Is Three A Crowd? (9 page)

* * * *

She’d showered and dressed, and waited at the darkened doorway of the hotel restaurant until her eyes adjusted. Blake appeared at her side, guiding her with his hand on her waist to a quiet, candlelit table in a back corner. His touch felt light and natural. Maris should have felt nervous, but she didn’t. All day she assumed the fear and anxiety would kick in, yet it hadn’t. Instead, she felt relaxed and in control. They ordered white wine, and while waiting for it, she settled into her seat.

“What would you like me to know, Blake?” She studied his face, and saw a bit of humor cross his lips in a small smile. She was familiar with the smile, but not from this visit. It was a memory forcing its way forward in her mind.

“What questions do you have, Maris?” He paused when the wine arrived, approved it, and waited while it was poured. “We’ll order later,” he told the waiter. When they were alone and had each sipped from their glass, they sat across from each other, in a standoff of looks and questions.

“I’m here now, you have my full attention. What is going on between you and Nathan, and how do I fit into the situation?”

“In ways you’d never imagine, my sweet.” He sipped from his glass and relaxed back into his seat. “What has Nathan told you?”

“Only that I should be leery of you and your ulterior motives. What does he mean by that?”

“Nathan always was a control freak, always wants everything to be just as he directs. I’m a little less…anal when it comes to the details. As long as work gets accomplished, I don’t see why we can’t have fun doing it.”

“What is your business?”

“Same as Nathan.” He gave her a shrewd look. “He didn’t tell you. We are both half owners in the Chateau and land and all the businesses that are run there.”

“Then why wasn’t your name mentioned when he hired me to do the new surveys?”

“I’m sure he went out of his way not to mention me. Under the circumstances…”

“Circumstances?”

“We’re co-owners. Both our signatures are needed for major decisions about the business. I was aware you were coming, and chose not to butt heads with him from the start. Both of us had the same goal to get you here.”

“And now I’m here, what did you expect?”

“Now you’ll have to make some decisions of your own. But I don’t want to force you. I’d rather you chose me because I’m the better man.”

She laughed, even though she didn’t want to. “Who am I? How did I meet you?” Even in the low light, she saw he became uncomfortable with her questions. “Squirming in your seat won’t help avoid answering me.”

“I’m squirming, darlin’, because my cock got hard when I remembered you sucking me down your throat.” He paused and watched her carefully. “What, no witty comeback? And please excuse the pun.”

“So I knew you in the biblical sense?” Maris knew at some time she had, but she wanted his perspective on the situation just as she’d wanted Nathan’s.

“We were lovers. We used to fuck with abandon.” He leaned forward. “We had a good time together, Maris. We understood each other’s needs and wants.”

“This was going on while I was sleeping with Nathan, too? Why would you stand for that? Help me to understand.”

He sat back, looking at her with a pensive stare. “Years ago we were all in different places in our lives. You met Nathan when he was lecturing at your university. We met on campus a few months later and we clicked on a personal and sexual level. But you didn’t want commitments. You’d just graduated from university and had your Master’s degree. We had fun together, Maris. Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe you don’t remember any of it, or me.”

“When did you find out about Nathan and me?”

“From the start you were very upfront. You said it was casual with him and planned to keep it casual with me. I accepted the situation to spend time with you. I chose to take what you were willing to give, just to have you with me, even if it was temporarily.” He paused and sipped his wine. “Besides, at the time I was still a struggling artist, not financially set as I am now. That put Nathan and me on an even keel. I’d hoped you’d eventually decide he was too old for you and would let him slip away.”

Maris sat back in her seat, trying to take in all he told her. “I can’t believe I carried on affairs with two men at the same time.” She took several deep breaths. “What about the partnership, the Chateau, and the lands?”

“Just after your…accident, the owner you were redesigning the gardens for decided to sell the whole thing
—
house, gardens and forest lands, everything in one package. Nathan wanted to buy the Chateau and I wanted to punish him for taking your affections from me. So, I blocked his sale with my own bids. In the end, we decided you loved the land so much we couldn’t let it go to a third party. We formed a wary partnership and bought the place, lock stock and outer buildings, each owning half. He manages the day-to-day work of the property, and I paint when I’m inspired.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Longer than you could imagine right now.” He paused and sipped his wine. “It all wound up about two years after your accident. We decided we’d punished each other enough for any two men, figured one day you’d come back, regain your memories of us and choose. That was when we struck the bargain that the other would leave gracefully, for your happiness, not Nathan’s or mine. But be warned, I will fight to be the one you decide to spend the rest of your life with.”

“Where did you get your money for the partnership? Were you independently wealthy when we met?”

His laughing aloud wasn’t what she expected. “No, I was just a broke guy looking for someone to discover my paintings. You brought some of my works to a gallery in
Montreal
. They loved them and held a show. Since then, anything I paint sells quickly. It was as if you were my magical muse. I never would have had the courage to just walk in and say, ‘Hey, these are good, and they’ll sell.’ You did just about that and set my career. I thank you for that every day.”

“I’m sure your art had a lot to do with your sales. And Nathan’s money, where does his come from?”

“Some of his was family money, and he earned a lot when he was still designing office buildings and museums.”

