Was he really supposed to believe that the man who couldn’t be bothered to show his own son warmth and compassion would’ve left this woman 25 percent of the company’s shares unless there’d been something more to their relationship than either one of them had been willing to admit?
Teresa leaned back in her chair, narrowing her blue eyes at him. “Are you going to stand there all day brooding? This is my place of business. I have work to do.”
Liam sighed. “Look, I know I came off like a complete ass just now. I’m sorry. But you need to face the fact that if you want to liquidate that stock, you’ll need to comply with the stipulations of my father’s will. That means we have to work together, and you need to be at the meeting this afternoon.”
Teresa checked her calendar begrudgingly. “Fine. What time should I be there?”
“Actually, my car service is waiting. I thought we could ride over together so I could bring you up to speed on the meeting.” Liam gestured toward the door.
“The sooner we leave, the sooner I can get back here.” She pursed her lips in a sensual pout that made him want to take her in his arms and kiss her.
His hands balled into fists at his side.
She’s the enemy. Why can’t you remember that?
“It’s best if we aren’t seen leaving the building together,” he mused aloud, more to himself than her.
“Then why are you here in my place of business? Or didn’t you notice the stalkerazzi parked across the street?”
Liam straightened his tie. “I came in through the back entrance.”
“Well, you can leave the same way you came in.”
The hurt in her eyes and the pained tone of her voice made him feel as awful as his father. The last thing he wanted was to mimic Linus Christopher’s cruelty. After his talk with Teresa, he’d thought a lot about his relationship with his father. And his relationship with her.
“If you need to bring me up to speed on the meeting, call me from your car. In fact, you could’ve done that in the first place rather than showing up here and demanding that I drop everything and come with you.”
Liam squeezed the bridge of his nose. The situation was snowballing and he was the one to blame. “I’d like to go over a few documents in the car. It’ll be much easier if we ride together in the limousine.”
He shoved both his hands in his pockets and leaned against a tall wooden filing cabinet. Hoping she’d say yes. Because while every word he’d said about them needing to work together was true, the deeper truth was that he’d missed Teresa.
He missed the scent and feel of her skin, the way her sparkling blue eyes danced when she laughed and the sweet taste of her pouty lips. And he missed the incomparable ecstasy of watching Teresa St. Claire fall apart in his arms.
* * *
Teresa stood in the nude Stuart Weitzman block-heel sandals she’d worn in deference to her still-sore ankle. She retrieved her matching nude clutch from her desk drawer and walked to the door, only slightly favoring her injured leg.
“Your ankle...” He furrowed his brow. “Is it okay?”
“It’s fine. Just a little sore.” Teresa didn’t want to think of Liam as the man who’d rushed to her rescue that night. Nor did she want to forget that he’d come charging into her office like an entitled ass who thought the world revolved around him. Still, she wouldn’t behave like an ogre, even if he had. “Thank you again for what you did that night.”
“I’m just glad you weren’t seriously hurt. When I think of what could’ve happened...” He seemed genuinely distressed by the near miss. “I’m just glad it didn’t.”
Don’t be swayed by a few kind words.
She walked out to Corinne’s desk, not acknowledging the evil eye her assistant was giving Liam.
“We’re a go for the retreat.” Teresa forwarded Matt’s text to Corinne. “I just sent the dates Matt Richmond is interested in. Pull a couple of staff members in to call the entire guest list. Find out if either date is tenable. With such a short turnaround, we should get a feel for whether either date will work before we put too much time and effort into it.”
“Got it.” Corinne scribbled notes on a sheet of paper.
“I need a list of viable venues as soon as you can come up with them. I’ll work on a few possibilities from my end, too. There has to be something available in Seattle that fits the bill for an event of this magnitude. Don’t call Jessie Humphrey. I’ll call her. A bit of persuading might be required after the nightmare we put her through last time.”
Corinne nodded her agreement. She eyed Liam again, then shifted her gaze to Teresa. “Will you be returning to the office?”
Teresa cast a glance over her shoulder at Liam. He was especially handsome in a navy suit that hugged his strong frame and reminded her of all the reasons she loved the feel of his toned body pressed to hers.
But he’d rejected her after their unbelievably hot encounter at the spa. And again after the rumors about her being a scheming gold digger surfaced, despite the poignant moments they’d shared the night before.
Teresa’s spine tensed. She gripped the clutch under her arm and reminded herself to hold on to that anger. So she’d never end up in Liam’s bed again.
“I have every intention of returning here as soon as I can.” Teresa turned and made her way toward the door, aware that every pair of eyes in the office was focused on her and Liam Christopher.
They left the building by the back entrance, where Liam’s driver was waiting. Her cheeks stung at the thought of being shuttled away under cover because he was embarrassed to be seen with her. She slid across the leather seat, putting as much space as possible between them.
Liam had the audacity to look hurt.
“I know you have things you’d like to go over, but I need to make a call first. If there’s any chance Jessie Humphrey isn’t already obligated on the dates I have available, I don’t want to miss my window of opportunity.”
“Of course.” He picked up a black leather portfolio and shuffled through its contents.
Teresa pulled up Jessie Humphrey’s number and hoped things would finally go her way.
Jessie closed her eyes and settled into eagle pose, her left leg wound around her right and her right arm wrapped around her left. Unable to keep her mind still long enough to formally meditate, she enjoyed the moving meditation of yoga.
The ring of her cell phone disturbed her peaceful solitude.
She unraveled her arms and legs and peeked at the caller ID.
“Teresa St. Claire.” She muttered the name under her breath, then considered ignoring it until she’d finished her yoga practice.
But Teresa had indicated that Matt Richmond wanted to reschedule his event. Despite the chaos of the heavy rains, power outage, and a tree falling into the hotel which nearly took Teresa out... Matt Richmond had generously paid her the full agreed-upon amount of her contract without quibbling.
If she was going to do this project independently, without the backing of her label or the blessing of her agent, she needed an infusion of cold, hard cash.
Jessie answered the call just before it went to voice mail. “Hello.”
“Jessie, it’s Teresa. I’m glad I caught you. Matt Richmond has decided to reschedule his retreat. The only bright spot