“Apparently they used to have all kinds of exciting parties back here in the twenties,” Elena said. “I can imagine it with jazz music and women wearing those fringed dresses doing the Charleston. I heard they filmed a scene here for Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.”
“It’s beautiful.” Emmaline nodded as she sipped her champagne, trying to ease her nerves with the sight of the old paintings in ornate gilt frames that adorned the walls.
“Thanks for having me as your plus one. I still can’t believe you didn’t invite your mystery man to be your date.” She winked. “Not that I’m complaining. Free drinks and a chance to perve on our fearless leader is good enough for me.”
Emmaline’s stomach tightened. And considering her body already felt strangled by the boned waist of her evening gown, that wasn’t a good thing. She was at risk of fainting in front of a room full of people who were important to her career. And Parker. She wasn’t sure where he fit into her life anymore.
In the two weeks since she’d stormed out of his office, he’d only tried to call her those first two days. After that it had been radio silence. No more surprise appearances at her desk, no more meeting requests. Nada.
Was it possible he’d moved on to someone else already? She’d tortured herself with that thought all week long in the lead up to the award ceremony. What if he brought a date tonight? What if she saw them holding hands? What if he touched her in all the ways that Emmaline was craving like an addict craves their poison of choice?
You have to stay strong. He could have emailed you, he could have called again. If you never see him again, then it wasn’t meant to be.
“I, uh…I wonder if our fearless leader has brought a date,” Emmaline said as she sipped her drink again.
“Probably some supermodel, right?” Elena shook her head. “Or maybe a socialite.”
“Or maybe someone ordinary?” Emmaline wished she could take the words back the second they shot out of her mouth.
Are you trying to give the game away?
“Oh, sweetie.” The laughter in Elena’s voice was soul shattering. “Guys like that don’t date ordinary women. They can have anyone they want.”
She couldn’t argue with that. Parker probably had moved on—what could possibly compel him to chase someone like her? She’d told him it was over and ignored his calls. Truth be told, she’d do it all again if the situation played out the same. Because as much as she wanted to be with Parker, she needed to know that he wouldn’t turn into a manipulator.
But she did want to be with him. The feeling had grown like an unwieldly tangle in her chest, snagging on her heart and lungs. Thorny and overbearing. Persistent. Time—short as it was—had only made her crave him more. Which left her in this awful limbo desperately wanting the one man she shouldn’t.
“I’m so excited for you tonight, Em.” Elena patted her arm. “You deserve this. They’d be foolish not to pick you as the winner.”
“All the candidates have done amazing things,” she said. “It’s tough competition, even Linda said so.”
“Well, you’re a winner in my eyes.” Elena frowned. “Such a shame that the CEO wasn’t on the voting panel. What shitty luck that the one year someone at your level got some face time with the big boss, he’s not even voting.”
“What? Since when?” She swung her head toward her friend, and her chandelier earrings tinkled.
“Didn’t you read the email? He sent it late last week. Something about him wanting to get to know the staff at all levels before partaking in such an important decision.” Elena rolled her eyes and made a talking mouth motion with her hand. “Blah, blah, blah.”
“No, I didn’t see that.” In fact, she hadn’t seen any emails from Parker’s official CEO account, because she couldn’t stand to look at the handsome portrait of him in the header image. “I must have missed it.”
“I’m sure it won’t have any bearing on your application. I know Linda went in to bat for you.” Elena offered a sympathetic smile. “I guess I see his point, though. He really hasn’t been around that long.”
Emmaline’s stupid, naive heart skipped a beat. Could he have withdrawn from the panel because of their argument? Because he wanted to make things up to her? She sucked in a breath and winced as the boning on the bodice of her dress gripped her body like a straight-jacket. This was the last time she let the girls in the fashion department pick a dress for her.
