Читать книгу Love on the Rocks - Pamela Yaye - Страница 13

Warrick doused his face with water. The ice-cold liquid coursed down his cheeks like rain, cooling his overheated body. Returning it to the cup holder, he increased the speed on the treadmill and jogged to the beat of the song playing. At 6:00 a.m. on a Friday morning, the gym was practically empty. Four junior draftsmen lifted weights, three female clerks did sit-ups and Payton was on an exercise bike, reading a women’s magazine.

He ran with grace, fluidity, like a long-distance runner on a wide-open track. He was in a zone, a sphere, a place free of stress, deadlines and difficult clients. A row of exercise machines stood in front of the window providing runners a clear view of the pink-orange horizon. The clouds were piled onto each other like a stack of buttermilk pancakes. Warrick licked his lips. After he finished his workout, he’d stop in at Guido’s for breakfast. He had a long day ahead of him and needed to eat while he still had the chance.

A plane glided across the sky. An American Airlines plane. Even from miles away, he recognized the distinctive logo on its wings. Before he could guard against it, an image of Tangela surfaced. It was the first time since running into her at SushiSamba that he’d allowed himself to think about her. Every time she’d interrupted his thoughts or sneaked into his dreams, he’d resisted her. But he couldn’t run forever.

Sweat dripped from his chin. He felt good. Strong, powerful, resilient. Then Tangela’s words came back to him, blaring in his head. We fell out of love…we…we…we… Warrick gripped the sides of the machine. He still couldn’t believe Tangela had said that. She’d been polite at the Hawthorne party and had even chatted with Alexis. Warrick had been stunned to learn that Tangela hadn’t revealed her true identity. Was that what things had come to? Avoiding each other and lying about their past? He was even more confused by her behavior at SushiSamba, but more than anything, he wanted to know when she’d stopped loving him.

Running full-tilt, he thought about his plans for the weekend. He’d planned to catch up on sleep, but when Marshall had called and requested his help moving into his new Lake Las Vegas home, he’d said yes. And thanks to his buddy, he knew that Tangela would be there, too.

The timer beeped, cuing Warrick that his hour was up. In thirty minutes, he was showered, changed and dressed to impress in a three-piece charcoal suit. On his way up to his office, he went to Guido’s and ordered pastries for his staff. As he was leaving, he spotted Dr. Marc Solomon sauntering toward him.

“Carver, it’s been a while. How are you doing, man?”

Warrick didn’t answer. The pediatrician was full of himself, but according to his female employees, Dr. Marc Solomon was the best thing since fat-free ice cream. Warrick didn’t see what the appeal was, but some women liked pretty-boy types and Marc Solomon looked like the Latin version of Brad Pitt.

“Did you get your car fixed yet?” Marc asked, wearing an innocent smile.

Warrick’s jaw tightened. Last month, Marc had scratched his Aston Martin DBS, but when the repair bill arrived, had refused to pay. The damage was minuscule, but a dent on a luxury sports car was a very serious matter—at least to him. “I took care of it.”

“Next time, don’t park so close to my truck,” Marc advised.

“I’m late for a meeting. See you around,” Warrick said, stepping past Marc, almost knocking him down as he strolled through the restaurant doors.

“I ran into Tangela at the mall a few weeks back.” Marc sneered.

Warrick stopped. Marc had whetted his curiosity and despite himself, he wanted to hear more. “And? So what?”

“Back when the two of you were dating, I thought she was all right for a chubby girl, but now she’s a babe.” Pushing a hand through his dark wavy hair, Marc licked his lips lasciviously. “We exchanged numbers. We’re going out tomorrow night.”

Cautioning himself to remain cool, Warrick turned around and faced the arrogant physician. The idea of Tangela with the slick-talking creep was sickening, but he didn’t let his disgust show. “We’re not together anymore. I don’t care what she does.”

“Good. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t stepping on your toes.” Marc flipped open his cell phone and when he realized Warrick was still there, smirked. “Don’t worry, Carter,” he chided. “I’m not trying to steal your girl.”

