Home to Me

by Ruth Cardello

  And I’m no fool.

  We can do this. We just have to do it in a way that ensures neither of us gets hurt. We’ll contain it—control it. You said you’d play by my rules if I played by yours. Well, here are mine. We keep this a secret, and we only meet on Saturdays. I’ll plan this coming weekend; you can plan the next.

  And on the other days?

  We’re both free to do whatever we want. We’ll see each other because we both work at Cogent, but during the week we’re just friends.

  Saturday sex. I like that.

  Me too, Rena thought, running the tip of her tongue across her bottom lip. So far sex had been on his terms, but her arrangement changed the dynamics. They’d be partners of sorts—in a game of pleasure. I already know where I’m taking you this Saturday.

  To your bed?

  Nothing that boring. That’s another rule. We don’t come here, and we don’t go to your place. This isn’t a relationship. No one sleeps over.

  Sounds like you know exactly what I want.

  I hope so. Yes.

  Then I’ll see you at work. Goodnight, Rena.

  Goodnight.

  Rena dropped her phone beside her, closed her eyes, and smiled. Oh, my God, I did it.

  ***

  Early Monday morning, Nick walked through his secretary’s office without stopping to greet her. Not going upstairs to see if Rena was at her desk was torture. Never before had a few days loomed so heavily between him and what he wanted.

  And he wanted Rena—badly.

  Any guilt he’d felt about seeing her was gone now that he knew she wasn’t looking for a relationship. For her, he would have tried to be a boyfriend. He would have ridden out the wrath of his family and hers if she’d wanted him to. But that wouldn’t be necessary, because he and Rena wanted the same thing.

  Sex—pure, untainted-by-complication fucking.

  He sat down at his desk, amused by how even the thought of being with Rena gave him a hard-on, and absently shifted through the notes Janet had left for him. He turned on his computer, checked his emails, and caught himself smiling in the reflection of his monitor.

  Janet knocked on his door. “Nick?” When he didn’t answer, she said, “Mr. Andrade?”

  He shook his head and looked up. “What do you need, Janet?”

  “Did you see my note about Mr. Westlake? He called late Friday afternoon.”

  “Mr. who?”

  “Tad Westlake. He said you know him. His father owns Westlake Developments.”

  “Oh, Mad Tad. I haven’t heard from him in months. You should see him when he drinks tequila. Give him a beer and he’s as mellow as jello. A few shots of tequila, and someone’s getting bailed out of jail. I hope I wasn’t his one phone call.”

  Janet’s eyes rounded. “He did sound upset.”

  Nick leaned forward and riffled through the notes on his desk. “If it was important, why the hell am I hearing about this now?”

  Janet’s hands fluttered nervously around her as she hastily defended herself. “I didn’t know if I should bother you on the weekend. I’m not used to actually being a secretary. I hope I didn’t screw anything up for you. I’m so sorry.”

  Nick took out his phone and raised one hand. “Relax. It’s probably nothing. I’ll call him now.”

  Janet nodded and started to leave.

  Nick called out, “Janet.”

  She looked over her shoulder at him.

  He winked at her and said, “You’re a better secretary than I am a boss. We’ll get there.”

  “Thanks, Nick,” Janet said with a smile and closed the door behind her.

  After she had gone, Nick compared the number he had on his phone to the number Tad had left. It was the same. Well, he wasn’t in jail. How serious could it be?

  “Nick, it’s about time,” his old friend said in place of a greeting. “I’ve been trying to reach you all weekend. I was beginning to think you weren’t taking my calls anymore.”

  Nick leaned back in his chair and swiveled to look out the window. “Why would I do that?”

  “I thought you were pissed at me.” Tad lowered his voice. “Listen, you disappeared a few months ago. People said you went into rehab. Some of us heard you were dead. I didn’t know what to think.”

  “Oh, so that’s why you called all those times to see how I was. Wait, you didn’t call. Not once.”

