He grinned. “Yes, it was.”
“How do you know what I was going to say? Maybe I was going to say it was the worst night of my life. That I faked every orgasm.”
He pulled me to him, his still damp chest pressing against my blouse. His towel slipped and fell to the floor, revealing a very impressive and mouthwatering erection. If only there was time to enjoy it.
“You’re a bad liar.”
“It was the worst night of my life.” I ran my fingers over the curve of his tight butt and around the crease at the top of his thighs. “I’ll need a repeat performance, but this time, try… harder.”
“Harder?” He clasped a hand around mine and guided it between his legs.
“Much.” I laughed and curled my fingers around his width.
He touched his lips off mine, and I all but melted into a pile of goo. But I had to remember this was purely physical—nothing more.
****
Brendan sat at a mahogany table big enough to feed an army, laughing at something Barb had said. Max sat between them, scratching his ear. The stoic and pinched-faced paintings lining the paneled walls mirrored my feelings. As did the fire roaring in the hearth.
Now was the time to show Barb I meant business. I wouldn’t give in, I wouldn’t back down, and I wouldn’t beg.
Brendan reached over and patted Barb’s hand fondly. I raised an eyebrow. What exactly was going on between them?
“You’re a hoot and a half, you really are,” Brendan said, still laughing.
When Barb noticed Keegan and me standing at the threshold, a scowl replaced all previous signs of happiness. “You’ve read the emails?”
“I have.” I strode into the room and placed my briefcase and laptop on top of the table. “You know how many people are depending on the money this wedding will bring. I won’t agree to her childish requests.” Keegan pulled out an antique chair for me. I thanked him and sat. “Violet’s demands are ridiculous.”
“She said she doesn’t want to pay.” Barb shrugged. “I look after her public relations, not her decisions.”
Keegan, who sat opposite me, opened his mouth to speak, but I flicked him a look, warning him not to say a word. The thin line of his lips showed his annoyance, but he took the hint and said nothing.
“For someone who looks after her public relations,” I said, “you should know how disastrous this could turn out. She’s already gaining a reputation as a diva. Do you want to add more fuel to the fire?”
Brendan stretched for a crystal decanter in the middle of the table and poured a drop of whiskey into Barb’s coffee. “Here’s something that’ll warm your cockles.”
“You spoil me.” Barb beamed at Brendan, and I half expected her to curl up on his lap and purr.
“A sweet lady such as yourself is worth spoiling.” Was I hearing things, or had Brendan called Barb sweet? If by sweet he meant sarcastic, snarling, and sharp, then I’d more than agree.
Barb gave him a low and husky laugh and patted his hand before turning her attention back to me. “Hundreds of others would cut your throat for this kind of opportunity.”
“Perhaps.” I pushed a manila envelope toward Barb. “She signed a contract agreeing to my terms. People who have worked and will work on her wedding will get paid. Let’s not make this ugly.”
Barb set down her cup but didn’t reach for the envelope. “Ugly? Oh, you poor deluded girl. Violet’s lawyers will shred the clothes off your back. The men and women who work for Violet—me included—have degrees in skinning people alive. Our client is number one no matter her demands. And it’s our job to make sure she gets what she wants.”
Walking away from this event could cost me everything, but rolling over and playing dead on Violet’s command wouldn’t happen. I gripped my pen, willing myself not to lose my nerve.
“Even if her actions will put people on the street? Even if it puts people on the verge of bankruptcy? How do you expect Brendan to pay his bills once it’s over? The contractors to pay their staff for Christmas? Too many people depend on this. Families depend on this.”
Barb’s eyes flickered toward Brendan. “Tell someone who gives a damn.” She stood and walked toward an oil painting depicting a garden in full bloom and ran her fingers over the peeling paint.
I released the grip on my pen and set it on the table. “You’re an intelligent woman. Surely you can see how unacceptable it is.” I pushed away from the table, my chair scraping over the hardwoods, and stood tall. “If she refuses to pay, I’ll take everyone with me. Good luck finding someone who’ll organize her wedding with just over two days to go. She’s already getting my expertise and this castle for a pittance.”
“Barb, dear,” Brendan said, joining her by the painting. “Tessa’s right. Too many people need the money this wedding will bring. With the economy being banjaxed, there’s no way they can afford to give things for free. I can throw in a few guest rooms, but other than that, she’ll have to pay for the castle hire.”
My heart palpitated and shifted from my chest to my throat and back again.
Barb sniffed and eyeballed Keegan. “You’re awfully quiet.”
Keegan leaned back in the chair. “Nothing to add. If you let Violet get away with this, you should be fired for enabling a brat. What kind of woman, or girl, is she?”
“She’s the kind of woman who can demand twenty million per movie,” Barb said. “The kind of woman who has an opening weekend of over a hundred million.”
I made my way to the head of the table and pressed my palms onto the polished surface. “Then she’s the
