by Cox, Zara
He turned away. “No, thanks. Philip will take care of the papers.” He nodded to Philip and walked out of the living room.
He dialed Bethany’s number again and cursed under his breath when he heard the distinctive click.
You’ve reached Bethany. Leave me a message.
He walked into the study, shut the door and crossed over to the large window overlooking Central Park. Heart thudding dully in his chest, he leaned forward until his forehead touched the cool glass.
“I fucked up. Again. I’m sorry, baby. I just…this distance…being without you…I can’t handle it.” He stopped and tried to breathe. But just like everything else since that moment in his garden in Marrakech, his breathing was off. Every damn thing was off. “I’m sorry…” he stopped again, his mind spinning with all the things he wanted to say but couldn’t.
He’d been floundering every day since admitting what he did six years ago, like he was on a rollercoaster that was taking him farther and farther away from Bethany with each passing second. And he couldn’t get off.
He’d gone through moments of detesting her for making him feel these alien, confounding emotions. But the underlying factor had always remained the same.
He needed Bethany like he’d never needed anyone else in his life. That last night in Marrakech had ripped away any illusions that what was going on between them was run-of-the-mill. Even before his near meltdown in the toy room and the way he’d taken Bethany, he’d known his craving ran deeper than mind-blowing sex. It was that knowledge that had sent him into a disturbed sleep, making him dream - on that night of all nights - of Farrah and the events of six years ago.
The moment he’d woken from the dream he’d known something was seriously wrong. In his short time with Bethany, he’d grown accustomed to her emotions in a way that stunned and confused the hell out of him.
Hell, he could blame that confusion for his stark confession. Or he could admit he’d been terrified that not giving her something would’ve made her walk away.
His lips twisted. Well, he’d gambled and she’d walked away anyway. After she’d looked at him with confused terror in her eyes. After she’d paled to the point where he’d been petrified that she would actually shatter from the grenade he’d thrown at her feet.
When she’d asked to leave, he’d fought his every instinct to make her stay. And really, how could he have asked her to stay knowing he’d brought her to the place that was special to Farrah?
What sort of asshole would that have made him? What sort of asshole had he been to take her there in the first place?
Sighing, he stared down at his phone and contemplated calling one more time. In the distance he heard the realtor leave and Philip shut the door behind her.
A few seconds later, Philip knocked and entered the study. “It’s done,” he said quietly.
Zach nodded at the loyal right hand man who’d been with him longer than any friend or acquaintance. “Let’s get the usual people in to get things sorted in here.”
Philip nodded. “The extra works included?” he asked.
A dark throb started inside him and he sucked in a breath at the acute hunger threatening to tear him apart. “Yes. Use the room next to the master bedroom. I want it done ASAP.”
“Understood.” Philip left as quietly as he’d entered.
Striding to the desk, Zach switched on his laptop and quickly located the file he sought. Scrolling through, he found the phone number and dialled.
The phone was answered after one ring. “Keely Benson,” barked the no-nonsense voice.
“Miss Benson,” he greeted, slightly gratified that someone was answering his calls. “It’s Zachary Savage.”
“Hey, Zach. Call me Keely. If my red-hot poker is soon to become intimately acquainted with your delectable ass, I think we should at least be on a first name basis, don’t you?” she snapped icily.
Zach’s lips twitched. She was a pit bull when it came to protecting her friend. He definitely respected that. But even that wouldn’t be allowed to stand in his way. Although he was prepared to remain cordial. For now, Keely Benson may be his only immediate access to Bethany.
“Very well. I’m doing my best to make sure my ass remains poker free.”
“That’s good to know. How can I help you?”
“I need five minutes of your time, if it isn’t too much to ask?”
“Go ahead. I’m all ears,” Despite the easy rejoinder, he heard the wariness in her voice.
