Jerking her glance to Drake and his stunned expression, she dropped her gaze to the folded newspaper. “The gossip column?” There, for all the world to see, was Drake and her kissing over the backseat of the limo. Headlines of their engagement blared.
“Dominique? It had to be.” His strangled voice whispered in her ear. “What the hell is she up to? It’s all over Facebook, too.”
Heather shook. “You knew?”
“Just now,” he assured her, squeezing her to his side. “No need for alarm.”
Yeah, right! Panic edged his words.
“It’s true then?” Heather’s father barged forward, big and imposing, snapping up the paper and shaking it. “Diamond, you’ve got some nerve smearing my little girl’s name like this.”
Heather gulped hard as she straightened to stare wide-eyed at her parents, her mother now clutching her father’s arm. They’d never been this close to agreeing on anything. Not even when they were married.
Drake’s hand on her back eased her nerves, yet sparked a whole host of other trembles to break out. Now? Seriously? Awkward!
“Problems, boss?” Sonia asked cheekily, shooting him a narrowed-eyed gaze as a dozen co-workers bolted through the doorway and glared at the intruders. The guys appeared ready to take on the duo and toss them out of the place if need be. His loyal assistant rolled her eyes and planted her hands on her ample hips. “You could have told me first!”
His gusty sigh whistled by Heather’s ear. “No. Come in, bring in the rest of the crew. We’ve got news.”
“Are you kidding me?” Heather asked out of the corner of her mouth. His palm dipped, skimming over her hip, and she clamped down on a moan. Warmth crept over her cheeks. “Drake, what are you doing?” Not in front of the parents!
Guiding her away from the desk and toward the seating area, he touched her lightly—waist, across her back, the elbow, down the arm—until he gently took her hand in his.
Did he just do that? I mean—the tingles, the heat, the steam! Her knees wobbled.
“Is that some sort of game, Diamond?” Her father’s dark frown could make the best of them shrink away, but Drake held steady.
“Lunch, Mr. Talbert and Miss Charlene, is it?”
Her parents looked at each other and then nodded stiffly.
“And you were going to tell me when?” Heather asked, taken aback at Drake’s action. How had he gotten them to agree?
“I know this is a surprise, sir. Honestly, we’re a little shaken ourselves still.”
“I’ll say,” Heather agreed, jabbing him in the ribs with her elbow. “Damage control, this is not.” Bad idea. The whole dang charade!
Before he could respond, twenty more of Diamond Enterprises’s youngest and brightest filed in the room. “I rustled up everyone here today,” Eric, his go-to junior intern, offered to Drake.
“Come on in. This is a celebration, after all.” Drake tensed beside her. His words defied his response.
For all his easy, breezy air about him, Heather felt his muscles become rock-hard and unyielding, as if bracing himself for the aftermath. This was it! No turning back. No reversing. They could jeopardize his company, his employees, with the coming changes. How they saw him and how they treated her in her new role would determine Diamond Enterprises’s future.
Realization sunk in slowly as they eyed her: some coldly, some with trepidation, all with hesitation. That’s why they were acting odd a few minutes ago.
Drake’s entire business hinged on this moment.
Yet her whole life would become unhinged after. Her parents’ closeness now notwithstanding, nothing good could come out of this.
“Help needed here,” he said under his breath.
Her chest squeezed at the cool reception from her co-workers. This place, the people: they were like the family she longed for. Now, by their intense scrutiny, she doubted they’d welcome her with open arms or let her in to their tight-knit community ever again. She gulped hard. On the outside always looking in.
All this for one lousy business deal? Well, a multi-million one that could launch Drake into superstardom and yank all of his people along for the ride. An image of a rocket blasting off and his employees hanging on to the wings zipped through her mind. He’d be dang sure in rewarding them for all their hard work and effort, too.
So what’s the problem, Talbert?
