4. Evan
4
EVAN
“ N ext weekend, we have the McConnell and Latimer weddings on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.” My events coordinator released a soft sigh as she scrolled through the calendar on her phone. “Friday night is the engagement party for the Jacobson wedding we have booked in October. That’s here in Greenwich.”
I was only half listening to Serena as she went over our upcoming schedule for the next couple of weeks. Valentina was due to arrive any minute, and I had hoped to have this meeting finished by the time she showed up. There had to be time to clear my head a little since something about being around her fucked me up inside. Left me making idiotic choices.
“Let’s finish this up later.” I stood and buttoned my slate gray jacket, then straightened my dark blue tie. Blue like the color of Valentina’s eyes. Right, because that was a thought I needed to have now or ever. “I have that meeting I scheduled yesterday. A last-minute thing.”
“Right. The Goldsmith-Black wedding.” When I arched an eyebrow, Serena shrugged. “What? You put it on your calendar. Those are your friends, right?”
It was the perfect segue. “Yes, and that’s why I’m going to handle all the details myself. I don’t want you touching this one.” Her lashes flitted, and I knew it came out wrong. “Not that I don’t have faith in you,” I added to placate her.
It seemed like I was always saying the wrong thing, especially here of late. My mouth moved before my brain could catch up.
“No, I get it.” She made a note for herself. “It’s a personal event. Hey, I’m not going to complain about one less thing to worry about. I already have more than enough.”
“Not exactly a bad thing,” I reminded her, turning away from my desk to look out the window. The grounds of our adjoining golf course were a lush green, like an emerald carpet spreading out in front of me.
And it was mine.
I had taken this single country club that was given to me to run once I graduated with my business degree, and I purchased the golf course a year later. Two years after that, I purchased another three country clubs and poured money into renovating another two the family already owned that had been allowed to coast by on reputation for far too long. It wasn’t long before I was given ownership of those locations as well.
Not yet thirty years old, I owned six extremely profitable country clubs, overseeing their management, the events held there, and the grounds. But it wasn’t enough. I wanted more. I hadn’t told anybody of my goal to have ten locations under my belt by the time my thirtieth birthday came along. Why ten? It was a nice, round number. Nothing more than that.
Expanding our private events’ capabilities went a long way toward our exploding profits. And a high-profile wedding like the one Ari was willing to pay for would draw hundreds and even thousands of interested eyes once photos spread online. Brides up and down the New England coast would claw each other to pieces if it meant holding their reception here.
Beyond that was the very real privilege of helping Colton. It wasn’t like we sat around and talked about our feelings and shit like that, but I saw the effect Rose had on him. How much he wanted to make her happy. How happy she made him. They were proof it was possible to find something real.
If I could play a little part in that, I’d be glad to. I’d never say it out loud, but I would enjoy it.
Especially if it meant an excuse to be with Valentina.
My dick twitched at the thought of her. There I was thinking I had her out of my system years ago. All it took was one night to unravel all of that. We weren’t exactly kids again—we never would be—but it didn’t matter. Everything was still there.
The chemistry.
The connection.
And there was something that couldn’t have existed back then when we were so young and only thought we knew anything about life. There was a difference between the sort of hot, animal fucking a pair of eighteen-year-olds could get down to and what adults could do after years of experience.
I was still lost in my thoughts when a knock at the door behind me pulled my head back to the present. Serena got up and answered, introducing herself before leading Valentina into the office .
My uncle owned a horse farm back when I was a kid, and I once spent a summer working for him. One hot day, the meanest, most ornery colt threw me from its back, and I hit the ground hard enough to knock the air from my lungs. It wasn’t the way I always imagined it would feel, getting the wind knocked out of me. There was a helplessness to it, and it was fucking terrifying. A momentary flash of panicked certainty that I would never breathe again.
It wasn’t a horse that threw me this time.
It was the tall, gorgeous brunette who entered my office like she belonged there. She scanned the room without reacting, flashing a brief, professional smile my way. “Good morning,” she purred, or was that only in my head?
Everything she did was so fucking hot. I had trained myself out of looking at her like that from all the way back when I had a permanent hard-on for the sight of her ass. Obviously, there was no way we could coexist if I was drooling over her all the time.
I had to swallow the saliva that flooded my mouth as I took her in while she crossed the room. I hadn’t expected the tailored suit she wore—a pale yellow that brought sunshine to mind and made her eyes look bluer in contrast. My hands clenched reflectively when I imagined unbuttoning her jacket, tearing off her white blouse, and opening the clip at the nape of her neck so her long, thick hair would tumble free.
The sight of my event coordinator’s curious gaze brought me back to reality in a hurry. “Thanks, Serena,” I murmured with a firm nod. “I’ll catch you later, and we’ll finish going over the calendar.”
