Trust in Us (8 page)

So what was it, then? Her concern for her friends? Dedication to her job? Or was his attraction more selfish—more about what she made him feel when he was in her presence?

* * *

What Aly felt then was calm, a stillness that had rooted itself someplace deep and was not budging. The music, while lovely and soothing, barely registered. She didn’t care if her stance, pliant and clingy, unnerved him. She planned to enjoy the moment, indulge in every bit of what he was making her feel.

And how far was she willing to go in her desire to indulge? She inhaled from where her face rested in the side of his neck. Subtly, she arched, binding herself into his impressively athletic frame. She craved just a bit more of the incredible pleasure that his closeness provided.

Gage released her hand, which he’d curved into his chest. Then he was smoothing his palms across her back and shoulders. He massaged them down again, cupping her hips and enfolding them to bring her closer and seal her in the circle of his arms.

Somewhere the faint sound of shattering glass cluttered the air but the effect had no sway over the oasis sheltering them.

“Alythia...”

“Mmm...”

He brushed a kiss to her earlobe, gave it a dry suckle before applying the same attention to the sensitive skin beneath. “Will you think less of me if I ask you to come to bed with me?”

“Hmph.” Her response was more of a sigh. “Will you think less of me if I accept?”

He straightened his stance then, curving a hand around the base of her throat. He kissed her hungrily, and she responded with equal fire, thrusting her tongue against his, rotating and stroking as if she was desperate for the friction.

Alythia heard a gasp, understandable. Kissing the man was a definite treat with the power to send tingles to every nerve ending she owned. The only problem was that the gasp hadn’t come from her and had sounded more outraged than...sensual.

Sounds of a commotion had followed the shattering glass, at last encroaching upon the sweet oasis Gage and Alythia had enjoyed.

“They’ve got to be doing this stuff on purpose,” he murmured when he and Aly emerged from passion’s sweet spell to discover that their mutual friends were at the center of a lovers’ spat.

“No...” Aly groaned. She felt Gage take her chin and squeeze.

“Come with me,” he encouraged when her bright eyes met his warm chocolate ones. “We really don’t need to be here, do we?”

His question was answered by Myrna Fisher.

“Flaky backstabber!”

Dane Spears wasn’t offended. “You should be happy to get rid of me. This place has lots more fools to screw and pretend they’re your man.”

Myrna responded by throwing a sticky mixed drink in his face and shoving his chest before she stormed out.

“We don’t need to be here, but we probably should be,” Aly said.

Gage kept her near when she attempted to move from his side. “One day I hope to have a friend as good as you.”

Alythia closed her eyes and smiled. “Me, too.”

Then she was gone. Gage’s soft expression vanished the moment she moved through the chaotic crowd to reach Myrna.

A storm brewed in Gage’s striking stare as he went to seek out his friend.

* * *

Alythia caught up to her girlfriend just as she approached the elevator corridor. Thankfully, the area was deserted. Myrna was so upset that Alythia didn’t have to probe her for details. Myrna shared it all in a stream of anger and pain. She told her that the man of her dreams had slept with someone else.

“The masseuse, of all people! I’m such an idiot.” Myrna punched the up arrow on the elevator’s panel. “I thought it’d be fun to have a couple’s massage. Dane decided to spend half his time in the sauna. He didn’t spend it there alone.”

Alythia reached out. “I’m sorry.”

Myrna shrugged off Aly’s hand when it touched her shoulder. “Go on and tell me you told me so. I just want to get the hell out of here.” She punched the up arrow again. “Forget this getaway, get-to-know-you—whatever the devil it is.”

“Mur.” Aly stifled her instinct to move closer. “You can’t do that. Orchid’s really counting on us right now. It’s really important to her.” She pressed her lips together, annoyed that she couldn’t explain the particulars of
why
it was so important to their friend.

Myrna slowly turned from the elevator to fix Aly with a scathing look. “Do you ever get sick of being such a hypocrite?”

“Mur—”

“So it’s okay for
you
to traipse off to handle business when our friends need us, but I can’t leave even after I’ve just been humiliated?”

“Honey, I didn’t mean it that way.” Aly rubbed at her temples.

Myrna snorted. “Yeah, right.” She turned back to the elevator.

Losing whatever patience she’d thought she had, Aly flinched and then drew her hands from her face and gave a resounding clap. “You know what? Do whatever the hell you want—you will anyway. Do you really think Dane Spears came here to find a soul mate?” She laughed the words. “He didn’t care a bit more about that than any of the other dozens of guys you’ve taken to bed hoping they’d put a ring on your finger the next morning. Open your eyes, Mur. You’re better than this.”

