by Tina Donahue
“You’re sure?”
She wasn’t, but nodded.
Sunny thumbed chocolate from her mouth. “He and Roger had an argument at Quintana. Roger and I were there for brunch and all of a sudden, Adam was there too, real polite, but I could see how pissed he was. He said he wanted to talk to Roger, so I told them I’d go to the ladies’ room. I didn’t.” She drew in her shoulders. “Adam’s a big guy and Roger’s older and not that toned and I was afraid Adam might slug him—he looked like he wanted to—so I hung out by the phones to watch, and to help Roger if I could. They left the table and stopped near the phones. Neither saw me when they started talking about you.”
“Me?” Adam following Roger to a restaurant and confronting him about her made zero sense. Him being angry made even less, unless Roger had said something cruel. “Did Roger make a disparaging remark about me to Adam or to someone in the office?”
“Ladies, you doing all right?”
A gym attendant had stopped near them, his bod flawless, his mood miffed, possibly because she and Sunny weren’t exercising.
“We’re fine.” Danni lifted her chin. “If we need you, we’ll call you, okay?”
He arched one eyebrow and wore a look that said ‘screw you’ then strolled away.
Sunny leaned to the side, watching. “Nice butt.”
“He’s gay. If he wasn’t, he would have been all over you like every guy is.”
“Not Adam. He doesn’t know I exist.”
“Yeah, I know. What did Roger say about me that Adam didn’t like?” She pushed the chocolate piece into her mouth. “I’m not gorgeous like you?” She rolled her eyes. “As if I didn’t know as much already?”
The compliment didn’t make Sunny smile. “They weren’t arguing about your looks or mine.”
Danni stopped chewing. Her palms got sweaty. “Roger knows Adam and I are seeing each other, doesn’t he? Did he tell Adam he doesn’t want us to because we work in the same office? Aw, shit, Sunny, didn’t I ask you not to tell him about us?”
“I didn’t.” She made a face. “I wouldn’t.”
Not the answer Danni expected. “I’m sorry. Forgive me, please.” She wanted to soothe Sunny’s hurt feelings, but was too unglued for niceties. “What happened between them?”
Sunny’s color drained. “I’m really, really sorry about this, and I didn’t want to tell you, but I can see how worried you are about the way Adam’s been acting, so you should probably know the truth.”
Good God, cross-examining a four-year-old would’ve been easier. “Which is?”
Sunny moaned. “Roger wanted to fire you.”
The candy stuck in Danni’s throat. Her face stung from shock and humiliation. She thought Roger had compared her unfavorably to Sunny, but he disliked her so much he wanted to get rid of her?
“Adam talked him out of it.” Sunny smiled. “Your job is safe. No way would I lie about that.”
The room kept spinning. “Why would he want to fire me?” Her voice gurgled from emotion and the sugary chocolate. “Did he say I wasn’t performing well enough?”
“Oh no. It’s not about your work, but the money. He wanted to replace you with someone cheaper from the home office.”
She’d asked Adam if he’d tell her if something was wrong.
He’d told her to trust him and said he would tell her everything. Full disclosure. No lying, evasions, BS, or other crap.
She rubbed her temple. “Was this a sudden decision on Roger’s part? Did something happen with the line Adam didn’t tell me about? Did we lose a major merchant? Are we going out of business?”
“He didn’t say anything like that. He kept telling Roger how his decisions have been saving the company big bucks. From what Adam said it’s doing great. Roger didn’t seem so sure. Adam got pissed and accused him of wanting to go over his head as soon as the launch is over. He said Roger would fire you then as he’d wanted to all along.”
All along? The words wrenched Danni’s stomach. She recalled her first weird meeting with Adam and Roger. How Roger pretended to schmooze her while quizzing her about every-fucking-thing.
Adam said Roger hadn’t been pumping her for info, he’d been testing him.
A lie.
