Chapter Eleven
Iris
My second weekend dating Callum wasn’t quite as enjoyable as my first. We saw great sites, dined in amazing places, and made love with a fiery passion, but since I’d barged into his office on Friday, there’d been a tension there. I had to wonder if the man standing in his office was Seamus, that ex-friend he’d been so upset about. But no matter how I tried to bring the subject up, he dodged it. He was tender with me but haunted, and I hoped that I hadn’t done anything to make things even more awkward with his former friend. I’d been extra careful at work since then. We still had dictation sessions, but I was well aware now that I had to always call him Mr. O’Brien in the office and not just assume he was alone at his desk when I walked in.
Things were still fine between us, but I felt like I’d let him down.
I was mulling over these thoughts on campus. I had taken a long lunch on Friday to think hard over what I was doing, how to make things up to Callum. Hell, how to get him to open up more to me. Basically, I was moping and in a huge way, so I wasn’t paying attention when a redheaded girl sat across from me and started chomping into a slice of pizza.
“You’re Iris Kilshimer, aren’t you?”
I looked over my shoulders and frowned. “That sounds kind of ominous. Are you from Interpol? Maybe the Dublin police? Something where you could tell me, but then you’d have to kill me?”
She laughed with a deep, throaty chuckle that oddly seemed vaguely familiar. “Nothing like that, Iris. My name’s Symone O’Brien. You work for my dad, and frankly, Dad admitted last week that you’re dating. Small world, but we’re both on campus here, and I wanted to get a feel for the lass that was making my dad so happy.”
I frowned. “I don’t know if that’s true. I think I made a huge mistake a week ago barging into the office and shooting off my dumb mouth. He’s not mad with me, but he’s distant because some guy named Seamus saw us.”
Symone rolled her eyes. “Mr. McCartney is like Dad’s frenemy. Known each other forever, have rival companies, but Dad never quite cuts him loose since they’ve known each other forever. I say big bloody deal. Mr. McCartney basically encourages all my dad’s worst habits. Since you came along, he’s been happier, and the last thing he needs is to embarrass himself like he used to with a new blonde every weekend and tons of tabloid articles. I’m just glad the ‘Bad Boys of Dublin’ seem to be parting ways.”
“I just wish I hadn’t blurted things out in front of Seamus McCartney then. It sucked.”
Symone shrugged. “Don’t think too hard about him. I never do. He’s a bottom feeder, and Dad just felt too close to an old friend for too long. Just cause you’ve known each other for a long time doesn’t mean you’re friends… or that it’s still a good idea. I mean, break the habit, you know.”
I nodded and sipped my soda. “You’re, uh, quite effusive.”
“Thank you! But we don’t have much time to chat and do the girl power thing.”
I frowned. “We don’t?”
“No because tonight is the night on the Dublin social scene. You had to know about the masquerade ball my dad is planning for most of the city?”
My stomach churned, and my mouth went dry. He’d been planning a huge ball all this time and never mentioned it. All the files I’d been getting him to sign for Mrs. McCabe, well, she’d just called it a charity engagement.
Symone sighed. “My dad is hopeless with actual dating. He hasn’t done it in decades cause the last person he really cared about charming was Mom.”
“If he didn’t mention the ball, and I’m not invited, then maybe I am the flavor of the month whose expiration date is coming up.”
“No, of course not. If I know Dad, and I do, he probably worried about being too public with you, even with the masquerade theme. Besides, you think I can’t Google things, Iris?”
“Um?”
“You’re Seth Kilshimer’s daughter. Google told me that, and a quick look at Mom and Dad’s wedding album reminded me exactly who that is. He’s probably more scared of getting you in trouble with your father and made the decision not to invite you, but I have the perfect mask for you, the perfect way to obscure your face. Dad will barely recognize you once I’m done, let alone nosey reporters or even your dad if he got an image or two from the bash on the web.”
“But what if Callum…what if he doesn’t want me?”
“Lass, he’s been singing badly around his apartment. He never sings. He was always only about business. But he’s happier now, like a burden’s off his shoulders. As long as he’s sure he can protect you and keep your reputation safe, he’s definitely interested.”
“And you’re playing cupid? I can’t believe you’re cool with this. If my dad had a new girlfriend who was younger than I was, I’d be angry.”
