him.
“Patience, chief.”
“Fair enough.”
I squeezed the phone. Hearing his voice unhinged me a bit. I wanted to tell him what happened this week. More than anything I wanted to feel him next to me. Steeling myself against the unwelcome onslaught of emotion, I took a deep breath.
“You’re awfully quiet. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m just a little tired seeing as someone thought it would be funny to wake me up at the crack of dawn.”
There was a long pause.
“You’re sure there’s nothing else bothering you?”
I hated lying to him.
“Only that I miss you like crazy.”
He sighed heavily. “I can’t wait until you get here. I have a few things planned for you.”
“Oh?” I sat up, leaning against the headboard. “What things?”
“A lesson, of sorts.”
My erratic pulse skipped a few beats. “What type of lesson?”
“Something I’ve been wanting to teach you. A curiosity of mine, really. I’ll ease you into it, until you get a feel for what you’re doing. Then, I want to see you take control and show me what you can do.”
I squeezed the pillow to within an inch of its life. In all honesty, whatever he just described made my ovaries move. I swallowed hard. “I think it’s safe to say I’m intrigued.”
“Good. I have to go, love. Think of me today.”
“Obviously.”
He laughed good and loud. “Have a safe flight. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
A smile remained plastered to my face all day. That early morning phone call was the perfect remedy for my weeklong jitters. Not even a barrage of breaking stories derailed my good mood.
“Are you humming?”
I looked up from the computer screen and was greeted by Sydney’s smiling face.
“Uh, maybe?”
She laughed. “Don’t be embarrassed. I’d hum too if I were heading for a weekend of naughtiness with a hot Brit.”
I grinned, feeling my cheeks heat up.
“Seriously, Lia. That man is too gorgeous to just cuddle. The illegal things I would do to him,” she smiled.
“Sydney!”
“Hypothetically speaking, of course.” She winked. “I only have eyes for Ray.”
My desk phone rang, mercifully ending the over-sharing session.
“Lia Meyers.”
“Do you have a minute?”
I clenched the receiver, wishing I hadn’t answered. “What do you want, Nathan?”
“Rachel Jameson is behind the pictures.”
“What? How do you know?”
The length of the pause was torture.
“I don’t want to get into that right now.”
My stomach rolled. I swallowed, trying to keep a serene tone. Sydney might be working but her ears had sharpened.
“I’d appreciate it if you could go into a little more detail.”
“Not over the phone while you’re at work. I debated whether or not to call but felt you should at least know that. Let me come by when you’re home and we can talk.”
“I can’t. I’m going straight to the airport from the station.”
“Shit,” he hissed. “Don’t go visit him.”
Any shred of the good mood I’d enjoyed all day disappeared. I glanced over the partition separating my cubicle from Sydney’s. She had headphones on to listen to a press conference. Turning my chair so it faced the back of the newsroom, I lowered my voice.
“I don’t know what little scheme you’ve cooked up with Rachel but it needs to stop. I should have known she was in on it when she showed up at dinner. You’re a piece of work, Nathan. How many times do I have to say it? This is over. We’re done. Don’t call me again.”
I pulled the phone away from my ear only to hear him yell for me to stop. I didn’t know what possessed me to listen.
“You’re not giving me any choice here, Lia. This isn’t how I wanted to tell you.” He almost sounded apologetic. “Rachel was hired to follow you. She’s being paid to dig up dirt from your past and to keep an eye on you.”
Panic seized my heart. “Who hired her?”
“I don’t want to do this over the phone.”
“Who hired her?” I asked through clenched teeth.
Nathan sighed. “Money was wired to her from an account in the United Kingdom.”
My body went cold. All the lively sounds of the newsroom faded into oblivion. Immense pressure squeezed between my ears. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Lia.” He paused. “The authorizing signature was from Jason Holden.”
Dropping the phone into its cradle, I stood up abruptly and somehow walked to the restroom. One of the editors was washing her hands. She smiled as I brushed by and locked myself in a stall. The cool stainless steel door did nothing to soothe the heated skin on my forehead. For the most part, I was numb. So much had been thrown at me over the past few months and this new revelation didn’t deliver the massive blow I would have expected. Partly because I didn’t believe a word coming out Nathan’s mouth and partly because I refused to accept what I was told.
Alastair’s uncle isn’t financing a tabloid reporter to dig up dirt on me. That’s ridiculous.
I leaned against the door. My heart pounded so quickly that the inside of my ears hurt. We were barely three weeks removed from the biggest breakthrough in our relationship. He had opened up. He told me everything. Or did he?
No. I wouldn’t allow my insecurities to run rampant. This was all part of Nathan’s sick, twisted plan to win me back. Anger roiled my stomach. Straightening, I walked out of the stall, did a quick check in the mirror and went back to my desk. I zeroed in on nothing but the rundown and various scripts that needed tweaking. The broadcast flew by in a nanosecond. The next thing I knew, I was in the sanctuary of my car.
Gripping the steering wheel, I forced myself to breathe. I had a nine-hour flight to endure. The last thing I wanted was to spend it pissed off. I drove more aggressively than usual through the traffic.
