Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ryan maneuvered his car through traffic, his thoughts shifting between the road, work and the gorgeous woman sitting beside him. Brie stared out the window, her expression mellow.
He reached over to grab her hand. “Is everything okay?”
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
“The Boardroom.”
“What about it?” They’d been back for another visit last week and she’d been...stunning. Again. She reveled in the adoration more each time, which only made her more incredible.
Her hand tightened around his before she asked, “How’d you get involved with it?”
“A friend.”
Her chuckle was heavy with cynicism. “That’s what Lori said too.”
“Lori?” He pulled up to the curb in front of the restaurant valet stand. “I thought you came with Jacob.”
They’d never really discussed her initial visits to the Boardroom, but he hadn’t worried about them. She was with him now, and that was the only thing that mattered. In truth, she hadn’t been with Jacob even when he’d brought her into the Boardroom.
“I did.”
Their discussion came to a halt as they exited the car. He gave the keys to the valet and came around to extend his arm to Brie. The evening light didn’t hide the glow that rose on her cheeks or take away from the sophisticated cut of her dress. The deep burgundy color looked beautiful against her skin. The flowing material of the skirt brought a touch of whimsy that was balanced by the higher waist and halter top.
She wrapped her hand around his arm. Her touch sent a burst of pride through him. She was graceful and wanton wrapped into one amazing package, and she’d picked him.
“Do you attend a lot of these?” She glanced around the banquet room where the charity event was being held. She leaned into him, the subtle intimacy bringing a smile to his face, along with a need to protect.
“No.” Normally, he would’ve sent a check and skipped the glitz, but he’d wanted to bring Brie. It’d been a long time—if ever—since he’d had anyone he’d wanted to bring anywhere. He glanced around the room. “There are some people I wanted you to meet.”
“Oh?” Her eyes grew wide with overstated surprise. “Should I be worried?”
“I hope not.”
He got them both a glass of wine and maneuvered them into a quiet spot along the wall. He nodded to a few people he recognized, but made no overture to extend the greeting. He had other things to focus on first.
“How do you know Lori?” he asked, going back to their earlier conversation. He assumed it was somehow connected to their mutual work in the legal field, but was there more?
“From college.” She took a sip of her wine, studied him. “So you know her?” The word intimately was left off the question, and Ryan wasn’t going to answer it.
He drew her out the side door to a brick patio. Heat lamps warmed the area and provided a quiet escape from the din of the banquet room. He found a secluded corner that gave them the privacy he wanted.
Her expression held a mix of question and concern when she turned to him. “What’s going on?”
The narrow line he was walking seemed to shrink at her tone. He brushed her hair over her shoulder, appeasing his need to touch her. Reassure her.
“I’m aware of everyone who’s in the Boardroom.” He was exposing himself. The potential vulnerability dug into his gut, but he shut down the doubts before the old wounds were reopened. Brie wasn’t his past.
Her brows dipped. “How do you mean?”
“I’m the legal counsel for the group.” Trevor had brought him in at the very beginning, when it’d still been an idea played out among a small group in random arrangements.
Surprise shifted over her features before they settled into thought. “You knew who I was before you walked into that room the first time?”
“No.” He hadn’t. “Trevor handles the people details. My role is limited to the contracts.”
“But I signed an NDA.”
“Which Trevor approved and logged. I have the authority to see everyone’s info, but I don’t choose to know it.” He ran his fingers down her arm to clasp her hand. “Too much knowledge is dangerous.”
“That sounds ominous.”
He chuckled lightly. “It’s not that bad.” He drew her in to press a kiss to her forehead. “I swear.” A smile curled over her lips when he eased back. “But you understand the sensitivity that’s required.”
Her sigh was one of tired understanding. “I do.” She glanced away. “I never would’ve gone if I hadn’t been reassured multiple times of the privacy.”
That guarantee brought in most of the membership. “I took the initiative to change your status from guest to member,” he told her.
A hint of mischief sparked in her eyes. “I was wondering about that.”
“You were?”
“Yes.” She took another sip of her wine, turning away slightly. “Lori brought it up a little bit ago.”
