Charming You (Thirsty Hearts Book 1) (30 page)

T
he Winston Stratford Christmas
party aimed to dazzle clients and employees alike. Nothing said you work for an elite firm like a lavish party at the Rosewood Crescent Hotel—one of the poshest in Dallas.

As soon as Nick entered the ballroom, he felt oddly alone without Micky. He should have tried harder to convince her to come. At least they had regularly talked in the two weeks since Thanksgiving. Back at square one in many respects, Nick took the dinner dates and trips to the movies, and with each chaste outing, Micky warmed to him. However, he didn't blame her for not wanting to spend time with people at the root of their problems.

The overhead lights were low to encourage dancing on the large square dance floor laid out in front of the bandstand. For now, they played some light jazz, but Nick knew that would change after dinner when the drinks were flowing.

Somehow, he made it through the prime rib dinner in conversation with Bob Stratford, his wife, and the other associates and their significant others. They all bantered about work, sailing, and golf. A few of the other associates used the time to impress Bob with their knowledge of wine and cars. Nick popped in with a word or two at appropriate intervals. His head felt like it was in a vice, so as soon as dinner was over, he excused himself and headed for the bar.

After grabbing his cocktail, Nick mingled with his coworkers and clients and eventually spotted Tom Moran. He stood by a table with his wife, his son, Jonah, and Vivienne, who made a beeline for him. She greeted him with a warm hug and a kiss on each cheek. Her mother trailed behind her.

"Hello, Nick. Look at the two of you," Sheila smiled and snapped their picture with her phone. Sheila gave Nick a hug as well, then quickly turned to say hello to someone across the room. "I'll leave you two alone."

Sheila winked, and Nick faced Vivienne with confusion.

"I wanted to talk to you, but you've been out of town. Then, I went out of town," Vivienne said.

"About what?" Nick asked with suspicion.

"I've been talking with my parents, and they're convinced that you and I should give it another shot."

"Vivienne. That's insane."

"You don't understand. My father has threatened to cut me off completely. That money is keeping me afloat while I build my business. The reserves I did have are gone." She paused and looked around for her parents. "You know why. Dad also said that he'll keep you from making partner here at the firm. We need to think about what we're going to do."

"And you're considering this?"

"I thought we could talk about it."

"No."

"Nick—"

"Not just no, Vivienne. Hell, no. I can't believe you're even considering this."

All the drama Nick had been through only crystallized his objection. He wasn't going to give up his shot with Micky for anything. Not his job. Not his friendship with Vivienne. Nothing. Her request alone showed how far off the rails she'd gone to avoid facing the truth with her family.

"I'll be broke, Nick. Less than broke. I have business loans. I'll have nothing."

"You have a growing business. You can work it out," Nick stroked Vivienne's shoulder. Panic struck her perfectly made up face.

"How am I going to do that?"

"You could tell him the truth. That would put a stop to this."

"You think that? I don't think it would make a damn bit of difference." Vivienne gave Nick a tight smile and laughed. "I knew it was ridiculous of me to even ask."

Nick sighed and put his arms around Vivienne, hugging her tight and letting her go.

"You need have more faith in yourself. No life built on this much bullshit is ever going to be a happy one. Don't let your parents convince you that this is the most you can hope for."

"It might be, Nick." Vivienne leaned in and lowered her voice. "I've known for a long time that I'm never going to have that perfect happy life with someone that I love in that way. That's not in the cards for me. I can live my life and be discreet, but having a life partner with a couple of Labradors and a white picket fence? That's not on the table for me."

"There are a lot of places you can get married. Soon you may even be able to marry in Texas. You can have that life."

"No.
I
can't." Vivienne pressed her palm to her bosom, carefully contained in a sleek, strapless gown in black.

Nick pitied her, because she couldn't see that she could have anything she wanted. But Nick did see that for her, and for himself. As long as the specter of this game with the Morans hung over him, Nick had a feeling he'd have no peace.

"Vivienne. I'm going to do you a favor." He turned heel and walked away from her.

N
ick found
Tom Moran in deep conversation with another of the firm's corporate clients. Nick fixed a smile on his face and got Tom's attention before walking over.

