Killer Career (26 page)

He knew the reason. He’d betrayed his muse by concentrating on
Julie, so now it was getting even.

The pressure built inside of his eyelids. His temple throbbed. Why
had he ignored his gift? No woman was worth the sacrifice of his
greatest achievement, especially since she didn’t seem to want him
for himself but only for the money she garnered from his business.
Once the deal was through, her emerald eyes would close him out like
before. She’d forget him and he’d be left with nothing, not even
his writing to fall back on.

Tyler pounded his fist on the desk. If only he could go back to
before he’d met her, life would be so much simpler.

Unfortunately, the die was cast. He’d seen the prize and wouldn’t
settle for less.

Something was happening. Pictures formed in his mind. The words flew
onto the page. His muse had returned.

“How was school,” the golden haired woman with the glittering
green eyes asked.

He spoke before thinking. “Ms. Langley, the second grade teacher,
is awesome. I really like her.”

As soon as the words spilled out, he wished he could take them back.

Her emerald eyes gazed at him fiercely. “I’m all you need, you
ungrateful little bastard. You’re just like him, always after the
women.”

“She’s nice, that’s all,” he muttered, wishing his teacher
were his mother instead of the one he had.

Seeming to read his mind, she glared at him. “Remember whose body
you came from. Seventeen painful hours of labor I suffered to bring
you into this world, and for what? You don’t appreciate me. You
never did. He didn’t either.”

She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him like a rag doll,
making his teeth rattle. She was bigger than him. He was defenseless.
That made him madder.

“It’s not my fault. I didn’t ask to be born.”

“Go to your room. That will teach you proper gratitude.”

His stomach growled, but he knew better than to argue. With the
she-devil in a rage, he’d get no food. At least he had a candy bar
stashed under his mattress.

He trudged into his jail-like bedroom and glanced around it in
dismay. He was stuck here again, with no television, no radio, no fun
stuff. He had nothing to do and hated being bored. With a sigh, he
stretched out on the bed. Staring at the ceiling, he wove exotic
fantasies of retribution.

He’d teach her the meaning of pain. He’d grab a knife from the
kitchen. Then he’d stick it in her throat. Boy, would she be
surprised. Just like in the movies, her eyes would get all round.
She’d plead for mercy, but he wouldn’t give it to her. Why should
he? She’d never shown him any.

It was late and dark. His mind drifted and he fell into a light
stupor. The rattle of the doorknob awakened him from his coma-like
state, setting his heart pounding against his rib cage. She was back.
Not again.

He knew what she wanted. In disgust, he watched her creep up to the
bed.

“Make it up to your mama, little baby,” she said, placing a warm
hand on his cheek.

He shifted his head away.

“Don’t be that way. You know I love you.”

Before he knew it, she’d reached down, grabbed his pee-er and
started rubbing it. He hated when she did that. “Stop it.”

She didn’t listen. With her other hand, she pushed him back. “Ah,
my little man, don’t fight me. Enjoy yourself. Soon you’ll beg
for more.”

“You’re sick,” he said, looking straight into her glittering
emerald eyes. “I told you before. Mothers aren’t supposed to do
that.”

“You’re wrong. I can do whatever I want. You’re mine.”

“One of these days I’ll kill you.”

“Don’t even think of it. Without me, you’re nothing. You have
no food, no clothes, nowhere to go. You’ll do as I say. Remember
that.”

She was right. His only choice was to lay still and pretend he was
someone else, somewhere else. That was difficult when his body was
doing strange things. His blood raced. His face grew hot. He wanted
to explode.

And he did. Warm wetness spewed over his mother’s hands and onto
the sheets.

“You dirty little boy. Go wash yourself.”

* * *

Tyler came to with a start, feeling wet. His coffee mug had spilled,
depositing its tepid contents in a brown puddle on his lap. He had to
clean up.

After he’d changed into fresh clothes, he tried to make sense of
what had happened. Strange, he didn’t remember falling asleep. The
pictures had formed and he’d followed them into the next dimension
as he usually did when writing. It all seemed so vivid, as if he’d
been there. Maybe again he’d keyed in on someone’s wavelength.

