THE DAY HAD been interminable. Eli’s boss had ridden his ass about having his priorities skewed over this thing with the family. Alternately, Eli’s family had ridden his ass via texts and cell about not getting in touch to discuss operational budgets and options for moving forward under quarantine. They were in limbo, and Cade and Ty did not do limbo.
Eli understood that. But what they all failed to realize was that he had more responsibilities than an emotional pack mule, and whipping his ass raw wasn’t going to do anything but make him lock down.
After an hour in the office, though, just about everyone had the picture. Lynette had all but disappeared, opting to work in her office instead of his. She’d muttered something about “toxic proximity” as she left earlier.
Macallroy had called three times after somehow finding out Eli had come in a day early, and had insisted dinner be moved to tonight. No negotiation, no compromise, nothing.
Eli immediately thought of Reagan. He’d promised to take her out, and she was already sensitive about how she fit into his life. But when he suggested bringing a date, Macallroy made it clear he had no intention of tolerating interlopers to what he obviously anticipated would be a six-course ass-kissing.
Eli had no intention of going anywhere near that wrinkled bum. No amount of money was worth it, and maybe Reagan could lighten the mood.
Then Stephen laid it out in no uncertain terms. “Macallroy called.” The man hadn’t said “again,” but the implication was loud and clear. “It’ll be the two of you at dinner.”
Eli slouched low and swiveled his chair around to face Stephen. “My girlfriend’s in town. I can’t just leave her at home.”
“I don’t care if you pay Lynette overtime to take the woman to the circus,” Stephen spat. “You’re going to dinner alone.”
“So I can sit down with Macallroy and listen to his threats, take his abuse and simply nod along while he insults the firm, Stephen?” Eli slowly stood and toed the chair aside, propping a hip on the corner of his desk and crossing his arms over his chest. “An impartial witness is a good idea.”
The older man arched a silvered brow. “And you truly believe your woman’s impartial? Juries are generally malleable, but even I can’t imagine them following your skewed logic.”
Eli’s jaw clenched as he fought the urge to snap at the man. Seconds from the mantel clock in his office ticked by with the unrelenting precision of marching soldiers. Stephen made the move to leave, and Eli shoved off his desk. “You’re not being reasonable. This is her first night in Austin—it’s important that I spend it with her, keep her with me and make sure she knows she matters. It’s not reasonable to expect her to accept the fact I brought her home and then immediately left her, expecting her to fend for herself with no car, no friends and no knowledge of the area. You’re standing there insisting I treat Macallroy like a benevolent king while also demanding that I treat my girlfriend like an inconvenience. That’s not even remotely equitable treatment, and you know it. There’s no reason Macallroy can’t wait until tomorrow night for dinner, as was originally planned.”
The founding partner paused in the doorway. “Stop thinking with your cock and get your priorities straight. This dinner is about preserving one of the firm’s top three revenue-generating clients. If that means Macallroy wants to yank your chain a little and get you to grovel, you’ll do it. I don’t give a damn what you do with your girlfriend or what excuse you make for having to bow out of whatever you had planned.” Stephen shifted to offer his profile, but Eli didn’t miss the cold visage on the man’s face. Eli had never wanted to be on the receiving end of that look and, until now, had managed to avoid it. No longer. “You do a single thing to screw this up tonight, and your position as partner here is done.”
Eli’s stomach tightened as if a giant fist had squeezed his innards and turned them into a pulverized mess. “I started in the mailroom here fourteen years ago. I’ve been loyal to you and this firm, working nights, weekends and holidays, and all in the name of taking care of clients. I have billable hours no one here can match and have managed to secure some of the firm’s top clients. You’d let me go because I’m asking a client to hold to his original dinner plans?”
“You said it yourself,” Stephen said quietly. “This is about loyalty and where yours lies, Eli. Nothing more, nothing less.” With measured steps, the man left the spacious corner office.
Eli spun away from the doorway and looked out over Austin’s premier business district. The streets teamed with life. Vendors hawked their wares at street corners. Entertainers had seated themselves at intervals along the sidewalks to play and accept coin or the occasional dollar bill someone might flip their way. The pedestrians ranged from college students to suburbanites to high-end business people.
The view from his window had always been one that energized and grounded him. He’d survived in this city, his city, for fourteen years. Some of those early years had been miserable as he survived on ten-cent noodle packets in order to have enough money to make the rent. He’d worked until he’d earned the respect of his peers and superiors.
The haunting voice of his old man had faded over the years, the taunts that he’d never be anyone had faded from memory with every pay increase, every promotion, every accomplishment Eli claimed as his own.
But in the course of one very short afternoon and an even shorter conversation, Stephen had managed to fracture Eli’s surety that this was where he belonged. The man had suggested Eli set his morals and ethics aside and cater to the highest bidder—in this case, Macallroy—if he wanted to experience continued success.
Gathering his things and shoving the case file and his laptop into his briefcase, Eli started for the door. His temper was brewing. No one called his ethics into question or suggested he set them aside in exchange for the almighty dollar. Screw that. He’d manage dinner tonight, but then he had to truly reassess what it meant to stay with the firm. His brothers had remained proud and strong while everything they’d worked for had been systematically destroyed. He would do no less.
His phone rang. A quick glance at the caller ID showed Stephen’s extension. Hesitating, Eli rested his fingers on the receiver and then pulled away...empty handed. Stephen had made his position clear. There was nothing left to say. Spinning on his heel, he stalked out of the office, his suit jacket flapping over one arm.
From the curious looks a handful of colleagues shot his way, they’d either overheard Stephen’s threat or his boss had advertised it to a select few who would make sure the gossip spread.