  “See, you’re pissed. That’s exactly why I thought you might be dodging me.”

  Nick rubbed one of his temples in irritation. He was in way too good of a mood to deal with this. “Tad, I don’t care that you didn’t call. I don’t care what you need from me now. I’m not angry, but I don’t have time for this shit.”

  “Don’t hang up. I’m in trouble, Nick, and it’s your fault.”

  Despite how things had gone recently, Nick couldn’t leave Tad hanging if he really was in trouble. Especially if it was somehow Nick’s fault. He swung his chair back toward his desk. “What happened?”

  “My dad found out you were working for your family’s company and he’s been all over me about it. He won’t let up. He says if someone like you can grow up and become responsible, then so can I. Now I have this huge fucking office and I have to wear a goddamn suit every day.”

  “Oh, poor Tad. That really sucks.” Nick didn’t try to hide his sarcasm.

  “You don’t even know how badly it does. He told me that if I don’t land a new contract, any contract, he’s going to cut me off.”

  “That’s your father’s favorite threat. He never follows through.”

  Lowering his voice even further, Tad said, “He took my driver and fired my cook. I’m driving a rental car, for God’s sake. I called for the jet last weekend and the pilot told me no. Didn’t even ask me why I needed it. Just told me to contact my father with future requests. He’s serious this time.”

  “Then it sounds like you should start making some phone calls.”

  “Don’t jerk me around, Nick. That’s why I called you. Cogent could use my father’s company on one of its projects. You know it could.”

  “Which project?”

  “Any fucking project. I don’t fucking know or care. Just help me, Nick. You’ve got to help me.”

  “Hold on.” Nick skimmed his emails for a correspondence he’d had with someone about a possible site in Guinea. The country’s government was looking for a developer to come in and mine bauxite. It was a small contract, and one that didn’t project a large profit margin for Cogent, unless they could find a developer who would do it cheaply. “I could probably subcontract you for a job in Guinea, but you’d have to make a really low bid. I mean, ridiculously low.”

  “It’s my dad’s money, I don’t care. And it might be enough to get him off my back. He won’t cut me off for making a bad choice as long as I bring in something.”

  “I’ll send some paperwork over by tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Nick.”

  “Sure. What are friends for?” Nick said icily and hung up. He gagged at the thought that he and Tad had once had enough in common to hang out. It made him take a new look at who he had been, and he didn’t like what he saw.

  “You didn’t come to see me this morning,” Gio said from the door of Nick’s office.

  Nick stood as he remembered that he’d set a meeting with his brother. “Sorry, Gio. I don’t know where my head is today.”

  “That’s okay,” Gio said calmly, taking a seat in front of Nick’s desk. “You’re here, and it looks like you’re working, so that’s good.”

  “I may have just gotten Westlake Developments to low-bid us for Guinea,” Nick said, “which would make that project a go for us.”

  “No shit,” Gio said, clearly impressed. “How did you land Westlake? I’ve been trying to crack them for years. They don’t budge on their profit cut.”

  “I know the son, and he was looking for a deal. I offered it to him and he was desperate enough to take it.”

  “A friend of yours?”r />
  “Not really. Not anymore.”

  Gio nodded again, slowly. “Business and friendships are a tough mix. Many people say family and business are worse, but you’ve proven you belong here, Nick. I’m proud of you.”

  In that moment, Nick once again felt the urge to seek answers to questions that had plagued him. “Gio, you said Cogent had been in financial distress when you took it over. I looked back at what you did when you started here. How did you find the capital for the projects you took on?”

  Gio met his eyes and said, “I emptied my trust fund to back them.”

  Nick swallowed hard. “So if Cogent folds, you’re bankrupt?”

  “Yes.”

  “No wonder you fight so hard for it.”

  Shaking his head, Gio said, “I fight so hard for it because it’s our legacy, Nick. Our family built this. Our great-grandfather purchased the land this building sits on. That matters to me. Doesn’t it matter to you?”

