The bottom of my stomach clutched and then fell out.
“Eddie’s mistaken.” Dominic touched his hand to my lower back. “Aleena’s my companion tonight, Penelope.”
His thumb swept along my spine, burning through my dress. I clutched at the folder I’d been holding, staring blindly at Penelope.
Aleena’s my companion…
Penelope seemed to have the same trouble processing those words as I did, but I wasn’t sure it was for the same reason. Companion. Not date. Not lover or girlfriend. Companion.
What the hell did that mean?
Penelope laughed.
It was an overly loud, almost braying sort of noise that made the work going on us around fall silent for the briefest of moments. She didn’t notice or care. “I’m sorry. You didn’t…” She laughed again, but it was quieter, like she’d gathered herself. She shook her head and leaned closer, as though the table between us and the distance of two feet might account for some of her confusion. “It seemed like you said you brought your
secretary
as your date. Dominic, your sense of humor has been very strange lately.”
“Aleena isn’t my secretary,” Dominic said. He looked down at me. “We’ll need to wrap this up elsewhere.” He turned back to Penelope. “And I’m afraid I don’t see what amuses you or strikes you as humorous about my choice of company.”
While she continued to gape at us, Dominic gathered up the pages we’d been studying and then held out his hand. Feeling strangely numb, I accepted.
***
“Now just where has Dominic been keeping you?”
The voice was low, full of the kind of warning that preceded the kind of leering I’d gotten used to from certain people and the alcohol it floated on was almost enough to make
me
feel lightheaded.
We were two hours into the so-called party.
The senior staff at
Devoted
were standing around with fake smiles. The man in front of me was the son of some CEO and when he reached out to trace his finger down my arm, I backed away.
“Oh, don’t be like that,” he slurred. He leaned in a little closer and reached out, brushing his hand down my arm. When the heel of his hand grazed my breast, his smile widened and we both knew it wasn’t an accident.
This time, I didn’t put just a step between us.
I put a few feet.
He chuckled and skimmed me with a look that made me feel dirty. “I bet you’re just as sweet as sugar…brown sugar, no doubt. Brown and rich and sweet and…”
I didn’t let myself cringe or even cross my arms as a shield against his lecherous gaze. Instead, I gave him a cold glare. “You’re about as original as you are sober, and witty too. How observant of you to notice that I’m
brown
, Mr. Pence.”
He blinked at me, surprised.
“Is this the part where I’m supposed to stammer and get nervous or self-conscious? Or just be quiet while you make crude remarks to me?” I asked. “After all, isn’t that my place?”
“Aleena!” Penelope gasped.
I had
no
idea where she’d come from and I turned my head, glaring at her.
“Really, that is hardly the way to talk to one of Mr. Snow’s future business partners,” she said, glaring down her nose at me.
“Actually, he’s one of Mr. Snow’s future
subordinates
,” I said, watching as she hooked an arm through Mitchell Pence’s. I knew Dominic wouldn’t want it coming out like this, but my nerves had been stretched to the breaking point and this made them snap. “They didn’t have a merger. The Winter Corporation is buying
Devoted
and rebranding it as the nest branch of
Trouver L’Amour
. There’s a difference.”
Pence’s face went an ugly shade of red. “You stupid black bitch—”
“I’ll handle this, Mitch,” Penelope said softly, patting his arm. She leaned in and whispered something into his ear. The two of them were quiet a moment and then he gave a low, dirty laugh, his eyes moving to rest on the bodice of my dress as Penelope turned her gaze back to me.
“Regardless of the details of the
acquisition
, Mr. Pence is a pillar of this community who deserves more respect than you seem to be capable of giving him, Ms. Davison. Perhaps—”
“Respect?” Crossing my arms over my chest to keep me from slapping her, I took a few steps towards her. I didn’t particularly
want
to be closer to either of them, but I preferred keep my voice down and still make sure she heard what I had to say. “Tell me…just how much
respect
should I show a man who invades my personal space and makes lewd comments toward me, Ms. Rittenour?”
