Night After Night (12 page)

Smiling, she picked up the snapshot, remembering that exciting day oh so well. Her father had been so proud of her accomplishment, the pride and joy shining in his eyes evidence of just how much he supported her dreams, no matter what they entailed. Unlike her cool, detached mother, who felt her daughter’s aspirations were frivolous and unnecessary, her warm, loving father had always believed in her abilities, and she had him to thank for encouraging her and building her confidence from a very early age.

“When was that picture with your father taken?” Sean asked from behind her.

His conversational tone prompted her to answer, “The day I graduated from the Fashion Institute.” She set the frame back on the shelf and glanced at Sean as he quickly and easily removed the side panel of her father’s desktop computer, as if he’d done the same thing a dozen times before.

He cast her a quick, curious look before reaching inside the open computer and tinkering with something she couldn’t see. “How come your mother isn’t in the picture?”

Zoe crossed her arms loosely over her chest, content for the moment to watch Sean as he worked. “Because she wasn’t there,” Zoe said, her tone matter-of-fact.

His hands stilled, and he glanced up at her, his expression incredulous. “She didn’t attend your college graduation? Was she sick or something?”

“Or something.” At the time, Zoe had been hurt that her mother hadn’t made the effort to be there but ultimately not surprised with the reason why she hadn’t attended such a monumental event in her only child’s life. “She was in Italy with some guy she was dating at the time, and to her, that was far more important.”

“Wow.”

Sean sounded as stunned as he looked, but Zoe had had years to get used to her mother’s selfish choices and skewed expectations. “I wasn’t exactly a priority to my mother, unless it was for something that benefited her,” Zoe explained as she strolled to the desk and propped her hip on the corner. “Even when I was growing up, she missed a lot of milestones, but my father always tried to be there for me, no matter how busy he was.”

“Ah-h, you were a daddy’s girl,” Sean drawled.

His comment triggered her defenses. Sure, her father had doted on her and lavished her with affection and even bought her nice things, but he’d never spoiled her to the extreme and she’d always been grateful for the nice things she’d had. She knew her father just wanted her to have every advantage to succeed in life, and while she’d appreciated his support throughout the years, she’d been so relieved when he’d understood her need to make it all on her own with ZR Designs and her first boutique.

Most
daddy’s girls
would have taken the substantial amount of money he’d offered to fund her business venture, knowing he never expected her to pay the money back, but she’d turned down the cash because she wanted, and needed, to be independent and self-sufficient. For herself and because unlike her mother, Zoe didn’t ever want to rely on a man to support her financially.

“He was a good father,” Zoe said of her dad. Despite whatever faults he might possess, she wanted Sean to know that Grant Russo had been a decent and caring parent, a father who’d loved her unconditionally.

Sean concentrated on pulling a small, square metal box out of a slot inside the computer and disconnected the attached cables. “I never said he wasn’t.”

Maybe not directly, but there was no doubt in her mind that Sean questioned her father’s integrity. “Considering what you
think
you know about my father based on investigative reports you’ve read, he was
always
there for me.”

Sean lifted his head and met her gaze, the barest hint of emotion flickering in his blue eyes. “Then you were very lucky.”

His comment led her to believe that his childhood had been less than ideal and made her curious to know more. “What about your parents? Where do they live? Here in Vegas?”

“My mother died when I was twelve,” he said, his tone taking on a curt edge. “And my father has been out of the picture for years.”

Sean’s answer was cut-and-dried and didn’t welcome further prodding about what, exactly, had happened to each of his parents, and Zoe didn’t push further to find out. “Any brothers or sisters?”

Shaking his head, he set the hard drive aside and snapped the side panel back in place. “Nope. I’m an only child.”

“Well, what do you know,” she said, deliberately injecting a light, humorous note into her voice in an attempt to lighten the mood in the office. “We actually have something in common.”

The atmosphere between them definitely shifted and changed, and the slow, sensual smile curving the corners of Sean’s lips made her heart race just a bit faster. “Sweetheart, we have a whole lot more than that in common, and you know it.”

