All Bets Are On (8 page)

Chapter Fourteen

Derek spo
tted Jaclyn and her friend as soon as they walked into the ballroom. She looked incredible in a long, shimmering gown of gold that hugged her body in all the right places. What made her even more beautiful was the plain fact that she didn’t realize how truly stunning she was.

He approached her at the bar, leaning in to give her a kiss. “You look incredible.”

She turned her head slightly so his lips pressed against her cheek. “Thank you, Derek. You look nice, too.” She gestured toward her friend. “This is my friend and business partner, Trish Anderson. Trish, meet Derek.”

Derek’s gaze swept over Trish, who looked the complete antithesis of Jaclyn. Too blonde, too made-up, too flashy. “Nice to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand.

Trish placed hers in his for far too brief a second. He only got images of shoes and purses before she pulled her hand away. But he’d bet a trip to Hades she was the foundation’s embezzler. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Derek. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Beside him, Jaclyn sucked in a quick breath.

“Oh, not too much, I hope,” he said with a wink.

Trish playfully flicked his arm with her hand. “Only the most scandalous details.”

Jaclyn’s mouth opened in outrage as she glared at her friend.

“Kidding,” Trish said, holding up her hands. “Oh, look there’s Robert. Finally.” She waved to a man just coming in the door. “Have a good time, kids, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” With the twist of her wrist, she was gone.

“Unbelievable,” Jaclyn pushed through gritted teeth.

“That’s one word,” Derek agreed. He couldn’t say he was sad to see her go, but he was able to determine one thing. Trish liked expensive things. “Can I get you anything? Wine? Champagne?”

Jaclyn nodded, looking distracted. “Something white and fruity.”

“All right. I reserved us a table on the verandah.”

“Great,” she said, distracted. “There are too many people and too much noise in here.”

“If you’re sure. I feared you’d be disappointed. You seemed to enjoy the ballroom last night.”

She looked up, finally focusing on him, and grinned. “Not as much as I enjoyed the rubber chicken. I was so looking forward to a repeat.”

He leaned in close to her. “I hope that’s not all you are looking forward to.”

She held her ground. “Don’t get your hopes up too high.”

“Ah, but you know how much I love a challenge.”

She actually rolled her eyes and he couldn’t help his wide grin as he walked around the other side of the bar and ordered her wine and himself a scotch. She certainly wasn’t like any other woman he’d been with in a very long time. Usually the pretty little empty heads couldn’t wait to please him, saying anything he wanted to hear, doing anything he wanted to do.

“So is that her?” Minos asked, coming up to stand beside him.

“Yep. The same one you torpedoed when you blabbed to my sister about our bet.”

Minos looked stricken, like he should. “I should have known that Deirdre would spill the beans. Sorry, Boss.”

Sorry didn’t cut it, but Derek didn’t say anything. Not here.

“She’s quite the looker,” Minos added after a long silence.

“You sound surprised,” Derek said dryly.

“Well, you never would have guessed from her online profile pic.”

Derek spun around and faced him. “Why not? She’s the same woman.”

“Yeah, minus the glasses and that hair, it’s…”

“It’s what?” he pressed.

Minos gave him a conciliatory smile and shrugged. “It’s pretty nice.”

Derek’s stare hardened, his voice deepening. “I’m glad you like her, now make sure you stay away from her.”

“Why?” His minion sounded almost disappointed.

“Because I don’t want you playing any of your games with this one.” The warning was clear; what wasn’t clear was whether Minos was smart enough to heed it.

Minos eyed him with curiosity. “Is this girl any different from the others?”

Apparently he wasn’t smart enough. Hell yes, she was different. She was more genuine. More honest. But it was more than that—she also seemed more vulnerable.

“I mean other than the fact that you lost your bet?” Minos grinned.

Derek stared at him. So Deirdre hadn’t let on that she’d found Jaclyn in his hotel room that morning. He wondered why not. What was his dear sister up to now? “Don’t rub it in,” he shot back, not wanting to let on just how wonderful a night he’d had. Not yet, anyway.

“Okay, is there anything we should know about this girl?” Minos pressed.

