by Inara Scott
All four women leaned forward a few inches to hear the story. Zoe shifted in her seat. “It was just a coincidence, actually. He was running by and saw me go off the road. He insisted I go to the hospital, which at the time I wasn’t inclined to do. Really, I was pretty lucky he was there.”
“That is sweet.” Clara paused to clear her throat, “You two seem very, ahem…close. How long have you know each other?
“About three years.” Zoe felt four pairs of eyes drilling into her. “But we’re just friends,” she added, hoping to stave off further questions.
Shirley patted her hand. “Of course you are, dear.”
“No, really,” she said, though she could feel the heat stain her cheeks. “We work together, you know. I don’t get involved with people from work.”
Clara leaned over the table toward her. “You’re a terrible liar,” she said in a stage whisper. “We’ll need to work on that if you’re going to be any kind of bridge player.”
“Leave her alone,” Leticia said, sitting across from Zoe at the table. “The children are entitled to their privacy.” She took a delicate sip from a glass of water. “Now, let’s talk about our bidding strategy.”
“Okay.” Though she appreciated the respite, Zoe had a strong suspicion that Leticia was fully prepared to return to the subject of Connor whenever she saw fit. “I have to admit that I haven’t had a lot of time to study since we played on Thursday.”
“Really?” Clara picked up a deck of cards and began to shuffle. She sounded disappointed. “If you’re not serious about the game, you know, you really ought to tell us so we can find someone else.”
Minnie nodded. “Sorry, we do like you, but she’s right.”
Zoe glanced around and saw all four heads nodding. “Um, wow. Okay. I was really busy getting a proposal in on Friday, but of course, I’ll put in the time. I don’t want to let you all down.”
“What proposal?” Leticia asked, as she began to deal the cards.
“I’m trying to land a new client.” Zoe was reminded that Connor had said the GPGs would want to help with her plan to get Aims. She didn’t like the feeling that she was using the information to trick them, but she obviously did need to get them on her good side if she was going to stay on the team. “His attitude toward women isn’t the best, so it’s a bit challenging.”
Clara nodded in sympathy. “We’ve all been there.”
“That’s for sure,” Minnie agreed. She collected her hand and started to arrange her cards. “Do you have a plan?”
“I always have a plan.” Briefly, Zoe recounted the outline of her strategy to learn all about Aims’s favorite subjects, leaving out the part about Connor being her teacher.
Leticia looked particularly doubtful. “So you think because you can talk about sports and motorcycles, you’re going to overcome years of sexism? I’m sorry, Zoe, but I’m not sure that’s going to work.”
“It can’t hurt,” Zoe said.
Shirley examined her cards thoughtfully. “My son used to work for Tesla. He could probably give you more information about electric motors.”
“I’d love to talk to him.”
“Didn’t Connor want a motorcycle back in college?” Minnie asked Leticia.
Leticia’s mouth pinched tight. “He did.”
“Really?” Zoe said, calling up her best poker face as she picked up her own cards.
“I convinced him it was a bad idea,” Leticia said. “Those things are terribly dangerous, you know.”
“So I’ve heard,” Zoe said. “Although you reduce the risks significantly just by wearing a helmet and not doing something stupid, like speeding or drinking before you drive.”
She’d been practicing the Southcycle line of argument all week, and increasingly, she found herself believing it.
“I don’t see it,” Leticia continued, moving a card from one side of her hand to the other. “Why anyone would ride one is beyond me.”
“Maybe because some things don’t make sense?” Zoe saw for the first time the logical woman who wouldn’t have understood her son’s desire to play sports. “Maybe sometimes you do something and you can’t explain why. You just feel it.”
Leticia lifted her eyes to meet Zoe’s. The gray depths that reminded her so much of Connor had a hint of bleakness to them. “I guess I’ve never really understood that concept, either.”
“Things that don’t follow rules, you mean?”
Leticia shook her head. “Irrational behavior. People who do stupid things. That’s one thing I tried to teach Connor. When other people are involved, you have to be logical and think things through.”
