Fighting the Inevitable (16 page)

Millie had a big smile on
her face as she read Rhianna’s business plan for her bookshop. She
pouted her lips at the name ‘Armand’s Bookshop’. It felt
impersonal, lacking the intimacy of the proposed type of bookstore
her friend was envisioning.

Bookstore was definitely
better than Bookshop. She pondered it some more and then slowly
smiled. Hunting for a pen, she scrolled across the top of the first
page of the business plan. ‘Create Your Own Happiness
Bookstore’.

It sounded a bit clichéd,
but it had been one of Rafe’s favourite sayings whenever they were
sad about something. He would sit them down and gently tell them
that they created their own happiness. It had always made them feel
better. She wondered if Rhianna would like it.

Her friend appeared out
of her room ten minutes later. Millie’s smile widened as she took
in the little black skirt and purple halter neck top Rhianna was
wearing.

“
Smoking hot,
girl,” she laughed, and made her best leer face.

Rhianna threw her head
back and burst out laughing, her long auburn curls swaying around
her as she did. “Let’s hope Caleb thinks so too,” she smiled, as
she sat down at the table beside her friend.

“
So, what did
you think of the bookshop?” She grabbed an apple out the fruit bowl
and bit into it.

Millie’s cobalt blue eyes
shone as she smiled her approval of the idea. “I thought the name
was a bit impersonal, but apart from that it sounds really
fantastic, Annie. I’d be up for offering my services as a
storyteller at the weekends.” She passed the plan over to Rhianna
and watched her friend’s face intently as she read her scrawled
writing across the top of the page.

Rhianna looked up at
Millie and her lavender eyes gleamed wetly even as her smile was
radiant across her face. “It’s perfect, Mills,” she whispered.
“It’s all of us together forever.”

Millie returned her smile
and squeezed her friend’s hand gently “That’s what I thought when I
wrote it.”

“
Crack open
that bottle of red, Mills,” Rhianna said with a big smile. “Let’s
have a toast.”

Her friend jumped up and
opened the red wine, pouring out two very generous glasses and
handing her one.

“
To new
beginnings and creating your own happiness.” Rhianna
smiled.

“
Amen to
that, Annie!” Millie laughed, as they clinked glasses
together.

Rhianna finished her
wine, then grabbed her wrap and purse and headed for the
door.

“
Call Jared,
Millie,” she called over her shoulder. “Take a leap of
faith!”

Millie grunted, but
laughed as the door closed behind her friend. Maybe Annie was
right. Maybe she should take a chance. She considered it briefly
and then frowned. She was not ready to give in to Jared Hanlon. Not
yet.

Rhianna took a cab. She
had two choices of where to head, either Caleb’s mansion or
Karpathia’s. She opted to try Karpathia’s first. It was Friday
night and most people went out to wind down after a long, hard week
at work. She gave the cab driver the address and sat back for the
short ride to the club.

She tried to calm down
her heart, which had suddenly started beating loudly. What if Caleb
wasn’t interested anymore? What if she got to the club and found
him wrapped in some other woman’s arms? Well, it would be her own
damned fault if that was the case, but she wouldn’t know if he’d
moved on if she didn’t at least try to find him.

~~~~~

Caleb was lounging in the
shadows. His bored gaze ran across the crowded room as he wished
he’d ignored Demetri’s incessant bullying to come out tonight. He
was tired and cranky and he just wanted to go home and put his feet
up.

He’d tried to slip out a
couple of times but Demetri had appeared at his side, halting his
escape with a deep frown and a long lecture about how it was time
for him to give up on Rhianna and get back into the swing of
things. Caleb caved in both times just to shut his friend up. His
constant nagging was driving him insane.

He was just about to make
his third bid for freedom. Demetri was sitting in a booth with a
lithe little brunette tucked up in his lap, so the chances of Caleb
getting out this time were more encouraging than the last two
attempts. He watched Demetri move in for another long, lusty kiss
with the brunette, and took a deep breath, getting ready to move.
He froze where he stood.

Lavender and jasmine
assaulted his nostrils and his eyes widened as he slowly turned his
head towards the club door. He blinked slowly as Rhianna walked in,
her gaze quickly sweeping around the room.

God, she was so
stunningly beautiful she astounded him. His greedy gaze ran over
her body, and he smothered a groan at the sexy outfit she was
wearing. The material clung to her body like a fitted glove,
showing off all her wonderful assets and making his body harden
instantly.

He knew she couldn’t see
him in the shadows. It was one of the reasons they kept this part
of the club so dimly lit. They could hide within the shadows and
survey the entire room unobserved. Rhianna was definitely looking
for someone. Was she looking for him? He didn’t dare hope she was
but he did remember telling her he was a silent partner in the
club. Surely she must be looking for him? She wouldn’t be so cruel
as to arrange a date with another man in the very place she knew he
would most likely be?