She smoothed her free hand down over the silver silk bodice. It was covered in tiny turquoise beads that caught the light and shimmered with even the slightest movement. The floor-length skirt swished around her feet, where underneath she’d worn Gracie’s blue shoes. The shade was an exact match for the beading. At least, that’s what she pretended was the reason for wearing them.
Hand on heart, she’d worn them for him. It was stupid and emotionally reckless, but she couldn’t ignore that the memories invoked by simply slipping those shoes on her feet—Cinderella style—made her feel like a million bucks.
“Everything will work out,” Emmaline said.
“That’s the spirit.” Elena raised her glass. “Now let’s see if we can catch a glimpse of Mr. McHottie CEO. I bet he scrubs up good in a tuxedo.”
“I’m sure he does.”
…
Parker had been keeping an eye out for Emmaline ever since he arrived. But the room was crowded with the Wentworth Group employees, and everyone seemed to want a piece of him. If he weren’t preoccupied, he would have enjoyed himself—talking to the staff and hearing all about their experiences with his company was part of what he loved about being CEO. But tonight, he couldn’t concentrate on anything except finding Emmaline.
He excused himself from a conversation and barely got two feet before someone else stopped him. Gritting his teeth, Parker smiled and made polite conversation while subtly trying to scan the room in search of Emmaline’s silky blond hair. The squeal of a microphone cut him short, and the event’s emcee got the room’s attention. It was time to announce the ASTAR winner. Parker hadn’t looked at the final placing, even though Mercy had left the printout on his desk. Maybe he was high on the feeling of relinquishing control, or perhaps he didn’t want to know whether or not Emmaline had won.
The lights were dimmed as the emcee gave a brief history of the ASTAR program, and that afforded Parker the opportunity to slip through the crowd unnoticed. Hopefully they wouldn’t call him up to the stage. In the dim light, it was tough to make people out—especially since everyone was dressed to the nines. But then he caught a glimpse of shimmering blue, the dazzling beaded dress exposing a pale and slender neck, atop which sat a mass of golden hair. He would know her anywhere, even if all he saw was the back of her head.
The light shimmered off some fancy earrings dangling from her ears, and she toyed with the strap of her dress, hoisting it higher up her shoulder.
The emcee flashed up the faces of the finalists onto a large projector screen, and the room applauded. His eyes were drawn inexorably to her photo—to that beaming smile, flawless skin, and shining blue eyes. His heart leaped in his chest with a feeling of rightness that rocked him down to his core. She was meant to be his.
His gaze drifted down to the woman in front of him, to the fingers toying nervously with her earring, twisting and turning the crystals so they glinted, taunting him to make a move. He came up behind her, resisting the urge to run his hands over her bare shoulders. Before he had the chance to say anything, she turned as if sensing him. The sharp intake of her breath was enough to send him to his knees.
“What are you doing?” she whispered. Her eyes darted around to see if anyone had noticed them, but the audience was glued to the front of the room.
He leaned forward, breathing in the scent of sweet vanilla perfume on her skin. “Just checking to make sure you weren’t going to choke on any olives before your big moment.”
Her lip twitched. “Very funny.”
“You look incredible.”
She
silenced him with a finger to her lips, but he didn’t miss the way her gaze skated over him—a glimmer of heat in her eyes like the first flicker of a candle’s flame. It was small, but it was unmistakably there. That was all he needed—a chance, no matter how small.
The emcee continued to run through the candidates, extoling their virtues and reading a quote from the managers who’d endorsed them. The audience waited with bated breath as they prepared to announce the winner and runners-up. There were four winning positions over all—although only the person in first place would make it into the ASTAR Program.
“In fourth place is…” the emcee paused to crank up the anticipation, and Parker slipped his hand into Emmaline’s. “Andrea Lane, Product Planner, Womenswear Fashion and Intimates.”
The crowd cheered, and a woman’s picture flashed up onto the screen. She was one of Sydney’s staff members.
“The third-place recipient is…Emmaline Greene, HR Business Partner, Retail Operations.”
