Homewrecker Incorporated (18 page)

"I'd love to."

"And who's this gorgeous creature?" Bethany looked behind me at Grace returning from her dance.

Grace beamed at the compliment.

"This is my friend, Grace Dawson. I dragged her along as my plus-one tonight."

True to form, Bethany pulled her into a hug and Grace looked at me, eyes wide with surprise. I raised my hand to my mouth to stifle a laugh.

"It's so nice to meet you, Grace. I'm Bethany Michaels and this is my husband Carter. I believe you already know my boys." She gestured toward Gregory and Grey. With tuxedos of opposite color schemes, Gregory's being black and Grey's white, it was easy to tell them apart, not that I needed the help. I would know Grey anywhere.

"I've had the pleasure of meeting Gregory," she said, looking at Grey who stepped forward, extending his hand.

"Greyston Michaels, but my friends call me Grey," he said as she took his hand. His eyes cut to me. "Any friend of Claudia's is a friend of mine."

"It's nice to meet you, Grey." Grace flashed him one of her signature smiles before glancing at me curiously.

"What do you say, Mom? You want to go show them how it's done?" Grey said after releasing Grace's hand.

Bethany chuckled and took his arm.

"I'd never miss a chance to dance with one of my boys." She brushed some stray hairs back from his forehead. Grey was easily a foot taller than her and she had to reach up on her tiptoes. I couldn't help smiling at the adoration in his eyes as he looked down at her.

"How about it, Ms. Dawson? Since my wife seems to have left me for a younger man, would you do me the honor?"

I'm pretty sure Grace blushed, although with her rich skin tone it was hard to tell. I couldn't blame her; Carter Michaels was basically an older version of his very hot sons. I shivered, thinking of what Grey would look like at that age.

"Looks as though you're stuck with me then, Claudia." Gregory offered his arm.

I took it as Grace smiled back at me. From where she stood, it couldn't have worked out better. I was supposed to be there for Gregory, but I found myself wishing for a different partner as he led me around the dance floor. I stole a glance at Grey. He stared back at me, and I recognized the look in his eyes. They reflected exactly what I was feeling, and it scared the shit out of me. So much so I felt a newfound determination to put an end to whatever was going on between us. Everyone was counting on me--Elsa, my friends, even myself. I couldn't let some ridiculous and completely out of character infatuation ruin everything. I was so close I could practically taste the first glass of the wine I was going to make.

With new resolve I turned my attention to the reason I was there. My mark.

"You're an excellent dancer, Gregory."

"Thank you. Elsa insisted we take ballroom dance lessons before we were married, and we liked it so much we continued for a few years after until Dad retired. It's hard to find the time with the business expanding the way it is."

"Well, the lessons have certainly paid off." I inched closer. "I've been wanting to take dance classes again. I trained some when I was younger, but I got into volleyball, and because I was good enough to actually hope for a scholarship, it became the priority."

"How did that work out?" He seemed genuinely interested and impressed.

"I got a full ride to the University of Illinois and played all four years while I earned my business degree," I replied, holding my head high.

"That's very impressive," he said. "I'm worried with your education, you might not find working as my assistant quite challenging enough, but I want you to know it's something Janet and I discussed when we reviewed your résumé and there are certainly opportunities for you to move up at G&G if that's what you want."

Thank God Bridget used real facts of my education when she compiled my new identity.

"I appreciate that, Gregory, but I imagine with everything you do, being your assistant will be plenty challenging."

He nodded as the song ended and we all walked back to the table. I tried not to be disheartened by his lack of response to my attempts at flirting. That event was the last place where he would take such a risk, but it was strange he'd been so enthusiastic introducing me to his parents. 

"Ladies, if you'll excuse us, I need to borrow my sons for a few minutes," Carter said after each of the men held out our chairs. I avoided looking at Grey where he stood behind his mother as I picked up a fresh glass of champagne.

"Well, I'm not one to sit back in the shadows while the boys have all the fun," Bethany said as the men walked away. "I say we find some more drinks and mingle. You girls stick with me. I'll show you how to have a good time at one of these swanky events."

I liked Grey's mother almost instantly. We spent the next hour or so getting into all sorts of mischief with her, including placing a ridiculously large bid on a silent auction item I'd had my eye on from when we'd first arrived. It was an eight-person wine tasting tour in Napa Valley, and although it was a serious long shot for me to win with the amount of wealth floating around that room, I decided to give it a try.

"Having fun?" Grey slipped up behind me while I was waiting for his mother to finish writing her bid on a local artist's original oil painting of the Chicago skyline.

"A blast," I replied, leaning back into him without thinking.

I realized my mistake almost immediately. It was all he champagne and the atmosphere. People were dancing, chatting, and donating insane amounts of money. If I wasn't already drunk on champagne, I would have been drunk on the air in that room. The classical band had packed up for the pop singer's performance, which ended fifteen minutes earlier. One of the city's top DJs had taken over and the crowd thinned out as some of the older guests started calling it a night while many of the younger crowd were just getting revved up for the evening. Grace was among the latter out on the dance floor getting down to a mix of the latest chart toppers with a decent crowd of admirers trying to move in on her. I recognized one of them as a Cubs player. I caught a glimpse of Gregory heading our way and moved away from Grey. Gregory looked our way and smiled as he went by. Shit. The evening had been fun, but not nearly as productive as I would have hoped where he was concerned. I'd hoped for some hint of him wanting to get together after the event.