Like their mutual attraction and her sexual awareness of him that she couldn’t suppress, no matter how hard she tried. But feeling that hot rush of need for Sean and acting on those desires were two different things, and she was determined not to cross that line with him again.

Sean picked up the slim metal box he’d left on the desk. “I’ve got the hard drive, so we’re ready to go.”

Grateful for the change in subject, Zoe nodded and led the way back to the front door. She set the alarm, locked up the house, and followed Sean back to his car. Once she was in the vehicle, she reached beneath her seat for her purse just as a beep chirped from her cell phone, indicating she had a voicemail message. Praying her father had finally called, she dug her BlackBerry out of her handbag and punched in the code to listen to the message.

Her hopes plummeted the moment she heard her mother’s voice. Zoe listened to what Collette had to say, then with a resigned sigh erased the message, since it was nothing she needed to save.

“Was that message anything important?” Sean asked as he pulled onto the main road just outside of her father’s gated community.

Obviously, he, too, was hoping that Zoe’s father had finally gotten in touch with her. “No,” she said, and even though she was certain Sean wouldn’t demand to know who’d called, she told him anyway. “It was my mother calling to tell me that she still hasn’t received her alimony check from my father, and that she’s leaving tonight for a weeklong trip to New York. So, when I
do
hear from my dad, she wants to make sure I tell him that she needs her money.” It really was unbelievable just how superficial she was.

“Is he usually late on his payments?”

“No, as far as I know, he’s normally very prompt.” Zoe dropped her cell phone back into her purse, trying not to think of all the reasons why he’d be late on his alimony payment, which included the possibility that he
was
on the run. “By the way, I’m going to stop by my father’s office on Monday afternoon and talk to Sheila face-to-face and see what kind of information I can get out of her about where my father is, like a hotel name or a copy of his itinerary, and find out how she’s been contacting him. She takes care of all that stuff, and being his daughter, I have a right to know where my father is.”

“Good idea.” Sean turned onto Las Vegas Boulevard and headed toward the Oynx. “If your father’s secretary doesn’t have anything to hide, I’m sure she’ll cooperate.”

And if Sheila didn’t give Zoe what she asked for…well, she’d deal with that issue when and if she met with resistance.

A few minutes later she and Sean arrived back at the Onyx Hotel, and he drove Zoe to where she’d parked her car earlier, before her meeting with Caleb and The Reliance Group. Sean came to a stop behind her Lexus and pushed the switch to unlock the passenger door.

“I guess we’ll be in touch if either of us has any news?” she asked.

He nodded as he casually draped his wrist over the steering wheel. “It might take Lucas a few days to decode what’s on your father’s hard drive, but if anything comes up, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay.” With nothing left to say, she slid out of the Camaro and shut the door, feeling Sean’s eyes on her backside as she walked to her car. Like a gentleman, he waited until she was securely inside her vehicle before taking off, leaving her wishing they had a legitimate excuse to spend more time together that didn’t include investigating her father’s whereabouts.

She exhaled a heavy sigh and turned on the car’s engine, knowing that going their separate ways was the smartest thing to do. She had a ton of work to get done over the next few days for ZR Designs, including spending all day Sunday reviewing and modifying orders and conducting the half-dozen interviews she’d set up for Monday morning to find a manager for the boutique.

She really didn’t have time for anything non–business related, and she most certainly didn’t have the extra time to spend with a sexy, charming man who would leave her with nothing more than a broken heart.

“This is Benny Davis and you’re listening to KJOY, Las Vegas’s classic hit radio,” the popular DJ sitting across from Jessica announced into the airwaves. “This afternoon we have a special treat for you. The beautiful and talented Jessica Morgan is in the house, and she’ll be letting us know what to expect from her in the near future.”

