Page 33 of Out of the Shadows

Bean’s right eyebrow arched, and when she smiled, it reached her eyes, easing some of that turmoil. “Honey? That’s a new one.”

He chuckled and popped out his elbow for her to take. “Well, apparently, we’retogethertogether now. Honey is fitting, right?”

Letting out a shaky breath, she linked her arm with his. “That’s right.”

Covering her hand with his, he squeezed. “I’ve got you, B.”

“I’m counting on it.” She glanced up at him and flashed him a smile that was both sweet and shy and nailed him directly in the chest.

Without thinking, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, taking a moment to drink in her familiar soft floral scent. “Ready to do this?”

Her gaze held a hint of surprise, but she nodded. “Lead the way, Mr. Frazier.”

“It’s Gavin, honey,” he said with a wink.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

They’d been seated at their table for an hour, and Gavin was ten seconds away from pulling out his phone and texting Edward McClintock to demand he tell him who this supposed business partner was. Gavin was ready to meet with the person and get the hell out of here. He was so done with this entire event.

Correction: he was so done with Constance Whitcomb.

As the woman had promised, she’d seated him beside her at their round table of eight with Bean on his opposite side. Next to Constance was her husband, Roger, a multimillionaire in his late eighties who came from old Seattle money and looked like he’d rather be anywhere but here. The man wasn’t rude, but after greeting the table, he remained mostly silent except for occasionally reprimanding his son who sat beside him. Branson Whitcomb was a thirty-something-year-old douchebag who reeked of privilege and entitlement and was scrolling on his phone like a teenager while throwing back glass after glass of whiskey.

Yeah . . . Gavin was ready to be done.

During dinner, Gavin and everyone else at their tablebarely spoke as Constance prattled on with tales of her own amazingness. He figured the woman was oddly similar to Bean’s mother in that way. The two women sure did like the sounds of their own voices.

Eventually, their dinner plates were cleared away, and post-dinner drinks were served. Copious amounts of wine and spirits flowed, though he and Bean stuck with coffee. Their tablemates broke off into separate conversations—though Roger seemed content to simply observe those around him and Branson focused on his phone. Constance was now keen on having Gavin’s undivided attention. Playing his part, Gavin made the obligatory small talk with her. Thank you for having us, your foundation does wonderful work in Seattle, the food and program this evening were lovely... That kind of thing. However, with each word he uttered, she scooted closer and closer toward him.

At first, he thought she simply had a few too many glasses of champagne, but the closer Constance got, the more he could see the clarity and shrewdness in her gaze. Initially, it was a simple touch on his hand, then a lingering hand to his arm. Now, she cozied up so much that her breast rested against him.

He peeked over at Bean to catch her attention, but she was deep in conversation with the woman on the opposite side of her. Something about whether Ibiza or the Maldives were the better vacation destination. Bean was using that polished voice she’d used with her mother, so he knew she didn’t really give a shit about what she was saying. If he could only get Bean to look his way...

“So, Mr. Frazier,” Constance said, trailing her finger over his forearm. Thank God for the material of his tuxedo separating them. He was certain he would have recoiled at her touch without it. “Can I call you Gavin?”

More than anything, he wanted to snatch his arm off the table and scoot away, but he wasn’t about to cause a scene. Besides, he was already at the edge of his seat as it was. Hell, if he moved any farther away from the woman, he’d be in Bean’s lap.

Schooling his features, he nodded. “Gavin is fine.”

“As you know, Edward has his hands in all sorts of pies these days. As I’m sure he’s mentioned, my baby brother and I are starting a new business venture together.”

It took everything he had to not cringe.Please don’t say what I think you’re about to say.

“It’s taken some time, but I’ve developed a new social payment app that’s similar to Venmo and PayPal but with fewer fees.”

Shit. Of course she would have to be Edward’s mysterious business partner.

“Edward will be joining on as an investor and silent partner,” Constance continued. “I’m looking for a company that can set up additional cybersecurity measures, and he mentioned you and your company. After what happened with his son, I thought it prudent for me to enlist personal security for myself. Again, when Edward mentioned that area of expertise was also in your company’s bag of tricks, I just had to meet you.”

She punctuated “had to meet you” by running her long fingernail over the back of his hand.

Fisting both hands, he crossed his arms over his chest. He leaned away and turned in his seat, hoping to make it appear as if he were simply turning to better face her. In the process, he bumped into Bean with his back.

“Your business venture sounds intriguing, Constance.” It didn’t.

“If you’re amenable, Gavin, I’d love to discuss our start-up’s needs in more detail.” She sat back in her seat anddropped her hands to her lap. “Perhaps we can meet up later this week and talk morein depthabout it.”

He realized his mistake in turning to face her. Before he could blink, her hand was on his knee, gently squeezing.Holy. Fucking. Shit.

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