Beyond the Velvet Rope (46 page)

Elliot did not immediately respond. In all honesty, he still didn’t know why he had done it. His annoyance with Sophia almost matched his contempt for Warren. He detested the idea of calling his accountant to authorize a check being made out to the gold-digging woman. So why had he gone through with it? And why had he agreed to the ridiculous amount she’d demanded? And why had he asked for so little in return? The only stipulation he had insisted on was that Sophia could no longer use her married name and she had to leave Miami. It was an expensive deal to make, but she was gone from all their lives. Good riddance.

“I didn’t come hear to discuss Sophia,” Elliot said abruptly. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when Warren spoke.

“Your mother is a good woman.”

The comment caught Elliot completely by surprise. The softly spoken words were so casually spoken, and so matter-of-fact, for a moment Elliot thought he must have misunderstood. He turned to face the man. The two meet men stared at each other with cautious expressions. The discussion of Elliot’s mother had never been a topic between them. They’d avoided any mention of Lucinda Richards at all costs. But now it was as if the words had been said.

“Lucinda was good to me,” Warren announced. “She loved me, which was more than I deserved.” His pale gray eyes flitted to the ground as he cleared his throat. “I, like most young men in their prime, blew it. I didn’t realize what I had, and I was careless. She didn’t deserve what happened. She didn’t deserve any of it.”

Elliot’s initial reaction to hearing Warren say his mother’s name was anger. Anger toward him for abandoning them, for leaving him and his mother to struggle for pennies while he lived in the lap of luxury, for breaking her heart.

But the wave of anger was quickly washed away, replaced by pity. Warren might have had monetary wealth, but he had little to show for it now. Elliot and his mother might have struggled to survive, but they had always been rich with love. It was the kind of love that made your heart swell in your chest at the mere thought. That was something Warren had never been able to buy. Despite his wealth, numerous divorces and twenty-something girlfriends, Elliot doubted Warren gained any real satisfaction from it.

“I’ve never asked you for anything,” Elliot said.

“I know,” Warren replied.

“And what I’m about to say changes nothing between us.”

“I understand.”

Elliot opened his mouth, and found the words refused to come out. He tried again, this time more successfully. “I need your help, Warren.”

“All right.”

“I need you tell me everything you know about Thandie.”

* * *

A pleasant voice greeted her when she answered the phone. “Ms. Shaw,” he said. “This is Joe, your driver. I’m downstairs. Do you need help with your luggage?”

“No, thank you,” Thandie said. “I can handle it. I’ll be down in a moment.”

Thandie hung up the phone, marveling at how quickly everything had fallen into place.

Within hours of accepting the job offer, she’d received an aggressive itinerary. Apparently, Mr. Armenta was eager for her to begin working on his project. He wanted her in Ibiza by the end of the week.

Within a few short days, his rep had set everything up. A car would deliver her the airport, where Mr. Armenta’s private jet would take her to Spain. It just didn’t get any better than that.

Slipping her purse onto her shoulder, she gingerly lugged her bags down the narrow steps of her loft. Amanda, Len and Raja were waiting for her in the living room.

Parking her luggage near the front door, Thandie turned to face her assistants.

“Well,” she began, fanning her hands out to her sides, trying desperately to keep her emotions at bay. “Don’t forget to lock up when you leave.”

“We know,” Raja said.

“Don’t do anything foolish while I’m gone,” Thandie warned.

“We know,” Len said with a weak smile.

“In regards to the Tate party,” Thandie went on, “your hours will be—”

“Ten to two,” Amanda supplied.

“Right,” Thandie nodded. “Same rules apply. No drinking, not even water, and always work the room.”

“We know,” they chorused.

“And remember to—”

“We know,” they chorused again.

Thandie looked at the girls and smiled bashfully.

Raja hugged Thandie. “We’re going to miss you.”

“I’ll only be gone for a few weeks,” Thandie said in a low voice. “You won’t even notice I’m gone.” She blinked back tears. “But I’ll miss you, too.”

