The Terms Duet

by Rowe, Ruby

  “Did you need something?”

  “Yes. Are you coming home after work?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “It does to me, and stop giving me attitude. I’m still your boss.”

  I sigh. “If you’re having a girl over, or that Whitney, and need me to disappear, I can find something to do. It’s no problem at all.”

  “Jesus, no chick is coming over.” As he grows increasingly frustrated, he rubs his forehead, and I don’t get why when he’s the one who insulted me. “I have a surprise for you.”

  “Why?”

  Looking to the ceiling, he clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth.

  “Can’t you just smile and be excited I have a surprise for you like other women would do if I told them that?” His pouty expression should take away from his sexiness, but it doesn’t.

  “Aww, does your ego need stroking?”

  He slides his gaze back to mine, and it’s suddenly smoldering. “Don’t use that word.”

  “What word? Ego?” Yes, I’m playing the clueless card here because if not I might hyperventilate over the instant sexual fog we’ve entered.

  “Look, are you coming home today or not?”

  “Yes, sir. See you then.” I pop my earbud back in and expect him to leave, but his eyes linger several seconds until I’m forced to turn away from him to file again.

  The moment I know he’s gone, I lean my head against the cool metal of the cabinet and take deep breaths. Given the opportunity, most women would fall for him. He can’t be blind to the fact, so why won’t he leave me alone?

  ***

  On the way to Greyson’s, I’m nervous about the evening. He left the office before me, which hasn’t happened this week, so I’m curious as to why.

  I park his BMW in the lower-level garage and take the elevator up. As soon as I step into the foyer of his penthouse, I smell something delicious, and I’m like a dog on the hunt for scraps as I follow the scent right to the kitchen.

  Greyson is pulling a sheet pan from the oven, so I admire his muscular thighs as his legs bend in his jeans. He changed into a black t-shirt, too, and his bicep flexes as he sets the pan on the stove. Moving here was such a bad idea.

  “Hi,” I say.

  “Do you like hot wings?”

  “Yes.” I stroll over and snicker once I spot the sloppy mess of them.

  “These chickens are lucky enough to swim in my homemade secret sauce.”

  “Don’t you mean their wings? Do you love cooking?”

  “Hell, no, but being a single guy, I have to fend for myself occasionally. I came up with the sauce when my buddies were coming over to watch football once.”

  “How can I help?”

  “There’s potato salad in the refrigerator that Theresa made. It should still be good.”

  “I’m starting to feel like I’m living in the south again.”

  “I heard Camilla say you’re from South Carolina.”

  “Uh, you have so much stuff in here. I can’t get over the amount of food in this place for only one person.”

  “Two people, and I think you’re trying to change the subject.”

  “Yes, I’m from there, but I haven’t been back in years. Where do you keep your plates?”

  Greyson points, and it’s quiet as I set the two-person table in his kitchen. “What would you like to drink?”

  “With wings, I need beer. Wait. I’ll have tea.”

  “It won’t bother me if you want a beer.”

  “No, I want tea.”

  Striding back to the fridge, I bring out a pitcher of iced tea. I pour us both glasses at the counter, and as soon as I take a sip, I want to spit it out.

  “Oh, this is terrible. There’s no sugar in it.”

  “Yes, there is.”

  “You call this sweet?” His arm brushes against mine as he points next to me.

  “There’s a container of sugar in that cabinet that I use for coffee.”

  His face is so close to mine, and instead of turning my head toward the direction I should, I turn to look at him. His eyes remind me of tropical waters I’ve seen on TV shows, and I’d like to drown in them.

  He’s eyeing mine, too, and then my lips, so I quickly turn to the cabinet. I grab the small container and laugh.

  “This is not going to be enough.”

  “There’s a bag of it in the pantry.” While he dishes out our food, I make sweet tea that reminds me of home. Once I’ve stirred it good, I pour fresh glasses and take them to the table.

