Diamonds (Den of Thieves Book 1) (4 page)

Quickly he picked a clean white button down and linen pants from his wardrobe. A pair of loafers finished off the look as he locked up and got into the elevator to head to Daria’s house. 

Daria watched as the black sports car pulled in past the gates and up the driveway. She watched it slowly made its way up to the front of the house and stopped.

She looked at her watch. Eleven thirty in the morning. Who would be bothering them at this time of day? Most of the people who came to see her father were there in the late afternoon for a drink in the den. They didn’t usually show up in the middle of the morning. And they certainly didn’t drive flashy sports cars.

She watched as a tall man got out and looked around.

What was he doing?

He looked so familiar…. Then it dawned on her. He was that guy from the night before – what was his name?

Peter. Peter Turcott the businessman.

Why was he here? Hadn’t she made it perfectly clear to him last night that she was not interested in him in any way, shape or form? Why had he come back?

Stupid man. She would have to fix him. Clearly he didn’t respond well when someone told him politely not to bother trying to get her attention.

She pulled back away from the window and started out of the room and down the stairs towards the front door.

She had almost made it to the door when the doorbell rang.

Yanking open the door she came face to face with the the smiling man. She felt her resolve slip a little at the disarming nature of his smile.

"What do you want?" she huffed, trying hard to sound as irritated as she had been a few moments before.

"Hi," he said still smiling.

"I asked you what you wanted. I would like an answer." She folded her arms across her chest and stood blocking the door.

"And I said hello. And I too would like a response. I mean after all it is customary to greet your guest politely and not be so demanding isn’t it?"

"Fine. Hello." She huffed again and rolled her eyes. The man was getting on her nerves and she could not wait for him to be done so she could close the door on him. "Now what do you want?"

"I am fine. How are you?" Still smiling.

Her resolved slipped a bit further much to her dismay. Maybe she was being a bit too hard on him. There obviously was a reason as to why he had come back after having been sent away the night before.

"Look. I am sorry Peter  -it is Peter isn’t it?"

"Yes it is."

"Look Peter, I am sorry if I am coming off as rude here but you have to understand I am not interested in anything you have to say. I said everything I had to say to you last night and I am not sure why you are here but it is not going to work.” Arms crossed again.

"I’m sorry? Interested in what?" That smile.

"You. I’m just not interested in getting to know you at this time in my life. And I don’t care what my father may or may not have said to you after we parted ways. Don’t kid yourself to think that I didn’t see you both talking about me when I wasn’t there. I am simply not interested."

"Oh. That. Yes he did mention you to me actually. You are right about that."

"My father has been trying to set me up for years with any number of men. And I have not found anyone yet who has intrigued me enough to spend time getting to know."

"I understand but that was not what our conversation was about actually."

"Oh sure it wasn’t."

"Actually he was telling me that I should steer clear of you. That I am not man enough to be able to handle you and certainly not worthy."

"Really now?" What sort of game was this man playing at or had her father really said that he should stay away from her?

She doubted her father had told him to stay away. He was always playing matchmaker. Then there was the simple fact that Peter was hot. And if what he had told her father the night before was true, he was a businessman. The car he drove clearly spoke to the money he was able to make.

Either that or else he was good at pulling the wool over people’s eyes.

Either way she was not interested in anything Peter had to offer. At all.

"Really. I am actually just here to see if I left my sunglasses here last night."

"Sunglasses? That’s why you came all the way back here? To find your lost pair of sunglasses."

"Yes."

"You really expect me to believe that."

"It’s the truth." He shrugged and that boyish grin crept over his face.

"Why, if you do all sorts of acquisition business, don’t you just go and buy yourself a new pair? It doesn’t make any sense to come back here again. Unless of course everything you said about your employment was a lie and you don’t actually have any money."

"I did not lie. I am in acquisitions like I said. And the reason I came back for those sunglasses is because they are an older pair that they don’t make anymore. I’m sort of partial to them actually and I would hate to think that I misplaced them and can’t get them anymore."

She studied him. He didn’t seem to be lying. Maybe she was wrong about the whole thing.

She sighed. Her insides started to relax a bit.

"Fine. You may come in and look for them. But I will warn you, don’t try anything funny or else you will be in a whole pile of trouble with me." She swung the door open wide and moved aside so he could step through.

"Don’t worry I am not here to try anything." He held his hands up as he walked in the door. "I promise."

She walked with him down the main hallway.

"Where do you think you left them?"

"The last time I remember seeing them was out on the balcony off the main room."

"Really. Why were you out on the balcony?"

"It was a nice night and I was enjoying the view of the stars."

"So you are an astrologer too are you?" She looked hard at him, trying to figure out what was going on in his mind.

