by Kim Law
She twisted her arm until he let go. “Go back to your date.”
“Huh-uh. Not without you.” He peeked over at Greta, and waggled his fingers. She returned the gesture. “Greta and I would like you to join us.”
“I am not joining you for dinner. You’re on a date, JP. I’m just here to record it.”
“Ah, come on. Don’t be like that. We want you to join us.” He leaned in once again to whisper in her ear, only this time he grazed her with his lips and felt the pop of electricity down his body. “There are other photographers here, you know, just waiting for the money shot. Greta and I want to make sure we look courteous to our own personal historian.”
Vega stiffened underneath his mouth, and the tension sizzled around them. He quickly straightened when it occurred to him what it would look like when he escorted another woman back to his date and he was clearly sporting a raging erection. Though everyone knew it was a bought-and-paid-for date, that didn’t mean he could be outright rude to the woman.
He put a couple inches between himself and Vega. “I’m not leaving this corner without you, so if you’d rather you and I not end up on the eleven o’clock news instead of me and Greta, I suggest you politely come along.”
He may have sense enough to keep his hormones under control for the moment, but that didn’t mean he had the mental capacity to stay away from the fire.
Vega studied him, then Greta, then the other patrons in the room. She didn’t say whether she knew he was lying when he said there were other photographers around, but he wasn’t about to tell her that no way would the restaurant allow them inside the dining rooms. The manager went to great lengths to maintain privacy, and JP had had to work miracles just to get Vega approved to be in the room with her camera.
After what seemed like hours, she finally relented. She sighed and flipped the switch to stop the recording. “Fine, but I’m buying the most expense entrée on the menu.”
He grinned at her. “I already ordered it for you, sweetheart.”
Yes, he’d intended all along to have Vega at his table tonight. If he couldn’t have her in his bed, he’d take whatever he could get. He winked. “It should be arriving within minutes.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
AS THEY MADE their way across the room to JP’s own personal Jackie O, Vega couldn’t stop the nervousness from gurgling deep in her belly. After watching the two of them ooh and aah over each other for the last hour, she had to have lost her mind to be joining them. And JP was so full of crap. There wasn’t another person in this room with a camera. This restaurant wouldn’t allow it.
But she was starving, and the smells in this place were to die for. When she sat, a fat lobster was plopped down in front of her, and her mouth instantly watered. She looked at JP, unwilling to let him off the hook for even a second. “Wine?”
Before the word was out of her mouth, a glass was placed on the corner of the table, and the sommelier held out a bottle of Grüner Veltliner for JP’s inspection. An Austrian wine that, she knew from past experience, perfectly complemented boiled lobster dipped in garlic butter. She held in the moan at the thought of the upcoming flood of sensations to her taste buds, and was immediately taken back to their dinner at Cat’s. The wine-steak combination had been utter perfection.
Upon returning to the hotel, she’d looked up the wine, thinking she might order a case for herself. The stuff wasn’t cheap.
The sommelier poured a taste and waited for JP’s approval, then filled her glass. That’s when Vega noticed the bottle already on the table that he and Greta had been drinking was something else. He’d ordered this just for her. She glanced at him, and his eyes locked on hers. Yep. Just for her.
A slight cough came from the other side of the table, reminding Vega that she was interrupting Greta’s date.
“I’m sorry, Greta.” Vega smiled, hoping the woman hadn’t noticed the moment the two of them had just shared. “I didn’t mean to ignore you. Thank you so much for inviting me over. I’ve gotten some terrific footage of the two of you tonight.”
That was all it took to settle Greta’s momentary jealousy down.
“Really?” She flipped her long black hair over her shoulder and slipped into the harlot look she wore so often, before apparently remembering she was playing a different role tonight. She quickly masked her face and gave Vega a soft smile. “Thank you so much, you’re so sweet. I was just telling Jackson how special this will be for us some day. Our own history being recorded as it happens.”
Vega almost laughed out loud at the look on JP’s face. It pinched as if he’d just swallowed a lemon.
Greta continued to blather on about what a great team she and JP could make together and how she “knew people” and would be the perfect philanthropist by his side. JP’s eyes glazed over, and Vega almost felt sorry for him.
But then, she didn’t.
He might be stuck in the middle of a difficult situation for a few hours, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t get to enjoy the payoff at the end. At the thought, it became difficult to swallow the bite of lobster she’d just slipped between her teeth. She settled her hands in her lap and pretended the testosterone to her left didn’t exist.
After forcing the bite down her throat, she focused 100 percent on Greta. “Tell me more about yourself. I know you were married to Edward for what…five years?”
Greta’s faced glowed, and if Vega didn’t know better she’d think the woman might have actually loved her husband. “Yes. Five wonderful years.” She sighed. “Eddie was the greatest.”
As if realizing her words might bruise JP’s ego, Greta quickly reached across the table and patted his forearm. “Though you’re every bit as great, darling.”
JP closed his hand on top of Greta’s and stared into her eyes, giving her a dazzling smile. “I’ll do my best tonight to prove it.”