~~~~~

Rhianna couldn’t see
Caleb and she struggled to hide her disappointment. She would have
to try his mansion then. If he wasn’t there, then she’d just go
home. At least she would have tried to catch up with him. She was
just about to turn to leave when something drew her eyes to a
couple in the booth across from her and something about the man
caught her eye.

He was gorgeous and had
long flowing black hair which obscured his face slightly. Even so,
there was something about him that convinced her she knew him from
somewhere. She stepped a little further into the room just as the
woman on the man’s lap brushed his hair back from his face and she
got a better view.

He was the man who had
come out with the Volvo when Caleb’s car was struck by the wolf. He
was a friend of Caleb’s, she was sure of that, though she didn’t
know his name. He would probably know where Caleb was, but he
appeared to be a little busy at the moment.

Rhianna’s eyes went wide
as she saw the man run a hand up the woman’s thigh and slide it
under her short skirt. Was he really touching her intimately in the
middle of a club? Her cheeks flushed scarlet, and she looked away
and nervously clutched at her stomach. She couldn’t very well walk
over there now and ask where Caleb was, and yet, if she didn’t she
may lose her nerve and never try to find him again.

Squaring her shoulders,
she walked determinedly over to the booth. The man and woman
ignored her, continuing to kiss as if they were somewhere private.
Rhianna felt her embarrassment mount. She timidly cleared her
throat whilst trying to look anywhere but at the couple.

Demetri growled low in
his throat as the human woman’s scent washed over him and her
little throat noise interrupted his very pleasant moment with the
woman in his arm. “I’m busy,” he grunted, not even bothering to
look up. “Come back later if you want some action.”

Rhianna gasped at his
abrupt tone, and his automatic assumption that she wanted in on the
‘action’. She felt her temper spark, and though her embarrassment
deepened, she couldn’t stop her tart response. “Oh, please! I have
much better taste than you!”

Her tone literally
dripped with derision and Caleb found himself smiling from his spot
in the corner as she knocked Demetri down a peg or two.

Demetri stopped kissing
the brunette, and looked up with a hint of surprise in his cool,
green eyes. He scrutinised the woman before him, and then he slowly
smiled.

“
Well, well,
well, if it isn’t the little redhead,” he drawled, pushing the
woman from his lap as he sat up straight. “Give me a moment,
darling.” He shooed her away with a hand, his full concentration on
Rhianna.

“
So, what can
I do for you, Rhianna?” he asked with a mocking smile. “I suppose
you’re looking for Caleb? Feel the need to do a little more
emasculating of my friend?”

His words were nasty,
cutting, and totally undeserved. She stared down at him and felt an
itch in her palm. She clenched her hand so she didn’t smack his
smug face the way she wanted to.

“
What goes on
between Caleb and I is none of your business,” she answered
frostily, squaring her shoulders against his glacial green gaze.
“You’re hardly one to talk about what’s appropriate anyway. Not
after what I’ve just witnessed. You do know there are public
indecency laws? This is a public place and what you were doing to
that poor woman just now was outrageous.”

