Bound for Nirvana: (The Bound Trilogy Book 3) (12 page)

As I expected, her face hardened with a momentary blaze of indignation. She masked it well, plastering a sudden smile to her face, and walked toward me, hand outstretched.

“Natasha Stephens.” Her eyes examined me as she spoke, flittering over my face, my hair, my clothes. I accepted her proffered hand, responding with a firm hand shake.

“God, I’m so sorry.” Ethan suddenly remembered she was there. “Natasha, this is my girlfriend, Angelica Lawson.” He turned to me, missing the way her facial muscles flinched with irritation. “Natasha’s our company lawyer.”

“Pleased to meet you.” She curled her lips into some semblance of a smile.

“Likewise.” I chose not to bother with the falsity.

Natasha ignored it, turning instead to beam a smile at Ethan. “Well, aren’t you a dark horse, Ethan Wilde. You didn’t mention you were dating.”

A brief moment of confusion seemed to ghost his face, as if he were somewhat bewildered by the statement. And so he should be, I thought. Why the hell would you tell your company lawyer
anything
about your love life? He checked his wristwatch again. “Well, I think we’re done here, anyway. Natasha, I’ll see you bright and early in the morning. Let’s see if we can finally put this damn deal to bed.”

Natasha gave an exaggerated sigh. “I’ll drink to that. I’ll see you first thing. It was good to meet you, Angelica.” Her tone dripped with insincerity.

Choosing not to reciprocate, I offered her a vague nod as Ethan began to guide her toward the door. They exchanged a short conversation I couldn’t hear as I made my way over to Ethan’s desk to perch on the edge as he had done before.

Ethan returned making his way slowly across the room toward me, one brow raised in a punitive fashion. “What was all that about?”

I folded my arms and tilted my chin. “All what about?”

“Oh, come on, an alley cat would have marked her territory with more decorum.”

The fucking cheek! I gaped at him in disbelief, the image of him fiddling with her damn hair taunting me. “Oh? You mean like that of a bar room brawler, who attempts to break some guy’s jaw for no other reason than the fact that he’s an asshole?”

A flash of annoyance widened his eyes. “Lower your fucking voice, Angel,” he hissed. “And that asshole put his hands on you.”

“Yeah! And
you
put your hands on her.” I snatched up my purse from the desk. “Shall we go?” I stormed past him and out the door.

My eyes skimmed unseeing over the menu. It didn’t matter; I already knew what I was having. I was just being obstinate really, waiting until the bubble of anger and jealousy began to subside before I trusted myself to look up and meet Ethan’s steady gaze. We hadn’t spoken a word since we left his office, riding the elevator and walking the couple of blocks to the restaurant in silence. I hadn’t even glanced at him. He, on the other hand, hadn’t taken his eyes off me; they bore into my skin like red-hot needles.

The waiter appeared to take our order, and without asking what I wanted, Ethan ordered for us both. Grilled tuna for him, Caesar salad for me—he knew me well. The waiter left, taking my menu with him and effectively removing my shield which left me no alternative but to meet Ethan’s stony glare.

“You ready to talk about what’s eating you?” he asked immediately.

“Are
you
ready to talk about what was eating you last night?”

“I’d have thought that was pretty obvious. I asked you to answer your phone—you ignored me. I asked you not to go to Paddy’s—you ignored me. I worry myself half to death, and then I find you being manhandled into a corner by some dribbling
asshole
because you’re too drunk to avoid trouble. And then, just for good measure, I find Dylan defending you as though you were his. I think I had every fucking right to be pissed at you.”

Oh! Didn’t sound too good when you put it like that. I waited while the waiter delivered our wine, mentally preparing my defense.

“E, I didn’t ignore my cell. I didn’t hear it, because it was in my purse. When I finally got the message about not going to Paddy’s, I was already there. Jia had called me from the bar, she was already half cut, and she sounded upset, so I just went to her. Dylan was doing what any decent guy would have done. You should be grateful he was watching out for me. And as for the dribbling
asshole,
well, he was just metaphorically waving his dick around because he thought Jia and I were a couple, and that he was the man to turn me.”

“Fucking asshole!” he spat, and then as a secondary thought, added, “Why would he think you and Jia were a couple?”

