The Sweetest Seduction, Breakaway Hearts (13 page)

Ray shifted in his chair. “But as Adam pointed out when he got us to sign on to this venture, the appeal of Chef Amadeus’s restaurant would help all the businesses in the building.”

“Perhaps, but you’re up for re-election next year, right? How do you think your opponents would use the fact that you were willing to force a local girl out of business in favor of a foreigner?” Tom propped his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together loosely while he waited for Ray to respond to his question.

Ray took on the challenge and leaned forward, mirroring Tom’s stance. “I’m not the only person at this table, though.”

“Ray’s correct,” Adam said, hoping to swing the momentum of the conversation back in his direction. “All of you have agreed to invest money into Mr. Schlittler’s restaurant, and if he decides to pull out at the last minute, I wouldn’t hold any of you responsible for the previously signed contracts.”

“But why are you making him move?” Ray asked. “Why not relocate La Arietta? Then you can have the best of both worlds.”

“If I make La Arietta move, that would be a considerable expense, both for Chef Lia and for us. Not to mention, it would require her to close the restaurant for the time it took her to move everything.” Adam leaned back in his chair, hoping the move would encourage the others to see this as a closed argument. “I’ve spent the last two days showing Mr. Schlittler every upscale commercial property I own, including the one in Lincoln Park, and he refuses to consider any of them.”

Now all the heads turned to the chef, who rolled his eyes. “Apparently you have a different definition for upscale here in Chicago. I am Beverly Hills. I am Fifth Avenue. I am not Lincoln Park.”

“You’re also Las Vegas Strip last I checked, so don’t go throwing around all the locations of your other restaurants in an effort to impress us.” Adam drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. “You want to be where the money is, and I’m more than willing to put you there.”

“Just not willing to let me have the location you promised me.”

“What it sounds like to me is that Adam made a bunch of promises that he’s now trying to back out of.” Ray pushed back from the table. “If that’s the case, I need to remind you that we
all
signed that agreement to encourage Chef Amadeus to open his restaurant in the Michigan Avenue building.”

Adam nodded. “I understand, Ray, but I also wanted to let you know what I’ve discovered in this process and ask all of you to consider my new proposal.”

“The time for this information you’re presenting should have been before you promised Chef Amadeus that location, not after.” Ray stood and looked to the other men. “I don’t know anything about this Chef Lia what’s-her-name and frankly, I don’t care. When we have someone of Chef Amadeus’s caliber available, my money’s going with him.”

He turned to Adam. “I’ll give you until Friday to decide what you really want.”

“Finally, someone who speaks sense.” Schlittler walked around the table and looped his arm around Ray’s. “Let’s go and talk about some of the menu items I’m creating for my Chicago restaurant. The others will follow.”

They walked out of the boardroom, leaving Adam and the three other investors in silence. “Do you all feel the same way?” he asked.

Tom pressed his fingers against the tip of his nose as he looked up at the ceiling. The other two men stared at their laps. After a minute, Tom said, “You’ve brought up a few things to think about, Adam.”

“I know, but I didn’t want to keep plowing into this headfirst once I unearthed this information.”

“About Chef Lia?”

“And about Chef Schlittler.” Now that the arrogant prick was gone, Adam could at least speak openly about him. “As you can see, he’s very demanding and difficult to work with. As big a name as he is, I’m beginning to wonder if he’ll also become a big problem.”

“Meaning?” one of the other men asked.

“I’ll e-mail you the list of demands he’s already given us as far as the Michigan Avenue property is concerned. I foresee more demands like this in the future, meaning we’d have to continue to finance them. Men like Amadeus Schlittler don’t come cheaply.”

The other men nodded.

“It seems Ray has already set a deadline for us,” Tom said, “so I’m willing to wait until then to see if we can come up with the best solution.”

“And as I said before, I won’t hold you to your contracts if I decide it’s in the best interests of the company not to give Schlittler the Michigan Avenue property.” Adam stood and shook the hands of the other men. “Thank you again for coming. I’ll get you that information later today, and I encourage you to see the gem that we already have in place.”

The other men left, but Tom remained in his chair. Age may have lined his face and turned his hair white, but it had only sharpened the intelligence in the older man’s eyes. “I have the sneaking suspicion you’re leaving something out, Adam.”

Adam fetched the papers and put them in his folder, ignoring the trickle of unease that slid down his spine. “I told you everything that’s pertinent from a business perspective.”

“But you left out the personal perspective.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Come now, Adam, I’ve been friends with your parents since before you were a twinkle in their eyes, and Maureen was telling me all about how she introduced you to Lia a few weekends ago up at the lake house.”

“I’m glad she did. If she hadn’t, I wouldn’t have discovered what a fabulous chef she is.” Or what a passionate lover she was, either. Lia had spent three nights of the last week in his arms, making the nights she wasn’t with him a form of agony that grew harder to bear with each passing day. Traces of her scent covered his pillowcase. Memories of her laughter echoed through his empty living room. And the peace he knew lying beside her, completely spent after making her cry out his name in ecstasy, called to him throughout the day. She was slowly turning his condo into a place he couldn’t wait to come home to, but only if she was there to greet him when he did.

Tom watched him but said nothing. The old man probably saw right through him, but at least he had the decency not to say anything more about it. “We need to have dinner once your mother gets back from Vancouver,” he said as he stood.

“I agree.” His mother had left this morning to take care of his brother after Ben had suffered a season-ending knee injury two days ago. “The surgery was today, so she should be home in a week or two.” He stood and shook Tom’s hand. “Thank you for being the voice of reason.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Ray could hold you to the original contract. He’s got enough fingers in the town’s pie to make life difficult for you and Lia.”