Myrna had turned from the elevator again and still regarded Alythia coolly. “Since we’re giving advice, Aly, I should tell you to keep your eyes open, too.” She moved closer, ignoring the elevator car that arrived just then. “If you think that Gage Vincent is such a golden boy because he hasn’t taken you to bed just yet, you can think again. From what I hear, that one loses interest very fast once he’s gotten the panties and the fact that he hasn’t taken yours yet isn’t a token of how good he is.” Myrna gave her a sulky once-over. “He’s just trying to make it last. We
are
gonna be here for nine more days, you know?”

“Let me guess.” Aly brought her hands to her hips. “Your soul mate told you this?”

Myrna stiffened but she didn’t cower. “Just because you’ve got your face stuck in spreadsheets and faxes all day doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t have a clue about what’s going on. Charlotte is still a small place. People talk—even about men as powerful and discreet as the great Gage Vincent.” She left Alythia with another quick once-over and then turned. “You have a good night, Aly,” she threw over her shoulder, and then disappeared inside an elevator that opened at the end of the bay.

Chapter 8

“A
n entire day, boss? Nice. I was up yesterday at six a.m. waiting for your call.”

Gage forced a smile at Webb’s tease. “Sorry I disappointed you.”

“Pleased by your progress, sir,” Webb Reese raved, and then cleared his throat noisily. “I hope you’re in the mood for discussion, ’cause I’d love to know which way you’d lean on this bid thing.”

“Nice try.” Gage celebrated his urge to chuckle. “I only called to see if you were in any state of mind to answer your phone. Things must be going pretty well if you’re able to manage that.”

The sound Webb returned then was a cross between weariness and amusement. “Deciding this stuff is murder. Folks act like they’d either kill or sign over their firstborn to win out.”

“It’s not a game for the fainthearted.” Gage shifted in the chair he occupied on the patio. “But if it helps, I always find it a good practice to carefully view all the information at hand and then just go with your gut.”

Webb forced out another weary chuckle. “Going with my gut could be dangerous. Especially when the rest of my body’s weighing in on it.”

“Being propositioned already, huh?” Gage sipped OJ to muffle his laughter. “Webb, I’m impressed.”

“Hmph. Thanks, sir, but it’s nothing like that. Unfortunately.”

Gage continued to chuckle.

“Some of the women are real go-getters, though,” Webb mused. “I’ve yet to be so unforgettably propositioned, but I’m sure there are some who might not be against the idea.”

“Welcome to the world of big business. Just remember that your head—the one on your shoulders—and your gut are the only body parts you need to consult with to get the job done.”

Laughter then flooded both ends of the phone line.

* * *

Alythia had planned to spend the day on her own before she remembered that Orchid had arranged for the group to have breakfast together that morning. She’d spent half the night debating on doing exactly what she’d told Myrna she
couldn’t
do. Hypocrite indeed, she acknowledged.

Still, accepting that the trip had been a bad idea and booking a ticket on the first flight out of paradise seemed like a fine decision. As bad as things had already gotten in the two days they’d been there, Aly couldn’t help but believe they were going to get even worse and she couldn’t put a finger on exactly how. She could only hope that the next uproar wouldn’t be between her and Gage. They certainly hadn’t spent much time together. Perhaps that would work in their favor and keep them away from each other’s throats.

Yet that was just where she remembered being the night before, her face cuddled into his neck as they danced. He had asked her to come to bed with him.

Alythia stopped just short of the patio reserved for the group’s breakfast. Gage had been the first to arrive and she watched him chuckling into the phone at his ear. He’d asked her to come to bed with him...and she’d accepted. She’d so wanted to go with him. Still did.

That
one
loses
interest
very
fast
once
he’s
gotten
the
panties.

So what? she reasoned. They had only nine more days counting that one and she certainly wasn’t looking for the soul mate Myrna had hoped to find.

Gage was done with the call and dropped his mobile to the rectangular table covered in white silk and set for eight. His eyes settled on Alythia and he stood.

“How’d it go last night?” He slipped a hand into the back pocket of his denim shorts and looked as though he was trying to predict her reply.

Aly didn’t make him guess. “Not well.” She trailed her fingers along the table’s edge. “How’s Dane?” He didn’t respond and she didn’t need him to. Judging from his sour look, it was clear to see that Dane Spears hadn’t received a reassuring hug.

“Wonder if anyone else will even bother to show up to this thing?” She hissed an inaudible curse. “Why did Orchid have to get us all tangled up in this mess?”

“I’m kinda glad she did.” His tone was soft, matter-of-fact. “We both work too hard to have met any other way.”

