“That’s the attitude I need to hear.” Closing the call out, I noticed there were two texts from Tricia after I’d gone back to sleep. The first at 10:45 p.m. and the second at 12:15 a.m.
Tricia : May I come and see you?
Tricia : You’re going to have to talk to me sometime.
I clutched my cell to my chest and drew in a deep breath, the words I’d said to my father ringing in my ears and thought Deanna could be a welcome distraction from Tricia. If I spent some time with her, she would at least take my mind off the Tricia and Bradley sideshow.
As I crawled out of bed the air in the room smelled thick with acetone from my breath. Alcohol oozed from my pores and the sour aroma of sweat and whiskey clung to my body. I swore to myself to do better and not to drink like that again while in Denver. I padded barefoot and naked into the bathroom, praying a quick circuit in the gym and a warm shower would breathe new life into me.
Deanna had called while I was in the shower after my workout. I called her back and arranged to meet in the coffee bar outside the conference center. When I entered I immediately recognized her. Walking toward her, I took in her appearance and noted how gorgeous she was, no longer the gangly girl in her early twenties I’d met before.
As she’d matured Deanna had a soft curvy body, her auburn hair much longer, and she wore a copper and white polka dot dress with a pair of copper heels. She looked affluent and stunning, and when she recognized me a slow warm smile crept over her face.
“James Wild, as impeccable and handsome as ever,” she stated boldly, taking me in.
“Deanna,” I said, dipping my head before she leaned in and kissed me on both cheeks in a European-style greeting. As she stepped back, I returned the compliment. “You look beautiful. It’s been a long time,” I added.
Smiling bashfully, she rolled her eyes. “What you mean is it’s been a long time since our parents tried to marry us off.”
I chuckled. “Don’t mock it, I’ve been told recently I’d have been quite the catch.” A sweet laugh escaped her lips as her eyes roamed the length of my body again.
“Indeed, you would have,” she surmised quietly.
“What about you? Who caught you?”
“Still free as a bird. Do you know how hard it is to meet decent men when you have money?”
“Looking the way you do, I find that hard to believe. Maybe you’re just a tad too suspicious.”
“Perhaps, but it’s good to be cautious. Right now, I’d settle for a handsome construction worker, or poor artist … but they’d have to be great with their hands.” Her candid comment made me laugh.
“That’s the one thing I loved about you when we met,” I admitted.
“What did you love?” she asked, plumping her hair in mock vanity.
“Those one-liners set to shock your parents. You almost gave your father an aneurysm with the comments you made at those dinners.”
“Serves him right for trying to set me up,” she said with a chuckle.
“You could do worse,” I said, shrugging.
“A whole lot worse,” she said, brazenly objectifying me and widening her eyes. “But whomever I end up with will be my choice of husband, not my father’s.”
“So I’d have been in the running if your dad hadn’t stuck his beak in.”
She shrugged. “I was just re-evaluating what good taste my father has in potential suitors.” Deanna’s flirty banter gave me the lift I’d needed, and I grinned widely.
“You’re a tonic, just what I needed this morning.”
“Hm, I’ve never been called that before,” I replied, chuckling.
“Called what?” I turned my head toward the familiar voice interrupting and saw Tricia stirring creamer into her coffee.
“Excuse me, are you talking to me?” Deanna asked, her eyebrow raised toward Tricia, and I saw no way out of the situation except to introduce the two women.
“Tricia Mattison, meet Deanna Waitland. Deanna’s father is an associate of my father’s.”
“And both our fathers wanted to marry us off,” Deanna added unreservedly.
Tricia’s eyes narrowed instantly and she eyed up Deanna like she wanted to lay her out flat. My chest tightened at the possessive way Tricia stepped in close to me, and I loved that Deanna had made her jealous.
“I’m sure many fathers would be delighted to have a man like James take care of their daughters.”
“And you know each other, how?” Deanna asked, her curious eyes flitting from my face to Tricia’s.
