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Friday. Tech Conference, Kyoto, Japan.
Yvonne sat on the floor of her friend’s bathroom, her face pressed up against the tile wall to cool her heated skin.
She could not be sick.
The keynote address was in an hour. She’d fought tooth and nail with Theodore about allowing her take part in it. Right now she was one third of the family equation with Theodore and Dad behind the company. She would not be cut out of this opportunity.
Heels clicked on the tile. Her best friend Tabby Grissler came to a stop across the spacious bathroom, face creased in concern. She was a beautiful woman, far more socially poised than Yvonne. They’d been thrown together at a young age since their families were peers, not competitors. The Grissler companies were all about things that flew, planes, guidance systems. With the lack of competition between them, Tabby had grown to be one of the few women Yvonne could be completely open with. They might be utterly dissimilar—Tabby partied, Yvonne didn’t; Tabby was extroverted and social, Yvonne was introverted and quiet—but they’d become best of friends.
“You don’t look so good,” she said.
“I feel worse.” Yvonne pressed her hands to her face. “Every time I eat my stomach gets angry with me. Last night all I could keep down were crackers. I cannot be sick.”
“Well, unless you want to be pregnant, I think sick is your only option.”
“Pregnant.” Yvonne snorted. When would she have the time? “No, this is just a stomach thing. Too much traveling, not enough rest. I’ll be fine.”
Yvonne’s memory flashed a hot image in her mind of Nolan. The man would make beautiful children with eyes that green.
There was no possible way she was pregnant though. There’d always been protection. She was certain of that.
“Your arm candy outside was asking where you were a few minutes ago.” Tabby’s gaze raked down Yvonne’s body.
“He is not my arm candy. He’s a bodyguard.” Yvonne knew the cold and hot waves had nothing to do with her stomach bug and everything to do with the knowledge that at some point Tabby would recognize Nolan. Or at least Yvonne assumed she would.
“You like them blond and big. Why not have some fun?” Tabby grinned.
“No.” Yvonne shook her head so hard her stomach clenched. She hadn’t realized that when Nolan said he was following her everywhere—he meant it. He’d even insisted on doing a walk-through of Tabby’s room before agreeing to remain outside the hotel room.
“I thought Vegas was progress.” Tabby snickered and offered Yvonne a hand.
“Vegas was a disaster.” Yvonne took the hand and pushed up off the floor.
“Was it really?” Tabby held up her other hand. “Okay, so the morning after was kind of a wreck, but you were having fun.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Yvonne turned her attention to the mirror.
“Okay. Fine. Let’s get these curlers out of your hair and touch up your face. You need to get going already.”
Tabby began fussing over Yvonne’s hair, helping her normally lank, lifeless locks into something with shape and curl. The feel of Tabby’s fingers against her scalp soothed her further until the knots forming in her shoulders eased.
“God, your hair is so thick. You really should do something with it more often. I could show you how to use a curling iron, you know?”
Yvonne smiled, but didn’t agree to those lessons. Her time was already eaten up with work. She wasn’t trying to impress anyone. Adding one more thing to her day for the sake of being pretty to look at didn’t rate high on her list. Besides, the last time she’d tried to look nice was the night she met Nolan and that hadn’t turned out so well for her after all.
Given what she knew about Nolan now versus then, she could imagine his work call was a lot more important than she’d understood it to be. It didn’t mean he had to shove her out the door. Still there’d been a lot of hours between meeting him and leaving the room, none of those had been bad.
If she ignored the morning after, she might have been tempted to track Nolan down. She’d briefly fantasized about an arrangement a few weeks ago, something that wouldn’t tie her down with any further responsibility or commitment. But it was a pipe dream. A man who looked like Nolan didn’t need her. He’d no doubt moved on ages ago. She was just a memory. One woman in a line of many.
“Earth to Vee?” Tabby bent, placing her head next to Yvonne’s in the mirror.
“Sorry.”
“It’s all good. I was just saying that Douglas is doing surprisingly well.”
“Is he?” Yvonne didn’t want to get her hopes up.
“He is. If he applies himself, this could work.”
Yvonne’s younger brother wasn’t interested in joining her or Theodore running the family business. Douglas wanted to do something flashier, more fun. He’d cornered Tabby at an event and pitched a drone project to her that was right up the Grissler company’s alley. Yvonne hoped the idea panned out for Douglas, but she wasn’t going to hold her breath. He changed his mind so often this endeavor might not stick.
“Lipstick. Here.” Tabby handed Yvonne a familiar shade of red.