Her eyes lit up, her hand clamping over her open mouth as the crowd cheered. She looked thrilled, but disappointment stabbed at Parker’s gut. In his eyes, Emmaline deserved first place. For someone so new to the company, she was a champion for the staff, working tirelessly to ensure their voices were heard and that they were respected from the highest levels. Biased as he might be, she deserved the top spot.
The emcee continued with the announcements, and Parker leaned in. “Can we talk?” His lips brushed the ornate earring dangling from her earlobe.
“Outside,” she mouthed, inclining her head toward the balcony a few feet away.
Still holding her hand, he slipped them both through the crowd as discreetly as possible. Her long gown brushed his legs as they walked, the warmth of her palm against his fueling the rapid beating of his heart. He unlatched the grand glass doors and held them for her as they escaped into the night.
The view from the balcony was magnificent. At seven floors up, they were still close enough to see people wandering the streets below. The sky was freshly dark, with only a ribbon of pinkish-purple at the horizon to tell them that the sun had recently turned in for the evening. Lights glittered, and Emmaline’s silhouette against it all was so magnificent that Parker found himself at a loss for words.
“Third place,” he said, clearing his throat. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Her hands knotted in front of her. “I know you had nothing to do with the outcome.”
“You deserved first place.” He came up beside her and leaned against the railing, bracing his forearms and looking out over the city. “I maintain that.”
“You know, I am pretty damn happy with third place.”
“Yeah?”
“Absolutely.” She tilted her head. “I meant it when I said I’d rather come last and know I earned it. So third place out of twenty finalists is pretty damn good. And that’s not counting how many people entered in the first place.”
“Two hundred and forty-three.” He laughed. “Linda had all the stats in a report for the panel.”
“How did they take it when you said you didn’t want to be part of the selection process?”
“There was a bit of pushback.” He shrugged. “They said part of the prestige of the award was the fact that the CEO was involved in selecting the winner. But I don’t want this award to be a superficial pat on the head. Entry to the program is the important bit—the opportunity for the winner is what should matter. And I didn’t tell them it was because of you, so you know.”
“Thank you.” Her soft voice was almost lost on the balmy late-summer breeze. The sound of laughter floated up from the street below, the ding of a tram’s bells echoing as one rushed past. “I appreciate it.”
“I know you were concerned about people finding out about us. I figured it was the least I could do after I fucked up so badly.”
“You know it wasn’t that I was ashamed of us…being together or whatever you want to call it.” She toyed with the beaded length of her dress, turning the fabric so the beads sparkled like little stars caught in the silk. “But for a lot of my life, people assumed I’d never worked for what I had. And the thing that made me most ashamed of it all was that they were right. I lived off my father’s success and then my husband’s. Getting this job meant the opportunity for me to finally do something for myself, to build my own success.”
“I understand.” He reached out and smoothed his hand over the bare silken skin of her arm, his chest clenching at the slight shiver that ran through her. “I couldn’t stand the thought of you giving something up for me. It doesn’t excuse what I did, because I should have talked to you instead of taking the decision away. It was wrong.”
“Thank you for stepping down from the decision. I know that must have been hard,” she said.
“It was and it wasn’t.” His thumb stroked over her wrist. “When I thought about it, the decision to do the right thing by you was incredibly easy.”
“Really?” Her eyes glimmered.
“For so long, I’ve though my way was the right way, and I didn’t see at the time how it was hurting you.” He shook his head, shame coiling tight in his gut. “I’ve been stubborn about controlling everything around me at work because I felt like my home life had been out of control ever since we found out about my dad’s other family.”
Emmaline touched a delicate hand to his chest, smoothing over the silk lapel of his tuxedo jacket, the vibrant purple on her nails catching the light. “I guess the problem was that I fell into both camps, didn’t I? Home life and work life.”
