“They stand for the good of humanity,” I said dryly. Knowing exactly how that sounded to my old mentor.
“What they stand for isn’t making them money. And it’ll make you lose yours.”
“I’m not putting that much in.” I lied.
“Still. It’s not nothing. Every dollar will be a waste.”
Why do I bother with this man anymore?
I felt like I knew the answer to that. But I’d deny it to every living soul. Donovan took more of a chance on me from day one than my own father ever had.
“Thought they’d win you over after Elaine’s party.”
He sneered. “Oh yeah, blowing up some balloons and calling a caterer is nothing short of impossible. And they came through without a hitch!” Donovan pointed a mocking finger at me.“Impressive.”
I rolled my eyes and glanced at the old man’s glass. Still about a third full, which meant another good half hour of enduring his cynical and interfering ways.
I did well on my own and didn’t need his negativity. But Donovan had been a great mentor and gave me opportunities I would always be grateful for. Regardless of how he treated most of his employees and how scared shitless I was when I first walked into his office nearly ten years ago, he saw something in me he valued and had kept me as his right hand ever since.
“You’re on your own next time you need a favor.”I stirred the contents of my own glass before taking a hefty sip.
“I did you a favor,” he countered. “You wanted to test the waters and I happened to have a time sensitive matter.”
I was silent for a moment, then caved, choosing to take advantage of the topic. “Did you know everyone at the party?”
Donovan’s amused eyes watched me. The ones I hated when I gave away more than I’d intended. “Mostly,” Donovan replied simply with a slight grin. I inhaled but didn’t say anymore.“Curious about a certain dame in a black lace dress?”he pried.
“You know her?”
“Look, Elaine cohorts with a handful of females from the club, she doesn’t really do much else, so I had to fill the ballroom. I asked Kat to pull some business contacts and invite them to the social gathering. Served two purposes.” Donovan weighed out his hands. He always looked to see how things would help his business and was quick to eliminate everything that didn’t. A quality I admired.
I shook my head. “No, she had to be a friend of Elaine’s.”
Donovan chuckled. “She was no friend of Elaine’s.”
“She had to be, I think I saw her leave a note by her chair before she left.”
Donovan jerked back. “What’s gotten into you? We never talk about women when we’re drinking.”
I never talk about women at all.
I licked my lips, irritated.
Donovan must have caught it. “Alright look, she was probably involved in one of my transactions in some way at some point,” he shrugged and then his eyes drifted.
“What?”
“Woulda thought I’d remember someone like her.”
I snickered and stared at the rocks glass in my hand.It had been a long week—and three days since I’d last seen her. Her long dark hair, full rosy lips with a hypnotic smile that crept into my head more than I cared for. She had once again refused to give me a phone number, a last name or what she did for a living.
It was cool. She was different. She valued her privacy. Most importantly, she wasn’t clingy with expectations.
Luckily, she also agreed to meet me again Saturday night. This time, a date was definitely implied. And I intended to find out much more about the only woman I couldn’t stop thinking about.
11
ELLE
