Ravensong (8 page)

“
I think we’ve been in the
business long enough to do away with gimmicks,” said Robert,
staring at the cover with a tilted head. “I like it.”

“
So do I,” ventured Michael
timidly.

Joshua smiled at the drummer,
surprised he’d extended himself on Elena’s behalf. Usually Michael
was so quiet and shy, no one knew he was in the room. Ralph
continued to chew on his gum and nodded his head. Elliot’s eyes
danced between Elena and Joshua.

“
It’s unique, David,” he
said. “How many covers do you see that don’t have some ridiculous
gimmick? That cover is in your face. Here we are, take us or leave
us.”

Elena’s eyes were huge, searching
David’s face intently.

David looked up at her and smiled. “I
like it too,” he said and Elena released her pent up breath in a
sigh.

“
All right,” said Elliot,
giving Ralph a high five. Both Michael and Robert seemed
pleased.

Elena’s eyes shifted to Joshua’s face.
Joshua smiled despite his earlier anger toward her. “Thank you,”
she mouthed and he nodded, returning to his chair and his idle
scribbling.

* * *

Elena hurried down the hall, the
bundle of loose papers and folders in her arms. Struggling to clasp
them in one hand, she pushed open the door of Ravensong’s office
and smiled at his secretary. The woman was middle aged with light
brown hair cut short about her round face. She blinked
questioningly at Elena with her brown eyes.

“
Is he in?” Elena asked,
nodding toward the inner door, which was also closed.

The secretary nodded. “I’ll buzz him.”
She pushed the intercom button and spoke close to it. “You have a
visitor, Chief.”

“
Tell whoever it is to make
it brief ‘cause I’m outta here in five. My daughter’s waiting on
me,” he snarled.

The secretary flashed a patient smile
at Elena. “He’s been in one hell of a mood today,” she said,
releasing the button. Elena grimaced, knowing the reason for his
mood. The secretary compressed the intercom again. “It’s the new
Assistant Manager, Elena Harris, Josh. Try to be civilized, she
looks like she’s had a bad day too.”

Elena blinked in surprise at the
secretary’s words. There was silence on the other end of the
intercom. She found that her heart was beating wildly in her chest.
What if he refused to see her? Worse, what if he wanted
to?

She didn’t have long to deliberate.
The door swung open and Joshua stood in the threshold, his
shoulders blocking the opening. His eyes swept over her, taking in
the loose strands of hair slipping free of her bun and the heavy
load of papers in her arms. His gaze shifted to his
secretary.

“
Alice, call Terry’s house
and tell them I’ll be there as soon as possible.” The secretary
nodded and gave him a winning smile, but his gaze had already
returned to Elena. With an abrupt motion of his hand, he indicated
she should enter his office.

Elena smiled her thanks at
Alice and then slipped past him, her eyes quickly scanning the
inner room. It wasn’t what she’d expected. It was simple and
masculine. A mahogany desk dominated the center of the room, behind
it a bank of windows, which overlooked the Golden Gate. On her left
was a black leather couch and in front of the desk were two black
leather chairs. Two end tables and a couple of plants made up the
rest of the decor. Over the couch were photos of every album Joshua
Ravensong had been a part of, even those before he’d joined
with
Avalanche
.

He motioned to one of the chairs
before the desk and Elena sat down, juggling her papers and her
purse. A picture frame attracted her attention and she turned it so
she could see it. A little girl with raven black hair and deep blue
eyes stared back at her. Elena sucked in her breath and exhaled
slowly. The child was beautiful, high cheekbones, strong jaw line.
Joshua Ravensong couldn’t deny this child if he tried.

“
Your daughter is
beautiful,” she said, looking up.

He paused halfway around his desk and
looked over his shoulder. The hard lines of his face softened as he
stared at the photograph.

“
She is,” he said simply as
he slipped into the chair behind the desk.

“
I know you have plans so I
won’t take long, but...”

The intercom buzzed. Joshua exhaled in
irritation and narrowed his eyes on Elena. “Hold on a minute,” he
said, punching the button. “What?”