"Tom. Good to see you. I hate to pull you away, but can I talk to you for a moment?"

Tom returned Nick's forced smile. "Sure. Let's not talk too much business. This is a party after all. I'll talk to you later, Ed."

Nick lead Tom out of the main ballroom, and they walked down a corridor away from hustle and noise of the party. Nick gritted his teeth. He'd had enough.

"I'll get straight to the point because I think we've danced around this enough. I'm not marrying your daughter. Vivienne should have told you a long time ago. Our engagement is a dead issue. We're not going to work anything out. There will be no marriage. I feel for Vivienne, but her inheritance isn't a reason to get married. My job isn't a reason to get married. I hoped you wouldn't take it out on me professionally." Nick didn't care anymore if he did.

Tom Moran took a swig from his cocktail. "I see. That's too bad. You know, when I came to your firm, I did so because I believe in keeping business in the family whenever possible. You were supposed to be family."

"And now I'm not going to be, but I've done a good job for you. The deal with Azur didn't work out because you moved too slowly. That's not on me. I," Nick jabbed his index finger into his chest, "have done everything I can for you professionally and will continue to do so—professionally."

"Not if I take my business elsewhere," the older man replied.

"So, do that. Waste money going through the process of moving your business to another firm that's not going to do any better for you than we have. I'm not going to get forced into a marriage, and I frankly don't care anymore."

"If you ever want to be a partner in this firm, I'd suggest you start."

"I'm not the only one who doesn't want to get married. This all started because Vivienne broke up with me."

"Did she? Vivienne and her mother have been planning this wedding for months. She assured her mother that she'd work things out with you. She is still on board."

Nick didn't believe what he was hearing.

"Vivienne feels pressured. She wants to keep her world in order, but we're not getting married, and I can't believe you all think this freight train is going to keep barreling forward. Do you have so little faith in your daughter's ability to find someone on her own?"

"That's the problem, isn't it? She can find someone, but I don't know that she'd find the right someone. You're ambitious and clearly willing to push the boundaries to get ahead. You're seeing Micky, that brunette who works at Azur. You think I didn't know? You worked her for information and God only knows what else. I know who you are. That's what makes you perfect for Vivienne. Don't be a fool. I can do wonders for your career. Make partner here, and down the line, you could be in-house counsel for Moran Financial. Imagine achieving all of that given where you started."

"I don't need your charity to get where I need to go. Being beholden to you isn't worth whatever money I'd make or whatever influence I'd have. Vivienne doesn't want to marry me either, trust me. I don't know what your wife has been pushing on her, but our getting married would be a disaster."

"My daughter is confused and has been for some time," Tom informed him. "I know she has some proclivities that would complicate a marriage, but you can manage that. You have already."

"You do know?" Nick stared, no longer shocked by anything a Moran could tell him.

"I do. Vivienne doesn't know that I know, but I do. I suspected a few years ago that Vivienne was involved in an alternate lifestyle. I hired a detective and got confirmation. But that's nothing that can't be fixed. In the end, she's a Christian, and she'll do what's right."

"Being a lesbian can't be fixed, and it has nothing to do with her being a Christian. And none of this," Nick said, drawing an imaginary circle with his finger, "has anything to do with what's right. This conversation is over. If you choose to keep your business with the firm, fine. If not, good luck."

Tom stood between Nick and the route back to the party. As Nick started to go, the older man stayed put, forcing Nick to sidestep him.

While Tom might be willing to "manage" a marriage of convenience with a woman who shares nothing with him except the love of social standing and power. Nick wasn't.

Making his way back into the party, Nick found Vivienne.

"I'm getting out of here, but I wanted you to know that I talked to your father. He already knows about you, Vivienne. He had you followed or something a while ago. He knows. I don't think he's said anything to your mother."

Even in the dim light of the ballroom, now lit for dancing, Nick could see Vivienne's face grow even paler.

"He knows about me?"

