Lies Lovers Tell (23 page)

A parade of limos and town cars lined the streets around the Beverly Hilton. Designer fashion and diamonds in platinum seemed to be the required attire. The men, tucked and tuxedoed to perfection, added a masculine glamour. The music, an upbeat blend of world beat rhythms liberally sprinkled with instruments popular in the Middle East, placed a touch of the exotic on the upscale affair. The liberal flow of wine and champagne had the entire crowd happy. Vicki Brennan stood in the middle of it all, splendid in a shimmering gold LaVascati, held court as if she were royalty, and greeted her guests as if they were as well.

Maya sat at a table near the middle of the room with Ester and her date. Buying her ticket had been a small price to pay to have someone else besides Sean that she trusted in the room. Sean had rarely sat down, moving back and forth between the table and the front entrance, the men’s room and the bar. She didn’t know what or who he was looking for, and had finally decided it was better not to know.

“Where’s Mr. Brennan?” Ester asked. “Shouldn’t he be by his wife’s side, greeting the guests?”

“This is her baby,” Maya absently responded. “Her night to have the spotlight. I know he leaves for China first thing in the morning. He’ll probably be here shortly.” Maya tried to enjoy the music as she continued looking around, hoping against hope that Malcolm had taken her advice and would stay away from the event.

When she turned back toward the entrance, it was to see Sean coming toward her. Money and Lucia, looking like Hollywood, walked next to him.

“Who’s that?” Ester whispered? “She’s beautiful. I hate her.”

Maya laughed. “You’ll love her, she’s cool people. Her name is Lucia.” Maya stopped talking as the trio approached the table. “Hello, Money, Hey, Lucia.”

Money walked around the table to shake Maya’s hand. “It’s Dwight tonight,” he said with a smile in his voice. “We’ve gone uptown.”

“Dwight it is,” Maya replied. She introduced them to Ester and Ester’s date. And then, “Lucia, girl, you are wearing that dress.”

“Thank you,” Lucia replied. She sat down next to Maya. “I won’t be able to eat, drink, or breathe tonight, but no pain, no gain, right?”

“Right.”

Maya kept one ear toward Sean and Money even as she chatted with the ladies at the table. She heard Money inquire as to Zeke’s whereabouts. She didn’t hear Sean’s answer. The two continued talking as they headed to the bar. Vicki came over to the table and greeted everyone. She seemed especially interested in Lucia; asked where she was from, who she’d come with. But she was cordial to everyone and after a minute or so of small talk, moved on to greet other guests.

Sean and Dwight returned to the table just as the salad was being served. Somewhere between the appetizer and the entrée, Maya began to relax. Zeke’s arrival was uneventful, as was his meeting Dwight. In fact the men seemed to hit it off; turned out Zeke was a big college football fan and knew of Dwight’s achievements. Dwight was obviously pleased when he sat back down at the table, though “cool dude” was all he said about his and Zeke’s brief conversation.

While Sean was still on high alert, he took some time to focus on Maya, who he’d never seen look lovelier. “Baby, you look good enough to eat. I sure hope you don’t intend to make me sleep alone tonight.” He nuzzled her shoulder. “You look beautiful, Maya Jamison.”

“And you’re the most handsomest man in the room, Sean Wynn.”

As the waiters came to the table to remove their dinner dishes, the music changed to a haunting rendition of Carlos Santana’s “Europa.”

“Let’s make room for dessert. Dance with me?”

Maya turned to see a sprinkling of couples on the dance floor. What a great excuse to spend a few minutes in Sean’s arms. “Of course.”

As soon as they reached the dance floor, Sean enveloped Maya in his arms. His hands roamed her body of their own volition; he worked to keep the movements limited to her back and arms. “Ooh, you feel so good.”

Pulling her head back slightly, she kissed him on the cheek. He turned his head and connected his lips to hers. “Don’t even start, baby, or we’ll have to leave the floor and get a room. I’m about to burst just holding you like this.”

“A room, huh? Well, I won’t tell if you won’t.” She took her body and covertly rubbed it against Sean’s thigh. His moan was her answer that the seduction was working.

