Caroline hadn’t played games; she laid it right out there. And Josh wasn’t used to her brand of honesty. It flew in the face of everything he’d learned growing up and in business.
It was rare people surprised him. Josh had a pretty good sense of who someone was within a few minutes. With men and women he met through work, a handshake told him a lot. With women he dated, conversations revealed certain things. The bedroom revealed others.
Caroline may not have liked her work, but she was good at it and she was going to give clients her best. The few minutes they’d spoken about his project told him she was light years ahead of the people already working on that team.
The other piece of it all wasn’t what he expected. The sex. The sex had put his emotions in a vise grip and he didn’t know what to do about that. Being in bed with a woman had always been about release. Mutual satisfaction. There was never anything invested other than getting naked and having a few mind-blowing orgasms. But with Caroline, everything had been put out there.
The fact that she’d been untouched still weighed on him a little. What really got him wasn’t that she was tentative or shy; she was anything but. She was hot, curious, and willing to try things. She’d touched him looking for his approval. He could hear her voice in his head asking him if she was doing something right, telling him if he was. It was incredible to be with someone so open, so brave.
Someone so much fun.
It had been fun, too. When they went back to bed the second time, they’d laughed and played and Josh had never been there before. He didn’t laugh in bed. He got down and dirty, but he didn’t laugh. Caroline had opened a new door and he didn’t know if he ever wanted to go back to the other way again.
He’d been missing that intimacy and he thought he was okay with it. But Josh wasn’t an idiot. If he liked something, if something felt good, he knew there was probably some price for it.
Most of the time, getting good sex meant he had to put up with dull chatter about the New York social scene. With Caroline it meant opening up, being honest and risking attachment. And Josh didn’t think he was ready for that.
The thing was, it was possible it was already too late. He felt different. He wanted to see her, talk to her, touch her, and while one half of his brain was telling him to let it go, the other half told him he couldn’t. He needed to see her. He needed to be with her again.
Josh was hoping that maybe this was a phase. Some kind of endorphin rush that he’d be able to work through. He might just need to get Caroline out of his system. He could take her out and see how that went. If nothing else, he could talk about the project, and then see if the attraction was there or if the other night was just a one-time thing.
He’d work it through and get everything between them under control.
Control. Right. If he’d learned anything it was that Caroline was not about control. On the surface, maybe she was. But on the inside, she was about the rush. The emotion. And for the life of him, he couldn’t understand how her family didn’t see all that passion. All that emotion.
He didn’t understand how they couldn’t know her.
And he didn’t know how to handle the fact that he wanted to know her better.
Chapter 7
Caroline was in her bed, under her covers, trying to forget about the drama at her sister’s house today. To keep her mind off the noise in her head, she decided to tweak a scene that she didn’t know if she could fix.
Honestly, she didn’t know if she could fix anything about this book, much less about her life.
God, she had to get over herself.
The soft buzz from her cell surprised her. Looking at the display she saw it was her sister, and Caroline really didn’t want to answer. But knowing her sister, Meg would just keep calling.
Laughing a little, because her sister never gave up on anything, Caroline slid her finger across the screen.
“Hello?”
“Don’t hang up. I’m sorry.” The words burst out so quickly Caroline almost didn’t catch them. But then it sunk in.
Meg apologized. Caroline could count on one hand the number of times that had happened, and while it wasn’t very gracious, it felt like she’d won.
“Thanks,” she said quietly. “I appreciate that.”
“I shouldn’t have butted in about your life and I shouldn’t pick on your writing. I guess it’s just hard for me because I don’t feel like we’re close at all, Carly, and that’s all I want.” Meg drew a breath. “That’s why I snipe at you anytime I find out something new.”
Carly.
That’s what her sister had called her when they were young, and Caroline felt the lump form in her throat. “I need you and Mom to trust me. I’m not stupid.”
“Oh, I know that. So does Mom. We just worry, and before you say anything, I know we shouldn’t. I guess when we lost Dad, it sort of seemed like you took it even harder than us, and we’ve been overprotective since.”
This was the most contrite Meg had ever been. What had happened after she left?
“I should feel lucky that people do worry about me.” That was the truth. A lot of her friends felt pretty abandoned by their families. That was never Caroline’s problem. “But don’t second-guess me all the time, okay?”
“I’ll try not to. If I do, tell me to shut up.”
Caroline laughed. “Okay. Just remember you asked for it.”
The sisters laughed and Caroline felt her stomach settle. Things were far from perfect, but were families ever perfect?
“So, ah...” Meg began, “do you want to tell me what’s up with you and Josh?”
Shit.
“What do you mean?” Oh, she can’t know; he wouldn’t have told them, would he?
“Caroline, after you left, he came into the kitchen and defended you. Like he seriously told me off.”
