside of many a hotel bar with a nice dinner peppered in, but other than the occasional visit to the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, Maya hadn’t been superimpressed.
But seeing the city through Nic’s eyes was like seeing a whole other world. With her hand in his, Nic took Maya on an errand run that included his caterer, where they sampled the hors d’oeuvres to be delivered at the hotel, and his wine merchant. The champagne was already on its way, but they stayed and sampled a pink cava from Spain. Nic insisted it tasted better when sucked from her lips. Maya agreed.
Maya had two Nutella crepes and was finishing off a third when she and Nic rounded the corner onto Avenue Montaigne. White-and-gold mini-mansions of luxury lined both sides of the street while the surrounding trees were draped in white lights.
Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Balmain—the list of luxury was endless, beckoning Maya to unleash her credit cards from her purse like ninja throwing stars.
“Did you want to go inside?” Nic chuckled.
She had been staring at the gold-colored tulle gown in the window of the Dior Atelier. Honestly, that gown would look amazing on her, and who cared if she didn’t actually have a royal ball to attend?
“Why not?” she said around a mouthful of crepe. She took the last bite and stashed her garbage, then set her sights on the double doors, which were opened by a stone-faced footman. Rows of satin, lace and silk hung on the walls, and mannequins looked more elegant than she’d ever dreamed. She vaguely heard a cheerful bonjour from the woman who made her way toward them when Maya peeked into an adjacent room and found the ready-to-wear items on display by several more mannequins.
She stopped. Stared.
A red pantsuit in a feminine cut with a simple black bustier underneath. Boss Red.
“It’s perfect, no? Feminine and elegant but bold enough for the office.”
“I’ll take it.” Maya blinked. The woman clapped her hands in delight and snapped her fingers at a sales associate.
“I love it,” Nic said in her ear. “But this is a formal event.”
She whirled around. “This is for me. Not your event.”
“All right.” He looked in her eyes, trying to gauge her mood. She wasn’t sure what mood she was in, either. Nic glanced at the manager. “May we see some cocktail gowns? And I need to pick up my tuxedo.” Then he pulled out his wallet and handed Maya his black card. “I have to stop at the jewelers, then get to the hotel for preparation. They have my account number here so they will charge that, but if you want to shop around at other stores, use this.” He caressed her cheek. “Get whatever you want.”
“You’re crazy. I can afford a dress.”
“I want to buy it for you.”
“No—”
“Yes. And I’ll be angry if you don’t allow me to.” He kissed her protests away, then took his suit from the attendant standing to the side. “Merci.” He turned to Maya. “Have fun.”
Maya watched him walk out into the street. Still frowning, she turned back around and was met with a single row of sales attendants, each holding a number of floor-length, sparkling gowns.
Chapter 15
“Well, don’t you look spiffy,” Joc said as he slid behind the bar and grabbed a bottle of bourbon.
“As do you in your black chef’s coat. Merci for wearing a shirt this time. What are you doing with that?” Nic asked absently. He’d been waiting for Maya at the end of the bar for what seemed like hours.
“Cooking, mate. What you pay me for. And you’re the one who ordered the loincloths last time, remember?”
Nic smirked and his gaze slid back to the ballroom entrance, which was becoming increasingly packed with guests. In the front of the room, young and old tried their luck at the rows of slot machines while poker and blackjack tables were packed with amateur gamblers. Roulette tables spun continuously across the room from the bar, and the roar of the craps tables pulled his gaze up the stairs to the second floor. Whatever entrance she decided to use, he had an eye on it.
“Which charity is this again?”
“Action Against Hunger.”
“Where’s your date?” Joc asked.
“Dressing.” Nic downed his old-fashioned and had the bartender make him another. Maya had texted him hours ago that she had made it back to the hotel and was getting ready in the penthouse suite. He’d debated joining her, but thought maybe it was best to wait for an invitation. Their conversation at lunch had him questioning his every move. The minute “am I taken?” came out of his mouth, he’d regretted it. He must have looked—what did Nathan call it? Thirsty? And apparently that wasn’t a good look.
“Someone’s thirsty.”
“What? I am not.”
Joc cocked an eyebrow at the brand-new old-fashioned in his hand and the two empty glasses that were soon swept away by the barkeep. “I’m just waiting.”
“Well, slow it down, eh? You don’t want to scare off your date, unless it’s her, and then I’ll be happy to take over for you. My God, who is that, and is she staying here?”
