Homewrecker Incorporated (17 page)

Grace pulled her phone from the purse she was carrying.

"I just got a text from Lydia. She says we look hot in the pictures Bobby just sent her. And Gregory Michaels is already inside." Grace smiled.

I bent down to adjust the strap of my shoe, looking around discreetly.

"Do you see Bobby anywhere?" I asked unable to pin down his location.

"Nope. I suppose that's a pretty good testament to his skills."

It was no surprise; Patty didn't mess around. Her vouching for the investigators meant they knew what they were doing.

"Did Lydia mention if she'd heard from the other investigator, Jason?" I asked, fishing for information about Grey.

"No, the twin must not be here," Grace replied casually. I wished I could be as unaffected as her.

"You ready?" 

"Let's do it!" She took my arm and we made our way down the block.

We'd asked the driver to drop us off a little ways down the street from the actual entrance since the line of cars was fairly long and we were trying to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible.

Belston Hall, where the event was taking place, was a breathtaking space with its ultrahigh ceilings, wall-length stained glass windows, and enormous crystal chandeliers. Getting in without being noticed didn't turn out to be much of a challenge because we seemed to have wound up behind a well-known pop singer and her entourage. I presented our tickets in exchange for our table assignment and two glasses of champagne.

"Oh my God, Claudia! Is that...?" Grace whispered just loud enough for me to hear over the harpist and the buzz of conversation filling the room as she inclined her head in the direction of one of her favorite actors. I'd never really understood the appeal. He wasn't unattractive, but he wasn't gorgeous, and he was much shorter in real life than he appeared to be on TV.

"It certainly looks like it, especially with that swarm of women fawning over him," I said as he signed an autograph. "Maybe you can get him to sign your boobs." I nudged her with my elbow.

"You're hilarious," she retorted sarcastically as she took a sip of champagne. "Do you see our table?"

"We're at number twenty-nine. I think that's somewhere toward the center of the room, near the stage." I looked at the order of the tables around us. If I were right, we'd have some of the best seats in the house. According to my program, the singer we'd followed in was performing later in the evening.

"Claudia, I'm so pleased you could make it." Gregory took my hand and kissed my knuckles as we turned toward him.

"You must be Ms. Dawson," he said, repeating the gesture with Grace. Her face flushed, her eyes as wide as saucers as she took him in. He definitely looked good in the tailored black tuxedo. Somehow Grace kept it together and flashed him one of her bright smiles.

"Mr. Michaels, it's such a pleasure. Thank you so much for the invitation. This event is breathtaking, and I can't believe some of the people here," she said, her eyes drifting back toward that actor.

"Please, call me Gregory." Gregory leaned in closer to follow her line of sight. "Are you a fan?" 

Grace nodded, looking a little unsure.

"I'll introduce you," he said.

Grace gasped. "You know him?"

"As I'm sure you know, my wife's foundation puts this event together and G&G has been one of the sponsors for years. He's a big supporter. I wouldn't say we're friends, but he's an acquaintance."

I liked he wasn't pretentious about the connection like so many men tended to be when trying to show off.

"Let's wait until the crowd dies down some. Can I escort you to our table?" Gregory stepped between us and offered us each one of his arms.

I took it, trying not to be obvious as I scanned the room for Grey. I was surprised he wasn't with Gregory to greet us. My stomach sank as I wondered if he might not come at all. I should have been wishing for precisely that, but I never seemed to do what I should when it came to Greyston Michaels.

The first hour of the evening flew by in a whirlwind with Gregory introducing us to our table mates, even though we had yet to make it to the table, which consisted mainly of his business associates and executives from G&G. Amongst them was the rather handsome Mr. Slade, who'd taken Bridget out on her first real date a few nights before. Our last stop was to finally see the only man Grace had eyes for since we'd walked in. She even got her autograph, although just on the back of a program, much to my chagrin.

When we finally arrived at the table, one chair remained empty, painfully obvious to me, at least. No one else seemed to notice or care.

Attempting to convince myself Grey's absence was a good thing, I mentioned I was a little light-headed as I sat, hoping Gregory would sit and talk with me at the table.

"I'll send over a waiter with a tray of
hors d'oeuvres. You probably need to eat something with all that champagne,"
he replied with a smile before leaving us.

We watched Gregory carefully as he spoke easily to a variety of people throughout the event, from businessmen to celebrities to politicians. Nothing seemed to throw him off his game, until she walked in.

"Isn't that her?" Grace said in a loud whisper, pointing toward the entrance as I popped a stuffed mushroom in my mouth.

"Yes, it's her." I watched the voluptuous blonde we had yet to identify head straight toward Gregory. Noticing her approach, he excused himself from the group he was with to meet her. The easy melody of a waltz filled the room and a few couples whirled around the dance floor on the side of the stage next to our table.

"He's definitely not happy to see her," I whispered to Grace after Gregory gripped the woman's arm rather roughly and escorted her through the door to a side hallway. It seemed risky for him to behave like that at an event where he was one of the most sought after guests in the crowd, but Grace and I seemed to be the only ones paying attention to him at the moment. 

"I'm going to use the restroom and see if I can hear anything," Grace said. The hallway Gregory had chosen, presumably for a little privacy happened to be where the bathrooms were located so it provided the perfect excuse to eavesdrop. I decided to follow her lead and headed that direction just as she ducked through the door. If I'd timed it right, I could pick up listening where she left off without being obvious.

Weaving my way through the tables, my gaze landed on Chad as he descended the stairway at the entrance. It seemed he preferred to be fashionably late. It was nearly ten when he arrived at the restaurant the first time we met, and Bobby mentioned him showing up late for dinner at his parents' house. He must have spotted me because he headed in my direction. A warm smile covered his face as he approached. I didn't know if I should stop to greet him or keep moving. The choice was made for me. I squealed when a muscular arm snaked around my waist.