Jessica smiled at the friendly DJ—a young, twenty-something male sporting a faux ’hawk, guy-liner, and a collection of colorful tattoos covering the length of both of his arms—and leaned toward her microphone. “Thanks for the welcome, Benny, and for playing my songs on the radio. I really do appreciate it.”

Her label expected her, as a recording artist, to do interviews and appearances to promote her albums and upcoming tours, which Jessica didn’t mind doing. But today was mostly about raising money, and awareness, for Wishes Are Forever, the foundation she’d established a few years ago. The organization was directly linked to The Children’s Hospital of Nevada and granted wishes to the young children who had a long-term stay at the facility. Whenever Jessica was in town, she spent time visiting the sick kids and enjoyed getting personally involved in making their wishes come true.

“We’re happy to have you here. After all, you are one of Las Vegas’s own who made it big,” Benny said, referring to her stint on the hit show
Make Me a Star
and how her career had skyrocketed after her time on the show. “Before we get to the good stuff, we need to go to commercial, so stay tuned to KJOY to find out all the latest on Jessica Morgan, and to hear about how you can win an evening in her company and VIP backstage passes to her concert next month here in Vegas.”

Benny pressed a button on the panel in front of him, disconnecting their microphones until the reel of commercials ended. During the quick three-minute intermission, they discussed the details of the auction Jessica had planned and how Benny would handle the calls and bids. Once the interview part of her visit was over, she was putting herself up on the auction block for a date night with one lucky winner, with all of the proceeds benefiting Wishes Are Forever.

“We’re back on air with Jessica Morgan,” Benny said, once the radio station fulfilled their advertising obligations. “Why don’t you tell us about your new album and your upcoming tour?”

Jessica worked the PR angle, telling the radio station’s listeners what to expect on her album—more of the soulful lyrics her fans had come to expect from her, along with a bit more edge to some of her songs. Her latest tour, It’s All for You, was kicking off at Las Vegas’s Mandalay Bay, and that concert was already a sold-out event, which made the VIP backstage passes all the more valuable.

“You sure are one busy woman,” Benny commented. “What do you do on your downtime?”

“Downtime? What’s that?” She laughed, and so did the DJ. “Seriously, when I do have free time, I like to hang with my friends, write new songs, read books. You know, normal, everyday things. When I’m not on tour, I’m quite boring.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Benny said, obviously opting to believe the gossip rags that touted her as a party girl, which was the furthest thing from the truth about her lifestyle.

“It’s true,” she insisted, hating that one part of being a celebrity—the scrutiny and speculation of everything she said and did and how it was twisted into sensationalized fodder for the masses to believe whatever they wanted, and it was usually the worst. “I’ll go out with friends occasionally, but I’m just as happy staying at home for the evening.”

A sly grin eased up the corners of the DJ’s lips, and she knew exactly what direction this conversation had just veered into, even before he spoke. “I know the male population is dying to know, are you dating anyone right now?”

This was the part of interviews she hated—the focus on her private life. But the personal questions came with the territory and she handled it politely when she really wanted to just tell him it wasn’t any of his, or anyone else’s, business.

“No, no one seriously,” she said lightly. Or even casually, for that matter. Over the years she’d gone out with a few guys, but she hadn’t been intimately involved with anyone since Noah in high school. She blamed it on her busy schedule, but she knew her hectic career was more of an excuse to mask a deeper issue—one that kept her from developing a meaningful relationship with any man out of fear of being rejected when he discovered the physical and emotional scars she carried that would most likely be a deal-breaker for him.

“Did you hear that, guys? The gorgeous, sexy Jessica Morgan is single and available!” Benny said enthusiastically, a ploy to generate excitement for the upcoming auction. “We’ve got the auction up next, so guys, here’s your chance to win a date with Jessica, and ladies, if you want to party with a rock star for an evening, pick up the phone and open your wallet for a good cause, the Wishes Are Forever foundation. All it takes is a winning bid and she’s yours for the night, so be generous.”