Nic pulled his gaze from the front door and looked up the stairs. He ran his eyes over the throng of guests, and then suddenly it was like he and the vision before him were the only two people in the room. Maya was standing at the top of the stairs in a strapless nude-colored dress that was covered in silver crystals from the bodice to the small train that followed her across the floor. Her deep red lips parted in a smile, and she gave him a small wave before gracefully moving down the stairs. Nic was frozen, watching her body glisten as she moved closer toward him. Strappy silver heels peeked from below her dress with each step, and his heart literally flip-flopped.
He felt a hard shove on t
he back of his shoulder. “What is wrong with you? Go get her!”
Nic shook himself and straightened from the bar, hurrying toward the end of the stairs to where she was quickly approaching.
“Hey, stranger,” she said first, because he still couldn’t find his tongue.
Her hair was piled on top of her head in a smooth bun. Her eyelids sparkled. Diamonds dangled from her ears. Her throat, chest and bare shoulders shimmered, beckoning for a touch. He took her hand and brought her knuckles to his lips, but he didn’t let her go.
“You look stunning.” A floral scent surrounded him.
“Thank you. You, as well. Oh, before I forget.” She held out his black card.
He looked at her disapprovingly. “You didn’t use it.”
“No, I figure you’ll pay enough tomorrow when you get your shares.” She smiled up at him, but he couldn’t return it, not at the thought of her leaving.
“No business talk tonight.”
She shrugged a small shoulder. “If you insist. But we can settle the shares tomorrow, right?”
“James will open for us tomorrow afternoon,” he said, already feeling her slipping away. He held out his arm and welcomed her small hand in the crook of his arm. She tightened her grip, and his hand came over hers.
“Great.” She sighed, her gaze surveying the carpet before floating back up to meet his. He could tell she felt it, too. “I see blackjack tables.”
Nic produced a few shinny casino chips from his pockets. “For the lady.”
Her smile lightened his mood. She surveyed the one-hundred-euro chips. “Thank you. But I warn you, I’ve been known to break the bank.”
“I’m not worried. The house always wins.”
They started at blackjack, where they both lost, but it didn’t matter. Because she was still here, and he still had twenty-four hours to figure out if he could make her stay.
* * *
“You’re still here?” said a familiar feminine voice. Maya turned with a smile that died on her lips. Daphne. She looked immaculate in a black beaded floor-length dress, like a vampire. Maya glanced across the room at the bar where Nic was dealing with a drunk guest.
“I am. And what business is it of yours?”
“Just that I thought you would have sold Nic your shares so we could take over the vineyard.”
“We?”
“Nic and I. Oh, I see. He didn’t tell you that part.” Maya kept her cool. Daphne was just trying to rile her up. “I heard you had a lovely trip to Dechamps.”
How the hell did she know that? “I’m surprised you heard about that at all. Nic seemed reluctant to answer his phone the millionth time you called.”
“Nic is a very busy man, and business will always come first. I love that about him, and as his fiancée, I accept him as he is.”
Maya cocked her head. “His what?”
She held out her hand. Maya was blinded by the sparkles. “He picked it up this afternoon while he was out trying to make you...presentable. Perfect, isn’t it? We wanted to wait until after your meeting with James, but we couldn’t. Tonight is kind of like an engagement party for us.”
Maya’s lip curled. Her intuition told her this woman was batshit crazy, but Nic had gone to the jeweler that afternoon. And how did she know about Dechamps? And those phone calls.
Maya checked the bar again, but she didn’t see Nic. Her gaze came back to Daphne. Beautiful, worldly, smiling Daphne.
Maya remembered something her mother always said. There was his side, her side and the truth. But what was the truth? Was Daphne crazy? Was Nic a liar?
Was this all a ruse just to get her shares? Was that why Nic had gotten so angry when she began securing clients?
Would she care about this when she was back in LA?
Her mind kept settling on the vineyard. Her father’s vineyard. Even if they weren’t engaged, Maya didn’t want anything to fall into the hands of that woman.
She looked up and saw Nic, wide-eyed and frozen in place across the room. He looked guilty.
She wanted to scream.
She wanted to talk to her mother.
“Congratulations, Daphne,” Maya gritted out. She ran for the stairs, her heels making it hard to ascend in a hurry. She felt Nic behind her, then felt his hand, gentle but firm on her arm. She stopped, but didn’t turn around.
“What did she say?”