"Yes. That's why he's so dead set on our getting married. He figures I'm someone that he can control and thinks I'm so desperate to get ahead that I'd be your…What's the male equivalent of a 'beard?'" he asked. "It doesn't matter. I'm getting off this ride, and I suggest you go have an honest conversation with your father and the rest of your family and figure out how to move on. This thing where I indulge your pathological need to please your parents? That's over."

Vivienne covered her face with her hands. "So, that's it?"

"I want to be your friend, but I don't know what you're doing. Planning a wedding? Still? You and your mother? She knows we're not together, right?"

"Yes. I told her, but she and my dad are dead set. My mom keeps saying they'll handle it."

"Viv, what does that even mean?"

"I don't know," she said in a small voice. Seeing this normally strong, confident woman reduced to pandering galled him, but this wasn't his fight. She had to work this out on her own.

"This is over, Vivienne."

Nick turned around and put on as good a work face as he could as he said goodbye to Bob Stratford and his other co-workers. At least for now, they were co-workers. Nick wasn't sure how all of this would shake out, but he finally felt at peace whichever way the cards fell.

W
hen Micky walked back
in from lunch on Monday, the receptionist flagged her down immediately.

"There's someone here to see you," she said, pointing to the waiting area.

A tall, grey-haired man stood and walked over. "Micky. Nice to meet you. Tom Moran," he said, yanking her into a firm handshake.

"Hello. Can I help you?"

"Yes. Sorry to drop in on you like this, but Nick Halden referred me to Azur. I'm looking for communications software. He pointed me your way."

The man had angled and narrow eyes like a wolf, only they were ice blue. Micky withdrew her hand and took a step back. "I'm sorry. I don't have you on my calendar, and I'm not in sales. I can arrange a meeting for you with our local team."

"I'd like to give you an overview of what my needs are first. If that's okay?"

Micky paused, but turned to the receptionist and signed the man in. Once inside the glass security doors, she directed him to first conference room she saw and closed the door behind them. Tom Moran sat down and leaned back with his hands folded behind his head, grinning.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I don't usually take client meetings. That's not my role here. What exactly did Nick tell you?"

"For starters, he told me that you had some information about Azur's arrangement with Midsummer Technologies."

"Really?" Micky's heart began to pound.

"Well, not exactly. You see, I'm a client of his. I had plans to acquire Azur, and his firm handles my M&A business. That's mergers and acquisitions."

"I know what M&A means."

"He told me that he had a contact here and that he'd be able to get inside information for me, which he did. Unfortunately, it seems your company is positioning itself to merge with Midsummer. I'm losing out, which does not make me happy."

"You're his ex-fiancée's father."

"Yes. That too. It appears that not only am I losing Azur, but I'm also out a son-in-law. That also doesn't make me happy."

Micky's leg started to shake, and she shifted her weight to her heels to still it. She threw up her hands. "What do you want? I can't help you on either account."

"Yes. You can. See, on one hand, you can stop seeing Nick. That's simple. The other is a bit more complicated."

"I'm not listening to this. I don't know what God complex you have that makes you think you can command me to stop seeing Nick and then command him to marry your daughter. I can't even imagine why you'd think that was a good idea. I'm leaving."

Micky put her hand on the doorknob, then froze.

"I'll ruin you."

"What?" Micky turned back around, glaring at Tom.

"All it takes is dropping the right piece of information in the right ear. Imagine how Midsummer would feel knowing that Azur had leaked information to a third party prior to your public announcement, and not just any third party, but a company with a competing interest in acquiring Azur. If your bosses thought this joint sales and marketing plan would lead to a more permanent arrangement, they'll have to get that thought out of their heads."

"I don't know what you're talking about. No one at Azur would violate our privacy policies." Micky stepped forward and put her hands on her hips.

"Maybe you knew or maybe you didn't, but I know that Nick talked to you."

"I have done nothing wrong. So, you can get the hell out."

"I can drop your name. Maybe your friend Taryn's name. You're supposed to be in her wedding aren't you? That'll be awkward when you get her fired."

Micky bounded toward the man and leaned over him. "You've had me investigated?" The blood surge through Micky's body. She nearly lost her breath. "Fuck you. You have no proof of anything. I did nothing. Taryn did nothing. You're batshit crazy."

