by Karen Ferry
“So…what do you propose?”
“A party. At your apartment, tonight.”
I try to protest. “I have to work –”
“This is work. Besides, your sous chef can handle the restaurant for one night, can’t he?” His amused voice grates on my nerves.
“Fine,” I sigh.
“Excellent. Start calling everyone of your contacts, and I’ll do the same from my end.”
“Have I ever told you what a meddling, annoying idiot you are sometimes?” I ask him.
He laughs heartily, and I can’t help but join in.
“At least twice a year since we met twenty years ago, Garrett.”
I frown. “Fuck, we’re getting old.”
“Tell me about it,” he sighs. “Listen, I have to go, but do as I say, man. This is important.”
As Rufus starts to whine beside me, clearly becoming impatient, I mutter, “Rufus.”
“What?” Colin asks, clearly puzzled.
“I can’t have Rufus in the apartment with all those people there, Colin. You know what the noise does to him.”
“I’d forgotten about that.”
We remain silent for some time, and I wonder if my faithful dog will think me a complete asshole for abandoning him to some strangers so soon after the last time.
That won’t do.
“I’ll call my parents, ask them to look after him,” I tell Colin. “No doubt they’ll spoil him rotten.”
“Fine. And if they can’t, let me know, yeah? I’ll ask mine.”
Warmth settles within at his thoughtfulness.
“You might be pretty annoying, but you’re a good friend, too,” I mutter.
“Don’t I know it?” he mutters. “Later.”
“Yeah, later.”
I end the call and then lean my back against the tree while I look down at Rufus.
“You know mom is going to spoil you silly, don’t you?” I ask him. His grin widens further, and he grumbles as he butts his nose against my knee.
“Sometimes, I swear you can understand every single thing I say.” I shake my head and my thoughts return to Suzy.
She’s always on my mind, but even more so after the events of this morning.
As I go through my routine, I realise that I have to make a decision.
I have to either hold onto Suzy and give her everything, or let her go entirely.
I only wish my heart and my head weren’t pulling me in opposite directions.
WORK AT THE VAULT is usually fascinating to me, but not tonight.
“I killed them.”
Garrett’s revelation, and the torment in his voice when he said those three words, is haunting me. While I know that I still don’t have all the facts, I’m absolutely certain that he can’t have meant them in the literal sense.
For one thing, I’m pretty sure that if he was a killer, he’d be rotting away in a prison cell right now.
For another, every fibre of my being is screaming at me that this beautiful, broken man is meant to be with me.
He belongs with me.
And so it is up to me to make him realise that I belong to him as well.
“Suzy, pay attention to your customers, please.”
Rowan’s impatient voice next to me makes me jump, and I drop the glass in my hand so it falls to the floor and crashes into tiny pieces.
“Seriously?!” I mutter, annoyed with myself.
With flaming cheeks, I bend down in my knees, a cloth in my hand.
“I’m so sorry,” I mumble as I hurry to pick up the shards.
Rowan mimics my movements and takes the cloth roughly from my hands.
“Careful, you’ll hurt yourself.”
“I’m really sorry, Rowan,” I repeat my words, all the while hoping that the ground will swallow me up.
“What’s with you tonight?” He looks sharply at me, a frown clouding his face, and I don’t know what to tell him. There’s no way in hell I’ll say anything about Garrett. They may be cousins, but I get the sense that they don’t like each other very much.
I shrug and wipe my hands on my stockings.
“Something troubling you?” he asks me.
I shake my head.
“You sure?”
“Yes.” With a stubborn hilt of my chin, I reach my hand out to him to take the broken pieces, hoping that our little spectacle hasn’t attracted the attention of too many spectators.
He looks down and picks up the last of it.
“Hmm…I don’t believe you, Suzy.”
He hands me the offending cloth, and we stand up. I wobble slightly on my heels, and he reaches out a hand, placing it on my elbow to steady me. While I appreciate the gesture, I don’t like his touch. I glance into his eyes, relieved to find them clear for now. It’s still early, though; even though I haven’t been working at the club for long, I’ve already picked up on Rowan’s nightly routine. And his habits.
Such a waste.
“Well, I’m fine,” I try to reassure him as I take a step back, wanting to be subtle about getting free of his grasp. But my attempt is thwarted when he only takes a step closer to me. The calculating gleam in his eyes and the way he looks down to my breasts makes me slightly uneasy.
“It’s easy to see why Garrett can’t resist you. Are you sure he isn’t too old for you?”
I wrench my arm free.
“That’s none of your business, Rowan.”
He laughs once and smirks at me.
“I bet I could show you a good time. Why don’t you stay for a bit after your shift and we can have a private party in my office?”
What the what?
I clear my throat and cross my arms.
“I hardly think that would be appropriate, given the fact that you’re my boss.”
He leans down to peer into my eyes, the arrogant smile on his face annoying the crap out of me.
“In case you haven’t noticed, cupcake, this place is all about inappropriate behaviour; you should try me some time. I might surprise you.”
