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“I can, but I would rather not go to your place. Can we just pick somewhere and meet?”
“I’ll think about it and let you know.”
I kiss her on the forehead just as a cab pulls up to the curb. I stand there watching it pull away after she gets in. How I would love to meet her in the suite she’s staying in, but that would only lead to trouble. It’s hard enough to control myself around a crowd of people. If we were alone, I would want to seduce her. She’s not mine, and I won’t put her in a compromising position.
We end up not being able to meet for dinner. I was called to Atlanta for a meeting with The Cannon Day school system. My vice president, Joanna Beyers, was supposed to handle it, but she took ill on Thursday afternoon. We’ve been trying to score a deal with these schools for a year now. We’re so close, and this deal could be worth two million dollars over eight schools. They wanted a demo of the software, and if I had to do it to get them to buy, then I was more than willing.
I flew down on Thursday evening after I called Lana to cancel, promising that we would get together as soon as our schedules allowed. The meeting went fantastic, and by Friday, just before the close of business, the president, Thomas Showalter of the Cannon Day schools, called to tell me to send the contracts to them on Monday.
Even though I was alone, I was in the mood for celebrating. The hotel I was staying in, courtesy of Cannon Day, was quite luxurious and had a wonderful restaurant and bar. I grabbed a complimentary newspaper and went to have dinner and drinks. The restaurant was crowded, but I could still hear what I could only term a cackle from the table adjacent to mine. The cackling continued every few minutes, and I leaned over to see who was the possessor.
A pretty young brunette was sitting with a man with salt and pepper hair. She was practically in his lap, and they were kissing at the time I looked so I couldn’t see his entire face. When she pulled away to take a sip of her drink, I saw with shock that the man was Declan Blair. What the fuck was he doing with another woman when he had Lana?
Their relationship was none of my business, and for all I knew, they had an agreement. However, I knew that Lana could be jealous of other women, and she would not tolerate sharing her fiancé with anyone. I had just finished my meal, so I downed the last of my drink, threw a twenty on the table for a tip since the food was charged to the room and walked over to Declan.
The look on his face was stoic when I approached, “Declan, I thought that was you.”
“Zane, how are you? What brings you to Atlanta?” his tone clipped.
“I could ask you the same thing since Lana told me you were in Miami.”
“I made a stop here before I go back to New York. This is my friend and business associate, Tasha Sinclair.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Sinclair,” she gave me a tight smile as I took her hand in mine. It was like ice, and her nails were long, painted a blood red, and filed to sharpened points. I wondered if she used them on Declan’s back when they had sex. The look on his face told me that he was guilty.
“Can I speak with you privately for a moment, Zane?”
“Sure. I was just leaving to go up to my room.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
I waited for him to slip out of the booth and straighten the jacket of his black Armani suit. He walked me out to the lobby before he spoke.
“I know this looks bad, but nothing is going on. I’ve known Tasha for years. We’ve worked together on many projects.”
“Declan, if nothing was going on, then why are you telling me that nothing is going on? Sounds suspicious, doesn’t it?”
“Lana is under enough stress with the wedding and the move. Please don’t upset her with innuendo.”
“I have no plans. Whatever your relationship with this woman is your business, but if it’s anything but honorable, you should tell Lana.”
“That wouldn’t be prudent.”
“I just want her to be happy.”
“She is, and that’s part of the reason I told her to make peace with you. I’m glad your friends. She’s wanted that for a long time.”
I wanted to shake him. The man had the woman I wanted, and he was cheating on her. At least that’s what it looked like to me.
“I’m glad we’re friends. I enjoy her company.”
“Speaking of which, I need to get back to mine. Thank you for your discretion.”
I nodded at him, but inside, I was seething. I wanted to punch that billionaire smile off his face. He ruined my evening. I wish I were in New York so I could take Lana into my arms and comfort her. Is this what her marriage would be like? Her husband would fly all over and cheat, a woman in every port?
When I got back to my room, I took my laptop out and looked for any articles on the gossip pages about why Declan’s marriages failed. He cheated on his first wife of twenty-three years with his soon to be second wife. His second wife divorced him because of supposed infidelity, and his third cited irreconcilable differences.
Declan had a history of cheating, poor Lana. My heart was heavy for her. I decided to call her even though it was nearing ten-thirty. I dialed, hoping she would answer.