Vega shifted to turn her body more toward Greta. “Tell me about your life with him, if you don’t mind. I can’t say I followed your every movement, but I do recall seeing it mentioned that he took you somewhere pretty exotic for your honeymoon?”
Pleasure burst on the woman’s face. “Yes. We went to South Africa.”
Vega’s eyes bugged. “South Africa?” A Playboy Playmate and an eighty-year-old, trekking across the game reserves of South Africa? She had a hard time picturing it.
Greta blinked over at JP. “You don’t mind if I share some of this with Vega, do you, darling? She might want to use it for her story.”
Not a single touch of humor was visible as JP politely dipped his head. “Please, go ahead. She should get as much about you as possible.”
Her shoulders sagged briefly. “Thanks,” she breathed, then turned to Vega and completely forgot about her date. “It was the most amazing trip. Not only the wild animals, but the people we came in contact with. Their sense of community over there was unlike anything I’d ever seen.”
She went on to explain their entire trip, and Vega couldn’t help but be a little jealous. It had been years since she’d thought about doing anything so adventurous. When she had considered it in the past, she’d wanted to take her video camera and help bring attention to some of the communities in need there. Communities that had the most amazing vistas and cultures, but where many of the residents were also starving and dying at the same time.
The way Greta described her honeymoon made it clear the woman wasn’t nearly as empty-headed as the world believed. Why she fed that persona, Vega had no idea, but there was definitely a brain inside Greta’s head.
Vega remained focused on Greta as her storytelling moved into another adventure she and her husband had taken. This one in Alaska. When JP jumped in to share details of some of his own trips, the two of them laughed easily together, making Vega once again feel like the third wheel. That was okay though—she was the third wheel. She dug into her succulent lobster and pretended nothing about the situation bothered her.
“It sounds like you love adventure as much a
s I do.” Greta’s fake eyelashes fluttered at JP. She dipped her head modestly then looked coyly back up at him. “I’d love to take a trip with you. It would be like starting a whole new chapter in my life.”
He chuckled. “I’m not sure I could keep up with you, Greta. You sound like more woman than I’m used to.”
“Oh,” she giggled. “You silly thing. You do like to stroke a woman’s ego, don’t you?” Her gaze suddenly shifted to Vega’s. “Wouldn’t you agree? The man likes to stroke a woman’s ego?”
A commotion in the front of the restaurant got their attention, and as the three of them turned to see what was happening, the restaurant manager stepped to JP’s side, a look of concern registering on his face.
“Excuse me, sir. We have a situation with the paparazzi outside.” He glanced at Greta as he spoke to make it clear the situation had to do with who they were. “I apologize for the interruption, and I assure you we’re getting it under control, but I did want you to be made aware of the disturbance.”
JP nodded and rose. “I’ll help.”
“No need, sir, I just wanted to—”
“I’m the cause, Miguel. I’ll help.” He nodded to Greta, then landed his gaze on Vega. “Please excuse me, ladies. I’ll be right back.”
As he walked away, uncomfortable silence settled over the table before Greta once again turned her focus to Vega. Her polite expression was beginning to crack.
“Wouldn’t you agree?” Greta’s voice changed from perfect hostess, taking on a slight note of annoyance.
At a loss as to what she was talking about, Vega asked, “Agree with what?”
“That Jackson likes to stroke a woman’s ego.” Her blue eyes glittered behind her lashes. “Or better yet, likes to stroke a woman’s naked breasts.”
Panic lit a fire in Vega’s low belly. She could not believe the woman would bring up that photo here tonight. The stink was just starting to die down. Before she could figure out how to possibly reply to the question, Greta jumped back in, rage flashing across her face.
“I cannot believe you did that,” she sneered. “Did I not make it clear at the auction that I intend to have him? I’m more his style, my dear. Not you. Not you at all. You’re nothing more than a cheap piece of trash.” She laughed, an evil sound that made the skin down Vega’s spine light up. “You really thought flashing your boobs would get him long-term? Not a chance.”
Anger mixed in with the panic now, but Vega didn’t let it overtake her. She could not afford to make a scene. Doing so would look like nothing more than a fight over a man, and that was definitely the type of situation that would appeal to the cameras trying to make their way inside the building.
“I apologize, Greta.” The words stuck in her throat, but if she had any hope of calming the woman down before this conversation got out of control, she had to be placid. “Being caught like that certainly was not my intention.”
“Is that so?” Sculpted eyebrows rose, and the polite, serene expression Greta had worn all night was now completely gone. “Then you’d better be careful, Ms. Zaragoza. Keep it up and you might find yourself portrayed even worse than a few sleazy shots in the tabloids. There are evil people out there, you know? Keep prancing around in public with him and before you know it, you could become the next YouTube sensation.”
An instant chill swept Vega from head to toe. Greta was merely tossing random threats out, but she’d hit on Vega’s biggest fear. With the ease of cell-phone cameras these days, it would be so easy to get caught in a compromising position if she weren’t careful, and have it go viral.
Calmly placing her napkin on the table, she rose. “Excuse me.”
