AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * *
DAMIEN WANTED TO walk through the door of the banquet hall with Viv on his arm, to make it clear to Sam, and anybody else, that they were together. It was what she wanted, what she’d asked of him, and he had long passed the point of being able to refuse her anything. The invitation—her willingness to open their relationship to potential comment from her coworkers—had been a sign of her trust in him, and he would never do anything to betray that trust.
Unfortunately, though, walking in with her on his arm wasn’t possible. Viv had a role to play in the event, which her department had organized. She’d hurried back to her own place after work, and then returned to the hotel ballroom, promising to meet him there.
Just after seven, dressed in a fitted tux he never traveled without, Damien headed downstairs. He was anticipating the sight of Viv in the deep blue dress he’d noticed her grabbing from the closet yesterday, when she’d thought he was in the shower. Viv was incredibly stubborn, and wouldn’t take a thing he offered her, but she’d been unable to resist “borrowing” the designer gown. He had no doubt it would be cleaned, pressed and returned to the closet by the end of the week.
But for now, since she’d taken the garment, he’d decided to get her something to go with it. He remembered the dress well—the cut, the color, which was the exact shade of her eyes—and had stopped by the downstairs jewelry shop that afternoon. He looked forward to seeing his gift against that fabric...and her smooth, silky skin.
The event didn’t officially get under way until seven thirty, but he wanted a few minutes with Viv to give her the present. He didn’t intend to drag her out of the ballroom—if he got her alone, she’d probably just refuse the gift. But if they were within sight of anyone else, she’d accept gracefully. And then she’d try to give him the jewelry back when the night was over, like a star borrowing a piece for an award show. Only his Viv wasn’t going to get away with being just a renter. Not this time.
He didn’t spot her right away. The banquet hall wasn’t crowded, but some key people were already here. A few of the players and their wives chatted near the bar. Some office staff had claimed a table up front. The general manager, newly promoted to the position permanently, spotted him, blanched and made as if to come over. Damien shook his head once. He was here as Viv’s date tonight, not as the owner. He would prefer to fly under the radar, which was one reason he’d created an LLC to purchase the team, and had enlisted other investors. His name wasn’t on the letterhead and he preferred it that way.
Then he spotted Sam. His friend saw him, waved and came over to join him.
“Spiffy suit,” he said. “Custom-fitted, I presume?”
Damien nodded and glanced at his friend’s tux. “Rented, I presume?”
Sam feigned offense, and they both laughed. Glad the ice was broken, and his oldest friend seemed in a good mood—with at least one Scotch under his belt, judging by the nearly empty glass he carried—Damien was direct.
“I’m looking for Viv.”
“Who?”
“You know damn well who,” he said. “Vivienne Callahan. I’m her date.”
Sam immediately lowered his glass onto the nearest table. “You’re joking.”
“Do I ever joke?”
His friend frowned. “I thought we’d straightened that out.”
“You might have believed so. I never agreed there was anything to be straightened.”
Sam began to grumble. Damien cut him off.
“Viv found out who I was right away, and had no problem with it.” Seeing his friend was unconvinced, he said, “I know her, Sam. We’ve been dating for weeks. I promise you, the whole thing with Neeley and Stoker is over and done with. Our ‘fraternizing’ is not going to cause any trouble.”
“Women always cause trouble, bro.”
He hated to believe that his own sister had made the normally sunny-natured attorney a whole lot more pessimistic about women. But he suspected it was true.
“Not Viv.”
“She could stab you in the back...”
“I’m not going to discuss this with you anymore,” he said, cutting the man off. “I’m involved with Viv. If anybody has a problem with that, they’re welcome to go fuck themselves.”
Sam obviously recognized that Damien was in a mood where it was best for everyone else to back off, and he did just that. Holding both hands up, palms out, he said, “Okay I get it. I can’t talk you in to doing anything you don’t want to do. Never could.”
“Never will.”
They eyed each other, and then Sam smiled, his good humor never gone for long. “She is beautiful.”