“I know.” He just prayed it wouldn’t come to that. He wanted both Lia’s and Schlittler’s restaurants—the question was, which one did he want more?

“So here’s a little piece of advice from me. Remember Robert Cully?”

Adam nodded, wondering where this conversation was going. His father had hired the private investigator several times over the last decade, usually to gather information on suspected fraud cases. He glanced down at the files, then back up to Tom. “Is there anything you think I should hire him for?”

“You don’t make it far in Chicago politics without getting your hands dirty along the way.” He winked and walked out of the boardroom, giving Adam the spark of hope he needed to see himself out of this mess.

Chapter Eleven

Lia hummed an aria from one of Verdi’s operas as she tossed some tortellini in a warm gorgonzola sauce with prosciutto and peas. The last entrée of the night was about to go out to the dining room, bringing her one step closer to the end of the evening. She’d given her mother the same line about staying late at work once again—meaning
don’t wait up for me
—so she could stop by Adam’s tonight. It was easier than trying to explain that she was sleeping with someone she’d known less than a month.

Of course, if La Arietta was forced to close at the end of the month, she’d have to come up with a different excuse.

That is, if she continued to see Adam.

As much as she enjoyed his company, things definitely were more complicated now that they’d become lovers. They never mentioned the lease when they were together, but it was never far from her mind when she left his arms. She kept her heart guarded, afraid their relationship would end once she no longer had her restaurant. But every night in his bed only made it that much harder to leave when the sun came up. She was happy with him, miserable without him, and constantly on edge when it neared the time to see him again.

Dax came into the kitchen. “I had to keep Mr. Hottie in a Suit from barging in here like he owned the place.”

“He does own the place,” Lia replied with a laugh. “But thank you. He’s usually not here during business hours.”

“Meaning he’s been here after hours, I presume?” Dax tailed along behind her as she went out into the dining room. “Stopping by for dessert?”

Heat rolled into Lia’s face like a line of thunderstorms. “That’s none of your business.”

Adam stood by the maître d’ stand, waiting for her with a smile that remained polite but with an underlying gaze that already spoke of the naughty things he wanted to do with her. He rocked back and forth on his feet with his hands clenched in his pockets.

“Told you she’d come for you, Mr. Kelly.” Dax took his position behind the stand and gave her a saucy wink.

Thankfully, no one was around to hear the innuendo in his voice. Lia grabbed Adam’s arm and led him to the corner by the elevators. “You’re a bit early tonight.”

“I had to see you.”

Her pulse quickened. Perhaps he had some good news about the lease. “What about?”

Adam opened his mouth but snapped it shut as a pair of guests left the restaurant and pushed the button for the elevator. “Is there some place we can talk in private?”

“There’s my office.”

“Someplace else?” The heat in his eyes told her talking was the last thing on his mind.

Her sex clenched at the thought of what was lying in store for her this evening, and her breath quickened. “Can this wait until after we close?”

He shook his head and pulled her into the stairwell. They ran down three flights, stopping only long enough for Adam to punch in a key code and unlock the door that led to a darkened hallway full of empty offices.

As soon as the door closed behind them, his lips were on hers, hungry and demanding. Any cry of protest she made faded into a moan of pleasure. He pushed her against the wall, his body pressed against hers while he tugged at her clothes. “I need you now, Lia.”

****

I’m like a junkie craving my next hit
.

Or at least, that’s the closet thing Adam could think of as he fumbled with the zipper of his pants. He’d gone home after the meeting and tried to come up with a solution that would please everyone, but every time his mind circled back to Lia, a new wave of longing consumed him.

She’d only been in his condo four times, but she’d already left her mark there. The half-empty bottle of wine in the kitchen. The extra crumpled napkin left on the dining room table. The magazine on the coffee table left open to an article about a Napa Valley winery. The indention in the pillow next to his that smelled faintly of the peach-scented lotion she kept on the table beside his bed. All little reminders that made him miss her.

He’d gone to the restaurant with the intention of inviting her back to his place to watch a movie and unwind before going to bed, perhaps even to broach the subject of possibly relocating her restaurant in case Schlittler and Ray refused to back down. But by the time he got there, something else had seized control of him, a burning thirst for her that had to be quenched before he lost all control. A basic need that now had him kissing her like a starving man while he slipped her panties down around an ass that fit perfectly in his hands.

She moaned and shimmied against him, the motion both freeing her from her underwear while rubbing her against his already aching cock. Sparks of teeth-gritting pain shot up his spine. If he didn’t get inside her soon....

“Wait,” she said, pushing him back. “We don’t have a condom.”

He reached into his wallet and pulled out the one he’d tucked in there a few mornings ago. “I’ve learned to be prepared when it comes to you.”

Relief softened the tension in her face. She grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him back to her, assuming control of the kisses with a passion that left him breathless. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, and he set a new record for donning the proper attire for the occasion.

All it took was the subtle prompt of cupping her ass to have her jump into his arms and wrap her legs around his waist. He wasted no time sliding into that hot, slick place that fit him so perfectly. A sigh of contentment filled the empty hallway, but he had no idea if it came from him or her.

Sometime during all the commotion, she’d managed to slip his jacket off, leaving him only in his dress shirt as he pumped his hips back and forth, slamming his cock into her over and over again like a madman. Every stroke was pure bliss. Every cry of passion that came from her lips was sweeter than any music he’d ever heard. Every rake of her nails along his back drove him forward like a coachman’s whip.