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I raised my brows and mouthed Ian to Lei. Her mouth curved.
“Good morning, Mr. Pembry. I was just thinking about you.”
“I was waiting for you to call, then I got impatient.” The warm amusement in his voice hit me the way I suspected it hit most women. There was no doubt about it; he had a great bedroom voice.
“Would you be available for lunch sometime?” I asked, shooting a look at Lei to make sure she’d be okay with it. She nodded.
“I’m flattered you’d choose me over Jackson,” he said, putting my back up. “But I was hoping for dinner instead. I have an engagement tonight and I need a date.”
Reaching over, I hit the speaker button. “What about Stacy?”
“She’s wonderful, of course, but I’d prefer to take you. You’ll want to come along, Lei,” he posited, addressing her directly, “and look out for your girl, which is fine. The more the merrier. It’s a formal event. Be at the Midtown heliport by six.”
Lei grinned, clearly enjoying the exchange although she didn’t reply.
“You’re assuming I don’t have plans on a Friday night,” I said.
“Don’t be offended, Miss Rossi.” He sounded amused. “It’s a compliment on your dedication. Lei wouldn’t have hired you if you didn’t put the job first. See you tonight.”
The line clicked off, and I set the receiver back in the cradle. “Well...what do you think?”
“I think we need to go shopping.”
When I returned to my desk, I found a package waiting.
I ripped into the brown paper wrapping and discovered a foiled box of chocolates inside. The surge of desire that pierced me at the sight of that particular brand—Neuhaus—and the memories it evoked quickened my breathing. My skin heated.
I’d had the Belgian truffles only once before, when I’d sucked them off the tips of Jax’s fingers. He’d melted them with the heat of his touch...then painted words over my body that he’d licked off with wicked lashes of his tongue.
Sexy Gia. Sweet. And my favorite—mine.
My thighs clenched, and I crossed my ankles, my core tightening in greedy demand. My body didn’t care that he’d dumped me without a word. It wanted Jax. Desperately.
The note attached was simple and unsigned.
I’d know you blindfolded.
I couldn’t tell you where Lei took us to buy gowns. It was a small, unmarked storefront that had a permanent Closed sign on the door. Appointments only. The moment Lei’s town car pulled up out front, we were ushered inside a showroom of quiet luxury and served champagne with ripe strawberries. There were no price tags in evidence anywhere.
The next hour passed in a blur of silks and taffetas. I was dazzled.
There had been times working with Lei that I had been exposed to a world far beyond anything I knew. I always struggled to hide my wide-eyed awe on such occasions, striving to take my cues from Lei, who seemed so natural and at ease. I had to remind myself that her background wasn’t so different from mine. She’d acquired polish over the years and so could I.
I was eyeing a black gown with lace cap sleeves when Lei set her hand on my shoulder.
“That’s too old for you,” she said.
I glanced at her. “I think it looks understated and elegant.”
“It does, for a woman my age. You’re twenty-five. Enjoy it.”
“I have to be careful,” I explained. My boss was slender as a reed, graceful and lithe. I was too curvy. “My boobs are too big. And so is my butt.”
“You’re sexy,” she asserted bluntly. “You play it down at work, which I understand and appreciate, but don’t waste it. It’s a terrible myth that a successful woman can’t be sexy without it ruining her credibility. Don’t buy into it.”
I caught my lower lip between my teeth. Looking around the showroom, I was intimidated by the reek of wealth it exuded. I was out of my league. The walls were draped in billowing ivory silk, for Christ’s sake, instead of wallpaper. And the finger sandwiches they had just brought out were sitting on a platter I was positive was pure, heavy silver. “Can you help me? I’m afraid I’ll make the wrong choice.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Gianna.” She gestured at one of the three women helping us. “Let’s see what you’ve got for young, beautiful and voluptuous.”
* * *
The whistles I got when I stepped out of my bedroom a few hours later both excited me and made me nervous. Denise had come home early to do my hair, bringing Pam, one of her stylists, with her to do my makeup. Angelo was sprawled across the couch watching stuff he’d recorded on the DVR, passing the time until his eight o’clock shift at Rossi’s.
“Wow,” my brother said, sliding up into a sitting position. “Who are you and what have you done with my sister?”