More intimidation tactics. He’d watched the old man work long enough to expect this, to know exactly how he’d be treated. Stephen had drawn a line in the sand, and if Eli crossed it, he’d be fired, his reputation ruined and all hope for funding the ranch’s recovery destroyed.
He missed the elevator by seconds, so he hit the Down arrow and waited for the next one.
Heels clicked across the lobby’s wood floors. “Mr. Covington?”
He lifted his face and stared at the ceiling. “Yes, Lynette?”
“Mr. Smithy tried to catch you in your office before you left,” she said, voice breathy.
“Apologies for neglecting Stephen’s call,” Eli murmured. Then he turned his gaze toward the woman, whose face was flushed and eyes wide. “What did he want, Lynette?”
She wrung her hands together. “He said that, before you left the building, I was to tell you that only a fool would throw his career away over a piece of ass, and he’s never considered you a fool.”
“You can inform him that his message was delivered. Thank you, Lynette.” The elevator chimed its arrival with a soft note before the doors silently opened. Eli stepped inside and faced the front of the elevator, meeting his paralegal’s paranoid stare. He leaned one shoulder against the wall, the corners of his mouth kicking up with undisguised insolence. “Go home early tonight. You put in way too many hours.”
She grinned. “Yes, sir.”
The doors slid together and Eli closed his eyes, reveling in the silence.
If he saved his job to protect the ranch, he’d hurt Reagan. If he ruined his career to protect Reagan, he’d hurt his brothers.
There was no way to win. To lose, though? It seemed there were infinite choices available to him.
He only had to settle on one.
* * *
REAGAN HAD JUST finished refreshing her makeup when she heard the front door slam and Eli call her name. “Up here!” she shouted.
He came into the room and smiled at her over her shoulder, the action reflected in the mirror, but the smile never reached his eyes.
She rounded on him slowly, makeup brush clutched in one hand. “What happened?”
Closing the distance between them, he leaned in and laid a tender kiss on her lips. “You look absolutely stunning.”
She didn’t comment, didn’t blink. “Seriously. Is everything okay?”
“Yes.” He shook his head and raked his fingers through his hair. “No. I’ve been ordered to attend dinner tonight with the very client who’s been raising hell since before I left for New Mexico.”
“The one you broke the window in my door for so you wouldn’t miss the conference call?”
“That would be the one.” He shrugged out of his suit jacket and tossed it across the counter before leaning against the wall, chin tucked into his chest. “I don’t want to have to do this, Reagan, but he’s demanding I come alone. He wants me one-on-one to ensure I sufficiently kiss his ass and make empty promises that the firm will do all we can to get the EPA fines and settlement figure lowered.” Eli looked up. “Don’t suppose I could talk you into a rain check on dinner?”
Drawing a deep breath, she set her brush down and propped both hands on the counter. “You went into work this afternoon at their demand, and now you’re going to leave me here, alone, in order to go to dinner with a client, again at their demand.”
He sighed. “Pretty much.”
Rising to her full height, she faced Eli. “That’s not what I came to Austin for, Eli. This, being second to your job day and night, isn’t what I want, and it’s certainly not what I’m worth.” The truth hung between them, her words heavy, the uncensored guilt in his eyes telling. “I’m not the person whose life revolves around her partner’s availability, settling for the scraps of time he can scrounge up on weekend afternoons or the occasional weeknight he makes it home for dinner. I won’t be that woman, Eli. Not even for you.”
“Come with me.” The invitation, undoubtedly sincere, didn’t disguise the panic in his voice.
“If that were an option, you would have invited me first instead of asking for a rain check.”
“It’s an option if I make it one. And I want you to be there with me. I want you to be a permanent part of my life, not a space-filler.” He stepped closer to her, running his hands from her shoulders to her fingertips. “Please come.”
She gestured to her outfit of slacks and a sleeveless shell paired with low pumps. “Is this sufficient dinner attire?”
Eli visibly paled even as one corner of his mouth lifted. “Unfortunately, no. But we can run by an upscale shop and pick up something more appropriate. My treat,” he added, as if that would sway her.
“Now you want me to play dress up in order to impress your client,” she said.
“The restaurant is very high-end.”
That would be a yes to her question.
Exactly what she’d decided today she would never do. Pretend to be someone she wasn’t. Give up the identity she was proud of.
Her chest ached hard and fast as if someone had reached in and pierced her heart. A tiny pinprick. Nothing more. But it was enough to let her know it was enough she would bleed out. Maybe not tonight, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually it would become an inevitability.
It was over, this thing between them. She had to tell Eli. No doubt he would do his best to persuade her to stay, and the man could be very, very persuasive. But she wouldn’t let him take over her life again. She wouldn’t spend years waiting on him to figure out she mattered more than whatever Austin held for him. No, she would make plans to return to New Mexico tomorrow. Loving Eli would always be her first instinct, but living in Austin would gradually evolve and that love would become resentment. That was one thing she could never allow. What they had was unique, had survived the trials life had thrown their way. Maybe, someday, their paths would cross and they would be right for each other. But that time wasn’t now. Her breath hitched.
Eli pulled her into his embrace. “Talk to me, baby. It doesn’t matter what you wear. All I care about is that you’re with me.”
Had she been wrong? Maybe she’d been too hasty to assume that she couldn’t be herself in Austin, couldn’t be Eli’s partner. She could give him—them—this one opportunity. She’d be here tonight anyway, so she would take the chance, go to dinner and find out where things stood. How he was with her in front of a client would be very revealing.
“You’ll smudge my makeup.” She wiggled free of his arms and started for the stairs. “If we’re going to have time to pick up something appropriate for me to wear, we need to go now.”
He didn’t answer her, simply went into his closet and began to change into more formal attire.
She would play this game tonight with one goal in mind: figuring out who truly held the strings to Eli’s heart.