Alliance – Chapter 21

The time at the florist was unbelievably boring for Parker.  After an hour and a half of waiting on a stool in between displays of roses and carnations, he was beginning to think he should meet up with her once she was done here.  This was about flowers for a gala that didn’t matter to her, not the cure for cancer. At least she didn’t have him babysitting her purse as women liked to do while shopping.

He cracked his first smile since parking next to her car in the flower shop’s parking lot. Skylar probably thought he’d snatch her wallet if she let go of her death grip on it.

Things weren’t all smooth sailing after she selected the final arrangement either. Although she accepted his offer of an early dinner, it took more negotiating than a nuclear disarmament summit to choose a restaurant. For someone who said whatever was fine with her, she sure did shoot down plenty of his suggestions. By this point, Parker imagined it would be faster to cook a gourmet meal from scratch than to continue this devil’s game of 20 questions.

Mercifully, she told him to meet her at a Mexican cantina adjacent to the coffee shop.  This was Parker’s first time to this restaurant chain and was surprised at the quiet atmosphere and the dim lights.  Intimate was the word that came to mind. Intimate was hardly the kind of atmosphere you chose when you didn’t want to blur the fine line between professional and passion.

“I thought I wasn’t supposed to get any ideas,” Parker said, casual, after the server took their orders.

She glanced around as though seeing the scenery for the first time before saying, “You still aren’t.  I thought it might be dangerous to go somewhere you could be seen.”

“Good call.” After a beat, “Who was that this morning?”

“That was Reyna Vinson.  She pretty much heads up the gala committee.”

“What was she talking about?”

“My super-exciting floral errand we were just on.”

“Don’t be coy.”

“What do you mean, Parker?”

He cocked his head and gave her a sharp look.  “It sounded like the two of you were talking about a man.”

“And that makes it your business…how,” Skylar snapped. “Hmm, that’s right. It doesn’t.”

“True enough, but I think you should tell me anyway.”

“And why is that?”

“From your little outburst, people on the other side of the room know it’s a touchy subject for you.  If you’re going to make this big of an issue out of something, it’s exactly the kind of thing I’ll need to know about you.  As your boyfriend.”

“I’m really getting sick of hearing you say that.”

“I’m sure you are, but you need to get used to the idea of it before we come face to face with Raptor.” Parker paused long enough for the plates to be set down in front of them.  “You’re going to have to look at ease with me if this is going to work.  Right now, I’d say you don’t look comfortable with the concept of dinner, much less having it with me.”

Skylar sighed and averted her eyes.  “I just found out that I’m on the committee with my ex.”

“Ah, and I take it Reyna’s the new girlfriend.”

“Yes, but I couldn’t tell you how new she is or isn’t.” She snatched a chip out of the basket and tore off tiny pieces of it while she considered her next words, letting the crumbs pile on the tablecloth. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d really prefer not to talk about it.”

“Okay, but before we can drop it, I need to know if this is going to pose a problem for us.”

“It shouldn’t.  It was a long time ago and I just don’t want to rehash the past.”

“You have to realize how ironic that sounds coming from you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Skylar snapped.

“Nothing.  Let’s just drop it.”

“No.  I want to know what you meant by that.” The demanding tone matched the intensity of the scornful look she tossed at him. “I’m sick of you answering my questions with more questions, if you bother to answer them at all.”

Parker considered his words before he spoke.  “I just thought it was an odd thing for you to say considering what you’re up to with me.  Revenge scenarios aren’t usually indicative of leaving the past lie.”

Skylar set her fork down and glared at him.  “My involvement with you is about catching a killer.  Some things need to be left in the past; other things cannot be.”

“If you say so.  I’m only trying to understand you a little better, not pick a fight with you.”

“Fine.  What do you want to know, Parker?” Between her prickly body language and the edge to her question, it was clear she didn’t care what he wanted.

“For starters, I would love to know how a woman without a job finances this kind of a crusade,” Parker replied, deciding he didn’t care whether she wanted to answer him or not. Sometimes, cutting to the chase was more effective than beating around the bush and finessing a mark.

Skylar took a sip of her tea.  “How did I know you were going to ask me that?”

“Because it’s important for me to know.” When several seconds ticked by without a response, he added, “I have ways to find out anything about you I’d like to know. I’m asking you now, rather than digging into your life, out of professional courtesy. Either way, I will get an answer.”

Her eyes registered momentary shock and then regained the usual icy composure. “I must say, I love the way you make yourself out to be this noble guy doing me a favor while being a complete prick.”

