“Very witty. Did you come up with that all on your own, or did your girlfriend help you? Oh, wait, that’s right. Your girlfriend is with me.” David’s obnoxious laugh made me clench all my muscles to keep from knocking him the fuck out. “I’m going to the bar to get a real drink. Want to come, babe?”
“No, thank you. I think I’m going to hang out here for a bit and talk about old times with Noah.” Julie kept her eyes glued to me. Not that I was looking at her in turn; I could just feel her eyes undressing me. Yeah, so not going down that road again. She’d had her chance, and blew it out her ass—literally.
Daniel and Vanessa joined our assemblage, effectively ending our little tête-à-tête and sending me catapulting into the deep, dark bottomless pit in which I found myself trapped.
“Patrick,” my aunt sang in her motherly tone. She practically glided over to me and wrapped her arms around me for a hug. “Such a sight for sore eyes.”
“Aunt Vanessa.” I smiled broadly when she pulled back. “I’m so glad you could make it.”
“Where else would I be? You know how your uncle is about these things,” she said as she looked up at Daniel adoringly.
“Patrick,” he greeted me, adding a nod and a friendly clap on the shoulder before shooting a glance toward Julie. “I hope you’re behaving yourself tonight.”
Yeah, they knew about the fuckery that had gone down between us, but they were big on taking the high road. I nodded with an innocent smile. “Absolutely.”
Julie wrapped her arm around mine and leaned into my side. “Patrick and I were just about to reminisce about the good old days.” The bitch was laying it on thick, even calling me by my middle name as if she was part of my family, which she goddamn wasn’t.
“Wonder what’s taking the girls so long?” Mason spoke up, doing his best to change the subject.
Fuck.
If Delaine came out and caught sight of Julie hanging all over me … I shuddered at the thought of the outcome. Especially if the way she’d reacted to Fernanda was any indication. We’d be lucky if the entire building wasn’t left in a pile of rubble and ash by the time she was done going all fire-breathing Godzilla on the place.
That was about the time Delaine emerged from the bathroom with Lexi and Polly. Instigators by nature, those two, which didn’t bode well for me.
They were laughing at first, until they looked up. Judging by the ferocious expression on Delaine’s face, I had every reason to panic. So I did, but inwardly, because to show weakness would only make matters worse. I could do nothing but watch and wait as Lexi and Polly left Delaine’s side and continued on their path, giving Julie the evil eye the whole way, but my million-dollar baby didn’t follow. Instead she …
Oh, hell, no!
Lanie
I set my eyes on my target: Noah Patrick. My mind was focused, my determination was set, and my girls were looking perky and round. He was mine and I wasn’t about to let that whore sink her talons into him. Julie had had her chance, and she’d blown it. It was time she realized what she’d given up, and I hoped Noah wouldn’t be stupid enough to go back down that road again.
“Lanie, wait!” Polly said in a hurried whisper as she ran up from behind and pulled me back. “Daniel is there.”
“So?”
“Julie is Everett’s daughter, as in Dr. Everett Frost.” She bobbed her head and rolled her hands, encouraging me to get the point. “Julie’s father is one of Daniel’s closest colleagues, not to mention a longtime family friend. You can’t just barge in, grab Everett’s daughter by her hair, and beat the shit out of her right in front of Daniel.”
“Polly, give me a little credit,” I said with my hands on my hips. “I wasn’t going to beat her up unless she forced my hand. Or fist.”
“As much as I hate to admit it, she’s right,” Lexi said, completely disgruntled. “Daddy will have an absolute fit. And you don’t want to make a scene in front of everyone who works with Patrick. As entertaining as that might be, it wouldn’t look good for him and would probably only turn out in David Stone’s favor. Bastard’s been itching to find a way to force Patrick out of the company ever since they inherited it from their fathers. Even though everyone knows Patrick’s the one who does all the work.”
“Besides, that dress is far too expensive to ruin for the likes of Julie Frost,” Polly tacked on.
