Harlequin Superromance February 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: His Forever Girl\Moonlight in Paris\Wife by Design (17 page)

And then Graham smiled at her. Not the sexy smile he'd used that beautiful night under the stars, or the sad one he'd given her in the park last Sunday. No, this one was sharky and slightly amused. Like he toyed with her. “Well, do your damnedest, sweetheart.”

She bristled. “Oh, you can bet I will.”

His smile got larger. “And why don't you warn your boss—tell Monique she'll stay a small potato. I don't care if she went down on Miles under the table at Brigstons, she's not getting that account.”

“You sexist pig,” Tess growled, disappointment flooding her at his presumption of how Monique...or any woman did business. “You think women earn business by getting on their knees? We don't have to give sexual favors to get accounts. Our work speaks for itself. How dare you imply such a thing?”

His expression shuttered. “That's not what I meant and you know it.”

“You used the words.”

“Don't slant the intent. I wasn't implying Monique offered sexual favors for Oedipus's business. My point was no matter how good the offer from Upstart, you aren't getting the account. Period. I'll do whatever it takes, but the long-standing agreement between Ullo and Oedipus will stand. I'll bet my job on it.”

Tess lifted her eyebrows. “We'll see. And it might literally be your job on the line. You forget how well I know my father. He won't suffer you to lose Miles's business. Paired with the other losses...” She trailed off with a shrug, feeling a little ugly, but a lot powerful.

But she didn't want to see Ullo lose business, even if she herself was making moves toward accomplishing just that. Why did Graham
and
Ullo have to lose in order for Tess to win?

“I'll see you tomorrow night, Tess,” Graham said, his tone detached. A pang of regret flickered inside her at his coldness. This was what she wanted, right? They were on the opposite sides of a river with no bridge in sight. It was Ullo versus Upstart. Graham versus Tess. With no real winners.

She nodded and lowered herself into her car. “Yeah, I'll see you.”

Graham walked away and Tess told herself she was glad. But she wasn't. Her heart hurt for what had been between them...and what would never be again.

The other side, a place where hope lay, felt very far away.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

T
ESS
WALKED
INTO
the Oedipus May Madcap Mixer with Nick on her arm...or rather she was on Nick's arm. Either way, she'd conceded to a date with her ex and had selfishly used this annual fete hosted by the Oedipus Social Club as the one-more-shot merely so she wouldn't have to attend alone.

It had nothing to do with Graham and everything to do with looking confident and successful.

And for all of ten minutes she'd convinced herself Nick deserved another chance...until he'd shown up all tanned from a week of golf on the Gulf Coast, dressed in an Armani suit, smelling like new money, and she'd felt zero attraction. In fact, seeing him so loose, smiling and making flirty jokes made her somewhat disdainful. He kept trying with little brushes of his arm and casting meaningful glances, but the effect fell flat.

Graham had ruined her for all men...or maybe what little she and Nick had once had together had dried up like Granny B's estrogen.

“Get you something to drink, babe?” Nick said, wrapping an arm around her waist. She waited to feel warmth, some flicker of something at Nick's touch, but there was nothing.

Pulling away, she smiled. “I'll take my usual.”

Nick brushed back his golden hair. “Aye-aye, Captain.”

“Hey, I'm the captain around these here parts,” Miles Barrow said from behind her.

Tess spun with a grin—how could she not? The man was hard to dislike. “Miles.”

“Ah, Tess of the Ullos,” the captain of Oedipus joked, kissing her cheek and giving her a brief squeeze. “You're looking ravishing, as usual.”

“You flatterer,” she murmured with a smile. Miles Barrow had been the captain and art director for Oedipus for as long as she could remember. Flamboyant, loud and slightly annoying, he loved his position of power within the super krewe, but there was something decidedly lovable about the overweight man with a gray-streaked beard.

“Of course I am, but I ain't no liar, neither, darlin',” he said, his New Orleans East accent thick as gumbo.

Nick stuck out his hand. “Miles.”

“How ya been, friend?”

“Good. I'm here with Tess, aren't I?”

Miles nodded. “Damn straight. Go get you some food. We got everythin' you want. Have a ball.”

Nick slipped away and headed to the bar. Tess nodded at Miles, knowing Monique expected her to help bring in his business. But he wouldn't be easy to pull away from Ullo because he was the kind of guy who respected tradition. Frank Ullo had been a friend as much as he'd been the guy building spectacular, elaborate floats with all the intricate posterboard flowers the krewe was known for. “I want to talk to you about the 2016 floats...after I snag some of those smoked oysters and do the wobble with Margaret Ann.”

Miles's guffaw filled the foyer. “Ah, damn, chérie. My wife's been practicin' that dumb thing all week. You go dance with her. Will tickle her fancy, for sure. Business can wait.” He waved at someone across the room and was gone in a blink just as Nick returned with a vodka tonic with a wedge of lime and offered it to her, clinking it with his own scotch and soda.

