Beyond the Velvet Rope (13 page)

“I’m afraid we’ve done a poor job of showing you the more exquisite pleasures of our fair city. From the moment you arrived, it’s been work, work, work and more work.”

“There’s a lot to do,” she reasoned.

“If you’re not doing anything special Wednesday night—if you can manage it—I wondered if you would like to accompany me to the Yurman party. They renovated the downtown store. There will be plenty of press there. Perhaps a few helpful contacts for you.”

“That would be excellent. I would love to go.”

“Great. Unfortunately, I was only able to secure one additional invite. Do you suppose Len and Raja will be overly upset if they have to sit this one out?”

Thandie turned to search the girls out in the crowd. It was easy. Both girls were surrounded by a small group of men. They stood near a table, where a tall ice sculpture in the shape of a large
R,
for Radcliffe, was prominently mounted in the center.

What she saw next sent a tremor of panic up her spine. With the support of one of her admirers, Raja was assisted to stand on top of the table. In order to make sure she did not tumble backward, the stranger supported her by keeping a firm hand planted on her bottom. Raja did not seem to mind because she was too preoccupied delivering an impromptu speech. Although Thandie could not hear what was being said, the crowd of men found it humorous.

With a wave of her hand, she presented Len, who smiled and did a silly curtsy. Holding a shot glass filled with dark liquor up in the air, Raja began to slowly pour it on top of the frozen
R
. Len, having positioned her mouth on the lower tip of the sculpture, began sucking the liquor as fast as she could. The men clapped and cheered her on.

Thandie was horrified. She wanted to turn away from the scene. It was just like the girls to embarrass themselves in front of a crowd.

To make matters worse, Warren was pushing his way through the group. She held her breath for his reaction. He would either explode or do something equally irrational. When she saw his weathered face break into a wide grin and beg for his turn to be fed by Raja, Thandie turned her back on the spectacle.

Rex gave her a look of concern. “Are you all right?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Do you want me to calm things down over there?”

“No.” She took a long drink from her glass. “It would only make things worse.”

Rex studied the group carefully before slowly saying, “I gather they are always this enthusiastic.”

“You have no idea,” said with a heavy sigh.

Rex smiled. “Is their boss just as daring?”

At this, she had to laugh. “Not even close.”

Thankfully, he directed her farther out onto the balcony, where the noise from the party competed with the rolling waves of the ocean. To preoccupy her thoughts, Rex entertained her with stories from his past. Israeli born, Rex was raised in Spain for most of his life, before his family migrated to London. Thandie found his story fascinating.

Whether he’d done it purposely or not, he’d managed to make her forget about the scene Len and Raja were causing indoors. Rex became distracted when a new wave of guests arrived. He pointed out various people in the crowd, careful to highlight those whom he thought would be of interest to Thandie.

“Who’s that?” Thandie asked, pointing across the patio to a photographer who appeared to be quite popular with the party attendees. Instead of asking people for permission to photograph them, the guests gravitated toward him.

“Ringo Papler,” Rex supplied. “Freelance photographer. Seems to work for all the Miami society papers. Everybody wants to be shot by him. His pictures always seem to land on the cover page. Warren was smart to invite him. Ringo can make or break a shindig.”

“And the woman snapping directions?” she asked, nodding to a white-haired woman with oversize black glasses, snapping her boney fingers and spitting demands to a young photographer.

“Oh, that’s Mira Dietrich, the editor-in-chief of
Look
. She’s practically royalty around here. She can make life very easy for you if she likes you. The problem is she hates everyone. You’ll get to know her soon enough. She makes a point to meet all the new talent in town.”

Eventually, Rex led her back inside. By now, the girls had retired their drinking game and were attempting salsa moves with a pair of ardent dance partners. Other guests had joined in, and soon the center of the living room was clustered with dancing couples.

A group of newcomers filtered into the house. Thandie looked up and recognized a familiar face among the clutch of strangers. It was Romero. The party had now been in progress for over two hours. Thandie wasn’t sure if she was more surprised by his late appearance, or by the realization that he had friends.

Smug as ever, Romero entered the room with a confidence uncommon for his young years. It was no time at all before people began circling around him, pressing in, eager to talk to him.

