Page 12 of Million Dollar High

The stem of the wineglass she’d been slowly twirling trembled and a drop splashed onto the white linen tablecloth. Before she could stop them, tears sprang into her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Angrily, she wiped them away. “Tough love, Warren? Is that what this is supposed to be?”

“I will not watch you regress into destructive behavior because of him.” For the first time in her life, she saw animated emotion in Warren’s eyes. Emotion that looked very much like anger.

The shock of it held her speechless for several seconds.

“Him?” Her voice trembled. She clenched her fist on the table. “You can say his name, Warren. And Noah isn’t the reason I’m drinking,” she half-lied, and drained half her glass in one hefty gulp.

Warren remained silent for several minutes, his disquieting gaze resting on her. “Forgive me, my dear. It temporarily slipped my mind that there is another subject in this whole misjudged situation that must be painful for?—”

“I don’t want to talk about that. And the situation wasn’t misjudged. I entered it with my eyes wide open. I don’t regret anything.” The hell she was suffering now might be unbearable, but the four days she’d spent with Noah had been the best of her life.

Warren was stopped from replying when the headwaiter approached. Leia chose a random dish that she had no intention of eating and drank more wine.

Warren turned the conversation to business, and she participated enough to keep him from sending her those narrow-eyed looks. They were at the coffee stage, or rather Warren was while she finished the bottle, when his phone vibrated. Knowing he was about to ignore it because he never answered his phone at the table, she waved him away. “Answer it. There’s hardly anyone left in here. And I’m heading to the ladies’ room.”

She stood and swayed. Her vision wove in and out, and she flattened her hand on the table to steady herself. When she felt stable enough, she straightened and glanced out the window.

A middle-aged guy stood on the sidewalk, peering at a gadget in his hand. Her vision wove out again. When it cleared, he was gone and only her reflection stared back at her. Her eyes were huge haunted pools that screamed her pain so clearly, her stomach dropped. Quickly, she looked away and glanced at Warren when his phone started vibrating again.

“For God’s sake, answer your phone, Warren. It could be important.” She grabbed her tiny purse and tucked it under her arm, intent on escape. She’d taken a couple of steps when she heard Warren’s answer.

“King, how did you get my number?”

Leia turned around so fast, her head swam. Her purse dropped to the floor. She stumbled back to the table, her breath locked in her lungs.

“No. I will not.” Warren’s voice was icier than she’d ever heard it. He ended the call and placed his phone back in his pocket.

“Warren?”

“Are you ready to leave?” The modulated tone was firmly in place.

“I know that was Noah. What did he want?” The tremble was back, and she didn’t even have the strength to hate herself for it. All she wanted was to know why Noah had called Warren.

“To speak to you.”

“And you decided to answer on my behalf?” Anger and the alcohol swirling in her bloodstream made her voice emerge louder than she’d intended.

“Calm down, my dear?—”

“No, I will not calm down. Tell me exactly what he said. Right now.”

Warren stared down his nose at her, his silence meant to repudiate her for her outburst. She opened her mouth to demand an answer and heard a discreet cough behind her. Balling her fists to keep from letting loose another outburst, she glanced over her shoulder.

Pietro stood behind her, a phone in his hand. “Miss Michaels, a call has come through to you on the restaurant phone from a Mr. King. Do you wish to take?—”

She lunged up and grabbed the phone before he’d finished speaking. “Noah?” She squeezed her eyes shut at the breathless desperation in her voice, then took a deep breath. “What do you want?”

“For you to answer your phone when I call you.” His voice was a lethal blade, slicing away any hope that he’d softened since his callous demand for her to get out of his condo yesterday.

She licked her lips and momentarily regretted her free hand with the wine. “I haven’t seen my phone since I left your… since yesterday morning. Have… have you seen it?”

“Have I seen your phone?” he asked with a touch of incredulity that made her cringe.

“Yes… I think I may have left it behind.”

Silence.

“Noah?”

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