“He did?” Caroline’s heart started racing. He went to bat for her? Caroline never would have expected him to stick up for her. Never.
“He did. He told us how smart you are and how capable and how we should mind our own business. He even told me to butt out when I mentioned your sex life.”
“My sex life? Are you kidding me?” There was some humiliation right there. It was amazing, really. If there was a line, Meg found a way to cross it.
“Well, your
boyfriend
told me it was none of my business.”
“He’s not my boyfriend. And it isn’t your business.”
“I get that.” Meg hesitated. “I think he likes you, Caroline. Are you sure nothing happened?”
“Am I sure? I think I’d know if anything happened.” Evade! Caroline already felt perspiration forming on her brow. She couldn’t lie. Caroline was a crappy liar. If Meg had asked the question in person she would have folded instantly.
“Okay, okay, don’t get defensive.”
“We’re friends. That’s all.” Was he a friend? That could be considered a truth, even though she told him they weren’t. Would turning into a puddle of goo when he touched her make them friends? A stretch, but she was willing to go there. “We understand each other.”
There was silence on the line and Caroline was trying to anticipate what Meg might say next. “Meg? You still there?”
“Uh-huh. I’m just wondering how
much
you two understand each other.” She giggled.
Great, the bitch was giggling.
Giggling.
“Meg, I’m going to hang up now. I’m working. And I won’t be mocked.”
“I’m not mocking you.” More laughter.
“Stop it! Yes, you are.”
“Okay, maybe a little. Let’s meet for dinner this week. I want to hear all about your writing.”
That stunned her. Now it was Caroline’s turn to go quiet.
“You do?” She forgave her sister for the giggles almost immediately.
“I do, and there won’t be any mocking,” Meg said. “I’ll call you in a couple of days. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Night, Carly.”
***
Josh walked down the short hallway and stopped just short of the office suite where his father was holding court. Campbell Holdings was a well established and respected private equity firm, although lately Josh didn’t know how the reputation held up. It was true that any investment harbored some sort of risk, and venture capitalists were putting their money into more high-risk projects than anyone, but the firm didn’t need to be reckless.
And that’s what Will Campbell was doing—playing fast and loose with this development project and everyone’s money.
Deep down, Josh wasn’t surprised.
He’d always given his parents the benefit of the doubt. Unlike his siblings, Josh hadn’t had a burning desire to separate himself from his nuclear family. He’d always prided himself on being loyal and thought that was a good trait. Unfortunately, it alienated him from Jason and his sister, Grace, and it was only when Grace and her husband were killed in a car wreck that his parents’ true colors, and their motives, became clear.
When they made a ruthless attempt to get custody of his niece Molly, including falsifying court documents, Josh woke up and saw the kind of people he was protecting.
He still didn’t know how his father didn’t end up in jail after that. But getting away with it only made his father more arrogant, more bold, and it made Josh wonder what he was going to try next. There was nothing worse than being in business with someone who felt untouchable. Except maybe when that person was a relative.
Josh had a pretty substantial stake in the firm because his grandfather had left it to him years before. That was Josh’s driving motivation. His grandfather trusted him, and the more Josh thought about it, he wondered if Grandpa knew he couldn’t leave the things in Will’s hands.
There’d been some creative accounting under his father’s leadership, and with every high-risk project Josh worried about the financial fallout. Would this development be the one that drove the firm into the ground? He couldn’t let it happen, and now armed with Caroline’s take on the site assessment he could make sure his father didn’t do something truly stupid, unethical, or both.
Josh held the site assessment. The very one that Caroline told him wasn’t complete, and he now had to go into a meeting and tell his father, two investors, and the architect that the engineering firm had dropped the ball. It wouldn’t be easy; in fact, he expected a lot of resistance, especially since he was fairly sure Dad was the one who told the engineers to cut corners. The investors trusted his father, and that was Will Campbell’s strength. He was charming and he could get anyone to do anything.
Josh looked at the report in his hand, and it was like Caroline was there again, flooding his brain with sensations. He couldn’t get her out of his head. Since the morning she left the apartment, all he could think about was how she felt, tasted, and smelled. The sounds she made, from her laughter to her ecstatic cries in the bedroom, replayed over and over. The woman gave everything and Josh wanted more.
He almost called her this morning to ask for her help. He could have used more insight, asked more questions. He stopped himself and leaned against the wall. Who was he kidding? He just wanted to talk to her. To apologize for... hell, he wanted to apologize for everything. For taking her to bed, for blowing her off, for making her feel like she didn’t matter.
He should leave it alone. He knew he should but he couldn’t, and it made Josh wonder if an arrangement between them could work. He knew he wasn’t marriage material, but he really liked Caroline and he wanted to spend time with her. Could they be “friends with benefits”?