He tensed. “She did?”
“Don’t get upset.” She sent him a quick scowl. “She didn’t tell me anything. She just told me to talk to you if I was interested.”
“But you didn’t.” His accusatory tone slipped out before he could change it. He grimaced, cursing his suspicion when she’d given him no reason to feel that way. “Sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“It was,” she agreed, cutting him zero slack. But then she never shied away from calling him on his actions.
A foursome came out onto the patio, their conversation drifting over as they gathered around a cocktail table further down.
Brie watched them. “I just figured you’d approach me if something needed to be changed.” She looked back to him. “After all, you’re the one who already belongs to the group. You know the ins and outs. Not me.”
“Brie.” His voice held that tender emotion he couldn’t articulate. He wrapped an arm around her, drawing her back in. “You’re right.” She raised a brow, her body still stiff. “And I did bring it up. Just now.”
There was a long pause before she finally gave a low “true.”
His smile pulled on the corner of his mouth. “So back to that,” he went on before he messed up again. “Trevor wants to meet you.”
She leaned into him, but the stiffness remained. “Who is this Trevor, anyway?”
“The Boardroom was his brainchild.”
“Again with the ominous.”
His low laugh broke through the bit of tension. “Not intentional.”
She shot him a look. “You should work on that.”
“It works well in the courtroom.”
“Does this look like a courtroom?” She motioned to the patio.
“Brie,” he growled, humor snaking in to lighten the gruffness. He hugged her closer, pressing his lips to her temple in a hard kiss. “Are you trying to drive me insane?”
Disbelief carried in her soft laugh. “No more than you’re doing to me.”
That sense of rightness surrounded him as he breathed her in. Every day was a new wonder with her, a new disbelief that she was with him. Yet in many ways it wasn’t. Not when this connection right here wove through him to confirm what he was afraid to trust.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he reluctantly stepped back to check it. He texted a response to Trevor before putting his phone away.
“You were wondering about Trevor,” he started, finding her hand to lace his fingers with hers. “You’re about to meet him.”
“What?” Her head whipped around. “A little warning would’ve been nice.”
“I just gave it to you.”
She frowned. “And you couldn’t have brought it up in the car? Or before you picked me up? Or earlier at—”
He cut off her rant with a hard kiss. She stilled, exhaled. He slicked his tongue over her lips, coaxed her to open them for a quick brush. He pulled back before the heat urged him to forget their location.
He skimmed his thumb along her jaw. “I didn’t want you to get nervous.”
Her brows dipped. “Why would I be nervous?”
He caught the movement from the corner of his eye as Trevor stepped onto the patio. Ryan gave her another quick kiss, hoping this went well, yet trusting she’d be fine. “Because he’s been in the Boardroom with you.”
* * *
“What?” Brie gaped at Ryan, comprehension struggling to take hold when he turned away.
“Trevor,” he greeted, his hand extended.
Brie snapped her mouth shut, her smile in place when she turned. Her manners charged forward to gloss over the shudder that raced down her spine. He was in the Boardroom with you.
Ryan placed his hand on the small of her back. His touch normally calmed her, but right now, not so much. “I’d like you to meet Trevor James. Trevor, this is Brie.”
Brie. Not Brighton Wakeford or even Brie Wakeford. Just Brie.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Trevor shook her hand, his smile pleasant.
“You too,” she managed to get out around her scrambling thoughts. Which time? When? Had he touched her? Put his lips on her? Or just watched?
Was one worse than the other?
“Have you been enjoying yourself tonight?” he inquired. Nothing in his tone insinuated anything other than polite social conversation.
“Yes.” She smiled tightly, shooting a pointed glance to Ryan. “It’s been full of surprises.”
A laugh rumbled from Trevor. “I don’t often hear that regarding him.” He flicked his chin at Ryan. His smile was nice though, his manner joking instead of cutting.
Her defenses went up for Ryan. “That’s odd,” she mused. “He’s constantly surprising me.”
“Oh?” Trevor raised a brow, his expression a bit devious beneath the curiosity. “How so?”
