by Tara Rose
* * * *
Brett knew he and Mark were unlikely to find Billy in his office. He had the same title as Alaina, only instead of responsibility for the states of California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and Nevada, Billy had the Midwest territory, which comprised Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Kentucky. It also explained why that territory took in fewer new accounts each year than many others with more conservative states. He was usually on the golf course or lord knew where.
This morning was no different. He wasn’t in his office, and no one knew where he was. Since Sallyanne was in New Orleans for the day, it would be pointless to tattle on him. She left the department in Alaina’s hands when she went to the mainland once a week, but Alaina was too busy to babysit Billy.
“Want to walk over to legal and find Keith?” asked Mark.
“Yes.” Brett was determined to find out what had Nita so spooked. His money was on Keith. Billy was more of a follower, so whatever they’d done to her, Brett would bet that Keith had been the instigator.
“Lucie won’t like it.”
Keith was Lucie’s senior legal assistant, and Lucie watched all her employees like a hawk. “I don’t give a shit. I want to know what he did to Nita.”
“Maybe nothing.”
“Maybe not, but we’re going to find out.”
Mark shrugged. “All right. Let’s go.”
Lucie’s office door was closed, so that was a bonus. They still had to pass by the various administrative assistants before reaching Keith’s office, and too many of them eyed him and Mark like they were ready to gobble them up. While Brett had once enjoyed the attention, now it only made him sad. He was well past the age where he believed a twenty-one-year-old woman was interested in him for more than his family name or money. If only he’d known what he knew now years ago.
Mark was either oblivious to the stares and comments, or he was good at pretending he didn’t notice. But then again, Mark’s eye was on a greater prize. He wanted Sallyanne’s job. Although Brett agreed with him that Sallyanne was not an effective department head, if he had to bet on someone taking over her job one day, it would be Alaina, not Mark.
It wasn’t that Mark wasn’t qualified, but Alaina went the extra mile every day. She wasn’t a native and she had no Raleigh or Durante blood in her veins, so she had to work harder to prove herself. The rest of them didn’t. Sallyanne was Tim’s niece, and it was widely known that she was terrible at her job, but it didn’t matter. She was family, and Tim had a soft spot for her.
Keith was in his office, his feet propped up on his desk and laughing loudly on the phone. Brett and Mark walked in anyway, and when Keith saw them he frowned. “Hey, I gotta go. Call you later, okay?”
He disconnected the phone call and eyed them suspiciously. “What’s going on? The last time I saw either of you two in legal, it wasn’t good news.”
“Is it ever?” asked Mark. “Your department doesn’t get good news.”
Keith took his feet off the desk. “True. So what is it this time? A sales contract issue?” He turned his gaze toward Brett. “Something hinky going on in accounting?”
“Neither,” said Brett. He turned around. “Mind if I close your door? You probably don’t want anyone else hearing this.”
Keith laughed. “Wow. This is serious.”
“Very.” Brett moved closer to Keith’s desk after he shut the door. “We’re here to find out what happened in high school between you, Billy, and Nita Trudeaux.”
Keith raised his brows. “Nita Trudeaux? Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a while.”
“Well, she certainly knows yours. And Billy’s.”
“I’m at a disadvantage here. Why don’t you start from the beginning?”
“Don’t pull the attorney speak on us,” said Mark. “You know what we’re talking about. I see it in your eyes.”
Brett cut his gaze toward Mark, resisting the urge to high-five him. About time he showed he was on board with this.
“Why do you care what happened?” asked Keith. “I didn’t realize you two knew her.”
“We knew her in school, the same as you did.”
“You were two grades ahead.”
“We still knew her.”
“Then you also remember what she was like.”
“Refresh our memory,” said Brett.
Keith grinned. “All right. She’s a gold digger, just like most of the native women on this rock. There we were, sixteen years old, and she was a virgin. But so what, right? So were most of my female classmates. Just because I did her didn’t mean we were going to get married or something. She was relentless, declaring she loved me and there would never be any other man for her.”