I rolled my eyes. “Because he’s… an…
asshole
.”

Ethan paused, tapping his fingers on the table, like a juror considering his verdict. “What was wrong with Jia?”

“She and Charley have split.”

He laughed once, more with derision than with mirth. “What and you didn’t see that coming? More like Charley left her because she was tired of waiting for her to get over you.”

“Oh, whatever,” I snapped. I didn’t want to get into that again. If I even acknowledged the possibility that he was right, it would change everything about my relationship with Jia, and I couldn’t bear that. “For your information, it’s more likely because she’s swapped to the other team again. Fancied a slice of some red-blooded male, apparently.”

“What? I didn’t know she was into guys as well.”

I shrugged. “Jia changes her mind on which sex she prefers as often as she changes her shoes.”

“Poor Charley.”

“Charley will be fine and so will Jia. And we were talking about you and the asshole.”

He reached out and tentatively covered my hand with his. “If it’s worth anything, I apologized to Dylan. I also thanked him for looking out for you—although it makes my blood boil to think of anyone else being your knight in shining armor.”

“No one else is. He was just being a friend, until you charged up on your steely stallion, threatening to dismember any living, breathing thing within a worldwide radius.”

“I’m not that bad.” He paused, waiting for me to validate his claim, but instead I offered a dubious frown.

“Asking me not to go to Paddy’s without you is unreasonable, E. I have to be able to do things on my own, and I can’t be checking a list of dos and don’ts every time I want to go somewhere.”

For a second he seemed irritated, like he’d failed to control something he felt he should have total power over. The waiter arrived with our food, thankfully seeming to dislodge his anger a little. He thanked the waiter and picked up his fork, choosing to eat one-handed rather than let go of my hand.

“Dylan wants you, Angel,” he continued. “Of that, I have no doubt. But… I think he realizes that you’re mine, and that he can never have you. Thankfully, he seems contented to be your friend. And I’m aware that good friends are hard to come by. So… providing Dylan continues to realize his limits, and you promise to stay clear of dick-wielding assholes, I will allow you to go to Paddy’s without me. I would prefer, however, if you inform me
prior
to going.”

“You will
allow
me?” I scoffed with a shake of my head.

“Yes. I will allow you.” He nodded at my food. “Eat.”

“So, does this mean I’m forgiven?” I asked, indicating our entwined hands. He shrugged and then nodded. “Good.” I pulled my hand from under his, my smile diminishing. “My turn, then.”

“Your turn for what?” he scowled defensively.

“Natasha Stephens, that’s what.”

“Why have you got a problem with Natasha?”

“‘
Why have you got a problem with Natasha?’
” I mimicked derisively. Ethan tipped a warning brow in response, but I plowed on regardless. “I wasn’t comfortable with the way you manhandled her. Or her you, for that matter. Tell me—who the hell kisses their lawyer?”

“Hang on a minute. How did I manhandle her?”

“You… fondled her hair.”

“Fondled her…” He broke off on a laugh steeped in bewildered amusement. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“You helped her into her jacket. The way you gathered her hair was too… intimate. The fact that you did it without even realizing is even more worrying. Why did she kiss you and stroke your goddamn arm? What was all that about?”

“Natasha and her family have been Wilde Industries’ lawyers for its entire lifecycle. Her father dealt with my father, her grandfather with my grandfather. Our families have shared meals together, our fathers rounds of golf and poker games. I suppose you could say we’re friends. We’re relaxed around each other—we’re not intimate. I realize it probably isn’t a conventional affiliation, but I can assure you, it is completely innocuous. I apologize if it didn’t appear that way. Eat.”

“It
didn’t
appear that way. And, actually, it’s immaterial that your families have history. I found your cavorting inappropriate, and I’m not entirely comfortable with it. In fact, I’m not comfortable at all.”

Ethan bit down on his lip attempting to stifle a smirk. “You’re jealous.”

“She wants you.”

He blinked slowly, dismissively. “It’s business.”

“She
wants
you.”

“She can’t have me.”

My eyes widened in surprise. I’d expected him to deny it. “You knew?”

“Of course. Subtlety isn’t her thing. That’s why she’s good at her job.”

“Then you’re encouraging her advances.” I was horrified.