Aly strolled the patio, seeking to draw calm from the blue sky above that was dotted with puffs of white. “I’m pretty sure the
fun
you and your boys are having on this trip is a far cry from what you’re used to.”

“You don’t want to know what we’re used to, Alythia.”

“Why so glum?” She mimicked his stance, shoving a hand into a back pocket on her black denim shorts. “Sounds like you’ve all got successful love lives.”

“Sex lives, Alythia. Major difference.”

“You’re right. A lot less headache.”

“Don’t be so sure.”

“There’s no reward in anything more.”

“You’re wrong. There’s the truest reward.”

“What do you want from me, Gage?”

Jayson and Orchid arrived before more words could be exchanged. Orchid appeared in high spirits, rushing over to Alythia and tugging her into a fierce hug.

“We need to get out and
do
something, Aly,” Orchid was saying as she led her friend away from the men. “Maybe sightseeing or shopping, stopping off for a drink...”

“Orchid?” Aly dragged her feet. “Didn’t you hear about last night? With Myrna and Dane?”

“That airhead.” Orchid waved her hand. “Just what she asked for....”

“Orchid! That’s a little harsh, isn’t it?”

“It is what it is.”

“So why is it so important for us to stick around when we aren’t getting along?” she asked, hoping the woman would confide in her.

Orchid’s smile possessed coyness. “Oh, we got along pretty well to start.” She gave Aly a look. “Most of us, anyway.” She shrugged, unmindful of her sundress straps easing down her arms. “Jay and I are very close to our friends. We need you guys here—marriage is a serious thing.” She rubbed her arms then, briskly, and eased the sundress straps back in place.

“We need our friends around us, Aly, and if everyone’s getting along, even better.”

“And if we can’t get along?”

“Well...” Orchid reached out to tug the hem of Aly’s striped Henley tee. “As long as my most levelheaded friend isn’t makin’ an ass of herself, it’s all good.”

“Thanks.”

Orchid reciprocated Alythia’s playful smirk and turned to observe the men talking across the patio. “What I want to know is what’s taking you so long to seal the deal with Gage? I want to know if he’s as damn good as he looks.”

Aly gasped and then dissolved into a wave of laughter. Not long after Alythia burst into a fit of giggles, Orchid followed suit.

“How do you know I haven’t ‘sealed the deal’?” Aly asked once they had calmed somewhat.

“Sex changes things.” Orchid looked across her shoulder again. “He still looks at you like he wants to devour you. He’s so intense. The intense ones are usually the freakiest.” She turned in time to witness Alythia’s reaction and laughed.

Equally amused, Aly took her by the arm and led her to the buffet spread on the patio. “Lack of food has you light-headed. Let’s eat.”

* * *

Breakfast was a hearty affair and the food disappeared much too quickly, especially once Dane and Zeke arrived. Jeena and Myrna had not graced the group with their presence. Still, Alythia and Orchid used the occasion to make plans for the rest of the trip—time with just the girls. The guys were rolling with laughter over something at their end of the table when one of the two missing guests made an appearance.

“Jeena!” Alythia stood to welcome the woman to the table.

Despite her plans to hop the resort’s clubs with her friends, Orchid offered the barest hint of a smile when Jeena approached. Jeena continued her trek toward the end of the table where the men sat talking and laughing over the remains of their breakfast.

Alythia read Jeena’s intentions a split second or more before they were put into action. Later she would wonder if she’d withheld her warning out of surprise or spite.

“What the—” Dane’s outburst collided with the thunk Jeena’s fist made when she landed her blow to the center of Zeke’s nape.

The punch sent Zeke face-first into an unfinished bowl of oatmeal. The cereal enhanced by cinnamon and honey had grown cool and had adopted a gummy texture. What remained of the oatmeal was either forced from the sides of the bowl to make way for Zeke’s face or it clung to the man’s skin, as was evident when he regained control of his faculties and sat upright.

Fearless, Jeena bent to speak directly into one of Zeke’s oat-spattered ears. “Think about this the next time you insult somebody, you jackass.” She slapped the back of Zeke’s head, grinning while she turned away.

Pandemonium erupted before Jeena had even taken a few steps. Orchid, who hadn’t given her girlfriend a second’s interest, was the first to jump in front of her.

“Dammit, Jeen, what the hell!” Orchid raged, sending Jeena back a few steps with the quick tap she applied to her shoulder. “If you got such a problem with people telling the truth about what you do for a living, then maybe you should stop doing it!”

“Go to hell, Ork! It’s not me who’s got trouble with truth!” Jeena moved closer to speak in a voice heard by only her, Orchid and Alythia. “Does your soon-to-be hubby know who you came running to for cash after Daddy cut you off? Now are we still in the mood to discuss the truth about how you earned that loan money, Ork?”

