21. He said, “A diamond’s still a diamond.”
21
He said, “A diamond’s still a diamond.”
Zach
“You’re so wriggly,” Eden huffed from behind me. “Hold still!”
Smothering a smile, I squared my shoulders, standing tall, but I couldn’t help squirming when Eden’s fingers lingered a little too long on my behind. She’d said she needed to smooth out the creases in my tuxedo. Adorable little liar. She was just trying to cop a feel.
Her hand slipped lower .
Lower.
I wriggled.
“Zach,” my angry kitten growled.
“Keep your hands off my butt, and I’ll stand as still as you want.” A fair compromise. Announcing our arrival at this god-awful work function with a raging hard-on wasn’t exactly on my bingo card.
Eden straightened up, lifted her chin, and planted a no-nonsense hand on her hip. “Tonight’s important. We need to look our best. I don’t want us tagged on anyone’s social media with ‘should have taken the bus.’”
I arched a brow. I couldn’t imagine Eden climbing into a bus in her slinky black frock. My eyes dipped lower. Or wearing those sky-high heels.
Her nose scrunched. She didn’t appreciate my grin one bit. “It’s a saying my favourite fashion critic uses when she notices all the wrinkles and creases in people’s outfits. We need to look immaculate.”
“Are you sure that’s why you can’t keep your hands off me?” I teased. “I’ve recently learned you happen to like my butt.”
“As if.” Eden made a scoffing sound, her eyes bouncing everywhere but on me. “I’ve never noticed your stupid booty.”
She was too cute when she lied. “No?” I booped her on the tip of her nose. “I should probably tell you that the gossipy ladies at your salon spilled the tea.”
“Spilled the tea? You don’t say things like that!”
“Oh, yes, those ladies spilled all the tea, Denny Dee. It was suggested to me you might’ve been gushing about how hot I am for quite some time.” Even the idea of it seemed ludicrous to say aloud, but I loved the way colour flushed to her cheeks.
She snorted. “As if I think you’re hot.”
“No?” I lowered my voice. “You didn’t imagine digging your little fingers into me…when I’m on top of you…making you feel good?”
She swallowed. “N-No.”
“You weren’t imagining me repaying you for how pretty you moan for me?” I ran my fingertips over the silky fabric hugging her hip. “Fucking you even harder?”
“Um.” She wriggled on the spot. “Def—definitely not.”
“No. Of course not. We’re waiting, aren’t we?”
“Y-Yes.” She cleared her throat. “Yes.”
She tipped a smile up at me. She enjoyed playing this game, but I hadn’t distracted her from her nerves. She stepped closer. Her eyes locked on my bow tie. Before her hands reached me, I captured them, warming her fingers on the spot over my heart.
“Eden, my bow tie is straight. My tux isn’t wrinkled, and your dress, hair, and makeup are all perfect. You look crazy gorgeous. Everyone’s going to love you.”
But no one could ever love you as much as I do.
My smile strained, suddenly too tight for my face, and I lowered my gaze to the safety of my shoes. There was no clowning around when those words were so close to spilling out of my mouth. I pressed my lips together to stop myself from scaring Eden away again too soon.
“Zach?” A soft hand touched my cheek.
“Let’s go inside.”
I crooked my arm. The worry pinching between Eden’s brows disappeared. Glowing with a supercharged smile, she took up my offer by hooking her arm through mine, and she marched through the doors into the crushing attention with her head held high.
“Zach!” she squealed, pointing across the room. “There’s the quartet!”
Her nerves forgotten, Eden fluttered around the gallery. She nibbled canapés off white spoons. She dragged me from sculpture to sculpture and sipped martinis like a classy French maven. When someone wandered past, she was never afraid to introduce herself, bubbling effortlessly, striking up easy conversations, and charming the pants off everyone.
I was the awkward—but wrinkle-free—lump standing next to her. I didn’t mind.
Eden was having the time of her life. She sparkled. She was in her element. Walking around with her on my arm made my chest puff out more than when I’d won the sixth-grade spelling bee. I-n-d-o-m-i-t-a-b-l-e. I grinned. Maybe the universe had tried to warn me about Eden.