Len threw her arms around Thandie’s waist. “Please call as soon as you get there.”

Thandie patted her back. “I will.”

Pulling away from the girls, Thandie brushed away tears from her wet cheeks. She was all business when she said, “I’ll be depending on you while I’m gone. Don’t let me down.”

They bobbed their heads.

Suddenly desperate to leave town as soon as possible, Thandie collected her bags, gave a hasty wave, and sailed out the door.

Her driver, Joe, was waiting patiently for her at the curb. He greeted her with a warm smile before opening the backseat door to the town car. Thandie slid in, making herself comfortable while Joe quickly began stowing her bags into the trunk of the car. When he was done, he slid behind the wheel and drove away. Thandie was thankful Joe was not a talker. She relished the quiet drive, needing the time to calm her frazzled nerves.

They arrived at LaGuardia Airport and she exited the car. She quickly boarded the private jet. Unlike the grandeur of Nico’s plane, this jet was somewhat smaller and much more modest in decor. Decorated in muted shades of gray and dark cherry finishes, the jet was practical, leaning toward functional, rather than pretentious.

She moved toward a pair of captain chairs, where a small workstation protruded from the cabin wall. She imagined this was where Mr. Armenta worked while he was traveling. Atop the table was a copy of the
New York Times
and a chilled bottle of Perrier awaited her.

Settling into her seat, Thandie looked out the window.

It was another dreary day in New York. Cloudy skies and drizzling rain. Leaning her head back against the headrest, Thandie closed her eyes, hoping the flight would be over as soon as possible. She was desperate to leave the city, desperate to escape the life she knew. The idea of Ibiza filled her with hope. A new start in a new city. Anything could happen.

Shadows moved behind her closed lids as the captain and his cocaptain prepared for take off. Thandie tried to block them out, choosing instead to close her eyes and rest. It was not easy. The sound of the cabin door closing and locking into place was the sweetest sound ever. Thandie felt as though she was finally safe—safe from her own emotions. Her eyes opened and flickered to the side, and for the first time she noticed a tiny black box on the edge of the desktop. It was tied with a black ribbon. A gift from Armenta?

Cautiously, she reached for the box. Like a child, she weighed it in her hand, trying to guess its contents. Nothing came to mind. Had it been meant for her? Nibbling on her bottom lip, she debated whether she should open it.

Her curiosity got the best of her. Thandie pulled at the ribbon, removed the lid and upended the box.

A single object slid into the palm of her hand. She blinked, and then she stiffened. She thought she would never lay eyes on it again, and here it was. A token of her foolish affection. Thandie was holding a small wooden yo-yo.

Thandie stared at the toy, a mixture of shock and confusion played across her face. A dark and imposing shadow fell over her shoulder.

Thandie looked up, just as a bolt of lightning shot up her spine.

In contrast, the man looked quite at ease. A slow smile appeared across his lips when he said, “Hello, pussycat.”

Chapter Thirty

T
handie was unable to trust what she was seeing. Confused, she blinked several times. When the truth finally caught up with her brain, her eyes grew the size of saucers.

This can’t be happening, she thought. Thandie watched the man walk casually to the seat across from her before settling into it. She could do little more than stare at him in utter disbelief. His cool gray eyes seemed to sparkle in the light, heightening his handsome features. He literally took her breath away.

Elliot. The man who’d stolen her heart and tossed it aside. The asshole who’d crushed her with his indifference. Elliot. A man who should be in Florida.

As if reading her mind, he said, “Judging from your expression, I gather you’re surprised to see me. Although, I’m not sure why.” He flicked a speck of lint off his jacket sleeve, before pinning her with his silver stare. “You didn’t really think it would be that easy, did you?”

“What are you doing here?” she asked, surprised by the hoarseness of her own voice.

