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“Thing is, Elliot, it means more to me than the others. It’s part of me, you know? The others, they see it as our heritage, too. And no one wants it to go public, and I can’t be the catalyst for that.”
“You don’t want to be the fuck up.”
“I know what people think of me. Eternal playboy, the guy who likes fun and fucking women more than anything else, and maybe they’re right. Life is short. It’s there to enjoy when you can. But I’m more than that. I made my own fortune. This…the jewels…they were always talked about as a symbol of the Sinclair name. And to me, as a kid, they seemed impossible. I believed in them, always, and now they’ve turned up, I want mine.”
She nods and sips her drink. “The legendary value? The monetary value? Are they important? You can’t wear them.”
“I think I could pull it off.” I slide my hand over the silk of her calf, her skin smooth and warm beneath my palm. “There’s a romance to them, a history I want to know. I want to see them all together. I know they were made as a gift for my great grandmother. And…it’s like how you love all these art deco pieces. They’re beautiful. The two pieces I’ve seen are that, beautiful. I want to see them all.”
“You haven’t seen them?”
“No. There aren’t pictures, they’re rumors. Stories. Lore. And that’s worth more. That, and not being the fuck up who ruins the family company.”
She doesn’t respond for a long time, but finally she says, “There’s a lot more to you, Ryder. And we can do this.” Elliot stops, and her gaze catches mine and it burns, making something twist deep inside me. “You can.”
“I got you.” I grin at her and she turns red and returns her gaze to her drink.
“Ryder.”
“Hey.” I wait until that pretty and vulnerable and fierce gaze returns to me. “It’s true. I don’t know if I can do this without you. It’s nice, you know? Having someone in my corner.”
“Even if you’re paying them.” She lifts her drink and takes a sip.
“Even that. And you’re right, I can do this.” I’m not sure if I’m telling a lie with that, because pretty is pretty and need is need and I’m not used to denying myself. All it would take is a slip… “But you help me. More than just hiring you. I don’t want to lose the company, my connection to the past, to my family’s history.”
“You can do anything you want, Ryder, even get your urges under control. If urges is the right word,” she says. “I’m here to guide and rebuild your image in a subtle way that backs up what you do. After you get what you want, you have to decide what you’re going to do.”
“Yeah, well, conservative and staid and picket fences aren’t me and they’re never gonna be me. I like freedom. I like thrills. I also like hard work. And this whole thing is stupid, but I’ll do it.” I sigh and rest my hand against her feet. The connection soothes and riles all at the same time, all in a good way. “Short answer is I’ll find a way.”
“It’s only a few weeks, then you can get back to your hot women.”
“I have one here.”
She raises a brow. “That’s a little rude, sneaking one in.”
“There you go again.” I give her a contemplative look. “Deflecting the soft flirt, the attention.”
“You don’t mean it and I don’t like it.”
“Which part? Flirting or attention? I know you hide, and I told you why I think you do it, but what happened?”
“There are a lot of us who let the others shine. They like that light, like you. I don’t. And people…they don’t see me because they expect the flash and dazzle. I’m not that. I’m good behind the scenes and I’m good at guiding and fixing and that’s why I’m excellent at what I do.”
“Bullshit.”
“Excuse me, Sinclair?”
My skin starts to heat. I don’t know how she does it, how she gets me in knots when usually I’m smooth as silk. “I know you’re the best at what you do, otherwise I wouldn’t have hired you. I just mean it’s bullshit about not being seen. I see you.”
Elliot sighs. “Only because I’m working with you. You’d never give someone like me the time of day, otherwise. And I’m not complaining. Things are as they are, that’s all.”
“Of course I would,” I say. “I don’t discriminate, I told you that.”
“Being a man whore isn’t the same as seeing someone for their worth, Ryder.”
Her words strike some place deep inside me. “Maybe I wasn’t talking about sex for sex’s sake there, Perry.” I drag in a breath because that thing inside hurts. Not for me. For her. I somehow hurt her and I don’t know how or why.
“Really?”
