The Deception (22 page)

* * *

Will spied Savannah where she stood just inside the roped barricade which ran along both sides of the red carpet and his eyes widened in surprise. He almost stumbled into his date. Savannah held a microphone awkwardly in her hand while a photographer snapped off pictures beside her.

Candi tugged impatiently on his arm, drawing his attention to the fact he’d come to a halt. Offering Savannah a polite nod of recognition, he forced himself to continue, heading toward the open glass doors which led inside.

Damn!
Of all the people to run into.
If he’d had the slightest inkling she’d be here, he’d never have come. He hadn’t wanted to attend this function in the first place. In fact, he’d completely forgotten about it until Candi had called him to ask what time he’d be by to collect her.

Truth be told, he’d even forgotten about Candi.

A model he’d dated a couple of times, she was easy going and easy on the eye. The fact she didn’t have an original thought in her head had never worried him. At least, it hadn’t until he’d met Savannah. Now, it seemed he couldn’t help but compare all of his girlfriends to her and it was irritating him no end that none of them seemed to measure up.

Even though he’d forgotten all about her, Candi’s call had come as somewhat of a relief and he’d seized upon the chance to put Savannah and her fine green eyes out of his mind. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think he was beginning to fall for her.

Which was beyond ridiculous.

“Would you like a glass of champagne, sir?” A tuxedo-clad waiter materialized beside him, brandishing a tray laden with crystal glasses filled with pale sparkling champagne. He lifted two glasses off the tray and handed one to Candi.

“Ooh, I just
love
these events!” She took a sip from her glass and pressed herself against him. “Hugh Jackman, he’s so
gorgeous
!” She grabbed Will’s free hand and squeezed it tightly.

He forced a polite smile and tried to extricate his hand without causing a scene. The room was crowded and he couldn’t tell whether Savannah had come in from outside. He cast around, hoping to spy her trademark red hair.

He hadn’t failed to notice how spectacular she looked in a short black, sleeveless cocktail dress that complemented her tanned skin. The low-cut neckline allowed a generous glimpse of her impressive cleavage and had given him flashbacks to the way her soft breasts had felt in his hands.

His cock stirred. As if on cue, Sandi’s hand stole around the front of his trousers. Her eyes widened in surprised delight. He cursed under his breath.

“Oh, darling, if I’d known you were that eager to see me, I would have suggested you come over a little earlier. I could have taken care of that for you before we left.”

Will tensed and removed her hand. “Candi, please. We’re in public.” He frowned inwardly, knowing what a hypocrite he was. If it had been Savannah’s hand on his cock, he would have enjoyed every minute of it, public be damned. In fact, he’d done just that at the ball.

Oblivious to his annoyance, Candi laughed, deep and throaty. The sound of it normally turned him on. Tonight, it grated.

 “Will, darling. I didn’t know you were such a prude. You certainly didn’t seem to have any inhibitions a few of weeks ago down at the beach. Don’t tell me you’ve gone all shy?”

Much to his relief, a voice toward the front of the crowd directed them to take their seats, saving him from replying. He swiped another glass of champagne and gulped it down in a few quick swallows. It was going to be a long couple of hours.

* * *

Savannah watched as Will took a glass of champagne off a tray and drained it. The blonde with legs up to her armpits and boobs only money could buy draped herself all over Will. Savannah quietly seethed.

He looked good enough to eat in his black-on-black Armani and her heart had thumped crazily from the time she realized he stood less than three feet away from her on the red carpet. He was now halfway across the room with his Barbie look alike plastered to his side. Savannah strained her neck around a large man in order to keep them in sight. Rex shot her an odd look.

“What the hell’s the matter with you?”

She blushed and forced her gaze away from them. She flashed Rex a smile. “Nothing. Why do you ask?”

“You’ve been staring at someone over there and it’s becoming quite obvious. The thing is…” He sighed with weary resignation. “I know you’ve never been to one of these celebrity dos before, but you’re supposed to stay cool, you know, act like they’re just ordinary people, not freaks from another planet.”

Her face turned to fire. She could have spontaneously combusted from embarrassment. A part of her hoped desperately that she would. “I-I’m not! I know they’re not freaks!”

