She preferred the glitz-and-glamour facade of the jewelry world over the sweaty, athletic image of his company. It was just as well she wasn’t bright enough to have done any research. If she had, she would have known that Damon's company’s earnings far exceeded those of their family's jewelry business. And it had only taken him a few years to accomplish it.
His mother wouldn’t believe it but Damon was grateful to Sam for being a selfish pinhead. Sam wanted Grace becausese Damon had her. Thanks to that deep need for one-upmanship, Damon had narrowly escaped a huge mistake. But it didn’t mean he wanted to spend quality time with his spoiled, self-indulgent cousin. He’d agreed, however, and now he needed a date.
With a shake of his head, he began scrolling through the contacts on his phone. He had narrowed his options to three women, when the solution came to him.
It was brilliant, really. He w
“You can’t have it both ways, Grace. Either I was serious about you or you were an accessory,” he drawled.“Which is it?” She flushed angrily. “I only meant that you haven’t dated any woman more than once since I broke things off with you.”He made an exaggerated expression of surprise. “You flatter me. I had no idea you were so interested in who I date. I would have thought my brother kept you too occupied to monitor my love life.”“Bring your date, Damon. But you know and I know she isn’t me. She’ll never be me. Don’t think you’ll take anything away from my wedding day.” Grace hissed.With that she stalked out of his office, leaving Damon to shake his head. He really ought to call his cousin and thank him profusely. He had dodged a bullet.He sank into his chair and opened his day planner. Maggie kept meticulous records of all appointments for just such rare occasions that
“I only have forty-five minutes,” he continued. “We’re two blocks apart. Shall we meet in the middle? Our choices are French, Italian or good ole American.”“I’m up for anything,” she said faintly.She propped the phone between her shoulder and her ear and began frantically digging for her notes on his account. She stuffed everything into a folder and reached for her bag.“Great. Shall we meet in say five minutes? I’ll start out now.”“Sure, meet you there.” She replied.He hung up and for a moment she stood there like a moron, the phone still stuck to her ear. Then removed it from her ear, took in a deep steadying breath and declared battle.She could do this in her sleep. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she all but jogged out of her office and down the hallway.She passed Trevor Williams, Standard Gate's CFO, who held up a finger and opened his mouth to say s
Worry knotted her stomach. Tagging along to a family wedding seemed entirely too personal even if the purpose was solely business. Not to mention it was hard enough to battle her attraction for him in a business setting. But something as intimate as a wedding?“How long would we be…..away?” she asked.The question came out more as a squeak than a concise, professional query. She sounded like a scared little girl facing the big bad wolf. Oh, but Damon made such a yummy wolf.It was all she could do not to put her head on the table and bang a few times. Focus, Wendy focus.“We’d fly out Thursday evening. Rehearsal and dinner on Friday, wedding Saturday with reception to follow and since it will likely go well into the night, we’d return Sunday.” he replied.It would only require one missed day of work. No one but Ev
There was nothing gaudy about any of the furnishings. It looked very masculine.It even smelled masculine. Leather and suede. Earth tones.Beyond the three rows of seats, there was a small sitting area with a couch and one chair with a coffee table and a television. To her left between the seats and the cockpit was a small galley area complete with a steward. The older man smiled at her and welcomed her on board.She saw that Debbie was already seated and had made herself comfortable.As she and Damon took their seats beside each other, the steward introduced himself as Bill and asked her if she wanted a drink.She glanced at Damon then back at Bill. “Do you have wine?” she said.Bill smiled. “But of course. Mr. Paige keeps the airplane stocked with all the necessities.” he replied.She’d agree that wine was very necessary.A few moments later, Bi
Behind her, a grim faced older gentleman flanked by a younger woman and a man who looked slightly younger than Damon, walked slower but with no less purpose in their direction.To her surprise, Damon took her left hand in his and held it close to his side. He fumbled with her fingers even as he looked up with a welcoming smile. It looked completely forced to Wendy, but the woman didn’t seem put off.Debbie went past them.The woman, who Wendy recognized as Damon and Debbie's mother, threw her arms around Debbie. "Oh sweetheart, you are here!" the woman said."Yes mom, we are here" Debbie replied, smiling and hugging her mother tightly, then she moved to hug her father too.The woman threw her arms around Damon, and still, he didn’t let go of Wendy's hand. He returned her embrace with his free arm and said, “Hello, Mom. I told you I was co
Wendy smiled. “It’s all right. Truly. It is one of those things women like to know. Men are so thick when it comes to these things, but if any awkwardness can be avoided, I would like to know.” She said.And she could go straight to hell for lying, too. She’d just make sure Damon got there first for his role in this debacle.“It’s all in the past. Rest assured.” Martha said.“Naturally,” Wendy said drily.“Damon and Grace were engaged. It was a long engagement. The truth of the matter is, I’m just not sure how much of Damon's affections were engaged. Grace and Sam fell in love, and well, it’s obvious to anyone that those two were meant for each other. Damon didn’t take it well, though, and if I hadn’t begged him to come to the wedding, I have no doubt he wouldn’t be here.”Wendy nodded, understanding now why he and Debbie didn't want to attend the wedding in the first place.
“I have had it with people trying to make me do things that I don't want to do. That's the reason why I left my dad's company. It's the reason why I came here. But you don't care about that, do you? As long as you get what you want. But listen to me, I'm not going to let you use me to lie to your mother because your fiancée humiliated you by dumping you for your cousin. Here’s another thing you should know. Crap happens. It happens all the time. Get over it.”Damon's hands closed over her shoulders. She tried to flinch away, but he held tight. There was honest regret in his eyes, but there was also determination. Stubborn determination.“Sit down, Wendy,” he ordered in a low voice.She gaped at him.“Please.” he said.It was the please that did it. Or maybe it was how tired and resigned he sounded.Or maybe it was the bleak light that entered his eyes. Or maybe she was just a flami
He blinked and then looked a little sheepish. “Okay, I get it. I’m an immature, egotistical man. The male ego is obviously a fragile creature. I think we can agree on that. Yes, it occurred to me to get a little of mine back on her by showing up with a gorgeous, stunning woman. Sue me. I even hatched the whole engagement scheme complete with the ring because I figured it was the best way to get them all off my back.” Damon said.Her shoulders shook and she closed her eyes. The man was nothing if not honest.She had to give him that much.“Wendy, look at me, please.” he said.His entreating tone had her turning once more to stare into those intense dark eyes. He looked earnest, and he looked…..worried.“I didn’t do any of this to hurt you, I swear. I thought if I just came out and asked you to do me this favor, you’d have never agreed to come with me, even with the promise of listening to your