“Trust me when I tell you that you’ll know when I’m being a prick. That’s not it.”

“Oh, well, gee. Aren’t you a nice guy then? I don’t feel bullied and insulted anymore.” She pulverized another chip while she spoke. “In fact, how about we get out of here so I can give you a blow job and then thank you for letting me when I’m done?”

She really must say whatever popped into her head any given moment. Parker didn’t know what to do with that. What he did know was that she wasn’t actually offering. Rather than trying to analyze what would even make her think to say that, he directed the conversation back on point. “You’re evading.”

“Am I?”

He leaned forward to cut the distance between them by half and spoke in a low, firm voice. “Unless you’re serious about getting out of here and proving it to me, I suggest you quit playing games with me.” He held her eyes captive with his steady gaze. “And I can assure you of one thing, Skylar. Once we start down that path, I don’t quit until you can’t remember how to count to 10, much less whether you did anything first.” Unnoticed, he slid his hand across the table and she jumped slightly when he stroked the top of hers. “Start talking…unless you want me to get the check and give you several reasons to thank me tonight.”

She continued to stare at him for a long moment, not bothering to recoil from his caress. Whether she did so because she enjoyed his touch or because she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of the response was anyone’s guess.

“You really are a legend in your own mind, aren’t you?”

A sly smile spread across his lips. “I’m a legend in many people’s minds, sweetheart.”

“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes and withdrew her hand from his touch, using it to pick up her tea glass. “I’d rather tell you than continue listening to this unoriginal display of the male ego.”

She sipped her drink before continuing.

“My father let Michael invest his life savings in risky tech stocks.  Michael pulled the money out right before the dot com market crashed and then he made several more wise investments for him.  Apparently, my father was going to tell my mother and me about it after my graduation.  His retirement date was set and he was going to take my mother on the trip around the world they always planned to take one day.

“After his murder, we discovered he was heavily insured, probably from back when he owed the full balance on the house and cars. I don’t know why else he’d keep such a high policy on himself.”

“Men with families will over insure themselves to make sure their families are provided for.”

“And you’re supposed to be the shining champion of family men everywhere?” She pushed her food around on her plate with a fork, not having taken a single bite. “Anyway. As you say, my mother would have been very well provided for, but she couldn’t handle it.  She always blamed herself for what happened to him. She kept saying that if she hadn’t forgotten to pick up his suit from the dry cleaner’s, he wouldn’t have stopped in at the bank while he waited for her that day.”

Skylar reached for her glass again, gulping it down as though iced tea had the same power to steel her resolve as hard liquor.  “She fell into a bad depression after the funeral.  I guess she couldn’t live with herself, thinking she was somehow to blame, that she killed her husband.” Dropping the pretense of eating, she leaned back in her chair and folded her arms over chest.  “I came home one day and found her on the bathroom floor with a half-empty bottle of pills next to her and whatever vodka from the bottle she hadn’t drank soaking into the carpet.  I got there too late to do anything.”

Parker’s expression softened as he listened.  “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said.

“Yeah, well, anyway…she was also well insured.  I couldn’t stomach the thought of staying in that house, so I sold it.  I kept just enough money to buy my townhouse and I gave the rest to Michael to invest for me.  Six months after that, I got a call from him telling me I wouldn’t have to worry about money anymore.” Void of any emotion, her eyes burned through him. “And that’s all there is to tell. At least, that’s all there is to tell unless you’d like to review my financial statement to confirm everything.”

“I hardly think that’s necessary.”

“Well, if you change your mind, I can have my people put something together for your people to save them the time of hacking into my life.” She averted her eyes.  “Dinner was a bad idea. I’m not even hungry.”  Skylar pushed away from the table and rose to her feet.  “I’m leaving.  If you don’t mind, I’d prefer not to have any intruders this evening.”

Parker watched as she walked out of the restaurant.  He signaled for the check and considered things. He didn’t like the realization that her trust would not come easy. With most women, he could play to their emotions, but that wouldn’t work with someone like Skylar. If she had emotions hiding under her stony façade, she’d long since lost touch with them.

To compound the issue, he knew there wasn’t much time to waste. He’d never conned someone as detached from their emotions as Skylar Montgomery clearly was. If he was going to get past her defenses and get her trust, he’d need to take a different approach.

And trying to do any of this without her trust would mean conning her while he conned Raptor. Bad plan. No, Parker would find a way to earn her trust so he could let her in on the real play.

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