"Oh god no. I just love looking up at them from time to time. Gives me peace."

They walked in silence for another few feet. What peace could a man like him need that the money he clearly had couldn’t buy?

She asked him as much.

"Oh that. It was a long time ago." He looked down at his feet as he walked.

He looked sad.

"What do you mean ‘it was a long time ago’?"

"You don’t want to hear it. Don’t worry about it. I’ll get my sunglasses and be out of your hair."

"No you can tell me." She stopped.

"It’s not something I can change Daria."

"What?" She wanted nothing to do with this man but she was curious as to what it was that could make him so sad so quickly.

"My mother died when I was five. She and I would go and sit outside on clear nights and talk and look up at the stars together. It is about the only thing I can really remember about her. I don’t remember what she looked like anymore but I can still hear her voice if I try really hard to remember."

She looked at him stunned. Was this some sort of joke?

"Are you kidding me?" She demanded.

"I’m not sure what you mean? If you are asking me whether I am kidding about the fact that my mother is dead then no I am not. Although there are many days when I wish I was joking."

Daria looked at him long and hard. She was trying hard to find any indication that he was lying to her. That he was trying to put one over on her.

Something about the look on his face told her that he wasn’t kidding and that he really was being honest. His mother had died when he was little.

"I’m sorry. I just--" She turned away embarrassed. She was so used to men using anything to get close to her that she had barely trusted him when he was clearly telling the truth.

"Just what? What did I say that was wrong, Daria?" It was his turn to place a hand on her shoulder.

"My mother died too when I was little. I thought you were making up a story to try and get closer to me. I can see now that you aren’t and I am sorry that I misjudged you."

"That’s alright." A smile broke across his face again giving Daria a moment’s pause wondering if he was playing her in some way.

"You have to understand where I am coming from. Men are constantly-" she started wishing she hadn’t. She could hear herself and she didn’t like the person she sounded like.

Not that she had any reason to give a care if the man standing before her thought less of her because it.

The thought hit her hard. She was actually starting to care what he thought of her. What the hell was wrong with her? Why did she care? It wasn’t as if she was ever going to see the man again after he found his sunglasses.

"What?" He asked and for a moment she thought she had accidentally spoken that last thought out loud.

"Nothing. Why?"

"You looked lost for a moment. Almost sad."

"I was just thinking about my mother. I never had the chance to get to know her. She died after I was born.

"I’m sorry" The sad look crossed his face and she felt the guilt rise up in her throat. She didn’t like the idea that she had made him upset again

Her mind screamed at her again. Why did she care?

"Never mind. It was a long time ago and I never knew her so I can’t say I miss her. More like I miss the idea of her.”

"I understand. It must have been hard for you growing up without a mother."

They started walking back towards the back of the house and out to the balcony.

"Not really. There was always someone around the house but there was more than one time I can remember where I really wished I had a mother I could turn to. It was mostly the little things really. Silly things but I still wished she was there."

He nodded and said nothing but stared off the balcony to a point in the distance. Daria studied him for a moment. He had a strong jaw, a day’s worth of growth peppered his chin and down his neck. The wind ruffled his hair and Daria shivered.

"Oh hey. You must be cold. Let me have a look around and see if I can find those glasses." He turned away to look around the table and chair that sat on the one end of the balcony.

It was Daria’s turn to look off in the distance and try and collect her thoughts. She wanted nothing more than to get out of the situation she was in. She did not like the uncomfortable situation she found herself in. There was a part of her that wanted nothing more than to run back into the house and to her room. Away from Peter and the way he was making her feel. And then there was another part of her that was curious about him and why he made her feel the way that he did.

"Found them!" Peter turned around and smiled at her. In his hand was a pair of black sunglasses.

"Good." She nodded and turned back into the house.

He followed her.

"Well I am sure glad that I was able to find them," he said as they made their way back down the hallway.

"I am too." She tried once again to put that wall up between them. He was going to leave now.

"Thank you," Peter said as they got to the door.

"You’re welcome Peter." She opened the door, trying not to make eye contact.

"I know this might sound really bad given how our conversation started but I was wondering if I could take you out for a drink tonight." He smiled and put his hand up when she started to object, "No strings attached. I just want to thank you for letting me come back in here to look for my sunglasses. And truthfully I feel badly about upsetting you a moment ago when we were talking. And for how I came across last night."

“It’s fine, really,” she protested but once again she could feel her resolve at keeping that wall up, that distance, slipping.

What was it about him?

“I insist. Let me make it up to you. If you have a horrible time I will take you right home. I promise.”

Daria looked at him. She could tell he was not going to take no for an answer and she really wasn’t in the mood to argue with him any longer.