Page 12 of Players Like Us
Her expression softened, the full lips tilted at the corners and when she spoke, there was real kindness in her voice. “Yes, I did get an introduction.” Those lips pulled into a genuine smile. “And no matter what happens, I’ll be forever grateful for this chance. All a person can ever ask for is as an opportunity, right?”
Forever grateful? Well. What was he going to do about that? If she were forever grateful, then that would mean she might agree to dinner with him and he could find out more about her plans, who her friends were, how she made money while trying to get an interior design gig. “Opportunity should not be squandered.” Neal had finally learned this when he became business partners with Dominic. That’s when he realized how much he did not want to be the sort of person who wandered from one excess to another—thinking only of himself, his pleasures, and the next event. Neal had discovered he wanted to do something that mattered and—
“Yes, opportunities and people will often surprise you. don’t you think?” She tilted her head, and he noticed the way her dark hair shone under the lights. She was a beautiful woman… Captivating, intriguing, definitely confusing.
“Are we talking about people in general or someone in particular?” She was toying with him. Of course, she’d figured out he was behind the meeting with Dominic and now Rachel Reese was engaging in what he recognized as casual flirtation. Who would have thought all those years ago would lead them to this? Neal took in the slender column of her neck, the way her—
“You might not think much of Simon Bainbridge, but he’s proven that kindness beats out arrogance any day.”
Neal stared, tried to sift through her words to their meaning. “Kindness? No one has ever associated that man with words like kindness.” Why would she say that? The man was a user whose only claim to anything was a future partnership with his family’s law firm. That was always his lead-in and the fact that he flunked the bar twice—not because he wasn’t smart enough but because he’d been vacationing in Greece when he should have been studying—was a minor detail he left out of conversations. And what about the two broken engagements, both of which occurred when his fiancées discovered he’d been cheating? Not with one woman, but multiple women? Yeah, kindness wasn’t a word people associated with Simon Bainbridge.
The only reason the guy hadn’t been kicked out of the country clubs and barred from the night spots had to do with his family name and money. Old money. Big money. Rachel wouldn’t be aware of any of that because the guy knew how to use his words and make compelling arguments regarding his compassion, generosity, and the desire to do the right thing. Hardly. Most women couldn’t resist the man’s words or the phony smile that went with it, but too many had been hurt, some almost destroyed.
That would not happen to Rachel. He’d promised his sister he’d find out what Rachel was doing and that implied protecting her if he discovered she needed help. Great, just what he wanted. A battle with Simon Bainbridge. The man didn’t believe in fair or compromise. Neal learned that years ago when Simon slept with Neal’s girlfriend because as the jerk put it, You always get the girl until you don’t want her. But you wanted this one so I’m taking her. Neal had wanted Georgianna, had believed they had a future together, even though that went against everything he believed until he met her. Simon had destroyed that chance, destroyed Neal’s belief that love could exist, that he could trust someone who was not family. He never let the man see how much he’d cared about Georgianna, and pretended the relationship wasn’t as serious as he’d let on. He’d even told Georgianna that. She’d cried, begged him for a chance, whatever he could give her...for however long... Too late. He’d never trust her again, probably never trust a woman again...
“Neal, why don’t you like him?” Rachel placed both hands on the table, leaned toward him. “He’s trying to help me, why can’t you just mind your own business?”
“You think he’s trying to help you? Help you how?” Neal pictured the man’s too-pretty face and persuasive demeanor. “By unzipping your dress? Helping you out of it?”
“By getting me this meeting. Would you have done that?” Those amber eyes burned him. “I don’t think so. Simon arranged this meeting. Can you say you would have done that for anyone unless you were getting something in return?” When he didn’t answer, she sat up straighter, squared her shoulders. “I think we both know the answer to that.”