“We? What’s this
we
shit? You got a mouse in your pocket?” Why was he pushing this?

Minos didn’t say anything, just stared at him, his eyebrows raised. “Okay, so she’s different.”

“Maybe she is. Maybe she isn’t. Either way I don’t want you interfering.”

“Geez, Boss. I was just hoping a little slap and tickle would make you a happy boy. You need to lighten up a little.”

Derek leaned real close. “Stay out of it. You got that, or you won’t be seeing the light of day for a very long time.”

“Oh, I got it, Boss. Got it loud and clear.” Minos snickered, turned away, and left the bar. Derek hoped this would be the last he saw of him tonight. He’d already caused enough problems for one day. The snake really needed to get a life.

Derek got the wine and scotch, then headed back to Jaclyn. She was talking with Noah Wells, whom they’d met the night before. “They should have our table ready. Can I steal you away from all these prying eyes?”

“Absolutely,” she said with a smile that almost had him forgetting his annoyance at Minos. “Thanks again, Noah,” she said, and stuck a check into her purse. “I will make sure my partner sends you a receipt right away.”

“Another donation?”

“Yep, and a good one.” She grinned, and he was thankful to the man for putting a smile on her face, yet at the same time irritated that it was someone other than him who’d done it. He led her out of the ballroom and into the terrace dining room. As they passed through the room, he saw his mother sitting at a table with his sister and Sabine. Seeing them there, their heads together, co-conspirators, set his teeth on edge. He glared at his mother and tried not to look at Sabine, but his gaze met hers anyway. He’d been angry when she’d left, angry that she took the decision for their relationship out of his hands. Angry that she didn’t discuss it with him first after everything they’d been through and all that they’d lost. And at the same time, he’d been relieved enough not to go after her.

Her eyes, a deep violet purple, beseeched him, and he felt…nothing. He led Jaclyn past without stopping. Whatever his mother was up to, ignoring her for the time being was the best policy. He was tired of her interfering in his life, always complaining, always criticizing, always wanting more.

To hell with her. She was not going to dictate who he saw in his personal life.

He seated Jaclyn, noticing with pleasure how deep her cleavage went from this angle. He pushed her chair in behind her, instantly appreciating the sweet scent of her perfume.

“So what is your job tonight?” she asked as he sat across from her.

He almost choked. “Excuse me?”

“Last night, you needed to accomplish something with Fredricks, was it? What is your job tonight?”

If she only knew his main job right then was her foundation and discovering who was stealing from it.

“No one in particular. Just info gathering.” He picked up his menu.

“Then why are we here? More importantly, why am I here with you?”

He set the menu down. “You almost sound like you’d rather not be here with me.”

“Do I?” she asked, her tone implying that’s exactly how she felt.

“Don’t you? What are you getting at?”

“A little honesty.”

“I’ve been very honest and forthcoming with you.” He was beginning to feel insulted.

“Have you?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay, then why are we here?”

“You don’t believe I wanted to see you again?” Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. His mood was shot and she wasn’t helping.

“Maybe. But if you did, we could have had dinner anywhere. We didn’t need to come to another crowded event.”

Finally, he was beginning to see the picture. “You don’t like crowds.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You don’t like people staring at you? Wondering who you are? Why you’re with me?”

“Perhaps.”

“They’re looking at you because you look ravishing in that dress.” He leaned forward and reached for her hand. She hesitated. “Listen, let’s just have a good time. I had to be here. I didn’t want to be alone. I wanted to get to know you better. No strings. No attachments. No illusions. All right?”

She visibly relaxed. “All right.”

This time when he reached for her hand, she gave it to him, and he stroked the tips of his fingers across her soft skin. She didn’t pull away. She smiled, not a full smile, but a small one, a reluctant one, and something stirred within him.

“No bets with your cronies tonight?”

“None whatsoever.”

“Good.”

As he held her hand, he concentrated on what was within her, her character, her moral code, and he found no signs of deception. She was giving off nothing but the truest intentions toward her foundation and toward him.

He scared her.

“I tell you what. How about tonight we focus on your foundation? We’ll make the rounds and see how much interest we can garner. Maybe even enough money for a cook so you can start a soup kitchen.”