Brett’s stomach turned sour. That didn’t sound like Nita at all, and now the rumors he and Billy had spread came rushing back in living color and full detail. He hadn’t believed them then, and he was even less inclined to accept them now.
He and Mark exchanged a glance, and Brett didn’t need to ask. Mark called bullshit, as well. “Really? She came onto you? Are you sure it wasn’t the other way around?”
Keith’s expression turned dangerous, but all that did was force a grin to Brett’s face. He was about as afraid of Keith as he would be of a grebe.
Brett took a seat in one of the chairs facing Keith’s desk and leaned forward. “You’re right. I do remember now. I remember the bullshit you and Billy spouted about her for an entire school year. And you know what? I didn’t believe it then any more than I believe it now. So why don’t we cut the crap, and instead you tell us what really happened? And then maybe…just maybe…we won’t both take you out back and kick your fucking ass.”
Chapter Four
Nita had just finished grilling the chicken breasts they were having for dinner when her cell phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number but knew it was one inside Phoebe’s Playthings because it was the same exchange that Alaina had used when calling to invite her and Phyllis to the meeting this morning. All the phone numbers inside Phoebe’s Playthings had the same first three numbers. But Alaina was in her contacts, and this number wasn’t.
“Hi, Nita? This is Brett Durante.”
Nita stared at the phone.
“Are you there?”
“Y–yes. Yes, I’m here. How did you get my number?”
“I asked Alaina for it.” His voice had a sheepish quality, but it wasn’t arrogant, which confused her even more. Why would he ask Alaina for her number?
“Why are you calling me?” She didn’t care if she sounded bitchy.
“Well, I was hoping I could persuade you to have lunch with me and Mark tomorrow.”
“What?” Had they talked to Keith and Billy? Were they trying to trick her, or did they have another motive?
“We spoke to Keith and Billy like you said. And I’m sorry we didn’t remember what those two did to you in school, but once we confronted them, it came back to both of us.”
Nita didn’t want to believe he was sincere, but his voice held no trace of bullshit. And that word…confront…it implied they’d been angry with Keith and Billy. Was this possible?
“I’m really sorry you went through that.” Again, he sounded sincere.
“I don’t know what they told you.” Who knew if it was the truth? She was at a disadvantage here.
“We’ll tell you what they said. And then the air will be clear between us.”
“Why can’t we do that over the phone?”
“We can, but Mark and I would like the chance to get to know you. The real you. Not the person those two assholes tried to make you out to be.”
She gripped her cell phone tighter. If she needed confirmation they didn’t believe the rumors, there it was. This was too good to be true. But what if they were only saying what she wanted to hear so she’d meet them tomorrow? She was so confused.
“How about we come by the shop around noon? Then we can talk there if you want, and—”
“No. No, I d
on’t want to bother my grandmother with all that. I’ll meet you someplace.”
“All right.” He sounded suspicious, but that was too bad. Nita had no intentions of telling her grandmother that story. “How about Lady of The Night?”
It was a public place, but she knew a lot of employees from Phoebe’s Playthings hung out there. They must know it, too, which meant they wouldn’t mind being seen with her. Then again, it could also mean they wanted witnesses. But she could easily walk away and return to the shop if things went south. “Okay. I’ll meet you there around noon.”
“Thank you, Nita.” Why did he sound so relieved? This was crazy. How could she go out with them as if nothing had ever happened, when every nuance of his voice on the phone was suspect? “We’re looking forward to it.”
“Me, too. I have to go now. I’m making dinner.”
“All right. See you tomorrow.”
Nita stared at her phone for a long time after disconnecting the call, wondering what the hell she’d just gotten herself into.
* * * *
Saturday morning, Nita almost called Brett and cancelled the lunch. She hadn’t slept well all night because she’d relived most of her sophomore year in her dreams. Her grandmother asked her what was wrong, and she lied, telling her she must have eaten too much chicken the night before.