With that said, Benny pressed a button on the console in front of him and played a song from her recent album. By the time “Don’t Turn Me Away” ended, the auction was ready to begin. Benny opened the phone lines to KJOY’s listeners, and the switchboard lit up with callers willing to place a bid for the opportunity to spend a few hours in Jessica’s company. All she had to do was sit back, relax, and wait to find out who the winning bidder turned out to be.

The opening offer of one hundred dollars came from a young girl who wanted Jessica to perform for her sixteenth birthday but was quickly eclipsed by a higher bid. The hundred-dollar bids quickly jumped into the thousands and kept rising from there. A group of girlfriends had pooled their money in hopes of winning a cocktail party with Jessica as the guest of honor, but they were no match for the many men calling in, who were very competitive and cutthroat in their attempts to become the highest bidder.

The whole process, and the amount of money someone was willing to pay to spend time with her, made Jessica’s head spin—in a very good way.

Eventually, the calls began to dwindle as the bidding climbed to sixty-five hundred dollars, until a male caller made an offer of seven thousand dollars and no one else called to top him.

“Very nice, dude,” Benny drawled, obviously impressed with the man’s generous bid. “Six thousand dollars going once…going twice…going—”

Benny abruptly stopped his countdown as a phone line lit up, flashing like a bright beacon. “Hold on, folks. Looks like this auction is not done yet.” Grinning at Jessica, he connected the call. “What’s your bid?”

“Ten thousand dollars.”

Jessica sucked in a shocked breath—at the staggering amount and because the deep, masculine voice that had made the offer was an all-too-familiar one. The hot, sexy, and very determined Noah Young.

She certainly hadn’t seen
that
coming.

Benny looked just as surprised. “Now
that’s
an impressive bid.”

“You got that right, man,” the caller before Noah said, his tone both disappointed and annoyed. “I’m tapped out and can’t compete with ten grand. You win.”

“So, let’s make this official, then,” Benny said, relishing his role as auctioneer. “Ten thousand dollars going once…going twice…going three times…” He dragged the last part out, but when no one else rang in, the DJ made a loud clapping sound with his hands in lieu of pounding a gavel to signal the end of the auction. “Caller, you just won an evening in Jessica’s company, along with VIP passes to her upcoming concert. What’s your name?”

“Noah,” he said, confirming what Jessica already knew. But that didn’t stop her heart from racing ten miles a minute at the knowledge that he’d placed a hefty bid for a date with her.

“Well, Noah, that’s quite a chunk of change you just plunked down. You must want this date with Jessica really badly.”

“Who wouldn’t?” Noah drawled, his deep, masculine voice resonating through Jessica like a slow, seductive caress. “Besides, the money is going to a great cause, so it’s a win-win situation.”

Jessica knew that listeners were probably expecting her to say something to the winner, to at least congratulate him, but her tongue felt tied. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t wrap her mind around
why
he would spend that kind of money on her—or even for her foundation. If it was all about doing a good deed, he could have just written a check directly to Wishes Are Forever and not torture her in the process. Because she couldn’t imagine he actually wanted to spend time with her on a date, unless it was to dredge up the painful past again, and she so wasn’t going there with him.

Not now. Not ever. Despite the regrets she still lived with, her life had irrevocably changed all those years ago and there was no repairing the damage done.

Jessica cleared her throat and forced herself to speak. “Thanks for the generous donation, Noah.”

“My pleasure.” Again, his husky tone rippled along Jessica’s nerve endings, making her body come alive as if his voice alone had the power to awaken all those desires she’d squashed after leaving him nine years ago. “I’m looking forward to our time together.”

Unaware that Jessica actually
knew
Noah, Benny focused on the business aspect of the auction: “We’ll get our PR person, Jackie, on the phone to make arrangements for your payment, and to get your personal information to pass on to Jessica so the two of you can set up a time and place for your date.”

“Sounds great,” Noah said.