"What was that all about?" Grey sounded a bit irritated.

"What was what about?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"You stay away from me whenever my brother is around."

"I'm just trying to be professional. He's my boss," I replied, turning toward him. There was a storm brewing behind his eyes. I hated I could read him so well, feel his moods as soon as they shifted.

"Bullshit. When you first met me and you thought I was him, you didn't seem to care a whole lot about being professional around him or that he's married. Very happily, I might add. Then you don't want anyone at work to know about us. Are you worried how it will look to everyone or just him? Do you have a thing for unavailable men? Because I can assure you, sweetheart, my brother is too unavailable, even for a hot little number like you."

I spun around to face him.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" I spat.

"I'm the guy who's stupid enough to be falling"--he stopped and ran his hand over his face in frustration--"
to be interested
in a woman who is doing everything in her power to push him away."

His breath smelled of whiskey and his eyes were glazed. Was he about to say falling in love? My heart surged at his near confession. I should have walked away, the small piece of rationality still functioning in my equally alcohol addled mind told me as much, but I ignored it. I'd gotten in over my head with Grey, but I could still get it under control.

"You sound ridiculous. You don't know me, and I wouldn't put so much stock in your brother's character." I turned away from him.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? What do you know about my brother or his character?"

"Nothing, I just know men. You're all the same."

"Wow, some old boyfriend really did a number on you, huh?"

"Not even close."

"Then what is your deal? This..." He stepped in front of me and gestured between us. "I've never felt anything like it and I know you feel it, but you insist on fighting it. So, please, if it's not that you have some weird thing for my brother or married guys in general, what the hell is it?"

"My deal is I don't do relationships. I like my life the way it is and I don't need a boyfriend or any of the shit that goes along with one. We fucked once--"

"Twice." His eyes blazed as he stepped closer to me.

"Whatever, twice. It was fun but that was all it was, okay?"

I saw my words cutting him, but I just couldn't stop myself. He'd struck a nerve. I was drunk, and he was screwing everything up for me. I needed to end it, rip off the bandage and be done with it once and for all. The thought sent my heart crashing into my stomach, but I gathered every ounce of willpower I had in me to ignore the sensation. It was for the best, even if it was what I wanted; there could never be anything between Grey and me. We started on a lie--a pile of lies--and that was nothing we could build anything real on.

"Hi, Grey, can I talk you for a minute?" Ashley tapped Grey on the shoulder. Neither of us noticed her approach. I had an uncontrollable urge to punch her in the face for touching him.

He looked at me, his eyes full of hurt and defeat and sighed.

"I do know you, Claudia."

"Apparently not. You two should talk. I need to find my friend." I looked past him, pretending to search for Grace. His eyes stayed focused on me, but I kept looking past him.

"Fine. Ashley, why don't we go somewhere more private." He shook his head at me as he took her arm.

It was as if he kicked me in the gut, but it was what I wanted. Right? I drowned in regret as she smirked at me. Staring at their backs as they moved through the crowd, I wanted to run after him and tell him everything I'd said was a lie, but I just stood there. I told myself it was for the best even though tears stung my eyes.

"Hey, Claud. I need to talk to you," Grace said in my ear, putting an end to my foolish notion of going after Grey.

He snatched a glass of champagne off a passing waitress's tray. She stopped, staring at him wide-eyed while he gulped it down and took another before he and Ashley disappeared from view.

"I think Gregory's about to leave, and Bobby just texted that he needs to talk to us."

❖

"Can we just sit here for a moment?" Grace said to the driver when we got into the car.

"Of course, miss. I'm at your disposal for the night."

The night definitely didn't go as planned, but Grace didn't seem to notice. She'd been too busy having the time of her life.

She closed the privacy partition.

"Driver, we're going to be making two stops on the way back," I said in a voice slightly louder than normal. He didn't respond or turn back, assuring us he couldn't hear us talking, so Grace dialed Bobby's number and placed the phone on speaker.

"Hey, Bobby, what's up?" Grace said curiously.

"Just wanted to fill you in on the mystery woman. She left right after you messaged me, but she just sat outside in a car and then got out a couple of times and paced around texting on her phone before she got a call. She got back in the car for another ten minutes or so, kind of like she was waiting for someone, before she finally left. Our associate made it here in time to follow her, but I haven't heard anything yet about where she ended up. Do you want him to stay on her for the night?"

"Yes, please stay with her. We need to figure out who she is," I replied.

"Okay, we'll take care of it," he said before hanging up.

"I'm going to head back in and see if I can get some more time with Gregory before he leaves." I checked my appearance in my compact mirror. Grey was busy with the pair of legs named Ashley. There was no reason I shouldn't take the opportunity to finally do my job.

"Okay, I'll send the car back here for you after I get dropped off," Grace replied as I opened the door.

"Sounds good. Don't expect me home tonight, I'm guessing I'll be using the other apartment."

"Shit, well good luck, then."

"Since when have I ever needed luck with men?" I gave her a wink before closing the door.

Chapter 11