Thandie leaned toward Rex and asked, “What do you think they’re asking him?”

“The same thing we want to know.”

“Which is?”

“Where is Elliot,” he said simply. “If anyone knows, it would be Romero.”

Thandie observed the young man once more. Indeed, there was a swarm of women lined up, waiting their turn to catch his attention. Romero, seemingly oblivious to their beauty, waved each one away as if she were a pesky insect. She found it hard to believe no one took offense. Nevertheless, they all appeared to accept his behavior amiably.

Thandie did not care for the man, so she was annoyed when Rex caught Romero’s eye and waved him over. As if feeling her dislike, Rex chuckled under his breath.

“He’s not that bad,” he whispered. “Just vain to the point of delusional.” His intent to make her laugh was successful.

Lifting a cocktail glass from the tray of a passing waiter, Rex offered the drink to the younger man. Romero accepted it.

“Ms. Shaw,” he said with a slight incline of his head.

“Romero,” Thandie said coolly.

“Long day, Romero?” Rex asked.

“Always.” Romero did not immediately drink from his glass. Instead, he seemed more content to use it as a prop. “Elliot,” he continued, “is, as always, a taskmaster.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Rex agreed. “Lucky for us he’s a continent away.”

Romero shook his head. “Not so. His plane arrived in Miami a few hours ago.” He pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through a few screens before continuing. “He’s stuck in a meeting. Should be out in a few minutes. If he keeps to his schedule, he should be here soon.” Romero never lifted his eyes from the phone’s display while he spoke. “Time zones being as they are, these types of meetings can be a little inconvenient.”

“Overseas meeting?” Rex probed.

Romero shrugged, giving nothing away, as every good assistant should.

Rex tried a different tactic. “Is everything in place for the grand opening?”

Romero took his time turning his attention back to Rex. “According to the event planner, everything is falling into place. In any case, they had better be. There’s no turning back now.”

“It’ll be hard to top Elliot’s birthday party last year.”

At these words, Rex and Romero shared a conspiring smile. This surprised Thandie. For a second, Romero’s young face lost its haughtiness, and he actually looked handsome. But this break from tradition was quickly restored. Romero cleared his throat and gave an apologetic nod toward Thandie.

Without warning, a loud squeal of laughter exploded from across the room. Rex and Romero both looked to see what is was. Thandie did not. She already knew it had come from Len and Raja’s side of the room. She was afraid what she would see if she turned around.

Romero spotted the commotion the girls were creating and frowned. Abruptly, he said, “I see someone I need to speak to. Excuse me.” As if she were an afterthought, he glanced at Thandie and nodded. “Nice dress.” She never got the chance to thank him. Romero was already snaking his way through the crowd of people.

Just then, Markie rushed up to join the group. “Did Romero say anything about Elliot’s whereabouts?” he asked.

Rex nodded. “Yeah, but if you want to know when he’s coming, don’t bother with Romero.” He nodded his head toward the arched entrance of the foyer. “He’s here.”

All three of them turned at the same time. It was him all right. Tall, dark and beautiful. Fuckalicious, Gage had called him. Simply fuckalious. From the moment Elliot Richards arrived, he seemed to suck all the air out of the room.

Elliot looked bored and seemed to be calculating how long he was required to be here before escaping. Spotting someone in the crowd, he began to weave a lazy path through the guests. He was stopped often by admirers.

Thandie watched as Romero materialized out of nowhere to stand at his employer’s side. Elliot murmured a few words over his shoulder to him. Romero nodded, quickly mumbled something in response and then disappeared. When Elliot was near Warren, the old man clapped him on the back and grinned from ear to ear. Elliot was truly his crown jewel of the night. Warren’s pride could not have been more evident. Rex, charming as ever, excused himself to get in a few words with Elliot. Markie followed him.

Thandie glanced toward the ice sculpture Raja and Len had sexually assaulted earlier. Thankfully, both seemed to have settled down. They hadn’t moved too far from the frozen
R,
only a few feet toward the dancing area where men were taking turns being dance partners.

Thandie looked back toward the crowd surrounding Elliot. He grinned and shook hands with the ease of a politician, a very smooth politician. Without warning, he looked up and their eyes met. Thandie resisted the urge to look away. Instead, she lifted her brow slightly. He made no facial expression in return. Instead, he did something she did not expect. He came toward her.

