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Brice loved his aunt’s sweet spirit and he appreciated her glass-half-full approach when it came to most things, but this time he had to stand firm. Working with Brooke would be more difficult than anyone seemed to understand. Brice puffed out his chest and went stone-faced.
“If she comes back, I won’t work with her,” he announced.
Victoria sat forward, placed her drink on the table and leered at her son. The room’s temperature seemed to drop several degrees. “What does that mean exactly? Are you resigning from your role as CFO?”
“What?” Brice’s forehead creased. He didn’t know what he meant, but it certainly wasn’t that.
“Of course not, Mother,” COO Alexander quickly said, scowling at Brice, who stood in silence with his hands in his pockets. “Everyone just needs to calm down and take a breather.”
Victoria’s cell phone rang. She removed the phone from her Hermès bag and answered it with the brief statement, “I’ll be down in a moment.” Victoria rose from her seat and this time everyone followed suit, except her sister, who remained in her chair. Victoria returned her phone to her purse, leaned over and kissed her sister on the cheek.
“Have a nice evening, Victoria,” Elizabeth said with a half-smile.
“I always do. I trust you can—”
“I’ll take care of everything here,” Elizabeth promised.
Victoria offered Alexander her cheek, which he kissed before saying, “Everything’s going to be fine.”
Victoria moved to Kristen Kingsley, Elizabeth’s only daughter and their company’s vice president of general operations. “I expect those files on my desk first thing in the morning,” she instructed before giving her a hug.
“Yes, ma’am,” Kristen eagerly replied.
Victoria sent Travis, Kristen’s twin brother and one of two Kingsley heirs that didn’t work for the company, an air-kiss across the table. “See your mother home safely before you head back to that ranch of yours.”
“Always,” he promised.
When Victoria finally made her way to the door where Brice was now standing, she placed her right hand on his chest and stared up at him. Brice’s eyes scanned her face for any signs of what was coming but she stood stone-faced.
“The next time you threaten me with not doing your job, you had better have a letter of resignation to offer—otherwise, I will fire you, son. Understand?” Brice gave a quick nod. “Good.” Victoria dropped her hand, offered her cheek, which he kissed, and left the room.
“Dammit, Brice, what the hell’s wrong with you? You’re twenty-eight, not a goddamn impulsive eighteen-year-old,” Alexander scolded his brother, making his way over to the bar.
“Language,” Elizabeth stated, taking a sip of her wine.
“Pour me one too, Alexander,” Travis requested, taking his seat. “Aunt Victoria is an OG and she doesn’t play. I think she really would’ve fired you,” he concluded.
“I would have,” Kristen offered, collecting her things.
“Of course you would have, sis. You’re just like her.”
Elizabeth gave the evil eye to her bickering children. “That’s enough, you two.”
Brice leaned forward against the chair he’d long ago abandoned and dropped his head. He knew his brother was right; he was being impulsive. Brice couldn’t believe how quickly things had turned with his mother, all because of the emotions Brooke invoked that he still couldn’t control. How was he going to handle working day-in and day-out with her?
“Mother, I’ll take you home,” Kristen offered. “Let these two see if they can talk some sense into Brice.”
Elizabeth rose from her chair and smoothed out her green flower-print dress. “That’s a great idea, darling, and maybe on our way home I can convince you to add a little more color to your wardrobe.” She scrunched up her face at the black pantsuit Kristen wore.
“Black is a color, Mother.”
“No, it’s not. Black is a statement.”
“It’s in the coloring box,” Kristen said sarcastically. “What about Travis? He’s wearing black jeans and a black shirt. I don’t hear you threatening him with a lesson on the coloring wheel.”
“We’re not talking about your brother,” she declared, hugging and kissing her son and nephew before walking out of the conference room with her daughter on her heels.
Brice dropped down in his chair and accepted the glass his brother offered. “Thanks, A.”
“You okay?” Alexander stood, swirling his drink in his glass.
“Not really,” Brice admitted.
“Well, you need to do whatever you have to so you can get okay. You have got to pull it together. Another performance like that one and I’ll fire you myself,” he said, tossing back his drink.
Brice mirrored his brother’s actions, allowing the gold liquid to slide down his throat, hoping it would burn some sense into him. “I will. I guess it was just the shock of knowing no matter what I did or said, I couldn’t get my wife to even talk to me, yet my mother was able to convince her to come back to work for us. It’s as if nothing ever happened between us, let alone a marriage.”
“You know I understand how you feel, but you have to rise above it. You have a job to do,” Alexander reminded Brice.
“You know what you need.” Travis smiled like he had a secret he was dying to spill.