With his humor and wit. The tenderness that hides beneath his cool exterior. His continued ability to make me feel cherished. All those answers flashed through her mind, but remained right there.
Trevor appeared to be quite charming. His devilish good looks were enhanced by the prominence of gray in his dark hair. The maturity only added to the overall appeal. But she didn’t know him, even if he thought he knew her.
“Some secrets are better discovered on your own,” she evaded, leaning into Ryan.
Trevor raised his glass in acknowledgment. “That is very true.” Power emanated from him in the subtle hold of his shoulders and easy demeanor, but a perceptive calculation underscored it all. One her mother employed with cunning accuracy.
She let the expected laugh flow out, grateful that it didn’t sound fake.
Ryan tightened his arm around her, his protection established and welcomed. Understanding flowed into her on the slight brush of his hand on her hip and the quiet assurance that flashed in his eyes.
He hadn’t thrown her to the wolves. He had her back, just like she had his.
He shifted the conversation to mutual acquaintances with a grace that amused her. Ryan could charm when he wanted, and it wasn’t always fake. The warmth in his tone and ease in his stance told her Trevor was someone Ryan regarded as a friend.
His diversion gave her a chance to regroup. Her shoulders slowly relaxed, the kink in her stomach easing with each breath. Yet the apprehension remained. Trevor was privy to some of her deepest, darkest secrets.
That same sick fear that’d crashed in when she’d found out about Ryan tried to set up camp again. But Trevor gave zero indication of having any knowledge of her, let alone intimate incriminating details. No lewd looks or innuendos. No dry remarks. Absolutely nothing to make her feel badly or exposed.
Trevor glanced toward the banquet room. “I suppose I should go mingle since it is my event.” He shot Brie a smile, bowing slightly. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you.”
“You too.” Her smile was genuine this time. She waited for him to leave the patio before she turned to Ryan. “His event?”
“Yes.” He took her empty glass and set it aside before he guided her toward the banquet room. “His corporation is a top sponsor of the charity, but it’s also a personal cause for him.”
Her respect for Trevor rose a little more. His open support and promotion of the nation’s largest anti-sexual-violence organization could only be admired.
The crowd had increased significantly when they reentered the room, but Ryan guided her through it. He introduced her to many, some whose names were familiar through her work with the firm, and others who were important enough to be known in general. The amount of influence and prestige in the room was staggering. Her mother would drool with envy if she ever found out.
And then she’d be all over Brie to make introductions.
She was on her way back from the restroom when a familiar low chuckle reached her. Not exactly sinister, but practiced and fake like the bro-charm he applied to the three partners and the clients he schmoozed.
“Brighton,” he called. She debated ignoring him, but manners had her turning around. “I thought that was you.”
Her smile was pure professional courtesy. “Donaldson.” She was fully aware of the associate attorney’s first name, but they’d never crossed over to a first-name basis—until now, apparently.
His once-over ran from her head to her toes with a prolonged detour at her breasts. “I’m surprised to see you here.” The insinuation being: she wasn’t wealthy or important enough to be here.
“I could say the same.” She kept her smile civil despite the revulsion congealing in her stomach. Months of working with him on the Palmaro case had exposed the smarm beneath his dressed-up front.
The flick of his brow highlighted his predatory intent. One she would’ve picked up on even if he hadn’t taken one step too many into her personal space. “Nice job on bagging Burns.” The lowered tone of his voice wasn’t congratulatory. He snaked his fingers down her arm in a suggestive manner that left chills behind. “It’s a shame I don’t have a pussy so I could sleep my way to the top too.”
Disgust rolled in a heaping mound that crawled up her throat and singed the back of her mouth. This was exactly what she’d feared would happen. And Donaldson was an ass. One who didn’t deserve her time or response.
She turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm. His hand tightened when she tried to yank it away. Anger burned in her glare, yet she was fully aware of where they were. Causing a scene wouldn’t help.
“Are you going to run to Burns now?” he taunted. “You can’t handle a little office joking?”
“I believe the lady was leaving.” The deep voice snapped into the conversation before she could respond.