Tricia eyed me for a moment while emotions of lust and want ran through them before she shrugged.
“It’s complicated.”
“She’s lying. We saw each other a few times, but it didn’t work out,” I replied, calling her out.
“So… shall we find a spot to talk business, James?” Deanna asked, politely dismissing Tricia from our conversation. Tricia’s eyes looked far darker than usual. Jealousy looked good on her.
“Lead the way,” I prompted. “Catch up with you later, Tricia,” I added, although I had little intention of doing so.
“I’ll hold you to that, James Wild,” Tricia called after me, undeterred when I went along with Deanna.
“Wow, that’s a woman who knows what she wants,” Deanna muttered, as she walked head down with her coffee held in front of her.
“I think it’s more a case of wanting what she can’t have.”
Turning to look at me, she arched a brow. “She can’t? That’s not what I read in the way you examined her.”
“She’s here with some other guy.”
“Poor guy, because if she’s that blatant about cutting in on me, she won’t be keeping him around for much longer.” Deanna’s observation made my heart lurch because it told me if others saw how she looked at me, it was proof she was into me. “Let’s forget your complicated love life for a few minutes, I have a few propositions I’d like to put your way.
Fifteen minutes later, I knew Deanna and I would be valuable allies in business for a long time to come.. Grabbing another fresh coffee, we headed into the conference room for the first speaker of the day. Filing into an empty row of seats, I sat next to Deanna on an end seat next to the aisle. Two minutes later Tricia came in with Bradley in tow and sat two rows in front.
Bradley immediately rested his arm around the back of her chair, leaned in, and murmured something into her ear. Tricia turned and smiled before bending down and pulling her tablet from her bag. As soon as she switched it on, Bradley’s head connected with hers as they shared her screen prior to the keynote speaker taking his podium.
“I think you two need to talk,” Deanna informed me with a smirk. I turned my head to look at her with a puzzled look. “She’s clearly flaunting that guy in your face, and the tension between you both is stifling.”
“I’m not with her, Deanna,” I objected, sounding stern.
“Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean either of you are happy about that.”
I didn’t respond to her comment and tried to focus on the speaker who outlined the day’s agenda, which had sounded as exciting as being served with a pile of dry toast with no water to wash it down.
Next a small stereotypical mathematician took to the stage and looked positively pre-orgasmic as he clicked through spreadsheets, pie charts, and statistics displayed in visual form via a drab-looking PowerPoint presentation.
I scanned the room, as looked for Rhea and prayed her notes were comprehensive because I had zero concentration. I’d been too busy noting Tricia and her guy in front of me, and my attention to anything else had gone to shit.
Trying to focus again on the speaker, my mind toyed with shutting down due to the monotone voice droning on through the auditorium—its faint echo making me feel distant to the unengaging delivery—as much as the monotonous subject matter. Every minute he spoke felt like ten and by the time his hour was done, I wasn’t sure I could sit through another presenter without falling asleep.
Deanna stood and smoothed down her dress. “Okay, this is me,” she said, as she stuffed her tablet back in her oversized, expensive designer purse. “I have a workshop in one of the other seminar rooms now.” Nodding toward Tricia, she gave me a pitied smile. “Talk to her, James. It doesn’t take much to see how tightly you’re wound when you look at her.”
I nodded because despite my intentions to keep my distance from Tricia, I felt bile build up in my stomach when I saw her with someone else.
Chapter Fourteen
Two cups of expresso later, Rhea finally caught up with me. “That was so interesting, right?” she gushed, her eyes bright and excited like she’d been just had the biggest thrill of her life.
“What was?”
“The speaker,” she replied, nodding in the direction of the conference room we’d just vacated.
“Are you following the same itinerary as me, because that dude was fucking boring. It took all my effort not to curl up on the floor and take a nap.”
“You’re kidding, right? That guy’s funnels were mind-blowing … totally revolutionary, in fact.”