“Let’s go see how soft the Hilton’s beds are.”

“But, baby. What about dessert?”

“We’ll have the chocolate cake delivered. And then I’ll eat if off you.”

Maya laughed as Sean turned her toward the door. He’d like nothing more than to do just what she’d suggested, and forget all about the potential danger the night held. But he couldn’t, not yet. Not until the evening was over and everyone was safe. Instead of walking out of the room, he pulled her behind a large, potted plant so he could kiss her senseless.

That’s when the shooting started. There were four or five in quick succession, followed by screams and a surge of people running from the ballroom’s entrance.

Sean placed his body in front of Maya and reached behind him into his waistband.

“Sean, you have a gun!”

“Stay here, Maya!”

“Sean!”

Sean raced toward the commotion near the ballroom entrance.

Maya half sat, half stood, paralyzed as people ran around her. The band stopped playing in midnote and darted off the stage. She tried to get her mind around the fact that the very thing she’d feared, and Sean suspected, was happening. Someone had come for Zeke. Had they shot him? Was he dead? And then she thought about who could have done the shooting.

“Malcolm!” As she raced toward the entrance she wasn’t aware that the voice screaming her brother’s name over and over was her own.

Maya pushed her way through the crowd, tossing and tussling until she got to the front. At the sight that greeted her, she almost fainted. There were two bodies lying on the floor. One of them was Zeke Brennan. Against her will she turned her head to look at the other one. Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my God,” she said, trying to get past the policeman holding her back with his arm. “No! No! No!”

“Are you sure you’re going to be all right, Trish? Maybe it would be better if you joined us.” It had been a little over a month since Tony was killed by Zeke’s bodyguard. She’d rarely left Trish by herself since then.

“You two go ahead,” Trish said, trying valiantly to put a smile on her face. “It’s enough that you forced me to come with you two to Hawaii. You don’t have to hover over me every waking minute.” Trish’s mood turned somber. “Actually, I could use the time alone. I think I’ll take a nap.”

“At least promise me you’ll eat something. You need to keep your strength up, Trish. For you…and the baby.”

“I will.”

Maya didn’t believe her and walked over to the desk. “Here, let me order for you. What do you want?”

“I want you to leave!” Trish said. She tried to soften it with a laugh. “I mean it, Maya. I know it’s because you care about me but I’m fine, really. You two go on and enjoy your dinner. I’ll be fine.”

Maya told her she believed her, but still ordered a salad, dessert, and a large glass of milk from room service. “We won’t be gone long, maybe an hour. And then we’ll be right next door, Trish. I’ll call you a little later, so please answer the phone, okay?”

Trish looked at Sean. “Why do best friends have to get on your nerves?”

“Oh, didn’t you know?” Sean asked with a serious expression. “It’s part of their job.”

An hour and a half later, Sean and Maya returned to their room. As promised, she called Trish, who answered with a groggy voice, obviously asleep. Maya made plans to meet her for breakfast and then hung up, satisfied her friend was okay for the night.

Sean walked up behind Maya and kneaded her shoulders. “You’re still so tight, baby. Take your clothes off. I’m going to loosen you up.”

Maya, exhausted, didn’t argue. After all that had happened in the past couple of weeks, she was happy to turn the reins of control over to someone else. She stripped out of her clothes and lay on the bed. To her surprise, Sean’s touch was methodical, his ministrations focused. She’d thought it was a prelude for seduction, but Sean was actually giving her what felt like a professional massage.

As he kneaded more than a month of mayhem out of her shoulders, Maya reflected on what all had taken place in a few short days. Zeke had made a full recovery, the bulletproof vest he wore having absorbed most of the bullet. His near brush with death must have restored his sanity because four days after Mrs. B’s gala, Jade was history—from Zeke’s private room and B&A. Money, whose name Tony had whispered to police before he died, was taken in for questioning but later released because of insufficient evidence to charge him with anything. Joseph Rosenthal, who it was believed but not provable was involved in the murder attempt, feigned genuine interest and sent a huge bouquet of flowers to Zeke’s office. And as if all that craziness wasn’t enough: The Angel’s Way project bid went to neither B&A nor the Rosenthal Group, but to a China-based company with L.A. partners: Phillip Campbell’s company, Real Developers, and Sean Wynn’s company, S.W.I.

