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“You’ll find that I do, too,” he said. “And if Trout is interested in more oil, we can get him more oil. Your brother said you know a little something about surveying ranch land?”
Finally, Lynch was getting to the point. “I do, but nothing about oil.”
“That’s fine.” Lynch clapped his hands with finality. “We might be able to use your services down the road.”
That was it? Lynch was plying Nash with offers of sweet favors and fireworks to look at some land for them? Besides being boring, that sounded… off.
A knock sounded on the door and a pretty brunette, who might’ve overdone it with the fake-baking, poked her head through. “Lacy?” Her eyes went to Nash and they widened. “My apologies. You’re busy.”
Lynch straightened, his eyes roving over the tight red dress the woman wore. She smiled brightly, her shoulder popping up as she preened. She’d have to be blind not to notice his interest. She tilted her head with a coy look, and Lynch’s expression turned eager.
“Sorry, this is my assistant,” Lynch quickly explained.
Yeah, right. That is no assistant.
Clearly, Nash was distracting Lynch from a conquest. “Can you give us a second, Nash? I’ll be right back. Darla?” He turned to her. “Would you like to talk to me in that back room? I’d like your input on the Bradley job.”
“Of course.”
Lynch placed his fingers on the lady’s lower back and led her through a connecting door into the other room. She leaned into him.
Nash rolled his eyes. He reallyhatedWest’s world. He scooped up some peanuts, listening to the low murmurs in the other room. Very quickly, the talking stopped. Of course they did. People couldn’t talk when they were kissing. This was getting awkward.
He stood up, throwing the magazine back on Lynch’s desk. If Lynch needed him, he’d know where to find him. Nash thought he’d check on Emily and see what she thought of his contribution to her performance. Maybe that would make up for deserting her earlier with Eva.
The more time he’d spent with the party’s host, the more he realized he never should’ve let Emily out of his sight.
Forget the fireworks. He’d rather hold Emily close and… he smirked. There was only so much she’d let him do.
Nash opened the door to the hall, and was almost plowed over by another approaching woman. She was a girl really. Close up, he saw that she was younger than Nash by a few years. She lowered her hand since he’d caught her mid-knock. She actually seemed more respectable than the first one, like she could legitimately work for Lynch. She wore a gold dress that complimented her dark skin. Her beautiful brown eyes, strangely, seemed lost.
He stepped back before he ran straight into her. “Sorry.”
She stood on her tiptoes to peer past Nash’s arm. “Lacy isn’t in here?”
He winced. Technically he was. “He’s talking to his assistant in the back room.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “His assistant?”
“Uh, yeah, that’s what hecalledher. Do you work for him too?”
“I do, but…”
He laughed. Then she would know exactly the kind of guy who’d employed her. “He’s a little busy… if you know what I mean?” He was sure that she did.
Her eyes flashed. “No!” He groaned, quickly realizing that he didn’t want to get into this. At all. “What are you saying?” she asked.
Did he really have to spell it out for her? “C’mon, you’re a big girl. You know what I-I mean.” And now he was stuttering. He bit back an embarrassed grin. “You don’t want to get in the middle of his… uh… affairs. Maybe come back in a few minutes. Spare your eyes.”
Those big brown eyes just rolled. “Who’s he with?”
“Darla.”
“Oh.” She flipped her luxurious hair. “They don’t have a thing.”
He snorted. “Lynch has athingwith every woman at this party… practically.” Besides Emily, of course—and Nash was going to have to work overtime to make sure that she never found out what kind of den of iniquity she’d stepped into. “Well, you know, every woman hethinkshe can get with, am I right?”
She flinched. Maybe he needed to shut up. He hurriedly threw the peanuts into his mouth. He had no idea who he was talking to—this could be an investor and he’d just ruined a deal for Lynch. Hopefully this wouldn’t come back to haunt him.