  “Here, try this. It will give you a taste of the south.” Cocking an eyebrow, he takes a long drink and smacks his lips together, making the funniest surprised face. I take a drink, too.

  “Damn, there’s just the right amount of diabetes in here,” he says. Losing it, I shoot tea from my mouth and nose. I laugh so hard that tears run down my face. This is embarrassing but couldn’t be funnier. Grabbing napkins from the table, I dry my skin. My nose burns, making my eyes water further.

  “Oh, that was hilarious, but my nostrils are on fire.” Greyson gets a roll of paper towels off his kitchen counter, and we both get down on the floor to clean up the mess I made.

  “I’m sorry,” I say.

  “Don’t be. I’m glad someone finds my jokes funny. Someone else would’ve told me to grow up. Actually, she would’ve never put sugar in my tea.”

  “Whitney…”

  “I shouldn’t have brought her up.”

  “Why? She’s obviously a part of your life.”

  “Unfortunately. Uh, you have tea on your dress.” Without warning, Greyson dabs at the front of it, just above my boobs. I glance down, and his hand freezes. “You look pretty today. Green’s your color.”

  “Thanks.” Hurrying to my feet, I go to the trash can and discard the wet napkins I was holding. “I don’t know how I made that big of a mess. Are you ready to eat?”

  He gives me a puzzled look. “Yeah, sure.”

  Dinner is awkward and quiet, and I’m self-conscious over how messy the wings are.

  “You won’t let me in,” he says.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You won’t talk to me like friends usually do.”

  “We haven’t been friends long, and I’m not used to sharing my personal business with people. I’m not supposed to.”

  “See, right there. What does that mean?”

  “I have an upsetting past that I’m not comfortable talking about, and you didn’t want to talk about Whitney, so what’s the difference?”

  Wiping sauce off his hands, he leans back in his chair.

  “All right. I’ll tell you about her, but then you have to answer one of my questions. Agreed?”

  “OK...”

  “Her grandfather owned a business with my grandfather, and now our fathers share ownership of it. Our parents decided it would be perfect if Whit and I fell in love and married so our families could have the ultimate empire. I didn’t know all this back then.” He laughs. “I just thought damn, she’s hot, and sure I’ll date her.

  “We fell in love, but once we went to college, things changed between us. Honestly, I stopped liking her as a person. Then, I realized I never loved her the way you should love the person you’re going to spend the rest of your life with.

  “The problem is that our families feel differently. Everyone besides me still wants us together. My brother, Lawrence, got to marry who he wanted since he joined the family business, but since I chose a different career path, I’m expected to marry Whit.

  “It was supposed to happen years ago, but I’ve put it off as long as possible, hoping she’d bail on the deal first.” Greyson tosses his napkin on his plate. “No such luck, so my time at running is over. I have to get engaged very soon.”

  “Damn. That’s deep and depressing.”

  “No, shit.”

  “I’m sorry, but you’re an adult, and this is America. You don’t have to agree to some arranged marriage.”

  “I
do if I want to maintain a decent relationship with my family.”

  “It seems like they’d get over it.”

  “I thought that, and it’s why I’ve held out as long as I have, but my father has only grown more demanding about it.”

  “I can’t judge you since I’m not in your shoes, but there’s no way in hell I’d agree to something like that.”

  “All right, it’s time for your question. Why the fake ID?”

  Laying my napkin down, I stare out the window in his kitchen. We’re high off the ground, and it makes me feel physically safer, but it can’t erase the haunting memories of my past.

  “I can’t believe I’m going to tell you this...” I shake out my sweaty hands. “OK, here goes. Rose is not my last name. It’s an alias Camilla and I use to keep me safe from people who could hurt us and destroy our lives, my sister’s in particular.”

  “That’s still code. I don’t understand, and what’s your real last name?”

  “I answered your question. I told you why I have a fake ID, and that’s all I can share.” I won’t put my sister’s freedom in jeopardy by telling him the whole truth. Liam’s not losing his mother because I trusted the wrong person.