She sniffed. “You receive the respect you earn in this life, and since we all know the real reason you’re here—”
“You are...” I shook my head. “You know what. You’re not even worth it.” I turned and walked away.
I just wanted to get out of there.
I found something of a refuge near the patio doors that opened out into the night. Miriam Beckman was there with her husband and she smiled at me with a guarded warmth. “I think it went rather well, all things considering,” she said when I paused to say hello.
“I think so too.”
She made introductions and we chatted for a few minutes, the banality of the conversation allowing me to relax a bit. After her husband, a man she’d introduced as Kurt, glanced past me for the third time, I finally followed his gaze and saw Mitchell Pence leaning up against a wall nearby, staring at me.
“If your boss is even half as smart as he seems to be, the first thing he needs to do is fire that son of a bitch,” Kurt said, his voice blunt.
“Kurt, please don’t start,” Miri said, shaking her head. “Not here.”
“He’s a dick, Miri. A dangerous one.”
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Yes, of course,” Miri said, clearly lying through her teeth.
Kurt said, “No.” He gave me a mockery of a smile and then tilted his half-empty wine glass in Pence’s direction. “That man there? He’s a lawsuit waiting to happen. And if I ever see him within ten feet of Miri again, I’ll rip his balls off.”
It took twenty minutes to get the story out of them and my head was pounding by the time they were done. Miri looked humiliated, stressed and frustrated. Kurt was pissed. And now I had to tell Dominic that a CEO’s son, one of the men we’d agreed to keep on as part of the deal, had a long, quiet history of sexual harassment.
Perfect, I thought. Outside, alone at a table by myself, I watched the party going on through the windows. The dinner was done and everybody was socializing, the feeling of relief almost palpable. We’d managed to keep a lid on everything pretty well, but those in management who’d agreed to come over with us had been walking on eggshells as they waited for Dominic to make his move. Now they could all breathe again.
Through the window, I could see Dominic talking to Eddie. I had to admit, he’d done a damn good job. Eddie looked pleased. Happy, really. He could retire at his own pace now knowing that his company and his people would be taken care of.
The door slid open.
I almost got up and left. There was another door inside, but I would damned if I let Penelope think she could chase me off.
So I stayed where I was, idly swaying to the music that played softly from hidden speakers and counting down the minutes until Dominic decided we could leave. That hot tub in my room was sounding really good right now.
Penelope said nothing right away, just came over and sat down on the opposite side of the table. Almost five minutes passed before she finally spoke, “I understand why he’s attracted to you, Aleena. You really are very pretty.”
I could almost hear her adding some sort of clarification. I turned my head and looked at her. “Am I supposed to say thank you?”
“I hardly expect you to have any sort of proper manners.” She looked unconcerned with my response. “You’re attractive and probably a unique change. After all, Dominic’s lovers all tend to be from his world.”
“So, Dominic’s slumming with me.” I gave her a hard look. “You’re hardly the first to point that out. His mother beat you to it, Penelope.”
Her eyes flickered and I smiled. “She told you about that, huh?”
“You’re so crude.” She wrinkled her nose. Then she sighed. “I don’t know why I’m bothering to discuss anything with you. Have fun with him while you can, Aleena. He’ll tire of you soon enough and I’ll be there waiting, as I always am. He knows where he can find me when he gets bored of you.”
Bored. Dominic did get bored easily.
She rose and turned to go, but then, slowly, she turned back to face me. “I’ve always been there for him. I’m the one he turns to when things are the darkest when he’s lost and confused. When he’s hurting, he knows I’ll be there. He always comes back to me. You? You’re just a passing fancy.”
I stared at her. “He always comes back to you? Uh-huh. Sure.” I waved a dismissive hand and went back to staring in at the party. “I think it’s clear how much he needs you.”
Silence, heavy and weighted, fell and after a moment, I turned to look at her.
She was staring at me, a glimmer of icy amusement on her face.
“And does he need
you
, Aleena?” She glanced toward the window and then started back toward me. “Tell me, when he’s hurting in the night, when the nightmares are the worst, do you know why? Do you have any idea what to say to make them go away?”
