Chapter 27
Christian
“I must say that your hospitality is spectacular.” Andres Lopez stood against the railing of the yacht, marveling at the Florida sunset.
“I’m glad you approve,” I said as I joined him, but not before winking at Vanessa.
“My fiancé is an amazing cook,” she added as if right on cue.
“He should consider becoming a chef. The seafood pasta was to die for and certainly rivals anything we’ve had in Spain.” Triana, Andres’ wife, had enjoyed every moment of the cruise, chatting with Vanessa as if they were old friends while Andres and I conducted business over cocktails and shrimp.
I’d hosted several business meetings over dinner in my career, but this one felt more personal and not simply because I’d used my private yacht.
A suggestion by the woman who continued to keep me on my toes.
She knew what allowing strangers to invade my privacy meant.
She fully understood the reason I rarely allowed anyone on board.
Caroline.
Barely anyone in my life knew about the tragedy.
Of course people in my close circle had learned early on I’d had a sister who’d died, but the events had never been discussed.
Michael knew them. No one else I was close to.
Yet, I’d felt compelled to share the horrible details with Vanessa.
At first, I’d asked myself why as I’d waited to see if she would return to the house.
Then I’d realized even accepting it was what I’d needed. Maybe what we’d both needed. The relief was tremendous, but Vanessa’s words of forgiveness continued to weigh heavily on my mind.
I waved my hand, laughing when I noticed the amused look on Vanessa’s face. “Not a chance.”
“That’s right, darling,” Andres said while keeping a watchful eye on me. “Mr. Elliot is the king of business, so it surprises me that he had time to find such a beautiful, beguiling woman to be his bride.”
“Careful, dear,” Triana purred while punching him playfully in the gut.
“I’m curious. How did the two of you meet?” His question was probing. I could easily tell by the hard look in his eyes.
Vanessa moved next to me, gazing down at her ring while issuing a heavy sigh. “I’m not going to tell it like our first meeting went well. In fact, I was determined to hate him. He came across as an arrogant bastard.”
Andres chuckled. “I can tell he is. What changed your mind?”
My sweet fiancée threw me a look, playing the part magnificently well. The ring of truth was perfect.
“To be honest with you, I’m not entirely certain.
Maybe when he brought me on this amazing boat the first time and cooked me lunch.
I was stuck with him for hours. I’d thought about jumping overboard and swimming with the sharks to safety, but somehow, he won me over. To a degree. Begging also helps.”
All four of us laughed and I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her close. As I nuzzled into her ear, she cooed appropriately. “Nice touch.”
“Always.”
The moment was perfect and I could tell by the look Andres and Triana shared they were more comfortable in seeing our relationship.
So much of the lie continued to piss me off.
There were a lot of thoughts racing through my mind, including about the future.
I’d been so used to living a certain way, the last week of disruption had thrown me.
However, I couldn’t say in a bad way.
“How does your father feel about your engagement?” The fact Andres threw in the question answered one of mine.
He had talked with Jonathan Blair, pitting one company against the other. The man I was before wanted to jump in and derail Blair Development, but that wasn’t going to happen. Not now. Not since I’d all but made a promise to Vanessa.
She took a few seconds to lock eyes with mine before answering.
“I love my father, Mr. Lopez, but that doesn’t mean I like him.
He is unforgiving and insists my life isn’t going down the right path.
I doubt he’ll ever approve of anyone, given his behavior in the past. However, I’m no longer trying to please him. I need to please myself.”
“Very wise, Ms. Blair,” Andres said as he looked me directly in the eyes. “You’re a lucky man.”
“Yes,” I said. “I am extremely fortunate.”
I meant every word.
Andres approached, giving me a onceover.
“I admit, Mr. Elliot, I had my reservations about you, but you’ve proven that your love of this woman and your company is exactly what Barchella has been looking for in a partner.
However, may I suggest that you ensure your bride becomes a part of the alliance.
She will be the right person to market our product.
I very much look forward to working with you both. ”
As he shook my hand, I allowed myself to smile. Everything was happening as it should.
The marriage contract had worked perfectly.
Only at this point, I wasn’t certain the contract would prove useful in the future. Why? Because Vanessa wasn’t the kind of woman to be constrained by rules.