  “Fair enough, but don’t forget that I’m persistent.”

  “I’ve noticed.”

  “Are you finished eating? I want to show you something, along with your surprise.” To tease him for earlier today, I clap my hands and bounce in my chair.

  “Oh, I love surprises. You’re the sweetest guy ever, and I can’t believe you’d do something for me. How did I get so lucky?” Batting my eyelashes, I giggle.

  Greyson rolls his eyes, and his cheeks redden.

  “Real funny. I can think of something that needs to be stroked, but it’s not my ego.”

  Oh, my god, did he just say that out loud?

  “Uh, sorry. I guess that was out of line.” To make things less strange than they’ve already been this evening, I swat my hand toward him.

  “Hey, it’s fine. We’re friends, and friends should be able to crack jokes with each other, even crude ones.”

  “I guess that’s true, but you’re not one of the guys.”

  “It’s cool if you treat me like one, though. Now, show me my surprise.”

  Greyson

  Sasha follows me to the living room and comes to a stop once she spots the new leather sectional.

  “You bought a new couch? When? How? The old one was here last night.”

  “There was a half hour to spare before the furniture stores closed, so I drove down there and bought one they had in stock. That’s why I left work early today. I needed to be here while it was delivered.”

  She turns her head to me, and instead of the grin I’m expecting, she pierces me with a look of disgust.

  “I can’t believe you just ran down to the store and bought a sectional like it was no big deal whatsoever. This couch had to cost thousands of dollars. Look at it.” She waves her arms toward it.

  “Yeah, I see it, and I thought I’d get a different response from you. I did it so you wouldn’t mind sitting on it. I was trying to be considerate after what happened with Whitney the other night.”

  “So, you went out and bought a sectional?”

  “Yes, I believe we established that.”

  “You could’ve had the old one steam cleaned or something. You don’t go buy a new couch.” Sasha stomps to her bedroom, and this chick makes me crazy.

  I get right on her heels, and about the time she goes to slam her bedroom door, I catch it. Shit, she’s really going to freak in a second.

  Yep, here goes… She spins around. “Is this my surprise?” She points toward the fifty-inch flat-screen television hanging on the wall.

  “I thought you’d be happy since you like watching television so much. I mean, you can still hang out on the couch, but this way you can watch TV when you’re in here lounging.”

  Sitting down on her bed, her foot taps, and she drags her teeth over her bottom lip. “Talk to me, Sasha. I’m not gettin’ what’s happening here.” Her eyes fill with tears, and if there was ever a woman I didn’t understand, it’s this one.

  “I felt lucky whenever Camilla would surprise me with a twelve pack of generic Dr. Pepper. This is the first bed I’ve slept alone in since I was a teenager. I always shared one with Camilla, and once Liam was born, I moved to the couch.”

  Walking over to the bed, I sit next to her.

  “You’ve been sleeping on a couch for years?”

  “Yes,” she whispers, “and can you please go. This is humiliating.”

  I scratch the back of my head. “It’s not a lot of money to me. I can’t help that I was privileged growing up, and I won’t apologize for having worked hard to maintain that wealth.”

  Falling back on her bed, she covers her face with her hands. Her dress rides up, and I can’t help but admire her attractive legs. Her hands drop to the mattress, so I hurry and look up.

  “I’m sorry I seemed ungrateful. Thank you for the television … for everything you’ve done for me. It’s an adjustment to see how wealthy people live, so I was surprised that you made this happen so fast. What you spent on that sectional could keep me in a crappy apartment for six months.”

  Lying on my side next to her, I prop my head up.

  “You don’t need a crappy apartment. You have an awesome place to stay for as long as you need.”

  “As much as you want me to be, I’m not a shield for your inevitable future. You’re getting engaged, and we both know I can’t stay here once that happens.”