She knew she sounded
stuffy and prudish, but something about the man rubbed her up the
wrong way. It didn’t help she was embarrassed and nervous about
seeing Caleb again, too. The combination of emotions was making her
lash out, though he didn’t seem the least annoyed about it judging
from his expression.

Demetri threw back his
head and laughed loudly. “Who the fuck are you, Martha Stewart?
Believe me, darling, that little filly was most definitely not
complaining about what I was ‘doing’ to her. On the contrary, she
loved every single second of it.”

Rhianna felt her face
flushing scarlet again, but she held her ground. The man may be
gorgeous to look at, but he had no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
“Fine, I’m not going to argue with you,” she snapped. “I just want
to know where Caleb is. Is he here tonight?”

Demetri glanced in the
corner and saw Caleb glaring at him with a murderous expression on
his face. He knew his friend could hear every word being said, and
was not at all pleased with what he’d heard so far. He
sighed deeply and looked back at the redhead. If he didn’t
apologise to the girl, his friend would most probably try to
rearrange his face for him. He sighed deeply again.

“
My
apologies, Rhianna. You caught me at an inopportune moment and my
manners were severely lacking. Yes, Caleb is here tonight. Do you
wish me to tell him you’re looking for him?”

She was taken aback by
the complete change in the man and she looked around quickly to see
if she could spot Caleb anywhere near them. She didn’t see him and
turned back to the booth.

“
I’m sorry
too,” she said thawing slightly. “You have me at a disadvantage.
You appear to know who I am, but I have no idea who you are other
than you brought the replacement car out to Old Forest Road last
week.”

“
Demetri
Bozic, proprietor of this fine club and Caleb’s business partner in
many a venture.” He smiled, holding out his hand.

Rhianna accepted his hand
and shook it quickly. “Pleased to meet you, Demetri. Sorry I ran my
mouth off just now. I’m not used to such public displays and to be
honest I’m a bit nervous, too. I’m not usually such a
bitch.”

Demetri smiled and stood
up. “No apology necessary,” he answered with a dismissive wave of
his hand. “Come; let me buy you a drink. I’ll track down Caleb for
you and send him over.”

She allowed him to escort
her to the bar and told the bartender to give her a drink of her
choice on the house. He waited until she was talking to the
bartender and quickly slipped into the shadows beside
Caleb.

“
If you ever
speak to Annie like that again you and I will have a serious
issue,” Caleb growled in his ear.

“
Peace,
Caleb,” Demetri said soothingly. “You’ve been impossible to live
with for weeks now. Forgive me if I find it hard not to blame the
girl for the cause of your shocking behaviour. I apologised to her
and she accepted my apology. Let it go at that.”

Caleb dampened down his
anger as his gaze turned to Rhianna sipping at her glass of red
wine as she turned around to survey the room. He wanted to go to
her, but now the moment was here he was afraid to. Her rejection
the last time he’d seen her had been hard to take.

She had come looking for
him though. He had seen her mortification at Demetri’s lewd acts
with the other woman, and she had still approached him to ask if he
was in the club. She must want to see him pretty badly to endure
the embarrassment and then Demetri’s tirade on top of
it.

“
Well, are
you going to go to the girl?” Demetri asked with a tinge of
irritation in his voice. “She is the reason you’ve been moping
around all this time. She’s here willingly. Go to her.”

Caleb turned to his
friend and raised an eyebrow at him. “I thought you didn’t like
her, Demetri.”

“
Not like
her,” Demetri chuckled. “That girl has spirit! Can’t remember
anyone giving me lip like that before. I’m almost annoyed I let you
have her the first night she came in.”

Caleb growled at him
again, and Demetri’s chuckles increased. “I said almost. I prefer
my women to know the boundaries, Caleb. Can’t be bothered with all
this touchy feely crap you’re letting yourself in for.”