“Maybe it was his delivery then,” I lied. I hadn’t taken in a word he’d said, such was my lack of focus due a lingering hangover despite my mega caffeine infusion.
“Would it help if I made a bullet point account of his speech and emailed it to you?”
“You’d be a lifesaver if you did that,” I replied with a slow smile. “Maybe it was the early meeting I had with Deanna Waitland that threw me off, I guess my mind was still mulling over a couple of propositions she’d made when he started to talk,” I lied.
Rhea nodded. “Interesting, you must tell me about those when we’ve got time to catch up,” she said, accepting what I’d said and busied herself with her tablet. I requested yet another coffee, an Americano while Rhea poked at her tablet, number crunching, making line and column charts like a demon possessed. Less than five minutes later she’d attached everything to an email and pressed send.
“There,” she said. “Now you have the CliffNotes version of the talk.” I was thanking her when all the other delegates began shuffling back into the conference room. I cussed under my breath when I had to subject myself to another boring speaker with his self-indulgent attempt to look smarter than everyone else in the room.
Somehow, I got through the rest of the day, but there were times when I’d felt I was drowning in math equations, formulas for success, and workshops on how to maximize profits. Fortunately, I hadn’t seen Tricia or Bradley again, but Deanna was right, Tricia was a major distraction I couldn’t ignore and do my job properly any longer. As I made my way back to my suite, I took the decision I’d talk to Tricia one-on-one if she reached out again.
Remembering I’d turned my cell off for the conference, I took it from my suit jacket pocket and turned the power on. Three text alerts pinged in rapid succession. My heart raced with the thought one was from Tricia and hurriedly checked them out. The first was from Sawyer, asking if I was free to take Colby to a baseball game with him. The second was from my best friend, Josh, inviting me on a skiing trip, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw the third was indeed from Tricia.
Tricia M: Talk to me.
Adrenaline rushed through me when I read her demand, and my thumbs instantly worked a reply.
Me: Tell the front desk you have been asked to meet with me in the Penthouse. I’ll call ahead and tell them to send you up.
Entering the suite, I shrugged out of my suit jacket, wandered through to the bedroom and hung it on the back of the chair. Loosening my blue silk tie and top button on my white button-down shirt, I rolled up my sleeves, and grabbed my laptop. Feeling more comfortable, I went back to the sitting room, sat on the long sectional couch and had tried to appear relaxed.
My heart pounded with the risk of us meeting again, but I thought with the absence of alcohol, sexy dresses, and another guy lusting after her in front of my eyes, I would be able to keep my sense of perspective.
The soft swishing sound of the elevator car stopping inside the suite signaled Tricia’s arrival. My eyes immediately slid expectantly toward the entrance hall. When she stepped out wearing a flowing, floor-length jade green dress and flip-flops my heart skipped a beat and I cussed I couldn’t control myself better. Scanning her frame from head to toe, my hungry eyes were instantly enthralled. Dragging them away I placed my laptop on a side table, stood, and walked toward her.
“Finally,” she mumbled, arms out as she headed toward me and I shook my head.
Without replying I grasped her wrists, pulled them down, and turned her in the direction of the sectional for her to take a seat.
“Water?” I asked as I followed her. I couldn’t bear how the air in the room shifted between us; it also thickened for the lack of conversation and how near she was to me. Inhaling the same alluring fragrance of lilacs I had remembered, I cussed inwardly again at how addictive I found her.
When she sank on the couch, she folded her hands casually on her lap, and my eyes lingered on them a little too long, observing her sexy burgundy painted fingernails. A pulse of pleasure ran through me with a fond memory of those nails raking down my muscular back and I immediately shook it off.
“Does Bradley know you’re here?”
“This has nothing to do with him,” she answered with a frown, and the way she stared me down, I figured maybe it didn’t. Then, I had wondered if she treated Bradley with as little emotional regard as she had toward me.
