“I can’t,” she whispered, before bolting into the house. She ran into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. She didn’t lock it—she didn’t have to. Declan would never walk in without being invited.
She put down her glass and then flopped on the bed. Later she would be all proud and smug but right now she was lonely, tired and sad. She knew she’d done the right thing, but man, did it suck.
Chapter Sixteen
“Margot, stop frowning. Seriously, you’re giving yourself wrinkles and I’m not sure you’re the type who would allow yourself the thrill of Botox.”
“I’m not sure anyone thinks of Botox as a thrill.”
Bianca smiled. “Only those who haven’t tried it, my dear. And I know what I’m talking about.”
Margot did her best to relax her expression. Worrying wouldn’t help. They were committed now.
She looked past her client to the guests entering the ballroom for the political fund-raiser. They were all well dressed and moneyed. Tickets had been at a thousand-dollar minimum.
Margot returned her attention to Bianca. “You remember our game plan?”
“Of course. Polite conversation about anything innocuous. Avoid politics, which is totally ridiculous when you consider where we are. I’m to look for people standing alone, preferably women. Five minutes with someone, then move on. If I feel nervous, I will excuse myself and come find you. If I can’t, I’ll head to the bathroom and text you.”
Bianca patted her arm. “Don’t worry. We had a bit of a stumble at the beginning, but we’re working well together now. I’m feeling really good about tonight.”
“You look good.”
Bianca smiled. “Yes, I do, don’t I?”
Bianca was wearing a fairly conservative dark red dress that went to just below her knees. Her hair was loose and curly, her makeup subtle. She looked confident, beautiful and just a little sexy.
Margot linked arms with her. “All right. You’re ready. Let’s go.”
They joined the crowd milling toward the open double doors.
“I hope there aren’t going to be a lot of tech guys here tonight,” Bianca murmured. “I still remember when Steve and I were seeing each other. He was so fun at first, but after a while all he would talk about was Apple, Apple, Apple.”
Margot nearly stumbled. “You don’t mean...Steve Jobs?”
“What? Yes. It was years ago. He was so young, but then so was I.” She flashed a smile, before handing over her ticket to the person at the door.
Margot did the same and they moved into the ballroom. Before she could offer any last-minute advice, she found herself abandoned by her client.
“Good luck,” she said to Bianca’s back. She was about to survey the room and figure out her next move when she spotted Alec, a glass of champagne in each hand.
“Good evening,” he said, handing her one. “You two made it.”
“We did.”
She had driven over with Bianca while Alec had come separately. The plan was that Bianca would leave alone to go stay with Wesley, and Alec would take Margot back to the house.
Margot grabbed his hand and pulled him to a relatively quiet corner of the huge room. “Did you know your mother had an affair with Steve Jobs?”
Alec didn’t look the least bit shocked by the question. “No, but little from her past surprises me.”
“Wasn’t he married?”
“I’m sure the affair was before that. Bianca isn’t into married men.”
“You’re so calm. It’s Steve Jobs!”
“Are you an Apple fan?”
“I love my iPhone, like millions of others. It’s just shocking.”
He chuckled. “She’s been involved with actors and heads of state and race car drivers and you get in a tizzy about Steve Jobs.”
“I have nerd-like qualities. I can’t help it.”
He held out his arm. “Come on. Let’s go lurk in the background and watch my mother. Are you nervous?”
“Terrified and oddly resigned.”
“An unexpected combination.”
They moved through the ballroom. There were several political candidates working the crowd. Margot and Alec avoided them, then finally spotted Bianca near the bar. She was with a middle-aged woman, talking animatedly and laughing. After a few minutes, Bianca spotted them and excused herself.
“I’m doing fine,” she said as she approached. “Stop monitoring me. It’s unnerving.”
“I get paid to watch you,” Margot said, her voice teasing. “I have to do my job.”
“I enjoy standing in the light that is your beauty,” Alec told her.
His mother smiled. “Darling, while I would love to believe that, I’m wondering how much champagne you’ve had.”
“My first glass,” he assured her.
“Then watch and learn.”
Bianca strolled toward a young man standing by himself.
“This will be noteworthy,” Alec murmured. “He’ll be overwhelmed by her in less than thirty seconds. He might faint.”
Margot was about to answer when she spotted a man also watching Bianca—which should be nothing to worry about except he had two cameras hanging around his neck.
“There’s a reporter,” she said, starting toward him.
“It’s a political event,” Alec said, walking with her. “There were bound to be reporters. However, I suspect this one is a photographer hired by the campaign. Please, allow me. I have experience with this sort of thing.”
Alec reached the photographer first. “Good evening. Would you mind not photographing my mother? She’s here as a supporter, not as a public figure.”
The photographer, a tall guy in his midforties, looked more annoyed than accommodating. “She’s the money shot.”
“I’m sure the senator’s staff would be delighted to know that’s your opinion,” Alec said easily. “Shall we go tell them? Or are you not being paid to take pictures of the event for the website and possibly mailers?”
