“According to my cousin, whose brother is a good friend of Cortez’s, the three brothers even made a bet that he could last a year without sex. And supposedly, he’s winning the bet so far, and only has a few more months to go.”
“Personally, I don’t think he’ll last,” one woman said, chuckling.
“Me neither,” the other one replied.
The two women finally left the ladies’ room without using it. It was only then that Desiree came out. As she stood at the sink to wash her hands, she thought about what she had overheard. It was a good thing the woman who had tried to trick Cobra had gotten caught. What kind of woman thought of something like that?
She was also interested that neither woman thought he would last a year of celibacy. From the sounds of it, he had a reputation for being the king of one-night stands. Well, what he did or what he didn’t do was no concern of hers.
However, his relationship with her grandfather was. And if getting to know him better was the only way to put her doubts to rest about his motives, she’d would try to get along with him, even if it killed her. And it might.
CHAPTER 6
Cobra studied the chessboard. Richard had been trying all night to trap him, but he wasn’t having it. He refused to be baited, even by the man who had taught him everything he knew about the game.
“I understand my granddaughter doesn’t like you much,” Richard said.
Cobra didn’t bother to look up because he knew Richard hadn’t. One of the rules the older man had instilled in him was that, unless you needed to rest your eyes for a minute, a good chess player knew not to take their eyes off the board for long.
“To be honest, Richard, I don’t care much for your granddaughter either. She accused me of trying to use you.”
“She said that?” Richard asked, as if surprised.
“Twice. Once at the wedding and then at her office on Monday. That pissed me off.”
Richard chuckled. “I’m sure it did.”
“Where is she, by the way?” Cobra asked, glancing around. When he decided to join Richard for dinner before their chess game, he’d assumed she would be there. The fact that he didn’t like her meant nothing. If anything, he’d hoped his presence would annoy her.
“Allison is still at the office. She wants to get through all those manuals she has to read.”
Cobra nodded. “How late will she be working?”
“If she follows the same pattern as the other couple of nights, I would say until around ten.”
“Ten? And how will she get home?”
“I usually send my car for her. However, I don’t think she appreciates it. I guess it rains on her independence. Although this place is plenty big enough, I have a feeling the only reason she’s staying here and not moving into an apartment is that she thinks she needs to keep an eye on me.” Richard smiled as if he found the very thought amusing.
Cobra rolled his eyes. “Or so she can keep an eye on your friends and associates, so they don’t take advantage of you. As if such a thing were possible. I’m convinced the older you get, the sharper you get.”
“I’m glad you think so. Checkmate.”
Cobra blinked. How had he let that move happen? Damn, he had become trapped after all. “As I said, the older you get, the sharper you get,” he said, standing and putting on his jacket. “When will Lolita be returning?”
“Not for another month. She is enjoying spending time with her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson in Sydney over the summer. I’m thinking of joining her there for a couple of weeks.”
Lolita Albritton was the woman Richard had started dating a year ago. The two had met when Lolita and Richard had attended a special party in honor of New York’s new mayor. Lolita was a widow who had taken over the running of her husband’s media business upon his death. She’d retired two years ago and had turned over the running of the corporation to her son.
In Cobra’s mind, Richard and Lolita were compatible on so many levels. They shared a number of values and interests. Richard had confided that he never thought he would meet a woman who could hold a light to his wife, but he had. He wondered if the real reason Richard had requested that Desiree return to the States was to meet Lolita. “Have you told Desiree about her?”
“Not yet, but I plan to do so soon.”
Cobra nodded. “Thanks for dinner.”
“Anytime.”
Before reaching the door, Cobra turned and said, “How about calling Ron to cancel that pickup.”