Warrick sighed inwardly.

“I just want to bang her.”

He reached out to snatch Marc up by the collar, but reason seeped in. Now wasn’t the time and the Truman Enterprises building was certainly not the place. Later, when there were less witnesses and no one to intervene for the good doctor, he’d teach the jerk a lesson. “Hurt Tangela and you’ll have me to deal with.” His voice rose slightly, drawing the attention of the customers in the waiting area. “And this time, I won’t let you off the hook, pretty boy.”

Marc held up his palms. “Relax, tough guy. I’m a lover, not a fighter.”

A woman wearing heavy eye makeup approached. “Hi, Marcello,” she purred, sticking out her chest. “Have you eaten already?” “No, mi amore, I was waiting for you.”

Warrick frowned. “Marcello?”

“The ladies find it sexy, and I like to give the ladies what they want.” Grinning from ear to ear, he slipped an arm around his date’s shoulder and disappeared into the restaurant.

Scratching his head, Warrick tried to remember where he’d heard that name before. Inside the elevator, it came to him. The other night at SushiSamba, Tangela had spent twenty minutes on the phone with some guy named Marcello. Marc was posing as a gentleman and by the looks of things it was working.

Flying down the hall toward his office, Warrick decided he couldn’t wait until tomorrow to speak to Tangela. He’d call her, order her to stop seeing Marcello and if that didn’t work, he’d have to take matters into his own hands.

“That concludes the agenda for today.” Arms folded, Warrick sat down on the edge of the square glass table. “Does anyone have anything else they wish to add?”

His gaze circled the room, and when no one answered, he ended the meeting. “All right, everyone. That’s it. Have a good day.” He turned to one of the junior draftsmen. “Can you have the preliminary designs for the Mega Mall Tokyo site on my desk by noon?”

The man nodded. “Sure thing, boss.”

As his employees packed up and filed out of the room, he caught sight of his dad in the reception area, chatting with the Human Resources manager. Warrick’s shoulders sagged. Normally, he loved seeing his dad, especially when he had a problem and needed his ear, but this wasn’t one of those times. He had a deadline to meet, a business lunch with a prospective client and a stubborn ex-girlfriend to deal with. Tangela hadn’t returned his call. There was a good chance she was out of town, but he knew she checked her voice mail regularly. He was trying to save her from Marcello-the-Latin-playboy, but she obviously didn’t want to hear what he had to say. Fine, he decided, shrugging on his suit jacket. If she wanted to be another notch on the good doctor’s belt, then he wouldn’t intervene.

Why was he sweating her, anyway? She might be a beauty, but she wasn’t the right woman for him. At least not anymore. It wasn’t until their breakup that he’d realized how heartless Tangela could be. She didn’t even have the decency to leave him a Dear John note or send him a crummy text message to break up with him, she just up and left like a thief in the night. Never to be seen or heard from again. She’d left the country without giving him a second thought, and he’d never forgive her for that.

Warrick pushed himself to his feet. Remembering he needed Payton to make copies of the Mega Mall Tokyo design, he popped open his briefcase and retrieved the file. At the bottom of his attaché case, underneath his sketch pad, was the November issue of People magazine. Taking it up, he noted Tangela’s blinding smile and her firm, mile-long legs.

Full of longing and regret, he thought back to the night they’d made love for the very first time. Caught up in a sexual trance, Warrick didn’t hear the phone buzz or the whirl of voices outside the conference-room door. His eyelids grew heavy and his eyes closed, taking him back to that sweltering August night. Inside his master bedroom, they’d kissed and groped each other, more desperate than they’d ever been before. Resplendent in a white lace gown, Tangela had stretched out on the bed, waiting for him, hungry for him, begging him to join her. At ease with herself and her body, she’d pulled the flimsy material over her head and giggled when it sailed to the floor. When he’d stretched out on top of her, her perfume had surrounded him, subduing him with its enticing sent. Rolling her hips as though she was spinning a hoola hoop, she’d clamped her legs around his waist and ridden him so hard he’d seen the sun, the moon and the stars.