“You know what you should do? Kill her with kindness,” Lexi suggested, and then a wicked smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth. “And it probably wouldn’t hurt if you copped a feel or two of Patrick in the process. You know, just to remind him who he belongs to.”
“That was the plan, Lexi. But, from the looks of it, Noah seems to be quite okay with the woman copping a feel at the moment.” I was going to kill him as soon as I was done with Julie. I mean, how embarrassing was that? I was his date and he was letting her hang all over him like they were about to throw down some triple-X action right in front of everyone. It was a disgusting display, and it was clear the chick was good to go. Noah was embarrassing himself just as much by letting it continue.
But then the thought occurred to me that while Julie might be acting the part of the whore, I was the one playing it in real life. And I really had no claims on him. Noah wasn’t mine. We had only been playing house, or Penthouse or whatever, but it wasn’t real all the same. That wasn’t the case with Julie.
He’d been in love with her once upon a time, and maybe he still was to some extent. Maybe she was more his type. Or maybe, having come from money herself and being way more familiar with Noah’s lifestyle, she was just able to pull off the façade much better than me. My family only ever lived from paycheck to paycheck, and sometimes we’d had to stretch that more than was comfortable. We weren’t cut from the same cloth, Noah and I, and I would always feel that difference. I was merely a hired hand, or body, as far as he was concerned. Maybe Noah and I weren’t in a committed relationship in the traditional sense, but he’d come with me, and I was a real person with real feelings, and he was making me look and feel like quite the fool.
Polly stepped in front of me and grabbed both of my shoulders, giving me a little shake so that I would look at her and away from the free porn show happening across the room. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but it was how I saw it. “Lanie, I know Noah. He’s getting absolutely no enjoyment right now. He’s merely keeping up appearances for appearances’ sake. He’s probably doing everything he can to keep his dinner down at this very moment. So go easy on him and give him the benefit of the doubt. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” I lied. I wasn’t going to make a scene, but I sure was going to make my presence known—with dignity and class. And if Noah had a problem with that, then it was his problem to solve. All my brain was processing was that Julie’s hands were all over my man, and Noah was doing nothing to stop it. In fact, he was smiling, looking damn gorgeous, and seeming to be enjoying himself a little too much. And that in no way sat well with me.
I needed a drink so that I could get my head straight and figure out my plan of action. Marking my territory was a really good suggestion, but as angry as I was at Noah in that moment, I’d probably mess around and yank his nuts off with my bare hands. And that would get pretty gruesome, thereby defeating the purpose of not causing a scene.
As I turned to look toward the bar, I saw David Stone standing there. All alone. A plan started to formulate in my head, one that I fully intended to implement, because I knew that if there was even one ounce of Noah’s possessive nature for me left, what I was about to do would most certainly force him to pay attention.
“You two go ahead,” I said to Lexi and Polly. “I’m just going to grab a drink and take a moment to calm down before I hike up my skirt to piss on Noah’s leg.”
“Have I told you lately that I love you?” Lexi asked with a look of adoration on her face, and then she bumped her shoulder into mine. “Grab me a shot of Patrón, will ya?”
“Sure thing, and thanks,” I sa
id with a genuine smile before I turned and headed toward the bar. David Stone was my weapon of choice for making Noah Crawford feel just as insignificant as he’d made me feel.
“Patrón Silver, on the rocks, two,” I told the bartender when he greeted me.
“Well, hello there, little lady,” the scumball of an ass fucker said as he sidled up next to me—just as I’d hoped he would. He reeked of cologne that would have smelled good if it had been applied in a smaller dose. Plus, there was a lethal dose of obnoxygen spilling from his pores. I recognized the scent because Polly gave off a little bit of it, too. Luckily, she had been only mildly contaminated, whereas David Stone was obviously the poster child for it.
“Hi yourself,” I answered him, turning on the charm.
He introduced himself, extending his hand. “David Stone.”
I returned the cordial greeting, taking his offered hand. “Delaine Talbot.”