Elliot cocked his head to the side. “I thought the answer to that was obvious.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” she snapped again. “Why did you come and why—wait a minute—” Thandie whipped her head around, an alarming thought gripping her. “How did you get on board?” she breathed. That’s when she felt it. They were moving. Thandie peered out the window. Her heart dropped. The jet was indeed easing away from the terminal. The sound of raindrops pelted the windows as they picked up speed. Thandie glared at Elliot. When she opened her mouth to speak, words failed her.

“What’s wrong, pussycat?” he cooed. “Cat got your tongue?”

“Y-you can’t,” she stammered.

A dark brow lifted in invitation. “I can’t what?”

“You—you can’t jump onto other people’s planes.”

“Why not?” he asked with mock surprise.

“It’s illegal,” she hissed.

“Not on a
private jet,
” he said.

Thandie stared at him in disbelief. Why did he have to be so damned arrogant? And why did he have to look so damned good while doing it?

As the plane climbed, the tension in the cabin thickened. Thandie stared at him, uncertain if she should start shouting at him or give him the silent treatment. It had been weeks since they had last spoken and suddenly, without warning, he was here.

Sparing him another heated glare, Thandie turned to look out the window turning the yo-yo in her hand. The aircraft was beginning to break through the clouds. From up here, the sky was clear and sunny. A perfect day. It was too bad she couldn’t enjoy the view. Thandie’s mind was working feverishly, trying to figure out how to handle Elliot’s sudden appearance. If Mr. Armenta surprised them by greeting her at the airport, Thandie would have a lot to answer for. What would she say? How was she going to explain Elliot’s presence to her new employer? The answer was, she couldn’t. She’d be lucky if he didn’t fire her on the spot.

“We need to talk,” Elliot said, interrupting her thoughts.

“Talk?” Thandie repeated in surprise. “Talk about what? I haven’t heard from you in weeks and suddenly you’re demanding we talk?”

“Why did you leave before speaking with me first?”

Thandie crossed her arms over her chest. “You know why.”

He tsked. “I believe I told you once before I wasn’t finished with you.”

“Stop treating me as if you own me,” she hissed.

“I do, pussycat. The sooner you realize that, the better.”

“I’m not interested in your games, Elliot.”

“This isn’t a game, Thandie,” he said in a low voice. “Not this time.” Elliot tore his gaze away from her, exhaling before continuing. “I admit my intentions may not have been virtuous in the beginning, but this is different. Forget all the other bullshit. That’s not why I came here.”

“Other bullshit?” she said quietly. “Would Rex fall into that category?”

A muscle ticked in Elliot’s jaw. He was upset. She could feel his anger coming off him like a thick vapor. But Thandie didn’t care. She was too hurt to consider taking his feelings into account. He was the reason they were at odds.

She’d always known Elliot wasn’t the type to settle down, so she’d never dared to entertain fanciful notions. But if he’d only done things differently, Thandie could have left Miami with fond memories and few regrets. Unlike now. At this very moment she wished she had never gone to Florida, had never taken that call from Warren Radcliffe, had never heard the name Elliot Richards.

“I do not desire to talk about Rex,” Elliot said in a voice so measured, it barely contained his wrath.

“No, you just want to have sex with me practically in front of him,” she said. “Embarrassing me, humiliating me.”

Elliot’s eyes flashed a stormy gray and his handsome features hardened. “My methods may have been unorthodox,” Elliot admitted, “but I believe I got my point across.”

Thandie’s eyes stung with tears. She couldn’t believe he could be so callous about his actions. He couldn’t even give her the satisfaction of pretending to look ashamed. “You didn’t have to do it,” she whispered.

Elliot tilted his head as he considered her. His icy stare grew ever more intense the longer he gazed at her. “In hindsight, perhaps not,” he said.

“So why did you?” she insisted.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he asked. “I was jealous.”

“Jealous?” She found it hard to believe Elliot Richards, a man who had women falling over themselves to get near him, would be jealous of Rex. Elliot and Rex weren’t in the same league, not by a long shot. “But why?”