She paused as we strolled along a row of ugly paintings. “What do you think the artist thought when they painted this?” she asked, nibbling the edge of the dainty quiche perched in her fingers.
I tilted my head. A plain white canvas splattered with blue dots and a red line. Did you need to think much to paint something like that?
“Ah, well…” I knew nothing about art, but I’d stood next to Chris at a couple of these functions and picked up a few keywords. It was time to unleash my inner wanker. “I feel this piece is a dialogue about consumerism in modern society. The single red line, in particular, highlights the battle line drawn between capitalism and the collective spirit of community.”
Eden’s mouth dropped open.
The older woman standing next to us turned. “Yes.” She nodded with approval. “Yes! Such a thought-provoking critique of this piece.”
Eden just stared.
I flashed the older woman a smile and scooted Eden the hell out of earshot. I stooped just a little, my lips grazing the shell of her ear, and whispered, “I made that up. That painting looks like an over-enthusiastic toddler slapped it together.”
Eden giggled and butted her shoulder against mine. “You’re just full of surprises, huh?”
We paused in front of another painting, not even glancing at the swirls of gold but enjoying the quiet space, just the two of us. Eden’s cheek dropped against the sleeve of my jacket. I couldn’t help tucking my chin into the molten waves of chocolate I knew she’d taken hours to perfect. She sighed and shimmied closer. Bliss.
“There you are, Zach.”
Chris was all smiles, swaggering towards us, his arm draped around the slim waist of his fiancée. The doctor preferred watching her own careful footsteps rather than daring to glance up. I guess I wasn’t the only person suffering in introvert hell.
“Glad you could make it,” Chris said, leaving off the ‘for once’ dangling in the air between us. We shook hands before he gestured to the woman glued to his side. “I’m sure you remember my fiancée?”
“Of course. Lola.” I offered my hand. A handshake seemed right, but what did I know about gala etiquette? “It’s good to see you again.”
Her glasses were turned down to her pointy heels, but when Chris nudged her, she lifted her chin to offer a wobbly smile. Tentatively, she reached out, but when her shawl slipped off her shoulder, Chris’s head snapped to the side. Why was he glaring at her like that? She jerked her hand back without touching mine.
Awkward.
Brows furrowed, unsteady, I lowered my hand and turned a confused smile at Eden. She didn’t smile back. Her attention narrowed on Chris. I knew that expression—the subtle scrunch of her nose and the grimacing smile. Eden hated his guts.
“Thank you for inviting us.” I weaved my arm around Eden’s waist to settle my hand on her hip. “Chris, Lola, this is my...” Girlfriend? Future wife? The reason I got up each morning? “Eden.”
Lola chirped a soft hello.
Chris’s brow lifted slightly. No movie star smile. “A pleasure to meet you.” No handshake, either.
The smile he got back from Eden was nothing short of showstopping, but it was the same one I’d seen in her paparazzi pictures—one hundred percent fake.
“Yes, a pleasure ,” she said.
I winced. I knew that voice, too. It was the arctic tone she’d blasted at me after I’d screwed up by sending her those stupid roses. Did Eden and Chris know each other? If they did, they certainly didn’t like each other.
Eden turned to the doctor with a real smile. “Lola, tell me where you found this gorgeous gown of yours!” Her gushing praise was genuine, too. “I haven’t seen anything like this in the boutiques.”
“I found it at, um…” Tiny blue eyes peeked out from behind enormous glasses. “The vintage store in Potts Point.” Lola managed a timid smile. “They have some wonderful bargains.”
“Frugally chic. I love it! See this?” Eden twirled to model the intricate lace on the back of her gown. “A rental. I adore fashion, but the designer price tags are outrageous for a one-off. The two of us prove women can look fabulous on a budget.”
I snorted a soft laugh. Eden had absolutely no need to be on a budget. I was now well-informed that the mountain of shoes stacked in her closet probably cost more than my car.
Lola relaxed into a wide smile all the same.
Chris stood as rigid as a rock.
Self-conscious, the air crackling with too much tension, I tugged at my bow tie. Were parties always like this? The networking event at the stadium had been better than whatever was happening in front of me now—and Eden had figuratively chopped my balls off that night.
