Never to Love (24 page)

“Well, Colton, I’m not prepared for a sleepover. I don’t have my pajamas with me.” Not that a lack of sleepwear had ever stopped me before.

“Then why did you ask when my bedtime is?”

“I was going to ask your dad if you could stay and help me work for a little while when you dropped me off, but by the time we get to my house, you’ll have to go straight home to get ready for bed.”

“Pleaaaaase, can I stay up late, Daddy?” Before taking another breath, the kid turned to me and said, “Oh, I know! We can stop by your house to get your pajamas, and then you can come home with us!”

“But you’ll be asleep and won’t be able to help.”

“How about you stay here and work until bedtime. Colton can spend the night, and Tom can take you home.”

Why was everyone conspiring against me? “I couldn’t impose,” I replied, trying to be as gracious as possible while declining Jeane’s offer. “How about we hang out one day this week after school?” I suggested while ruffling Colton’s hair.

“It’s no imposition at all. We have a full office you and your new assistant can use. I insist.”

Beginning to get the feeling I would be standing in the driveway for hours, and knowing there was an office to hide in and that parents in the house would be safer for my battered nether regions than going to Thomas’s, I gave in.

“Ready to get to work, kid?”

Thomas

“Juli seems lovely,” Mom said as we headed downstairs after showing Juli to the second-floor office.

“What gave her away? The look of sheer terror on her face or her insistence on getting the hell away from here.”

“She definitely wanted to run, but even though she was extremely uncomfortable, she was still polite. Did you hear her call Colton ‘sweetie’?”

“What difference does that make? I’ve heard her call him that a few times. Maybe she’s one of those people who calls everyone sweetie.”

Mom gave me her “Are you really that dense?” face and added, “She’s very affectionate with him, and I bet she doesn’t even realize it.”

She was right. Juli was not the kind of person who would intentionally use terms of endearment.

“Colton needs her,” Mom continued. “He knows more about what Natalie did than he lets on. He trusts Juli, and it’s good for him to have a positive relationship with a woman who cares about him.”

“Isn’t that what you’re for?”

“I’m his grandma; it’s not the same. I’m not saying he needs a new mother. It’s good for him to have a pseudo-maternal figure who spends time with him because she wants to. Sometimes kids his age think people are required to love each other because they’re related.” Having been a teacher for three decades, I had to believe she knew what she was talking about. “Without a positive female role model, he might grow up to be distrustful of women and never have a healthy relationship. Natalie took that away from you, and I’ll be damned if she takes it from Colton, too.”

“That seems like a lot of pressure to put on someone you just met. A few weeks ago she didn’t like kids at all, and we aren’t exactly on solid footing right now. Besides, neither of us want a romantic relationship.”

“Keep telling yourself that, son.” The last time my mother had seemed so content was when Madison came into Sawyer’s life. This was absolutely not the same scenario. “I have a feeling Juli might be able to fix some of the damage Natalie left in her wake.”

“Mom, I love you, and you’re the smartest woman I know, but I don’t think I need to be fixed. But, hypothetically, if I do need fixing and you can’t do it, no one can.”

“We’ll see about that. Now, enough of this sappy stuff. Did your dad show you the new security system?” she asked, changing the subject, which was more than fine with me.

“What was wrong with the old one? Did something happen?” I asked, suddenly concerned for my family’s safety.

Walking as she talked, I followed her to the first-floor study. “No, sweetheart, there’s nothing to worry about. You know Dad always has to have the latest gadgets.”

That was very true.

“He had cameras installed in most of the common rooms, including the office,” she said, looking at me with mischief in her eyes.

“Mom, are you suggesting we—”

“There’s nothing wrong with checking on Colton. And this way we aren’t disturbing them.”

Couldn’t argue with that logic.

The photographs that had hung on the north wall of the room had new homes on the other three, and in their place were four huge TVs.

Mom settled on the leather couch and grabbed a remote from the side table. As I sat beside her, I decided the setup would be perfect for a small Super Bowl party.

Most security footage I’d seen was low definition black and white. We had a great system at the hotel, and while the picture was relatively clear, it wasn’t perfect. High-definition footage took up too much space on the server, which meant we’d have to erase it more frequently. There was one particular scene I’d saved to my personal computer for repeated viewing.

When Mom turned on the screens, the picture was so clear, I could see a spot the housekeeper missed the last time he’d dusted. After pressing another button, the room filled with sound.

“Did you see this one?” Colton dragged his fingers over the touch screen of the laptop that had his complete attention and then hit a few keys.

The computer Juli used, which sat back to back with Colton’s, chirped, and she moved the mouse to click on something. “Yeah, that one’s not too bad. See how they make Brady seem like a jerk?” She looked up and caught Colton’s eyes over the monitors. He nodded in understanding. “We don’t care about that. Keep looking for reports that either bash your dad, make him sound like a hero, or say anything about Marina and Tate other than mentioning they were there.”

“Got it.”

They stayed focused on the screens, every now and then sending each other instant messages and discussing what they saw. Juli wasn’t just humoring Colton, he was actually helping her. At the same time, she was teaching him about how news outlets and social media work to disseminate information, both fact and fiction. In the mix, I watched my son absorb a lesson about the dangers of sharing personal information on Twitter.

“I think he’s found his calling,” Mom mused as she looked on with pride.

“You may be right.” It wasn’t the profession I’d imagined for him, but he seemed to really enjoy it. “Journalism and PR aren’t the worst fields to be in.”

“Don’t let Juli hear you say anything like that.”

“Why not? I said it wasn’t bad.”

“Saying something isn’t bad isn’t the same as saying it’s good. That devalues a huge part of who she is. How would you feel if she said your line of work was ‘just okay’?”