“‘Cupcake’?! I’m not interested, alright? If you don’t back away from me right now, I’m leaving, and I won’t come back. And we both know that I’m too good at my job – you can’t afford to lose me.”
He frowns at me, keeping his gaze locked with mine. I won’t show him that he scares me, so I keep my ground.
Finally, he steps away from me.
“Easy there, tiger.” The playful smile doesn’t fool me. He’s pissed off, and it sends a sliver of unease down my spine. “I didn’t mean to bring out your claws. But…” He gives my chin a tap with his finger, and I have to work hard on not sneering at him.
“Let me know if you ever change your mind.”
Keeping silent, I watch as he walks away from me. Breathing hard, I toss the cloth in the trash can behind the bar and scan the clients around me. No one seems to care about the going-ons behind the bar, and I breathe a small sigh of relief.
“Are you okay?” Valerie, my buddy for the night, asks me.
I smile faintly at her.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
She gives me a long look, and I kind of get lost in her beauty again; her mocha skin is flawless, she’s rather tall and curvy, and her brown eyes are compassionate. She’s completely devoted to her boyfriend, who doesn’t mind her job too much. The reason she works at The Vault is because they want to emigrate to Australia and they need all the money they can get so their new life down under won’t be filled with worries.
She leans in to whisper in my ear.
“Don’t let Rowan intimidate you, alright? He’s all bark, but there’s no real bite to him.”
I rest my arm on the bar to our right while I contemplate her words.
“What do you mean?” I whisper, our backs to the patrons.
“Just take my word for it. There’s a lot more than meets the eye with that one.”
She gives me a knowing look and then leaves me when a client at her station further away f
rom me catches her attention. I don’t have time to think about her cryptic remark about Rowan, and I turn back to my patrons.
As I go about my business, serving the clients and their willing partners, thoughts about Garrett return to me, as usual.
Why did I have to fall for such a complicated man? This was so not part of the plan when I came to NYC.
But: does ‘complicated’ have to mean ‘wrong’? Maybe it’s just an excuse people use when a relationship becomes too hard…when they don’t want to make a real effort. When things become too difficult to handle, and instead of fighting for each other, they let go when they, in fact, shouldn’t be so unwilling to compromise.
But that’s not how I was brought up, and it’s not what my books have taught me, either.
In romance novels, this is how it goes:
Girl meets boy.
Girl and boy fall in love.
Girl and boy must overcome many obstacles before they are rewarded their happy-ever-after.
They fight for their love and stop at nothing to protect it.
It’s time I do the same.
It’s time I fight for my love.
For Garrett.
Resolved to talk things through with him – to get the truth out of him once and for all – when I get home later, I’m finally able to concentrate on my job. I still ask my designated bouncer, Mike, for the time too often, causing him to roll his eyes at me, but I can’t be bothered with that.
I can’t wait to get home.
When I arrive at the apartment, the optimism has waned somewhat, but not my determination. I frown as I hear a loud bass sound and laughter reverberating from the door when I insert the key in the lock. The minute I open the door, the sounds of laughter and talking assault my senses.
It seems that Garrett is having a party tonight.
Groaning, I walk inside and quickly become lost in the throes of people filling my home.
Craning my neck, I try to look over the shoulder of a tall man blocking my view. When that doesn’t exactly help, I tap his shoulder.
He turns around, laughing, and leans down.
“Who are you?” he asks me. I smile at him as I reach out my hand for him to shake. There’s something about him that seems familiar, but I can’t quite place him.
“Suzy Christensen. I live here.”
He does a double take as we shake hands.
“You what?”
I shrug. “I live here. I guess Garrett didn’t tell you that he has a roommate of sorts these days?”
“No, he didn’t. My name’s Isaac Thompson, Garrett’s brother. It’s nice to meet you.”
My eyes widen in surprise.
“You’re Garrett’s brother?”
He smiles, and immediately, I see the resemblance between them: same hawk like nose, eye colour, strong cheekbones. Well, Isaac’s face isn’t covered by a beard like Garrett’s, so maybe it’s not so surprising that I didn’t make the connection at first.
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” I answer, trying to smile genuinely at him.
Awkward.
I tug my hand free of his and take another look around me. The light is dimmed, people are everywhere, but the person I long to see isn’t anywhere in sight.
“Do you know where Garrett is?” I ask Isaac after we’ve been standing there awkwardly for a full ten seconds.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I kind of got lost in your eyes there for a minute.”
I try to mask my laugh at his cheesy line with my hand, but I don’t think I’m that successful.
He grimaces and fiddles with his tie. “Too much?”
I pinch my thumb and index finger together and hold them up for him to see.
“Just a bit.”
He sighs, or at least that’s what it looks like when his chest rises and falls slowly. I can’t really tell from the sound of the stereo system blasting some inane Justin Timberlake song.
He takes another drink from his glass and then points slightly at the opposite end of the apartment.
“Last I saw, he was headed for the bathroom with Donna.”
I frown at the unfamiliar name.
“Donna?”
“Yeah, Donna Winthorpe.” He grits his teeth. “Real piece of work, that one. Don’t know why Garrett doesn’t just cut her out of his life.” He shrugs and takes another drink.