Donaldson dropped his hold immediately, a fake grin flashing that screamed of male camaraderie. “We were just talking.” He shot a wink that fell flat against the man’s stone-cold glare.
“And it looks like she’s done.” He turned his focus to her, a hand landing on the small of her back in a reassuring gesture. “Shall we?”
Recognition lodged before she nodded. Her heart ricocheted in her chest as he escorted her away. The man beside her was from the Boardroom. She didn’t know his name or anything about him, but she could pinpoint his exact location in the room during her first unblindfolded visit with Ryan.
The one where he’d fucked her against the wall—and on the table.
“Thank you,” she managed to say.
He shot a glare over his shoulder. “That man gives our gender a bad rep.” His smile transformed his expression from intimidating to kind. “Ryan is over there.” He motioned to the far side of the room.
Another round of tension bled from her muscles as he guided her through the people. They didn’t exchange names, and he ducked away with a slight nod before Ryan turned to her.
Was this another benefit of the Boardroom? Lori had tried to explain it to her, and Ryan had already showed her that same courtesy, respect and sense of protection. But experiencing it with a man who was ultimately a stranger was empowering in a way she found hard to articulate.
She identified more men she shouldn’t know but did over the course of the evening. Ones who’d stood along the wall and laid lust-filled eyes on her in the Boardroom. Her stomach twisted each time their faces clicked into context. And every time they either smiled politely or failed to acknowledge her at all.
And absolutely none of them left even a hint of the creepy slime that Donaldson had coated her in.
A sense of freedom crept into her bones and lifted yet another weight she hadn’t known she’d been carrying. She got it now, what Lori had been trying to tell her. There was no shame applied to anyone in the Boardroom at any time.
Women weren’t demeaned or looked down upon for participating. They weren’t ridiculed for their desires, while the men were congratulated for the same thing. If anything, she’d felt cherished in those rooms. Respected.
And most importantly, what happened within those rooms didn’t leave them—in any way. Not even through a flicker of recognition.
Unless your boss slips up and calls you by your scene name.
She grinned at that, the happiness dancing in her heart. She squeezed his hand, so damn glad he’d made that rare fumble.
Her smile was still in place, her head a little light from the wine when they departed. Ryan wrapped his arm around her after giving his parking stub to the valet. He nuzzled her ear in a tender gesture that sent goose bumps skittering down her neck.
“What’s that grin for?” he asked before he kissed her temple.
She gave him a devious side glance. “I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
She turned into him, lowering her voice. “The number of people in that room you failed to warn me about.”
His confusion appeared honest. “What do you mean?”
Did he really not understand? “The other men. From the group.”
There came the awareness. His wince held a touch of apology. “I honestly didn’t think about it.”
“Really?” How could he not?
“Really.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, urging her closer. The intimacy flowed between them on the same easy note it’d held all evening. “I didn’t. It’s not a bro club or something anyone uses for ulterior motives.” He gave a small shrug. “There’s no back-slapping or locker-room talk about conquests. That’s...” Repulsion wrinkled his nose. “Cheap. Trevor would never allow it. It’d be demeaning to the entire group.”
And that right there made it unique to her world. “I find that utterly fascinating.”
“How come?”
“Because I’ve never experienced complete acceptance without judgment. Not like that.” Not even with her parents. Her father made overtures, but he’d never openly countered her mother’s backhanded ridicule.
A gentle understanding broke over his face as he brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I believe that’s why everyone guards it so fiercely. From what I understand, that acceptance itself is not unique within the world of the sexually open. But the ultimate trust among those who have a lot to lose? That’s worth protecting.”
It was. She got it now. And she felt privileged to be a part of it.
The valet arrived with his car, and he guided her into it before he got into the driver’s seat. The comfort surrounded her as he pulled into traffic. Not from the car itself, but from the man who drove it.
She reached over to place her hand on his thigh. The need to touch him had woven its way into her until it’d become a necessity instead of simply a desire. Everything about Ryan was becoming a necessity.
And she had no idea how she was going to protect that—protect him—from the opportunistic claws of her mother. Or how long she could continue to hold her mother off.