“Because relationships are so logical?” Zoe said lightly.
“Because if you don’t think things through, people can get hurt. And he does try, you know.” She gave Zoe a meaningful glance. “He makes mistakes sometimes, but he does try.”
Zoe wasn’t sure if that was a warning, or an apology in advance.
Without looking up from her cards, Clara reached out and patted Leticia’s hand. “You’ll get that grandchild someday, I’m sure.”
The women laughed, and the tension of the moment was broken. But the bleak look in Leticia’s eyes was much harder to forget.
…
Connor took turns with Nate and Mason as they warmed up for the game. This week, instead of missing his shots, they were all falling straight through the hoop.
Nothing but net.
It felt good to think about something other than Zoe. Not that he didn’t enjoy thinking about her, because he did, but more because he wasn’t going to see her for multiple hours, and if he wasn’t careful, he’d end up in some serious pain between now and then. The kind of pain that only a cold shower or a hot night could ease.
“You get laid or something?” Mason asked, watching another shot fall. “Your shot is like money today.”
Connor laughed, determined not to reveal anything that might bring up more questions than he wanted to answer. “Sure. You know me.”
“I do know you,” Mason said, “which is why I’m wondering what put that stupid grin on your face.”
Connor stopped smiling. Damn it, he was really bad at subterfuge. “Obviously,” he said, hoping he could play it off as a joke, “all that sex I’m having.”
“Right,” Nate chimed in. “See, that’s the part of this I can’t quite understand. Did you have a date that didn’t end in disaster that we don’t know about?”
He was saved from a further response by the arrival of Luke, Rafe, and Hugh, the guy who had joined them the previous week.
Mason waved a greeting. “Hey, Hugh, welcome back. You becoming a regular?”
“Apparently so.” Hugh dropped a gym bag by the team bench. “At least, until I get a better offer.”
Luke slapped him on the back. “That’s gratitude for you. And that’s after turning down our firm and failing to stop Connor at the three-point line last week.”
“Was it the exorbitant fees?” Nate asked Hugh.
The dark-haired man shook his head. “Unfortunately, someone from the home office decided they had a prior contact in town they wanted to work with. It was out of my hands.”
“I think he’s pissed we didn’t get him a golf membership,” Luke said. “Nate, I’m holding you responsible for that. Drinks are on you next week.”
“Worth it,” Nate grunted.
They played for a while, then took a water break. Connor tried not to smile too much or too little, focusing instead on the ball and the game and ignoring the collective groans every time another three-point shot landed with ease. Luke was normally the only one on their team who had any hope of stopping Connor, but today, even the scrappy lawyer wasn’t having much of an impact.
“Thank God Nate looks like shit today,” Rafe observed. “He’s almost keeping us competitive.”
“Did you and Cecilia stay out late last night?” Luke asked Nate, panting as he leaned over his knees. “Couldn’t stop arguing?”
<
br /> Connor gave Nate a curious look. “Cecilia? You two were out last night?”
Cecilia and Nate made it a habit to argue with each other whenever the group went out for a night, but as far as Connor knew, their relationship was nothing more than mutual antagonism. Not unlike many of the women who’d spent time with Nate.
“Me and the ice queen?” Nate said, wiping back a forehead of sweat. “No way. We just happened to be on a panel together at a conference and then had to go to dinner afterward with the organizers.”
“Their panel was fantastic,” Luke said. “I think it was supposed to be about venture capital and innovation, but they just argued the whole time. The moderator finally gave up.”
“Wish I had seen that,” Mason said wistfully. “I do love watching Cece put Nate in his place.”
“There’s a cocktail hour tonight after the last panel,” Luke said, coming to standing. He paused to take some healthy gulps of water. “Maybe they’ll give a repeat performance.”
“Oh right,” Mason said. “I forgot I had that on my calendar.” He grimaced. “Tess will be pissed. We were supposed to go out tonight to talk wedding plans.”