  Nick inhaled sharply. “It didn’t use to.” He studied his brother. “How far would you go to protect that legacy?”

  “As far as I had to.”

  There it was, the dark side of his family. Dark enough to make Nick think his brother might be capable of whatever their mother thought he’d done. It made him remember what Serge had said about digging for the truth about your family. It never ends well.

  “And to protect yourself?”

  “What are you asking, Nick?”

  I need to know, even if it’s ugly. “Mother implied that you had done something you were afraid I’d uncover. Something that could ruin you. She warned me you might try to pin it on me.”

  Gio’s jaw tightened and a red flush spread up his cheeks. “Our mother is a piece of work, isn’t she?”

  “You didn’t answer the question. Are you hiding something, Gio?”

  Gio stood and shook his head with disgust. “I would never let you take the fall for something I had done. Never. If you don’t believe anything else, believe that.” With that, Gio walked out of Nick’s office.

  Which means he is hiding something. Nick punched the side of his desk with such force that Janet came running in.

  “Is everything okay, Nick?”

  Nick rubbed his swollen knuckles. “As okay as it’s ever been.” When Janet continued to stand there looking concerned, he said, “It’s fine, Janet. Close the door on your way out.”

  He didn’t know who he believed anymore, but he did know what he wanted.

  Saturday sex with Rena.

  He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

  It was going to be a long week.

  Chapter Eleven

  A few days later, Rena was seated at her desk, typing up a memo. She paused, looked at the door, and cursed. She was finding it impossible to concentrate. Nick and Gio were out of the office for a meeting with Westlake Developers. It was the first time Rena had seen them together for a client meeting. It was a new contract that Nick had landed. The fact that Gio had told her anything about it proved it was an important one.

  She had seen Nick once since hearing about Westlake. They’d met by accident in the hallway the day before. Rena had smiled at him politely, reminding herself of her own rules.

  Nick, dressed in a Corneliani suit and looking as comfortable as if he’d always worked at Cogent, had given her a roguish smile that implied he was tempted to say more but was willing to play along. “How are you, Rena?”

  “Good,” she’d answered thickly, clutching her notebook to her chest.

  “Did you have a nice weekend?” he’d asked in an innocuous tone that nevertheless sent a wild blush to Rena’s cheeks.

  “Wonderful.” She’d inwardly groaned at her inability to form a coherent sentence when his chocolate eyes held hers.

  “Do anything special?” His eyes had danced with both laughter and a heat that sent waves of fire through her.

  Her embarrassment had faded as she’d realized he wasn’t laughing at her but rather with her. She’d never had a secret, and sharing one with Nick was surprisingly fun. “I went to the opera.”

  “How was it?”

  Rena had traced her top teeth lightly with the tip of her tongue, experimenting with this newfound connection. Nick’s nose had flared slightly and his eyes had narrowed, giving Rena even more confidence. “Surprisingly good.”

  “The best you’ve been to?”

  “Hard to say.” Rena had hidden a saucy grin, trying to keep the conversation unremarkable to those walking past. “Each one is so different.”

  Nick frowned. His displeasure with her comment was so clear she wanted to tell him she was joking, but she didn’t. Way too many women had contributed to his large ego; it wouldn’t hurt him one bit to think he had to step up his game to impress her. “Planning anything interesting for this coming weekend?”

  “I am, actually,” Rena said, thoroughly enjoying their banter now.

  “Anything you’d like to share?”

  “No.”

  An entirely new expression crossed Nick’s face, but Rena wasn’t sure how to interpret it. She couldn’t tell if he was irritated or turned on by their conversation. She changed the subject, saying, “I heard you landed Westlake. Cogent has been trying to work with them for years. How did you land that?”

  Nick didn’t hesitate. “Via the son. It’s not a done deal yet. We meet later in the week to nail it down.”

  Rena remembered one of the reports she’d organized for Gio regarding rumors of Westlake’s expansion plans. “I have a file you might want to look over just in case Daddy decides to play hardball. It was information Gio thought would be helpful last spring, but we ended up not needing it.”