Zach gritted his teeth and forced himself to remain calm. His first question was met with frostily negative response. His second request brought a marginally easier reply. By the time he made his third request, he dared to think that Keely Benson’s voice had grown considerably less chilly.
“You do recognize that there’s a mildly stalkerish quality to what you plan to do, don’t you?”
“It’s her birthday. I had in mind quite different plans for her birthday. This contingency is all I have.”
“Fine. But I’ll be keeping an eye on you. If you so much as twitch in the wrong direction, your ass is mine. Are we clear, Savage?”
He knew the use of his surname was deliberate. He chose to let it slide. “I’d expect nothing else. And Keely?”
“Yep?”
“You may not believe this right now given the circumstances, but know that I’d rip out a vital organ before I harm a single hair on her head.”
Keely remained silent for several seconds before she sighed. “Yeah, the circumstances are not swinging wildly in your favor. But I’m holding you to that promise. I’m also hoping you’ll make things right between you two. She’s been through enough.” The line went dead.
He swallowed hard and jerked away from his desk. Raking a hand through his hair, he paced to the window and back again. But no amount of pacing could put distance between him and the knowledge that Keely had just lumped him in with the other assholes who’d hurt Bethany in the past. The very idea made him sick to his stomach.
But he had hurt her. And was continuing to do so with his silence.
I’m also hoping you’ll make things right between you two.
Fuck.
Striding to his desk, he snapped up the phone again. He didn’t care that it was early and a Saturday to boot on the West Coast. At moments like these he appreciated having a few billion dollars attached to his name.
His lawyer answered almost immediately. And much to Zach’s satisfaction the man was instantly alert despite the early hour.
“Where are we on the Farrah issue?” Zach bit out.
Stanley Reed cleared his throat. “I reached out like you asked. The family attorney thinks her father may agree, but her mother and brother could be a problem. Especially the brother.”
Zach’s jaw clenched hard. “He was my brother-in-law for less than twenty-four hours and she—” he stopped before he gave anything away. His lawyers had been given enough information to draw up the agreement but not even they knew the whole truth. Secrets. So many secrets threatening to tear him apart. Threatening to rip his most precious possession from his arms. He sighed.
“We haven’t seen each other in six years. No feathers have been ruffled. How hard can it be to get them to change their minds?”
“The brother is an attorney now. He knows the law and is determined to stick to every word in your agreement.”
“Can’t you make a deal with him?”
“I’m looking into it but…” Stanley hesitated.
“But what?” Zach’s patience shredded even thinner.
“It looks like he’s about to make partner at his law firm. He’s understandably anxious of any unsavory details getting out that could jeopardize that. Perhaps in a few months once he’s made partner—”
“No. Dammit, I don’t have a few months. I need a way around this now, Stanley. Find it for me. And find it soon.”
“As always, I’ll do my best.”
Zach slammed the phone down and cursed long and hard. He knew he was play
ing hardball but he was fast running out of options. He could feel Bethany slipping through his fingers and he was damned if he was going to stand by and let it happen.
But a signed agreement wasn’t that easy a hurdle to get over, not to mention the chaos it would bring. But he would find a way around that too.
If it came down between that and losing Bethany, it was a fucking no-brainer.
He glanced at his watch and noticed only ten minutes had passed since his last attempt to reach Bethany.
Christ. Had time ever dragged this slowly in his entire life?
His phone rang and he pounced on it, only to recognize the familiar number of his assistant back in San Francisco.
He answered. “Jeff. What’s up?”
“I just wanted you to know there’s been a slight change in the delivery date for the latest IL plane.”
“Sooner or later?” he queried.
Jeff laughed. “After your threat to rip them a new one if they delayed again, what do you think?”
Zach forced a laugh. “So it’s sooner. When?”
“It touches down in Newark on Monday. I’ve emailed the final layout pictures to you. They’re incredible. I think they’ve outdone themselves this time.” Jeff’s excitement was palpable while Zach had none.