Adam had also claimed he was different from other men. Not a dishonest bastard like Matt or Bryan, telling her what they thought she wanted to hear, while doing something else behind her back that would ultimately hurt her and destroy her trust in them.
“Danni?”
She reached the lockers before Sunny caught up.
Sunny panted. “Where are you going?”
“I don’t know. Home.” Adam had her believing his job was in peril, he’d let her spout that nonsense, when all along her position was on the line. She’d comforted him when she needed solace. She’d doubted herself when he misled. She ignored her intuition, the only real thing in this whole sorry mess. What freaking irony. She managed a wry smile.
“Wait.” Sunny grabbed her arm. “Stay with me tonight. Don’t go home by yourself when you’re so upset.”
“I’m fine.” She yanked her arm away.
“You’re mad.”
She wasn’t. Anger would come later. Right now, knowing yet another man had deceived her, one she’d loved completely, made her numb. She would have given anything to tell Sunny she was crazy wrong, her concerns were stupid, he hadn’t done anything to betray her trust.
How she wished she’d remained clueless. Completely enamored. Foolishly hopeful. No different than her mom.
From the beginning, Adam had known Roger’s plans and hadn’t given her warning to look for another job, to prepare and maintain some dignity. He’d simply reined in his lust until she’d thrown herself at him. Then he’d slept with her, laughed with her, shared intimate secrets with her, made her believe in truth again and still kept her in the dark. Worst of all, he’d started to pull away. She figured only two things could have made him do so. His conscience bothered him too badly to continue or he knew he couldn’t change Roger’s mind about her. Maybe that’s why he’d been mad at Quintana. He knew her days at Painted Ladies were ending and he didn’t want to face her shock and hurt.
But then, he’d saved her position and now expected everything to be all right. For them to move on to the next phase of their what-she-doesn’t-know-won’t-hurt-me relationship.
Not this time. Not ever again.
Soul-deep hurt and despair gripped her.
On his desk, Adam had lined up apple juice, coffee, French toast sticks, and enormous omelet sandwiches from Burger King. A veritable feast.
He checked his watch. His driver wouldn’t arrive for an hour and a half, the staff for two hours. He and Danni had plenty of time to enjoy their breakfast and each other before he had to leave for his flight.
Metallic clicking sounded in the reception area.
Danni unlocking the front door.
Coffee in hand, he rushed from his office, then recalled he’d left the door unlocked for her. He sipped his brew and advanced through the shadowed hall leading to the elevators. The circular globes above them were dark. She wasn’t yet on her way here. Back in his office, he checked the time and tried to recall if he told her to be here at 5:30 or 6:00.
At 6:30, he called her a third time. Still no answer or voicemail prompt. Never before had she been late.
He had a loony urge to dial 9-1-1, but didn’t. They’d hardly care if she hadn’t shown up for his breakfast surprise, the food now swimming in cold grease. She couldn’t have forgotten their plans. Even if she had, she’d always been here by now. It gave them an hour to be alone before the staff poured in.
Maybe she had car trouble. Oh God. His stomach dropped. She couldn’t have been in an accident. He turned on the radio, searching for the traffic station.
Five commercials later, the announcer came on. Her cheery voice proved there weren’t any freeway tragedies. “Good morning, people. Everything’s smooth as can be. No alerts on the major
arteries. Movement from the east is…”
He listened for fifteen minutes then turned it off, his worry zipping in a new direction. Danni having slipped in her bath and hitting her head. Shit. If she was unconscious in a filled tub… He grabbed his phone but didn’t call 9-1-1, doubtful they’d respond if he expressed his concern. However, even if he left now, he’d need twenty minutes or more, depending upon traffic, to get to her place. He couldn’t arrive as fast as they would.
He tapped in the 9.
Noise sounded in the outer office. Someone opening the door.
He dropped his phone in his pocket and rushed past his secretary’s desk.
Light poured through the blinds on Danni’s window, creating a striped pattern on the opposite wall.