Her stomach tightened as he approached. His grayish eyes practically hypnotized her with predatory focus. She did indeed feel like his prey. When he was only a foot away, the faint and very heady scent of his aftershave sent a wave of goose bumps up her arms. It was light, barely noticeable but distinct. Although her hormones were screaming, she managed a placid smile. “Welcome back, Mr. Richards.”

His lips somehow managed to twist into a charming grin. “Thank you, Ms. Shaw.” He leaned over and kissed her—not her cheek as everyone else had—he kissed her neck, just below the jawline, where the pulse was most apparent. From the look of satisfaction he now had, she could only guess her heart rate had leaped into triple digits under the gentle brush of his lips. But not entirely done with her, he cupped her chin, forcing it upward. “It’s good to be back.”

His hands were suddenly gone from her body, and she had the vague memory of him pressing another glass of champagne in her hand. She drank from it blindly, neither tasting nor enjoying the bubbly chill of the liquor. She had to guard herself from becoming overwhelmed by him. Elliot’s presence was intoxicating, as thrilling as it was dangerous.

Three men stood just within earshot of them. Clearly, they were waiting to speak to Elliot. They seemed to be edging nearer with every passing second, hoping to win Elliot’s attention. Thandie hoped they succeeded soon. Elliot, however, ignored them.

Abruptly, the music changed from an upbeat salsa number, to a soft, jazzy melody. Couples moved toward the dance floor, swaying in tune.

Without asking, Elliot captured Thandie’s hand and pulled her into the throng of dancers. She tried to pull out of his grasp, but was rewarded with a firm squeeze. Elliot expertly spun her into his arms. Through a serious of quick twirls and side steps, he managed to relocate them to the opposite side of the room. In the dim lighting, matched with a depleted sunset, the house was now awash with a pale orange glow. The candlelight cast shadows everywhere, and Thandie and Elliot seem to be standing in the darkest corner of the room. If anyone was looking for Elliot, they would have a hard time finding him.

“Should I be impressed?” Thandie asked.

Elliot chuckled softly in her ear. “If you’re looking to be impressed, you have only to take me to your bedroom.” He grinned at her nonplussed expression. “I found your proposal to be interesting reading.”

“You read my proposal?” This news shocked Thandie. “But I just submitted it yesterday. How did you—”

“It was sent to me. I reviewed it on my plane ride home.”

Thandie gave a slow nod of her head. “And?” she asked, curious.

“It’s approved.”

“Approved?” Thandie blinked. Was he really going to make it that easy? “You don’t have anything to add?”

“I thought your platform was detailed and well researched. You worked with the set budget, and abided to the timeline given. No,” he said, a faint glimmer in his gray eyes, “I have nothing to add.”

“And I can proceed?” she asked cautiously.

“By all means.”

Thandie watched his lips as he said those last words. They looked wickedly soft, and obnoxiously tempting. They curled into a slow smile when he asked, “Did you miss me, pussycat?”

“Hardly,” she said flatly.

Elliot laughed. It was a seductive sound. “I’ve warned you before about that pretty little mouth of yours.” He pulled her closer to him, his hold tight and demanding. “Perhaps you want to push me into disciplining you. Is that it, puss? Is that your goal?” His lips brushed against her earlobe. “I should take you over my knee right now and show everyone just how badly you dissatisfy me.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” she challenged. “Maybe in the Tower, where you’re safe from prying eyes. But not in this crowd.”

He chuckled. “Do you really think crowds of any sort discourage me?”

Thandie stopped dancing. She saw the seriousness in his eyes, and tried to wiggle out of his embrace. It was no good. He was holding her entirely too tightly.

“I could tear that dress off your delicious body and devour you this very moment if I so chose,” he whispered into her ear. “And you’d love every dirty minute of it.”

“Let go of me, Elliot,” she said a little breathlessly.

“And the plans I have for that saucy tongue of yours.” He exhaled deeply. “Let’s just say neither of us would walk away dissatisfied.” In the blink of an eye, all humor was gone from his voice. “Be careful about how far you push me, Thandie. I don’t make empty promises.”