“There’s a big difference. Finn and I employ hundreds of people, some of whom may not be able to feed their families otherwise. Juli’s job is to make sure two rich people stay that way. She’s excellent at it, but still.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Whatever,” I muttered as we went back to watching the screen, this time in silence.

About fifteen minutes before Colton’s bedtime, Juli’s expression went from intense concentration to outright rage. “Hey, buddy?” she asked, using her monitor to keep her face obscured from his view.

“Yeah?”

“Would you mind running downstairs and getting me a glass of water?”

“Sure!” Excited to help in any way, Colton bolted from the room.

“I’ll help him,” Mom said, leaving me alone with the live feed of the woman I couldn’t seem to get enough of.

Picking up her phone, she moved her index finger across the screen and then held it to her ear.

“We’ve got a problem; look at the page I just sent you.” Standing for the first time since I’d been watching, she paced the room and waited for a response.

“I know it doesn’t say much about them, but I need to fix this…

“No, listen to me. This needs to be dealt with. He cannot be made to look like a homicidal maniac…

“Playing the hero is one way to go, but it’ll look bad for Brady.

“He isn’t a bad guy, he was just behaving like a jerk…”

I figured she had to have been talking about Brady.

“No, I don’t know why. I’m surprised Saul hasn’t killed him yet…” Yep. Brady.

“He wasn’t trying to hurt me, and he isn’t a bad guy…

“Shut up. I don’t care what you think. We’re going to tell the press the whole evening was a publicity stunt.” Returning to her chair, she put the phone on speaker, rolled her head back, and rubbed her face.

“Saul will never go for that,” the slightly-distorted voice on the phone said. “It’ll make him look incompetent.”

“I know. That’s why we’re going to say it was my idea. All of it. I’m the reason everyone was there in the first place anyway. Find out Brady’s price to play along. As long as it doesn’t include anything with even a remote possibility of damaging Marina and Tate’s image or swapping any kind of bodily fluids with me, I’ll do my best to make it happen.”

“You know this will be a huge hit to your credibility. Why not tell the truth? It would be easy to sell it as Brady getting too handsy and Ramsay getting jealous.”

“If it looks like Thomas was jealous enough to beat up a celebrity in the middle of a five-star restaurant with an audience of people taking pictures, it’ll make it seem like he has severe anger issues and terrible judgment. The press will make him out to be volatile and dangerous. I can’t let that happen. He has a kid, for fuck’s sake.”

“This could cost you a lot of money when your contract is up for renewal, and you won’t have nearly as many big names at your beck and call, no matter who your clients are. No one is going to want to risk ending up in this kind of a mess.”

“I know.”

“Is he worth it?”

Only pausing long enough to take a breath, Juli looked over at Colton’s workstation and said, “Yeah, they are. Make it happen.”

“Do you still think her job isn’t important?” Mom asked from the doorway.

Fuck. Me.

*

Juli was quiet as I drove her home, and I followed her lead. I felt like an asshole for having watched her work and eavesdropping on her conversation, but I didn’t bring it up. She most likely wouldn’t mind most of it, but knowing I’d heard that call would make her feel vulnerable. After what she’d done for me, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.

“Colton’s never been as excited about anything as he was tonight,” I said as I pulled up in front of her house.

“I’m glad he had fun. He was a big help.”

“You’d better watch out. He might give you a run for your money in fifteen years or so.”

“You don’t have to say that,” she said, barely above a whisper. “I know you want more for him.”

“I’ve always wanted him to do something that would make a difference. Even more than that, I want him to be happy. I’ll support him no matter what he chooses to be. As long as it’s legal, of course,” I added, trying to lighten the mood a little. “I’d be damn proud if he grew up to be like you.”

After a few moments of silent contemplation, she put her hand on the door handle but hesitated before pulling it open. Without making eye contact, she asked, “Would you like to come in?”

I replied by turning off the car and getting out. After opening the door for her, I took her hand to help her to her feet.

The air between us was calmer than it had ever been. As we walked to the front door, we were no longer the two people who would have fucked in a golf cart on the back nine during a business outing, if given the opportunity.

A few weeks ago, I would have shoved her up against the door as soon as it closed. This time, after setting down the shoes she’d carried in from the car, we drifted toward it together.

Gently taking her face in my hands, I bent down and touched her soft lips with mine. The strange sensation I’d felt hours earlier in the conference room was back, but somehow it was even more intense. More focused.

After what must have only been a few minutes, she pulled back slightly and licked her lips, as if trying to taste our kiss.

“Juli—I…”

“Shh, don’t say anything.” Taking my hand, she led me through the living room, down a hallway, and into her bedroom.

“Are you sure?” I asked quietly, needing to give her an out but not wanting to break the mood.

Reaching behind her back, she lowered the zipper, pulled her arms through the wide straps, and let the little black dress fall to the floor.

Beautiful.

Wearing only her signature lacy white bra and matching panties, she stepped closer to me and slowly removed my shirt, followed by my pants. With a few more torturously slow movements, which I wouldn’t have sped up if I could, I stood before her completely bare. I was exposed to this incredible woman in more ways than I’d ever been to anyone before.

Moving her long hair over her shoulder, I leaned down and licked along her collarbone, stopping when I reached a thin white strap. With gentle movements, I lowered it and continued my journey to her shoulder.

When I reached the end of the path, I retraced my steps and continued to the other side, lowering the second strap.

My muscle memory faltered, causing my usually deft fingers to briefly fumble with the clasp behind her back. The momentary frustration was quickly forgotten as I peeled the lace away from her body, revealing her full, supple breasts.