“Because I loathed the way he looked at you,” Elliot said in a near growl. “And I hated the way you seemed to revel in his company. You always seemed more at ease with him. It pissed me off and I retaliated. Granted, in the worst way.” He paused. “My behavior was in poor taste,” he admitted. “And for that, I apologize. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, Thandie, but I need you to understand why I reacted the way I did.”

“I accept your apology,” she said in a voice devoid of any emotion. “But this doesn’t excuse what you did.”

Elliot nodded his head in agreement.

Needing a momentary distraction, Thandie turned to glance out the cabin window. The clouds were now far below them, revealing a beautiful bowl of cobalt blue sky. She could see no other planes in sight. It was as if she and Elliot were the only two people on the planet.

She turned to glance at Elliot. He was still watching her with those intense gray eyes of his. She could not count how many times she’d gotten lost in his eyes. He had a way of looking her that made her feel as if she were the only girl in the world. It was a spell only he could cast on her. And she fell for it every time. Even now, she could feel herself slipping under his influence, and it pissed her off.

When Elliot abruptly leaned forward, Thandie stiffened. Her eyes narrowed as she followed his movements. Even as she watched him, she was unprepared for what happened next. Elliot reached out, unbuckled her seatbelt and, without warning, scooped her into his arms and pulled her onto his lap. Settling her there, he buried his face into the curve of her neck. He inhaled deeply. His lips fluttered against her skin when he said, “You smell good.” He nuzzled her with the tip of his nose. “And you feel even better.” Elliot pulled away and studied her closely. “You’re thinner,” he observed.

She squirmed against him. “Elliot, don’t.”

He pulled her closer. “I can’t help myself.” He breathed in her scent once more. “I never could.”

Thandie sucked in a calming breath, trying hard not to inhale the heady scent of him. “Why can’t you ever play fair?” she asked.

“Fair?” he said with a frown. “I don’t know the meaning of the word.”

“I’m going to ask you a question, Elliot. And I want the truth.”

“Ask me anything,” he whispered against her ear.

“Why are you here?”

“I’m here for you.”

This caught Thandie off guard. “Me? But why?”

“Because I want you.”

“You want a lot of things,” she countered.

“True,” he conceded, “but you’re different. You’re special to me.”

She shuddered at his words. “Why do you have to make things so difficult?”

The tips of Elliot’s mouth curved into the smallest of smiles. “It’s who I am. Nothing is ever easy with me. It’s one of my more interesting traits.” He brushed his knuckles along her upper arm. “It’s why you’re fascinated with me.”

“And why are you so arrogant?” she moaned.

This time he gave a low chuckle. “If it makes you feel any better, you should know I’m completely mesmerized by you.” His brow lowered into a frown. “Just when I think I have you figured out, you do something that utterly astounds me.”

“Me?”

“You left me,” he pointed out.

“You were being an asshole,” she justified.

“You should have spoken with me first,” he argued, his voice having lost all amusement.

“You shouldn’t have lied to me,” she fired back. Thandie released a heavy sigh. “Let’s just call this what it was. We had sex. It was nice while it lasted, but it’s over now.”

“Is that what you think?” he growled. The twitch in his jaw was back.

“Isn’t that what it was?” she countered.

“I wouldn’t be here if that were the case,” he said flatly. “You mean a hell of a lot more to me than that.” He swore under his breath and looked away, seemingly counting to ten, until his temper simmered down. Finally, he turned back to her. “I can’t blame you for having such a low opinion of me. I demanded a lot from you, and gave so little in return.” He paused before continuing. “It scared me how I felt about you. You snuck up on me, Thandie. I was surprised by how easily you got under my skin.”

“I got under your skin?” she said, with a fair amount of surprise.

“More than you know,” he said in a soft whisper.

Stealing herself against his words, Thandie squeezed her fists. She noticed for the first time, she was gripping something hard in her right hand. She opened her fingers to inspect the object. The wooden yo-yo rested in the center of her palm.

