Exposed by Fate (14 page)

Chapter Eighteen

Eliza rested her forehead against the cool passenger side window, watching absently as her breath fogged it up. She’d made dinner plans with Caroline tonight in an effort to distract herself from thoughts of Oliver and their last meeting tomorrow. Kind of silly, considering the two of them were siblings and shared a nose, but her best friend had an uncanny way of taking her mind off everything, usually with off-the-wall topics that had little to do with either of their professions. Eliza liked to think they decompressed each other.

With an hour to go in the work day, Caroline had called her apologizing. Even with her and Oliver at the magazine’s helm, their father was still required to sign some paperwork from time to time, and Caroline needed documents signed for an early morning meeting. Not wanting to cancel completely, she’d invited Eliza along for the ride to Long Island, promising egg rolls and noodles on the way back. She’d had no choice but to agree. The alternative was burrowing under a pile of swatches on her living room floor and watching a
Pawn Stars
marathon.

Oliver.

Who was he to her now? Could she spend time with him now and not think about what he did to her body? How his voice sounded in her ear? She didn’t think so and that scared her. After yesterday, she couldn’t fool herself anymore into thinking he was a typical lady’s man with commitment issues that happened to be atrociously handsome. Oliver was a damn sight more than that. He had insecurities, just like anyone else, only she hadn’t realized until yesterday just how deep they ran.
No one will be surprised if I don’t deliver on this.
His family’s lack of confidence in him had always been a running joke, one she’d even been in on from time to time, but it wasn’t funny to her anymore. All this time, he’d taken it to heart, smiled through the pain.

It killed her, knowing that. Knowing this caring man who hadn’t just used their time together as an excuse for easy sex. He’d been patient with her, reminding her to stand strong on her boundaries, to have a voice. Maybe he was the brave one, and she hadn’t seen it until now. How cruel of fate to give her a glimpse into this amazing man just in time to watch him walk away. Like a freight train headed toward disaster, though, she could see the pain ahead. It was going to hurt, this separation. Had she fallen in love with him that day in the dorm room when he’d winked at her behind everyone’s back or had it happened yesterday when he held her hand so tightly in that cab? It was all a blur now. A blur that only came into focus when he was standing in front of her. After tomorrow night, he wouldn’t be there anymore. She’d watch him date and discard to his heart’s content when all the while, hers would be bleeding on the floor.

Porter. She hadn’t even thought of him since that night last weekend in Serve. Yet, Oliver had made the promise to call and set them up. Should she let him? It felt wrong on every level, but if she declined, she might as well skywrite her feelings for Oliver over Manhattan. Things would never have a chance of being the same after that, and she couldn’t stand the thought of him being gone from her life. And he’d do it, too. Oliver might leave a trail of broken hearts behind him wherever he went, but he cared about his family. Her, too. If staying away would be the easiest thing for her, for Caroline, he would do it. So she’d let him set her up with Porter. Hell, maybe a night with another man was the only way to force herself to move on.

Her stomach pitched at the thought of hands that weren’t Oliver’s caressing her skin. Oh, God. What had she done to herself? The responsible course of action would be to cancel their lesson. Tell him she’d learned what she needed to know and didn’t need him anymore. It would give him an out and allow her to walk away with dignity. It would be on
her
terms.

Yet she would never make that call. Never deny herself that final night. She’d regret it for the rest of her life if she let an opportunity to be with Oliver pass. So she’d wait for the fall that came after.

Caroline turned off the highway and headed down the tree-lined avenue that would lead her to Philip Preston’s house. “Jonah wants to get a dog.”

Eliza wrote
Fido
in the condensation she’d created on the window. “What kind?”

“We’ve only gotten as far as ‘big ass dog’.”

“It’s a start.”

