finger-waggle wave at him.
After she left, Floyd Milhouse looked at Lance and shook his head in bemusement. âI donât know how the hell you just pulled that off. An hour ago she was screaming the roof down.â
âItâs a gift.â Lance winked and shook Milhouseâs hand. âNow that everythingâs resolved, Iâd appreciate your discretion in this matter.â
The hotel manager eyed him with equal parts amusement and consternation. When he finally nodded, Lance made for the door.
âMr. Heart.â
Lance turned around, brows lifted in question. âThe next time you and your âlady friendsâ decide to engage in either recreation or confrontation . . .â
Lance waited.
âDo it around the corner at the Sheraton.â
Â
Â
As Viv pulled into the space in front of the first-floor garage her cell phone rang. Her gaze darted to the dashboard clock: 12:47 A.M.
âHello?â
âDonât even bother coming in.â
Viv closed her eyes. This was going to require some diplomacy. He was a man and sheâd stomped on his male ego in a pretty extreme way tonight. âIâm sorry, Julian. I was very upset. The glass . . .â
âWas that the man you said you met? He looked familiar.â
Viv glanced up at the third floor of the beach house on Sand Piper Road. She could hear the surf pounding just beyond the landscaped front yard. The oceanside community was filled with million-dollar homes that frequently teetered on the brink of destruction with every norâeaster or hurricane that blew through. Julian had been renting this place for close to a year while the owners took an around-the-world cruise. The lights on this side of the house were out so she couldnât see him, but she knew he was up there somewhere staring out at her, hurt and fuming. She, however, knew how to make him feel better. Much better.
âI left because I needed to talk with him about Guilty Pleasures. There are some things in the works. Thatâs what I mentioned earlier when I told you I had some news.â
âYou could have called, Vivienne. I was worried about you.â
She gave a little pout, one she knew he couldnât see but would come across the phone line. âI didnât mean to do that, Jule. Forgive me?â
She knew he was loosening up. Had he not been reconsidering he would have told her to take a hike. âJulian.â She put into her voice the purr heâd never been able to resist.
He didnât respond.
âJulian?â Her eyes widened and she looked at her phone. Had he hung up on her?
Just then, the garage door began to lever up. Viv smiled.
Giving not one thought to her resolution to change or her earlier upset, she pulled her car into the spot next to his little red BMW.
Â
Â
âWhat you said hurt me,â Coleman Heart III told his wife.
Sonja wasnât in the mood to be charitable or to pull any punches. âIt was meant to.â
Cole bowed his head for a moment, then he turned to face her. Sonja folded her arms across the cotton top she wore.
âDo you remember the day of the vote?â
Sonja nodded. There was just one day of voting that mattered to Cole, and it wasnât an election to choose political representation in Richmond or in Washington, DC.
âI was so nervous that day.â
âIt didnât show.â
The edge of his mouth quirked up. âMy secretary had a cup full of antacid at the ready. Itâs what I was drinking while everyone else worked on cappuccino and espresso.â
âWhatâs the point of this conversation, Cole? Youâre not in charge of Heart Federated anymore. There is no Heart Federated.â
The smile vanished. âThat day, my future was on the line. Everything Iâd ever hoped for or dreamed for hinged on the capricious whims of people who didnât share my values or convictions. When I walked into that meeting
Frank Zafiro
Billy O'Callaghan
Jane Smiley
Elizabeth Aston
Tristan J. Tarwater
Robert H. Bork
K C Maguire
Gregory Galloway
Alice Zorn
Kirsten Powers