“I'm glad to be here with you, babe,” he said, brushing a lock of hair off her shoulder. “It's been too long since I spent time with my Tess. I can't even remember what we fought over.”

She lifted her eyebrows. “Really?”

Nick played dumb which unfortunately suited him. “Naw. What was it over? A silly Christmas present? Drinking too much at the Ullo holiday bash?”

“Merrill Wynn?”

“Merri?”

“You took her home and screwed her right after giving me that bracelet and talking about forever. Remember?” Tess said.

“Oh, yeah. I forgot. But you know she didn't mean anything. I was drunk and she was all over me.”

“You don't really believe that.”

“So I screwed up. I know that now. I'm ready to be the man you need.” He looked down at her, so earnest, so sincere, so...freaking lying between his teeth.

“We're here as friends, Nick. That's it.”

Nick smiled. “Sure. We're totally friends. And if we hook up, we hook up.”

She pulled his hand from her waist and surveyed the room, wishing now she'd just come solo. Monique had urged her to bring a date, even going so far as to suggest a double date, but for some reason Tess held her off, declaring she had an appointment earlier that day. She hated lying but the thought of sitting at a table with her boss and Nick made her feel itchy.

Monique and Josh should be here by now.

Graham, too.

Her stomach did a loop-the-loop. She'd taken extra care with her appearance that evening, donning a short gold cocktail dress that clung to her hips and showed off her toned legs. The blousey crepe top showed her equally toned arms by gathering at her shoulders and dipping low to show the tops of her breasts. She wore diamond hoop earrings and her hair pulled back soft against the nape of her neck. Killer high-heeled sandals completed her look.

She'd told herself the outfit had nothing to do with Graham and everything to do with feeling confident and together—the same reason she'd brought Nick. But she lied to herself. Rubbing the satiny lotion over her body and sliding into her lacy underwear, her thoughts had been of Graham. Of the way he'd loved her, made her feel like forever was something within her grasp.

Damn it. Why couldn't she have all she wanted, including Graham? Why was everything so hard now?

“Tess, you look lovely,” Monique said, sweeping alongside her.

“Oh.” Tess jumped at the unexpected greeting, sloshing her drink on her hand. “And you look gorgeous as always, Monique.”

Monique, clad in something short, slithery and magenta, smiled. “I see you've brought a date. Your taste is exquisite as always.”

Tess made introductions for her “friend” Nick, who applied his charm with a light hand. Tess's earlier reminder about his indiscretion must have taken the wind from his sails. Wouldn't last long. Nick was anything if not impervious to “no.”

Josh bumbled up, carrying two glasses of champagne. He handed one to his wife and turned a goofy smile on Tess. “You clean up good, girl.”

Josh wore a jaunty hat that should have looked ridiculous but somehow went perfectly with his atypically dark, somber suit. Monique rolled her eyes at her husband's trademark joviality and got down to her trademark sharkiness. “Graham will be here looking to get chummy with Miles. I think I've got him in our corner, but I want you to do a little hustling. I sent him our sketches a few days ago.”

Tess smiled. “So you liked the sketches?”

Something in Monique's eyes glittered. “I sent him the best sketches. You did well, Tess.”

Pleasure bloomed inside Tess at her boss's vote of confidence. She'd had to work to earn the Oedipus account and obviously it had paid off. “Float sketches are like Christmas morning to Miles. He'll get back to us soon.”

“But as added insurance, don't be afraid to kiss his ass a little bit. Where is Miles, by the way?” Monique perused the room like a pro. Tess did the same and that's when she caught sight of Graham.

Her heart leaped so hard in her rib cage she pressed a hand to her chest. He looked so damn good she wanted to run and throw herself on him, maybe dropping various pieces of clothing along the way.

Tall, dark and so good-looking it should have been against the law, Graham had heads turning. The sudden feminine interest caught Monique's attention too, and she spun toward the entrance.

“Ah, the wonder boy himself. Speeding up heartbeats,” Monique said under her breath.

Josh peered around Tess and gave a shrug. “Don't know why you think he would change now.”

Monique patted Josh's hand as if she worried about his insecurity. “Now, Josh, being devastatingly handsome is not all it's cracked up to be.”

“Bite your tongue, woman,” Nick piped up, finally, turning to his good side and giving Monique one of his charming grins. Yeah, he was over the “just friends” speed bump.

Graham caught sight of them and moved their way. His stride was purposeful and naturally elegant. The same navy suit he'd worn for his interview—that had lain in her polka-dotted chair—stretched the breadth of his torso, the same classic tie lay against snowy pressed white. Same wing tips, same icy blue eyes, same response inside Tess. Shivers.