“This is all so much to take in. It’s like we’re talking about a third person I’ve never met. Do you live at the Chateau also?”

“Yes, it’s my permanent residence. But Nathan and I have different lifestyles. I bought the smaller log cabin up the road with the proceeds from my first sales. I knew you loved the land, and I figured I’d stay close to it for inspiration. Now I use it for private times and painting. I find it much more cathartic for me to paint there. It’s far more inspiring to be in the forest than a bustling house.”

“I really don’t understand why two intelligent men wouldn’t get on with their lives, especially once my mother cut off all communication. I never knew about you or Nathan until recently. After Nathan hired me to appraise the Chateau, I started having dreams or memories about both of you, but they were just snippets of time. I wasn’t sure if they’d been real or imagined.”

“We were bound by you, Maris. Not by blood, but coincidence and true love, with a lot of lust.” He gave her a smug smile, one she remembered.

Maris picked up her menu and scanned the pages, not hungry, just exasperated.

“Maris, some things are better left to time. Jolting you with information won’t help make your decisions, only overwhelm you.”

“I’m sick of being treated like a sickly woman who needs to be protected.”

“There are things in this life you know nothing about. One day you’ll remember, and then we’ll start over.”

“Why didn’t you come to supper last night?”

“I gave Nathan the courtesy of some private time. Tonight he gave me the same courtesy. It wouldn’t be right to overstep the limits we’ve set.”

“What if I wanted to overstep them?”

“But you don’t, you’re not ready. We both understand that. Neither of us will push you further.”

“I felt as if I’d spent time in the Chateau, but I didn’t have memories of being with you there. Why?”

“When I’m in the Chateau with you, you’ll remember our times together.”

“Why do you and Nathan both have ‘crews’ of men? What do yours do?” His smile would be her undoing. While she’d only sipped her wine, her body was already heating at the idea of his touch. He was similar in size and height to Nathan, but their colorings and attitudes were different.

“I have a crew that works for me, as does Nathan. Call them our private assistants.”

“When I think of assistants, I think of secretarial work and lawyers, I don’t know what your crew does.”

“They make sure things run smoothly.”

“So your crew watches Nathan’s crew, who watches yours.” It was all so absurd she laughed aloud. “Seems to me there’s a lot of distrust between you. Why?”

“Ages of animosity, I suppose, and a partnership he hates, which makes me happy. It’s a hard cycle to break. We’ve come to terms with the business end of things. It would be stupid to let that side of things go when we are both heavily invested in it. But we’ve both been in a sort of limbo waiting and wondering if you’d come back to us.”

“Am I here to break the cycle?”

The waiter approached apprehensively and she nodded for him to interrupt. She ordered the crab cakes, and Blake ordered the steak. When he left, she decided to be blunt.

“Have you ordered your crew to watch me when I was in the woods doing the surveys and appraisals?”

“To watch you, no. I’ve had them around town to make sure nobody bothered you, but I haven’t sent them to follow you. Has something happened?”

“No, I just got an odd feeling one day, as if I was being watched. It was probably just an animal I stirred up with my presence.” Suddenly she didn’t like the look of alarm on his features. “Blake, it was probably just a spooked animal.”

“Was that when you first got here, the night you called Aminta to see if there were workman on site?”

“Yes, but I’m sure I was just overreacting.”

“No buts, Maris. From now on if you have any feelings like that again, you call Nathan or me at once. Do you understand?’

“Yes, but animals I can deal with.”

“I’m sure you can. Let’s just make sure it was an animal.”

“What else would it have been?” Maris didn’t like his unease, and the tension between them became palpable. Watching his face, she realized he did truly have feelings for her, even if they were just for protection. “I always have Shin with me in the woods. She’ll drive away any animal I stumble upon.”

“Maybe I should send some of my crew or Nathan’s with you when you resume your work.”

“Don’t be silly, I’m fine alone. I work better alone, and I don’t need babysitters.” He was watching her with true alarm in his eyes, his body stiff in the seat, his eyes squinted. “Blake, promise me you won’t send out sitters. If I come across them in the woods, I’ll get cranky. According to Nathan, I used to be very cantankerous. My word, not his.”

“It fits,” he said with a laugh, settling back in his seat. “I won’t send men to follow you if you promise to be careful.”

“I’m always careful.”

“Sometimes things get beyond our grasp. Just remember that when you’re in the woods.”

“Are you trying to scare me?”

“No, I’m trying to protect you. However, you’re probably right. You must have stirred up a deer or something. Would you consider keeping a shotgun in your truck or a small handgun with you? I can train you how to use either in a few hours. I would make me feel better.”

“No guns, I have enough stuff to lug around with me. If I’m uncomfortable, I’ll leave.”

“Promise me you’ll do just that. If for any reason you feel uncomfortable or spooked, just walk away, leave the woods, and come up to the house.”

“Fine, if I feel spooked, I’ll call the Chateau. It doesn’t matter now, anyway. I’m through with the wood land tracts and about to start on the outer buildings.”

“That’s not what I asked, but I suppose it is the best I’ll get as a compromise.”

“Ah, a man who knows when to back off. You don’t seriously think someone was in the woods with me, do you?”

She watched as he shook off the conversation and gave her a smile. “No, I think you’re safe. But I’ll make a few calls just to make sure.”