Collared (Going to the Dogs) (19 page)

“He’s a fucking fool. What stopped you?”

She leaned forward until she was whisper-close and cupped his face, sliding her hand into his hair. “This,” she said, as she pressed her mouth to his. Fire ignited from the touch of her mouth all the way down to his groin. The feel of her soft lips moving over his only made him growl deep in his throat. In a few seconds they were both breathing heavily and he was wishing they were someplace where he could get her horizontal. She pulled away as Jeffrey’s voice came over the intercom.

“Just a reminder that we have to meet your father in fifteen minutes, Ms. Sinclair.”

She didn’t move, just kept her deep blue eyes trained on him and the touch of her mouth just keep setting off those explosions inside him.

“Passion. That’s why.”

“If you decide to confide in me, Harper, I will never let you down.”

She looked out the window, and for a brief second it seemed as if a mask dropped from her face and he saw sadness. He slipped his forefinger under her chin and drew her face to his. “You’re good at hiding your feelings. I had no idea that you were this worried.”

She covered his hand with hers. “Why couldn’t you have just stayed that grumpy, judgmental jerk?”

He smiled. “I’ve still got enough orneriness inside me. Don’t worry.”

He reached for the door handle. “Caleb, wait.”

He turned back to her.

“When I was sixteen my mother died from cancer. It was devastating for all of us. My father was crushed by her death. Everyone wanted an interview with the grieving daughter. My mother had been a very prominent person in the city. I couldn’t go anywhere without having someone ask me how I felt. As if that was their right, to know my pain.”

“Ms. Sinclair….”

“All right, Jeffrey, give me one more minute,” she snapped. Then she bit her lip. “Jeffrey, I’m sorry.”

“Yes, ma’am. I just know how you hate to be late.”

“Of course.”

“Harper…”

“No, let me finish. There was a friend of mine that I had met through riding lessons. She won the lessons through a radio show. She and I were pretty much inseparable, and I confided to her how horrible it was to lose my mother. She taped it and sold it to the tabloids.”

He was so angry for her and for what had happened to her. How could he have ever thought that Harper never had any problems? How could he have thought she lived a charmed, perfect life? This betrayal was still written all over her face, and he ached for her. He held her gaze and his compassion must have been naked in his eyes because her expression changed to one of gratitude. He leaned forward and brushed an infinitely gentle kiss along her forehead. He hadn’t known he had such tenderness inside him. He held her gaze for a second, his expression taut. Then he released his breath on a soft sigh, his hand trailing down her neck as he pulled away.

“I’ll see you this afternoon at the tea. Do you want me to send the limo for you?” she said.

“Isn’t it bad enough that you want me to wear a freaking white suit and a panama hat to a freaking Fairy Tea Party? You also want me to arrive in a limo? No freaking way.” At first he thought that this limo was pretentious, but now he realized that this was the way she took care of her friends. “I’ll freaking get there on my own.”

“Freaking okay,” she laughed, and he felt his heart contract, mostly because he was being his crabby self. He liked her laughter much better than the pain on her face. He had half a mind to track down that conniving bitch and make sure she got a parking ticket every day for the rest of her life.

“And tonight?” she prompted.

Work tomorrow, so I should go home and get a good night’s sleep. I won’t get that if I’m with you.”

“Ummm…Caleb,” she said, laughter bubbling in her voice. He looked over his shoulder. Blue sat on the seat with that freaking hat again. He swore the dog’s eyes were laughing at him. He burst out laughing, gently pried it out of her teeth and put it back in the bag. Who would have thought he’d find a soft spot in all his orneriness for a freaking pampered poodle who usually wore more bling around her neck than he made in a year.

Stepping out onto the sidewalk in front of his apartment, he bent down so that he could see her. “You better be careful or you’ll have two males besotted with you.”

“Are you talking about Quinn? I already have that one all sewed up. I have a pool.”

He laughed.

Caleb stepped back. “Have a good lunch.”

She slipped out of the limo and kissed him again. “Tonight,” she said huskily.