“Evening,” he said, with a nod to Monique, his eye snagging on Nick who still grinned like a jackanapes. “How is Upstart this fine evening?”

Monique looked nonchalant. “We're just dandy, Mr. Naquin.”

“I'm not dandy,” Josh said, with a secret smile. “I'm thirsty. Grab you a beer, Graham?”

“Sure.”

“I know what you like.” Josh headed to the bar, looking relieved to escape.

Graham held out a hand to Nick. “I'm Graham Naquin.”

Nick took his hand, a flicker of a frown marring his all-American good looks. “Nick Ashley.”

And then silence so uncomfortable it might have been improved by a dog licking itself...or a kid picking his nose...or Nick saying, “I'm Tess's boyfriend.”

“What?” Graham and Tess asked at the same time.

Monique raised her eyebrows.

“No, he's not,” Tess clarified, smiling as if it were a joke. “He's kidding around.”

“Okay, I
used
to be Tess's boyfriend,” Nick said, winding his arm around Tess's waist again and tugging her against him.

Mood had gone from uncomfortable to knife-in-the-eye excruciating. Like a hound sizing up the competition over a bone, Graham eyed Nick. In fact, he looked as if he might rip Nick's arm off and beat him with it at any minute.

Aww...Graham was jealous. Warmth washed over Tess and she removed Nick's hand from her waist.

Monique studied the three of them, narrowing her eyes. “How interesting.”

“Yes, but we haven't been together since last year,” Tess said, searching for some other way to lighten the moment. Or maybe she should just run. “I think I'll find Josh and trade in this cocktail for something stronger.”

Nick looked down at the untouched cocktail in her hand. “You haven't even taken a sip.”

Tess raised the drink to her lips and took a gulp, smacking as she backed away. “Definitely not strong enough.”

Graham suddenly looked—dare she think it?—hurt.

“Wait a sec.” Monique clutched Tess's elbow, making her drink slosh yet again on her wrist. All three looked at the small woman who had a knowing gleam in her eye. “Did you sleep with Graham?”

* * *

I
F
G
RAHAM
HAD
BEEN
a lesser man, he might have gotten embarrassed at Monique's query...or cussed like a cabdriver....but he prided himself on keeping his composure. Tess, however, wasn't as composed.

“What?” she squealed, the glass in her hand slipping to shatter on the marble floor of the Yacht Club foyer. It was a scene from a bad movie. Or a soap opera.

Several people mimicked Tess's shriek, stepping away as the liquid spread. Tess dropped and tried to pick up the shattered glass, but a waiter moved quickly toward her with a towel and tray, brushing her hands away, as he made quick work of the mess.

Monique shot a knowing smile at Graham—the kind he'd always hated. “How did I miss this? You two have something going on and it's more than just business.”

Graham gave her a quelling look. “Not now, Monique.”

“Suddenly things are so clear.”

“There's nothing clear in any situation with you, Monique. You've never been uncomplicated, and in my limited experience with your new art designer, neither is she.”

Tess looked up from where she squatted, her expression something between tortured and angry. “Stop talking about me as if I'm not here. And, frankly, who I sleep with—” she glanced over to Nick “—or who I
don't
sleep with, is no one's damn business.”

Monique gave a choked laugh. “Oh, dear Lord, this is so effed up it's crazy. You never change, Gray. Always find a way to needle me. Sleeping with one of my employees...really classy.”

Nick, who'd stood looking slightly confused, clued in. “Wait. You're with this guy, Tess?”

Shaking her head. “I'm definitely not with him.”

Tess's quiet words sank into him. He didn't want them to be true. He wanted to be with her in every way. If only...

“But you're not with me, either.” Shooting Tess a look of outrage, Nick stalked off. Graham understood. Nothing like getting smacked in the face with that kind of news along with a pointed message about the night ending with a cursory “goodnight” rather than an invitation to come up for coffee.

“I know how he feels,” Monique said.

“That's enough, Monique,” Graham warned, giving her the hardest look he could manage.

Monique inhaled and exhaled with great show. “Please tell me this happened before you took a job with her father's company? Please tell me you didn't sleep your way into daddy's good graces because that would be low even for someone like you.”

“Someone like me?” He tried to keep anger from his voice.

“A man who likes to grind his heel on everyone who stands in his way. A man who would go to work for the competition just to rub my nose in it. A man who would seduce Frank Ullo's daughter...all so he could get ahead.”

“Don't you dare go there,” he said, gritting his teeth, wishing Monique would shut the hell up. Things were already tenuous between him and Tess. He didn't need his ex making it look like he'd spent that night with Tess for any other reason than that she'd taken hold of him.

And it felt like she'd never let go...even during those weeks he'd convinced himself it had been a fleeting moment and nothing more. But he'd known even then that Tess was special. That she was a forever kind of girl.