“Mayhap it was those onions, not the bird. You always was sensitive to them.”
“That’s true. Next time I’ll leave them out.” She averted her gaze, dusting off a shelf of jars. “I’m having lunch out today with a couple of friends.”
“Well, ain’t that wonderful. It’s about time.”
Nita took a couple of deep breaths to control her heart rate. What her grandmother implied was the truth. She rarely went out with anyone, whether it was a date with a man or simply lunch with a girlfriend. Celina was her best friend, but she was so busy now with Dallas and Arizona that Nita hardly ever saw her.
As the time to meet Brett and Mark drew closer, her nervousness increased to the point she kept dropping things, which wasn’t like her at all. Fortunately, her grandmother was too busy with customers to notice.
When Nita asked her if she should cancel lunch to stay in the shop, her grandmother waved her away. “Don’t be silly. You go and have fun. I can handle this.”
Nita changed her outfit three times, finally deciding it hardly mattered how she looked for them. She ended up wearing jeans and a sweater. The November air was chillier than in the summer, but it still wasn’t cold enough for a jacket. She also wore her favorite boots because they made her feel sexy.
She wasn’t trying to impress Brett and Mark, but in case this conversation went south, she didn’t want to add to it by dressing like someone who didn’t give a shit what she looked like in public. She wanted them to think she was content and confident, not hanging on their every word or in need of their approval.
Lady of The Night wasn’t the only bar and restaurant on the island, or even the only bar downtown, but it was the most popular. Justin and Laila Macey owned it, and they’d inherited it from Justin’s parents. Giselle was a sub to Kade and Elliot, who no longer worked at Phoebe’s Playthings. If local gossip was to be believed, they’d quit when Asa had forced them to make a choice between their jobs and Giselle. Her grandmother had told her that there was a secret in Tim’s past that had to do with Laila, and that’s why Asa didn’t want Kade or Elliot with her.
As Nita made her way across the street toward Lady of The Night, she hugged herself, but not from the ocean breezes. She wondered if Laila had once had the same experience with Tim as she’d had with Keith.
In the warmer months, the bar was open on three sides. But now, thick canvas sheets attached to metal poles formed the walls. A screen door set into the canvas served as the entrance and exit from the street. Nita walked in, wishing it was warmer so she could have first scanned the crowd inside to see if Brett and Mark were already here. She was a bit early and didn’t want them to think she’d been anxiously awaiting their arrival.
Giselle no longer worked in her parents’ bar, but her two older sisters still did. Nita remembered them from school as surly girls who never had a kind word for anyone. Judging by the scowls on their faces as they worked, they hadn’t changed much. Neeva, the older one, came over and asked her if she wanted to sit at the bar or a table.
“I’m meeting someone, so let me first see if they’re here and then I’ll sit at the bar if they’re not.”
“Fine.”
Nita ignored her snarky tone of voice and scanned the patrons, spotting both men at a table near the west wall. They hadn’t seen her yet, and looked deep in conversation. She found herself wishing they weren’t so gorgeous. This would be easier if she wasn’t seized by years of pent-up horniness and loneliness every time she looked at them. How the hell was she supposed to sit here and have lunch with them, as if they were all great friends?
There was still time to walk away. She could call Brett from outside and make some excuse.… No. She wasn’t going to do that. She’d avoided the Durante and Raleigh men for fourteen years, and they weren’t going away.
Nita took a deep breath and walked toward them. Brett’s back was to her, so Mark spotted her first. His face lit up in a smile that her traitorous body responded to by sending shivers up and down her spine, and a gush of wetness to her pussy.
Hellfire.
His blue eyes resembled sapphires in this light, and when he stood she wished her gaze hadn’t traveled down his long legs. Brett turned around, gazing at her with admiration in his gray eyes. Both men wore jeans and button-down shirts, just like they’d had on at work, but for some reason the clothes looked sexier on them in this bar.