Amazing that good could come from tragedy but it had. One of the positive developments was Maya’s revelation and, finally, acknowledgment of just how much she loved Sean Wynn. Seeing Tony snatched away from Trish, in the span of a moment, made Maya realize how short and tenuous life was, and how precious love was if one could find it. She’d gone to Sean after the funeral and spilled her heart to him, professed her love. It had been a transforming day for both of them.

“Turn over, love,” Sean commanded.

Maya did so, drinking in the sight of Sean’s bare chest and strong, barely covered thighs.

“I still can’t believe it,” she said, trying to keep her mind off the tremors that were a result of Sean’s touch on her feet. “You really are the president of S.W.I.? That’s the only thing about the information we got on you that was legit, that this was your company. But we were so busy trying to find out what we didn’t know that that distracted us from seriously considering your real motive for being here, to get in on the bid.”

“That wasn’t my plan initially, but once I met Phillip, it all started coming together. S.W.I. was already in place, so it made it easy for me to come in as the third partner they were looking for.” Sean eased a forefinger along the side of Maya’s thigh. “And I wasn’t without distractions myself.”

“But how did you do it? We all knew who was bidding on this job, or so we thought. It’s crazy that you’re really…” Maya didn’t finish the thought, that he was a billionaire investor with properties on seven continents.

“That I’m really who I said I am for once?”

“Something like that.”

“Come on, baby, let’s get you in the shower and wash this oil off.”

Sean led Maya as if she were a baby into the marble-tiled bath. He stepped out of his shorts, his member bobbing and weaving in search of its Mayan treasure. But Sean was a patient man. He wanted to love Maya fully, completely, but only after she was totally relaxed.

Sean turned on the water and when the temperature was just right, he and Maya stepped into the shower. He soaped up a sponge and gently rubbed it all over her body. She tried to return the favor, but Sean wouldn’t allow it. “This is all for you,” he said.

He washed her thoroughly and then wrapped her in a soft bath towel. Next, he led Maya to the bench in the bathroom, reached for a bottle of lotion, and massaged it into every inch of her skin. When he knelt down to attend to her legs, he couldn’t resist a brief, tender kiss in her paradise. Maya’s legs spread in readiness, but Sean didn’t prolong the moment. He handed her a satin robe that lay across the vanity and helped her into it. That it wouldn’t remain there long was beside the point; he had a few more things to give before he could receive.

He led her through the living room of their ocean-front suite and out to the patio. A sea of orchid petals led from the door to the patio’s edge. On the table was an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne and two crystal flutes. Obviously this had been done while she and Sean were in the shower. It seemed as though Sean was good at planning more than large development deals.

“This is beautiful, Sean,” she whispered as she kissed him softly on the lips. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said. He stepped away just long enough to pour them both a glass of bubbly. “To the woman of my dreams, the stealer of my heart. I love you, Maya Jamison. Thank you for making me one proud, happy man.”

“And I love you, Sean. Thanks for being patient with me, for waiting until I came to my senses. Letting you leave my life would have been the craziest thing I ever could have done.”

They sipped their drinks slowly, watching the sun set. “More?” Sean asked.

Maya declined. She wanted to show her appreciation for all Sean had done for her and didn’t want to get sleepy behind too much alcohol.

“Then, let’s go in,” he suggested.

The tranquil mood was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“That must be Trish,” Maya said, as she went to answer it.

Instead of her best friend, a resort employee stood on the other side of the door with a package in hand. Maya frowned when she saw the familiar B&A address in the return portion of the airbill. She tipped the messenger and hurried to open the medium-sized cardboard box.

“What’s that?” Sean asked as he came inside.

“I don’t know.”

Maya’s frown deepened as she immediately recognized some of her personal affects from her office: a picture of her and Stretch she kept on her desk, a paperweight, her business cards, makeup she kept in her desk drawer.

“What the ‘h’?”

Her movements became more frantic as she scanned the boxes’ contents, finally dumping them out on the bed.

