“I’ll see you this evening, love,” he told her, silently urging her to go.
A careful nod and Sara Beth slipped out the door. John’s sigh was loud in the ensuing silence. Shaking his carefully styled white head, he said, “I still wish she’d been a man.”
And we all wish you were too, John. Unfortunately we don’t always get what we want.
“So,” the older man said, “what’s the problem with Ian? Why aren’t we ready to go? Take me to the man’s office. He obviously needs someone to light a fire under his ass.”
He’s not the only one.
* * * *
Sara Beth’s fingers were nimble on his bow tie. Alex had never gotten the hang of tying the damn things, so he always left the job to her. Tonight, though, he wished it were Cailin’s hands on the piece of black silk around his neck.
Sara Beth patted his clean-shaven cheek. “There you go. All set.”
Alex’s response strongly resembled a grunt.
“Oh hush.” A frown marred the smooth skin of Sara Beth’s expressive face. “I think we’re both suffering from a lack of…”
“A definite lack,” he agreed. With John staying here at the house, neither Sara Beth nor Alex had spent significant time with their other half. Sam couldn’t stay overnight, and the possibility of making it to Cailin’s with John watching his every move was nigh on impossible. The lack of relief—and comfort—added to the edge John brought to every encounter, meant they were both strung pretty tight. Fortunately the man was scheduled to return to California tomorrow. If not, Alex and Sara Beth might be forced to implement one of the fantasies they’d dreamed up in the long week past—fantasies involving John and an unmarked grave somewhere extremely remote.
“At least she’ll be here tonight,” Sara Beth said. The dinner party John had planned for his last night in town included a host of muckety-mucks from Atlanta’s top companies. Anything to increase profits and networking. The possibility of any wheeling and dealing turning serious meant Cailin would be here, available for any “little jobs” John might think up. And while he didn’t like having her in the same room as his father-in-law, Alex wanted her here with an intensity that rattled his bones.
Brushing a soft kiss along the corner of Sara Beth’s mouth in thanks for the reminder, he turned to grab the tux laid out on his bed. The noose around his neck tightened as he shrugged into the thing. Holy fuck. This week from hell could not be over soon enough.
“Ready?” Sara Beth asked.
Alex grimaced but took her arm anyway. They moved toward the door, the silk of Sara Beth’s floor-length gown whispering against his trouser leg with every step.
“You are one fine escort tonight, love,” Alex told her, holding his bedroom door open. “It’s hard to believe so much beauty could go hand in hand with so much brains. I’m very lucky.”
“Why yes, yes, you are.” Sara Beth’s smile was the first genuine one he’d seen all week. The need to kill John rose, more vicious than ever.
The spiral staircase leading into the grand foyer always gave him a bit of a headache. All those gleaming surfaces: banisters, wood, mirrors, marble tiles… Neither Sara Beth nor he had really wanted such a showcase for a home, but John had insisted. “You’re going to be entertaining. Your position in this company demands it, Alex.” They’d managed to avoid entertaining at home until now. The comfortable den at the back of the second-story apartment was the most used room, along with the kitchen and their bedrooms. The rest? Just empty space for their housekeeper to come in and dust once a week. Taking a look around, he couldn’t help wondering what Cailin would think. Did she know him well enough to understand how much of this was just show, how much he and Sara Beth hid beneath the surface? Eyeing the massive crystal chandelier hanging low above the entryway, he knew she did. She understood him, inside and out. She wouldn’t mistake this place for being a reflection of his true personality.
John wandered out from the sitting room, a glass tumbler of amber liquid in one hand. “About time.” His wiry white eyebrows wrinkled as he inspected the two of them, finally giving a reluctant nod of approval. When the doorbell rang, Alex felt Sara Beth’s sigh of relief. The less time she spent as the focus of her father’s attention, the better.
Guests arrived, one after another. The volume rose as couples mixed and mingled. Along with her inherent talent for business, Sara Beth liked people, and it showed in her hostessing skills. Alex was thankful; he’d rather slit his throat than attend, much less host, one of these gatherings. John’s overbearing personality more than made up for Alex’s shortfall in that area, however. By the time Cailin arrived, his lone presence in the foyer made for sweet relief.