“I’m not completely Zen about it, but I’ve been so worried about him, about how lonely he’s been, and how he’s been burying it in the complete wrong way. I’m not one hundred percent comfortable with this, but I care about him, and he’s smiled more in the last few weeks than he had since Mom died. That matters to me.” She smiled and set her half-eaten pepperoni slice down. “But no more talk, Cinderella, we have to get you to the ball!”
***
I stood by the full-length mirror at Symone’s small flat near campus. It turned out that she lived a life matching any struggling grad student most of the time. Her fiancé was out currently, which was actually nice because it gave her time to dress me up. Between her and Allison, I was so fortune to have my own team of fairy godmothers. Of course, if Symone were right, and Cal wasn’t actually cooling toward me, then I’d have to up my game. I’d have to learn to be the glamorous woman of the world I was supposed to be to serve as a CEO myself. I’d definitely need to learn better makeup skills.
Symone chuckled as I smoothed down the soft satin of my dress. “Here, let me help you with eyeliner.”
“Come on, I’m not hopeless.”
“You picked up the eyeshadow first. Let me get the liquid liner. I can highlight everything well so it’ll be complimentary with the eyeholes of your mask, and match the blue rims to the blue on your eyes.”
I laughed too as I took my seat. “Makes me think of how superhero movies put all that kohl or black gunk on the actors’ eyes before they put on the mask.”
“Nothing that dramatic, and only so you’ll look awesome when you and Dad get a private moment and he can appreciate you, and what a mistake he made not letting you know about the ball.”
“Well, he’s not completely wrong. If my dad finds out about this, he’ll definitely murder Cal and send me to some nunnery till I’m ninety.”
“I don’t think becoming a sister works like that.” Symone took the eye liner and held it up to the rim of my left eye. “Now don’t blink or you’re going to look like a royal blue raccoon, which I’m pretty sure is not your goal.”
“Well, it’s hard when there’s a big old marker near my eye.”
“Tell me anything you want. Are you really that into business?”
“I think I could be good at it, maybe. I mean, it’s a family tradition or so my father says. I don’t like it, but my brother is kind of like the family screw up, and someone has to step up and be the adult. That always means me.”
Symone shook her head and then brought her liner to my other eye. “But you sound like you’d rather have a root canal. I get it. I love teaching history. It’s why I’m working through my Ph.D. If you don’t love business or have that shark killer instinct, then it’s a hard slog.”
“Or you’ll just fuck up the company too,” I said, letting her do the rest of the routine—the powder and rouge on my cheeks as well as the lip liner and lipstick I needed.
Symone had a delicate touch. She could have done this whole thing for a salon or for a little boutique at the mall, not that Ireland had the same types of homages to capitalism we did back in the States. Oh, tons of shops, just not massive mega-malls in the Dublin city limits.
“Is that why you don’t want to take up the family mantle? You seem really not into business the way you talk about it, how flat your voice is.”
I waited a minute for her to finish lining my lips fully. “I just can’t imagine making the wrong choice. My father built that company for decades; he created it from scratch and moved himself up from a completely different class and upbringing. I could make it crumble by one bone-headed move. It’s clear business is like breathing for him. He just knows. The only thing I just know is the best stanza meter for a poem.”
“Ooh,” she said, settling on a nice, dusty plum color for my lipstick. “Dad didn’t say you were a writer.”
“I’m not, not really. I just dabble in my notebook. It’s silly.”
“I don’t think anything you like doing is silly.” She smiled and turned to rummage through her closet. “I know I’m lucky that Dad understood what I really wanted and didn’t stand in my way. I get that not every rich kid can avoid being drafted and groomed for the family business. I had so many friends in prep school that looked like they carried the weight of the world on their shoulders at seventeen. No one deserves that.”
“Tell me about it.” I wrung my hands in my lap. “It’s hard to feel like you’re letting your father down no matter what you do. Maybe that’s a little bit of how Cal and I got together. No, it’s not some rebel thing, but I know nothing I do is going to make my father happy. Sometimes, I get so tired of trying to please everyone and leaving nothing for myself.”
Symone nodded. “That’s the thing I think is attracting Dad to you. Mom was like that.”
“Like what? A doormat?”