The DJ switched Noah over to Jackie to handle the transaction while Benny wrapped up the interview portion of Jessica’s visit. Even though her mind was distracted by everything that had just transpired, she managed to answer the final questions, quickly mentioned her album and upcoming tour one more time, then stopped by Jackie’s cubicle to collect Noah’s contact information.

Jessica’s bodyguard, Simon, was waiting for her out in the reception area, and as soon as he saw her he stood and fell into step a few feet behind her as they left the radio station, then made their way out of the building to the Town Car waiting to take her back home.

Except parked at the curb, right behind her chauffeured vehicle, was a sporty black BMW with none other than Noah leaning casually against the passenger door, his arms folded over his broad chest and his jean-clad legs crossed at the ankles. A warm summer breeze ruffled his thick hair, and sunglasses shaded his eyes and kept most of his expression concealed.

She came to a sudden stop, unable to believe he’d been waiting right outside the radio station the entire time the auction had been going on. The man was bold and cocky and too damn persistent.

Simon halted beside her and narrowed his gaze at Noah. “Is there a problem?” Simon asked her in a low, gruff tone, ready and willing to take care of said
problem
with one word from her.

“No, it’s okay,” she assured her bodyguard, whose tense forearms immediately relaxed. “I’ll be fine. I know him, and he’s not a threat.”

Except, of course, to her emotions.

In that regard, Noah Young caused all kind of havoc—with his dominating presence, his too-confident attitude, and mostly his delicious, addicting kisses. Like the ones he’d planted on her Friday night after her impromptu concert at Taboo. Those kisses had started a slow burn inside of her that had made her feel restless ever since.

She glanced at Simon. “Give me a few minutes to talk to him.”

Simon gave her a nod and headed toward the Town Car, and Jessica started in Noah’s direction, annoyed by the fact that the dark pair of shades he wore blocked his eyes. But despite those sunglasses, she could still
feel
his gaze on her, most likely taking a slow, leisurely perusal over her dark purple gauze blouse, down her skinny black jeans, to her lace-up ankle boots—and all the way back up again. Maybe it was a good thing she couldn’t see his eyes and what, exactly, he was looking at.

Jessica stopped a few feet away from him and kept her expression neutral. “Was all that really necessary?” she asked. She wanted to sound irritated but didn’t quite pull it off.

To his credit, he didn’t pretend to not know what she was referring to. “Yes, it was very necessary,” he said, his voice smooth as silk. “I didn’t think you’d go out with me willingly, and I figured this was something you couldn’t back out of.”

Jerk.
A clever jerk, she admitted begrudgingly, but a jerk nonetheless. “Why would you want to go out with me at all?” It wasn’t as though the last time they’d been together had been all romance and roses. In fact, there had been a ton of animosity between them, and she couldn’t imagine spending hours with Noah steeped with anger and resentment.

Now that sounded like a fun time together.
Not.

“Why, Noah?” she persisted.

Shrugging, he finally slipped off his sunglasses, his gaze a direct and piercing shade of brown. “Because you and I have unfinished business to resolve.”

She stiffened, her defenses rising. “No, we don’t,” she said adamantly. The past was the past, and she wanted it to stay there. For her, that term was nonnegotiable.

He thought for a long moment, as if trying to come up with some kind of compromise. “Okay, what if I promise to be on my best behavior and we both make an effort to enjoy the date?”

God, with the history between them, was that even possible? Could they put the past aside and just go forward as friends? Honestly, it wasn’t as though she had a choice. The man had just spent an exorbitant amount of money for a date with her—how would it look if word got out that she’d backed out on a legitimate auction? Her publicist could no doubt handle the damage control, but Jessica had never reneged on a deal before and she wasn’t about to start now with Noah—no matter how bad of an idea this was.

“Fine.” She absently adjusted the strap of her purse over her shoulder, telling herself she could handle a few hours with Noah, especially since they’d both agreed to play nice. Once her obligation was fulfilled, they could go their separate ways. Thank God she was leaving in a few weeks to begin her concert tour, which would assure there would be plenty of distance between herself and Noah.