Valentina turned in a slow circle, surveying the room I’d carefully put together—modern, sleek, yet classic. Trends were a waste of money. “Can I get you something to drink?” I offered. “Coffee, maybe? We have a coffee bar on the premises, and they can whip up anything you like.”
“I already caffeinated on the way here, but thanks,” she demurred. We were alone now, but she maintained that standoffish approach, standing like a soldier ready for inspection.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. Why I was so damn determined to placate her, I had no idea.
“Trying to feed me again?” Her glossy lips tugged upward at the corners. At least she wasn’t trying to pretend nothing happened or, worse, letting it get in the way of what we had to do. I should have known better than to think she would. She was a levelheaded, intelligent person, somebody who lived in the real world and understood how it worked.
I thought I was, too, though. The fact I couldn’t keep my eyes off her legs as she took a seat across from my swivel chair left me questioning myself. Somehow, I managed to get together and offered, “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
“Thank you for meeting with me.” She crossed her legs and balanced her tablet on her thigh, holding a stylus between her slim fingers. “So, did you have a chance to look at your calendars? See if you have anything available?”
Straight to business. Well, every day counted. It was probably a good thing she was focused. We could avoid the awkward chitchat.
I turned to my MacBook, plugging in dates and selecting all of our properties to cast a wide net. “Let me see. I have a Friday evening three weeks from now on the Vineyard.”
“No way,” she said with a laugh.
“Then there is a Sunday afternoon in Cape Cod on the following weekend, but I’m guessing an extra week still isn’t enough time.” A glance her way showed her shaking her head. “Otherwise, I have a Sunday, the first weekend in June. Here in Greenwich,” I concluded. “What do you think? You’re here, you’ve seen the place. I can take you on a tour if you want… show you the facilities. We could do a bachelor golf outing on Saturday… it looks like that afternoon is free.”
“Slow down, slow down,” she urged, taking notes. “Golf outing. I like it. What about locations in the area for lodging?”
“We’ve partnered with The Delamar and have connections to other hotels in the area,” I told her. “I could reserve a block of rooms for the entire week if that’s what we want. I’d have to make the calls soon, though.”
“You’ve got all kinds of connections, haven’t you?” There was admiration in her voice, even if it sounded a little bit patronizing.
“What? You think I sit around and do nothing but drink and order employees around all day? Of all people, you understand being able to pick up a phone and call in a favor when necessary. This will be a big one,” I admitted. “With it only being around seven weeks out. But I think it’s doable. If this was August and the leaf peepers were about to descend on us in weeks, it would be a different story.”
Her face maintained its flat, professional expression. “Sounds good. What’s the name of the managers there? Just so I know when I have to reach out to them.”
She was determined to make this impersonal. That was fine with me. I only wished I could keep myself from lapsing into personal talk with her. Trying to make jokes, trying to make her smile. That was my role in our group, one I fell into easily.
Only she knew about the anxiety it stemmed from. It hadn’t been easy trying to fit in with a bunch of trust fund babies back when I first started high school on an academic scholarship. I wore the uniform and attended classes, but I wasn’t like them. My family was well-off, but we were nowhere near the kind of wealth families like the Diamonds and the Blacks took for granted. If I could make people laugh, I had a place. I felt like I belonged. In the early days, weeks, months, that was what I’d needed most. Over time, it became a habit.
After giving her the details of my contacts, I stood. “Let me show you around. Our ballroom can fit five hundred, though we could hold the ceremony and reception on the back lawn overlooking the golf course and lake. Do we have an idea of a guest list? Approximate number, at least?”
She followed me from my office and down the hall leading to a wide, sweeping staircase that led down to our elegant lobby. “I asked, and Rose said at least three hundred. Which probably means closer to four,” she added with a wry grin. “There’s nothing like planning a wedding to make a person remember a bunch of people they haven’t spoken to in five years.”
“Knowing Lourde and Olivia, I’m sure they’ll come up with half of Manhattan and a third of East Hampton,” I predicted.
We crossed the lobby and then passed a wall of windows overlooking the man-made lake that sat between the country club and golf course. It was large enough for small boats to sail, and a pair of sailboats bobbed on the sparkling surface. “It’s gorgeous,” she murmured, staring out, taking it all in. “I can see something really beautiful happening here.”
I saw something beautiful in front of me, and I wasn’t looking out the window. It was all wrong. I should have left her Saturday night. If I had tucked her into bed and shown myself out, I wouldn’t now have to wrestle with the memory of her throaty moans. She was wild, uninhibited. I had already developed a taste for it. More like a craving if I were honest—a fast-growing need.
She noticed me ogling her and arched an eyebrow. If there was one thing she couldn’t be bothered to do, it was pretending for the sake of politeness. “Is there a reason you keep staring at me like a deranged creeper on the subway? I’m waiting for you to flash me or something.”