“No, and you’re not either.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“I can tell you’re actually taking your life in your hands right now, doing what you want, and working against unfair rules. That was always like my mom. She was a good person, but if something was unjust, you can believe she was going to grill you about it.”
Symone set a pasteboard box, one aged almost yellow from who knew how many years in her closet. “I think you’ll also be the belle of the ball—if you’ll pardon the expression, lass—while you’re wearing this.”
I pulled up the top and gasped at the gorgeous mask below. Tracing my hand over the delicate design, I slid it over my eyes and then fastened it behind my head. Symone had been right, the colors she was rimming my eyes with would highlight the areas where the mask didn’t completely cover or where you could see through to my cheeks and the rims of my eyes as well.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It was my mother’s.”
Instantly, I started yanking at the mask. “I can’t do that. It’s too much to ask of you. I don’t want to take her place!”
“And it’s only been a few weeks. I know you’re not soulmates. I’m twenty-five, not twelve. Besides, that’s not a real thing. I just know that Mom had a great collection of masks for these types of balls, and this was one of her favorites. You need a way to go without tipping off the paparazzi, and it’s perfect.” She helped retie the straps on my face. “Trust me, if I felt like you were overstepping, I’d let you know. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but we O’Briens can be very honest.”
“You’re a candid bunch, no, really?”
She laughed and patted my shoulder. “Oh good, you’re sarcastic too. It means you’ll survive in this family.”
“I think I’m learning that much.” I stood, and she gave me a quick squeeze, a fierce little side hug that warmed my heart. The last thing I’d expected was to be embraced by Callum’s family, but I was glad I was. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now go get them, Cinderella.”
***
Callum
It gnawed at me.
That Friday morning at our “dictation session,” she’d run off to a lunch on campus with a fellow intern, or so she’d said. I knew there was a bit of distance between us ever since Seamus had showed up at my office. That rat bastard was also here in the crowd somewhere tonight for the ball. But even if Iris wanted to share my burdens, I had to shield her. She had enough stress in her life, and the last thing she needed was to worry about Seamus’s vindictive streak or to agonize over if someone noticed her at the ball tonight.
It killed me.
I’d have loved her on my arm, would have relished parading her around like the queen she was to all of Dublin high society. But how could I? Even with masks, I was too nervous about people prying into my plus one list. Those damn reporters were ruthless when they had to be. I didn’t want her reputation ruined before it even got started. I owed both her and Seth better too, owed them a way not to lose their already frayed relationship.
I had to lie to her about the charity function, had to obscure the fact it was a grand gala and ball.
So why did I feel like an utter piece of shit as I shook the hand of every acquaintance who either came up to me in the receiving line or schmoozed with me?
Because you’re a lying sack of piss, O’Brien. The girl could have handled it. You’re the scared one.
I was at that. Terrified that as powerful as I was, I couldn’t protect her from the paps and the scrutiny that came from dating someone as famous and wealthy as I was. I had promised to keep her safe, but I wasn’t completely sure I could back up my words.
And that burned.
The music was dying down. Soon, I’d be expected to go to the podium and give the yearly speech. That was a chore in and of itself. I always dedicated the cancer gala to Priscilla’s memory. If only we could have found more genetic treatments earlier, better techniques. Fifteen years ago, her form of breast cancer had killed her. Today, she’d have had a much stronger prognosis. God knew I’d thrown everything I’d had at a solution back then. One hadn’t existed. But now we were closer, and that drove me on.
As I started making my way toward the podium, I couldn’t help but notice how hushed the room had gotten. Granted, most people were probably waiting for me to speak, but a wave of gasps were working through the room too. Curious, I turned from the direction of the stage toward the grand staircase that all guests had to use to enter the ballroom.
I knew instantly who was there. Even if Symone wasn’t beside her in a plain domino mask and grinning madly, I’d have known. That riot of brown curls was tamed a bit tonight by being piled high on Iris’s head, but I knew my vixen by now. I knew her sexy but diminutive stature, the curve of her ample hips, and the very presence she had in a room.
