Midnight’s Queen (Stroke of Midnight #3)

Chapter 4

Portia’s phone vibrated and she glanced at the screen. Here.

The sudden rush of relief surprised her. The tension in her shoulders eased a little. A sleek red car with darkened windows pulled up in front of the hotel. While the valet hurried over to help and the doorman kept a watchful eye on the new arrival, Portia slipped out the door and hurried over to the car.

Chewing on her lip, she eyed the fancy car with concern. Was it Taryn? Would the Jack, a notorious underworld figure, really draw attention with a look-at-me car?

The passenger window rolled down. Taryn sat behind the wheel, but she leaned over the passenger seat to get Portia’s attention. “You getting in or what?”

Ignoring the heat burning her cheeks, Portia hustled over to the car. So much for making a quick getaway.

Last night with Aleks had been great, but so far this morning, she was starting to regret her impulse to come back to his hotel room. All morning she’d tried to wrap herself in the Ice Queen’s invulnerability, but it wouldn’t stay in place. She felt exposed. Raw.

Head down, she reached for the passenger door. Her hand collided with the valet’s and she jerked it back. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

Never looking at him, never meeting his gaze, when he held the door open for her, Portia dropped into the seat with none of her usual grace. “Thanks,” she murmured, long ingrained manners coming to the fore.

Taryn had the window up before the valet closed the door. Only once she was inside the vehicle did Portia take a breath.

“Are you okay?” Taryn asked, watching her closely.

“I don’t know,” Portia admitted. The events of the last hour had stressed her out.

“Did he hurt you?”

Portia jerked her head toward the woman who had practically growled the question. “What? No. I didn’t realize he was going to open the door for me. I thought he was still on your side of the car.”

Taryn’s sigh echoed in the small space. “Not the valet, Portia. The man you left with last night. Is he the reason you practically sent me an SOS this morning?”

Portia studied Taryn. Had the Jack been worried about her? Come to think of it, Taryn had checked in with her when she and Aleks had ordered drinks. And again when Portia had gripped his hand when they left Razor Jack’s.

“He didn’t hurt me,” she said firmly. “He was the perfect gentleman.”

Except when they’d practically ravished each other. Heat crawled up her cheeks and Portia looked away. “I... hadn’t anticipated the morning after.”

And she probably should have. But she and Tommy had been together since high school. They’d never had a morning after.

“Ah.” Taryn finally put the car in drive and pulled out of the hotel’s driveway.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Portia asked.

“Office or home?” Taryn asked, ignoring the question.

“Home.” Definitely home. She needed time to regroup before facing her job as the chief executive officer of the Tremaine Corporation. Pulling out her phone, she fired off a message to her assistant, directing her to move or reschedule her morning meetings.

She and Tommy had purchased the penthouse condo right after they got married. It was a couple blocks from Tremaine headquarters, the location a hard-won compromise. Close enough for Portia to get to work easily, but far enough away that Tommy had hoped it would curb some of her workaholic tendencies. It hadn’t worked.

Portia sighed. Since Tommy’s death, their home felt empty and lonely and she spent a lot of time at the office to avoid going home. But today, she wasn’t ready to face the one hundred and one things that demanded the CEO’s attention.

The silence built until Portia couldn’t stand it any longer. “What did you mean, ‘Ah’?”

Taryn navigated the early morning Seattle traffic with ease. “I worried about how you would handle being with someone who wasn’t Tommy,” she finally answered.

“Why? What do you mean?” Portia blurted the question before she could consider if she really wanted the answer.

When they stopped at a light, Taryn looked at her. “I know you loved Tommy,” she said softly. “I can’t imagine that it’s easy to move on.”

“I’m not moving on!”

Taryn gave her a sad smile. “Yeah, that’s what I figured when I got your text.” Returning her attention to the road, she was quiet for another block. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. As long as you had a good time, just let it go.”

Portia turned the words over in her mind. Just let it go . She exhaled. “I can do that,” she said with more confidence than she felt.

“Of course you can. You’re Portia Tremaine.” Taryn slipped into the alley behind Portia’s building and parked near a nondescript door. “I thought you might want to go in the back way.”

How in the world did Taryn know about the back way? Portia shook her head. A reminder that she should never underestimate the Jack. Speaking of which... “What do I owe you?” She kept her tone level, but inside, worry niggled at her.

Canting her head, Taryn studied her. “That’s up to you.”

“What do you mean?” Portia hadn’t expected the ambiguity. Decided she didn’t like it.

“I can charge you an outrageous sum for a very short ride or you can owe me a favor. It’s up to you.”

“A favor,” Portia said before she could change her mind. That was how the Jack worked. She’d learned that much about the mysterious figure from all her time at Razor Jack’s. Deviating from the norm would probably be very expensive. Although a favor from the Tremaine Corporation CEO—perhaps that was the more expensive option.

Cursing the lack of caffeine, Portia didn’t try to backtrack. That wasn’t her style. “Thank you for the ride,” she said and exited the car.

“You’re welcome,” Taryn said, her tone once again soft. “Take care of yourself, Portia. And don’t forget to come in and clear your bar tab from last night,” she added with a wink.

Color flaming her cheeks, Portia shut the car door. Taryn waited until Portia had opened the building with her keycard before pulling away with a rev of the engine.