“You’re threatening me?” the guy asked, sounding incredulous.
“I am,” Alec told him. “Now, how do you want to handle this?”
Margot watched him weigh his options. She would guess if the photographer was hired for an event this large that he would be used frequently by the campaigns. She doubted he would want to lose that income for a single sale of a shot of Bianca.
“Fine,” he grumbled. “Whatever. She’s old. No one cares about her anymore.”
Alec smiled. “Enjoy the party.”
“You handled that very well,” Margot said when they’d walked away. “You do have experience.”
They searched for Bianca and found her with yet another man. This one was closer to her age and more into her than made Margot comfortable.
“He’s standing close and is too animated,” she said. “I think she found a fan.”
“Not good. Bianca loves being adored.”
Although Bianca was at least twenty feet away, with several people between them, Margot heard her laugh over the other conversations. It had a more frenetic quality than she liked, with a slight edge.
“That doesn’t sound good,” she murmured. “There’s too much energy between them.” She hesitated, not sure if she should intervene or let Bianca handle herself. The only way to learn was to do, at least in Bianca’s case.
She watched her client lean into the man. Alec didn’t offer an opinion, no doubt because he knew this was a training session and she was the expert—not that she felt especially certain at that moment.
When the guy leaned in to whisper in Bianca’s ear, Margot started toward her.
“Hi,” she said, as she approached. “I’m Margot and this is Alec.”
“Brandon,” the man said, offering them both an easy smile. “Do you know Bianca?”
/>
“Oh, Alec is my son and Margot is...” Bianca’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Margot is his lover.”
Margot did her best to look casual and hoped she didn’t blush. Bianca was trying to get to her—not a surprise considering her client frequently chafed at being told what to do.
Margot didn’t know what to say—should she refute the claim? Ignore it? Say nothing? Before she could decide, Alec stepped in.
“I doubt anyone finds that of interest,” he said easily, before taking a sip of his champagne. “Mother, there are some people I’d like you to meet.”
Brandon grabbed Bianca’s hand. “Don’t go. Please. Just a few more minutes.” He grinned at her. “Don’t take this wrong, but I had posters of you on my wall when I was growing up. You were the sexiest woman I’d ever seen and you still are.”
Bianca preened as her smile turned flirtatious. “Oh, stop. You’re embarrassing my son.”
“I’m used to it,” Alec murmured quietly to Margot. He raised his voice back to conversational level. “If you’ll excuse us, please.”
Bianca shot him an annoyed look. Margot stepped between them. “It’s just this way,” she said, pointing across the ballroom.
“Fine.” Bianca sighed. “It was lovely to meet you, Brandon.”
He nodded, looking stricken at the loss of her company. “Could I just kiss your cheek?”
Bianca smiled. “Of course. I’ll even do you one better.” She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the mouth. “There. Dream about that tonight.”
“You know I will.” He stared into her eyes. “I’ll give you fifty thousand dollars if I can touch your ass. No, wait. I’ll give fifty thousand dollars to your favorite charity. Anything. Kids, pets, those cow people. You name it.”
Alec took his mother’s hand and pulled her away. “That’s it. Nice to meet you, Brandon. Have a good life.”
Margot stepped around to Bianca’s other side as they walked across the crowded ballroom.
“That was a surprise,” she said, not sure what to make of Brandon. Regardless, she was going to have to come up with a lesson plan that dealt with middle-aged men with lingering Bianca fantasies.
Bianca smiled. “It’s been a long time since a man wanted to pay me to touch my ass. I still have it.”
“You’ll still have it a decade after you’re gone,” Alec told her.
“Oh, that’s so sweet.” She turned to Margot. “I’m sorry for teasing you back there. I just couldn’t help myself.”
“You’re in your element. I completely understand.”
Margot was less concerned about the crack now that she knew Alec wasn’t embarrassed or upset by it. She had to admit—Bianca always kept her on her toes.
They circulated through the crowd for another half hour. Bianca chatted with a few more people, making pleasant small talk and avoiding any subject the least bit controversial.
Margot glanced at her watch. “The speeches are due to start in twenty minutes. I assume we want to leave before then?”
“Absolutely.” Bianca finished her glass of champagne. “We do, indeed. It’s enough that I bought tickets to the event. I’m not willing to stay and listen to a bunch of politicians.” She smiled at Margot. “I’ll have plenty of that when I marry Wesley.”
“Shall we go?” Alec asked.
“I’m going to duck into the ladies’ room,” his mother told him. “I’ll meet you back here in a few minutes.”
“Would you like me to go with you?” Margot asked automatically.
Bianca rolled her eyes. “I can make it to the restroom and back without incident. Of that I am sure.”
She walked away.
“So the evening was a success,” Alec said.
“No, no. Don’t say that.” Margot pressed a hand to her chest. “Not until we’re officially in the car and driving away. I don’t want to jinx anything.”
“Hello, Alec.”