“What’s that?” Brice knew he shouldn’t ask, but at this point, he needed all the help he could get.
“You should find a bar and look for something soft and sweet to spend the night with. Lose yourself in someone for a while before you have to see Brooke again.” Travis shrugged. “It couldn’t hurt.”
The mere idea of being with another woman sexually was making his stomach hurt. He had just given himself permission to have drinks with another woman. “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
“Let’s go, Travis. He needs a minute,” Alexander observed.
Brice leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. His mind flashed back to the last time he had seen Brooke: after he’d returned home from getting her favorite meal, only to find that she’d left him via a short note. It had taken Brice nearly two months to convince Eddie, the husband of Brooke’s best friend, to help him in his efforts to find his wife. When he found out she was in Paris, he flew over to try and figure out what was really going on. He hadn’t bought her explanation that they had gotten married too fast and that she wasn’t ready to settle down. Brooke’s actions during their six-month marriage told him the very opposite. They had even started having discussions about starting a family.
Brice remembered exactly how he’d felt the day he walked into the restaurant of the Hôtel Barrière Le Fouque along the Champs-élysées, one of Paris’s most historic locations. The café was decorated with studio style portraits of popular actors and directors from several decades. The tables, accompanied by red velvet chairs, were dressed in fine white linen, expensive porcelain china and crystal. The room screamed romance and he knew Brooke would have loved it.
When Brice had spotted Brooke sitting at a table, holding up her head with her left hand, gazing into the eyes of another man he hadn’t recognized who was caressing her wrist, his blood boiled as he stood out of her view watching and he knew his marriage was over. The pain of that memory jolted him forward. “No, she wasn’t ready to settle down. It’s time to move on.”
Chapter 2 (#ue6cc7da0-edd9-51fe-8c4e-a47008de4e4c)
Brooke sat on the balcony of her suite at Houston’s Hotel ZaZa, located in the heart of the museum district. She smiled in spite of the ache in her heart at the memories of all the times she and Brice had enjoyed their weekends getting lost in the cultural experiences there. Brooke still couldn’t believe she had found a man who enjoyed what some found to be geeky activities—exploring museums and enjoying live performances in the park—as much as she did. She sipped her coffee and nibbled on different pastries as she watched the sunrise spread its rays over the city when she heard her door lock turn.
She heaved a sigh because she knew the silence of her morning was now over. “Good morning, Lori,” she called out. Lori Murphy was Brooke’s executive assistant and one of the few people she actually called a friend. Growing up in the foster care system made it difficult for Brooke to get close to people.
“Good morning. It’s seven o’clock—why aren’t you dressed yet?” Lori questioned as she walked out onto the balcony in a gray suit and matching heels, her sandy blond hair in a tight bun.
“You look nice,” Brooke complimented.
“Thanks. Shouldn’t you get a move on?” Lori encouraged.
“I just needed a little more time with my friends calm and quiet before we have to take on the Kingsleys again. You know how daunting it can be, working for that family,” she teased.
“I still don’t understand why you accepted this assignment. May I?” she asked, admiring the many types of bread and fruits Brooke had to offer.
“Yes, of course.” Brooke pushed the room service cart toward Lori. “I had no choice. We’re still under contract with Kingsley Oil and Gas. A fact she reminded me of when she called me in Paris. Victoria’s not the type of businesswoman to let someone walk away from a commitment because the situation may be a little uncomfortable.”
“You’re right about that, but she did set you up in a nice place. This balcony with a two-person tub and bed-like lounge seating is fantastic and awfully romantic. I’d kill to have those black-and-white chandeliers,” she proclaimed, looking over her shoulder into the living room. Lori started eating her food as she walked back into the suite.
Brooke rose from her seat and followed after her. “Yes, she did. This place screams Victoria. It’s pure over-the-top luxury.”
“Don’t forget about that beautiful black ceiling,” she reminded Brooke, looking up.
“How could I?” She tightened her robe.
Lori popped a piece of fruit in her mouth. “Why’d she put you up in a hotel, anyway? And why here when there’s a chain hotel right across from their building?”
“This is one of the Kingsleys’ investment properties and providing accommodations is part of the contract.”
“I know but I think you should go back to your house.”
“That’s Brice’s house now. I left, remember?”
“I realize that,” Lori said, shaking her head. “You could’ve stayed with me, you know.”
“I know, but we see enough of each other working together. Speaking of work, is everything ready?”
“Everything but you,” Lori answered, checking her watch.
“I’ll go change.” Brooke walked into the bedroom and looked down at the navy blue St. John long sleeve notched-collar suit jacket and its matching short sleeve dress and moaned. Over the last few months, Brooke had begun to dress more casually since she’d taken on a smaller less public role within the company. “This outfit is conservative and professional, just the way Victoria prefers it.”
