Page 5 of Nefarious
For her part, Geraldo’s philandering had never made her feel jealous so much as wronged; he’d expected more fidelity from her than he’d ever given in return. He had a particularly irrational concern about her relationship with Dane—to Val’s never-ending amusement. Of all the men in her life, Dane had always been the one Geraldo never need fear.
She’d cultivated this jealousy like a meth addiction. As long as his focus was trained on Dane, he missed any signs she was seeing other men. She never had difficulty keeping her affairs secret, but pretending she pined for Dane proved deliciously fun and effective, especially since it had a kernel of truth. But Geraldo could never prove his suspicions because things between Val and Dane had been settled for years. Ever since they’d met in college, they’d worked together, flirted openly, but kept the romance safely at bay.
Until that New Year’s Eve.
Val’s eyes closed, and she let herself relive that earth-shattering night, wondering again what would have happened if she’d followed her heart instead of her head.
She stood alone in the middle of the crowd, one minute before midnight. As the partygoers counted down the last seconds of the year, she scanned the room, tapping her foot and searching for Geraldo. That man didn’t have a sentimental bone in his body, so it wouldn’t have surprised her if he’d left early, but she felt like a fool, and there would be hell to pay.
An airhorn blared, and all heads swiveled toward the giant monitors displaying cheesy animatronics counting down to midnight.
She had no intention of staying a second longer, but then her eyes landed on Dane, cutting across the floor, andhiseyes landed onher. He changed direction, heading straight for her.
He pushed through the swaying crowd, getting closer. He’d come a long way from the day she’d met him in college, back when he’d worn T-shirts sporting video game references. In that ridiculously expensive suit, he could have graced the glossy pages of aWorld’s Most Eligible Millionairesarticle—and he had.I created a monster.A beautiful monster. He walked toward her with an elegance that denoted confidence and style.
He must have noticed she’d been abandoned and wanted to slip over to make sure she wasn’t alone at the start of the new year. She was surprised, but delighted he wasn’t orbiting Noelle. Her hope flickered.
She watched him avoid the grasping hands of other partiers, anticipating the moment he’d say something saucy like, “How ‘bout a kiss, doll.”
He stopped several feet from her and let his gaze drag down her entire body. She wore a silky black dress for the occasion, and her blond hair fell in careful tendrils thanks to an afternoon at the salon. Geraldo’s eye tended to wander, so she’d make an extra effort whenever they’d be in a sea of other women. In all probability, he’d wandered right off with one of the wait staff despite her attention to appearances.
The way Dane raked his eyes over her, she didn’t think she’d been the one at fault for Geraldo’s disappearance.
As Dane continued toward her, she noticed for the first time that he staggered. He had a drink in one hand, and she was willing to bet it wasn’t his first. Or his third. A lazy smile crept across his face, and she’d been about to ask him if he was drunk when he took one last stuttering step toward her and lifted his hand toward her face. But he stumbled forward, and his hand landed on her shoulder, throwing her backward. “Hey, Dane. What’s going on?”
He recovered his balance and stared into her eyes. He said words she hadn’t heard from him in years. “You look fucking beautiful tonight, Val.”
It took her off guard, and she gasped. “Whoa, Dane. Steady.”
He leaned forward, his forehead pressing into hers, eyes closed, just breathing her in. He smelled of bourbon. His fingers twisted in her hair, and his lips stopped inches from hers. Just the memory of it made her ache. He fell so quiet, she wondered if he’d drifted off to sleep.
Then the room exploded around them as everyone screamed, hugged, kissed. Dane and Val stood dead still, pressed against one another, swaying like a couple in the final hours of a dance marathon.
Dane’s eyes opened, and he peered into her soul. She couldn’t resist the temptation to reach up and touch his hand against her cheek. “What are you doing, Dane? Where’s Noelle?”
“Fuck her.” His breath tickled her ear.
Val pushed at his shoulders until she could see his expression. “Why? What happened?”
He shrugged like it didn’t matter. “She doesn't want to have anything to do with me.”
Val glanced around, but everyone was preoccupied with their own revelries. She grinned as she considered the possibilities. “So it’s New Year’s Eve, and we’re both alone.” Her voice came out low and husky.
“Do you want to be?”
She wrapped her hand around Dane’s tie and dragged him closer. “No.”
When his lips met hers, she would have sworn the world dropped to complete silence. He kissed her soft at first, but then her lips parted, and his tongue brushed against hers, deliciously alcohol tinged. His hands found her neck, and he crashed into her with so much passion, she lost her balance and wobbled on her spike heels.
Without calculating the risks, she grabbed Dane’s hand and urged him to follow her to the lobby where he paid for a room.
If he looked unbelievable in his tuxedo, he looked even better out of it. They spent the night whispering in each other’s ears, confessing frustrated desire. She told him she’d always loved him. He told her he always would. They were both lying. And they had it backwards, besides.
The next morning, she found Geraldo’s business card pushed under the hotel room door and made the only rational decision open to her at the moment, sacrificing a relationship with Dane in the short term to save face with Geraldo for the longer game.
That decision had cost her more than either man would ever know.
In ordinary circumstances, she would have coerced Geraldo to step aside and let her have Dane. But she’d already given Geraldo too much power in the boardroom. She knew he’d crush them both if she didn’t cede to him in the bedroom. She’d been cocky enough to think she could appease Geraldo, salvage the company, and earn back Dane’s trust.
