The Perfect Ingredient (Dare Valley) (27 page)

Even kissing her had changed.

He slid out of bed and headed to the shower. When he reached the bathroom door, he turned to watch her snuggle against his pillow.

Should he tell her she was his perfect ingredient?

A part of him winced from embarrassment. He’d been pursuing his Holy Grail for nearly two decades. His chef friends all knew about his tireless pursuit. What would they say when they heard it was a woman? Manny wouldn’t laugh at him, he knew. His friend and mentor would be elated to hear Terrance had finally found his own perfect ingredient.

The knowledge was still too new, so he decided to keep it to himself a little longer. Last night had been intense enough. There would be another occasion to share that with her, one filled with romance and light-heartedness. He didn’t want to run off to work after making such a declaration.

“What?” she finally asked, those blue eyes aglow with the knowledge that he didn’t want to leave, not even for a minute.

“Just thinking how beautiful you are,” he replied and turned toward the bathroom.

He would wait for a special moment to say the words. For him, they were more important than
I love you.

Chapter 30

Elizabeth slid out of bed finally and donned a gray silk robe, marveling at how so much had changed in such a short time.

He loved her. He’d actually said the words.

And the way they’d made love last night? It had felt as if their souls were speaking to each other.

They’d moved to a whole new level of sharing and intimacy, and for the first time, she understood what Jane had said about her relationship with Matt. Two people who’d admitted their love for each other could move the mountains. The way Terrance had listened and loved away the hurt had healed her somehow. Every cell felt lighter today, and for that she was grateful and more than a little humbled.

Humming, definitely another new action for her, she headed into the kitchen. Since he’d shown her how to operate his high-tech Italian coffee maker, she breezed through the process. Soon the smell of his pricy, special-made blend suffused the kitchen with its dark, exotic roast.

She detoured to the den to find her cell phone. Jane had called and then texted her, so she texted her back to say she was with Terrance and would call her later. Part of her didn’t want to go on Twitter, but she did anyway. No more hiding. Problems could only be solved if they were faced head on.

There were still tweets pouring in, but nothing dire, thank God. Terrance’s statement had done its job.

Her phone rang then, and although she didn’t recognize the number, she decided to answer it. It might be the media, but she felt prepared to respond to their questions now. In the late part of the night, she and Terrance had agreed to tweet today that they were romantically involved. Since any stories about her impacted Rhett, she needed to start tackling the situation. She was his publicist, after all.

“Hello. This is Elizabeth Saunders.”

“Hello, Liz.”

A chill ran down her spine. No one called her Liz except Jane and Rhett, and there was something familiar about this man’s voice.

Her solar plexus grew tight, like she’d been sucker punched. “Who is this?” she asked.

“I like your new name. It’s so much more elegant than your old one. But it doesn’t really fit with the slutty Vixen, does it? Didn’t I tell you that I always knew what you were?”

Dear God, no.
Recognition clicked. She broke out in a cold sweat, and her heart thundered in her chest.

“Hello, Vince,” she managed to say in a raspy voice.

“So you remember me, do you, babe? I wasn’t sure when I saw all of those pictures of Vixen with other men. I’ve missed you, Liz. You shouldn’t have run away from me. We were so good together.”

Her fingernails dug into her hand.
Stay calm. Don’t let him get to you.
“Vince, I’m hanging up now, and I swear to you that I will call the police and report you if you ever call me back. Liz Parenti might not have been able to fight you, but Elizabeth Saunders can.”

“But why would you want to fight me when we have a friend in common?”

Fear stole over her like ice water, and she clutched her robe tighter. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Why, Terrance, of course. I saw you two on Twitter, and wasn’t that a surprise? Your hair is different, but I recognized you right away. Terrance likes the bad girls, doesn’t he? Did you tell him about me?”

Nausea choked her throat, and she had to sit down when her knees threatened to give out. No, Vince couldn’t be his friend. He would never befriend such a monster. “What about him?”

“Answer me! Does he know about me, Liz?”

His old threats played in her mind.
I’ll kill any man you’re with. Do you hear me, Liz?
Would he try and hurt Terrance?