Brooke removed her robe and pulled her dress over a lace La Perla bra and underwear set. They gave her an added level of confidence and it was her sexy secret...a secret that used to be hers and Brice’s. The thought sent a wave of sadness through her body that she had to immediately shake off before it took root. She slipped her feet into a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes and twirled in the mirror and said, “Welcome back... Some things never change.”
She moved to the bathroom where she pulled her hair up into a tight bun and lightly made up her face. Brooke looked down at the three medicine bottles that sat next to her multi-vitamins and birth control pill and released an audible sigh. “Well, almost...”
“Knock-knock,” Lori called out before she entered the room.
“I’m ready,” Brooke replied, stepping out of the bathroom.
“Wow, you look great.”
“Thanks. Good thing you insisted on the new wardrobe. My old business clothes would have never fit thanks to those fifteen pounds I never intended to lose,” she confessed, walking back into the living room where she poured herself a glass of orange juice.
“Too bad Victoria won’t adopt a more business casual approach at the office.”
“Yeah, too bad.” Brooke tossed back her handful of meds and washed them down with the orange juice.
“The car is here and Damon is already at the office,” Lori advised. Damon Watts was a tax specialist and associate at Brooke’s consulting firm. “That should go over well with Brice.” Brooke grabbed her purse and briefcase. “Let’s go.”
The short ride from Brooke’s hotel to the Kingsley offices was over in what seemed like a blink of an eye. Brooke exited the town car and stood in front of the office, looking up at the fifty-story glass building. “This place makes me feel so small,” she said to herself. In more ways than one.
“I know. You can’t even see the top floors for the clouds,” Lori observed.
“Let’s get this over with.” Both women walked into the lobby with their heels clicking on the black-and-white marble floors, announcing their presence to the guards.
“This place isn’t nearly as busy as I remembered,” Lori stated, as they approached the guard station that sat in front of a giant water wall.
“Of course not—it’s nearly nine. Everyone here starts work between seven and eight,” Brooke explained.
“Good morning, Mrs. Kingsley,” the guard greeted.
Brooke had the urge to turn to see if Victoria or Elizabeth was standing behind her but she knew better. She knew exactly whom the guard was addressing as he smiled down at her. If that wasn’t enough of a giveaway, the tingling that ran down her spine to her private parts most certainly was. “Good morning.”
“Here are your credentials and security pass,” he explained, handing them to Brooke.
“Thank you.”
The guard turned to Lori. “Miss Murphy, I assume?”
“Yes, I’m Lori Murphy.”
“These are for you. Mr. Watt has arrived already.”
“Thank you,” Lori replied, clipping her badge to her jacket.
“Please follow me to the elevators.” The guard swiped his pass in front of the keypad and the elevator door opened. “As a reminder, Mrs. Kingsley, please enter the elevator one at a time.”
Brooke thanked him before they entered. Lori followed her in and when the doors closed, she asked, “What was that all about?”
“Additional security. The doors activate the body-scanning device. That’s why there’s a slight pause before we start moving,” she explained, hitting the buttons to the forty-eighth and fiftieth floor.
“Wow, they take their security around here very seriously.”
“Yes they do. The Kingsleys have a lot to protect,” she mumbled.
“How do you feel?”
Brooke could see the concern written all over Lori’s face. “I’m fine. We’ll be in and out of here in a few weeks and then it’s back to Paris.”
“I still can’t believe you’re moving your base to Paris.”
Brooke shrugged. “With the success of my business, I can work anywhere, so why not France?”
The elevator came to a stop on the forty-eighth floor. Brooke handed her things to Lori. “You not coming?” Lori asked with a deep frown.
“I can’t put this off any longer. I’ll see you in a bit.”
Lori stepped out of the elevator and Brooke plastered on a fake smile, hoping to calm her friend’s fears while she stood and watched the doors close. Brooke knew how worried Lori would be at the thought of her being alone with Brice. Lori understood how Brooke’s unresolved feelings for him could induce a negative physical reaction. However, Brooke also knew that if she didn’t address the very large elephant in the building first thing this morning, her time there would be even more difficult.
* * *
Brice stood in front of his vertical desk that sat on the left side of his traditional mahogany one in front of the wall of windows. He was trying to concentrate on the documents before him but failing measurably. He’d barely gotten four hours of sleep the night before, anticipating seeing Brooke again. It had been three months since she left him and a month since he’d seen her in Paris. Brice was experiencing a whirlwind of emotions, none of which he could seem to bring under control.
