I shrugged. “There’s nothing I can do about that.”
“The stocks have been returned to your portfolio, as you requested.”
“And they all signed non-disclosure contracts?”
“The ones who sold. We couldn’t ask those who didn’t, therefore word might still get out.”
I nodded. There was nothing I could do about that.”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Dennison,” one of the other men at the table said, “but isn’t it a little cruel to take these people’s compensation package and then buy up their stock, too? That’s all these people had left to fall back on.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“You’re essentially stealing their nest eggs from them.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“Don’t you care what’ll happen to these people?”
I stiffened, annoyed that a man I paid to do as I asked would question me. “These people still have jobs. That more than they would have if the corporation were unable to pay its bills at the end of the year.”
“Yes, but—?”
“We’re done, gentlemen,” I said, rising to my feet.
“Wait.”
I turned, and the older gentleman at the end of the table gestured to me. “Don’t you want to know what the stock you just purchased is worth?”
“No particularly.”
He tilted his head slightly, clearly confused. “But isn’t the point to raise your own portfolio?”
“The point, gentlemen, is none of your business.”
I left the room, my heart suddenly pounding. If those men knew what I was really up to, they’d have to report me to the FCC. And that was not something I could let them do.
Jacy came around the corner as I headed back to my office.
“You’ve got a call from Ash Grayson.”
“Thank you.”
She studied my face as we passed in the hall. I could feel the curiosity in that gaze, but I wasn’t in the mood to indulge her. It was none of her business what was going on between the Grayson brothers and me. She was, after all, just an employee.
***
“One of our security people said he left the grounds in a taxi. I was just wondering if maybe—?”
“David’s whereabouts are David’s business, don’t you think?”
Ash was quiet on the other end of the line. Then he cleared his throat and said, “Of course.”
“When he wants you to know where he went, I’m sure he will tell you.”
“It’s just…David doesn’t get in cars. He’s had a phobia since the accident.”
“I don’t blame him.”
“If you hear from him…”
“Goodbye, Mr. Grayson.”
I set the phone down and sat back in my chair, my thoughts whirling. I should have been thinking about business, about the events for which I’d been planning for months. However, all I could think about was David waiting for me upstairs. He was getting under my skin and I couldn’t deny it any more. The timing sucked. It was even worse that it was David Grayson of all people. If I’d put two and two together to begin with, if I had realized that he was the one…but I didn’t. And now I was between a rock and a hard place.
And I really wanted to go upstairs and explore that hard place.
“Oh, Belle,” I sighed, reaching into a side drawer of my desk and pulling out a picture I rarely looked at anymore. But these last few weeks I seemed to pull it out much more often than ever. I had to make this right. And I was almost there.
Chapter 17
David
It was dark when we finally pulled apart, our bodies exhausted but our souls full. Ricki lay on her side, propped up on her elbow, her naked body unashamedly exposed. I couldn’t help but run my hand over the side of her breast, my thumb brushing against her nipple. She was so beautiful, her body more perfect than anyone’s had a right to be. I wanted to kiss her again, wanted to breathe in her every exhale. But I could see the questions in her eyes, and I knew it was finally time to unburden myself to someone I could trust, and I believed she was that person.
“We’d been celebrating for hours,” I said quietly, watching her eyes as she tried not to watch me. “The final numbers came in just after midnight and my father called for the champagne. The room was filled with all his closest associates, clerks, friends, and campaign organizers, people who deserved to celebrate as much as we did. And the champagne flowed for hours. I watched, more fascinated with the people around me than interested in the drinks. Maybe if I had drank…”
I closed my eyes briefly, the memory of it almost too clear to bear.
“My father insisted we wait around for everyone else to leave. At some point, my mother snuck into the bedroom and I followed. We rested on the bed, side by side, and talked about the future. She was nervous about being the wife of a congressman. And I was nervous about all the elaborate wedding plans my fiancée was making. We tried to reassure each other, but I think everything we had to say to each other just made us more nervous.