  Like she always does, she turns her head away from me. “And the fact that news upsets me so much means I need to leave sooner rather than later.” I shouldn’t do it, but I grab her hand and lace our fingers together.

  I’m surprised when she lets me. “Look, I’ll make a deal with Whitney. I’ll get engaged but only if she agrees that you stay here until we’re married.

  “That way you’ll have plenty of time to save up the money to move into your own place. Hell, I’ll buy a small house and give you a cheap price on it.”

  She shakes her head like she can’t believe the words coming out of my mouth, and I can’t believe my current behavior, either. Looking back at me, she yanks her hand away.

  “Having to move wasn’t the part that upset me so much. Now, thank you again for dinner, the television, the job, the everything, but will you please get out? Your mixed signals are company I can’t keep.”

  She’s right. Not only is she in recovery, I’m getting engaged. I’m flirting with her and disaster. It’s my engagement she’s upset about, and at least that makes two of us now.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Ellis

  “You seem nervous,” Camilla says to me as she buttons Liam’s khakis. He did try to do it first, but the pants are new and stiff, and his little fingers couldn’t do it, so he became frustrated and is irritable now.

  “Sit down so I can help you get your shoes on.”

  “Those hurt my feet,” he whines. He’s wearing a matching dark brown polo shirt, and I’m having flashbacks to my youth.

  “Let him wear his play clothes and socks if he wants.”

  Camilla stands and studies me. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

  “I’ve come to realize he can be brought up differently than how I was raised. He’s already a happier kid than I was at his age.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with Liam learning that there are times we dress more formally out of respect for the occasion or our company. I’m suspecting your change of heart on this matter might have more to do with your defiance against your parents.”

  “And I think you need a punishment for challenging my request and for knowing me so well.”

  “Momma, Boss-Daddy is going to get you in trouble if I can’t just wear my socks. You should wisten to him 'cause he’s the boss.”

  I throw my head back in laughter, and Liam joins in, even though he doesn
’t understand why. As much as Camilla doesn’t want to, she finds it funny, too.

  “You’re going to look nice to meet your grandmother and grandfather, so I will happily accept my punishment.” She flashes me a look, and the craving I can’t shake for her intensifies.

  “Ah, maaan,” Liam says.

  “You win some, you lose some, kid,” I reply. “Behave tonight, and I’ll take you to the bookstore tomorrow to pick out a new book.”

  “I like the toy store better, and they have books there, too.”

  “Have you ever been in a toy store?” Camilla asks.

  “Not since I was a child.”

  “I’ll show you,” Liam says. “You’ll have fun when you buy me toys.”

  This kid’s a riot. “Are you listening to him?”

  “Yes,” Camilla replies. “I see your training is working. He’s already learned his father’s manipulation skills.”

  “And I see his momma wants extra spankings.”

  Hurriedly, she covers Liam’s ears. “Watch it please. I don’t want him to think you punish me for real.”

  “Oh, but I do, and after the last time in the playroom, I can hardly keep a lid on my urges.” The doorbell rings. “My parents are here.”

  As my feet hit the marble floor in the hall, my heart thuds fast. I don’t know why I’m nervous since I’m certain my parents will love Liam. I think I’m concerned over what they’ll think about my parenting. My brief experience sure hasn’t made me an expert.

  After I take a deep breath, I open the door.

  “Mother, Father, welcome.” As they walk in, my mother kisses my cheek, and my father gives my shoulder a squeeze. Camilla and Liam are standing several feet behind me.

  I turn around, and he’s gripping her leg. “Liam, I want you to meet my mother and father, your grandparents.”

  “Oh, he’s so precious,” Estella says. Her heels tap against the floor as she rushes over to meet him. Liam’s face is scanning hers, and he smiles faintly over her enthusiasm.

  “Hi,” he says. My father bends over next, moving my mother out of his way.

  “Hi there, young man. I’m James, but you can call me Grandpa.” My eyes bug out over my father’s statement. I never dreamed pa would leave his lips.