"Hello, beautiful," Grey said against my ear as he pulled me toward the growing group of dancers on the floor. I dragged my heels as I looked around, wondering if anyone else was watching us, mainly Gregory.

"I was starting to think you weren't coming." I sounded far happier to see him than I intended. It didn't matter. Even if my tone hadn't, the flush of my skin betrayed my true feelings. My heart pounded so loudly I was sure the whole room could hear it over the final bars of the waltz.

I really needed to get it together. How could he affect me so much in a matter of seconds?

"I got tied up, but I couldn't stay away knowing you were going to be here."

"I'm here with my friend, Grace. She's in the restroom. I was just on my way to join her," I said, fighting my instinct to get closer to him.

"I've missed you," he whispered, leaning in closer.

"I need to find my friend. She's probably looking for me by now." I scanned the room for Grace. It was just for show. I could have looked right at her and I wouldn't have seen her. All I could see was Grey.

"Dance with me first. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the way your body feels against me," he said, pulling me around to face him.

Warmth spread low in my body as I looked up into those gorgeous eyes. A slow smile spread across his face, and I made the mistake of looking at those lips.

"Grey, we agreed to be discreet at work." I attempted to put some space between us.

My resolve waned as he pulled me closer and moved us to the rhythm of the foxtrot the band started playing.

"Lots of people are dancing, no one is going to think anything of us sharing one dance, Claudia." He smiled down at me.

"One dance." I placed one hand in his and the other on his shoulder. His smile turned triumphant. Despite myself, I laughed.

I caught sight of Chad watching us with a knowing smirk. His eyes moved to my right and my gaze followed. Gregory was walking toward us, looking rather ruffled. Grey didn't seem to notice his brother's approach until Gregory was right next to us.

He whispered in Grey's ear, but I couldn't quite make out the words. Grey's gaze shifted toward the exit. His expression was impassive, but his body tensed slightly. There was a hint of panic in his eyes. I turned to see the source of his anxiety. There was Ashley, looking absolutely stunning and staring directly at Grey from across the room.

"You'll have to excuse me and my brother, Claudia. There are some people I need to introduce him to," Greg said with an unconvincing smile. He was tense, even more so than Grey, a far cry from the poised man I'd spent the bulk of the evening with.

"I'll see you later," Grey said hopefully as his brother practically dragged him away. Gregory stopped briefly to say something to Chad who turned and walked toward Ashley, cutting off her pursuit of Grey.

❖

"That shit was awkward," Grace said, returning to the table where I'd been waiting.

I looked up from my phone. Lydia texted to let us know Grey was on his way to the event. It was a little late for the warning.

"Did you hear anything?"

"Not really. They got quiet when I came through the door. I know Gregory saw me, but he acted as if he didn't even know me. He was definitely upset about whatever they were talking about. I did hear him call her Kristen right before the bathroom door shut. I tried to listen from inside, but I couldn't hear anything. They were gone when I came back out."

"He came back in, but I've haven't seen her again," I said, attempting to be casual as I looked around. I hadn't seen Grey since Gregory carted him off. "I wish we could follow her. We need to know who she is and what's up with her and Gregory."

"Already got it covered." Grace smiled proudly. "I sent Bobby and Jason a message when I was in the bathroom. They're calling in another colleague to keep an eye on her."

"I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Excuse me, ladies, I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if this beautiful young woman wouldn't mind making an old man's night by dancing with me." A rather attractive older gentleman with kind eyes held out his hand to Grace.

"Of course I wouldn't mind. It would be my pleasure." Grace stood to take his hand as he grinned at her.

As if my body somehow felt his presence, I turned to see Grey coming back into the room. He was looking all around the room, at the tables, and then he said something to an older couple who'd walked in before him. The three of them made their way across the room, having to stop several times as other attendees roped them into conversation. Finally, they met up with Gregory near the bar. I averted my eyes when Gregory pointed my way and all of their eyes landed square on me. It was like being on stage under a spotlight. I looked away, pretending I hadn't seen them.

A waiter stopped by to clear some glasses and dishes from the table. I cursed under my breath at the emptiness of all the seats around me. Everyone else was dancing, getting drinks, or mingling with other guests.

"Mom, Dad, this is Ms. Claudia Winston." Gregory said as they approached. "She's taking over as my new assistant when Janet retires." He turned to his parents. "Claudia, this is my father, Carter, and my mother, Bethany. Of course you already know Grey."

"It's nice to meet you." Carter raised my hand to his lips, apparently a signature move he'd passed down to his sons.

"A pleasure," I replied as butterflies fluttered around my stomach so hard I was sure there were actual creatures trying to escape my body. I resisted the urge to look at him, but I could feel Grey's gaze boring into me as his brother introduced me to their parents.

"Claudia, so great to meet you. I apologize in advance, but I'm a hugger." Bethany Michaels pulled me into her arms. I chanced a glance at Grey who was smiling wide as he watched me with his mother. I, on the other hand, was completely freaking out. At least internally.

"Janet has been singing your praises," Bethany said, finally pulling away. I wasn't much of a hugger, but she was certainly good at it. In just a few seconds she'd made me feel as if I'd known her forever. For a brief moment, it reminded me of hugging my mother. I swallowed hard against the knot forming in my throat.

"I'd love it if you came by for dinner sometime so we can get to know you better," Bethany continued glancing toward her sons. I took a calming breath, pushing back my sad thoughts as I wondered if Grey mentioned me to his mother.

"That's an excellent idea," Carter added. "Janet has always been like family to us, no reason you shouldn't be as well."