“I think I’d prefer something neutral.”
“Then your mouth is just going to fade into your face. You need a strong, contrasting color.”
“That’s just not me.” She wasn’t going to admit that the main reason she didn’t want to wear that shade was standing outside the hotel room door. If she wore that would he remember? Would he think she wore it for him?
“Can we compromise? This is a pale berry color. It’s practically a neutral.” Tabby waved another tube in front of Yvonne.
“I think this will work.” She glanced up at her friend. “Thanks, Tabby.”
“Hey, you know where all my bodies are buried.”
Yvonne chuckled.
They’d been through some things together. Crazy, weird things. The sad things. And enough happy ones that kept them going.
There wasn’t anything Yvonne wouldn’t do for her friend. In this world people would backstab and betray for next to nothing. Their worlds were competitive and cutthroat. But she and Tabby had gotten past that. It was a relationship worth protecting even if their ideas of fun weren’t compatible.
Yvonne swiped on the lipstick then sat back taking in the magic Tabby had done. Yvonne’s eyes were a smoky, dark brown. It looked like too much here in the bathroom, but she’d seen evidence in pictures that on camera it was fine. The lipstick really was a good color with the right balance of pink to nude. The real magic was her hair.
“Wow. You’re really good at this stuff.” Yvonne turned this way and that.
“It’s all those pageants mom made me do as a kid. You learn a few things.” Tabby grabbed a bottle of perfume off the vanity. “Want a spritz?”
“What’s it smell like?” Yvonne took the bottle and sniffed it.
The fragrance hit her in the sinuses like a ten pound weight. Her eyes began to water and she could practically taste it.
“Oh, yuck, that’s too strong.” She shook her head, trying to get rid of the residual smell.
“Strong? This is practically body spray.” Tabby gaped at her. “Are you sure you’re not pregnant?”
Yvonne frowned. “I can’t be.”
“Okay.” Tabby shrugged and placed the bottle on the counter then tapped her phone screen. “Better get dressed.”
She left the bathroom and closed the door.
Yvonne stripped out of her clothes and changed into the outfit she’d coordinated with Theodore, but her mind wasn’t on the speech. No, Tabby’s playful words were rolling around in Yvonne’s head.
There was no possible way she was pregnant, was there?
She wasn’t on birth control. What was the point when she had sex every couple of years?
How effective were condoms?
“Hey.” Tabby knocked on the bathroom door, nudging it open. “Arm candy’s getting restless. Are you ready?”
“Yes.” Yvonne slipped her feet into her heels.
They’d used protection. Everything was fine.
Maybe she should do a system check on herself. Just to make sure?
The idea had her muscles knotting up.
If she was accepting the need to check, then she was also going to have to admit she could be wrong.
“Are you sure you’re okay to do this?” Tabby held out Yvonne’s binder and phone to her.
“Yes. I’m just running through things for tonight. I’m set.”
Tabby’s brows drew down. She wasn’t buying it, but Yvonne couldn’t bring herself to talk about this yet. She couldn’t breathe a word until she knew facts. But before that, she had to get through the keynote.
She pulled the hotel room door open and nearly walked into a wall of hard, wide man-chest.
Her chin snapped up.
Nolan stared down at her that same mask of cool composure in place. He hadn’t smiled at her since the coffee bar and a part of her missed that. His nose did this thing when he smiled where the tip bent sideways slightly. A product of having his nose broken a few too many times if she had to guess.
“Doesn’t she look nice?” Tabby cooed and fluffed Yvonne’s hair.
Nolan’s gaze skipped to the top of her head then down her body. Yvonne’s cheeks heated, and she wanted to shove Tabby back in the room.
“You look very nice, Ms. Krieger,” he said, his tone business-like.
Tabby slid past her and closed the door. “I wanted her to wear this dark red lipstick, but she insisted on this boring shade. Do you think she should have worn red? Men like red.”
Nolan’s gaze zeroed in on Yvonne’s mouth and damn if she didn’t feel the ghost of his kiss, the way he’d suckled her lower lip just before nipping it.
“I don’t pretend to know anything about lipstick, ma’am.” Nolan stepped back and gestured toward the elevators. “Are you ready to go, Ms. Krieger?”
“Yes, thank you.” She pushed her shoulders back and strode ahead.
Tabby fell into step with her and slid her arm through Yvonne’s. Tabby bent her head and whispered, “He’s totally interested.”
Yvonne swallowed. She already knew what it was like to be the focus of Nolan’s interest. That was her problem.
