One Night Stand (New Yorker III) (3 page)

“Nothing,”
Catalella mumbled as she flipped through the files, trying to establish some
order on her desk. When Darcy didn’t speak again she looked up. Panic was
evident in Darcy’s eyes. She saw that look in her family’s eyes when she said
she had a headache or when she was under the weather. Catalella wasn’t allowed
to wallow in her thoughts without anyone getting the wrong idea. “I’m not sick,
Darcy. You can breathe now.”

Darcy
took an exaggerated deep breath and the smile settled back on her lips. “Let me
guess—man trouble. Did you hear me?”

Catalella
stared at her friend slash assistant slash tormentor and wondered if she should
tell her about the guy at the restaurant. Darcy would obviously blow it out of
proportion, but this mystery man might help reduce her tormentor’s insistence
that she meet someone new.

“There
is this guy—”

“I knew
it.” Darcy cut her off and jumped to her feet, doing a victory dance.

“I
haven’t even finished my story and you’re already rejoicing.” It was hard for
Catalella to hide the amusement from her tone. But she needed a reason to smile
once in a while and Darcy’s joy was her reason for the moment.

“You
are totally missing the point,” Darcy squealed.

“What
is the point?” Catalella rested her elbow on her desk and her chin in her palm.

“The
point is, sweetheart,” Darcy took a seat and reached her hand out to touch
Catalella, “you put yourself out there.”

“He
called me an Ice Queen, paid for my lunch and I left.”

She saw
the pained expression on Darcy’s face.
“Baby steps.
Right now let’s celebrate the little victories. You let a man pay for your food
and that, in my book, is a date.” With a frown she added: “Even though you
probably said something that made him
feel
less like a
man.”

“I did
not.” Catalella defended herself. Sure, she shared more information about
herself than was necessary. But she didn’t offend him in any way. S
o why haven’t you gone back to the
restaurant?

“You
met him at De Alma?”
From the look on
Darcy’s face, Catalella could see the wheels spinning in her head. She was up
to something.

“I’m
afraid to ask what you’re up to.”

“Today
is Friday, so I am going to show you what the living do on Friday nights.”
Darcy stood up and cradled her files to her chest, a cheeky smile on her face.
She looked like a little girl who had a secret and wouldn’t tell.

“Darcy—”
Catalella called before the girl exited her office. “Before I told you about
the guy, you asked me if I heard about something. What is it?”

“Uhmmm…”
Darcy’s brow creased. “I wasn’t snooping by the way.”

“Of
course!”
Catalella said in disbelief.

“I saw
a memo circulating amongst the partners.” She swallowed hard and Catalella became
more alert. It was bad news and she had to prepare herself for the blow.
“Michael Mathews is being recruited into the firm as a junior partner.”

“Sorry…what?”

“I’ll
meet you at your place at around eight,” Darcy said before she ran off.

Catalella
felt like she was back at the apartment she’d shared with her husband four
years before. She stood there, hearing all the reasons he had to leave her. Her
chest tightened as the all too familiar pain slammed back into her. She felt as
if she was suffocating and for a second she thought she would swoon. She hadn’t
seen Michael since that day. Any correspondence between them during the divorce
was done through their lawyers. Now he was about to invade her domain, her
sanctuary.

Chapter Two

She got
control of her breathing and, when she thought her body was released from the
shock and she could move, she rose to her feet and marched to the managing
partner’s office.

“Dennis,
why didn’t you tell me
that man
is
coming to work here?” She watched as his secretary scurried away, but not
before giving her a look of concern.

The
older man was seated behind his mahogany desk in an office that she could fit
her own and a couple of others into. He cleared his throat and stared her down.
Catalella knew what it meant. She eased into a seat across from him, her hands
folded on her lap.

“The
firm is under no obligation to inform you when we have a new hire.” His deep
baritone voice filled every corner and crack in the office.

“My
father’s name is on the building,” she barked. Catalella took a couple of deep
breaths to steady her nerves. “Does he know?”

“Who
told you in the first place? It’s not a done deal anyway.”

“Does
my father know that you are hiring his ex-son-in-law?” she insisted.

“Your
father retired from practicing. He is entitled to a lot of things from this
firm. But when he is out-voted there is nothing we can do.” He grunted.

“Were
you also out voted, Uncle Denny?”

“Yes, I
was.” For the first time since she entered his office she saw a sympathetic
look on his face. “Michael Mathews may be an asshole but he also commands the accounts
of some of the richest people in New York.” He sighed. “You remember what we
agreed on when you came to work here?”

“Yes,
in the office business comes first.” She moaned as she tried to blink back the
tears clouding her eyes.

“We
need his clients, Lella.”