But she was still a revelation, decked out as she was for the dance. The slinky, satin dress that hugged her curves in all the right ways was as enticing as anything I’d ever seen her in. The way it dipped over her breasts and teased more than a little of the olive-toned skin underneath made my cock hard. I didn’t know which store Symone had purchased it in, but there was no doubt she’d taken Iris shopping this evening. It was the mask, however, that truly made the look. I remembered it from years ago, from a dance I’d shared with Priscilla at a ball she’d thrown for our fifth anniversary.
It was as exquisite on Iris as it had been on Priscilla so long ago.
The silver mask was highlighted by blue paint around the eyes intermixed with silver sparkles. On the left side only, the mask swooped up wide, spreading out at the far-left corner into the towering back feathers of a silver and royal blue swan.
My queen was here after all.
Reluctantly, I walked to the podium and gave my speech as Symone and Iris walked down the stairs and blended with the crowd. I had a duty to follow before I could enjoy the woman who made my cock throb with need and my imagination fill with the dirtiest of fantasies.
“Thank you all for coming. I am happy to report that we’ve raised ten million dollars toward cancer research at Dublin’s biggest research hospital. It’s an unprecedented accomplishment for us. I am so grateful to have so many friends who want to help me and help this cause.” I paused and couldn’t help myself from looking up. “I know that Priscilla is looking down on this with that same megawatt smile she always shared with everyone. I…thank you.” I coughed to cover how much this night always got to me.
Offering the crowd my best, blinding grin, I strode down the steps and walked to the center of the ballroom. Symone and Iris were talking quietly by the open bar. I sidled up next to them and bowed low to my vixen.
“Well, luv,” I emphasized my point by taking Iris’s left hand in mine and kissing the back of it. “You look absolutely ravishing tonight.”
“Thanks to certain redheaded devils I could name,” Iris chirped, sharing a laugh with Symone.
Huh, maybe I have two dangerous women in my life now. That might lead to trouble…
My daughter nodded. “I just helped play the fairy godmother role. Now, you treat her right and no more of this leaving details out shite, Dad.”
I whistled and faked a salute for her. “Ma’am, yes ma’am.”
“Good, now you two go light up the room. You were meant to,” Symone said, heading out into the crowd to socialize with those she knew from the cancer foundation’s board. She loved this charity even more than I did, after all.
I dropped Iris’s hand and stroked her hair, the tendrils that hung down from the pile of curls. “I should have…”
“Yes, you definitely don’t have to hide things from me like a giant honking ball, but I get why. It was sweet to try and protect me from the paparazzi, but I’m a big girl, and I can make my own choices.”
I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing to remind her that, as a choice, I was a fucking spectacularly bad one. I was lucky to have her at all.
“I know, but if the story got out…”
She grinned at me, and I loved the delicious curve of her smile. “It won’t. Now,” she said, holding out her arm for me again. “Let’s dance.”
***
Iris
I swayed in his arms.
Leaning close to him so that his strong limbs could wrap around me, I let myself set my forehead on his strong, broad chest. He smelled of cinnamon, even now, and within the steel confines of his body, I knew I was safe, knew nothing could touch me. It was almost as if I could feel his heart beating in time with mine. It was a trick of my imagination; I got that. Still, his warmth and strength surrounded me, bringing me happiness I never knew I could have.
He leaned down and whispered against my ear, “You know, every woman in the room wants to be you.”
“I doubt that.”
He let go of my left hand long enough to ease my chin off his chest. “No, you need to see this, vixen. You need to see how goddamn desirable you are.”
Frowning under my mask, I looked at the crowd gazing back at us. The men seemed fixated on my hips and breasts. A few older women had to slap their husbands. The younger women were staring at me like a pack of wolves ready to tear me apart. Jealousy, my mind supplied. People were actually jealous of just recently virginal, total study-aholic me.
That didn’t seem possible.
And it wasn’t what I wanted.
Sure, it was nice to feel that extra jolt of confidence from everyone else’s envy. But that wasn’t something to aspire to. The only thing that really mattered was the man who held me, the man who cared about me, who made me feel like I was the only girl in the world. And definitely the only one who mattered.
I grinned up at him and took his left hand again. “Who else is there?” I nodded between us. “We’re the only people who matter here, the only ones I care about.”