“Wow! Nice bracelet. A gift?” He examined the cuff bracelet that marked Noah’s territory like a jeweler sizing up its worth. “Crawford, huh? You related to Noah?”
“Thanks. And no, Noah is my boyfriend. You know him?” I asked, knowing he did, but playing the part oh so well.
“Yeah. We’re the best of buds, practically family. Funny, he never mentioned you. Must be his dirty little secret,” he said playfully.
“I guess you could say that. He doesn’t like to share, so he keeps me hidden away.”
“Such a shame. A diamond like you should be on display for the whole world to see.”
I almost gagged at his lame attempt at complimenting me, but I kept the smile on my face as I looked over and made sure Noah was watching, which he most certainly was. So I stepped closer to David and ran my fingers under the lapel of his jacket. Never dropping the pretense I was putting on for Noah’s benefit, I leaned in and said, “Well, see … I know all about you.”
“Do you, now?” He moved in closer, his voice deep and seductive. “You can’t believe everything you hear, you know. Jealousy can make some people very spiteful.”
“Mmm. You’re absolutely right,” I agreed. “But I don’t think that was the case here.”
He inched even closer and put a hand on my hip while ogling my cleavage. “Well, now you’ve piqued my interest. Do tell. What have you heard?”
“You were Noah’s best friend, but then you went and screwed that tramp over there behind his back. I guess technically it was from behind her back, but still,” I said with a shrug as my fingers followed his lapel up and around the collar to his neck. “So it would seem that Noah is absolutely warranted in wanting to keep me his little secret. However, what he fails to realize is that not every woman is as easily susceptible to falling prey to the likes of you.”
“Is that right?” he asked with a confident smile, baring his canines, which only proved my point.
I nodded, still maintaining a flirtatious smile. “I see you for what you really are.”
“And what is that, exactly?”
“You’re a leech, a parasite, a common remora.”
He shifted from one foot to the other, clearly not liking my assessment. “What the hell is a remora?”
“Remoras are those little fish that cling to sharks and other stronger, more powerful species in the seas. They use them to get around that big ol’ ocean without having to do any of the legwork themselves. They feed off the leftover scraps of food from their host, and sometimes even the host’s feces,” I explained in a voice that reminded me a lot of a kindergarten teacher talking to her students.
“See, in this equation, Noah would be the shark; working hard, fighting for every meal, making his own way. But you … you’re the parasitic remora, feasting off his shit and doing your best to gather up his leftovers while you wait for everything to be handed to you.” I smiled broadly, my expression a total contradiction to the words I spoke.
“You prey on a person’s weaknesses and twist them until you find a way to capitalize on them, thereby filling the empty void in your own life, if only for a moment. I feel sorry for you, truly, I do. But if, for even a millisecond, you see me as a potential chink in Noah’s armor that you can use against him, you better think again. Unlike you, and that ex of his, my loyalty to Noah Crawford knows no bounds. I live and breathe for him and him alone.”
He swallowed hard and then chuckled. “Goddamn, woman. You just gave me a hard-on the size of California.”
“California, huh? Not bad.” I nodded. “But Noah wins again. He may not be Texan, but his cock obviously is. And you know what they say: everything’s bigger in Texas, darlin’.” I caught a glimpse from the corner of my eye of Noah on the fast track toward us, so I took a step back.
“I’m glad I got to meet you, David Stone. I wish I could say it was a pleasure, but I’d be lying. Toodles!” I tucked my purse under my arm and then grabbed my drink, along with Lexi’s before I turned and walked away.
I’d only made it about ten feet before Noah reached me. And boy, was he pissed. His hazel eyes had turned steel gray and his nostrils flared slightly in anger as he gave me a death glare. He grabbed my arm and pulled me right next to him so that he could talk without being overheard by everyone around us. His body gave off waves of malice, and he shot daggers in David’s direction. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“You’ve got about two seconds to let go of my arm before I start screaming bloody murder,” I warned in a calm voice.
He turned me loose and stuck his hands in his pockets. “Answer the goddamn question.”