Gathering what little pride she had left, she tilted her chin defiantly. “And I was not staring. I was just… I thought I saw someone I knew,” she finished lamely, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Just as long as you have a story, that’s all Max wants. I got some great shots of Hugh and Jake. Too bad that other young babe… What’s her name? Maria Bello… That’s right. Too bad she couldn’t make it. She’s hot.”

Savannah looked at him. He had to be pushing sixty. “Isn’t she a little young for you?”

“Young? No way,” he scoffed. “She’s just how I like ’em. Young, fresh and sexy. And all that blond hair. It does it for me.”

She turned away in disgust, grateful that the announcement for the audience to take their seats saved her from responding. Praying silently she wouldn’t run into Will and his date, her hopes were dashed when she saw them coming toward her. They were less than ten feet away; she had no choice but to acknowledge them.

“Savannah.” Will’s voice, low and husky, sent shivers of awareness down her spine. “It’s good to see you again.” He held her gaze and lifted her hand to his lips. She stiffened in surprise. Barbie threw daggers with her eyes.

Will turned to the woman beside him. “Candi, I’d like you to meet a…
friend
of mine, Savannah O’Neill. Savannah, this is Candi.”

Savannah blushed furiously. Nobody used the word friend
like that, unless they meant
lover.
Everybody knew that. Even Barbie, if the fierce jealousy flashing from her heavily made-up eyes was anything to go by.

A fresh wave of embarrassment washed over Savannah’s cheeks. She mumbled something incoherent and pushed her way through the crowd, determined to leave. There was no way in the world she’d be able to sit through nearly two hours of movie knowing Will was in the room with another woman.

She looked around for the exit. Her thoughts tumbled wildly. Why would he introduce her to his date and then make it clear to her that he and Savannah had been lovers? Why would he insult the woman like that? It didn’t make sense. Unless he wanted Savannah to know he had no interest in the blond bombshell. Could he have been trying to send her a message?

“Savannah!”

She stopped and turned. Rex jogged toward her, his camera swinging from the strap over his shoulder.

“Where the hell are you going? The movie’s about to start.”

She improvised quickly. “Rex, I’m sorry. I’m not feeling well. I think I have a migraine coming on. Do you mind if I leave you here? I’m really sorry.”

“But what about the party afterwards? It’s the best time to get quotes off these people. Their tongues get a lot freer after a few glasses of bubbly, especially when it’s on the house.”

“I’m sure you’re right, but I really can’t stay. Besides, I’m certain I have enough already to keep Max happy. You stay, enjoy the movie. It looks like it’s going to be a good one.”

Not waiting for his response, she turned away and headed toward the exit.

* * *

Climbing into bed a couple of hours later after hurriedly putting together an article on the movie, Savannah couldn’t prevent the flashbacks to her evening and in particular, the ones of Will and his date.

His date.

According to Pete, Will had said he really liked Savannah.
Had
he meant it? She just didn’t know what to believe.

Sighing deeply, she switched off the lamp on her nightstand and snuggled beneath the sheets. The familiar sound of a train rattling along the tracks outside her window calmed her scattered thoughts.

She had to talk to him. She had to lay it all on the line and tell him how she felt. The thought of doing so sent equal tremors of fear and excitement coursing through her veins, but she’d made the decision. It was done. She’d call him.

Tomorrow.

CHAPTER 19

Thursday afternoon

Will stood before the plate glass window that ran from floor to ceiling in his office at Rutledge Advertising and tried to quell his nerves. The ocean glittered invitingly in the distance. Despite his career in law enforcement, he hadn’t been lying to Savannah when he told her his father kept an office for him on the top floor of the building. He could only guess his old man remained hopeful his son would see the error of his ways and return to the fold. Either that, or Robert Rutledge was doing his best to keep up the façade.

Will was no longer certain about anything. The father he thought he knew had managed to shock him to the core. Not that he was blind to the possibility that his father enjoyed intimate benefits with the bevy of socialites Robert escorted to various functions around the city, but it had never occurred to Will that he might frequent a brothel.

