Pierced: Pierced Trilogy Boxed Set (85 page)

The main viewing area, in front of the massive window with a perfect view of the 50 yard line, sports twelve oversized, comfortable looking black leather chairs – the kind any man would love to have right in front of his giant TV screen. Behind them, there is a bar with six stools all facing the window – 18 seats in all. The bar would be perfect for enjoying a beer and some wings while you watch the game. Beyond the bar, where we’re standing right now, is a small lounge area with four comfy, plush looking chairs set around a low table – nice spot for the ladies to sit and chat if they’re not into the game. Against the back wall, there is a long counter with a small sink at one end and two large chafing dishes are set up at the other end, and the aroma coming from them reminds me that, once again, Sam and I chose sex over breakfast.

“But I’m guessing you being on time is Josh’s doing, am I right?” Lucas asks, still giving his sister a hard time as he offers his hand to me.

“Hey, Lucas, how you doing?” I smile, shaking his hand.

“Good, buddy, how about you?”

“Can’t complain,” I reply as I pull up the sleeves of my long-sleeved Seahawks t-shirt, feeling a bit anxious all of a sudden. In the back of my mind, I’m still wondering if Lucas knows about my past – about how my old man died. Not that it would matter much now that Sam finally knows. But still, it bothers me. If he does know … I just wonder what the hell he really thinks of me?

“Well, listen … just make yourself at home. There’s a private bathroom by the door. The fridge is there, underneath the buffet,” he says, motioning to the counter area. “It’s stocked with juice and water and beer. Sam said Corona was your drink of choice so, help yourself. There’s lime wedges on the buffet if you want. And I hope you like wings, ’cause that’s what’s on the menu.”

“Wings sound great,” I answer with a shrug.

“Great. Let’s eat!”

We serve ourselves, buffet style then, and I see that Lucas wasn’t kidding about the wings. Under the first chafing dish, there are three different kinds – hot, barbeque, and plain. In the other chafer, there are side dishes – a warm vegetable medley, and small ears of corn on the cob. And the plates aren’t the disposable, paper kind either, they are real china with real silver flatware and cloth napkins. This place definitely takes luxury over the top.

We all sit at the bar and talk while we eat and I have to take back my earlier words to Samantha about her being the only person who would wear four-inch heels to a football game when I see that Karen’s feet are dressed in a similar fashion. Chicks are funny.

We chat about everything under the sun and nothing in particular as we eat. Lucas peppers me with questions about being a cop. Mostly things about the police academy and what kind of training we go through, and I get the feeling that he really is just trying to get to know me, like Sam said. He also asks about Off Duty Blue. Seems he heard from Megan and Scott that the band is really good, and he and Karen want to come listen sometime. As we talk, I discover that he’s actually a pretty cool guy – easy going, good sense of humor, doesn’t seem to take life too seriously. Not at all what I would expect from a young corporate billionaire. But then again, I notice that his cellphone buzzes several times throughout lunch, like right now, and he either replies to texts or steps away to answer, always with a rather curt response to whoever is on the other line.

“Pookie, you promised no work this weekend for the wedding,” Karen admonishes him as he finishes his call and he sighs.

“And I kept my promise, cupcake. But the wedding is over now,” he answers softly and she pouts. He takes a deep breath and pulls out his phone and turns it off. Then he looks at her pointedly and she smiles sweetly at him. He leans in and kisses her swiftly and then shakes his head as if he’s wondering what the hell just happened and I chuckle to myself, knowing exactly how he feels.

We finish eating just as the kickoff is about to take place and Lucas stands, abandoning his empty plate. “Come on, let’s go down front, Josh,” he says, slapping me on the back and I stand to follow, looking back at my dirty dishes, and Sam laughs lightly at me.

“I’ll get it, go on!”

I smirk at her and head down to the huge window with the amazing view and take a seat, leaving an open chair between me and Lucas. As I do, I notice there’s a large flatscreen TV mounted in the corner just in front of the window, and it’s tuned to the very game we’re about to watch. So that we can see the instant replays, no doubt.

As the game gets underway, Sam and Karen come join us in the plush leather seats and the moment she sits next to me, my arm is around her and we hold hands as we snuggle close. It’s weird watching a game this way. I mean, it’s great; I can definitely see the appeal. It feels like we’re right on the field; you couldn’t get better seats if you tried. But it’s also sort of strange, being in the crowd but not being part of the crowd. I don’t know. It’s not bad, just different than what I’m used to.

