He sighed. “I don’t really care what you believe. That’s not my problem. You and I are in the past and that’s where we are staying. Stop doing this to yourself—to me—Lisa. I have work to do and I can’t get it done with constant interruptions.”
“So how does a club on sourdough sound?” Mia said as she entered his office, arms full of the takeout bags.
She came to a screeching halt when she saw Lisa, and her eyes widened.
“Oops. Sorry,” she said awkwardly.
She hastily backed from his office and disappeared, bags in hand. He had to bite his lip to keep himself from commanding her back. Damn it, he wanted Lisa gone, not Mia.
When his gaze returned to Lisa’s, her eyes were narrowed and recognition flashed.
“It’s her isn’t it?” Lisa said softly.
There was accusation in her stare. She rose to her feet, fists clenched at her sides.
“It’s always been her. I saw the way you looked at her even when we were married. I played it off. She’s Jace’s little sister and so I thought you viewed her with a measure of affection afforded someone her age. But God, you wanted her even then, didn’t you, you bastard? Are you in love with her?”
Gabe stood, his anger sharp and explosive. “That’s enough, Lisa. You will not say another word. Mia works for me. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
Lisa made a sound of derision. “I never had a chance, did I, Gabe? Even if I hadn’t been the one to walk out.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” he said in a clipped tone. “I was faithful to you, Lisa. I would have always been faithful. I was committed to our marriage. It’s too bad you weren’t.”
“Don’t keep fooling yourself, Gabe. I saw the way you looked at her then and how you looked at her just now. I wonder if she has any idea what she’s getting into. Perhaps I should warn her.”
Gabe came around the desk, no longer able to control the anger biting at him.
“If you ever so much as breathe in Mia’s direction, I’ll ruin you, Lisa. All the money you still receive from me? Gone. And I won’t hesitate or feel one moment’s remorse over it. You’re a cold, calculating bitch. Mia’s worth ten of you. And if you don’t think I’m enough of a threat, let Jace find out your intentions toward Mia. I guarantee he won’t be as nice or as patient as I’ve been.”
Lisa’s eyes became calculating. “How much is it worth, me not going to your little assistant?”
And now she got to the real point of this bullshit reconciliation attempt. He was livid, but he managed to hold on to his temper. Barely.
“Blackmail won’t work with me, Lisa. You of all people should know that. I know why you’ve come sniffing back around. You’re broke and barely making ends meet on your alimony payments, which by the way, you should know I’ve contacted my lawyer. I’m going to court to have them reduced. I was more than generous in our divorce. Maybe it’s time you got off your ass and worked, or find some other sucker to support you because I’m done.”
She turned away, clutching her handbag like a lifeline. “You’ll regret this, Gabe.”
He remained silent, refusing to rise to her bait. It was done as far as he was concerned.
When she paused at the door, he said, “You won’t be allowed in here again, Lisa. So don’t try it. You’ll only cause a scene and humiliate yourself. I’m going to alert security that you are never to be allowed back, and I’ll tell Eleanor to alert them if she sees you anywhere near my offices.” His voice dropped to a dangerous level. “And so help me God, if you go anywhere near Mia, I’ll make you very sorry. Understand me?”
Lisa shot him a look filled with so much venom and hatred that he knew everything he’d suspected was absolute truth. She was broke and looking to get back on the money train.
“How the mighty Gabe has fallen,” she said softly. “In love with his best friend’s little sister. Wonder if she’ll break your heart.”
With that, she flounced out of his office, her hair bouncing off her shoulders. He hoped to hell it was the last time he saw the back of her.
He was about to go in search of Mia when she popped her head back through the door. He motioned her in and she carried the bags over to his desk.
She was silent as she took out the box containing his sandwich. She set up everything for him and then retreated to her own desk with her meal.
He watched her as she ate and read through several of the reports he’d given her to memorize for their trip. His own appetite had diminished. Lisa’s accusations swirled in his mind, and he couldn’t put them out of his head. He didn’t like what she’d implied, but he couldn’t immediately discount her observations. And that pissed him off all the more.
• • •
Gabe was brooding and silent the entire flight from New York to Paris. But then he’d been that way ever since Lisa had departed his office. Mia wasn’t certain exactly what had transpired between them, but Gabe had made it clear to his staff and to security that Lisa was never to be allowed in the building again.
He’d been curt and short as he and Mia had left for the airport, their bags already packed. They’d ridden in silence, and Mia had been only too happy to preserve that silence as they’d boarded.
As soon as she was able, she pulled out her iPod and earphones and leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes to listen to her music. It was a long flight, and she was exhausted from her weekend with Gabe. If she didn’t sleep now, she was in for a long day. They were landing in Paris at eight in the morning local time, which meant it would be fourteen hours before she’d be able to sleep.
She wasn’t certain why she was going. Gabe was meeting with prospective bidders, front-runners he expected would be the top three for the new hotel project. If all went according to plan, they’d break ground in the spring. Along with the bidders, Gabe was also meeting with local investors.
There was really no reason for her to be here. She certainly couldn’t add anything to the mix. The only thing she could come up with was that Gabe didn’t want to be without sex for that long.
Halfway through the flight, she drifted off, music still playing in her ears. The seats were heavenly, and being able to fully recline made it easy to give in to fatigue.
The next thing she knew, Gabe was shaking her awake and motioning for her to right her seat. She pulled the earphones from her ears and stared groggily over at him.