“Look—”
“So, here’s the deal, guys,” she interrupted Drake and tried to breathe at the same time. “I…I’m…” He squeezed her hand and she stopped in mid-thought. Her heart tumbled at this silent cry for help. “Geez, can it get more awkward then this? What I’m trying to say is, Drake and I found out we have feelings for each other.” Liar! A nervous giggle escaped. “Imagine that, huh? Right there at my friend’s wedding, bang, it’s like a now-or-never moment.” That much was true for her. Him, not so much. They didn’t need to know the details.
Thick, uncomfortable silence ensued.
“So, you’re like dating?” Sonia frowned, glancing from her to Drake and back again.
“More,” Drake said, letting go of Heather’s hand to ease his arm around her.
His scent—expensive, all-male, and heady—washed over her. I’ve died and gone to heaven! First the ring, now the Diamond in the rough, polished and shining for his audience.
He absorbed her little shakes as he pulled her closer into the shelter of his side. “We’re getting married. In just days. Rico from King’s is handling it. The wedding will be the highlight of King’s wedding charity event this weekend.”
All hell broke loose!
Chapter 8
Maybe Drake should have worn riot gear to work that day. Still, it wouldn’t have doused his jumpy nerves or his headlong launch into fictitious matrimony.
At King’s Café now, he glanced around the tables, thanking his lucky stars this private room had been available at the last minute. He never factored in her folks when he hedged his bet for Heather’s cooperation in getting D.W. to back off and Grant’s agreement. Usually, as she’d told him previously, neither parent wanted anything to do with the other.
My, how things have changed!
Resorting to charm didn’t help, either. They’d trounced his attempts to dodge or explain. He hated meeting the parents, something he seldom did, if ever. But, he’d dug this hole, now it was time to start climbing out.
He silently prayed this wouldn’t take long; he’d left his employees dazed and shell-shocked back at the office. Calming them with promises of that all-company meeting later, Skyping in the employees in the field, seemed to have worked temporarily. But he witnessed the nervous glances and whispered exchanges.
God, what had he done? Chaos! Shambles! Could he get the balance back in time?
“Plan C or D?” Heather asked under her breath, leaning toward him. “Is this the Fair Maiden slash Knight room I’ve heard so much about?” Her soft, dreamy sigh jolted him from his own troubled musings.
Drake followed her gaze to the beautiful hand-painted murals on the walls depicting a castle, knight, damsel on a horse, rolling countryside, and so much more. The detail was exquisite. Heather’s face was a study in awe and bliss. It tugged at him. “Maybe I should take you to a castle instead of an island for our honeymoon.”
Her chuckle jogged something inside him, causing him to catch his breath.
“You like?”
“Love this.”
“You’re such a closet romantic, Heather Talbert,” he whispered, knowing her choice in reading materials on their long flights and favored exhibits at museums she’d drag him to when they had some downtime while traveling on business.
She gasped and jerked to face him. Her eyes, wide and shining, captured the breath from his lungs. “You…do know me.”
A sweep of awe rushed through him. His smile tugged up the side of his mouth. He loved when she let down that rigid guard and opened up to him, revealing her softer side she rarely showed anyone, least of all her
co-workers. But he’d probed deeper, teasing her on occasion. Or Heather, too tired of holding up that staunch perfectionistic air, slid into that momentary lapse and allowed excitement to take hold. It made him feel special. A party of one to her inner circle.
“Can I kiss you again? Here?” Her stare dropped to his lips.
Drake swore he felt the heat tingle there. Leaning in, he longed to drown in her kisses. The loud, male cough behind him jolted him back to the here and now. How could he forget the parents? “Mr. Talbert, you have questions.” More like an interrogation.
***
Heather’s parents glared at him and then turned on her. Dread filled her belly.
“We’re in love,” Drake said far too smoothly.
“Laying it thick, aren’t you?” she asked under her breath, perspiration dotting her hairline. Deceiving them was not a part of this…this what? Bargain? Deal? Fiasco?
“Really, Heather, you couldn’t have warned us?” Her mother stabbed a bejeweled finger at the folded newspaper sitting on the table.