Catalella
released a frustrated groan as she stood up. She had come to work at her
father’s and his best friend’s firm to continue her father’s legacy. Adrian
Ross had retired when she got leukemia the second time. He wanted to make time
for his family and, when she finally got better, the old man had decided he
enjoyed retirement. Catalella finished law school and decided to become an
associate in her father’s firm. But she was going to work from the bottom to
the top, with no preferential treatment, and would earn the right to take over
from the two old men.

The
tired look on Dennis’ face told her that she needed to prove herself sooner
rather than later. His son would become an associate but he had a year left
before he graduated from Harvard. In time the second generation would be
running one of the most powerful legal firms in New York, but until then she
would stomach Michael Mathews’ presence for the sake of the old men.

She
stood up, walked around the desk and planted a kiss on the old man’s temple.
“I’m giving you notice. I’m firing you from your godfather duties. Get me a
trinket and maybe I’ll change my mind.” The old man bellowed a laugh as she
walked out.

Catalella
sat at her desk and focused on the papers in front of her. She was one of the
youngest junior partners in the firm but if she could pull in this big fish she
would become a senior partner, and in another year she could take over Dennis’
responsibilities. She was on the fast track to success and not even Michael
Mathews could slow her down.

It was
around seven thirty when she finally lifted her head from her stack of papers.

“Shit!”
She swore as she grabbed her bag, her keys and some files she was going to look
through during the weekend. Darcy was going to be at her place in half an hour…she
needed to change, pick a dress and make herself look edible.

Oh
yeah! The bad news about having her deserter in her safe bubble had her
desiring danger. Catalella was determined not to let Michael see what she had
turned into and tonight was a practice run.

* * *
*

“I
can’t believe you made me wear this.” Catalella swore under her breath as she
tried to get out of her BMW without showing what she had underneath the dress
to the whole world.

She had
gotten to her flat in time before Darcy had arrived. But she had no time to
blow out her hair, and now her long locks cascaded in wild, untamed curls. She
also didn’t have the opportunity to pick her own dress. Darcy had brought one for
her—it was red and tight and gave her a vixen look, especially with the smoky
eyes and solid red lipstick. When she left her flat she was confident in how
she looked, but now that they were about to be in public, fear set in. She
stood stunned at the entrance in disbelief. Darcy had given her directions to
the place but, for the life of her, she couldn’t believe that she hadn't noticed
that Darcy was directing her to De Alma.

“Are
you kidding me right now?” Catalella swore.

“Here
is where you met the only man in New York that still has their balls after
having been in contact with you. I thought it was the best place for you to
start.” She chuckled.

“Start
what?” She was drawn to a sign on her right and sighed in relief. “Besides it
says ‘Private Party’. Since we don’t have any invitations we should leave.”

“I have
our invitations right here.” Catalella watched in disbelief as Darcy pushed her
boobs up and winked at the man at the door. Without a second's hesitation they
were let in.

“Do the
twins get you into every private party?” Catalella teased.

“Every
single one.”

Catalella’s
hands went instinctively to cover her ears once they were inside. The once
quaint, spacious restaurant seemed to be filled to the brim. It had undergone a
transformation since the last time she was here. The tables and chairs had been
pushed to the outer walls. It was dimly lit with a montage of colors lighting
the room, and music shook the pillars of the restaurant as an average of fifty
people danced or jumped around. She turned to face Darcy when she nudged her in
the ribs. She was saying something but she couldn’t hear. Catalella could
barely hear herself think in the loud music.

She
leaned into Darcy and shouted: “What did you say?”

“Let’s
dance,” Darcy shouted back.

Catalella
went stiff…dance…she didn’t dance. She shook her head and leaned into her
friend once more. “Not now, let me get a drink into my system.”

“By
drink you mean—?” Darcy left the sentence hanging, a smirk on her lips.

Catalella
tried her best not to drink. She was keeping her body pure. Ever since she got
sick, she did her best to avoid anything that could cause her body to function at
a fraction of its maximum capacity. She saw the look on Darcy’s face. It was
goading her and her precocious nature. “Skinny girl margarita—you want one?”

Catalella
froze in shock when Darcy tossed back her head, leaned back and howled. She
laughed at how silly her friend was and wished she could be as carefree.

“That
was a wolf call if I ever heard one.” A tall blond man approached them, a grin
on his lips. “Howl no more. I’m here, baby.”

Catalella
snorted but Darcy took the bait. “I’m a bit wild. I don’t think you can handle
me.”

“I’m
ambitious. I’ll try my best, I promise.” He put his hand on his chest then
leaned into Darcy’s ear, whispering something only she could hear. Darcy
laughed but shook her head when she looked at Catalella.