She turned to Sean. “I don’t understand. This is my stuff, my personal stuff from my office.”

She reached for the box and looked at the airbill. Ester’s name was in the sender portion. That was the only part that made sense, as she’d left her information with her in case there was a work emergency.

“Why would she do this? Why would she empty out my office? And why would she send it to me instead of waiting until I got back.” Then it hit her.
Jade.
She went to the phone.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m calling Ester so I can find out what’s going on.”

“Put the phone down, Maya,” Sean said calmly.

He’d said it too calmly. Maya slowly turned around.

“What is it, Sean?”

“Ester must have misunderstood when I told her to mail your things. I meant for her to mail them to your condo, not here.”

“You? What are you talking about?”

“I was going to tell you later, it’s my surprise. I told Zeke you’re not going to work for him anymore; you’re never going back to B&A.”

“You
what
?”

“I told you that after this was over, we were going to be together. I’m not going to have any woman of mine working for someone I don’t trust. And I don’t trust Zeke Brennan. So I called him right before we left to come here and told him you wouldn’t be back.”

Maya was livid, so much so she forgot all about abbreviated curse words. “How dare you! I worked my ass off to get where I was in that company. Who do you think you are to decide where I work, and when I quit?”

“I thought I was your man.”

“Oh, and this is how you treat your woman? Like you’re a Neanderathal, about to drag me back to your cave by my hair?”

“I thought you’d be happy, Maya.”

“Happy! I’m pissed, Sean. It should have been my decision when and how to leave B&A. Zeke can ruin me and my chances in L.A. You know what. I can’t talk to you right now. I don’t even want to look at you.” She began throwing the contents back in the box.

“Where are you going?”

“To Trish’s room. I can’t—” Maya’s sentence was interrupted when she saw a black velvet box previously hidden under the file folders that were at the bottom of the box. The only jewelry she kept at the office was several pairs of earrings for in case she ever forgot to wear them. But they were in a larger jewelry box, with several storage squares, not one like this.

She reached a tentative hand for the box and opened it. Inside was a seven-carat yellow diamond set in a platinum band. Inscribed across the inside of the lid were the words:
Maya, will you marry me? Sean.

She turned wide eyes toward him. He was smiling like a Cheshire cat.

“Sean, what’s this?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“It’s an engagement ring.”

“I knew you were smart.”

“But how did it get in here, with stuff from my office and all of this…”

Sean’s smile widened.

Maya’s eyes narrowed. “You liar.”

Sean laughed. “What?”

“Did you really tell Zeke I resigned?”

Sean could no longer keep a straight face. “No, baby. I bribed Ester into mailing some personal items from your office, then put the ring inside once the box arrived.”

“When did you have time to be so devious?”

“I set it up with Ester before we left and then placed the ring in the box when you went to check on Trish.”

“You are so bad.”

“Isn’t that what you love about me?”

She walked toward him as reality dawned. Sean had just asked her to be his wife! She threw her arms around him. Tears ran down her cheeks as she continued to kiss him.

“I didn’t think I could be happier than you’ve already made me,” she whispered.

“Will you make me happy too?” he asked.

“I’ll do anything.”

“Just say yes.”

“Yes, yes! I love you, Sean Wynn.”

Sean’s eyes bored into Maya’s as he eased his body on top of her. He spent the next several moments kissing her mouth tenderly yet passionately, the way he’d done every other part of her body. Maya’s hands roamed Sean’s hard body, not able to get enough of the feel of him, the flow of him. She reached down and cupped his hard buttocks, spreading her legs as a sign of welcome. “Please, Sean.”

Sean kissed her on the mouth once more, then rose and placed his manhood at the tip of Maya’s paradise. “This time, it’s forever,” he said as he slowly glided himself inside her, then began to love his woman with long, passionate strokes.

“Yes, forever,” Maya whispered, her hips rocking fervently even as she gripped him tight inside her. She didn’t ever want to let him go, and Sean had no plans on leaving. They both knew that the ecstasy they felt was more than physical; it was the soul mate kind of connection that only happened once in a lifetime. Maya and Sean were overjoyed that it had happened to them.