NOLAN STOOD BACKSTAGE watching Yvonne and Theodore toss lines back and forth.
They were good.
Theodore had charm while Yvonne played the role of expert. She was looser, warmer than he’d seen her through the day. Though he’d only really gotten a glimpse of her as they walked from meeting to meeting. He didn’t have clearance to be in the same room while discussions were going down.
Was this her public persona? The face she put on for the world?
If that were the case, what side of her had he met in Vegas?
Why did he care?
Their lines were drawn. She didn’t like him. He didn’t fool around with assets. Just a few more days and they’d never have to see each other again.
Yvonne turned her head, and the light caught in her hair, making it glint. Tabby had turned the conservative woman Yvonne presented to the world on a daily basis into this creature. She was stunning.
Had Tabby worked her magic on Yvonne when they’d met?
Nolan wasn’t going to ask because he was fairly certain he knew the answer to that.
Was it all a lie? Some Vegas fueled fantasy?
The crowd cheered, most got to their feet and the host of the evening approached the brother-sister duo.
Grant came to stand next to Nolan.
“Nice purse.”
Nolan glanced down at Yvonne’s purse hanging from his fingers. “It goes with my shoes.”
Grant snorted a laugh. “He’s headed to an after dinner cocktail hour. You?”
“No idea.” He grimaced. Yvonne hadn’t been talkative or forthcoming about what filled the gaps in her schedule. He also hadn’t failed to notice how little she ate or how many times they rushed back to the suite.
She was sick, but holding it together.
“Vaughn is in the suite standing by if you need to switch off.”
“I’m good.”
Nolan wasn’t going to trust Yvonne to the other guys.
It wasn’t that his team wasn’t up to looking out for her. No, it was a baser instinct that irritated him. She’d been his, only for a night, but he still didn’t want to allow any other man near her. Yeah, it made zero sense, but he was going with it.
Theodore jogged down the stairs and slapped Grant on the shoulder.
“How’d we do?” Theodore grinned.
“Sounded good. Crowd ate it up,” Grant said without missing a beat.
Nolan stepped around them to the stairs. The rickety handrail wobbled under Yvonne’s grasp too much for his liking.
“Here.” He held his right hand out to her.
She paused, glancing from his palm to his face and back.
Was she really going to turn her nose up at him?
Her berry colored lips pressed tight together.
At least he’d tried.
Yvonne let go of the railing. The stair under her shifted. She snatched at his hand, holding on for dear life.
He grit his teeth as he realized she hadn’t been hesitating. She’d been trying to not fall.
The damn stair was a hazard.
Nolan let the bag hang from his elbow and placed his left hand on her back, steadying her as she descended the rest of the way to the floor. She held tight to him for a moment more, drawing in a deep, steadying breath.
“Someone’s going to break a leg on that thing,” he muttered.
She released his hand and straightened her jacket. “Thank you.”
He followed her gaze to where her brother was already surrounded by a cluster of men slapping his shoulder. Not a one glanced her way.
For a moment, he wasn’t standing here in Japan in a fancy hotel doing his job. He was sixteen watching his parents fawn over his younger brother for warming a seat on the bench while Nolan hit the winning home runs.
Yeah, he knew what it was like to be the forgotten sibling.
“You did a good job up there,” Nolan said.
“Good enough, I suppose.” She glanced at her purse he was still holding. “Oh, I can take that back. Sorry.”
“Not a problem.” He gave it back to her. “Plans for this evening?”
“No.” Yvonne finally looked away from her brother and ran a hand through her hair, pushing it over her shoulder.
He opened his mouth to suggest one or two of the evening activities, then thought better of it. Why was it Nolan’s automatic response to her was to make the situation better?
She’d carried half the weight of the presentation tonight and yet no one had acknowledged her part in it. If he did anything she’d bristle. He was in a no-win situation he didn’t like, and shouldn’t give two fucks about.
“I’m going to head up to the suite.” She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone.
“Alright.” Nolan waited for her to lead. He wanted his eyes on her at all time.
The conference was secure. Anyone who attempted a kidnapping here would have to get through several layers of protection. It wasn’t impossible, just highly improbable. As that last line of defense, Nolan took his job seriously.
After another moment Yvonne sighed and started off, sticking to the outer perimeter of the room until they reached an exit that let out onto a hall. Most people were still in the ballroom milling about so there weren’t lines for the elevators. A few people paused to speak to congratulate Yvonne, but they didn’t linger.
Nolan was beginning to see the bigger family picture.