“
Lord, you’re in a pisser
of a mood,” said Alice.

Joshua shut his eyes and drew a deep
breath. “Sorry, what is it now, Alice?” he said, forcing a phony
sweetness into his voice.

“
Your little girl wants to
talk with you.”

Joshua glanced at Elena. “Sorry,
this’ll only take a moment.”

Elena smiled with a nod as Joshua
lifted the phone.

“
Hey, baby,” he said, his
voice softening more than she’d ever heard it. Elena knew she ought
to turn away and give him some semblance of privacy, but she was
intrigued with this side of him. “Is something wrong?”

Elena could almost hear the little
voice on the other end of the line. Joshua’s eyes narrowed in
concentration as he listened patiently.

“
I see,” he said, “and
Annie told you this place had the best pizza, eh? Uh huh, okay.
Well, I’ll make you a deal. Get everything packed so we can leave
as soon as I get there and we’ll talk about it on the way.” He
smiled briefly at Elena as he listened to the chatter of his
daughter. “All right, I’ll see you soon, baby.” A deep laugh
rumbled in his throat as the voice on the line changed. “Seems I’ve
been conned again, eh Ethel? No, we won’t be going anywhere
special, just make sure she packs a few sweaters. The beach can get
cold in the evenings.” He paused and drew a deep breath, a frown
creasing his forehead. “No, wait, Ethel, I don’t want to talk with
her, I...” He shook his head in frustration. “I sent the check the
day before yesterday, she should receive it tomorrow...I...no,
Ethel...I don’t...Ethel...” He paused and chewed on his lip.
“Hello, Terry. I thought you were going away for the weekend. No, I
told your mother I sent the check on Wednesday. What?!” He rose
suddenly to his feet, his fingers tightening on the phone. “No,
don’t do this to me, Terry. Damn it, I promised her this weekend.
Don’t punish me through Tiffany. Shit...”

He slammed the phone down on the
cradle and ran his hands through his loose hair. Elena thought she
ought to leave, but he was so upset she couldn’t do it. Sliding the
papers off her lap into the other chair, she leaned
forward.

He grabbed the phone again and punched
the buttons severely. “Hello...Terry ...damn it, don’t hang up on
me again. Don’t threaten me with Tiffany. You promised her that she
could spend the weekend with me, don’t let her down again.” Elena
thought she could hear crying in the background. Joshua drew a deep
breath and closed his eyes. “Please, Terry, don’t do this. Look,
I’ll bring some cash with me. That’ll hold you over until the check
arrives tomorrow, all right?” He opened his eyes and fixed them on
Elena’s anxious face. Slowly he nodded and swallowed convulsively.
“All right, five hundred, I promise. Let me talk to Tiffany now,
please.” Again he waited while the phone changed hands. “Hey, baby,
it’s okay. Don’t cry. Daddy’s coming to get you so get packed and
we’ll go to that pizza parlor Annie told you about. Yes,
sweetheart, I promise.”

Slowly he replaced the phone in its
cradle and took a seat, running his fingers through his hair.
“Sorry,” he said stiffly, “Didn’t mean for you to hear
that.”

Elena didn’t know what to say for a
moment. Finally she forced a smile. “I’m sorry I intruded like
this...”

“
No,” he said, looking up
and shaking his head. “My ex-wife’s a...well, she uses my daughter
to keep me in line. I’m supposed to have Tiffany every weekend, but
I’m lucky if I get two in a month. Every time Terry wants something
from me, she uses Tiffany as a weapon.”

“
Why don’t you take her to
court?”

Joshua leaned back in his chair and
regarded Elena closely. “Take her to court and risk the custody I
already have? I’m a heroin addict with a history of
promiscuity.”

“
You’ve been clean for nine
years,” she said adamantly.

Joshua laughed low in his throat. “You
do your homework.”

“
David told me.”