“She said you’re engaged. Congratulations.” She tore her arm from his grasp and continued up the stairs, but he was hot on her heels.
“She’s insane. I told you—”
He got to the top of the stairs and Maya whirled around, her voice low but direct.
“So you didn’t go to a jewelry store today and pick up a ring?”
His jaw clenched, and he seemed to stall for a moment. The bastard.
“You honestly think I would buy her a ring?”
“How did she know about our trip to Dechamps?”
“I have no idea, Maya. It doesn’t matter—”
“Oh, it matters. Especially if you are planning on sharing my father’s vineyard with that bitch!” Maya’s voice rose, making a few guests turn their heads.
“That’s ridiculous. I made you a promise. Come, let’s talk about this somewhere else.”
“No. I’m done with your smooth talk and your kisses and your—” She ran out of air. “And your body. I’m done listening to other people. I’m going after what I want...whenever I figure that out. Excuse me.”
She stomped down the hall toward the penthouse elevators. He wasn’t behind her, which felt like both a win and a loss. She jumped inside when the doors opened and jammed her finger on the button several times. When she looked up, Nic was still standing where she’d left him, his eyes searching.
* * *
Maya woke with the feeling that she was alone, and not just because she had decided to give away the last thing she’d known of her father.
“Well, I was wondering when you were going to call me back?” Her mother’s voice was upbeat but laced with a questioning tone.
“Hi, Mom,” Maya gritted out, barely keeping a lid on her feelings. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. Glad my daughter finally returned my calls.”
Here we go, Maya thought. “Sorry, Mother. I’ve been meaning to call you back, it’s just been really busy.”
“What have you been doing that you can’t call your mother back?”
“I’ve been getting acquainted with my father’s business.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I’ve been...finding out a lot of things about him.” Pause. “Getting to know him, so to speak.” Maya paused again, giving her mother the opportunity to spill the beans.
“And what have you found?”
“I think you know what I found.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Maya saw her mother in her mind’s eye with her brow raised and a hand on her hip. Maya had a temper, but she didn’t get that from her father.
“Were you ever going to tell me the truth?”
“What truth?”
“That you left him.”
“Hold on,” her mother said in a low voice. When she spoke again, she sounded far away. “It’s Maya, dear. I’ll take it upstairs so you can watch the game.” Maya rolled her eyes at her image of Steve on the couch. After some shuffling, her mother got back on the phone. “And just what is it that you think you know?”
“I know there was supposed to be a wedding. Did you leave him at the altar?”
“Yes. Yes, I did. I was pregnant with you then.”
Maya’s jaw dropped and she scrambled to get herself together. She hadn’t expected the truth to come out so quickly. “Well... I mean...why? You didn’t love him?”
“I loved him very much. But we wanted different things. He
wanted to go back to France and I didn’t. He thought I would go. He had all of these plans about a vineyard and a life with you, but I couldn’t do it.”
“Why?”
Her mother sighed. “Maya, I’ve told you. Things were different then. I was young, and living abroad was scary. Your grandmother had all these ideas that I’d never see her again... It just didn’t feel right.”
“Then why did you take me there?”
“How...how do you know that?”
“Just answer the question, Mother. Honestly, please, because I’m increasingly annoyed at the fact that you allowed me to think my father never wanted to have anything to do with me. Or should I say, with us.”
“He visited three times a year up until you were about four. That’s when I met Steve. He wanted to marry me and take care of us and...” Her mother stopped.
“And?”
“He felt threatened by Albert. So I asked Albert to stop coming around.”
Maya was furious. “You asked my father to stop being my father?”
“It wasn’t that simple.”
“Really? I think simple might be Steve’s middle name.”
“Watch your mouth. Steve has been wonderful to us. He’s been a loving husband and a good father. He’s put you through school—”
“No, Mother, he didn’t. Grants did, remember? They were from Albert. Did you know that?”
Her mother’s voice shook. “No, I didn’t know that.”
“So then why did you take me to France?”
“Albert agreed to stay away, but he wanted you to come for a little while.”
“How long were we here?”
“A week. He...” Her mother sniffled. “He was good with you.”
“How did that make you feel?”
“Like maybe I had made a mistake. Albert did his best to show me we could be a family. He took you everywhere. Worked outside with you running around the place. I was afraid you were going to kill yourself in those vines. We even attended a party together as a couple.”
“Did you wear a silver dress?”
“Yes, why?”
“He kept it.”