  “And you’re going to give it to me?”

  “Yes. You want to do well here, and this will be good for the company.”

  “Why do you trust me?”

  It was such a simple and heartfelt question, Rena had almost tossed her rules to the side and thrown herself in his arms. Instead, she clutched her notepad tighter to her and said, “Because I know you.”

  Nick had nodded once. “Send me the file.”

  Rena had taken a step back but added, “I will. Hopefully you won’t need it.”

  Nick had leaned in and growled, “Waiting for Saturday is killing me.”

  Rena had winked at him as she turned away. “Good.”

  Nick had groaned behind her and Rena had floated all the way back to her office.

  I hope I know what I’m doing, Rena thought as she turned back to her computer and reread the memo she should have finished an hour ago.

  “Is this a bad time?” Maddy asked as she breezed into the office.

  Rena considered saying it was, but it wasn’t Maddy’s fault her morning had been unproductive so far. “Gio’s not here today.”

  Maddy picked up a photo on Rena’s desk and studied it. “Who is the hunk with you in this photo?”

  “That’s my brother, Kane.”

  “That’s Kane? Why did I not know he was gorgeous?”

  “Because you’re married?”

  Maddy studied the photo carefully. “Not for me, silly. I’m cataloguing him in my head for future reference. Every chef needs to know what ingredients he has in his kitchen, if you know what I mean.”

  Rena stood and shook her head. “Not really.”

  “People think matchmaking is easy, but it doesn’t just happen. It takes time and planning. Is your brother single?”

  “Yes, but he’s not looking for anyone right now. He’s married to his company.”

  “If I had a nickel for every time I heard that one.”

  Rena took the photo back and replaced it on her desk. “You didn’t come here to discuss my brother.”

  Maddy shrugged. “You’re right. I was hoping to shamelessly pump you for information about Nick and his secretary. He hasn’t fired her yet. How close is he to falling for her?”

  Rena sat back down at her desk. “I really wouldn’t know.”
/>   “Have you ever been in love?”

  Rena knocked over a cup full of paper clips, made a wild grab for them, then swore when they scattered across the rug behind her. “No.”

  “Then you may not know what to look for. Is he distracted lately? Do you catch him smiling at odd times? Watch for changes in his behavior. That’s usually a sure sign.”

  “I told you—I’m not getting involved in this.”

  “Sure, you said that, but now you’ve had time to think it over. Janet is perfect for Nick. She’s sweet. She’s honest. From everything I hear, they get along really well. I just want confirmation of the rumors.”

  Rena slapped a hand down on her desk. “How many times do I have to tell you no? No, I’m not helping you hook Nick up with his secretary. I’m not watching the two of them together to see how they get along. Do you know why? Because I don’t care how close they are or aren’t. It doesn’t matter to me. Now can I get back to work?”

  “Oh, my God, you like him.”

  Rena froze. “I don’t.”

  “Oh, my God, you’re the woman from the photo at the bar. I didn’t see the resemblance until just now.”

  “I’m not.”

  “You should have told me. Of course you don’t want to fix Nick up with his secretary. You want him for yourself.” Maddy leaned forward across her desk. “I feel awful for not guessing sooner. You must hate me.”

  “I don’t.”

  “You poor thing. Does he know? Of course he knows, because you were kissing him in the photo.”

  “That was a joke. Nothing more.”

  Maddy clapped her hands together. “I could teach a detective course. See, I wasn’t even sure it was you but I thought I’d take a chance. Amazing how that works, isn’t it? It’s because I have a sense about people. That’s why I’m so good at matching them up.”

  Do you also know when they want you to leave their office? Rena kept that thought to herself.

  “Come out to lunch with me. I have to rethink this whole plan. You and Nick. This changes everything.”

  “There is no me and Nick.”

  “Maddy, I could hear you all the way down the hall,” a deep male voice said from behind them.