There was no way to answer that question without coming off like an idiot, so I chose to scoff. Turning away, I led her down the wide hall and into the ballroom. Crystal chandeliers hung overhead, lighting the room once I flipped the switches before crossing the polished parquet floor to open the drapes covering the French doors that overlooked the formal gardens, which would be in bloom by early June.
She whistled softly, admiring the room, tipping her head back to check out the high ceiling. “This is stunning. I mean it. I’m impressed.”
“Thank you. I’m pretty proud of it,” I admitted. “What do you think? Will this be enough for the wedding of the year?”
“You know it will,” she quipped, rolling her eyes at me from across the room. “I’m not trying to stroke your ego when you know damn well this would make the site of a gorgeous wedding. Do you think we could leave the doors open so guests could go in and out during the reception?” she asked, approaching me and bringing the scent of lilacs with her. Was it her hair or perfume? Regardless, it was intoxicating.
“I don’t see why not. We could have the grounds decorated. We could even have a second band outside, under a marquee. Lay down a dance floor, providing an alternative to whatever is being played inside.”
For the first time since she showed up, she wore a genuine smile. Her shoulders sank in time with a deep sigh. “This is going to be special,” she murmured, and I believed her. Not because Ari could afford it or because I could help provide it. I believed it because she did.
“I trust your judgment,” I told her, staring at the flutter on the side of her throat where her pulse throbbed. I had licked that patch of skin and remembered the taste clearly enough that a wave of hunger threatened to knock me on my ass or force me to reach for her, which I knew instinctively she would punish me for. This wasn’t the time to fuck around or lose sight of what we were here to do. It was too damn complicated. The past was bad enough without dredging it up all because she made my dick hard.
“You trust my judgment, but you couldn’t trust me enough to stick around on Sunday morning?” She leveled me with a hard, unblinking stare.
I should’ve fucking known she’d bring it up. It had all been too easy. “Why do I feel like this is a trap?” I asked. Any softness or warmth was history, and maybe that was a good thing. I needed to be reminded it was a mistake to sleep with her again. “I thought we were here to talk about business.”
“How convenient for you.” She sighed.
“You want to talk about it? Fine. Maybe I knew you would regret what happened as soon as you opened your eyes, and I didn’t want to be around when it happened. I didn’t want to make you feel awkward, and I sure as hell didn’t want you to feel like you had to apologize for making a move. I was trying to be decent.”
“Yeah, well, you missed the mark just a little.” Valentina held her thumb and forefinger roughly an inch apart, scowling. “It was kind of shitty. I’m not some skank you sneak away from the morning after. ”
“I know you aren’t. That’s not how I see you.”
“The fact is, I needed a friend that night, and you were there, and I appreciate it.” Had she rehearsed this? It sure as hell poured out of her mouth like she had. “But I think it would be best if we go back to the way things were before.”
“Of course.” All that was left to do was hide a flash of bitter disappointment. It was ridiculous to feel that way. Treating Saturday like a one-off and moving on with our lives was the way to go. For one, there wouldn’t be this awkwardness where she couldn’t look me in the eye for long before needing to look away. It was better to move on.
I cleared my throat, nodding toward the lake. “We could set up sailing for the ladies the day before the wedding,” I suggested. “I don’t know if you’ve ever been to the spa at the Delamar, but it’s huge. The girls could have a spa day there. I’m spitballing,” I concluded with a shrug.
“I like the way your brain works.” She liked the way my dick worked too. Fuck, how was I supposed to think about headcounts and all that shit when I couldn’t look at her without remembering the way she tipped her head back in abandon when I thrust deep inside her?
“I can set up consultations with our food services manager and our pastry chef,” I suggested, pulling out my phone to check my calendar and rid myself of images of her. “I can juggle a few things in my schedule to make room since this is all rushed.”
“You?” Her forehead wrinkled when she frowned. “What about the girl upstairs? Serena? She said she was your event coordinator.”
“I’ve already told Serena I’m handling this one myself.”
A shadow passed over her face but vanished quickly. “Okay,” she said with a shrug. “Whatever you think is best. I’m too grateful to question anything you have to say right now.”
“Careful,” I warned. “Say that kind of thing to the wrong guy, and you might regret it.”
One eyebrow slowly arched, her pouty lips pursing. “And what makes you the right guy?” she countered.
God, those lips. That delicious mouth. “I never said I was,” I whispered, staring while the devil on my shoulder pointed out how easy it would be to lean down and taste her again.
She stiffened, then backed away. “I’ve seen all I need to. I’m going to get on Rose and Colton to firm up their guest list by the end of the week and rush print on invites.”
The moment was over. In the end, it was not a bad thing, though I fought a deflated feeling as I closed the drapes. “I’ll reach out with menu info,” I offered. “We’ll have to keep in close touch.”
She snickered, turning on her heel and striding across the empty floor. Damn, her ass was a work of art I couldn’t help staring at. “This isn’t my first rodeo, cowboy.”