Margot turned toward the low, sultry female voice and saw it belonged to a stunningly beautiful brunette standing behind Alec. The woman was of average height and nearly as curvy as Sunshine. Her gaze, both predatory and possessive, locked on Alec.
“Merelyn.” He sounded surprised. “What are you doing here?”
“The same thing as you.”
“Oh, I doubt that.” He turned to Margot. “This is Merelyn. She was my decorator for the house. Merelyn, this is Margot.”
Merelyn barely acknowledged her. She moved close to Alec and put her hand on his forearm. “It’s been a long time.”
“It has. Two or three years.”
Merelyn’s gaze locked with his. “I still think about you. About...the decorating project.”
Margot did her best to maintain a neutral expression when she really wanted to roll her eyes and point out that Merelyn wasn’t being the least bit subtle. Obviously she and Alec had been more than decorator and client. Much more.
Margot started to excuse herself to give them privacy or possibly to pout, she wasn’t sure which. Before she’d even taken a step, Alec put his hand on the small of her back, as if asking her to stay where she was.
She could feel the imprint of his fingers and the heat from his body. He applied slight pressure and she found herself leaning into him. He slid his hand from the small of her back to her hip, an intimate gesture that caused her heartbeat to suddenly accelerate.
He and Merelyn talked for a couple more minutes, then the other woman excused herself. As soon as she was gone, Alec released Margot.
“I’m sorry if that was inappropriate,” he began. “I reacted without thinking.”
While she regretted the loss of his touch, she wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it. Not when she was still feeling unexpected desire and longed to throw herself into his arms. The reaction was confusing and a little unsettling. Yes, she liked Alec, but she hadn’t noticed that somewhere along the way she’d also started wanting him.
“No, it’s totally fine,” she said, hoping she sounded normal. “I’m happy to protect you from ex-girlfriends whenever necessary.”
“I want to say it wasn’t like that, only it was. Thank you for understanding.”
“You’re welcome.”
His dark gaze locked with hers. For a second, she was sure he was going to lean in and kiss her. In fact, she was so convinced that she took a half step toward him in anticipation of—
“What if I make it a hundred thousand dollars?”
The familiar male voice carried over the crowd and had Margot spinning around, searching frantically for Bianca.
“Where are they?”
“Over there.” Alec grabbed her hand and led the way.
Margot hoped they got there before Brandon made the offer too tempting. Or too fun.
They maneuvered around a small group of people in time to see Bianca nod her agreement.
“All right. A hundred thousand dollars to Children’s Hospital.” She turned slightly, offering her backside to Brandon.
He reached out a hand, then pulled it back. “I’ll make it two hundred and fifty thousand if I can touch under the dress.”
“No,” Margot said, trying to make the word loud enough to be heard without yelling and attracting attention. But it was like being in a dream. She opened her mouth and thought she spoke, but there was no sound. No anything.
Time slowed until she knew there was no way to stop it from happening. Whatever “it” was. Bianca tilted her head as she considered, then casually pulled up her skirt. Her thigh came into view, then her hip and her left buttock. Because, of course, she was only wearing a thong.
Brandon groaned and put his hand directly on Bianca’s skin. Margot stared in disbelief as she heard an odd clicking sound. Too late she realized the annoying photographer was back and had captured the entire incident. And just like that, the pictur
e of a man touching Bianca Wray’s bare ass became a thing.
* * *
The next morning the photograph was on the front page of the Los Angeles Times and USA TODAY. Margot hadn’t bothered to go check where it was online, mostly because she didn’t want to know. She sat across from Bianca, at the dining room table, wondering where she’d gone so wrong.
“I still don’t see the problem,” Bianca said, covering a yawn. “It’s no big deal. So a man touched my behind? I raised a quarter-million dollars for charity.” Her smile was smug. “You know, a studio once tried to get my behind insured, but no one would do it. I would imagine those executives are feeling a little foolish right about now.”
“You let a man touch you on your butt,” Margot said, trying to keep her tone reasonable and not shrill. “You pulled up your dress and let him touch your butt while you were wearing a thong.”
Bianca studied her. “Are you all right?”
“Not really, no. I’ve totally failed you. I thought we were making progress. I thought I was getting through to you.”
“This isn’t your fault,” Bianca told her. “And it’s not a bad thing.”
“It’s your bare ass on the front page of the Los Angeles Times. I’m pretty sure that’s not the kind of publicity you need right now.” She looked at her client. “Do you really think this is okay?”
Bianca studied the picture. “I look fabulous, so yes, I’m fine with it.”
“And Wesley? Is this what he wants? What about the government back in Cardigania? What are they going to think? Or say? What about the prime minister? How do you meet the prime minster after that? What do you say to him? This picture will live online forever. Wesley has adult children from a previous marriage and they’ll see it. His grandchildren will see it. Bianca, this is not acceptable behavior. If you two were married, he could lose his job over this.”
The Summer of Sunshine and Margot Page 21