“So, um…” I gulped. What the hell did I know about small talk? What the bloody hell was I doing? “Lola, are you still working at the general practice in—”
“Why don’t you ladies go get us some drinks?” Chris suggested.
Eden’s eyes slitted. She didn’t appreciate being snapped at to fetch a man his drink.
I jumped straight in and said, “There’s no need to—”
Eden stopped me with a touch to my elbow.
“Yes.” She pasted the fake smile back on her face. “Lola, why don’t we get these men some drinks?”
Lola’s gaze flickered to Chris, and he dipped his chin in a nod. Eden’s eyes rolled to the ceiling. She thought she’d masked it by turning around, but I’d seen it. When the two women strolled off for the bar, I batted away my paranoia that my boss’s eyes seemed to linger more on Eden than on his fiancée.
Chris raised one blond brow. “Eden Phillips?”
He knew her.
And I hated it.
Wary, I forced my voice to stay neutral when I asked, “You’ve met Eden before?”
“Very few rich men in this city haven’t met Eden before.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I didn’t take you for the type to chase after someone like her.”
I didn’t appreciate his condescending tone. “Eden’s a talented businesswoman and one of the most sought-after stylists in the country.” Every word was said with pride.
He snorted. “For more reasons than her skills with scissors.”
“Sir, the way you’re talking about Eden is entirely inappropriate—”
“Zach, you can do better. If she’s the reason your billings have dropped…” He shook his head. “You’re a top lawyer at one of the city’s most exclusive firms. Value your real estate higher. Do you really want to be number one hundred in the line?” He flicked a strand of hair off his forehead with calm indifference, but his eyes were on the other side of the room.
On Eden.
I despised the words he was saying. I hated how he seemed to think he could say that trash and still look at her with envy boiling through his blood. Personal lives stay personal? Not tonight. He’d made this personal.
“I don’t care if there were a thousand guys before me if she chooses me in the end,” I said. “A diamond’s still a diamond.”
“Eden Phillips is one rough-cut fucking diamond. Zach, I understand you rose up the ranks from nothing. Chasing famous fluff is fine, but I shouldn’t have to remind you what you’re risking.”
“Eden’s worth—”
“We don’t want a repeat of what happened two years ago, do we?”
I stuffed my hands in my pockets. I couldn’t look at Chris, so I dropped my eyes to the floor. “It’s not like two years ago.”
“Partnership announcements are next month.”
“I know.”
“Do you?” He cocked his head. “What time did you leave work last night?”
My jaw clenched. Seven o’clock. Eden and I had enjoyed another re-date night trying out a new restaurant. Then, I’d worked from home until I fell asleep at the kitchen table around two in the morning. I was pulling my weight. I was pulling a lot of people’s weight.
“My billings are lower, but they’re still the best in the firm.” I wasn’t rattled. My voice stayed strong. Facts were facts. “It’s not like two years ago.”
Chris sighed. “Zach, I’m just looking out for you. Trust me. Don’t risk your future on a piece of arse.” Blue eyes roamed the gallery to where Eden laughed at the bar. He muttered, “No matter how luscious the arse may be.”
The final straw snapped.
I clenched my fist but forced a deep breath to stop myself from punching him in the damn mouth. Blood pounded in my ears, fury burning so hot my vision turned red.
Who the hell does he think he is?
My mentor. The man who’d given me a career. The best in the business. But also, the man whose eyes wandered to almost everyone except the woman he’d promised his life to, lingering longest of all on the woman who I wanted to promise mine. Complicated feelings warred inside me, but the battle didn’t last long.
“Sir,” I said, the word an effort to bite out. “While I have the greatest respect for you, don’t think for one second you won’t find yourself on the other end of my fist if you ever talk about Eden like this again.”
“Zach—”
“Not only does Eden deserve better, but so does your fiancée.” I jerked a nod. “I hope you and Lola have a pleasant evening.”
Chris Stone may have taught me everything about being a lawyer, but he knew shit all about acting like a decent human being.
Screw his networking event.
It was time to get my girl and go home.