Or maybe not. Maybe a trigger had caused a long buried memory from
his childhood to surface. He held precious few memories of his early
years or his parents. Whenever he tried to remember, the uneasiness
and headaches returned.

In his mind, he pictured his handsome father, yet he had no
recollection of what his mother looked like. Did Julie McGuire
resemble her?

That didn’t make sense. If the dream were true, he hated his mother
with good reason. His feelings were far different for Julie.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Julie was disappointed. On Thanksgiving, she and Dade had become
close and she’d expected the experience to continue. Instead he’d
become withdrawn and remote.

Was he jealous of Tyler? If so, Dade wouldn’t admit it. Too bad.
She wasn’t about to turn down a fantastic deal because she and
Jensen had once dated. The closing was her last hurrah, a chance to
go out in style.

Dee broke in on her thoughts. “Mr. Jensen is here.”

“Show him in please,” Julie said. Let the fun begin.

She could have gone out to meet him, but she’d chosen to assert her
authority immediately. It was important he know who was in charge
from the start.

She stood to greet him and held out her hand in welcome.

“Ms. McGuire, you look as lovely as ever. It’s a pleasure to see
you again,” Tyler said, grasping her hand tightly.

Julie broke the contact. “Have a seat.” She pointed to the chair
across from her desk. “Oh, and call me Julie. There’s no need to
regress to last names.”

Tyler’s eyes flickered in admiration. Score one for her. She’d
proven she could handle the role reversal.

“I must say I’m flattered by your trust in me.” She flashed
him a disarming smile.

“Don’t be modest. You know you’re good. Your name cropped up
quite often when I put out feelers for a real estate attorney.”

“Out of curiosity, may I ask what happened to the last one?”

“He was vastly inadequate. I should have dumped him years ago.”

“Well, I’ll do my best for you, as I do for all of my clients.
Now, let’s get down to business. Tell me more about Grand Granada.
All I know is the prior owner died about nine months ago and the
historic hotel reverted to his estate.”

“That’s right. It’s just returned to the market. I plan to turn
it into a showcase, restore it to its former grandeur and equip it
with modern business amenities, starting with a clerical staff,
computer, cable, Wi-Fi, the works. I’ve got a list.”

Another list. Her mind spun back to a wish list she’d made years
ago. Well, she’d gotten all her wishes thanks to Dade’s setting
her on the right path. Without him, she’d still be dreaming. In the
process, though, she’d swapped her own dream for his. Soon she’d
reclaim it.

Tyler’s voice trailed off. He gave her a searching look. How long
had she zoned him out?

“You have great vision,” she said, quickly complimenting him.
“Let’s draw up a sample contract and go from there. What are your
high and low bids?”

“Money’s no object.”

“I still need a ballpark figure.”

“Twenty million then. You decide the rest. I want it, no matter the
price.” The look in his eyes confirmed he’d do anything to get
the building.

Ignoring a flicker of uneasiness, she said, “Don’t worry. I’ll
get you what you want.”

His look turned ravenous, making her wonder. He was thinking of the
building, wasn’t he?

They discussed contract provisions and structural improvements for
the site.

“It’s about one o’clock. Why don’t we have lunch over this,”
he asked.

“I’m sorry, I brought a sandwich. My next client’s due in half
an hour.”

His brows knit up then smoothed over. She could see the wheels
turning. He’d been about to spout off again about her
overzealousness, but found himself boxed into a corner. How could he
complain when he was contributing to her workload?

This was a business deal and nothing more. She had no intention of
putting their relationship back on a personal level. Of course, the
client was a fabrication, but Tyler didn’t know that.

She stood up. “Tyler, I’ll get back to you as soon as I hear from
the attorney for the estate.”

His lips pursed. He was a man accustomed to assuming control yet
again she’d asserted her dominance, this time by closing the
session. She rather enjoyed relegating him to a subservient position,
but knew she better be careful. She was playing with fire and mustn’t
push him too far.