His heart stopped slamming into his throat. She was all right. She must have had car trouble or overslept.
He hurried into her office, expecting a smile, hug, and explanation as to why she’d been late.
Her head was lowered, hair shielding her face. She dug into her purse for something.
He cleared his throat softly to avoid startling her. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
She didn’t look up.
Surprised, he stepped closer, hoping nothing bad had happened with her mom. “I’ve been trying to reach you for over an hour. I couldn’t even get voicemail.”
“Must be full.”
“Everything okay with your mom?”
“Once she leaves my dad, it will be.”
Adam wasn’t about to comment. A saner man might have taken the hint and left. Being in love, he wanted to help and to be with her until his driver arrived. His L.A. trip would take him away from her for two days. An eternity. “I had breakfast in my office. That is, I got us breakfast. It’s kind of cold now, but we can nuke it and put ice cubes in the apple juice.”
She tossed her purse on a chair. “I’m not hungry. You go ahead.”
“I can get something later. I’d rather stay here with you.”
She lifted her face, but glanced at a report on her desk, rather than him. “Don’t you have a flight to catch?”
She wanted him gone. At least that’s what her words implied. Her voice contradicted them, wobbling as if she were about to cry.
Like a spectator at a particularly gruesome accident, he wanted to escape whatever was happening but remained frozen, unable to leave. “Yeah, I do have a flight, but my driver won’t be here for a few minutes.”
She rounded her desk to the file cabinets. “How’s business?”
“What?”
She rifled through the folders. “How’s the company doing? Good? Bad?”
“We’re hitting projections.”
“You’re sure?”
He frowned. “Yeah. You know as much as I do. You get my reports.”
“That’s right. And you’d tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you? So, why are you going to L.A.? Are you going to be working on consolidating the finance and accounting departments while you’re there?”
Apprehension squeezed his throat. His pulse raced at her crack about him telling her if something was wrong. He couldn’t fathom how she knew about the consolidations. “Among other things.”
“The poor people here are going to lose their jobs.” She opened a manila folder and ran her finger down the stats inside. Her hand shook, so did her voice. “Do they know? Are you going to inform them after your trip? Or are you planning to keep them on board, telling them how great they are, how much you want them until after the launch?”
She knew about Roger’s plan to fire her. Adam’s mouth went so dry, his voice scraped. “Danni.”
She faced him. Pain and anger pinched her features. Her eyes were puffy, as if she’d cried this morning. Possibly last night too.
“Danni, I—”
“Don’t.” She held up her hand, a warning not to come closer.
He stepped back, his words rushing out. “Did Roger call you? Did that prick say he wanted to save a few bucks by replacing you?”
Tears filled her eyes. “Listen to yourself.”
He gestured helplessly, not knowing how to behave, the correct words to say. “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
“Yeah, I know.” Sorrow dulled her voice. “You’re worried he told me. Relax, he didn’t. I found out on my own. Doesn’t it bother you to have kept the truth from me when I had a right to know?”
“I wanted to save your position and I did. You’re here for good. I worked my ass off to convince him.”
“Because we were involved?”
Were? This couldn’t be happening. “I would have fought hard for anyone who deserved it.”
“Is that a no?”
“You’re well aware how I feel about your work.” He talked fast, his words a plea. “I did everything I could conceivably think of to keep your job.”
“Screw the job!” She threw the folder on the floor. Reports fanned out. One hit his shoe. “I had a right to know. I had a right not to have you lie to me. You knew from the beginning what he had planned, from the first day you were here, don’t deny it.”
He couldn’t now. “Yeah, I knew. He told me a few minutes before you came into the conference room.”
She slumped as if she’d expected him to tell her something easier to accept. He couldn’t imagine what it might be. She wanted the truth, yet she didn’t like hearing it any more than anyone else did.
She closed the file door and sagged against it. “That day in the parking garage, when I asked why you’d resisted me for so long, do you remember what you said?”