“I was thirsty. I went to the bar to get a drink. And that kind gentleman struck up a conversation,” I said nonchalantly. “I didn’t want to be rude.”
“Yeah, well that kind gentleman …,” he growled, and then stopped.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he said with a shake of his head. He looked down at the floor and then back at me. “Look, just … I don’t want you to talk to him anymore. In fact, I don’t want you to talk to any man here. Do you hear me? You’re mine.”
Well, well, well. And the little green monster comes out to play.
My turn.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You sure don’t act like I’m yours,” I snapped, and then stepped around him to walk back toward Polly and Lexi, whose rapt attention was on our little display.
He growled again, and then I heard his hurried footsteps as he attempted to keep up with me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I huffed. “Oh, don’t play me, Noah. You know exactly what it means. Who is she? Huh?”
“Who?”
I spun on him, nearly sloshing the liquid out of one of the low-balls I was holding. “Really, Noah? You think I can’t see? And don’t try to tell me she’s another one of your relatives or some sort of business associate, because relatives and business associates don’t feel you up like that unless you’re from some messed-up colony of incest freaks.”
He ran his hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. “She’s … no one. Look, we’ll talk about it later.” He made a move to step around me, but I blocked his way.
“I want to talk about it now.”
“Don’t make a fucking scene, Delaine. I work with these people,” he warned.
“Oh, well, since you put it that way, no worries. No scene from me,” I said, making a show of clamping my mouth shut while I continued on my merry, obedient way.
“It’s about time,” Lexi said when I handed her one of the glasses.
Polly looked at me with her brow furrowed in question, then back in the direction where David was now standing with Julie—who had apparently scurried away when Polly and Lexi made an appearance—and then back to me once more. I shook my head almost imperceptibly to let her know it wasn’t a big deal.
“Here she is,” Noah said, putting his hand on the small of my back. The scowl was gone, replaced by a beaming smile of pride as he introduced me to the beautiful couple who stood across from us. “Delaine, this is my
uncle, Daniel, and his wife, Vanessa.”
God, his family had to be directly descended from angels themselves. That’s how gorgeous they were. Daniel’s hazel eyes smiled just like Noah’s, only they had a more pronounced version of the crinkles of time that had already begun to grace the corners of Noah’s eyes. Their lips were the same shade of pink in the shape of a bow, and their hair was the same shade of chocolate, only Daniel’s was peppered with gray at the temples. Distinguished and magnificent, not that I had expected anything less.
I put on a happy face, smiling as brightly as my cheeks would allow. “Hi. I’m so glad to meet you,” I greeted Vanessa. I said nothing to Daniel. Noah had instructed me not to talk to any men, and he was most certainly a man. I was just following orders like a good little subordinate, after all.
Daniel cleared his throat, attempting to ignore the fact that I hadn’t said anything to him in greeting. “So is Patrick being a gracious host?”
Oh, yeah. He took my virginity, threw out all my clothes and then purchased a whole new wardrobe for me—sans panties, of course—and allowed me to suck his cock on more than one occasion. But I have received multiple orgasms out of our little arrangement, and if that isn’t the very definition of a gracious host, then I don’t know what is.
That was what I could’ve said, but lucky for Noah, I wasn’t allowed to talk to men, so I didn’t. Instead I just nodded with a smile. Noah gave me a disapproving scowl. Polly stared at me bug-eyed. And Lexi covered her giggle with an inconspicuous cough.
“How do you like Chicago, dear?” Vanessa asked.
I perked up and answered. “Oh, I simply love it! What I’ve seen of it, that is. Noah keeps me preoccupied most of the time.”
“Oh really?” Daniel asked. “And what exactly does he have you doing?”
Uh-oh. How was I going to answer that with a nod or shake of my head?
Aha! I shrugged my shoulders.
Daniel and Vanessa looked confused. Brad, Mason, Lexi, and Polly turned their backs like they were suddenly interested in the crowd. But I saw their shoulders shaking, a very clear indicator that they were laughing.