If Dominic hadn’t taken that exact moment to reappear, Neal might have forgotten how much he valued his anonymity and told her he’d been the one to arrange the meeting. And not only that, he was co-owner of Matilda’s. But Dominic interrupted just as Neal opened his mouth to answer her—almost as if his best friend were watching the interaction between them.
“I see you’ve met Rachel.” Dominic held out a hand. “Nice to see you again.”
The handshake was extra firm, the dark gaze warning. Neal nodded, blew out a long breath. “I have met her.” His gaze slid to the woman who’d given him a quasi-headache and was pushing him toward indigestion. “We were just chatting about sincerity and how to tell if a person means what he says or possibly has an ulterior motive.”
“Ah.” Dominic turned to Rachel. “Neal likes to keep people guessing; don’t be fooled by the casual nonchalance.”
What? Why was he saying that? Neal cleared his throat, searched for a distraction. He was the one unearthing information here and Dominic was going to help him. His best friend was not going to provide Rachel Reese with a playbook on Neal’s life.
“No worries here.” Rachel smiled at Dominic, ignored Neal as if he were of no relevance to her or her situation. If she only knew the truth.
Fine, let her think whatever she wanted about him. He preferred playing the happy-go-lucky fool nobody depended on—less people to disappoint. “I think I’ll grab a drink.” Neal shrugged out of his jacket, tossed it on the booth and made his way toward the bar. He was several steps away, well out of what Rachel must have thought was hearing range when she spoke.
“The man really does act like he owns the world, including this place.”
8
Dominic Lombardi stared at her a second too long, his dark eyes assessing. Darn, she should have kept her mouth shut. It didn’t matter what she thought about Neal Alexander. The man’s presence and his apparent familiarity with the owner signified a certain level of importance—like a five-star customer. “I’m sorry, I should not have said that.”
The slow smile said he hadn’t exactly minded her comment, but his next words let her know he thought her assessment of the man was inaccurate. “Neal’s a lot more than his credit card and fancy clothes, but he only shows people what he wants them to see.”
Right. And what might he be hiding, she wanted to ask. A solid business sense and bank accounts containing money that wasn’t from a trust fund? A job? Anything other than the next “enticement”? But if Dominic Lombardi were some sort of friend, she needed to be careful with what she said regarding Neal Alexander. No way would she jeopardize this opportunity because of that man.
“Anyone care for a drink?” Neal raised his glass, saluted them. “I’m on tonic water and lime for now.” His voice dipped, filled with humor. “Sometimes I save the hard stuff for later on, in case I want to blur my brain a bit.”
Too much alcohol could achieve the desired effect of subduing everything: self-control, logic, one’s thought processes. Ugh, was she really going to have to tolerate this man’s comments until the meeting began? Unfortunately, Dominic’s next words gave her an answer she dreaded.
“Neal, I’d like you to be involved here. Would you peruse Rachel’s work and see what you think?” Dominic pointed to the portfolio sitting on the table next to her. “You’ve got a better eye than I do and I’d like your opinion from the customer’s perspective. First impression? Intimacy level? Would you bring your wife here, or your girlfriend?”
“Hmm. If I had either, I suppose I could bring my wife and my girlfriend here.” Neal Alexander raised a brow, his blue eyes sparkling. “And my mistress. As long as I kept the days straight and the staff remained loyal, sure, why not? There’s plenty of intimacy, a fair amount of privacy...” He tapped a finger against his chin as if considering the possibility. “It could work.”
Ridiculous. She’d been paying close attention to the man and the way he eyed her after each remark as though trying to get a reaction from her. Disgust? Shock? Well, he’d get nothing from her other than an I-don’t-care-either-way expression and a Staff loyalty is very important. That last comment actually made him laugh. A real laugh, one that made the corners of his eyes crinkle.
Dominic nodded, tried to hide a smile that crept out. “This one’s going to be a challenge, Neal.”
“So I see.” Those blue eyes shifted to liquid silver, narrowed on her as if he could look inside her brain to her thoughts.