As they stepped into the hallway, she almost bumped into Dade. The
two men glared at each other.

“Tyler, you’ve met my partner, Dade Donovan. Dade, remember I
told you about the Grand Granada sale.”

Dade nodded. “I’ve heard of the property. The Estate’s turned
down some hefty offers. Sure they’ll take your bid?”

“I always get what I want,” Jensen said, glowering at Dade.

“Is that right? Be careful. There’s always a first time.”
Dade’s face turned bland as if he were fencing with a fellow
attorney on trial.

Dade turned from Jensen and looked at Julie pointedly. “I need to
discuss something with you right now.”

Resentment flared inside of her. In all the years they’d been
partners Dade had never acted as if she were his subordinate. She
wouldn’t let him get away with it now. “I’m sure it can wait an
hour. Tyler and I are going out to lunch.”

“I thought you had a client coming in,” Tyler asked, with a gleam
in his eyes.

“I do need to eat sometime. It may as well be now.” She flounced
past Dade.

Dade’s mouth hung open. He’d understand soon enough that no
client was involved, which was fine. Next time he’d be more careful
of what he said. She wasn’t about to answer to his beck and call.

As she and Tyler walked to the restaurant a few blocks away, it
dawned on her what was happening. The boundaries between her and Dade
were no longer in place. They could say and do as they wished. In a
way that was a good thing. After the real estate deal with Tyler was
over, she’d be through with the firm and could write to her heart’s
content.

The one cloud marring her horizon was her relationship with Dade.
She’d thought something deeper was developing between them and
she’d welcomed the feeling. Instead the opposite was happening.
What a terrible price to pay for following her dream.

* * *

As soon as Julie and Tyler stepped into the Italian Village
restaurant, she realized her mistake. Where were her brains? The dim
lighting was way too intimate. Tyler was sure to get the wrong
impression.

Stifling a growing irritation, she sipped her cold drink and waited
for the main course to arrive.

“Have you given up on writing,” Tyler asked.

It was the perfect moment to reveal her decision, yet she hesitated.
Tyler already had enough leverage over her. If she told him her
secret, he might think she was leaving the firm on his account.

“I dabble here and there on my manuscript when I can. For the most
part, I’ve put it on the back burner.”

“I see. And I’m not helping you any, am I?”

She gave him a rueful smile. “That’s putting it mildly. I must
confess I was surprised by your offer, to say the least.”

“Well if the mountain won’t come to Mohammed.” He gazed
intently into her eyes.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You decide.”

The man was a hunk with his deliciously long shoulder-length chestnut
hair and sideburns. He filled out his black knit shirt quite well,
with just the right amount of muscle mass in the shoulders and
hardness in the chest. His hands were those of an artist of his
craft, with fingers long, but not too thin. All those features faded
in comparison to those mesmerizing hazel colored eyes. Charisma oozed
from his every pore. Too bad the inside of his package didn’t match
its trappings.

“This is a business deal,” she said firmly.

Tyler flashed a skeptical look.

The waiter chose that moment to place their salads in front of them.
Good. The sooner lunch was over, the sooner she’d be back in the
office.

When the check arrived, she reached for it.

“Allow me,” he said, his fingers caressing hers, as he gently
removed the slip from her hand.

Right then she was tempted to withdraw as his attorney, but
refrained. She would not give Tyler the satisfaction of letting him
know his actions affected her. Besides, a substantial sum was at
stake. Though she’d saved a decent sized nest egg, it wouldn’t
hurt to have more at her disposal. Writing could prove financially
draining.

When they approached her office building, Tyler said, “I’ll call
you soon.”

He was operating on mixed signals. That was partially her fault. She
must put their relationship back where it belonged. “No, I’ll
call you when I hear from the estate attorneys.”

That would show him where he stood. Strange that in the beginning
she’d have died and gone to heaven to spend any amount of time with
him, but now she could hardly wait to get away. How could she have
been so blind?

Chapter Thirty