“Great. I’ll go and check it out on Monday. Thanks for letting me know.” He ended the call and leaned his hip against the desk.
Staring out the side window towards the East River, he started to smile at the idea forming in his brain.
Perhaps Keely Benson wasn’t his only avenue to Bethany after all.
***
Bethany slipped the twenty to the cab driver and turned to watch Keely slide gingerly out of the cab. Watching her friend maneuver her dangerously short hemline made her laugh for the first time in what felt like years.
“Is there any particular reason you feel the need to show the world the color of your thong?” she teased.
“Shut up.” Keely flipped her hair and primped her scarlet lips. “I have great legs. What’s the point of hiding them?”
“There’s showing them off, and there’s showing them off. Don’t blame me if you get jumped before your first cosmo.”
“If anyone’s gonna get jumped, girlfriend, it’s you. Your curves are fucking dangerous tonight.” She blatantly eyed Bethany’s black tube dress and the one inch gold belt that cinched in her tiny waist.
The gold bangles at her wrists and long necklace jangled as she fidgeted under her friend’s scrutiny. There was something strange about the way Keely was acting. Something about the way Keely had kept glancing at her since she’d arrived at Bethany’s apartment earlier that made Bethany nervous. It was a cross between speculation and anxiety.
Bethany had been an emotional wreck over the last seven days but Keely hadn’t appeared fazed by her breakdown. And Bethany honestly thought she’d been less of a wreck in the last day or so. Sure, she was still shaky from her conversation with Zach this morning. She hadn’t recovered from that. Or from listening to the dozen messages he’d left for her since then. But she hadn’t cried since midday and she’d carefully applied enough makeup to hide the bags under her eyes.
So, what gave?
She opened her mouth to ask her friend just that but Keely was exchanging greetings with a skinny, trendily dressed host wearing an earpiece and clutching a leather clipboard. They exchanged air kisses and admired each other’s labels before Keely dragged Bethany forward.
“Travis, this is Bethany. It’s her pre-birthday drinks tonight, so you need to make her feel special.”
Travis held out his hand to Bethany, gave a limp handshake and raised a carefully trimmed eyebrow at Keely. “Every girl who walks through Shades’ doors is a unique little snowflake, darling. But I’ve put you in the Gold VIP room upstairs anyway. Enjoy,” he drawled lazily. “I’d have given you the Platinum room but some guy with bigger balls than mine has commandeered it.” He executed a perfect pout before giving a tiny shaking-it-off shimmy.
More air kisses were exchanged. Then Keely was sashaying her way into the interior of the nightclub, her pert little ass twitching in the red micro skirt she’d worn with her black backless top.
Shades was all about the lighting. One section - the first floor bar, was lit in bold shades of green and purple, with more subdued colors of gold and silver cutting across the dance floor.
A wide cordoned-off staircase bathed in amethyst light led to the upper floors. On the wraparound balcony overlooking the downstairs bar, guests sipped cocktails and grooved to the sound of hip-hop blaring from the speakers. A walkway connected to an upper level dance floor. Two girls, clearly well on their way to being hammered, danced provocatively in the middle of the dance floor.
Bethany felt a tug on her arm, and followed Keely to the sitting area marked Gold VIP.
“What would you like to drink?” Keely indicated the touchscreen listing the various cocktails. Bethany read through the list and laughter bubbled up her throat.
“Are these names for real?”
Keely laughed. “Yep. Wanna try the Studded Reverse Cow Girl? I’m having one.”
“How about just a plain Dirty Cowgirl?”
“Chicken.” Keely clicked their order through and flung her tiny clutch on the seat just as Justin Timberlake started crooning about taking back the night.
Keely was a fabulous dancer with very little inhibition. And in her tiny skirt and endless legs, she was soon attracting avid male attention. When she urged Bethany to join in, she groaned under her breath. Refusal wasn’t an option, however. Keely had been determined all week to do something special for her birthday and Bethany hadn’t had the heart to refuse her best friend’s efforts to cheer her up.