I’d been sure there was nothing she could say that would get to me any more than she already had.
I’d been wrong.
The nightmares
.
I could still hear the sounds he’d made that night. The first night we’d ever had sex, it had been because I’d woken him from a nightmare. I’d never asked him what it was about and he never offered.
She leaned down, braced one hand on the table. “You
do
know about the nightmares, don’t you, Aleena?” She paused and then added, “Unless of course he doesn’t allow you to share his bed. He might fuck you, he does have needs, after all. I know that. But there’s a difference between sex and what I can give him.”
She gave me a knowing smile and then turned.
I never saw her leave.
I was too busy staring at Dominic.
***
She’s just trying to get to you.
I spent twenty minutes trying to convince myself of that. I spent another ten minutes working up the courage to go inside again.
Finally, I had no choice when that ass Mitchell Pence came out.
Swallowing back the bile and fighting a headache, I made my way in and I would have found a dark, quiet corner, but Eddie saw me and caught my arm, guiding me back into the thick of things. “Everything’s going wonderfully,” he said, squeezing my elbow. “Dominic’s been amazing. And both you and Amber have done so much…I can’t thank you enough.”
I smiled at him.
It couldn’t have been a very good effort because he paused and studied me. “Are you feeling okay, Ms. Davison?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Just tired.”
“Of course. I’ll…” He paused and then said, “Why don’t we find you a drink? The champagne is…”
I stopped, not hearing the rest of what he said.
In front of me, not even ten feet away, Penelope was talking to Dominic. He had his back to me. She stood at an angle, facing away, their heads pressed close together. As I watched, she reached up and touched his cheek. Dominic averted his head, but didn’t pull away. Penelope settled her hand on his shoulder instead, smoothing it up and down in a possessive gesture.
“I...” Swallowing, I glanced over at Eddie. “You know, I think I should go back to the hotel. I’m not feeling well.”
He squeezed my hand, casting a knowing look at Penelope. “You shouldn’t let her run you off, Ms. Davison.”
“Oh, I’m not…” The words faded, my protest dying in my throat as I met the man’s kind eyes. Finally, I cleared my throat and said, “I
am
tired.”
“Of course. Allow me to get you a car at least. I’ll let Dominic know you weren’t feeling well.” Then his eyes narrowed on Penelope, clear dislike on his face. “Once he’s done with his conversation, of course.”
I nodded and he guided me away, his hand resting solicitously on my back.
***
My head was still pounding almost an hour later when I came out of the shower.
I’d hoped it would help, but it hadn’t.
The sight of the man standing in the middle of my bedroom didn’t help either.
Chapter 9
Aleena
Dominic stood there staring at me, looking almost too beautiful for words.
Rumpled blond hair fell across his forehead while blue eyes studied my face. The elegant tux he wore fit him to perfection, although at some point since I’d last seen him, he’d loosened his tie and it hung open at his throat, the top two buttons of his shirt freed as well.
My heart hurt just to look at him.
“Eddie said you weren’t feeling well.”
Turning away, I rubbed the heel of my hand over my chest. “No. I’m not.”
His heavy sigh filled the room around me. “May I ask what’s wrong?”
My heart’s breaking. I don’t know what to think. I’m trying to figure out if I know you at all…
I wanted to tell him all of that, but I didn’t know how to even begin. Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly and then turned to face him, wondering if I had the strength to even try.
The remote look in his eyes froze every single word that came to my mind. Lamely, I said, “I’ve got a horrible headache.”
Dominic tipped his head back, staring up at the ceiling. “A headache?”
“Yes.” It was nothing less than the truth, but it was lame and I knew it. I could have stayed. I could have toughed it out if it wasn’t for one little thing. Or rather, if it wasn’t for one major bitch by the name of Penelope, I would have been fine. Did I have a headache? Yes. It was brought on by the stress of the party and too little sleep and just being unfamiliar with everything I was doing, but I could have popped a few Tylenol, dealt with it and pushed on.
But I wasn’t going to deal with her goading me, stabbing at me, going out of her way to embarrass me at every turn.
And the uncertainty.