again. She silently blamed all the people in suits standing around, staring at them and whispering, but she worried his smooth tone might be the real issue with her concentration. “It doesn’t, and that’s not the point.”
“Should I have used a different word?”
His focus on vocabulary made her head pound. She shifted until she put her back to most of the room. Maybe not seeing the gawkers would help. “Stop talking.”
He made a sound that came close to a growl. “People don’t usually speak to me that way.”
“Which is probably part of the problem here.” She’d never worked in a classroom but her mother had. Ellie called up that disappointed-fifth-grade-teacher tone without even trying. “Okay, so you’re admitting you planted the article?”
“Of course.”
The champagne sloshed over the side of her glass. “The one about me?”
Because that was the point. She came there to pry the truth out of him about the planted story, maybe put him on the defensive. He ruined her plans by admitting to spreading the gossip, like it was no big deal.
He slipped the flute out of her fingers and put it on the small table behind him. “Technically, the story is about me.”
She inhaled, trying to bring some air into her lungs and refresh her brain cells. She refused to get lost in his words or have a “him” versus “them” fight because she had the very clear sense confusing wordplay was one of the ways he won arguments. “Okay, why do it?”
“To change the public conversation from your brother’s false allegations while I figure out what he did with the money that is now missing from my business accounts.” Derrick answered without blinking, following their conversation with ease as it bounced around.
She decided to ignore the money part for now. “But you named me as your...well, I guess as the woman you’re dating?”
“That’s right.”
She had no idea what to think about that nonchalant response. “We don’t even know each other. Why would you think that’s okay?”
“My business is the most important thing to me.”
She didn’t try to hide her wince at his sudden stern tone. “My brother is the most important thing to me.”
“Wrong answer, Ellie.”
Was he really making a tsking sound? “What is wrong with you?”
“I have two brothers, both adults,” Derrick explained with all the emotion of someone reading a recipe. “They take care of themselves. I take care of me and the business.”
“That’s cold...bloodless.”
He actually smiled. “Is it possible you’re the one with the confused priorities?”
She swallowed a gasp, along with a bit of her anger and possibly some of her dignity. The whole conversation was ridiculous but she could not tear herself away from him...not yet.
“Let me get this straight. A perpetual bachelor and notorious ladies’ man who is being trolled on the internet by my little brother in his antibusiness videos is giving me advice on interpersonal relationships?” She wanted to sigh, throw things. “Listen, Mr. Jameson.”
“It’s still Derrick.”
The way he stayed calm made her temper spike even more. The heat rose inside her and flooded her cheeks with every controlled word he uttered. She refused to believe the sudden need for a fan had anything to do with his perfect face or that sexy smile. Not that she found either all that appealing. “Do not mention my name to anyone ever again.”
“Now, Ellie.” His eyes narrowed. “You don’t think that’s maybe—just a little—extreme.”
Apparently she was not the only one familiar with the teacher tone. He threw it out there and nailed her with it. As if she needed another reason to dislike him. “Leave my brother alone.”
“When your brother comes clean and then backs off those videos, I will.”
“You’re a grown-up.”
“So is he.” Derrick leaned in close enough for his warm breath to brush her cheek. “My suggestion to you is that you start treating him like one.”
“I’m not kidding around.”
His eyes traveled over her face, lingering on her mouth. “I can see that.”
She fought off the tremor moving through her. “Leave me out of your games.”
Before he could say anything else or touch her again, she slipped around him and through the crowd of people heading toward them. Kept going until she got on the elevator and watched the doors close on his smiling face. Getting her breathing to return to normal and the image of his face to disappear from her mind took longer.
* * *
An hour later Ellie poured a glass of red wine as she kicked off her stupid heels. Thanks to a bout of storming and muttering, she’d wasted most of her energy and hadn’t made it to her apartment. She needed to vent and that meant taking the Metro to her best friend’s condo instead.
Vanessa McAllister’s one-bedroom place was small but cozy. Light bounced off the bright yellow walls. During the day, the sun beamed in from the large window at the far end of the living room.
A steady beat of background conversation came from the television. Ellie had no idea what show was on and didn’t care. Vanessa didn’t appear to, either.
Of course, very little ruffled her. Between her navy career father and her French mother, Vanessa had been all over the world. She spoke a ridiculous number of languages that served her well in her job at the museum.
Ellie trusted Vanessa with any secret. They’d met in college and had been best friends ever since. They supported and cheered for each other. And right now, Vanessa was frowning.
She sat on the stool at her kitchen’s breakfast bar. She sipped from her almost-empty glass of red wine as she scowled at the laptop screen in front of her. “Tell me again what happened at that fancy cocktail party.”
The somewhat distant tone. That wasn’t good.
Ellie was almost afraid to answer. She did, anyway. “I met Derrick Jameson and told him to back off.”
The explanation sounded good. So strong. Just what Ellie wanted to be. After years of racing around, trying to keep every ball in the air and failing most of the time, Ellie wanted to be in control of her life and not running behind it, trying to catch up.
Vanessa tapped on the keyboard. “Uh-huh.”
Yeah, not good. “What does that response mean?”
“Did you happen to see a photographer while you were there?” Vanessa sat straighter and waved her hand in the air. “Forget it. I’ll just go ahead and read it to you before you explode.”
Ellie