This is why she loved Caroline. Her friend ran an edgy, successful magazine, wined and dined with corporate fat cats on a weekly basis, yet she never talked about it. That fascinated Eliza. She considered Caroline her best friend, sometimes her
only
friend, but they both had unspoken boundaries. They only delved into personal or professional fears when absolutely necessary, but when they did, Eliza always came out on the other side feeling better. Unfortunately, Eliza was only starting to realize she might have used their carefully constructed boundaries to justify her relationship with Oliver. She’d told herself they were all adults and this was only an innocent diversion. Sitting next to her best friend at that moment, though, she couldn’t deny the guilt wrapping around her like a cloak.

“So you’re telling me I need to accommodate a big ass dog in my redecoration plans?”

“Yes.” Caroline’s tone was brisk, but a smile tugged one end of her mouth. “We’d like a puppy Jacuzzi, complete with massaging jets.”

“Of course.” Eliza pretended to take notes. “And he should have his own separate entrance. Don’t want him feeling trapped in that giant brownstone.”

“Who said big ass dog was going to be a male? I like the idea of girls outnumbering Jonah three to one.”

“I apologize for my doggy discrimination.”

Caroline snorted. “Honestly, I think Jonah doesn’t like me there alone at night when he works late at Serve. Of course, he won’t
say
that because he’d have to hear me—”

“Remind him that women are just as capable of locking doors and alarming tricked out security systems.”

“Yes, exactly. Anyway, I think he’s looking for a housebroken version of Cujo.”

Eliza chuckled. “If anyone can find one, it’s him.”

Caroline groaned. “I asked Oliver to talk him out of it, but he’s been so preoccupied lately, I think he forgot. Some brother he’s turned out to be.”

Just the mention of his name sent blood roaring through her veins. The scenery passing by the car felt sharper at the mere reminder of him. She cleared her throat into the silence. “Well, he’ll be sorry when he gets stuck with Cujo-sitting duty.”

“Ha! I love the way your mind works, Ballas.” Her friend sighed. “Not sure what’s up with Oliver, lately. He’s been at the office earlier than me every day for two weeks.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“I’m not sure. If this wasn’t my brother, I’d swear it was a girl.”

Eliza stayed silent, unable to talk around the ache in her throat.
If this wasn’t my brother…
the reminder of Oliver’s need for multiple women stung, even though it shouldn’t. Caroline didn’t realize Oliver had been working overtime on making his mother’s scholarship program a success, in addition to the work he already did at
ReVAMPed
. It wasn’t a girl that had him so preoccupied. It had nothing to do with her.

Caroline turned into her father’s driveway and frowned. “Well, speak of the devil.”

Her headlights illuminated Oliver as he stepped out of his own car, holding a handful of documents. Eliza’s body felt like it might melt into the seat. After thinking of him non-stop throughout the day, seeing him in the flesh was like a crazy shot of adrenaline. He still wore his suit, but his sleeves were rolled up, his hair in disarray from a day’s worth of finger pulling. When Caroline killed her headlights and he saw her sitting in the car, she watched his Adam’s apple slide slowly up and down. Probably from nerves or guilt. This would be the first time the three of them were in the same place since the lessons began. There would be no escaping it.

…

Oliver forced himself not to rush Eliza as she climbed out of the car. He’d had a long, frustrating day and the reason for most, okay
all,
of that frustration looked like a breath of fresh air, while he felt like shit. It took all his self-control to remain standing in the driveway when he wanted to spread Eliza across the hood of his car and pump every ounce of his vexation into her. In his current state, he didn’t really give a fuck who was watching as long as he could have her. Did that make him a degenerate? So be it. He’d been called worse.

God, his attitude sucked, and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Less than twenty-four hours to go until she left his life for good. At least in the capacity he wanted. Tonight would only be the first of many times he’d be in the same room with her, forced to smile genially and be Caroline’s big brother, as opposed to the man fucking Eliza’s sweet, flexible body. The man on the receiving end of her secretive smiles. The man she absorbed comfort from.

He took a centering breath and loosed his grip on the documents in his hand, before he crumpled them. “What are you two doing here?”

Caroline tossed her car keys into her purse and approached him. “I could ask you the same thing.”