“You’re a conundrum like that,” he said with a smile. “Emmaline, I’m so damn sorry for how I messed up. It’s inexcusable. But I don’t know how else to show you that I’ve learned my lesson.”
“I don’t know if you can.” She sucked on her bottom lip.
The pressure in his chest built until it felt like it would blow his rib cage apart. This was it—the moment of truth. The edge of the cliff. If he didn’t figure out how to prove to Emmaline how much he cared about her, then it was done. They were done. For good.
The voice inside him roared. The thought of parting ways with Emmaline was too much. In the short time they’d been together, she’d changed him. Opened him up to the possibility of having his family again. Of being more than his career.
Of loving.
The truth shot through his body like lightning. He loved her. It explained so much—that he couldn’t stay away, that he couldn’t let her go.
He loved her. And now he was about to lose her.
…
Emmaline watched the torment roll over Parker’s handsome face. Normally he kept his vulnerabilities in check—he’d show anger, but not fear. Frustration, but not regret. Only now his hazel eyes were bottomless pools of emotion, his expression raw and readable.
“Emmaline.” His eyes squeezed shut for a moment. “I have so many things to say, and none of them seem adequate.”
“What’s there to say,” she said with a false cheeriness. “We’ve had a good time. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but that doesn’t mean we’re right for one another.”
“Literally nothing else in my life has been as right for me as you are.” The words were roughhewn. Jagged. “What we shared, it was more than sex. I’ve had good sex before, and this”—he waved his hand between them—“is more. We are more.”
“Parker, stop.” Her dress was doing that squeezing thing again, and the cage was too small for her lungs, too small for her fluttering heart. God, she wanted to believe him. She wanted it more than the blood in her veins. “You’re making this harder—”
“Good. That’s exactly what I’m going for. Because I can’t let you go without a fight.” He raked a hand through his hair, and the warm brown strands sprung back into place. “I know you want to make your own decisions and be your own person. I respect that, but you need to make your decision with all the facts in hand.”
“I have the facts,” she whispered, her pulse rac
ing.
She should leave now—take off through those double doors and lose herself in the crowd. But it felt as though her heels had been glued to the tiled floor, her legs and arms infused with lead. Her heart was holding her hostage.
Your heart knows nothing, listen to your head. Go, now!
“No, you don’t.” He smoothed his hand along her jaw and tilted her face up to his. The air rushed out of her lungs, and she was powerless to resist. “You’ve changed me. What I did…a year ago, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it. I would have kept sending the Marks of the world away until I got what I wanted. I would have kept pulling strings and playing puppet master until I reached my goal. But I understand now that sometimes the best thing I can do is to stop trying to control things.”
“That’s why you removed yourself from the panel.”
“It’s why I came here tonight with absolutely no idea of who was going to win.”
“Really?” Her heart skipped a beat.
“Mercy gave me the results, and they’re still sitting on my desk, unopened.” He drew his finger in a cross shape over his heart. “I wanted to be here to support you, not knowing either way how it would play out. You did that to me, Em. You’re helping me to live with the unknown.”
She swallowed, but a lump had lodged in her throat, and all the words were backing up behind it. The resolve she’d padded herself with was slowly cracking and flaking away. Parker was laying it all on the line—making himself vulnerable to her rejection. Owning up to his mistakes.
Conrad had never done that. He’d left their marriage with a mouthful of blame. He’d lived in ignorance of her feelings. In fact, he’d reveled in it, because it meant never having to take responsibility.
Here, tonight, proved that Parker was different.
“Is that all the facts?” she asked.
“No.” His thumb swept over her cheek. “I love you, Emmaline. That’s the last piece of the puzzle.”
He loved her? Instead of feeling the weight of her decision pressing down on her shoulders, she suddenly felt free. The feelings had been there early on, a little seed lost amongst the garden of her baggage. But they’d nurtured it, watered it.
Taken by the CEO (The Scandalous Wentworths) Page 19
