“And you’ve been violating the law lately,” I shot back.
“—Gideon was wearing a ring, too, so I thought maybe it was some kind of promise thing or something—”
“It is.”
“—and then I read about your engagement online! I mean, really, Eva. No mother should find out on the Internet that her daughter is getting married!”
I stared at my monitor blankly, my heart rate kicking up. “What? Where on the Internet?”
“Take your pick! Page Six, HuffPost . . . And let me tell you again, there is no way I can pull together a proper wedding before the end of the year!”
My daily Google alert hadn’t hit my inbox yet, so I did a quick search, typing so quickly I spelled my own name wrong. It didn’t matter.
Socialite Eva Tramell has nabbed the brass ring. Not literally, of course. Multibillionaire entrepreneur Gideon Cross, whose name is synonymous with excess and luxury, wouldn’t slide anything less than platinum onto the finger of the woman who’ll bear his name. (see photo at left) A source at Cross Industries confirmed the significance of the giant rock on Tramell’s left hand. No comment was made regarding the ring Cross has been seen wearing. (see photo at right) A wedding is planned before year’s end. We have to wonder what the rush is. Operation Gideva Baby Bump Watch has commenced.
“Oh my God,” I breathed, horrified. “I have to go. I have to call Dad.”
“Eva! You need to come over after work. We have to talk about the wedding.”
Thankfully my dad was on the West Coast, which bought me at least three hours, depending on his work schedule. “I can’t. I’m going to San Diego this weekend with Cary.”
“I think you need to put off any travel for a while. You need to—”
“Start without me, Mom,” I said desperately, glancing at the clock. “I don’t have anything specific in mind.”
“You can’t be seri—”
“Gotta go. Have to work.” I hung up, then pulled open the desk drawer that held my smartphone.
“Hey.” Mark Garrity leaned over the top of my cubicle and offered me one of his charming crooked smiles. “Ready to roll?”
“Uh . . .” My finger hovered over the home button on my phone. I was torn between doing what I was paid to do—work—and making sure my dad heard about the engagement from me. Usually, it wouldn’t be a dilemma at all to choose. I loved my job too much to risk it by slacking off. But my dad had been in a funk since he’d messed around with my mom and I was worried about him. He wasn’t the kind of guy to take sleeping with a married woman lightly, even one he was in love with.
I put the phone back in the drawer. “Absolutely,” I replied, pushing back from my desk and grabbing my tablet.
When I settled into my usual seat in front of Mark’s desk, I sent my dad a quick text from my tablet saying I had something important to share with him and that I’d call at noon.
It was the best I could do. I could only hope it was enough.
3
“MAN, YOU ARE smooth.”
I looked up at Arash after setting the receiver back in its cradle. “Are you still here?”
The attorney laughed and settled back in his seat on my office sofa. The view wasn’t nearly as pleasant as the one my wife had given me not too long ago.
“Schmoozing the father-in-law,” he said. “I’m impressed. I expect Eva will be impressed, too. Bet you’re counting on that heading into the weekend.”
Damn right. I would need all the points I could earn when I met up with Eva in San Diego. “She’s about to go out of town. And you have to head into the conference room before they get too restless in there. I’ll join you as soon as I can.”
He stood. “Yes, I heard. Your mother’s here. Let the wedding insanity begin. Since you’re free this weekend, how about we round up some of the usual suspects at my place tonight? It’s been a while, and your bachelor days are numbered. Well, technically they’re over, but no one else knows that.”
And he was bound by attorney-client privilege.
It took me a beat to decide. “All right. What time?”
“Eight-ish.”
I nodded, then caught Scott’s eye. He got the message and rounded his desk to head up to reception.
“Great.” Arash grinned. “See you at the meeting.”
During the two minutes I had alone, I texted Angus about getting to California. I still had unfinished business there, and taking care of it while Eva was visiting her dad gave me a legitimate excuse to be where she was. Not that I absolutely needed one.
“Gideon.”
As my mother entered, my fingers curled into my palms.
Scott followed and asked, “Are you sure I can’t get you something, Mrs. Vidal? Coffee, maybe? Or water?”
She shook her head. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”
“All right.” He smiled and left, pulling the door closed behind him.
I hit the remote on my desk that controlled the opacity of the glass wall, blocking the view from everyone on the main floor. My mother approached, looking slim and elegant in dark blue slacks and white blouse. She’d pulled her hair back into a sleek ebony bun, showing off the flawless face that my father had adored. Once, I’d adored it, too. Now, I had trouble looking at her.
And since we looked so much alike, I sometimes had trouble looking at myself.
“Hello, Mother. What brings you into the city?”
She set her purse on the edge of my desk. “Why is Eva wearing my ring?”
The small pleasure I’d felt at seeing her dissipated instantly. “It’s my ring. And the answer to your question is obvious: She’s wearing the ring because I gave it to her when I proposed.”
“Gideon.” She pulled her shoulders back. “You don’t know what you’re getting into with her.”
I forced myself to remain facing her. I hated when she looked at me with hurt in her eyes. Blue eyes that were so like mine. “I don’t have time for this. I’ve put an important meeting on hold to see you.”
“I wouldn’t have to come to your office if you’d answer my calls or come home once in a while!” Her pretty pink mouth tightened with disapproval.
“That is not my home.”
“She’s using you, Gideon.”
I retrieved my coat. “We’ve had this discussion.”