I discover that Lucas isn’t one of those passive game watchers either, which is what I feared when he first invited me. But I’m relieved to learn that he likes to yell and scream at the players and the refs and the coaches, just like any other guy, and I actually begin to relax and really enjoy myself. I’m also pleasantly surprised to find that Samantha is a bona fide football fan herself and not one of those girls who just tolerates it for her man. She actually knows quite a bit about the game, and the team and their history, and I am officially impressed.
Damn, what a woman!

At halftime, the girls excuse themselves and go off to the stadium’s Pro Shop, leaving me and Lucas alone for a while, and I’m slightly annoyed at myself for feeling anxious again. I try to remember Lee’s words from a few days ago when he said ‘so what’ to the possibility of Lucas knowing the truth. I know that Lee’s right, it doesn’t matter. Or at least, it shouldn’t. But it does. I want to be with Samantha. And I don’t want her family to have any objections about that. So, whether I like it or not, my past matters.

“So, what do you think?” Lucas asks with a smile, watching me closely. “Only way to watch a game, right?”

“Ah … I don’t know,” I shrug. “It’s one way to watch a game, I guess.”

“You don’t like it?” His eyebrows shoot up in surprise and his voice sounds incredulous.

“Oh, no! I didn’t say that,” I chuckle. “I definitely like it. I can see how this would be … very easy to get used to. But, I don’t know. It’s also nice being out there,” I say, gesturing to the crowd beyond the window. “Being a part of the crowd, you know.”

He smiles at me and nods his head. “Okay, don’t think I’m being a smartass here, but…,” He reaches over and hits a hidden button somewhere and the huge window springs to life and opens, actually retracting slowly into the wall, and we are suddenly a part of the action in the stadium. Still sitting in the private suite, but now also among the crowd. We can feel both the open air and the excitement in the stadium, and I am speechless. My mouth is hanging open, waiting for a bird to fly into it, I’m so stunned. Lucas laughs at my reaction.

“You are definitely a smartass,” I tell him with a chuckle, and his laughter grows. And I can’t help but laugh with him for a minute.
Wow!

“Listen, Josh,” he says, falling serious as our laughter finally subsides, “before Sam and Karen get back, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Oh,” I say questioningly, eyebrows raised as I feel anxious again. What is this about?

“Yeah,” he sighs. “About my mother’s behavior this weekend.” I can feel myself grimace involuntarily at his words and I’m sure he can tell that it’s a conversation I’d rather not have. He raises his hands in a supplicating gesture. “I know, I know … she behaved badly. And I’m not going to try to apologize for her.” He takes a deep breath and continues. “But I do want to own my part in it because I feel responsible. When I first learned about you and Sam, I reacted badly. I was in a bad frame of mind because Sam had just been attacked again by that asshole and I was on high alert. I may have even been a dick to you initially, and I’m sorry about that. Martin took the brunt of it, I’m afraid. But once I stopped yelling at him for obviously keeping me in the dark, I listened to what he had to say. You should know it was a glowing report; he respects you a great deal. But I needed more. Samantha’s safety was important to my father so, I needed to be sure about you. So I ordered him to find out everything he could. And I assured my mother that I would not allow you, or anyone else, to take advantage of Sam. I did not mean to imply to her that I didn’t like you, or that I didn’t trust you. And I’m sorry if that’s the way it came across last night after her theatrics. And I just wanted to apologize to you for that.”

I sit stunned for a second and just look at him, not really sure how to respond. “You really don’t need to apologize, Lucas. I told you before … I can understand your need to investigate me. You don’t need to explain.”

“Well, I’m grateful you understand,” he replies, looking me in the eye. He seems thoughtful for a moment and then says, “You know, I said I wouldn’t try to apologize for our mother but … I would like to try and explain her to you, if you’ll let me.”

I shoot him a raised eyebrow and take a deep breath. And I wonder if he knows about her threats. I say nothing and shrug at him, so he continues.

“Mom has always been overly concerned with appearances. ‘What will people think?’ And Samantha has always been her pet project.”

I frown slightly at that last comment and give him a puzzled look. “Pet project?”