“Shut up,” Denise and I retorted in unison.
“She looks like a movie star,” Pam said, returning from the kitchen, where she’d been cleaning her cosmetic brushes. “One of the real goddesses, I’d say. A Raquel Welch or Sophia Loren.”
“Who?” Denise frowned.
But I got it. I’d always thought of my mom the same way.
The gown we’d chosen in the end was still black, but much sexier. A jeweled brooch held the one shoulder strap together, with inky satin ruched across the bust, cinched at the waist with a thin diamond belt, then slit down the right leg from midthigh to hem. It occurred to me that it was a good thing Vincent was already at Rossi’s. He might’ve freaked a little at how much of my legs were showing. Nico, who was living in Jersey now, would’ve loved it.
Denise plopped down on the sofa with two beers in hand, passing one over to her husband and setting the other on the coffee table for Pam. She’d been sticking religiously to water and fruit juice since she had found out about the baby.
Gold hoops glittered from between the crimped mass of her hair. “Is Chad going, too?” she asked.
“I have no idea.”
“Is Jax?” Angelo added tightly.
I shrugged, but my pulse leaped. I had tried not to think about Jax when I’d been getting ready, but I couldn’t help hoping he could see me dolled up. I looked hot.
“You know better,” he warned.
“Yeah,” I agreed, “I do.”
My smartphone rang, and I knew Lei’s driver had arrived. “Gotta run!”
I hurried across the refinished hardwood of our joint loft to grab my heels, clutch and wrap from the bench by the door, waving at Pam before I exited through the open sliding front door. I skipped the temperamental old freight elevator and took the three flights of stairs to reach the street. Lei’s driver was used to the delay.
Nico, Vincent and Angelo had bought the loft with the expectation of fixing it up and selling it for a profit. I’d moved in after college and eventually bought Nico’s share when he moved to New Jersey. Then Vincent and I had split the cost of Angelo’s share when he’d moved out with Denise, giving the two of us 50 percent stake each. We’d been considering selling out when Denise found out she was pregnant, and she and Angelo moved back in to save money.
I liked coming home to a full house and missed Nico. I wasn’t sure what I’d have done with myself living alone. I think having someone around all the time had helped me focus on work and date less than I normally would have. I’d been comfortable with that, but maybe I had just been hiding from the fact I was nursing a broken heart. Maybe I should’ve faced that sooner. Certainly it was time to face it now.
Breathless from the rush, I slid into the open backseat of the town car and we headed to Lei’s. Her part of New York was a lot different from mine. She lived in Manhattan, a bridge distance away that could’ve been another world. We crossed the East River with the sun still hanging in the sky, the light’s reflection on the water broken by an industrious towboat.
It amazed me that I’d once believed Jax could fit in here. I had come to associate him so completely with D.C. that I could no longer imagine him anywhere else.
Except my bed. I had no trouble imagining him there....
* * *
I was considering how best to finagle information out of Ian Pembry when the car pulled to a stop in front of Lei’s apartment building.
I’d seen her dress earlier, but it had a whole new impact with the hair and makeup to match. Emerald-green and Grecian in design, it glided over her willowy body as she exited her apartment building with a smile for her doorman. The rich hue of her gown showed off her flawless pale skin and emphasized the red of her lips, while a beautiful jeweled clip accented the silver strands at her right temple.
She settled on the seat beside me and I immediately caught her tension.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Sure.”
We were quiet as we took the short ride to the heliport, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Turning a corner, my gaze caught on a dog park and the boisterous furry bodies running wild and free inside it. Their playful exuberance and undisguised pleasure made me smile, despite the somber turn my reflections had taken all day.
I hated to admit it, but I was hurt that Ian knew about Jax inviting me to lunch. When Jax had called, I’d thought the request had come from the heart. I had believed it was personal, that he truly wanted to connect with me, even if it was only to apologize. I guess I’d always expected too much from Jax. When it came to him, my instincts were seriously faulty.