"Am I?" The silver-haired man glared at her, amused. "What I want is simple. You stop seeing Nick Halden, and I won't do everything I can to throw a monkey wrench in your company's plans. Either way, it works for me. I'll ruin your merger. Leave you without the North American revenue you've been looking for and just wait. I'll drive your value down and snap you up at the price I wanted to pay all along."

Micky's throat went dry. He continued.

"Oh, and I'll make sure your boyfriend never makes partner at that law firm where he's put in years of time."

"Even if I left Nick, there's no way he'd sign up for a lifetime of having you for a father-in-law."

"Well, you let me worry about that," Tom said before standing. "I'll give you a couple of days to think this over, but don't push your luck with me. If I don't hear back from you, I'll just assume you've decided on early retirement."

He handed her a business card. Then he pushed past her and opened the door, turning around with a sneer. "Don't you have to walk me out?"

Micky followed him to the lobby and signed him out.

"I look forward to hearing from you," Tom said as he pressed the elevator button.

M
icky waited
until Tom Moran stepped onto the elevator and disappeared before pushing the up button for the elevator. She had to talk to Nick.

If it were only her who would suffer, she'd tell the guy to go pound sand, but he'd mentioned Taryn and Nick. Then, there were all the employees in the Dallas office who could lose their jobs if Azur didn't get the cash infusion they needed.

Micky called Nick on his mobile phone as she got off on his floor.

"Hello, beautiful. Nice surprise."

"I'm on your floor outside your offices. I need to talk to you now."

"Oh. Okay, I'll come out and get you."

Nick retrieved Micky from the lobby, and they hurried back to his office.

"Hold all my calls, and move my two o'clock," Nick told his secretary as they passed.

"This is a nightmare." Micky turned around to face Nick as soon as he closed the door behind them. He strode to her and stroked the side of her face.

"What's going on?"

"Tom Moran. He came to see me at my office. He's demanding that I stop seeing you or he's going to ruin my life, your life, Taryn's life. He's been following me or something. He knows that Taryn and I are personal friends." The panic Micky had suppressed in front of Tom bubbled up with each word she spoke.

"He's what?" Nick barked and took a step back.

"He told me to end things with you or he'd tell Midsummer that someone at Azur was leaking information. He said he'd name me, and Taryn, and get us fired. Then, he said he'd make sure you didn't make partner if you didn't marry his daughter."

Nick exhaled. "I never thought he'd take this so personally."

"I don't understand why he would. It's just a business deal."

"No. It's more than that. I don't think he takes kindly to not getting his way. Plus, he and I went at it at the firm Christmas party. I told him he could take his business and shove it because I'm not marrying Vivienne."

"All of this because he wants you to marry his daughter?"

"He's vindictive. And," Nick paused, "he's desperate to get Vivienne married. She…She's gay."

"What?"

"She's a lesbian. I only found out once we broke things off. She didn't think her parents knew, but they did and they're wildly conservative—and image conscious. Truth be told, the image probably counts more than any moral stance with them. A gay daughter doesn't fit into their plans, but a son-in-law who they can control does. One who is willing to sacrifice his ethics and his happiness to get ahead. That's priceless to them."

"That's not who you are!" Her vociferous defense of him shocked them both.

"It was, Micky. That's who I showed them I was. But, no, it's not who I am now."

He walked toward her. Micky slid her hands over his cheeks.

"It might not matter. I can't do this."

His eyes searched hers. "What?"

"I don't know if you know this already, but Azur has had some financial problems. To stay in business in the U.S., we need investment. If this deal with Midsummer falls through, dozens of people will lose their jobs. I can't be responsible for that."

Micky sobbed and pulled away from him, putting her face in her hands.

"You must hate me," Nick sighed. "I hate myself right now, but I'll fix it. This mess is all my fault. I did this to you, and I'll fix it. I'm sorry, Micky." His voice trembled. He wrapped his arms around her. Micky fell against his broad chest, taking the comfort he offered her and loathing herself for it.

"I don't know how."

"Trust me."

Fool that she was, Micky hoped she could.