He didn’t. Another test he’d fail. “I’m sorry, no. Will you remind me?”
“You said you were stupid, not that you had lied. I gave you so many chances to tell me what was going on. I remember them all even if you don’t.”
“Danni, I know I screwed up. I didn’t handle this well, but I never intended to hurt you. That’s what I was trying to avoid.”
“You don’t think it hurt me when you grew distant? When I knew you were worried but you wouldn’t tell me why? You don’t think I wondered what was going on when you swung from horny to cold? Do you know what it’s like to try and guess what another person is feeling or thinking? When I didn’t show up this morning, did you wonder why I wasn’t here?”
“You know I did.”
She shook her head and left the cabinet, putting more distance between them. “No, I don’t know. Since Vegas, I haven’t been able to read you. This has never been a game to me, Adam. What you intended to do isn’t important to me. All I can go on is what you’ve done.”
“Danni, please.”
“Hello?” A young male voice called from the reception area. “I’m with Zeigler Transport to pick up Mr. Farrell.”
She stepped behind her desk. “Your ride’s here.”
“I’ll get rid of him and catch a later flight so we can talk.”
“No.”
His chest tightened at the finality in her voice. “Then we’ll talk when I return.”
She looked out her window, her back to him.
Shit. After the hell he’d been through to keep her, they couldn’t be over.
“Mr. Farrell?”
He looked over. “What?”
The young guy smiled cautiously from the doorway. “I’m with Zeigler Transport.” He glanced at his watch. “We should get going. I just heard there’s some debris on the 101. It may delay us.”
“Adam, thank God you haven’t left yet.” Woody, still in his overcoat, stood on tiptoes behind the driver to see past his shoulder. “Can I have a word with you before you take off?”
The driver pleaded. “We really should go now.”
With no other choice, Adam exited her office. Minutes later, he left the building.
Chapter 15
Danni pressed her fist to her forehead and told herself to concentrate on cleaning out her desk. She had to be long gone by the time Adam returned from his trip. There wasn�
�t another choice.
Pride demanded she quit no matter the risk in finding a similar job or the time and effort she’d given this place. She didn’t want Adam strong-arming Roger into keeping her as if she had no talent except for sleeping with the boss. Hell, they were lucky to have her. Besides, she’d asked one thing from Adam—there would be no deception in their relationship. No lies. She’d had her fill from every other frigging man in her life and wanted the truth from him no matter how brutal.
He’d said he never intended to hurt her.
A whimper froze in her throat. She believed him, but his lie didn’t make his evasions any easier to bear or stop her from worrying if there might be others. God, she felt like such a fool for trusting him so completely. No sexual demand had been too much. How could it when she loved him and craved everything he did.
She balled the tissue in her fist and hurled it across her office.
“You’re still mad.”
Danni dropped her hand and looked up. Framed in her doorway, Sunny held the frothy bras and panties she’d model in the show. The pastel confections represented the new line, along with Danni’s ending tenure at Painted Ladies and with Adam. Her stomach cramped so badly, she winced. “I’m always in a pissy mood when I have to look for a new job and a life where there aren’t any lying, dishonest, or stupid men.”
“Don’t say that.” Sunny glanced over her shoulder at the outer office. Given the loud conversations and laughter, the staff was busy with their own stuff, not caring what went on in here. After closing the door, she pulled a chair next to the desk and sat, her long legs stretched out in front. “I shouldn’t have told you. I wouldn’t have, but you did say Adam had been acting strange. I knew you were worried he’d cheated on you. You looked like you wanted to hurl when I said you were going to be mad at me.”
Danni grabbed another tissue and shredded it. “Him cheating on me never crossed my mind.” Even if he’d lived a secret life, which included having several major felonies to his credit, she sensed he wouldn’t screw around on her. It wasn’t in him. “I thought he might be getting tired of me.”