“Paperwork for the scholarship fund.”

His sister brightened. “Finally telling him? I can’t wait to see his reaction.” She kissed him on the cheek. “I bribed Eliza with noodles to keep me company. Too bad we didn’t know each other’s plans. We could have driven together.”

“Too bad,” he murmured. Eliza hovered a few feet behind Caroline, looking unsure how to proceed. He raised an eyebrow at her and opened his arms for her to walk into. “Bunny. It’s been forever.”
Goddammit
, she felt perfect in his arms. He wanted to sit down on the dusty driveway and rock her in his lap. Under his sister’s discerning eye, he just barely managed to release her before it became inappropriate. Needing a breather, he led the way toward the front door and let them in.

“Father?” Caroline called as he flipped on the hallway light.

“I’m in my office,” her father’s wearied voice called back. “I’m in the middle of a chapter. Be out shortly.”

On cue, he and Caroline rolled their eyes. Their father lived his life between chapters and had uttered the same phrase at least a million times since they were kids. All three of them walked into the kitchen, turning on lights as they went. Automatically, Caroline went to the coffee pot and started making coffee, leaving him free to stare at Eliza for a few precious seconds. She just had to go and wear a skirt when he’d been owning a hard-on since yesterday afternoon, didn’t she? It hugged her ass like a second skin, ending only a short length below those round cheeks. No panty-lines meant a thong. Or nothing at all.
Fuuuuck
. As if she didn’t have a single care in the world, she braced herself on the kitchen island on her elbows and laughed at something Caroline said, making her breasts bounce and strain against her white blouse. He closed his eyes and prayed for the return of his sanity. His father and sister were in the same house, and they were the smartest people he knew. If he kept pondering the angle with which he could bang Eliza against the wooden island, they’d see right through him.

Caroline set four mugs on the counter and faced him. “So what’s the latest on your secret project? I’ve been dying to ask.”

“I, uh—”

“Yes.” Their father walked briskly into the kitchen, nodding at Eliza once. “Please tell me what dragged me away from Steinbeck.”

Everyone watched him expectantly. Eliza gave him a small, encouraging smile, and it made him feel about ten feet tall. He wished they were back in that cab, holding hands. “We started a scholarship in mom’s name. For women who can’t afford school, but deserve to go. Same as her,” he said, speaking over Caroline when she tried to interject, probably to point out that it had been his idea, not theirs. “I’ve found the scholarship candidate I’d like to accept. If you both agree with my choice, I’m dropping the paperwork to Columbia in the morning.”

His father looked surprised, Caroline delighted. “That’s awesome. Who are they?”

“You moved rather quickly on this,” Philip commented. “Why did no one inform me?”

“I wanted to bring you a candidate first,” Oliver explained. “Her name is Frankie De Luca. She’s twenty-four. A cab driver from Middle Village. Mom’s neighborhood.”

Caroline held out her hand for the paperwork, and he handed it over. “A cab driver? God, that’s a dangerous job for a girl so young. Have you met her?”

“I have.” He traded an amused glance with Eliza, knowing the other two were busy scanning the grant documents. “She’s tough as nails. She won’t take the chance for granted.”

Caroline looked up with tears in her eyes. “Would mom have liked her?’

“Without a doubt.”

His sister reached into her purse and took out a pen, ready to sign, but Philip stayed her with his hand. “Let’s not rush into this. We know how thoroughly your brother vets girls before
approving
them.”

His father’s sarcastic remark didn’t phase him. Not anymore. But he hated it being said in front of Eliza. He could feel her gaze on him, but ignored it. If he saw laughter in her eyes, he didn’t know how he’d handle it. “I’ve checked into her criminal background and that of her family’s. They’re decent, hard-working people. By signing those papers, she has agreed to a drug test to be administered before any transferring of funds. If her grades slip below a certain level, we have the option of reevaluating the contract. I’ve thought of everything. She’s the candidate. Sign it.”