Their cocktails arrived, followed steadily by more drinks until Bethany’s inhibitions, heartache and misery began to dull around the edges. They never went away but the alcohol flowing through her bloodstream helped her believe she could finally take a breath without her heart contracting with pain.
Perhaps things weren’t as bad as they felt. Perhaps she could welcome her twenty-fifth birthday with laughter and pleasure, not tears and heartache.
With a whoop, she threw herself into the music.
She was popping her hips to the addictive beat of Blurred Lines when her gaze connected with a tall, dirty blond haired guy in dark trousers and a wine shirt. He was leaning against the balcony railing, one leg crossed over the other, with a smile on his face. There was an appreciative gleam in his eyes that made her want to smile back.
She glanced away. Beside her, Keely laughed as the long haired, spectacled guy she was dancing with murmured something in her ear. The guy looked as if he was about to spontaneously combust with adoration.
Bethany looked back at the guy in front of her. She watched as he slowly straightened and mouthed, “Dance?”
She was about to nod when the tingle shot down her spine. There was nothing subtle about it. It slammed through her, nearly knocking her off her feet.
Heart racing, she whirled, feeling momentarily dizzy. Keely grabbed her arm, concern stamped on her face. “Hey, are you okay?” she yelled to be heard above the music.
Bethany shook her head and turned her head sharply her gaze darting around the ambient space. Aside from a few VIP guests who’d drifted in to join them about an hour ago, nothing seemed out of place.
And yet…
Remembering when she’d first experienced that sensation - on the first day of her Indigo Lounge trip, staring up at Zach’s office in Newark - she shivered.
Heart hammering faster, she glanced around again but all she could see were bodies moving to the music and her own reflection on the mirrored walls. Her face appeared flushed and her eyes sad and haunted. She looked away quickly, unable to face the truth that stared back at her.
“Hey.”
The guy who’d asked her to dance stood in front of her, his smile wider, his gaze expectant. From the loud speakers, Rihanna
demanded to know where some guy had been all her life.
Bethany started to smile just as another tingle surged up her spine.
She heard a gasp beside her before Keely’s “Shit!” exploded in her ear.
Zachary Savage materialized out of the darkness, pure fury vibrating from him, just as Blond Guy stepped forward, his hand extending to slide around her waist.
He never made the connection.
“What the hell!” His smile turned to a grimace of shocked pain as Zach grabbed the back of his neck, his fingers digging in deep.
“You lay one finger on her and I’ll break every fucking bone in your body.”
Chapter Six
Bethany stumbled out of the club into the smoky night air, her heart racing with equal parts anger and…oh God, she hated to admit it but…excitement.
Behind her, she heard Zach’s heavy footsteps and Keely’s lighter ones coming after her. She quickened her steps, sucking in desperate breaths.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Zach snapped behind her. She turned to face him and almost wished she hadn’t.
This close, his body, his face, stunned and dazzled her into near incoherence.
“I think the better question here is - who the fuck do you think you are, Savage?” Keely, suffering no such debilitating compunction, demanded. “It’s a free country. And she’s single.”
“No. She isn’t,” he snapped without taking his eyes off Bethany. She stared back at him. Fury, hunger and deep, dark possessiveness blazed from eyes turned almost black with his chaotic emotions.
“Zach,” she rasped, then stopped to wet her dry lips. “You can’t keep following me around—”
“And you sure as fuck can’t go around hitting people, you know,” Keely flung at him.
Zach’s gaze didn’t waver once from Bethany. “Trust me, if I’d hit that asshole, he’d know about it.” The menace in his voice was unmistakable.
“Jesus.” Keely threw out her arms.
She finally attracted Zach’s attention. He faced her, hands on his lean hips, his jaw tight enough to break through concrete. “I trusted you to take care of her. You let me down. As of now, you’re relieved from that task.”