He nodded in understanding.
“I’ve been clean for nine years, yes, but it’s not enough. If I
took Terry to court, she’d drag out my drug addiction and parade
every woman I’ve slept with in the last five years before the
judge. Not to mention my two suicide attempts.” He swiveled his
chair to face the window.

Elena stared at his
profile.
Suicide?
She’d read in the tabloids he’d tried to take his life, but
she never knew whether to believe those slanderous rags or not. As
she stared at him, it suddenly occurred to her that he was a deeply
troubled man with a deeply troubled past. Not someone you bring
home to your mother. Still it amazed her. The Joshua Ravensong
she’d come to know, albeit briefly, seemed self-assured and strong
- not subject to weaknesses like drug addiction and
suicide.

He turned back toward her, his eyes
glinting in the light from his desk lamp. “You wanted to see me
about something.”

She collected herself quickly. “I
wanted to thank you for coming to my rescue. Julian can get me so
flustered that I can’t think straight.”

“
I know,” he said with a
half-smile. “Don’t worry about it. I love rubbing his nose in it
whenever I can...” He paused and his look became more intense.
“Elena, I was really out of line this morning. I owe you an
apology...”

“
No,” she began, shaking
her head, but he stopped her with an upraised hand.

“
Let me finish,
okay?”

She nodded.

“
I had no business prying
into your personal life, let alone...” His voice halted
significantly. “Anyway, I hope we can put it aside and get to know
each other, maybe be friends.” He laughed to himself. “That would
be a new concept for me, being friends with a woman I’m attracted
to...” He halted and his face grew serious. “Anyway, I’m willing to
try.”

“
I’d like that,”
Elena answered, forcing an uneasy smile. It’s what she’d wanted him
to say, so why did she feel disappointed? Was it because she’d been
right and he’d only been after the conquest, he’d only been
attracted to her unavailability and now he wasn’t any longer? She
didn’t know, but she
was
disappointed.
Nothing
like being fickle, Elena,
she
thought.

“
Well, I’d better be
going,” she said, trying to arrange the papers and folders into a
manageable pile. “I’ve got a lot of work to do this
weekend.”

Joshua watched her mess with the
papers for a moment. “What is all of that?”

Elena glanced up at him. “Files of
past clients Julian wants me to purge.”

“
Over the
weekend?”

She nodded and rose to her feet,
juggling the huge pile in her arms. Joshua shook his head, but also
rose to his feet, crossing around the desk and opening the door for
her.

“
Can I help you to your
car?”

“
No thanks,” she said,
looking up at him. “Enjoy your weekend.”

He glanced down on the papers in her
arms and laughed. “Enjoy yours,” he said and watched her walk from
the office, staggering under the load.

He felt eyes on him and he looked down
into Alice’s curious face. “Why haven’t you left yet?” he demanded
with mock severity.

“
I was waiting for his lord
and master to release me of my duty.”

“
Go home, Alice,” he said,
turning his back on her and walking into the office.

She grabbed her purse and moved to the
doorway, watching him sort a few papers on his desk. “So, you like
her, don’t you?”

He looked up quickly and narrowed his
eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“
I saw the way you watched
her. You’re infatuated, Joshua.”

“
Don’t be an idiot,” he
said in irritation. “She’s engaged to a doctor.”

“
Uh huh,” said Alice with
an amused nod, “and you’re skirting the real issue.”

He glared at her. “Go home, Alice,” he
said again. “Before I decide to fire you.”

“
Night, Chief.”

“
Good night.” Joshua
watched his secretary leave the office, turning off the outer light
as she went.

As he pushed his papers into a neat
pile, the cuff of his shirt sleeve lifted, revealing a long pink
scar across his wrist. He stared at it a moment in silence,
thinking of Elena. What had possessed him to tell her anything
about his life, his fears
regarding Terry, or allow her to see his weakness when it came to
his daughter? Hell, he’d almost begged Terry on the phone in front
of her. He didn’t want Elena that close, he didn’t want her knowing
his personal problems. He only wanted to bed her and then walk away
as he had with all the other women in his life - didn’t
he?