Oh, those were new. Her latest husband must have gotten her a few more baubles recently.
“Mother, I didn’t know you read the paper.” Heather clasped her hands in her lap, jamming her fingers together to remind herself to hold back on the snark that threatened to drip from her lips again.
Reaching over, Drake covered her hands with his left one. His warmth and strength penetrated her icy flesh. Relief shot through her. She wouldn’t have to do this alone. United front. At least she had that.
“Of course not. How absurd when there’s the Internet. The Facebook, you know?” Her mother’s lips twisted as she nodded to the older man beside her. “Your father. Now, he’s all about old and stuffy.”
“Charlene, here?” He made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. “He’s a playboy. Drake the Rake. It says it right there in black and white. And, I did get it on the Internet.”
“So, of course, it’s true then.” Heather smiled tightly. It’s not like she didn’t know who Drake was, but seriously—did they have to remind her?
“It’s my past. And I never lied to anyone,” Drake assured them.
Everyone knew the score. Heather heard the unspoken words; he’d told her that himself one night on a business trip while having a nightcap at the hotel bar. Thankfully, he hadn’t ditched her for the gorgeous woman eyeing him all night long. Tacky, he’d said. Or was that thirsty? Either way, he’d claimed he preferred her company. That made her swoon now just as much as it did then.
“Drake will cheat,” her mother said matter-of-factly. “He did.” She pointed her long, red fingernail at Heather’s father.
“That’s what you thought,” he corrected. “Jealous woman. Never a moment’s peace. Even now that we’ve been divorced for more than ten years.”
“Oh, so how many weren’t flinging themselves at you? And how many didn’t you catch?”
Heather cringed as their heated exchange ramped up. Accuse. Yell. Rinse. Repeat. Her childhood reared its ugly head. She shoved back her chair and rose. Neither noticed. Drake did; he stood with her and directed her toward the mural again as he waved off the waitress with a shrug.
She pushed back her glasses on her nose and tried to look at the colorful yellow and purple section in front of her through blurry eyes. Blinking didn’t hold back the sting of tears. “Sorry. It always ends up in a death match.” Her words caught and she tried to clear her throat. Their argument made her relive her agonizing upbringing, their ugly divorce, and the continuing painful aftermath.
He touched her shoulder and she thought he left his imprint there, searing a warmth and a well of caring for her that penetrated straight through her staunch, once secure barriers. Stop, Talbert! Don’t let Drake the Rake get close. Danger ahead!
“Got nothing, huh?” She tried to laugh it off. “All I ever wanted was a real family.” Her softly spoken wish hung between them. No more divulging secrets. Can’t you even save yourself here?
“Whatever happens, let’s not end up like them,” Drake said, coming closer. He pointed out the hues. “Amazing work. Art and romance blends together to bring it all to life.”
“You are not poetic, Drake.” Her giggle escaped, rough and cracking just like her battered heart at the moment.
“Phew! That’s a relief. I wouldn’t want to disappoint you.” There was an underlying concern in his tone. “Heather, you’re the best woman I know.” She heard him swallow hard. “Not just in business. But…”
“Don’t stop.” She leaned toward him, whispering, “By the way, you’re winning right now, so don’t blow it.”
His chuckle, raw and gruff, shot out of him. “God, you make me think I can do anything, be anything.” He reached out, gently turning her as he faced her now. “I’m just some guy who clawed my way up out of the trash heap, Heather. Not many people know that about me. You do.”
“Only to become a billionaire sensation,” she muttered. “You’re a self-made man, Drake. I admire that about you.” It was true. In fact, she was in awe of all he’d accomplished in such a short time. Grit. Determination. Persistence. “You don’t quit.”
“I place honor and loyalty high on my list. You have to know I’d never ruin that between us.” Doubts lingered in the air. “Not while we’re conducting this…us.”