“Does he know that?” I retorted, before I reminded myself again it was none of my business. “Water?” I asked again without waiting for an answer to my previous question, my voice now an octave lower—thicker—it matched the heavy atmosphere between us.
“No thank you,” she replied.
I reached into the refrigerator, pulled one out and snapped off the lid. I swallowed half the bottle, noting how much thirstier I had become since she had arrived. Determined to keep my distance, I grabbed a chair from the dining set, turned it around, and sat on it, resting my forearms along the backrest—consciously but effectively creating another physical barrier between us.
“It really is good to see you,” she said, and my brow bunched. My heart squeezed at the sound of those words. Her eyes danced over my face as she took me in, and I hated how appealing she looked.
“Why? You’re going to have to elaborate why this is a good thing, since neither of us feels comfortable in the other’s company. If I remember correctly, you stalked me that last time when we ran into each other, and for what? To test out whether you could still have me?”
When she didn’t reply but looked guilty, fury tightened my chest and I drew in a long breath as I gathered my composure. “How did that feel when you saw me resist you? You have no idea how I resented you after that. Do you know your little move cost me my relationship?” I scoffed at my reprimand because it was hypocritical. It had been my poor resistance to her when I’d first seen her that had sent Juliette packing.
“I know, Billie told me. I thought of calling you, but… well, that’s in the past, I guess, but we’re here now and I wanted to apologize for how I was back then.”
“What is wrong with you? You’re so fucked up. Any normal person would be embarrassed to show their face after what you did.” To her credit she looked horrified and ashamed, but mainly she looked hurt. My heart clenched regardless of how she had treated me when I saw how uncomfortable I’d made her.
Physically, my body reacted in the same way as it always did when she was near. Even as warning bells sounded loud and clear in my head, my hands curled into fists because I’d wanted to reach out and touch her. Juliette had been right, what I felt toward Tricia was a gravitational pull I had no power to ignore.
“There was a time when I’d wanted this insane attraction we share to burst into flames, but since I met Juliette, using women for sexual gratification hasn’t interested me anymore. I’m done with that phase in my life. Besides, you made it clea
r that you weren’t up for anything else so …” I shrugged, feeling old and predictable for thinking I wanted to settle down.
My eyes narrowed as I watched her rub one hand over the other, her focus on them for a moment until she lifted her head and looked me directly in the eyes.
“That night of the wedding, that was only supposed to be a bit of fun… and it was,” she added quickly, “except it meant much more than that for me… more than I’d expected to feel… I… I didn’t see you coming,” she said quietly, her tired tone making her sound regretful.
“I’m confused, Tricia. That isn’t true. You made it very clear what you wanted from me,” I snapped.
“At the time I thought I did, but that’s not what I mean. I never wanted to get attached but I guess you’re different from anyone else I’ve met.” She sighed and appeared nervous as she stared down at her hands. Focusing and twisting a gold ring with a large sapphire gem protruding from it. “I made it my life’s work not to get attached to guys … not ever.”
“So you said,” I snapped again.
“No, James, what I mean is I can’t control how I feel about you.”
“Because having feelings for someone is an awful prospect?” I responded sarcastically.
“Until recently, I was too focused on living my life in the present. One day at a time, every single day. I felt if I had encouraged you, it would have led to thoughts of the future, which would only end in heartache for us both. Billie told me what Charlotte did to you, and I didn’t want to be another of your mistakes.”
My heart pounded at the thought she couldn’t see herself living her life any other way. Living in the present was fine for people in their twenties and thirties, but looking into her eyes I saw regrets and that made it difficult to believe she didn’t want a future with someone.
Edging my chair closer, I stayed seated but crooked my index finger under her chin to see her eyes better before I could stop myself. She looked up at me and her eyes softened. They closed as she relished in my caring touch. “You sound so sure you’d have been a mistake, why is that? Tricia, did something happen to you?” I asked, suddenly more concerned.
Resist You (Unchained Attraction Book 3) Page 12
