“I’ll keep looking, Jax.”
Theo intervened. “Okay, they need to come to the party, but whether Sonia or Nate take anyone home or not is their own business. Be reasonable, Meesha.”
“I’m trying to look out for my friends.”
“Then find them dance partners and let it go at that,” Ty said flatly. He gestured to Sonia and Nate. “Tickets?” They both nodded, with a lot less enthusiasm than might have been ideal. He eyed Meesha. “Done. We’re going back to the agenda now.”
Meesha sat down, then whispered to Sonia. “No score, then you buy me lunch on Saturday.”
Sonia didn’t reply and Jacquie wondered whether the younger woman’s love life was as barren as Meesha believed—then she wondered yet again why that might be so.
Meesha pointed to Jacquie as Ty began the meeting and mouthed ‘You, too.’
Jacquie smiled and looked at her notes. She already had her Wonder Woman costume and was looking forward to the dance. It had been a long time since she’d gone out dancing and she intended to have fun.
If Pierce showed up, she could use her magic lasso on him to get the truth. The idea made her smile.
She wasn’t going to hold her breath, hoping on Pierce’s appearance or that promised epic Valentine’s Day, but maybe she could ensure it was memorable all by herself.
The dance club would be full of superheroes, after all.
Pierce had to hurry.
Just as he’d anticipated, Rodrigo’s forty-eight hours had been a lot closer to sixty. But the plan was made and the details arranged as well as they could be in advance. In a way, he regretted leaving the execution to others, but as he’d told Rodrigo, he didn’t have a team anymore. He couldn’t deliver alone and Rodrigo knew it.
Pierce was done.
And he was glad.
He was taken to the train station in Boston with assurances that the money had been deposited. His phone was fully charged when Rodrigo returned it to him. Pierce was glad of small mercies. He caught the next train back to Manhattan, checking his bank balance as soon as his ticket was purchased. The money was there, so Rodrigo was good to his word on that detail. Once on the train, Pierce did some online shopping and booked the most deluxe hotel room he could find.
He was first off the train at Grand Central Terminal and on the move. He stopped at his apartment, showered, shaved and changed, acknowledging that he looked like death warmed over. He packed a small bag, then checked into the hotel. He was pleased with the penthouse suite he’d booked. It looked even better in real life than online, which was a bonus. He made a few arrangements and hoped that he wouldn’t be enjoying the suite alone.
Then he headed for stop number two, to pick up what he hoped was the perfect gift. Everywhere he looked there were red hearts and red roses but Pierce was betting that Jacquie wouldn’t be moved by anything so predictable. He went to the gift shop at Flatiron Fitness and asked Germaine for help.
With his prize, Pierce walked past the member’s check-in at reception without anyone peeking out of the office. There were heart-shaped balloons tethered to the reception desk and the big screens were promoting the costume party that night at the dance club. He thought he could hear Jacquie’s voice in the office as he headed down to the kickboxing studio. To his relief, it was empty—there wasn’t a class but someone could have been practicing.
Luck was on his side so far. He knew he needed all the luck he could get.
Pierce closed the door of the studio and called the office on his cell phone. Sonia answered.
“Sonia, this is Pierce Aston and I need to ask you for a favor. I have a surprise for Jacquie. If she’s there, please say ‘how can I help’.”
“How can I help?” Sonia said, her tone polite.
“Could you send her down to the kickboxing studio? There’s no one else here but me, but I need a plausible reason for her to come down here for a few minutes. Say ‘okay’ if you can do that.”
“Okay,” Sonia said.
“Now I need a plausible reason for her to come down here. Say ‘I see’ if you can think of one.” Pierce held his breath.
“I see,” Sonia said, then cleared her throat. “No, there shouldn’t be anyone in the kickboxing studio until noon,” she continued and Pierce heard her tapping a keyboard. “There’s a class then, but now it should be empty.” She paused as if waiting for a reply. “It’s not?”
“It’s not,” Pierce said, trusting her.
“What’s going on?” Jacquie said, obviously joining Sonia. “Who’s on the phone?”
“There’s someone in the kickboxing studio,” Sonia explained to her, only answering the first question. “Could you check on it, Jacquie? I’ve got to get this report done for Cassie.”
“Sure,” she said with her usual purpose.
“Thank you for letting us know,” Sonia said to Pierce.
“No, thank you,” he said warmly and he heard the smile in Sonia’s voice when she replied.
Her voice had dropped to a whisper. “It better be a nice surprise.”
“I’m hoping I got it right. We’ll both know soon enough.”
Sonia laughed. “No secrets with Jax. She doesn’t put a gloss on anything.”
“That’s one of the things I like about her.”
“Me, too. Good luck.”
Pierce ended the call, crossed his fingers and waited.
Jacquie might turn him down.
He wouldn’t blame her if she did.
Pierce couldn’t recall the last time he’d worried about a woman turning him down. He couldn’t recall when it had mattered so much to him to deliver the right apology. It was true that he hadn’t been hauled out of a promising dinner date before, but still—he realized this wasn’t just about sex or the prospect of it.
He really wanted to make it right.
It seemed like a million years passed before he heard someone’s footsteps in the corridor. It was a woman, heels clicking crisply on the parquet floor. He