He leaned down and kissed me. His mouth was rapacious and hungry as he did it, his tongue twisting and tasting my own. Cal left me gasping for breath when I pulled away, heat flaring through me and leaving my clit pulsing and lust bubbling through me. I wanted him then, but I knew there was still time we had to mark at the ball. He still had to talk to the right people and coordinate things with the foundation owners. I understood that.
It meant that I’d ravish him when we got home.
I planned to do just that.
He kissed me again as the music ended, and it felt like our bodies were molding into one. Callum ran his finger over my cheek and then over my plum-colored lips. “Wait for me on the balcony. I’ll do what I have to and then…”
I leaned up and whispered his favorite threat to me, “You’ll fuck me into next week.”
He grinned, a devilish expression that should be outlawed in all of Europe. I couldn’t imagine how many women he’d talked into debauchery with that look alone, let alone the rest of the Callum O’Brien package.
“I know,” I said. “And I promise I’ll be waiting.”
***
Symone couldn’t come out with me to the balcony either. She was obviously deeply involved with the family’s charity ball too, and she was also playing the perfect hostess along with Cal. That was alright. The last thing I wanted to get in the way of was both of them doing what they could to help keep other families from being as adversely affected by cancer as they had been. It was noble and sweet, and not at all what I’d expected when I’d first fallen in his office or even when Allison and I had Google-fu’ed his past to find out about the women he’d dated. He was so much more than the domineering boss or the playboy with a mile-long record.
He was my Cal, and I was growing to care more and more about him.
Even when he made dumb decisions, like trying to protect me without asking me what I wanted first. It was nice to feel protected, but I wasn’t some china doll. I wasn’t going to break.
Taking a deep breath, I enjoyed the crisp night air. It wasn’t overly cool out, but it was brisker than this afternoon. I pulled my wrap more tightly around my shoulders and held my clutch tighter as I stepped out onto the balcony. A few cell and other towers rose into the sky, their red lights flashing before me. The rest of the skyline was uniform in a way I wasn’t used to in Baltimore. There were no rising bank towers or lone skyscrapers. Instead, the quaint rows of brick townhomes that had probably been around for three or four centuries reminded me where I was. Sometimes, living away from home, I could pretend that I was still in Maryland. On nights like this, with the city lights playing over the river and the ancient homes lining the streets, I remembered I was squarely in Ireland and thousands of miles from home.
Which was good because my father was going to murder me.
“It’s still so pretty. I’ll miss it.”
A firm hand was on my shoulder, but the smell wafting in the air was wrong, stank of liquor and not primed with the heavenly aroma of cinnamon. Shocked, I whirled around, but Seamus caught my wrist.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
He blinked at me through bleary, bloodshot eyes. “I’ve been here. Got invited.” Seamus then squeezed my wrist so hard that I feared it would snap. “Didn’t know that, did you? What, did Mr. Bloody Perfect not tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“That I asked for a ticket that day in the office. He was all high and mighty on me, till I saw his side piece come in. You’re the mewling little quim he’s been getting his cock wet with, aren’t you?” He grinned as he yanked the masked from my face. “Had you pegged, lass, when you walked in and you were the star here. Now, I have to ask, Ms. Kilshimer, do you only work for good ‘ole Callum, or do you freelance?”
I tried to yank away from him, but he grabbed my other arm and pinned me against the balcony. My back cracked against the marble railing. Tears ran down my face from the pain, but I was more worried about what was coming next.
“Please, I’m not…don’t touch me.”
“But I’m here now,” he said, pressing his body to mine. The feel of his erection against me and the noxious whiff of whiskey made my stomach roil. “Why not try a fun night with a different developer?”
“Just stop.” My voice was small and wavered as I spoke. It was so hard to hear, I wondered if he’d even noticed I’d croaked out words. “I want to leave.”
He bent low and kissed me, thrusting his slimy tongue deep inside my throat. I almost gagged at the bitter taste of scotch on my tongue, and I loathed the way his mustache scraped against my lip. Pulling back, he grinned again. “You taste so sweet, so ready, Ms. Kilshimer.”
Seamus stretched out the syllables of my name like a private joke. It made me more nauseated than anything else.
“No.”
“See, I’m betting, whore, that you won’t scream. No one can know about you and Callum or it’ll get back to your dear old dad. That would be a big no-no. Last thing you’re going to do is scream and bring everyone out here, including the photographers.” His hand trailed lower and cupped my left breast. Hot tears burned my cheek. “I think that’ll give us plenty of time.”