Weird.
I smile politely at Isaac and am about to take off my coat when I remember what I’m wearing. Instead, I clutch the material closer.
“Well, it was nice to meet you,” I say and then leave him quickly.
My way to the walk-in-closet is slow, as I have to ask every man and woman standing in my way to move; but other than being scrutinised quizzically from time to time, no one stops me, and I’m glad of that.
Finally, I manage to get to the wardrobe, and I shut the door and lock it, breathing a sigh of relief.
I need to find a new outfit.
After that, I’m going to find Garrett.
I DON’T KNOW HOW Donna found out about my spur-of-the-moment party, but I’m going to punch whoever told her.
“For the millionth time, Donna, stay the fuck out of my life!” I shout at her, keeping my distance, but she only smirks at me.
“Not gonna happen, sweetheart. You owe me.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sigh and grit my teeth.
“Asking me for money to pay your filthy habit so you can forget your heartache won’t bring Vincent back.”
I try to reason with her, but bringing up my brother’s name is the wrong move.
She stalks towards me from the other end of the bathroom and points at me.
“Don’t you dare speak his name!” she hisses at me.
I take a step back from her poison and sigh.
“I know you’re still hurting deeply, and not a day goes by when I wish I could set the clock back, but it’s been fifteen years now, Donna. It’s time you let him go.”
“NO! You have no right to tell me what to do, Garrett! It wasn’t that long ago you were where I am now.” Her whole body is vibrating, and she scratches her arms. The sight of her succumbing more and more to her addiction is repulsive, but I try to ignore the state of her.
“Exactly. But I got out of it, and so will you, if you really want to. You need to get into rehab again, Donna. You’ll end up killing yourself if you keep this up.”
She stands there, shaking uncontrollably in front of me, her eyes sprouting nothing but hate at me.
“Have you forgotten what he did?” I ask her softly. “What they both did to us?” The grief pierces my chest, and I flinch from the old hurt.
She raises her head. “If your bitch of a fiancé had let him be, he’d have come back to me.”
Anger fills my gut, and I breathe deeply. I can’t lose control now, but I won’t allow her poisonous words to take root. So I won’t.
I’ve had enough of this shit.
I turn and open the door, but her pleading voice stops me.
“Please, Garrett, please…” She sobs. I close my eyes briefly. “I need them! I need to forget! Please!”
I straighten my back and open my eyes, escape the only thing on my mind now.
“I can’t help you, Donna. Goodbye.”
I walk away and into the living room, regretting with all that I am that I gave in to Colin’s suggestion about hosting a party. I look at my watch and breathe a sigh of relief when I notice the time. It can’t be long until people will start to head home.
I scan the people taking up room in my home, wondering when I got so boring that I’d rather stay here alone instead of seeing old friends and colleagues. When my gaze lands on a familiar petite blonde, covered in a red dress with a bare back, my steps falter and I stop, shaken.
“Suzy…”
She can’t hear me over the sound of the music blaring, and it also looks as if she’s completely absorbed talking with a group of men – investors I only know vaguely – with her back to me
.
My mouth waters from just looking at her. I’ve never been a fan of red before; but taking in the way she looks right now, in a dress that clings to her curves, following every dip and hollow, it doesn’t take me long to come to the conclusion that she can’t be wearing any underwear underneath it. My eyes follow her slender legs and stop when I find her feet covered in a pair of black stilettos with straps running up her calves. My possessive instincts take over, and I can’t seem to get to her fast enough.
In quick strides, I’m at her side, and I take her hand in mine. She jumps and looks at me, but her startled eyes change when she notices that it’s me. Her full lips part and transform into a soft smile, and my heart contracts inside my chest.
I give the men around us a brief chin lift, but I don’t know if they acknowledge me or not.
I only have eyes for her.
Her smile.
Her softness.
Her light.
When she cranes her neck towards me, I bend down to hear what she has to say.
“What happened to your rules?” she murmurs in my ear.
I frown. “What rules?”
“Only one in particular – the one where we let each other know if we plan on hosting a party or have someone over?”
“Ah. That…” Feeling kind of sheepish, I scratch my beard. “I guess I forgot.”
She squeezes my hand in hers.
“I don’t mind. It’s nice, but my feet are killing me from my shift, so don’t be too surprised if I suddenly stumble and fall.”
I grin at her. “If you do, I’ll be here to catch you, waif.”
Her eyes widen in surprise. “You promise?” she breathes.
I nod. “I do.”
“Good.” A slow smile spreads on her lips, and she leans slightly into my body. I let go of her hand and place an arm around her, taking her weight. Before I lose her attention and get back into the conversation with the men around us, I grip her tightly, letting my thumb caress her hip.
“You’re not wearing anything underneath that dress, are you?” I murmur in her ear. My dick hardens when she shakes her head.
“I don’t know whether to punish you or kiss you senseless when we’re alone,” I grumble. “If I can tell, so can the rest of the party, and I don’t like that one. Tiny. Bit.”