“There she is,” said Mark. “Thank you for this.”
“Thank you for inviting me.” She took a seat between them because she had no choice. It was the only other chair at the table.
“Would you like a drink?” asked Brett, glancing around for Neeva or Kirstie.
“Just water.”
Mark grinned again, pointing toward his Hurricane glass. “Are you sure? Laila made them with apple juice today, and they’re surprisingly good.”
“I’m fine. Thanks.”
Kirstie came over, flirted openly with Mark and Brett, and barely acknowledged Nita’s presence. The guys asked for water for her, and then ordered two appetizers so they could all share them.
Nita watched them closely while Kirstie tried her damndest to engage them in conversation beyond what they wanted for lunch. They weren’t buying into it, but the fact that they were ignoring Kirstie’s flirtations didn’t make them saints. They might simply be doing so because Nita was there.
When Kirstie finally left, Brett turned his gaze on her. “I love that color on you. It goes with your streaks.”
She’d worn a dark gray sweater with magenta and turquoise trim, but it hadn’t been a conscious choice to match it to her hair. “Thank you.”
He bent down to look at her legs. “And I love the boots.”
“They’re my favorite pair.”
“Was your grandmother all right with you leaving the shop on a Saturday?” asked Mark.
“She was fine with it.”
“Did you tell her you were having lunch with us?”
Nita was saved from having to answer because Kirstie returned. She plopped Nita’s water down in front of her, and then proceeded to flirt with Brett and Mark again, who this time glanced at their menus instead of her.
“Do you know what you want to eat?” asked Brett.
“No clue. Will you order for me? I’m sure I’ll love it. The food here is so good.”
He gave her a thoughtful look. “Sure. I’ll be happy to. Any food allergies or definite dislikes we should know about?”
“None.”
“All right. They have amazing po’ boys. Have you ever tried one?”
“No, I haven’t actually.”
“They’re fantastic. Obviously I�
�ve never had one in New Orleans, but I’ve been told by people who have that they’re just as good.”
“In that case, I’ll try one, too.”
Mark put down his menu. “Make it three.”
When Kirstie finally left, after glaring at Nita, Mark asked her again if she’d told her grandmother she was having lunch with them.
“I told her I was going out with friends.”
The men exchanged a cryptic glance, and then Mark leaned closer. All that did was send additional shivers down her spine and make her wish they were in a more private place. What the hell was wrong with her? “Nita, why are you reluctant to tell her you’re having lunch with us?”
Was he kidding? She stared from one man to the other, certain now that she should have cancelled this. She couldn’t take it any longer. She needed to find out what Keith and Billy had said to them, and what they believed. Otherwise she might as well go home right now. These damn head games were too much for her to handle today.
Nita opened her mouth to speak but stopped when Neeva appeared with their appetizers. After she left, she took a bite of the crab cakes, only to collect her thoughts. She didn’t want to insult them, but enough was enough. “Okay. Maybe you’d better tell me what Keith and Billy said to you.”
Brett settled back as if he was about to speak, but Mark spoke first. “Why didn’t you tell your grandmother you were meeting us?”
She searched his face, but found no insincerity on it. He didn’t seem dense, so what the hell was going on? “Because I’m at a distinct disadvantage here, and I didn’t want her getting the wrong impression.”
“Let’s tell her what happened yesterday,” said Brett.
Mark narrowed his eyes, glanced from her to Brett, then back again. “Does she know what Keith did to you?”
“No. And don’t you dare tell her.” She hadn’t meant to sound like such a paranoid nutcase. Nita leaned closer and lowered her voice. “There is no reason she ever needs to know about that. It would kill her. She thinks the world of your families. She’s never bought into the way some of the native families feel. She admires and respects your ancestors. I don’t want her thinking…what I mean is…I don’t want that tainted with…”