By the time we were strapped into a helicopter and lifting into the air, my attention had turned outward to Lei. She stared out the window as the ground dropped farther away, laying the city out for us in a spectacular blanket of setting-sun-drenched concrete and sparkling glass. I followed suit, absorbing the panorama. The entire day had been reflective of my experience working with Lei. My family had a microscopic view of the world and they liked it. I’d always wanted something bigger, a view with a much wider lens.
“Do you know where we’re going?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Ian’s making a point with this outing. I expect we’ll be wowed.”
* * *
Around eight o’clock I found myself exiting a limousine in front of a sprawling mansion in D.C. I’d been growing more anxious by the mile, starting when we boarded a private jet at the airport and increasing exponentially when the flight attendant advised us of our destination.
“He’s outdone himself,” Lei muttered as Pembry descended the sprawling home’s wide front steps to greet us.
The restaurateur looked impressively dapper in a classic tuxedo, his silvery-gray hair slicked back. He greeted me first by kissing the back of my hand, then turned his blue eyes onto Lei.
“You’re toying with one of my people,” she said coldly, watching impassively as he lifted her hand to his mouth. “You never used to be cruel.”
“I used to have a heart,” he drawled, “and then someone broke it.”
My gaze darted between the two, trying to read the vibrating tension between them. I got the sense I was being played and that everyone understood the rules but me.
Fine. If I kept my mouth shut and my ears open, I could catch up.
Ian turned and offered me his arm. “Shall we?”
He led me up the front steps with Lei trailing behind. A glance back at her proved she did so regally, her head held high on that long neck I envied. Light spilled out of the open double doors and limousines discharged their passengers in steady waves behind us. It was an amazing party and I hadn’t even crossed the threshold.
“I trust the flights were pleasant,” he said.
I glanced at him and found him watching me too carefully. “Yes, thank you.”
“Have you been to D.C. before?”
“My first time.”
“Ah.” He smiled, and I could see a hint of his charm. “Maybe you’ll consider spending the weekend. I have a town house in Georgetown. You’re welcome to use it.”
“That’s kind of you.”
Laughing, he unlinked our arms and set his hand at the small of my back, urging me through the doors before him. “I hope you’ll say more than a few words at a time as the evening progresses, Miss Rossi. I’d like to get to know you, especially since both Jackson and Lei have taken such an interest in you.”
My steps slowed when I saw what looked to be a receiving line. “What is this event?”
“A private fund-raiser,” he murmured near my ear.
I suddenly understood what Lei had meant by cruelty. “For a Rutledge?”
Amusement colored his voice. “Who else?”
Passing through the receiving line went quickly, with brisk handshakes from the men and slightly warmer handclasps by the women. All of them were perfectly groomed, without a hair out of place, and all had big practiced smiles with blindingly white teeth.
I was glad to get through and accept a glass of champagne from the tray of a smiling waiter. I was even happier to see Chad, who looked as uncomfortable as I felt. His face brightened when he saw us, familiar faces in an unfamiliar crowd, and he headed our way.
“I took the liberty of pairing Chad with you, Lei,” Ian said, his gaze sliding over her.
I searched the room for Jax. I didn’t see him, but then there were so many people milling around the ballroom we’d been shown to. A ballroom, for God’s sake, in someone’s house.
Who lived like this?
I swallowed a large gulp of the cool wine in my glass. Jax lived like this. The sleek businessman I’d seen at Savor fit in here, but not the lover I’d known.
You only thought you knew him....
Chad came up to me, sliding one finger beneath the collar of his dress shirt. “Can you believe this? I just met the governor of Louisiana. And he knew who I am!”
Ian’s smile was smug. But I still didn’t get it.
“How do politics and the food-service industry mix?” I asked him.
“Strange bedfellows, I admit.” He took my empty glass and swapped it for a fresh one as a waiter walked by. “But everyone eats.”
“Not everyone votes,” Lei said, catching her own glass.
“You were always much more conscientious about that than I,” Ian agreed. “What about you, Gianna? I can call you Gianna, can’t I? Do you exercise your right to vote?”
“Isn’t politics one of those topics it’s wiser not to discuss?” I eyed a passing tray of hors d’oeuvres and realized my nerves were too shot to even consider food.
“Why don’t we dance instead?” he suggested.
Figuring it might be a rare chance to speak to him alone, I agreed. Chad took my glass of champagne and downed it.