He nods at me. “I had it relatively easy in comparison,” he says. “I was practically raised to take over Colby Coring. But I didn’t mind the grooming because working with my dad, and helping to run the family company was all I ever wanted to do. Sam, on the other hand … her entire life, she has fought our mother’s attempts to make her be someone she just isn’t.” He hesitates for a beat and then says, “I know that my mother loves Sam and wants what’s best for her. The problem is that, she doesn’t trust Sam to decide what’s best for Sam. And she and my dad used to have some epic arguments about it.”

“Really?” I say, hearing the surprise in my own voice.

“Oh, yeah,” he replies. “Sam was his heart, Josh.” He looks at me and smiles. “My dad and I had a fabulous relationship but … she was his little girl, you know, and he adored her. And he and Mom would go toe to toe over her attempts to turn Sam into a vapid social butterfly. He wanted Sam to be her own person and to be more than just a socialite. Mostly because he knew Sam wanted more than that out of life. He avidly supported every artistic and academic interest she ever had. When Mom wanted to ship Sam off to a proper finishing school after she graduated high school, Dad went ballistic. So Mom figured she’d compromise … allow Sam go to college. As long as she chose ‘the right’ college. Mom wanted Vassar, of course. But Samantha really just wanted to go to UDub with Megan. Mom and Dad fought for days over that one but, Dad was insistent that Sam should be allowed to choose what school she went to.”

I’m silent as I listen to his tale, and I wonder idly why he’s telling me all of this. But I don’t get the chance to ask just then because he keeps talking.

“They even fought over the terms of Sam’s trust fund. Mom wanted it hinged on Samantha’s marital status. She wanted her married off – to the right
kind
of man, of course – and at least twenty-five years old before Samantha could touch that money. But Dad knew that Sam was going to need financial independence from Mom sooner than that, or she was going to be miserable. And he couldn’t stand the thought of his little girl going through life miserable for any length of time. And … since he knew that he wasn’t going to be here to fight for Sam anymore … he decided to leave her with a fighting chance. Without Mom’s knowledge, he changed the terms of her trust fund so that it kicked in on her twenty-first birthday … no marital clause. And then he swore me to secrecy. Mom was furious but, there was nothing she could do. She hates the fact that Samantha is no longer under her thumb.”

I’m not sure what to say to all this. And I’m more than a little stunned that he’s shared such private information with me. And again, I can’t help but wonder why. “Sam’s told me that her relationship with your mom has always been difficult,” I say quietly.

“That’s an understatement,” he laughs.

“Why are you telling me all this?” I ask finally.

“I just didn’t want you to think that her bad attitude this weekend was solely about you,” he shrugs. “Because you personally, actually have very little to do with it. Mom would have reacted the same way if Samantha had brought home a diamond broker from Tiffany’s.
‘Oh, my God, he works retail!’”
He mimics her voice with a roll of his eyes and I can’t help but smile and he laughs.

“I appreciate your candor, Lucas,” I tell him honestly. “But seriously,” I shrug, at a loss for words. Then I take a deep breath and push on. “I guess, what I’m really asking here is … why don’t you share your mom’s low opinion of me?”

I think my question takes him by surprise. He raises his eyebrows at me and then chuckles. “Well, for starters, I like the fact that you don’t pull any punches,” he says, smiling at me.

“Sorry,” I smile.

“Don’t be,” he says, still chuckling slightly. Then he looks me in the eye. “I like you, Josh. I find you intelligent, levelheaded, hardworking, and devoted. Both to your chosen profession and to my sister.”

His words take me by surprise and I stare at him in disbelief.

“Oh, did you think I wouldn’t notice?” he says with a smile. “It’s quite obvious how you feel about her. It’s nice to see. And I agree with Martin’s assessment of you.”

“Martin’s assessment?”

He nods slowly, looking me in the eye. “Martin’s been with me a long, long time; and with my dad before that. I trust him implicitly. When I had him check you out I also asked for his personal opinion of you. He said he felt you were dedicated to law enforcement and that you couldn’t be bought. He said he believes you’re completely in love with my sister, and that there was no doubt in his mind that you would take a bullet for her, or step in front of a bus if it meant keeping Pita safe. He also said he believes you don’t give a damn about her money. And I think he’s right.”