Theodore was the chosen heir, the natural leader, the one who looked good in photographs.
Yvonne kept everything running smoothly. Nolan was willing to bet that without her guiding hand her older brother wouldn’t be quite as successful.
Douglas was the black sheep. He wasn’t involved in the family business. What he did wasn’t clear to Nolan. Douglas had already tried to slip away from Brenden and would no doubt be a pain in the ass for the rest of the conference. If the family had a weak link, it was that kid.
Nolan hated family jobs like this. It brought to mind all his own family drama, which was currently filling up his voicemail.
The other guests on the elevator got off, leaving them to travel the last ten floors alone.
“Would you like to order food?” He hadn’t missed Yvonne’s untouched plate at dinner.
“Maybe? I—I don’t know.” Yvonne shook her head.
“Something wrong?”
“No.” Her answer was too fast to be true.
She didn’t trust him, and why should she? In her eyes he’d only done her wrong.
Fuck it. He’d see her to the suite and if she wanted anything she could speak up. If she wanted to be miserable that was her prerogative.
“Oof.” Yvonne pressed her hand to her stomach.
He pivoted to face her.
Her skin was paler, maybe a touch green.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Fine.” The word was strained.
Damn it. She wasn’t okay.
Why the hell did he care?
“You’re not fine.” He braced a hand on the railing and leaned toward her.
Yvonne cringed away. “Please—don’t.”
The elevator dinged.
Whatever.
He pushed off the wall and stepped out, glancing up and down the hall. Vaughn had cameras positioned along the corridor, but Nolan felt better going first.
By the time he and Yvonne made it to the suite door Vaughn had it open and ushered them inside with a smile.
“Evening,” he said, far too chipper for Nolan’s dark mood.
“Would either of you know if Melody is available?” Yvonne’s voice was near breaking. She looked like she was going to be sick any minute.
Nolan glanced at Vaughn.
“Sure.” He nodded. “I’ll have her come to you.”
“Thank you both.” Yvonne turned and walked across the room and down the short hall to the bedrooms.
“She’s not looking so good,” Vaughn said in a low voice.
“No, she’s not.” Nolan glanced at his watch.
“I’ll go get Mel. Maybe we can get a doc up to see her. You good here?”
“Yup.”
Nolan wished Yvonne would have just asked him for whatever she needed. At least she was willing to talk to Melody.
Again, why the fuck did he care?
He shook his head and unbuttoned his jacket, shrugging out of it and laid it over a dining chair. Chances were high he wasn’t going anywhere for the rest of the night. Which was fine. He was willing to bet that Douglas was going to try evading Brenden again, and if that were the case Vaughn might need to go out and play back-up.
At least the family had consented to each wear a tracking device that would help keep the team appraised of all three asset’s movements. It wasn’t fool proof. Douglas could always take the device off. But it was something.
Maybe they needed to slip a tracker onto the kid when he wasn’t looking.
Vaughn and Melody entered the suite a few moments later.
“Is it as boring as it looks down there?” Vaughn dropped into an arm chair, two tablets on the coffee table showing a dozen different camera feeds.
“Yup.”
“Well, easy money, I guess.”
Nolan’s phone began to vibrate. He pulled it out and frowned at the screen.
“Your Mom? Again?” Vaughn shook his head.
“What time is it there?” Nolan rubbed his hand against the side of his face.
“It’s seven here so...five in the morning?” Vaughn grimaced. “You going to answer that?”
“No.” Nolan clicked ignore. “You know I don’t talk to family on the job.”
He wished he had the kind of relationship with his mom that he could accept the call. But everything between them had been complicated and ugly since his brother’s death.
Vaughn pulled out a deck of cards and began shuffling mindlessly.
What did it say about them that work was a respite from family?
Nolan set his phone on the coffee table. They both needed to take their minds off the bad stuff. This was work and their heads needed to be in the game.
“Want to play a few hands?” Nolan wasn’t feeling poker, but there wasn’t anything else to do.
“Sure.” Vaughn dealt them each a hand.
Nolan undid the top button of his shirt then loosened his tie.
Before Vaughn had finished shuffling Melody breezed back into the room.
“I need to go run a few errands, you guys want anything?” Melody picked up the room service menu.
“Anything to eat,” Vaughn said.
“I figured. Can you message the others, see if everyone wants food?”
“Where you headed?” Nolan asked.
“Just to pick up a few things.” Melody’s smile was a shield.
Whatever Yvonne had asked her for, Melody wasn’t sharing. At least Yvonne was letting someone help her even if it wasn’t him.