“I think I might be able to convince her to come to work for me.” I threw her a mischievous look, knowing exactly how she’d handle the comment.
“Not for you, darling, since you have trouble handling me in the first place. With you. I’d love to create the perfect marketing campaign.”
“Excellent. By any chance would you have champagne?” Andres asked. “We should celebrate the beginning of a fabulous partnership.”
“I believe I can scrounge up a bottle or two. I’ll be right back.”
“And I’ll help,” Vanessa suggested.
She followed behind me, and the moment we were in the galley, I pulled her into my arms. “You’re quite the actress.”
“Smoke and mirrors, baby. A lesson for you to learn.”
“Something you think you can teach me?”
“Hmmm…” she purred as she placed her hand on my chest. “It might take more than a single lesson.”
“Don’t worry. I have time. Perhaps the rest of my life.” The comment struck us both at the same time.
She pulled away, a moment of uncertainty creating tension. “I’ll keep that in mind. Let’s get the champagne.”
I watched her walk away, my entire body becoming fully aroused. The few words had come naturally. Whether said playfully or not, I meant them. In my mind, the contract was null and void. I didn’t need it nor did I want a contract coming between us.
I simply wanted her in my life for the rest of it.
“Are you certain you don’t want me to go with you? I’ll be happy to help.”
Vanessa walked closer, taking a few seconds to adjust my tie. “It’s Monday morning.”
“So?”
“The start of a work week. Remember?”
For the first time in as long as I could remember, I’d taken a full weekend off. We’d done nothing. No dinners out. No additional time spent on the yacht. We’d simply stayed at my house enjoying the outdoors, cooking amazing food, and watching movies.
Without outside interference. At least for the most part.
I couldn’t remember when I’d had so much fun partaking in simple activities. She had a way of making everything enjoyable.
Maybe I’d simply not wanted to share her with anyone else. Whatever the case, I could get used to having quiet weekends.
Maybe I was getting too old.
“So what? I am the boss. I can afford to take time off to help my girl.”
“Your girl, huh? You need to finalize the contract with Barchella today. Michael is counting on you. Remember? He did call you four times to ensure you were going to be at the meeting this morning.”
“I talked to him on Friday night, ensuring him I’d be there.”
She arched her eyebrows. “Then you ignored him the other three calls. Maybe he needed something important.”
“Nothing he can’t handle.” I’d lied, telling him we were remaining on the boat for the duration of the weekend and he knew with spotty coverage and my hatred of bringing business onto the boat that the likelihood of me answering was slim to nil.
Yet he’d continued to try. I’d give the man credit. Maybe the huge bonus he was set to obtain was the reason he was so insistent about getting ahold of me. Leave nothing to the misinterpretation.
His favorite phrase.
“You’re his boss.”
“Exactly, which means he can wait until I arrive at the office. Regular business hours. You can’t pack up your brother’s things alone.”
“I can do anything I want.” She patted my chest. Dressed in jeans, a tee shirt, and tennis shoes with her hair in a ponytail, she appeared her age.
Which reminded me once again I really was too old for her.
But so what?
“Within reason.” She was right. The sooner the contract was signed, the sooner I could finalize the land deal and set everything in motion. Then I could move onto the next overseas pain in my ass.
Since my comment on the boat, we hadn’t talked about the contract we’d signed, although she had been in the room when I’d instructed Michael to make alterations. He’d choked and accused me of falling in love.
I’d laughed.
And denied.
But he wasn’t wrong.
“Seriously, all I’m doing is grabbing what I know are his favorite items. There’s a moving company coming in a couple days to take a few things to a storage facility I managed to arrange over the weekend.
The rest is going to the dump. Then I clean the apartment and stop paying the rent.
Simple. I’ll be there three or four hours tops.
But tomorrow I need to get back to the office. The phone is ringing off the hook.”
“Understood, but we will need to discuss our wedding.”
As I’d done one too many times, I’d surprised her. “Yes, I guess we will. Tonight then.”
I could tell she was apprehensive about going to her brother’s apartment, which was why I’d offered to go with her even though I’d sensed she was determined to handle this alone.
She headed to the door, stopping just inside the doorway. The same awkwardness we’d both felt at the beginning lingered in the air.
“Nothing splashy,” she said while tugging an imaginary hair behind her ear. Exposing her nervousness.
Highlighting her ring.