#

Harper entered the restaurant and searched for her father. She saw him sitting at his usual table, and next to him was an exotically handsome man. Harper’s feet slowed as she approached the table. There was something about him. Something…familiar. But she couldn’t put her finger on it. He had dark hair, midnight black, distinctly Hawaiian features, and very tanned skin. When he met her eyes, she got a jolt. His eyes were blue.

He rose as Harper approached, and her father smiled as he stood, too.

She remembered what Caleb had said. This man could be nervous as hell. She should give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Harper, good to see you, honey. This is Makana Kaeo.”

She reached out and clasped his hand and his eyes gave her another jolt. Where had she met him? Could it have been that she’d caught a glimpse of him at her father’s firm?

“Nice to meet you.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Sinclair.”

“Oh, please call me Harper, and I assume Makana is okay?”

“My friends call me Mak.”

“All right, Mak it is.” She nodded. “My father has told me that you are working for him, taking over a lot of Aiden’s duties.”

“Your father has given me a great opportunity. I’m doing my best to fill some big shoes, learn the business and be an asset to your father.”

“Sounds like you’re already that.” She smiled. They ordered. “So which island are you from?”

“Maui.”

“Beautiful. Black sand beaches and spectacular Haleakala.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I’m sure that you surf, right?”

“Every day.”

“You must miss it?”

“I do. Now I have learned to find my inner peace and perspective in other ways.”

“Do you plan to stay here in New York City?”

“I do. My family is here, and that is where I need to be. Hawaiians believe in an extended family, the
O’hana
. It’s as important to us as breathing.”

A chill ran down Harper’s spine, raising all the fine hairs on the back of her neck. She still couldn’t quite accept the fact that this man was prepared to take her brother’s place, and that the business her father had built would no longer be in Sinclair hands. It also was, she knew, something that would hurt her father.

When her father excused himself and left the table to use the restroom, Mak said, “I know that this must be hard for you and your father. I’m not here to take something away. I only wish to participate and give something back.”

All right, she was really liking this guy. Her only reluctance in accepting him was how Aiden would feel about it. “I understand, but I guess I’m still having a hard time believing that Aiden will give it up.”

“If that is the case and he decides that he doesn’t wish to, of course, I wouldn’t protest. I understand your father’s wish for his…son to handle the business.”

“How would you feel about it if that happened?”

“I would accept whatever position your father deems appropriate for me.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude, but have we met?”

His gaze intensified. “No, I don’t think so. Why? Do I look familiar to you?”

“You do.”

His eyes shuttered and he looked away. “I had only seen you and your family in the papers until I applied for a job with your father.”

“Where did you get your degree?”

“University of Hawaii for Business, then Columbia for my MBA. My mother brought us here to New York City for my master’s. We miss Hawaii, but we feel this is the best choice for us.”

“And before you worked for my father…”

“I was with Alabaster and Hawkins.”

“That’s a very prestigious firm.”

He nodded. “When I saw the opportunity open up at your father’s firm, I jumped at the chance to work with him. As we talked, we discovered that we had the same kinds of viewpoints and directions. He liked my ideas and energy. We work well together.”

“Stop drilling the boy, Harper,” her dad muttered as he sat down.

“Sorry, I know it was rude, Dad, but I was curious about him, and if he’s going to replace Aiden, I wanted to understand who he is.”

“Mr. Sinclair, it’s perfectly fine for Harper to ask me questions. I’ll answer to the best of my ability.”

“Do you have any pets?”

“I have a Chihuahua and his name is Shark.”

“Well, a dog-lover couldn’t be all bad.”

The nine foot tall, two-ton bronze clock in the grand lobby of the Waldorf Astoria struck four as Caleb entered. The hotel was an Art Deco treasure that occupied an entire city block on fashionable Park Avenue, and was within walking distance of Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the world-famous galleries and shopping of Fifth Avenue.

He walked to the elevator and had to admit that, even though he felt comfortable just about anywhere on earth, the Waldorf made him feel out of place. Which made him feel out of sorts.