“No, I simply pay no heed to them, tolerate them—for the sake of business and to save us both some embarrassment.”

“Well, I’m afraid that won’t do. Because I certainly will not tolerate anyone who offers themselves on a plate to my man, and I will have no problem embarrassing her by telling her as much.”

“Your criticism is noteworthy; I wouldn’t expect you to tolerate it. Angel, please will you eat.”

To my annoyance, he was being incredibly reasonable, so I took the opportunity to lay it out straight. “It might help if you were less tactile yourself. Touching her hair is…” I shuddered “…off limits.”

“Quite right. I will make a conscious effort to keep my distance in the future.” The smile was tugging at the edge of his lip again. He was enjoying this—me in this riled and painfully jealous state.

Glowering suspiciously, I picked up my fork to eat. “Why didn’t she know about me?”

“It’s none of her damn business, and I don’t discuss us with anyone. Are you done?” He smiled openly now as I glared at him, trying to decide if I had anything else to add. Suddenly, he began to laugh, reaching over to rub at the furrow on my forehead. “Baby, you’re the only girl for me. You should know this. I love you. Look…” he pointed at the red mark on his knuckle, the result of hitting the dribbling asshole “…this is how much I love you. To the point of crazy.” He grasped my hand again. “Now—am
I
forgiven?”

“One more question.”

Ethan rolled his eyes and sighed. “Ask.”

“Why do you have to see her tomorrow?”

“We have the meeting with Valiente and his board tomorrow. Finally. Damon and I have been working on closing this deal for ever. We want it wrapped up before my parents come home at the end of the week. Lawyers for both companies will be present at the meeting.”

My stomach twisted into a heap of nerves at the mention of his parents. I was worried about meeting them, worried they wouldn’t like me. But I couldn’t let my thoughts digress just now; one worry at a time was enough. I watched as Ethan cleared his plate and lay his knife and fork down.

“Who is this Valiente?” I asked. I’d heard Ethan mention the name several times now, always with a degree of irritation.

“You’ve heard of VS Network Solutions?”

“The telecommunications company?”

“Yes, a market leader in all things wireless. This year was the fifth time it’s been included by
inc
. magazine in its annual ranking of the nation’s fastest growing private companies. My father invested in the company back in 2008—a substantial investment. The upshot is that Wilde Industries owns fifteen percent, and VS wants it back. Raymon Valiente—the V in VS—is one of the co-founders. He’s been trying to close the deal on the market share value, but we’re having none of it. He can bleat about the Dow Jones all he likes, but everything has a value, and his frantic desperation to get his hands on our share has a least a fifteen million dollar price tag on it.”

I gasped. “Wow. Why would you sell it if it’s worth so much?”

“VS is a lucrative business in a rapidly evolving industry, but it’s not Wilde Industries’ typical territory. If we play our hand right, we should make a cool one hundred million return on the investment.”

My mouth dropped open in absolute shock. I recalled Ethan making a flippant comment some time ago, about the deal not being finalized because they were arguing over a couple of million. I’d thought he was joking, or exaggerating at least.

I finished my food and Ethan checked his watch. “I’m afraid I have to go, baby. Jackson is outside to take you to the gallery.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

“I may be late tonight. Can I trust you to behave yourself and go straight home?” I nodded again and he stood, reaching down to kiss me on the forehead. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten about this cheeky bastard client who wants to take you to dinner, either.”

Sloane
. I groaned inwardly at the reminder. Then I realized why he’d been so reasonable about allowing me to lay down the law with Natasha Stephens. It meant I had no wiggle room when he called the shots about Sloane. Clever. I opened my mouth to speak, but Ethan got in first.

“I’m afraid we’ll have to discuss it later, baby, I’m running late for a meeting.” Cupping my cheek, he kissed me again, this time a full-on, taking possession, consuming kiss. “Mine remember? See you later.”

Jia was as delicate as she deserved to be, but absurdly upbeat. When she’d woken that morning, she said she’d felt a sense of liberty and relief. She had her old sparkle back—a vivacious buoyancy of spirit that I hadn’t realized was missing until I witnessed its return.

“Being single again appears to suit you,” I said, taking the proffered coffee cup from her hand. “You’re practically fizzing.”