Chapter 13
13
R AIN
“He’s only twenty-one?” I ask incredulously before putting a morsel of food into my mouth.
Sitting across from me at the dinner table on the terrace, James smiles behind his glass.
“Mm-hmm.”
“That means...?”
“She was pregnant when she left, and that’s part of the reason she vanished without a trace.”
“Is he going to be okay now?”
He tears his glass away from his lips, a smile glinting across his lips.
“You saw the man.”
“He’s walking trouble,” I say.
I dip my gaze, picking up another piece of chocolate-dipped fruit.
“What is he going to do?” I ask before closing my lips around a strawberry.
His eyes linger on my mouth, unfocused for a moment.
He shrugs, sliding his gaze up to my eyes.
“A woman is waiting for him in London. She’s a possibility, although he doesn’t want to be tied down.”
I swallow the fruit, enjoying it tremendously, before sipping more champagne.
He continues.
“He’s a wrecking ball. Besides that, he knows what he wants but doesn’t know how to get it.”
“What happened to his father?”
“New family. New life, I guess,” he deadpans.
“How is Theresa?”
“Doing okay. She wants me to visit her.”
“Did she say anything about moving back?”
“She’s not interested. Neither is he.”
He looks down for a moment.
“It’s understandable,” he says. “Twenty years is a long time to be living overseas. She has a new home. When it comes to him, it’s all he knows.”
“Did you tell Lex?”
“They both know.”
“They didn’t say a word to me.”
He shoots me a glance.
“I asked them not to.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t want you to get worried.”
“Something could’ve happened to you. It’s normal to want to know this stuff. And get worried.”
“It wouldn’t have changed a thing. Besides, nothing happened to me.”
Our eyes lock, and my chin trembles a little. His lips crease into a soft smile.
He shifts in his chair and leans toward me before taking my hand and squeezing it gently.
“You can’t always think the worst. Life is life, baby.”
I look at him, unable to plaster a smile on my face.
He kisses the back of my hand before pushing out of his chair, making me rise as well.
“Let’s get dressed. Lex is waiting for us.”
I don’t move, my hand still linked with his, my gaze sweeping his bare chest before locking his eyes again.
He wraps his arms around me.
“Don’t worry about me, baby,” he says, his thumbs gently stroking my cheeks. “I didn’t want you to know because I wanted to protect you and myself. My mother asked for help, and I did what I had promised her. That’s all. I don’t know if they’ll be part of our lives in the future, but for now, I want this story to remain a secret. I don’t want to have paparazzi all over it, spewing out outrageous headlines. I don’t need unwanted attention. It’s not good for the business or our lives and won’t do any good to my mother and brother. Besides, some of the deals I’ve cut this week might come back to haunt me. Make sense?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” he says, breaking away from me, my fingers linked with his hand.
He snatches his phone from the table, tips his gaze down, and reads a message.
“Lex is in the lobby,” James says before leading me to the walk-in closet.
Thirty minutes later, we’re dressed up and ready to go.
He wears a slim-fit black shirt and dress pants, while I sport a silky jumpsuit with palazzo pants.
His eyes slide over me, taking in the plunging neckline almost reaching my waist and my chest straining against the fabric.
“Right on,” he says, his eyes glinting with mischief.
Smoothly, he places a kiss on my lips, cupping a breast gently.
“So much for playing the roulette tonight,” he says, amused. “We might cut the evening short.”
I smile as he takes my hand and walks me to the door.
“Lex has already been at the Casino,” he says as we stroll down the corridor, and his phone buzzes with another message.
We ride the elevator down, saunter across the lobby, and leave the hotel.
“Do you need your car, sir?” the doorman asks.
James flicks his eyes in his direction.
“No. We’re taking a walk.”
Hand in hand, we climb the stairs, turn right and walk down the street.
Groups of people stroll in the same direction, enjoying the evening breeze.
Minutes later, we enter the Casino and head straight to the VIP Lounge.
Lex sits at a table in a private area, his eyes warm with a smile.
“Look who’s finally made it,” he says, rising to his feet.
He pulls me into his embrace and kisses my cheek.
“Are you done already?” James asks Lex as we lower ourselves into our seats.
“Yes.”
“How was it?”
“Lost some. Won some. Made about 100K.”
James nods appreciatively.
“Not bad.”
“For half an hour of gambling,” Lex adds, grinning.
“Show off.”
“Are you in the mood to play?”
“Not tonight,” James says.
A waitress shows up to take our order.
Moments later, drinks sit on the table as men and women enter the lounge, their noise claiming our eyes.
Four males break away from the group and sit at the bar.