She looked surprised. “You would do that for me?”

“I was impressed with what I saw today. You’re genuinely invested in those kids and what you do. Trust me, that is a rare commodity.”

She smiled as pleasure filled her face. “How could you be impressed with us after our horrible disaster?”

“Accidents happen. Luckily, nothing seriously bad happened. Maybe tomorrow I can come by and secure that bookcase and the others to the wall.”

She leaned forward and placed her hand on his arm. “I would be so thankful. I can’t stop thinking of that bookcase lying on its side like that, and Billy lying there crying his little eyes out. It was terrifying.”

“You handled it perfectly.”

She relaxed, her tension visibly leaving her body. “You were surprisingly very good with the kids.”

“Surprisingly?” he asked.

She laughed. “Yes.”

He grinned. The hardest part of his persuasive skills was not using them constantly. Mostly, he preferred using his verbal skills to get people to do what he wanted—it was definitely more of a challenge that way. He looked past Jaclyn at his mother. She was staring at him, her eyes narrowing, Deirdre was positively glowing, and Sabine was pretending to be engrossed in her food.

He would have to say hello to her, or his mother would continue to try to invent ways to throw them together. Might as well let both of them know he wouldn’t be seeing Sabine again, not now, not ever. He sucked up a deep breath and turned to Jaclyn. “I need to say hello to my mother or there will be hell to pay. Do you mind if I leave you alone for a moment?”

“Not at all. Take all the time you need.”

He stood and walked slowly toward his mother’s table. “Hello, Mother, Deirdre, Sabine. It’s good to see you again,” he said politely.

His mother leaned forward, an accommodating smile on her face. “I was hoping you could spend some time with Sabine tonight. She’s just arrived, and well, as you know it’s been a while.”

“I’m sure Sabine has many old friends to call. Will you be here long?” he asked, finally turning to look at her.

“I haven’t decided,” she said, her voice as rich and smooth as he remembered.

“Well, I must get back to my
date
,” he said, emphasizing the word and turning to smile at Jaclyn. Sabine put her hand on his arm, stopping him before he could walk away.

“I really would love to see you, Derek. I think we have a lot to talk about.”

He shook his head, thoughtful for a long moment. “No, Sabine. I really don’t think we do.”

He started to walk away when his mother called out, “I’d like an update on Ms. Franciscan. I see she’s here tonight. She was also at the Rutherford event last night.”

“And your point?” Derek asked, turning back to her.

“Why hasn’t she been dealt with yet?”

He rolled back on his heels, his gaze taking in the guests at the tables in the room who were all completely frozen in time. Everyone except Deirdre and Sabine. When his mother wanted a private conversation, she didn’t hesitate to do what it took. “You said you wanted creativity. Creativity takes time. It takes extra thought. It takes ingenuity, and that kind of planning doesn’t happen overnight.”

“Then you are planning something?” she asked, one doubtful eyebrow cocked.

“Of course. I want her caught in one of the sweatshops. I want her takedown to be done in the most public and humiliating way possible.”

A grin lifted her lips. “Good, I’m glad to hear it.”

“We are done, then?”

“Yes. Though I do hope you are making progress with your little bird’s foundation. I am expecting a great deal of creativity with that one, also.”

Of course she was. Especially now that Jaclyn was appearing to be an obstacle to his getting back with Sabine. He would have to set her straight on that as soon as they were alone. “Don’t worry, Mother. You won’t be displeased.”

“That’s good to hear.” With a quick shift of his mother’s hand, the roar of the room started up again.

“I hear there’s a wager going on with some of your men,” Deirdre said before he could walk away; a hint of a smile lifted her devious lips

“I wouldn’t be surprised to find trouble wherever you are involved, sister. Especially since you’re the one most likely to cause it.”

“Now, now. Let’s not bore Sabine with your squabbling.” His mother pulled an envelope out of her bag and handed it to him. He glanced inside and saw the name Safe Haven Foundation. He shoved it inside his jacket pocket. “I’d like this project wrapped up as quickly as possible,” she insisted. “Put Ms. Reynolds and her foundation behind us and move on to our other projects.”