together was true, the deeper truth was that he’d missed Teresa.
He missed the scent and feel of her skin, the way her sparkling blue eyes danced when she laughed and the sweet taste of her pouty lips. And he missed the incomparable ecstasy of watching Teresa St. Claire fall apart in his arms.
* * *
Teresa stood in the nude Stuart Weitzman block-heel sandals she’d worn in deference to her still-sore ankle. She retrieved her matching nude clutch from her desk drawer and walked to the door, only slightly favoring her injured leg.
“Your ankle...” He furrowed his brow. “Is it okay?”
“It’s fine. Just a little sore.” Teresa didn’t want to think of Liam as the man who’d rushed to her rescue that night. Nor did she want to forget that he’d come charging into her office like an entitled ass who thought the world revolved around him. Still, she wouldn’t behave like an ogre, even if he had. “Thank you again for what you did that night.”
“I’m just glad you weren’t seriously hurt. When I think of what could’ve happened...” He seemed genuinely distressed by the near miss. “I’m just glad it didn’t.”
Don’t be swayed by a few kind words.
She walked out to Corinne’s desk, not acknowledging the evil eye her assistant was giving Liam.
“We’re a go for the retreat.” Teresa forwarded Matt’s text to Corinne. “I just sent the dates Matt Richmond is interested in. Pull a couple of staff members in to call the entire guest list. Find out if either date is tenable. With such a short turnaround, we should get a feel for whether either date will work before we put too much time and effort into it.”
“Got it.” Corinne scribbled notes on a sheet of paper.
“I need a list of viable venues as soon as you can come up with them. I’ll work on a few possibilities from my end, too. There has to be something available in Seattle that fits the bill for an event of this magnitude. Don’t call Jessie Humphrey. I’ll call her. A bit of persuading might be required after the nightmare we put her through last time.”
Corinne nodded her agreement. She eyed Liam again, then shifted her gaze to Teresa. “Will you be returning to the office?”
Teresa cast a glance over her shoulder at Liam. He was especially handsome in a navy suit that hugged his strong frame and reminded her of all the reasons she loved the feel of his toned body pressed to hers.
But he’d rejected her after their unbelievably hot encounter at the spa. And again after the rumors about her being a scheming gold digger surfaced, despite the poignant moments they’d shared the night before.
Teresa’s spine tensed. She gripped the clutch under her arm and reminded herself to hold on to that anger. So she’d never end up in Liam’s bed again.
“I have every intention of returning here as soon as I can.” Teresa turned and made her way toward the door, aware that every pair of eyes in the office was focused on her and Liam Christopher.
They left the building by the back entrance, where Liam’s driver was waiting. Her cheeks stung at the thought of being shuttled away under cover because he was embarrassed to be seen with her. She slid across the leather seat, putting as much space as possible between them.
Liam had the audacity to look hurt.
“I know you have things you’d like to go over, but I need to make a call first. If there’s any chance Jessie Humphrey isn’t already obligated on the dates I have available, I don’t want to miss my window of opportunity.”
“Of course.” He picked up a black leather portfolio and shuffled through its contents.
Teresa pulled up Jessie Humphrey’s number and hoped things would finally go her way.
Jessie closed her eyes and settled into eagle pose, her left leg wound around her right and her right arm wrapped around her left. Unable to keep her mind still long enough to formally meditate, she enjoyed the moving meditation of yoga.
The ring of her cell phone disturbed her peaceful solitude.
She unraveled her arms and legs and peeked at the caller ID.
“Teresa St. Claire.” She muttered the name under her breath, then considered ignoring it until she’d finished her yoga practice.
But Teresa had indicated that Matt Richmond wanted to reschedule his event. Despite the chaos of the heavy rains, power outage, and a tree falling into the hotel which nearly took Teresa out... Matt Richmond had generously paid her the full agreed-upon amount of her contract without quibbling.
If she was going to do this project independently, without the backing of her label or the blessing of her agent, she needed an infusion of cold, hard cash.
Jessie answered the call just before it went to voice mail. “Hello.”
“Jessie, it’s Teresa. I’m glad I caught you. Matt Richmond has decided to reschedule his retreat. The only bright spot to the entire ordeal at The Opulence was your impromptu concert in the lobby. I swear, it’s probably the only thing that kept the guests from rioting.” Teresa’s words were rushed and her voice seemed tense. “So, of course, he’d like you to perform at the rescheduled event.”
Not wanting to sound too eager, Jessie hesitated before responding. “That’s nice of you to say, Teresa. The situation got pretty intense, so I’m glad I was able to help. The event isn’t going to be held there again, is it? It was a lovely hotel, but after the mudslide I’m not in love with hotels situated on a cliff.”
“Understood. It’ll be a while before The Opulence is up and running again anyway. And Matt would really like to get this retreat done soon—”
“How soon?”
“He’s considering two weekends this month.” Teresa’s tone was tentative. “I’m hoping you’ll be available on one of them.”
Jessie grimaced. She’d planned to spend the month writing songs for her next album and securing the producers and musicians she wanted to work with on her dream project. “Actually, I cleared my calendar to work on my next album.”
“I can appreciate how busy you must be, Jessie, but if you have any flexibility at all, you know Matt Richmond will make it worth your while. We’d do the same generous deal as last time. In addition to your booking fee, we’ll pay for your flight via private jet, and all of your room service expenses at the hotel.”
Jessie chewed on her lower lip and paced the floor. “I don’t know. This album is really important to me. I didn’t tell you before, but I’ve decided not to re-sign with my current label. I plan to start my own, so I’ll have the freedom to make songs like the ones I performed that day in the lobby.”
“I applaud your decision, Jessie. I did the same when I broke away from MSM Events and started my own company. So I know how rewarding it can be, but I also know that you need money and connections when you’re breaking out on your own. And at Richmond Industries’ fifth