Closing my eyes, I bit my lip to keep from screaming. He wasn’t wrong. I wasn’t going to humiliate Callum by calling for him. I wasn’t going to embarrass him here or destroy the progress of the gala. The people who were sick deserved more than that, than any of this.
Then there was the sick thud of flesh on flesh, and Seamus groaned.
Opening my eyes, I backed away as Seamus stumbled from me. He and I both turned to see Callum standing there alone. His blue eyes blazed with a fiery rage, and he had blood on the knuckles of his right hand. Seamus already had blood pooling from his nose. He bobbed and weaved a bit, but he apparently wasn’t smart enough to admit defeat.
Raising his arm, he tried to slug Callum, but Callum dodged the blow and then slammed a left hook directly into Seamus’s jaw. This time something loud crunched, and I wanted to cheer, but I held my tongue. No one wanted the charity founders or the reporters to find us out here. Seamus held his jaw and mumbled. His words badly slurred but were still audible even with the way his purpled jaw was already swelling.
“You’ll regret this, Callum.”
“No, mate,” Callum said, surging forward and grabbing Seamus by the lapels of his tuxedo jacket. Shoving him up against the balcony until Seamus’ back dangled precariously over the street below, Callum growled his next words to his former friend. “You listen. You touch her again, hurt her again, and no one will ever find where I bury what’s left of you. Do you understand me? I will end you.”
Seamus moaned and tried to get out from under Callum’s grip, but he couldn’t. Callum had to have five inches on him and at least fifty pounds of pure muscle. I froze and touched Callum’s arm. I knew how angry he was—hell, I knew how angry I was—but I couldn’t let him do anything he’d regret in the future. I couldn’t let him hurt someone else.
“Please, just let him go and don’t go nuts.”
Callum’s face was flushed purple by now even as he pressed Seamus farther over the balcony’s edge. “He hurt you.”
“But you saved me. You can always save me,” I said, squeezing his forearm. “Besides, this jerk isn’t worth it. Don’t ruin the gala over him.”
Callum finally nodded and pulled Seamus back to his feet. “You go, and you don’t come within a thousand meters of her. I’ll have men who’ll know if you do. Don’t think you won’t be followed, mate. If you even try and hurt her, then no one will ever find you. And, oh yes, Seamus, you better believe if it’s the last thing I ever do, I’ll ruin your company.”
“I…” Seamus started, still holding his jaw and bleeding nose. He swayed on his feet, and I wasn’t even sure he knew where he was by then. Good.
Callum shoved him forward and nodded to the security staff who’d come out. “Get him from here quietly, use the alternate stairwell. The foundation’s night shouldn’t be ruined over this.”
“No,” I agreed as three large men started hustling the disoriented Seamus away. “That’s the last thing we need tonight.”
After they were all gone, it took what felt like hours to feel steady, to stop breathing heavily. Callum gathered me to his chest, and I let him. But it didn’t work. Not the same way it had earlier in the night. Before, I’d felt nothing but secure wrapped in his arms. Right now, even though he’d saved me, I couldn’t feel anything but scared and trapped. Sighing, I slipped away from his embrace.
“You invited him here?”
“He knows about us and about who you are. It was blackmail, but I figured if I complied, he’d just troll for women and gloat over all the people with how much he could win in the silent auction. I had no idea that he’d… Jesus Christ, I’d never imagine Seamus would do that.”
I swallowed hard and slipped my mask back on from where it had fallen to the floor. Hopefully we’d been lucky so far that no paparazzi had caught anything. I didn’t need them to get a stray picture of me where my face was clear. “I’m going to my apartment. I need time to think. I get that you think you can protect me by not telling me things, that you want to shoulder those burdens. I get that might even be noble in your mind, but we have to talk to each other. I’m not some kid, and you can’t just rule my life. I…” I broke off then and shook my head. It felt like the only thing then that could chase my tears away. “Never mind. I have to get home.”
With that, I brushed past him and headed for the exits.
I couldn’t understand his betrayal, and whatever pretty lies he fed me about placating Seamus to save our secret wasn’t going to help. Not on that balcony, not when everything was so fresh on my mind.
Maybe not ever.