“He doesn’t know who you are. He has nothing to do with this.”

“Oh, but he does, Liz. You probably don’t know who’s financing his food empire. You know, his new venture into household goods and gourmet products.”

Bile rose to the back of her throat. “No. It’s impossible.”

“He’s with the best investment bank in New York, Liz. We started financing celebrity product lines ten years ago as a special niche. It’s great advertising for the bank, and Terrance does like the best. But you know that. Except that he doesn’t know you like I do.”

Her skin was crawling now, like there was a swarm of flies covering her skin. Terrance’s future was tied up with the man who had destroyed her life.

“I could cancel his new venture with one call, Liz, baby. Do you want me to do that?”

“No,” she whispered, all her forced bravado gone. “Leave him out of this. Please, Vince.”

“I like hearing you beg me. I’ve missed that. You’d better keep quiet about us, baby. I have a lot to lose now, and I don’t need Terrance getting all upset. He’s known for his temper. I’m afraid he might make a big mistake and come at me if you tell him who I am. You’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen, aren’t you?”

How would Terrance react, knowing his banker was the same man who’d stalked and terrified her? Ryan was nothing compared to Vince, and Terrance had barely been able to restrain himself from punching him.

And if he did attack Vince, he’d lose everything. Not just the financial backing of his new venture, but his primetime TV show.

It would be all her fault.

“I won’t tell him if you stay away from me and don’t mess with his deal.”

“I don’t trust you. Just in case you’re thinking about finding Terrance a new banker, let me assure you that I won’t let him go. I know how you think, Liz. I’ll ensure the production and distribution of his product line is halted. Permanently.”

The thought of finding a new financier would have come to her at some point, but he’d already boxed her in…just like in the old days. “He’ll sue you.”

He laughed. “To what end? Our bank is one of the most reputable in the country. I’ll say Terrance welshed on his contract with us. I might even say he…exhibited that volatile behavior he’s so famous for, and we thought he was too great a capital risk. You know what that label does in business circles, Liz.”

She did. If Harwick & Taylor thought Terrance was a business risk, everyone else would too. Their word was golden. “I don’t understand why you won’t let him go, Vince.”

“Don’t you? Before I wanted Terrance because of his fame, but that pales in comparison to having a renewed connection with you. Keep your mouth shut this time, Liz. What I did to you and Jane’s lawyers last time will be a cake-walk compared to what I’ll do to you and Terrance if you don’t play ball.”

The key in the cell he’d fashioned for her turned in the lock, and she felt an all-too-familiar powerlessness steal over her. “We’ll do it your way, Vince.”

“Good. Then I’ll look forward to seeing you at a few of the get-togethers Terrance usually attends in New York, assuming he brings you along. Make sure he does. I want to see you again. I like your hair, by the way. It suits you so much better than the dull brown hairdo you had at Harvard.”

Stars appeared at the edges of her vision, and she felt herself on the brink of collapse. “I need to go, Vince.”
She had to get away from him. Hide. Find a safe place again.

“You’ll go when I say so.”

His words were hard like steel, and they cut through her flesh. No, this could not start again. She reached deep for any final strength, and like a life preserver in a vast ocean, she latched onto a thread.

“Terrance is here, Vince, and you don’t want him to overhear us, do you?”

She jerked her head around to make sure he wasn’t finished with his shower.

“You bitch. I don’t like thinking of you with him. You were supposed to be mine.” He was breathing hard now.

“You have a wife, Vince. I saw it in the news. You need to stop this.”

“Don’t talk about my wife. You don’t deserve to speak her name, you slut.”

Slut. Bitch. Whore.
He’d called her all those things, not to mention how he’d slashed her tires and followed her, making her think she couldn’t escape him.

“I’m going to go, Vince, before Terrance comes out. I won’t say anything as long as you uphold your end. Don’t call me again.”

She punched the End button with a shaking finger. The phone dropped into her lap.

He’d found her. He’d finally found her. And it wasn’t over.

He was financing the dream of the man she loved and using that fact to threaten her all over again.

