"Things were fucked up last year. Ryker was only on the job for a few months back then. I'd fired Miller, the idiot who used to head marketing, right before Thanksgiving. Every person who works in that department wanted my head on a platter because they loved Miller and I passed them over for the promotion and gave it to Ryker." He rubs his forehead. "It was a shit show, Lark. I stayed away for my own personal safety."
"I only want to stay for an hour," I announce, ignoring his long winded accounting of why he stood me up last year. He was with a woman. I don't need to be a genius to figure that out. My brother doesn't hide the fact that he has a penchant for beautiful brunettes. Everyone who works at Matiz knows it. "After that, I'm coming back here to watch Christmas movies and drink egg nog."
"You're going to be twenty-four in a few days, Lark, not eighty-four. You've been single since your ex moved to L.A. Why don't you hit a club after the party? You're looking stellar tonight in your Mrs. Claus getup."
I look down at the plaid dress I'm wearing. It's red and black with a white belt complete with those two small bells attached to the buckle. "What's wrong with my dress?"
"Nothing if you're trying to attract an old white haired stalker type with a beard who creeps around the world in the darkness of night dressed in a red suit."
"I'm trying to be festive. I found this at a vintage shop in the West Village."
He eyes me again. "You're beautiful. I think you're too beautiful. It scares the hell out of me that you look the way you do. Even in this tablecloth dress you look like a million bucks."
"My dress looks like a tablecloth?"
He nods. "Granny Benton had a tablecloth that matched this. I think it's the same material."
"Shit." I cover my eyes with my hands. "That's why I fell in love with it. It reminded me of Granny Benton."
"Go change." He points toward my bedroom. "Choose something less Granny and more millennial."
"I don't have time." I glance at the watch on his wrist. "It's almost seven, isn't it? The party starts at seven."
"Who the hell cares when it starts?" He scoffs with a grin. "I'm the fucking boss, sis. Take all the time you need. The party won't start until we walk through the door."
Chapter 6
Lark
"Do you know what Mr. Moore's been working on the last couple of days?" I ask as I stare out the window of the car that was waiting outside my apartment building for us. My brother is an Uber or taxi type of guy, but tonight he opted for a chauffeur driven sedan. He must have a date after the Christmas party. I've learned the hard way never to ask questions about his personal life.
"Mr. Moore?" he mimics my voice as he repeats Ryker's name. "What the fuck is that? Does he make you call him that?"
"I call him that because that's his name."
"His name is Ryker. You should call him that." He taps my knee. "Don't bow down to him, Lark. He's your superior, but you're gaining on him. Some of your ideas crush his."
I can't tell if he's being genuine or being an older brother. I choose the former because the ego boost never hurts. I look at the driver before I bring my attention to Crew. "I've needed to speak to him since yesterday, but he's been out of his office. His assistant said he was busy with a special project."
"Special project?" He looks at me with skepticism in his eyes.
"It's probably Gem." My voice is a murmur.
"Gem?" he repeats back almost instantly. "That's over, Lark. She dumped him a couple of days ago."
"She did?" I try not to sound as excited as I feel. I don't know why my heart jumps at the news but it does.
Ryker has shown limited interest in me since the kiss we shared a year ago. Sometimes I feel like he's looking at me like I'm a woman and he's a man instead of the way a boss looks at his employee, but he's hard to read. Besides, Gem is always floating in and out of his life. I got so tired of seeing pictures of them together online, that I stopped searching for either of their names.
"She's throwing him under the bus." He pushes his phone into my lap.
I glance down. It's a profile on a social media site. I know instantly, based on the seductive photo of a brunette in a bikini that it belongs to Gem. I scroll down and see a few postings that mention Ryker. I only read two before I give the phone back to Crew. "Some things need to be private."
"You're telling me. Like those pictures of the two of them on the beach." He leans forward to gaze through the windshield. "I'm waiting for her to talk shit about Matiz. If that happens, one of our company lawyers is ready to pounce."
Everything is business to Crew. He protects the Matiz name even though the bulk of the company is owned by his closest friend, Nolan Black. Crew would fight off a lion with his bare hands if it meant Matiz kept its good name. He's loyal to those he loves. He's going to be an amazing husband to a lucky woman one day.
"Why didn't we turn on Fifth Avenue?" I glance back out the window. "We're headed away from Matiz. We can't go to the party if we're going in the wrong direction."