He Will be My Ruin

I watch and wait, searching for a good opportunity to bring up Celine. I know there will definitely be no good opportunity to whip out the naked picture of him from my purse.

Before I know it, he’s leading me to the door. “So, you don’t live in New York?”

His hand grazes the small of my back and I try not to stiffen. “No, I actually hate this city. I’m leaving for San Diego as soon as possible.”

He chuckles and I somehow feel it in my chest. His hand rests on the door handle, but he doesn’t open it, simply standing there, just on the edge of my personal space, gazing down at me. He’s tall; a good five inches taller than me when I’m not in heels, I’m guessing. His eyes flicker to my blood-red lips oh so quickly before shifting back up to my eyes.

There is certainly a reason why every woman in this building knows who Jace Everett is.

“How long do you expect to be in New York?”

I sense a proposition coming on. Drinks, to discuss business. Dinner, to discuss my organization.

A nightcap, to discuss favorite positions.

I need to end whatever is happening right now. “Just until I sort out a friend’s estate. She died recently.” I peer up at him, seeing my chance, my heart pounding. “She actually used to work in this building, on the forty-second floor. Celine Gonzalez. Maybe you knew her?”

A flicker of surprise catches his eye that I can’t quite read but know I didn’t imagine. His brow furrows slightly. “There are so many people in this building . . . I’m sorry for your loss.”

That’s all. Grady promised I’d learn something by his body language, but this tells me nothing, except that Jace either truly doesn’t know Celine or he’s a phenomenal actor. Which is it?

I reach into my purse, pinching the edges of the paper between my fingers, preparing to blindside him so I can gauge his reaction.

The door opens with a knock, forcing Jace back a step. “I’m sorry to interrupt. Hey, Jace. I mean, Mr. Everett. I grabbed your lunch for you,” Natasha offers, holding up a container of salad.

More than a hint of adoration shines from her eyes as she stares at him.

“Thank you,” he says politely, all traces of the asshole from earlier gone, but barely giving her a glance. His attention is fully on me, his business card magically appearing, held up between two manicured fingers. “Let me get on this right away so we can finalize the rest of the paperwork while you’re still in the city.”

I know that he doesn’t really need to see me in person. It’s nothing a printer and a FedEx delivery service can’t solve. People arrange for these sorts of investments without meeting all the time. But this gives me another chance to see him face-to-face, to hopefully get answers. So, I nod.

“Make arrangements for Maggie to come in on Friday, Natasha.”

“Your calendar’s full,” she says, lips pursed.

“Then bump someone.” He fires a sharp glare at his assistant before warm eyes shift back to me. “We’ll be in touch soon.”

I pull my hand out of my purse to accept his card, noting a third handwritten number scribbled on it, marked “personal cell.” I’m guessing he doesn’t give that out to just anyone. “Great. Thank you for your time.”

I stroll down the hallway, feeling two sets of eyes on my back.

————

“So how did it go?” Dani steps into the elevator ahead of me and hits the “L” button. I wasn’t expecting her to be waiting in the FCM lobby for me.

I rest my head against the wall and close my eyes, trying to ignore the fact that I’m trapped inside this little metal box again as it stalls at what feels like every floor. It’s lunch hour, and we’re sixty-five floors up. Unfortunately there is no express trip down.

“Fine.” I’m not really sure what to do next. The longer I keep up this charade, the more awkward it’s going to get. And I don’t think I want to piss Jace Everett off after handing him a pile of my money to play with.

“Was he nice to you?”

“Yes, he was.” More so than I had expected, actually. I pause. “His assistant, on the other hand . . .”

“I should have warned you.” She drops her voice. “She’s more Marnie’s friend than mine.”

“How long has he been screwing her?”

Dani’s eyes widen with shock. The seven other passengers suddenly stand taller, their ears perking up.

“I don’t care,” I quickly clarify. “I just want to know if I’m going to be dealing with a possessive bitch.”

“She wouldn’t risk getting fired by pissing off his clients and losing money for him. She loves her job. And she does everything for him. Grabs his lunch, picks up his dry cleaning, books all his reservations.”

“Why am I not surprised?” He seems like the kind of guy who would expect a woman to take care of all his personal needs.

We ride the elevator the rest of the way down in silence. It’s not until we’re outside and away from prying ears that Dani speaks again. “It happened back in October. As far as I know, it was just the once and they were drunk. But please don’t even hint that you know because Natasha would probably get fired and I don’t want to be the cause of someone getting fired, even if she’s not all that pleasant.”

“Wouldn’t his job be on the line, too?” A lot of companies don’t condone relationships in the workplace, let alone bosses sleeping with their assistants.

“Doubt it,” she mutters. “Rumor has it Jace had a short and steamy affair with a married coworker that turned ugly. He’s still there and the coworker isn’t.”

“Because it was his daddy’s firm.”

Her eyebrows rise knowingly.

“So, by the daggers she was shooting at me, I take it Natasha wishes it was more than just the once?” Despite the fact that she has a boyfriend, it would seem.

Dani chuckles. “The second you went into that office, she called Marnie and chewed her out. Then Marnie called and chewed me out. I guess they weren’t expecting you to look the way you do.”

Because you told them I was nothing Jace Everett would be interested in, based on how I showed up yesterday. I guess showing up like an aid worker who’s barely run a brush through her hair was a good idea after all. Natasha never would have agreed to smuggle me into the calendar otherwise.