She wanted to weep, raise her fists to the sky. Scream. Life was so fucking unfair.

Shivering from the aftershocks of the call, she wrapped the Irish throw around her. She’d just made a deal with the devil.

To protect herself.

To protect Terrance.

Not just his financing and his primetime TV show, but his life. Who knew what Vince was capable of? He had enough money to hire people to hurt Terrance. She knew the violence he was capable of. Her mind flashed to the memory of him gripping her throat and threatening to kill her and any man who touched her.

Vince’s voice held the same menace and craziness as it had at Harvard. She’d hoped time would tame him, but she’d read enough about stalkers over the years to know their brand of violence and intimidation didn’t just disappear unless the person sought help.

Vince wasn’t the kind to seek help. He was deeply disturbed, and his family was always there in the wings to conceal his mistakes. Like they had with her, branding her a gold-digging liar in court when she fought back.

“Elizabeth,” Terrance called out.

She jumped in place, pressing a hand to her pounding heart.
Get control of yourself. He can’t see that you’re upset or he’ll ask why.

“I’m in here,” she replied, hiding her hands under the blanket.

If he saw them…

“What do you feel like? French toast? Waffles? Oh, I know, how about eggs Benedict? You always loved… What’s wrong?” He strode across the room and put his steaming blue mug on the coffee table.

The lie was bitter on her tongue as she spoke it. “I shouldn’t have read some of the tweets.”

His mouth turned grim. “Dammit! I don’t like seeing you like this.” He rubbed her arms like he knew she was cold. “Forget them. Haters have to be the unhappiest people on the planet.”

“People are going to say things,” she responded, keeping her voice as even as possible.

“How about I tweet this?
Leave my girlfriend alone and fuck off.”

Girlfriend. Any other time it would have been sweet, but she was too scared and cold for it to warm her now. “I think you’re losing a fortune to the Cuss Fund.”

“It’s going to a good cause. The Children’s Aid Society in New York is going to love me. I owe about two grand after yesterday.” He inhaled deeply like he was trying to regain control of himself. “Seems I haven’t started off any better today.”

Hearing he was helping troubled kids—New York City kids who were struggling like he once had—undid her. He was such a good man, and he didn’t deserve this mess she’d dragged him into. She leaned her head into his neck, inhaling the clean scent of him from his shower.

“You’re not doing so bad, and as you said, the money is going to a good place. We just need to let these tweets roll off our backs.”

“How are you supposed to do that when you’re Rhett’s publicist? I know you can’t go radio silent on Twitter.”

She’d loved handling Rhett’s social media accounts. Now, she wanted to delete herself, and every sign of her, from the digital world. But that was impossible. “You’re right. It’s my job. I’ll just need to grow a thicker skin.”

And develop a better poker face with Terrance.

“Come here.”

His arms wrapped around her, and she wanted to weep. She loved this man. There was no way she was going to let Vince hurt him and everything he’d worked so hard to accomplish.

“I love you, Terrance.” The words burned her throat, laced with fear and desperation.

“Hey, I love you too. We’re going to get through this, I promise. I’m going to have my publicist tweet about our relationship today and talk to my network boss. We just need to help everyone see the new you and not Vixen. Can we tweet about me going out with a Harvard grad? And then there’s the whole thing about you having a higher IQ than me. I can joke about how you’re slumming with me.”

Hearing the undercurrent of shame in his voice, she pressed back. When she took his face in her hands and looked into his eyes, she could see the vulnerability from the street-smart kid he’d once been.

“Stop. No one is slumming here. We both have our pasts, but we both have value.”

A part of her heart burst open as she realized it was true. Liz Parenti hadn’t believed it, but she’d grown wiser as Elizabeth Saunders.

“You have value,” she whispered.
And so do I, regardless of what Vince says.

His eyes lowered, and for a moment, she could see him fighting his own demons. “How about we say we’re a match made in heaven? I’m a food genius, and you’re a poker genius?”

She traced his cheek, never wanting to leave this house. If they could stay here forever, they would be safe. “That’s much better.”