Will had been stunned to discover him at the Black Opal. The only thing he was thankful for was that his father hadn’t blown his cover. When he’d turned his back on his father’s world and had embraced the life of a law enforcement officer, relations between them had hit an all-time low.

It wasn’t as if Will had anything against advertising, or even working for his father, despite their lack of closeness. It was more a case of a total lack of interest in what went on in his father’s world. Advertising could never measure up to his passion for police work. He’d always dreamed of making a difference. Police officers routinely faced life and death situations. They were an integral piece of the fabric of society. Without laws and law enforcers, he believed it was a fast road to anarchy.

His training at the Police Academy in Goulburn had left him with some of the best memories of his life. Finally, he’d found a purpose. Finally, he was making a difference. The Academy was also where he’d met his best mate, Andy Warwick.

They’d graduated together and had then gone their separate ways, being stationed as probationary officers in busy police stations in Sydney suburbs which couldn’t be any further apart, but they’d kept in touch and now, with both of them living and working in the inner city, they often socialized together on their days off. Will recalled his promise to Andy to take the yacht out and made a mental note to call and confirm.

The telephone on Will’s desk rang, interrupting his musings. He turned away from the window to answer it. “Yes?”

“Will, it’s Carol. Your father’s ready for you now.”

The nerves he’d almost managed to suppress immediately rushed back to crowd his belly. He swallowed the lump in his throat and licked his dry lips. Now that the moment was upon him, he didn’t have a clue what he was going to say, but to delay the confrontation would achieve nothing. He drew in a deep breath then released it slowly and strode determinably across the room and opened the door.

A few minutes later, he stood before his father.

“Will, come in. Carol told me you wanted to see me.”

“Yeah, I did. The other night, at the Black Opal, I—”

“I get it. You were on a job. I’m not stupid and I’m not surprised. You think I don’t give a damn about your police career, but the truth is, I knew within a few days of the paperwork being approved that you’d transferred to the DEA and I knew why.”

His father’s familiar, steely eyed gaze bored into him, alight with challenge. Will did his best to conceal his surprise. “I-I had no idea.”

“Of course you didn’t. That’s exactly how I wanted it. All these years, you thought I didn’t care, but I’ve always cared. I’m not denying the death of your mother hit me hard, but you’re my son. How could you think I didn’t love you?”

Pain tore through Will at his father’s words. A second later, rage surfaced. “That’s total bullshit! You didn’t love me! You didn’t give a damn about me. From the very day he was born, it was all about Cole. You brought him home and I ceased to exist.”

“No.” The cold certainty in his father’s voice gave him pause, but Will quickly recovered.

“Yes, Dad. That’s exactly how it was. I was thirteen. I’d lost my mother and I might as well have lost my father, too. There was no one else for you, but Cole.”

“You were jealous.”

“You bet I was! I was a kid! I stood by and watched while you lavished him with love and praise. He was the golden child who could do no wrong. I was the third wheel. It was always that way.” Will’s breath came fast. His chest heaved like he’d sprinted up every single one of the ten flights of stairs that led to his father’s office.

Pain and regret flooded his father’s face. “It was never meant to be like that, Will. I swear. I-I pushed you away, I know that, but I never… Your mother died giving birth to Cole. She gave her life for him. I had to honor her sacrifice. Above all else, I owed her that much.”

His voice cracked with emotion. Will steeled himself against the sympathy that rushed to the surface. He wouldn’t feel sorry for his father.
He wouldn’t.

“It’s too late, Dad. I don’t care.” The lie tasted bitter on his lips.

Deep sadness and grief slackened his father’s features. With his head bowed, he spoke quietly. “Although I’ve tried to justify it, there’s no excuse for my actions. I can see that now. I don’t expect you to forgive me. I ask only that you think of me a little less unkindly, every now and then.”

Guilt tore through him. He thought of Savannah and the burgeoning feelings he had for her. He barely knew her and yet every time he thought of her, he was filled with a fierce need to protect her and keep her safe from harm. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be married to her for thirteen years, to be beyond besotted with her, only to lose her in tragic circumstances…