FIVE
THE CAR WAS supposed to arrive at ten o’clock. Every other car Squires sent that week had been on time. She didn’t wait around for the call from her doorman that night. Instead she went down in the elevator a minute before.
This was the third of her five dates; time was running short. Choosing to be picked up late meant they could drink fast and duck out quickly. Might be a nightmare to be stuck entertaining one man for too long. What if he was a sleazy creep? No, she needed an exit strategy, just in case.
Just as Narmer, her doorman, opened the grand glass door, a limo pulled up to the curb.
“Been a busy week, Miss Dere,” Narmer said. “Third night in a row. Whoever he is, he’s eager.”
A positive of the same black limo showing up every day was no one knew who was inside. So, like Narmer, they assumed it belonged to one person. Good, the last thing she needed was her grandfather to learn she’d been slutting it up. Not that she had but, you know, people talked.
The Squires driver would only declare which tenant they were there to pick up. As far as Narmer was concerned, she was just dating a new man. That wasn’t inaccurate, nor was it entirely true.
“And why shouldn’t he be, Narmer?” she asked, sharing a smile with the man which became a laugh on his lips.
“No reason at all, Miss Dere… We would like to meet this eager gentleman though, Angel.”
Leaning closer, she straightened the pearls over her cleavage, keeping her eyes on his. “Simply saving you the trouble of lying to Truman.”
“God bless you, Angel.”
“How’s Justine doing?”
“Just fine,” he said, taking her hand when she offered it. “Thanks to you.”
“Not to me at all,” she said. “That kid’s made of steel… Can I come by?”
“Any time,” he said. “Any time at all.”
They shared another smile. “Let me know when you’re off next week and I’ll come cook for you.”
Shaking his head, he laughed again. “You are heaven-sent,” he said. “Whoever this guy is, he doesn’t deserve you.”
Taking a backward step, she curtseyed. “I will be sure to tell him that.”
“Do, Angel. You deserve to be worshiped.”
Compliments always made her a little uncomfortable, but she smiled through it. “You are too kind, sir… Don’t wait up.”
She didn’t expect to be out late, but if she truly was seeing a man with this regularity, the relationship would be progressing.
The driver got out the front and met her at the back just as she got there.
“Good evening, Kessler.”
Since the first night, when she’d asked his name, he got a weird sort of smirk on his face whenever she addressed him.
“Good evening, Miss Dere.”
He opened the rear door and she stepped forward without getting inside. From the other side of the door, she laid her focus on him.
“Can I ask you something, Kessler?” With a single nod, he granted her permission. “Do you drink scotch?”
“Do I…? Yes, ma’am… though not when I’m driving.”
Pleased, she grinned. “Of course not…” Sliding her hand along the top of the door, she edged just a little closer before pausing again. “And my name is Freya… please don’t call me ma’am again.”
“Whatever you say,” he said, that smirk still on his face.
Dipping down, she got into the car expecting to see her date for the evening: Donoghue. Except the man waiting wasn’t a stranger, it was Baer, who she hadn’t seen all week.
Startled, she almost didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t off-kilter, of course not, he’d known they were going to see each other. Removing an earbud, he pressed some buttons on his phone.
“I, uh…” she started. “I can step out if you need to take a call.”
He shook his head and raised the phone. “I was listening to music.”
She gasped and grabbed the strap of her clutch from her wrist to toss it onto the seat in front of them. “Can I…”
Surprise became a frown, but he handed over the earbud when she opened both hands to him.
“Thank you,” she said, sliding it in under her hair.
“What do you want to listen to?”
“What were you listening to?” she asked, shaking her head. “I really don’t care. I never get to listen to good music.”
Unless she was in Crimson, but that wasn’t the same thing as enjoying it privately.
Still wearing a confused frown, he touched the screen and music burst in her ear. When she registered what it was, her smile grew wider.
“’Hound Dog,’” she said. “You like Elvis?” He nodded. “Are you a hound dog, Baer?”
One side of his mouth twitched. “Ain’t nothing but.”
She balled her hands on her thighs and slid down to lie her head against the backrest as the car got moving.
“We should go dancing.” When her head rolled toward him, mortification slipped in again. What was she doing? Snapping to attention, she sat up, handing the earbud back to him. “Thank you. I… apologize.”
“No need,” he said, wrapping the wire around the phone and tucking it into the door well. “The place we have reservations at doesn’t have dancing. But we have connections at some of the—”
“No,” she said. “No, drinks are fine… Are we dropping you off somewhere, Hound Dog?”
Her joke fell flat. In the moment, it felt right. She needed to learn to ignore her instincts around this guy.
If Baer had been using the car that night, they might drop him off before picking up her date.
“No,” he said.
“I expected a man named Donoghue to pick me up tonight.”
“Yeah, we’re on our way over there now,” he said. “He’s across town.”
“But if Donoghue’s my date and you’re…” Recalling Holly’s matches gave her a clue. “You’re Holly’s date.” He nodded. “Right… good.”