Catalella
knew what that meant. Whatever the man had offered Darcy had turned it down to
babysit her. She wasn’t going to hold her friend back. Catalella leaned into
the guy and spoke loud enough for him to hear her above the music. “If you can
buy her a drink she’s all yours.”

The guy
laughed and pulled Darcy behind him. Catalella watched until they disappeared
into the crowd. She stood on her own, wondering what she should do.

* * *
*

Rich
leaned against the wall as he watched her. He had seen her arrive a few minutes
earlier, but he didn’t believe it. What was Ice Queen doing at party central?
He really didn’t think he should approach her since she had a companion with
her. But when her friend left with a man he got a bit of confidence. He watched
and waited for her next move, all the while admiring her new look. At first,
when he saw her, he thought he’d made a mistake. The beige pants suit was gone
and in its place was a red mini dress that held onto every one of her curves
for dear life, molded to her like a caress. Her once strangled hair was set
free and it poured around her head in curls. Her mile long legs ran into six
inch high stilettos.
Everything about her begged to be
noticed.

He moved
away from the wall he leaned against when she walked into the crowd, and could
only assume that her destination was the bar. Rich kept a safe distance away
but followed through the throng of people. She leaned on the bar and her dress
rose a few inches. His breath caught in his chest as he admired the exposed
flesh. He was about to go to her when another man beat him to it.

* * *
*

Catalella
waved her hand at the bartender but he didn’t seem to notice her. She leaned
over the bar and called out to him. He finally saw her and lifted his finger at
her to indicate one minute.

“In one
minute I might be leaving,” she muttered to herself.

“Why is
that?” a voice whispered into her ear.

She
hadn’t heard that voice in four years. As a teenager she used to think his
voice was the sexiest she had ever heard. That was until that voice had dealt
her a lethal blow, a blow that had driven her to think that suicide was her
only option. The anger that sizzled beneath her skin seemed to turn her body
hot. She clenched her teeth as she pulled back her claws. There was no need to
make a scene here, and she didn’t want him to know that he sparked any sort of
emotion in her. That would only make him feel special.

Catalella
groaned and felt nauseated. His voice always seemed to have that kind of effect
on her. She could almost hear him again, telling her he was leaving because she
was less of a woman. “Mathews.”

“I
think we know each other well enough to be on a first name basis.” Michael
grinned at her all the while his gaze wandered over her body.

Catalella
felt violated. She could see him strip her in his mind, but things weren’t the
same as they were four years ago. “What rock did you crawl out from?”

Michael
barked out a laugh and she couldn’t help but feel he was laughing at her. “Oh
Cat, you are so funny.”

“Don’t
call me that.” She loathed that name ever since he had walked out on her. It only
gave her bad vibes.

“What
are you doing here?” he asked, and when she didn’t volunteer any information he
went on: “If I had known you would be this sexy four years later—”

“You
would have stayed.” She cut him off. “But that would mean you are a decent
human being. But we know that’s not true, don’t we, Mathews?”

When
she turned away from him, he grabbed her arm. Not hard enough to hurt her but
enough to command her attention. Catalella begun to struggle but he was too
strong for her. She let him pull her to him but, as he did, an arm circled her
waist.

“Hey,
princess, I thought you were getting us some drinks? What’s the hold up?”

She
knew that voice. Its deep, velvety baritone that filtered out Michael’s voice
was greatly welcomed and, thank God, she had a different response to it. A slow
smile crept onto her lips and she had the pleasure of seeing the reaction the newcomer
had on Michael. She watched as Michael slowly let go of her arm, saw his
startled expression as he examined the man behind her. Catalella leaned back
into his chest, her arms covering the one around her waist. The guy was huge,
and maybe it was his size that was intimidating Michael. Or it might be the
fact that Michael didn’t think anyone would want Catalella, not after her body
had been ravaged by cancer?

“I ran
into an old friend…sweetheart.”
What the
hell was his name again?
She hadn’t gotten his name the day they met. She
was too busy trying to chase him away.

* * *
*

“Hi,
I’m Rich.” Rich extended his free hand to the man.

“Michael,”
the guy said.

Rich
saw the stunned expression on the man’s face and wondered what it meant. Did
she come with him and she wasn’t interested anymore? His thought left the
unfortunate man and moved to his arm where—what was her name?—was stroking her
fingers.

“I
didn’t know you had a date, Catalella,” Michael said.

Catalella
,
how beautiful
.
“Where is your drink, my little orchid?” Rich asked. Her skin was as delicate
as the petals of a little orchid, soft to the touch and sweet.

“The
bartender is busy serving the guys on the other side. I’m sure he’ll be heading
this way anytime now,” she said as she turned her body into his.