One of them swivels his head, his eyes falling on me, making my smile freeze.
I try to place the man.
He looks familiar, but not enough to smile back at him.
Fit, he fills his clothes well, and so does the man sitting next to him.
The first male pats his friend on his back.
The second one has a familiar face too.
One is dark-haired, the other brown-haired, both handsome. James swings his eyes in their direction too.
Recognition sets on their faces as they lock eyes with James.
“No, fucking way,” one of them says just as my mind places them in swimming trunks on the beach not far from here.
They slide off their barstools, heading to us.
My mouth falls open in surprise as they stop next to our table. Eve’s dream men stand in front of me––one looks at me, the other stretching his hand out to James.
“James Sexton,” the dark-haired man says, his eyes beaming with a smile.
“Ray Larson and Kyle Troy,” James murmurs, pushing to his feet. “What are you doing in Monte Carlo?”
“We’re here a couple of times a month. Mostly for fun,” Ray says, shaking hands with James. “When we’re not in Hamburg. We heard you were here but never thought we’d run into you,” he adds, his gaze sweeping the table.
“My friend and business partner, Lex Harrington,” James says, making the introductions.
They shake hands.
“And this is my wife.”
“Your wife?” Kyle asks, intrigued.
He and his friend peer at me and over my shoulder as if expecting to see Eve.
“Is she alone?” Kyle asks.
“If you’re not counting Lex and me, yeah, she’s alone,” James jokes, flashing a warning smile.
“Don’t take it wrong. We spotted her on the beach a few weeks back, and a beautiful brunette kept her company.”
James shifts his eyes to me, a questioning look on his face. Biting his lip, he hardly pushes his grin back.
My pointed look doesn’t make him stop, fueling his amusement.
“You must be talking about her friend,” he says.
“A dark-haired woman with blue eyes,” Ray murmurs.
“That’s my wife’s best friend,” James says, winking at me when they’re not looking.
He invites them to sit at our table.
Lex scoots closer while James occupies the seat next to me.
“How’s business?” Ryan asks, shifting his eyes to James.
“Good. Yours?”
“We can’t complain.”
They talk about stocks, companies, business climate, and life in Hamburg and Monte Carlo.
They leave later, heading to the Casino.
“So these are the two mysterious men,” James says, smiling behind his drink.
Lex moves his eyes to me.
“What is he talking about?” he asks me.
“I have no idea,” I say, pretending I don’t know.
James sets his glass down.
“She might be in luck,” he says.
Lex's stare is glued to my face.
“Tell him. Or I’ll tell him,” James says.
I feel the warmth of a blush on my cheeks.
“I’m not going to rat her out.”
“Why is it such a bad thing?” he asks.
I whip my gaze to him.
“I don’t know why you make a big deal about it. It was a joke. Besides, you said she needed someone special in her life. A threesome is not ‘someone special in her life’,” I say, flicking my chin and pointing to the exit door where the two men just vanished.
“I stand by what I said, but she’s a grown-up woman. If she wants to explore stuff before having a serious relationship, let her do it.”
“Since when are you so concerned with her widening her horizons?”
“Since she started to bug you.”
“You can’t take her seriously.”
“That’s why I’m going to offer her the opportunity to find out if she’s up to it or not,” he says, finishing his drink and pushing out of his seat.
“Wait for me here,” he says, setting his glass on the table and walking away.
Lex and I look at his back as he vanishes around the corner.
“Eve Malone wants a threesome,” Lex murmurs, bringing his drink to his lips. “Who knew? Why don’t you want your friend to have a threesome?”
Like James, he’s very much amused.
“It’s not that I don’t want it. It’s just that I don’t want James to ask those two men to be with her.”
“Because?”
“It’s embarrassing.”
He sets his hand on my forearm.
“He knows what he’s doing.”
“What if they say yes?”
“You call Eve and make the arrangements,” he says, entertained.
“It’s not funny. I hope they say no to him.”
His stare lingers on my face, making me sweat.
“What hot-blooded man would say no to spending a night with Eve Malone?”
I turn my eyes to him.
“Not when she has another man in her bed,” I say.
A slow smile tugs at his lips.
Gently he takes my hand and brings it to his lips.
He kisses it warmly.
“You’ve changed so much, baby,” he says, smirking.
I realize how ridiculous I sound and wave him off as James walks back to us.
A tell-all smile beams on his face.
Silently, he nears our table and slides into his seat.
He lifts his hand to order another drink.
We stare at him, waiting.
“What?” he asks, flashing a grin.
“What did they say?” Lex asks.
“Oh, that...” he murmurs, raking his fingers through his hair. “They’re up for it,” he adds, smiling mischievously.