He pulled at the tie knotted around his neck and shifted his shoulders. The suit Harper and her dog park buddies had picked out for him was one he was pretty sure he wouldn’t ever wear again. But this was about a competition, not about fitting in.

Stepping into the elevator, he encountered people dressed in pastels, holding the hands of little girls with pretty, frilly dresses and fairy wings.

Once the elevator arrived at the top floor and the ballroom, he got off and followed the crowd. At the door he presented his invitation and was admitted. There were numerous tables with white table cloths set up around the room, and along the far wall were tables full of food and delicate desserts.

Before he could take the steps that would bring him completely into the room a small girl blocked his path. She was blond, cute, her hair all curly down her back. She was dressed in what looked like a ballerina dress, all-white with sequins glinting in the overhead light.

She gave him a thorough once-over and said, “Aren’t you a little big to be a fairy?”

For a moment, he was at a loss as to what to say, then, he leaned down and said with a grin, “What’s it to you, short stuff? You the fairy police?”

She gave him a grown-up, indulgent smile and waved her wand. “No. I’m just a concerned citizen, and only fairies are allowed at this tea party.”

“I have an invitation, so we’re good.”

“Where are your wings, then?”

“The invitation said they were optional, so I left them at home.”

She gave him a skeptical look. “How did you get so big?”

He hunkered down until they were eye-to-eye. “I ate all my vegetables when I was a wee fairy.”

“Those must have been some pretty magical vegetables.” She reached out and touched his beard. “I’ve never seen a hairy fairy.” She cocked her head. “I like it. You may be the King of the Fairies. You may even borrow my wings.”

He was completely charmed. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m pretty sure those wings aren’t going to fit me.”

“Okay. Well then, you can sit with us.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him over to a table full of little girls.

“You sit here,” she ordered and he had to smile.

“Can I sit on your lap?” One tiny pink fairy asked.

“Sure.” He picked her up and got chocolate smeared across the lapel of his suit. He grabbed a napkin to wipe the frosting off her hands.

As soon as he was finished, she reached out, snagged another little chocolate cake from her plate and got her hands all gooey again. This kid was like an octopus. Her hands were everywhere…and so was the chocolate.

“What’s your name?” the little girl who’d brought him to the table asked.

“Caleb.”

“That’s a nice name.”

“He’s a pretty fairy,” the pink fairy in his lap said, then gave him a chubby smile, her face smeared with chocolate. He smiled back at her.

“What’s your name?” he asked the first little girl.

“It’s Rebecca, but I like to be called Becca, so don’t call me some rubbish like Becky. She poked him in the chest. “Is there something you don’t like to be called?”

“Yes, but I can’t repeat it to you.”

“Why?”

Another little girl crawled on his lap, a yellow fairy with dark hair.

“It has to do with me being a cop.”

“It’s a bad word?”

“Yes, bad,” he said trying once again to wipe the gooey stuff off the pink fairy’s dimpled little hands while ensuring the little yellow fairy didn’t fall.

“Do you gots a badge?” chocolate-hands asked.

“Yes, but us cops call it a shield.”

“Like a knight? Can I see it?”

Another little girl asked, “Where are your wings?”

“They were optional,” he said to her reaching down to unclip the shield from his belt. The pink fairy with the charming smiles grabbed it in her sticky hand. Hadn’t he just cleaned her hands? He wiped them down again.

“The pretty fairy has a pretty badge,” she said showing it to him.

Becca rolled her eyes, “Shield. It’s called a shield.”

He nodded at her. Just then Harper’s three friends walked in the door along with their significant others. They each covered up smiles at the sight of him knee-deep in six little girls, smeared with chocolate, and trying to wrestle his shield back.

“You gots a gun, too?”

They waved to him while Becca climbed up into his lap, too. Now he was juggling three little girls. Becca caught his chin hair and pulled his face to hers and said again with a determined look on her face, “Do. You. Gots. A. Gun?”

He nodded, and had to accept that cake that one of the little girls was trying to shove into his mouth. Chewing, he said, gruffly, “I’m not showing you that.”

She shrugged. “Okay. Do you have a girlfriend?”