Exhaling, Josh pulled himself up, tugged at the cuffs of his dress shirt, and quickly surveyed his charcoal gray suit jacket for stray pieces of lint. Josh knew he’d be the youngest in the room and his father would try to use that to his advantage; intimidation was always in Dad’s arsenal, but Josh wasn’t going to back down this time. This project needed more vetting before they dumped millions into the purchase of the land, much less anything else.
Pulling up to his full height, he steeled himself and walked into the office. Around the large conference table, his father had taken the dominant place at the head and was chatting with the investors about his upcoming trip to Australia. He dropped in information about people they were going to see and invitations he and his mother had garnered from the “important folks” down under. The man was all ego, and Josh didn’t know how he could stand himself.
“Oh, good. You’re here,” his father said.
Josh noticed his father didn’t make any effort to introduce him to the investors, which was another power play. The only person Josh knew was the architect. He’d worked with Anton on the renovation of his loft. The man was brilliant and Josh knew he wouldn’t want to cut corners; of course Josh didn’t know if he’d go against the man hiring him. They all knew Will Campbell, knew his reputation, and knew he was the only important one in the room.
“Did you bring the report?” Dad took a sip of coffee.
“Right here.” Josh raised the folder so everyone could see. “I have some concerns about it.”
His father looked up and an uncomfortable silence settled over the room. Josh had challenged him. And no one ever challenged Will Campbell.
“Concerns?” His voice was colder than usual.
“The report is incomplete. We need more information to establish whether or not the land is suitable for the project.”
“There’s no contamination, is there?” One of the investors posed the question, and just like Josh had, he thought it was all about the dirt.
“The soil seems fine, but we don’t know what’s underground. The engineering firm needs to run some additional tests.”
His father leaned back in the large, leather executive’s chair and made a “steeple” with his fingers. “I wasn’t aware you were an expert in these things, son.”
Josh had put up with a lot from his parents over the years, and if this had been a year ago, he would have gone along and not rocked the boat, believing his father did what he thought was best. Now Josh knew his father did what was best for Will Campbell and no one else.
“Certainly not an expert, but I was with... a friend... this weekend who is an engineer, and she felt the report could be more thorough.”
“
She
?” The emphasis on the word was dripping with such condescension that Josh almost didn’t want to respond. “Strange conversation for pillow talk.”
Josh leveled his gaze, hoping his father would take the hint and not go there.
“Okay,” he said, smirking. “What does your ‘friend’ the engineer say?”
“That there are additional tests that should be run. They aren’t expensive, relatively, and would give more detail regarding the suitability of the site.”
“I see.” Dad jotted a note on the paper in front of him, not even bothering to look up. “Is that all?”
God, his father was being such a dick. He’d turned to the investors, and if Josh didn’t know better he’d think the man was rolling his eyes. Josh was a partner in this firm, and for over ten years he had put late nights, blood, sweat and a lot of his own money into this company, and he was being dismissed.
Josh surveyed the gorgeous room that had been the site of company meetings since his grandfather bought this building decades ago.
Everything was finished and polished to a high-gloss shine. The room gleamed but nothing looked real. Nothing at all.
“Josh, I don’t know if—”
“Can the tests be done quickly?” Josh turned to the voice and saw the elder of the two investors leaning on his forearms. The man had just cut off his dad. Nice.
“A couple of months,” Josh said. “But the long-term savings will be worth it.”
“I think,” the gentleman said, “we should ask for the tests. With all the problems inherent in a project this size, we don’t want any surprises when we break ground.”
Anton nodded. “I agree. This area has given developers problems before.”
“But what about the zoning changes?” Will asked, seeming to sense the changing tides in the room, and making his voice sound more reasonable. “We need to get the permits in before those go into effect. If we don’t grab the land, we’re screwed.”
“We’ll be more screwed if we buy the property and we can’t build on it.” Anton closed his portfolio and threw it in his bag. Josh had to keep from smiling. He loved winning against his old man. He did. “I’m sorry, Will. Call me when you have something to work on.”
The investors were next, one of them patting Josh’s shoulder like he was about to get in trouble for cutting class.
The conference room door clicked shut and Josh waited for his father to look up. He didn’t. He just sat there and took notes while Josh felt himself getting more and more pissed off.
“So,” Dad finally said. “What the fuck was that all about?”
“Excuse me?” Josh asked. He knew his father was pissed and that was too bad. “You mean how I possibly saved the firm millions?”
“Don’t exaggerate. You came in here, panicked some people and delayed this project, which will cost us. What the hell were you thinking?”
Josh sat back and pushed the folder with the site analysis toward his father. “This is only a soil sample. What if something is buried on the site?”
“What? Do you think this could be placed on the EPA Superfund list?”
“It could be, but we won’t know what we’re dealing with until those additional tests are done.”
“So you nail some girl engineer and...” Will leaned forward, incredulous. “Did you seriously do an engineer? Are you fucking desperate?”