“Why are we still friends?” Orchid sneered.

Jeena was equally livid. “That’s a question I ask myself daily.”

“Well, maybe we shouldn’t trouble ourselves with the question anymore.”

“Fine by me!”

“Guys—” Alythia tried to make a stab at maintaining order but it was hopeless.

Any attempts at peacemaking could scarcely be heard once Zeke recovered and felt up to defending the blow to his ego. He barreled away from the table, intent on going after Jeena. It took the combined efforts of his friends to turn him from that course of action.

“Let him go!” Jeena refused to retreat and beckoned Zeke forward. “Let the bum-coward go!”

Zeke howled his rage, threatening to break the hold his friends had on his arms and midriff. Through the melee, Gage and Alythia found each other’s eyes. They shook their heads in regret and then focused on separating their friends.

* * *

Jeena was bolting through the restaurant with Alythia at her heels. “I don’t want to hear it, Aly! Not this time. I’m takin’ the first flight the hell out of here.”

“I’d ask you to book me a ticket, too, if I didn’t have this last meeting with Clive.”

Jeena’s steps slowed. She smiled and turned back to Aly. “Least one of us got somethin’ out of this trip.”

“Honey, don’t worry about Ork.” Alythia gave Jeena’s upper arms a squeeze. “She’s got a lot on her mind with the wedding and all.”

“Aly girl, I don’t plan on worrying about Orchid Benjamin ever again. I’ve had enough of this freak show we call a friendship.” Jeena made a show of wiping her hands and then gave Aly’s cheek a soft pat. “When you start being honest with yourself, you’ll realize you’ve had enough, too.”

“We’ve been through worse.”

“Hmph.” Jeena leaned her head back and inhaled deeply. “You know our band of misfits would’ve busted up a long time ago if it hadn’t been for you always being the peacemaker.”

Aly hugged herself. “I’m no peacemaker.”

“You are, and so much so that I bet you haven’t even gotten to have much fun with Gage because of all this mess.”

“I didn’t come here for that.”

“Oh, come off it, girl. I’ve seen him, remember?”

Aly gave a teasing smile. “I don’t think he’s so impressed with me. I wasn’t even inducted into the mile-high club.”

“Consider yourself lucky. Look at where membership got the rest of us.”

Aly’s playful smile began to wane. “Mur says he’s a playa—the ‘hit ’em and quit ’em’ kind.”

“And it’s most likely true,” Jeena solemnly conceded. “What man wouldn’t use a face and body like he has to enjoy women and often? But I doubt Mur was looking out for you when she said it. She’s just upset because she never had the chance to go after him herself.”

“And what about you?” Aly smoothed a tuft of Jeena’s clipped hair behind her ear. “You were going after him, too, wanted him to become a client.”

“No, Aly, not that, never that!” Jeena laughed. “I want space in that new high-rise of his.” Her amusement doused suddenly. “It’s gonna be next to impossible getting him to take me seriously now, with him thinking I’d be running a brothel out of it.”

Aly led Jeena to a less trafficked area of the lobby. “So what
are
your plans for it?”

“A career placement office.” Jeena looked to Aly as though expecting her to laugh and nodded appreciatively when she didn’t. “I, um...I want to get some of my...escorts out of the business. So many of them wind up doing certain things out of sheer desperation and what they perceive as failure in the real world. A place like this could help.” She nodded then, more deliberately. “They wouldn’t feel self-conscious that the folks in my office would be looking down on them for
any
reason.”

“It’s a great idea, Jeen.” Aly squeezed her arm.

“Yeah...it would’ve been, but I can forget it now that Gage’s good buddy is probably back there putting the last nail in my coffin.”

“Well, don’t forget...you, um, probably had just a teeny bit to do with that. Don’t give up, okay?” Alythia urged once they’d stopped laughing.

“I won’t....” Jeena considered, working kinks out of her neck. “Gage isn’t the only one who makes the decisions anyway. There’s a long list of stuffed shirts that get to chime in and choose the best bid.”

“Bid?” Aly’s bright eyes narrowed. “For renting office space?”

“Not just any office space.
Prime
real estate in the heart of downtown.”

“You’re sure?” Aly felt her breath grow labored. “Sure it belongs to Gage?”

“No, and that’s the thing. He’s keeping his name out of the forefront.”

“Then how do you—”

“I come across a lot of info in my line of work. Gage Vincent may make all his money being the
top
dog, but he doesn’t make it by being the
only
dog. He’s very good at placing people right where he wants them.”