I could be overreacting, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Roderick and Karl don’t respect her, but they’re wary of me. I have no problem doing whatever is needed to lend her support.
A smile appears on her face, slow but bright. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
She tilts her chin at my undone tie. “Want some help with that?”
“What? This?”
She nods.
“Do you know how to tie it?”
“I can’t do a Windsor, but I can do an Eldredge,” she says.
“An Eldredge knot? That’s unusual.”
“I learned it because a friend wanted to wear it, but couldn’t master it.”
“Fine.” My tone is casual to hide the acid burning in my gut. Who did she learn the knot for? Jason? Or somebody else?
She leans toward me and starts to loop the tie into a complex asymmetrical knot. She’s so close, her warm breaths fan my chin and neck. Silk whispers, and her entire focus is on my neck—what she’s doing to me. I never realized how intimate having a woman knot my tie could be.
And some other man was treated to this. The need to find out who and kick his ass is inexplicably overwhelming. I draw in a deep breath.
It doesn’t matter who she learned to tie the Eldredge for. I’m the last man she’ll be doing it for. The surging possessiveness is so intense, it stuns me.
“It can look a little weird on a guy who doesn’t have the confidence to pull it off, but I think you can do it.” She smiles and pats me on the chest, all finished.
“One must have enough panache to dominate one’s wardrobe.” I’m disappointed it didn’t take her much time. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
After breakfast, I follow her Cullinan in my Phantom. Siri reads my new texts out loud.
–Christoph: All rescheduled.
–Christoph: Also, I moved your call with John Highsmith to eleven a.m. Is that okay?
I reply “Yes” to the text and pull into the Peery Diamonds lot.
I hold the door open and follow Luce into the headquarters. Peery Diamonds is three generations old. Although it’s housed in a modern building with chrome and tinted glass, the music in the lobby is a Chopin nocturne and the overall ambiance is elegant old money. Orchids in red clay pots dot the walls. Photos of some of Peery Diamonds’ most popular and talked-about pieces hang from the walls. And there are others featuring celebrities. Grace Kelly. Sophia Loren. Princess Di.
A lanky man in his mid-thirties approaches, eyes glued to his phone.
“Good morning, Darren.” Luce’s tone indicates she’s more interested in warning him that she’s in his path than greeting him.
He glances up, then gives her a superior smirk I immediately want to wipe off his face. “Jeez. I didn’t realize you were coming in today.”
“Why wouldn’t I come in?”
“Shame, maybe? After you provoked your husband into violence? What’s wrong with you? I mean, I kind of knew there was something off, but…”
I put a hand on Luce’s shoulder and step around her. “Are you calling me a wife beater?”
Darren’s eyes widen. Guess he didn’t realize I was right behind her. “Uh… What are you doing here?”
“Answer the question.”