Nate shuddered. “That statement is wrong in so many ways. Mostly the wedding part.” He held up his hands when Mason lifted one tawny eyebrow. “Not that I don’t love Tess. I do. It’s just…” He gave a helpless shrug. “Marriage, Mase?”
Mason clapped him on the shoulder. “Yeah, I know. And we’re going to put you in a tux, too, and trot you down the aisle. Should be great fun.”
“Is everyone from your firm going to the cocktail hour?” Hugh asked. When five heads swung around to look at him, he raised his brows. “What? I was just wondering.”
“Should be a lot of people there—I think they invited half of Silicon Valley,” Luke said. “And yes, I think Zoe will be there.”
No, she won’t, Connor wanted to say, realizing with a rush that they were talking about the work function Zoe had mentioned earlier that day.
“Invitation-only sort of thing?” Hugh asked. “Any chance you have an extra ticket lying around?
“Good grief,” Luke said with an exaggerated sigh. “After all I’ve done for you already?”
“Sounds like a good networking opportunity,” Hugh replied.
“Networking with Zoe?” Rafe asked.
Hugh flashed a grin. “Now that I’m not a client, I figured I should give it a shot. She’s not seeing anyone, is she?”
Yes, actually, she’s seeing me. A surge of possessive anger charged through Connor at the thought of Hugh seeking out Zoe. He deliberately tamped it down. She wasn’t seeing him. They were just having sex. It wasn’t a relationship, or even the start of one. He’d been very clear that it couldn’t be that, and Zoe had agreed.
For some reason, Luke seemed to be watching him, Connor realized uneasily. But he must have been imagining it. Mason and Nate knew about his doomed attraction to Zoe, but as far as he knew they were the only ones.
“Not that I know of,” Luke said. “Hey, now that you mention it, maybe we can all go out after the reception and grab dinner or a drink. I think we’ll all be there?” He looked around the circle, finishing with Connor. “Except you, of course. I know how you hate these things.”
“Sounds like a great idea,” Hugh said with a smile. “I’m in.”
Was there anything more annoying than lawyers and their maneuvering? Was Luke trying to set up Zoe and Hugh? Connor was about to punch someone in the face—he wasn’t sure if he’d start with Luke or Hugh—when Mason chimed in. “Sorry, but I can’t stay or I’ll get in trouble at home. Besides, we’re getting together next week, right? I know Tess wants to see Zoe then.”
“Yeah,” Nate agreed, looking casually at his nails as he spoke. “I can only handle Cecilia one night a week. Count me out.”
The deciding vote, luckily enough, came from Rafe. “Sorry, I’ve got a date later tonight with Yolanda, so I’m out as well.”
Connor suppressed a sigh of relief.
Not that he had any right to try to keep Hugh and Zoe apart. Hugh seemed like a nice guy. If anything, he should be pushing them together.
But for fuck’s sake, he was only human.
He grabbed a basketball and flexed his hands over its pebbled skin. “Time to play?”
“Sure.” Luke, he was almost certain, passed him a knowing look before jogging out on the court.
As he paused for a moment to try to figure out what the hell that might mean, Nate and Mason crowded around him. That was when he realized that they’d picked up on Luke’s maneuvering and Hugh’s interest in Zoe, and they were giving him a chance to take out a little of his irritation on the court.
“It’s our ball,” Mason said. “I’ll set a high pick for you, Connor. You take Hugh to the hole.”
Connor couldn’t help but smile. It was a blatantly obvious opportunity for him to stuff Hugh.
Exactly what he needed.
Luke stayed on him as he took the ball in, and as planned, Mason ran over to block Luke. Connor spun around them and headed for the hoop. Hugh, who was guarding Mason, tried to switch off and guard Connor, but he was a second too slow. He made it to the hoop, but not soon enough to stop Connor. Two steps later, Connor was leaping toward the hoop in a high arc, just high enough to dunk the ball and take out Hugh on the way.
The smaller man fell to the ground. Connor swung for a second on the rim, then dropped off with a smile of pure pleasure.
“Charge!” Luke yelled.