Elliot’s gaze dropped down to the object of her attention. His expression softened at the sight. “I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did. You were getting too close and it scared me. I reacted badly. You didn’t deserve the way I behaved.” Thandie opened her mouth to speak, but Elliot held up his hand. “Come back home with me.”

For a moment, she was certain she hadn’t heard him correctly. “What?”

“I’m quite certain you heard me, Thandie.”

She shook her head in exasperation. “I can’t go back to Miami.”

Elliot’s brow arched. “Exactly where do you think this plane is headed?” he asked.

Thandie blinked. When the weight of his words finally donned on her, anger welled up in her like hot lava preparing to explode. “You can’t do that!” she flared up.

“I just did,” he said smoothly.

In a burst of rage, Thandie pushed hard against Elliot’s chest. Coming to her feet she, paced the length of the cabin, squeezing her palms tightly together, willing herself to calm down. After several minutes of fuming, she threw herself into her seat and glared at him. “You had no right,” she hissed.

“You left me no choice,” he said matter-of-factly. “Did you think I would simply let you walk away from me?” The question hung in the air between them, and for a moment, neither could speak, his pale gray eyes became cloudy with intensity. “Come back to Miami with me.” The words were soft, and dangerously close to sounding like a plea.

“I can’t.”

“Why the hell not?” he asked, a hint of accusation in his tone.

“For starters,” she began hotly, “My team is expecting me to return to New York in a few weeks. Not to mention, I have a new assignment I’ve committed to...and my mother is still there.”

“The girls will be fine,” he assured her. “And as for that assignment, I’m sure Mr. Armenta will understand.”

Thandie sat up taller in her seat. “You know Mr. Armenta?”

“Of course I do,” he said. “And so do you.” When she didn’t immediately respond, Elliot mouthed the word, “Nico.”

Thandie stared at him in disbelief. “Nico is Dominic Armenta?” She shook her head and said, more to herself. “That can’t be. I Googled him. Dominic Armenta is an older man.”

“Dominic Armenta is an older man,” Elliot agreed. “And quite formidable. His son, on the other hand, Dominic Armenta Jr., is the exact opposite. It’s one of the many reasons he prefers to be called by his nickname.”

Thandie’s face fell. “You had this planned the entire time.”

Elliot nodded.

“But how did you know I would accept the job offer?”

“It was a calculated risk,” he confessed, “but I know you. And I was willing to bet you would be eager to take a trip that would put considerable distance between yourself and me.”

“Or in other words, you knew I would take the bait.” Thandie sniffed.

“Your words, not mine,” Elliot said carefully.

Thandie snickered. Her annoyance with him was growing by the minute. However, she couldn’t help but admire his logic; and curse her own predictability.

She looked around the comfortable setting of the jet’s cabin. Taking it all in with new eyes. She deduced what she should have noticed before. “I suppose this is another one of Nico’s planes?” she asked.

Elliot shook his head. When she raised her brow in question, he said, “It’s mine.”

Thandie blink several times. “Yours?”

“Yes, mine,” he said with a slow nod of his head.

“But I thought you didn’t own a plane.”

“I never said I didn’t.”

“But you—” she had to stop herself to collect her thoughts. “If this is yours,” she began more slowly, “why didn’t we travel to Havana on it?”

Elliot sighed before patiently explaining. “It’s easier to pass through Cuban customs on Nico’s plane because it’s not registered in the United States. It’s not a favor I ask often, but it has come in handy from time to time.” He smirked at her incredulous expression. “Don’t worry. I’m not taking advantage of Nico. He gets plenty of use out of my plane. If anything, I’m the one getting taken advantage of.”

Thandie shook her head. There was so much she didn’t know about him. She began to wonder, not for the first time, if she would ever know all the many pieces that made up Elliot Richards. Too wrapped up in her own thoughts, Thandie forgot to put up any fight when Elliot reached for her again. Like a limp doll, she allowed him to place her on his lap again.