She needed to escape the fear roaring to life inside her as her past tried to make its way forward. When she turned to head for the ladies’ room, JP was standing in her path. His features were set in stone as he shifted his gaze from her to Greta.
She skirted around him, shaking off his hand when he reached out as if to stop her. Behind her, Greta shared how she’d missed him in the three minutes he’d been gone, her tone changing instantly back to sweet and demure.
JP muttered something in return, but Vega couldn’t care less what it was. She had to get away.
She hurried to the restroom, where she hid in one of the floor-to-ceiling stalls for several minutes until she had herself once again under control. This was merely an assignment. She could do it, and she could do it without letting one of the subjects get her riled up. She had to, in fact, or she’d have no job come the end of the week.
After splashing water on her overheated cheeks, she reapplied lip gloss, nodded to herself in the mirror, then tipped the attendant and stepped from the room. Right into JP.
Without a word, he closed his hand around her arm and dragged her from the hallway, to a small private section off the side of the kitchen.
“Are you okay?” he asked when they stopped, and she nodded. She suddenly was.
He’d come after her.
Worry creased the space between his brows, and she reached up to smooth the area. “I’m fine,” she whispered.
The two words lessened the tension in his shoulders, letting the air out of his chest.
“You should go back to your date, though,” she made herself say. Before she gets even more jealous, she wanted to add. In actuality, she couldn’t care less how jealous Greta got, but did suspect the greater the jealousy, the harder Greta would play the game.
“I don’t care about her right now,” he said. “She upset you. I need to take care of you first.”
His hand loosened where it still gripped her upper arm, and slid down, stopping when he reached her hand. He laced his fingers backward with hers, so that the backs of their hands were facing each other, and caressed his thumb along the outside of her forefinger. He then leaned in to speak in low tones.
“What all did she say? I only caught the end of it.”
Vega shook her head. It didn’t matter. And she couldn’t explain that the biggest problem was her fear that not only would she manage to get herself dragged through the mud again, but she’d take him with her.
“There was nothing sleazy about that picture of us, Vega.” He touched one finger to the underside of her chin when she didn’t say anything, silently edging her face up to his. “I told her that. You know that too, don’t you? What we had…what we have is not sleazy.”
Going for a smile, she gave him all she had. He was sweet to try to comfort her. “I had my top off, JP. Even you’ve got to admit that’s fairly sleazy—”
“It’s not,” he urged. “We’re not.”
She shook her head and fought back the tears that wanted to escape. If only things were different, she’d love seeing where they could go. “It doesn’t matter. That’s not what I’m so upset about anyway. Not exactly.”
His fingers squeezed hers. “Will you tell me what it is, then? Tell me and I’ll fix it. Are you afraid someone will do like she said? Put something out on YouTube?”
She gave a half shrug. It was close enough. She had enough people following her these days that one little misstep and she would definitely go viral.
“If it happened, I’d pay whatever it took to get it taken down. And I’d make certain that whoever was behind it never tried anything like that again. You know that, don’t you? I’d take care of it.”
His urging was almost more than she could bear. She focused on the intensity of his face and couldn’t help but fall a little deeper for him. Life was sometimes so unfair.
As if sensing her turbulent thoughts, he put his mouth to her ear. “Stay with me tonight, baby. Let me make love to you.”
She wanted to say yes more than any other time in her life, but she couldn’t keep letting herself fall into his arms. Every time she did made it even harder to walk away. With an enormous pile of regret, she glanced away from him. She had to make herself say no, but she couldn’t do it while staring into his eyes. She almost laughed at the thought. She wasn’t sure she c
ould manage it without staring in his eyes either. That’s when she saw the waiter standing slightly behind JP with his cell phone up in front of his face. He was taking their picture.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
JP swiveled to see what had caught her attention, then cursed at the same time that the man realized he’d been discovered. The man shot off through the kitchen, the phone disappearing inside the front pocket of his pants as he wound his way through the food stations. He was wiry and fast, but they’d both gotten a good look at him. He would be caught, Vega had no doubt.
JP tossed her a quick look, frustration and apology clear on his face. “I’ll be right back.”
“Yes,” she nodded. “Go.”
After he disappeared, she returned to the ladies’ room and splashed more water on her face, terrified over how difficult it was becoming to keep telling him no. She needed to get away from him, but knew she couldn’t. Not yet. But she could tonight, at least.
Knowing it might upset him when he came back and she was gone, she didn’t let that change her mind. It was time to take care of herself and let him get on with his life.
Pulling out her cell phone, she called a cab. The show would have to be done without the remainder of his and Greta’s date. And he’d have to get over the fact he couldn’t control her actions. He had a woman waiting on him tonight, and even if he wanted to, he couldn’t get out of the rest of this evening.
And she wasn’t going to sit around and watch another second of it unfold.
Especially after she’d just realized she was already more than halfway gone for him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
VEGA GLANCED AT the clock for the third time in the last ten minutes. JP was now thirty minutes late for work. She was sitting in his outer office waiting for him, and was beginning to wonder if he’d even come home from his date the night before. According to Beverly, since he didn’t have traffic to contend with—he lived in the penthouse on the top floor of his office building—he was practically never late.