“Sweet dunk, though,” Mason said.
Connor held out his hand to pull Hugh back to his feet. “You okay?” he asked.
“Oh sure,” Hugh said sourly, brushing off his backside. “Just swell.”
Connor grinned. “Sorry. Sometimes I don’t know my own strength.”
Hugh looked back at him, eyes narrow. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Chapter Eighteen
When Zoe got back to her apartment that afternoon, she took a long shower and spent more time than usual blow-drying and curling her hair. She’d gotten a call from Luke reminding her about the networking event that night, and even though she wanted to skip it, there was a small chance there would be some representatives from Southcycle there, so she decided she needed to attend.
She texted Connor and told him she did have to go to the event that night, but she’d come over afterward. He texted back that if she didn’t eat dinner, he could cook something for her, a suggestion she had no trouble agreeing to.
The event was at a hotel downtown, and as with most such events, it involved name tags, a lot of smiling and hand shaking, and a mix of subtle and not-so-subtle networking. Zoe arrived early, hoping to get in enough face time that she wouldn’t have to feel bad when she left well before the event was over. By eight, she’d managed to hand out a good stack of business cards, including a number to young entrepreneurs who would probably need a patent attorney someday, and others to more established businesses that she thought might be ripe for a change of attorney. It was almost worthwhile enough to quiet the inner voice that refused to stop complaining about not being at Connor’s apartment right now.
Just a few more minutes. Then you can leave and get back to the completely inappropriate secret life you’re cultivating with the last person you should be cultivating it with.
On her way to the ladies’ room, she noticed Tess’s friend Cecilia tucked into a corner near a pair of armchairs. She was looking gorgeous as usual, with her ash-blonde hair carefully swept up in a knot on the back of her head and her thin, sculpted body outlined by a fitted navy sheath dress and a matching short jacket. Oddly enough, Cecilia, the most put-together person Zoe had ever met, seemed anxious and uncomfortable. She kept rubbing her fingertips together as she paced a few steps back and forth on her pumps. Her lower lip was fuller than usual, and she seemed to be worrying it from the inside.
“Hey, Cecilia,” Zoe said, “everything okay?”
Cecilia pushed ba
ck an imaginary stray hair with the back of her hand. “Oh, hi, Zoe,” she replied. “I’m fine. I just needed to check something.” She gave a slightly dismissive nod and reached into her purse, extracting a cell phone that she fumbled with for a moment before dropping it to the ground.
Zoe bent over and retrieved it for her. When Cecilia reached out to take it, Zoe noticed a tremor in the other woman’s hand. She looked from the hand to the woman’s face and the tightness around her lips, and her concern deepened.
“You sure you’re okay?”
Cecilia let out a breath. “You bet.”
“Well,” Zoe said slowly, “then is there any chance you want to sit with me for a minute?”
Cecilia opened her purse and dropped the phone back inside. She gave a shaky laugh. “I suppose I look like a mess, huh?”
Zoe shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it that way, exactly, but maybe sitting down wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.” She eyed the other woman’s pencil-thin frame again. “Have you eaten recently? Can I get you something to drink?”
Cecilia collapsed into one of the hotel’s dark leather armchairs. “You know, actually, that sounds great. Maybe a glass of wine, if you can find one?”
Zoe returned a few minutes later with a glass of white wine and a plate loaded with tiny squares of cheese, hummus, and grilled vegetables. “I would have brought a plate of pasta,” she said regretfully, “but for some reason all they had was cheese and crackers.”
“Do people still eat pasta?” Cecilia asked, accepting the glass that Zoe extended and taking a grateful sip.
“I’m told that they do,” Zoe said, remembering her meal with Connor with a rush of pleasure.
“How nice for them.”
Zoe sat down and set the plate on the end table between the two chairs. “I keep seeing these recipes where they try to substitute zucchini for pasta. Which is total bullshit, if you ask me. Really, this whole ‘zoodle’ thing is a crime against nature.”
“I remember pasta,” Cecilia said sadly. “It was delicious.”