“Is this about the cheating stuff?” Her cheeks burned. It wouldn’t be good for his business, either; she heard the unspoken concerns. She wanted to jump in that mural and let it swallow her up. “You see, my mom,” she winced, “holds grudges.”
Her parents’ arguing carried, flinging words at each other and hurting her ears as well as opening that old, crusty wound in her heart over and over again. They didn’t care enough about her to end the madness.
Okay, grudge was too mild a word!
“Heather?”
The way he said her name made her tingle again. Or had she ever stopped since he’d kissed her with those incredible lips of his?
“Fidelity. Yes. I could do that. But, I can’t promise the more you’re looking for. I’m guarded, to put it mildly. You, too.” He nodded toward her parents. “The love part. It’s just a huge farce.”
“Lust works. For now.” Did it, though? She pasted on a smile. However, inside she ached. Could he ever care for her? Even just a little? Did she dare go into this sham with unrequited feelings? Hadn’t that been her big mistake in all her other relationships? Forcing herself on the guy? Then being dumped unceremoniously?
But they didn’t kiss like sin or Drake, she reminded herself. Her grandmother’s vow that she’d know with just one kiss if it was the forever kind tore at her. Love? One-sided? Now that, her grandmother never mentioned.
“Lie to them. Or the others,” she said. “But, Drake, just don’t lie to me. Alright?”
“Let’s ditch them.” Drake’s rakish grin whisked aside her shame, but brought a heat of another kind to her core. “Lunch.” He nodded. “Out there in the main restaurant and we’ll bring hot fudge sundaes back to the gang.”
“To celebrate our fake union?” Her voice lurched, ending on a high note.
“That and let them know nothing will change. Business as usual.”
As a blast of cold, hard reality swept through her at his all-too truthful focus, she let him hold her hand as they scooted by her unaware parents and dashed out of the room. But his words echoed and left an ache in her. “Business as usual.”
Yeah, Drake cared more about Diamond Enterprises. More than real life most times.
Their so-called union, committing fraud, would be a blip in his existence. Put the ring on her and it was done. Engagement checked off. Neatly accomplished in record time. He’d go on to build his company, forging ahead in to new territories. And she’d be…dumped, right? Eventually, of course she’d be.
Heather studied his profile, all beautiful lines and angles. She drank him in, lingering on his lips. Another kiss, please. Or a dozen more, for the road. Pressure sat
on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
Where did that leave her in the whole scheme of things?
Chapter 9
Ice cream would not solve this problem, Drake reasoned at the barrage of questions zinging back and forth at the meeting.
Heather stood, holding her hands out in a T formation. “Time out, guys!” When they didn’t bring them all in check, she let out a shrill whistle.
He tried to cover his grin, but failed. Something tugged behind his ribcage. God, she was adorable. Dynamite in a small package!
Silence reigned. She had her co-workers’ full attention, in house and online. “For crying out loud, this is and always will be Drake’s business. He’s the boss. That’s not changing.”
“But what about—”
“It’s not going to be fair—”
“This ruins everything.”
Drake winced at the flood of doubts, voiced and unspoken. They had valid points, which gave him grave concerns. What was he thinking? How could he throw off the balance like this?
“Can you say pre-nup?” Heather asked with her hands jammed on her hips. “Just so you know, I still haven’t signed my contract to re-up.”
That last part stayed hanging in the air.
Ivan pumped his fist. “All right!”
“Now, you’re talking,” Carmine, on Skype, chimed in, her voice carrying.
“Yeah, who wants the boss’s wife tattling on us, right?” Lenny breathed out a sigh and cupped his hands behind his head, leaning back in his chair.
“Wow, thanks a lot for that vote of confidence.” Heather’s voice wobbled.
Why don’t you tell her how you really feel, guys? His throat closed up at her obvious pain. “You’re not going anywhere.” His words came out fierce and abrupt.
“Oh, hell, is that what this is all about? She won’t sign, so you get her to marry you. Come on, Drake. Seriously?” Eric asked.
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