“We’re preparing to land,” he said.
Had he slept at all? He still wore that brooding, grim expression he’d had when they departed New York. This trip was going to suck if his mood didn’t improve.
They touched down and taxied to the gate. After an hour to get through customs and collect their luggage, they got into a car and headed for the hotel.
It was curious to Mia why they were staying in their biggest competitor’s hotel, but Gabe had explained that he liked to keep up with what his competition was doing, and the best way to do that was to stay at their facilities.
The suite was luxurious and took up half of the top floor. The panoramic view was absolutely breathtaking with the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe in sight from their huge picture window.
Mia flopped onto the sumptuous couch and sagged. Even though she’d slept half the flight, she was still feeling grubby. Traveling did that to her. She needed a hot shower and bed, in that order. But she wasn’t certain what Gabe’s plans were.
Gabe set up his laptop and typed steadily for half an hour before he finally looked up to where Mia was wilted all over the sofa.
“You’re free to rest if you want,” he said. “We don’t have anything planned until this afternoon. We’re having dinner, and afterward, we’re having drinks here in the suite with a few people. I’ve e-mailed you detailed outlines on each of the individuals so be sure to read up before we go out later.”
His tone was dismissive, and she figured he still hadn’t dug out whatever bug was up his ass, so she got up and left the living area of the suite. There was only one bedroom or she would have taken up residence in separate quarters, and there was only one bed. Oh well.
She hit the shower, and spent a full thirty minutes soaking under the heated spray. By the time she got out, the chill had left her bones and she was pink all over from the hot water.
She still had hours yet, and she’d already committed to memory every single detail Gabe had given her on the people they were meeting. Ironically, of the three who were expected to be the top bidders for the construction of the new Paris hotel, only one was French. Stéphane Bargeron was a wealthy French developer who was renowned in Europe. The other two, Charles Willis and Tyson “Tex” Cartwright, were American developers with European presences.
Charles was younger, handsome. Maybe Gabe’s age or a little older. He’d inherited the business from his father when the older Willis had passed away, and he was struggling to build his own reputation. He was hungry, and Gabe fully expected him to submit a very competitive bid. He needed this project. It would boost his standing and enable him to land other lucrative jobs.
Tyson Cartwright was a Texas billionaire in his forties, and he’d built his company the old-fashioned way. From the ground up. His story was impressive. Mia had read up extensively on him, and he’d been on his own working his ass off since he was in his teens. By his early twenties, he already owned a small construction company in East Texas and he’d only expanded from there. His was truly an American success story. Hard work. Resolve. Success.
Stéphane Bargeron she knew less about, simply because his was a family business that many Bargerons were involved with. He was the guy sent in to do the ass kissing while his father and brothers did most of the hard work. He was the polish and they were the brains.
All three would be back in Gabe’s suite for drinks after tonight’s dinner. She wasn’t sure in what capacity she was supposed to act, but looking at four really good-looking men couldn’t be that much of a hardship, right?
She knew what she needed to know, so she wasn’t going to drag out her laptop and rehash it all.
Not when a perfectly good nap awaited.
Chapter twenty-nine
Gabe watched as Mia charmed the group of men over dinner. She smiled, chatted and conversed with ease, and she had every single one of them under her spell.
The question was, did she have him under it as well?
Lisa’s question echoed over and over in his mind.
Are you in love with her?
He couldn’t quite explain the anger or the helplessness he felt over such a question. He’d brooded the entire day, in turns angry and frustrated over his inability to put distance between himself and Mia.
It infuriated him that he hadn’t been able to immediately refute Lisa’s angry question.
He’d thought to end their agreement right then and there, walk away, terminate her employment with him. But he hadn’t been able to, and that made him only feel more helpless. He needed her. God help him, he needed her.
His gaze drifted over the potential bidders—men who would be coming to his suite later. They obviously lusted after Mia—what red-blooded, heterosexual man wouldn’t? It made Gabe want to grit his teeth, but he choked the urge away and instead embraced the opportunity for what it was.
A chance to prove to himself that his obsession with Mia wasn’t unbreakable. That he didn’t love her. Didn’t need her.
Such a thing was provided for in their contract, though he’d never thought to actually hand her over to another man before now. The very idea sent rage and fierce jealousy surging through his mind. It did so now. But she’d expressed curiosity over the idea. He knew she wasn’t adamantly opposed. And it was certainly something he’d done in the past.
He could do this.
He would do this.
He only hoped to hell he survived it and it didn’t destroy him—or her—in the process.
• • •
Gabe’s mood had shifted from brooding and pissed off to…She wasn’t sure what his mood was exactly. It worried her because now he stared at her, when before he hadn’t looked much at her at all. And that stare was something new, as if he were looking at her in a whole different light. Like his expectations had taken a dramatic shift, only she had no idea what those expectations were.
Where before she’d embraced the silence between them, not wanting to delve into the reason behind his moodiness, now it made her distinctly uncomfortable. She wanted something from him. Some kind of reassurance, though why, she wasn’t certain.
They rode back to the hotel, the tension welling until she nearly choked with it. She wanted to ask him, wanted to question him, but there was something in his steady gaze that made her fear what she would learn.
As soon as they were inside the suite, Gabe closed the door and focused that glittering gaze on her. He bristled with dominance where before he’d always demonstrated patience and tenderness with her.