Her wide smile wasn’t genuine though she tried hard to sell it.
Focusing on the privacy screen between them and the driver, they drove in silence for a minute before he muttered, “Donoghue.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing, I…” His concentration didn’t waver from up ahead. “If you were going to ditch me for anyone, did it have to be Donoghue?”
His wince of disgust arched her brows.
“I didn’t ditch you,” she said. “I didn’t request anyone; Squires provided my matches. Donoghue was one of them.”
“I’d love to see what answer got you landed with him. You didn’t think to request me?”
“Holly requested you,” she said, brushing invisible lint from her knee. “Perhaps if you didn’t go around seducing every woman who crossed your path, you wouldn’t be so in demand.”
It wasn’t right that she was still smarting over the way he’d left her to kiss Holly’s hand. He’d kissed her. Actually kissed her. A full, proper, very adult kiss. All Holly got was a polite introduction. Still enough to melt her cousin.
She could never be confident with a man so adept with the opposite sex, not in this scenario. She’d always wonder if he was touting for business when they were out together.
“I’d have dropped the rate,” he murmured. Her attention drifted toward him. Not that she’d intended it to, but, of their own accord, her eyes tractored to his. Gazes locked, he raised his hand to her face, scooping his fingers around her cheek. “Little Skit…” He breathed the pet name, his thumb tracing her lower lip. “If you’d made the request…”
Awareness pounded in all the wrong places. He thought money was the problem? That couldn’t be further from the truth. If Donoghue’s rate was less than Baer’s that was just coincidence, she hadn’t requested anyone cheaper. Her requirements had been simple, in contrast to Holly’s more complex demands. Apparently, Baer fitted with those, or at least, the system hadn’t come up against hard limits that would deny Holly her request.
Staring into him, she selfishly wished for hard limits.
His heavy gaze seemed to be moving closer to her mouth—his phone buzzed in his pocket between them. Except, hadn’t he just put his phone in the door well?
Leaning away, Baer drove a hand into his pocket and pulled it out with an urgency that startled her. “Yeah,” he said into the handset, his voice deep and clear. A moment passed before he spoke again. “Who is this?” The serious expression on his face became grave. “Laird’s Hospital? What the hell is the little…” Breathing out, he dropped his chin and moved his index finger on the middle of his forehead in a light scratch. “Is he conscious?” Another pause. “Yeah, ‘cause he knows I’ll kick his ass… Are you sure he was alone?” With a palm, he covered his eyes. “Did he say that…?” Raising his head suddenly, he now wore annoyance. “You need to ask him. You need to check that he was alone…” Raising his arm, he read the heavy watch on his wrist. “I don’t know how long it will take to get to Laird’s…”
Bouncing onto the opposite seat, she pushed her purse aside and pressed a button to lower the privacy screen.
“Three minutes,” she said as the thing slid down. “If we make this light…” Turning from the front, Kessler was startled to see her peeking through the space between the cabins. “We need to go to Laird’s hospital, right now.”
“Frey—”
“Please, Kessler. As fast as you can. I’ll cover any tickets,” she said, resting a hand on his shoulder.
When he picked up speed, she switched to sit the right way and retrieved her phone from her purse. Without looking at Baer, she dialed.
After two rings the line answered. “Squires.”
This was the emergency number for client use only.
“Hello,” she said, bracing as the car swung out on a turn. “My name is Freya Dere. My cousin and I are supposed to have an appointment with your service this evening—”
“Yes, Miss Dere,” the male on the other end of the line said. “I apologize if the car is late—”
“No, that’s not it at all. Everything is perfect. Something has come up at my end and I’ll have to reschedule.”
“Of course,” the male said. “Do you have a day in mind for—”
“No,” she said. “If you call my cousin, she will deal with that. I apologize for the short notice. If you could let Donoghue and Baer know that—”
“Of course. I hope you resolve your issues.”
“I will,” she said. “Thank you.”
Hanging up the phone, she sent a quick message to Holly to let her know they wouldn’t be going out that night. Just as she pressed send, another phone chirped. Baer grabbed the phone from the door well.
He read the message and then tucked the phone away. Their eyes met. Whoever his call had been about, it was important enough to worry and anger him. Despite knowing nothing about his personal life, the serious look on his face bore a whisper of gratitude, though the intensity on it was something else. Something powerful shivered through her.
The car pulled to an abrupt halt. They broke their stare when Baer fled, slamming the door at his back.
Flipping around, Freya touched Kessler again. “Anyone asks, you didn’t pick me up tonight,” she said. “Baer got the message to cancel before I got in.” Opening her purse, she pulled out a couple of hundred-dollar bills and passed them to him. “Please.” Kessler didn’t say anything, he seemed sort of dumbfounded as he raised his hand to take the cash. “Thank you… You can take off.”
Baer might not want the world to know his personal issues, but she had to make sure everything was covered. Leaving the car, home wasn’t in the cards yet. This was her stomping ground.