She folded her arms across her chest like a shield. I knew my mother; she was just getting started. “She’s involved with that singer, Brett Kline. Did you know that? And she’s got an ugly side you’ve never seen. She was downright vicious to me last night.”
“I’ll speak with her.” Straightening my coat with a brisk tug on the lapels, I headed toward the door. “She shouldn’t be wasting her time.”
My mother’s breath caught. “I’m trying to help you.”
“It’s a little too late for that, don’t you think?”
She took a shaky step back from the look I gave her. “I know Geoffrey’s death was hard on you. It was a difficult time for all of us. I tried to give you—”
“I’m not doing this here!” I snapped, furious that she would bring up something as personal as my father’s suicide while I was working. That she would bring it up at all. “You’ve hijacked my morning and pissed me off. Let me make it clear to you. There is no scenario pitting you against Eva where you come out on top.”
“You’re not listening to me!”
“There’s nothing you could say that would affect anything. If she wanted my money, I’d give her every cent. If she wanted another man, I’d make her forget him.”
She lifted an unsteady hand to her hair, smoothing it although not a single glossy strand was out of place. “I only want the best for you, and she’s stirring up crap that has been put away a long time. It can’t be a healthy relationship for you. She’s creating a rift with your family that—”
“We’ve been estranged, Mother. Eva has nothing to do with that.”
“I don’t want it to be like this!” Stepping closer, she held out her hand. A strand of black pearls peeked out from between the lapels of her blouse, and a sapphire-faced Patek Philippe adorned her wrist. She hadn’t rebooted her life after my father’s death; she’d done a complete wipe and restart. And never looked back. “I miss you. I love you.”
“Not enough.”
“That’s not fair, Gideon. You won’t give me a chance.”
“If you need a ride, Angus is at your service.” I caught the handle of the door and paused. “Don’t come here again, Mother. I don’t like arguing with you. It would be best for both of us if you just stay away.”
I left the door open behind me and headed toward the conference room.
—
“YOU took this shot today?”
I looked up at Raúl, who stood in front of my desk. Dressed in a plain black suit, he had the steady, watchful gaze of a man who made his living by seeing and hearing everything.
“Yes,” he answered. “Not more than an hour ago.”
I returned my attention to the photo in front of me. It was difficult looking at Anne Lucas. The sight of her foxlike face, with its sharp chin and sharper eyes, brought back memories I wished I could erase from my mind. Not just of her, but of her brother, who’d been similar in ways that made my skin crawl.
“Eva said the woman had long hair,” I murmured, noting that Anne still had cropped hair. I remembered the plastic feel of it, the sharp-gelled spikes scratching my thighs as she deep-throated my cock, working desperately to get me hard enough to fuck her.
I handed the tablet back to Raúl. “Find out who it was.”
“Will do.”
“Did Eva call you?”
He frowned. “No.” But he pulled out his smartphone and checked it. “No,” he said again.
“She may wait until you fly out to San Diego. She wants you to find a friend of hers.”
“No problem. I’ll take care of it.”
“Take care of her,” I said, holding his gaze.
“Doesn’t need to be said.”
“I know. Thank you.”
As he left my office, I sat back in my chair. There were a number of women in my past who might cause problems for me with my wife. The women I’d slept with were aggressive by nature, ones who put me in the position of needing to take the upper hand. Eva was the only woman who’d ever grabbed the lead and made me want more.
It was getting harder to let her be away from me, not easier.
“The team from Envoy is here,” Scott said through the speaker.
“Send them in.”
—
I powered through my day, wrapping up the week’s agenda and laying the groundwork for more to come. There was a lot I needed to get off my plate before I could take time off with Eva. Our daylong honeymoon had been perfect, but far too short. I wanted at least two weeks away with her, preferably a month. Someplace far away from work and other commitments, where I could have her all to myself with no interruptions.
My smartphone vibrated on my desktop and I looked at it, surprised to see my sister’s face on the screen. I’d texted Ireland earlier to let her know about the engagement. Her reply had been a short and simple, Yay! Stoked. Congrats, bro!
I’d barely answered the call with a quick hello when she cut me off.
“I’m so fucking excited!” she yelled, forcing me to pull the phone away from my ear.
“Watch the mouth.”
“Are you kidding? I’m seventeen, not seven. This is so awesome. I’ve wanted a sister forever, but figured I’d be old and gray before you and Christopher stopped bouncing around and settled down.”
I sat back in my chair. “I live to serve.”
“Ha. Yeah, right. You done good, you know. Eva’s a keeper.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Thanks to her, I get to harass you now. Always a highlight of my day.”
My chest tightened, forcing me to take a minute before I could reply in an easy tone of voice. “Oddly enough, it’s a highlight of mine as well.”
“Well, yeah. It should be.” Her voice lowered. “I heard Mom losing her shit over it earlier. She told Dad she went to your work and you guys got in a fight or something. I think she’s kinda jealous. She’ll get over it.”
“Don’t worry about it. Everything’s fine.”
“I know. It just sucks that she couldn’t keep it together today of all days. Anyway, I’m thrilled and wanted you to know that.”
“Thank you.”
“But I’m not going to be the flower girl. I’m too old for that. I’m up for being a bridesmaid, though. Even a groomswoman or whatever. Just sayin’.”
“All right.” My mouth curved. “I’ll pass that along to Eva.”