Envy(39)

“Your effort alone will make her happy.”

“I’d like to get in a few hours of effort tonight.” Noah set his empty tumbler on the end table and stood up.

“Stay and have dinner with me. We’ll play chess afterward.”

“Tempting, Daniel. But I should use this time that Maris is away to crank out a few pages. There’s only one way to write, and that’s to write,” he said with a smile. “Can I refresh your drink before I go?”

“Thanks, no. Maxine will be measuring the amount left in the decanter as it is.”

“Then I for sure want to clear out before the fireworks start.” Noah pulled on his suit jacket and retrieved his briefcase. “Anything else I can do for you?”

“As a matter of fact, there is,” Daniel said. “The next time someone approaches you with an offer to buy my publishing house, tell him to f*ck off.”

Noah laughed. “Shall I quote you?”

“Absolutely. In fact, I would prefer it.”


* * *


Two vodka martinis hadn’t dulled the edges of Nadia’s nerves. They seemed to be on red alert and had been since Noah had recounted for her his conversation with Daniel.

For half an hour she’d been pacing the hardwood floor of her Chelsea apartment, which was used strictly for romantic trysts. The apartment she owned in Trump Tower was her official address. Not even her accountant knew about this apartment.

“No matter how blasé he seems, I don’t trust the old codger,” she said. “How do you know he can’t see through your act?”

“Because he isn’t looking.” Noah’s voice conveyed his impatience.

“I don’t mean to question your perception, Noah.”

“Don’t you?”

“No. I’m just afraid that something might go wrong. I want this deal so badly for you.”

“I want it for us.”

Her anxiety dissolving, she stopped pacing and moved to where he stood. Coming close, she rested her hands on his shoulders. “Damn you,” she said softly. “By saying that, you’ve completely disarmed me.”

Their kiss was passionate and deep. She unbuttoned his shirt and slipped her hand inside. When they pulled apart, she continued to tweak his chest hairs. “It’s just that Daniel Matherly has been overseeing that publishing house for… how long?”

“He’s seventy-eight. His father died when he was twenty-nine. Daniel’s been in control since then.”

“So almost fifty years.”

“I can subtract, Nadia.”

“All I’m saying is this: He hasn’t made himself into a living legend by being a dimwit. He didn’t become successful by misreading people. He’s smart. He’s savvy. He’s—”

“Not as sharp as he used to be.”

“Maybe. Or maybe he just wants you to think so.”

Noah disliked being second-guessed and resented even a hint of criticism. Pushing her away, he moved into the kitchen, where he refilled his highball glass with ice cubes and splashed scotch over them. “I think I know my father-in-law at least as well as you do, Nadia.”

“I’m sure—”

“If you were sure of me, you wouldn’t be nagging me about this.” He treated his drink like a shot, then set his glass on the countertop and took a moment to contain his temper before turning back to her. “Your job is to keep Blume and company pacified and reassured.”

“I’m having dinner with Morris tomorrow night. The Rainbow Room.”

“Good. Be a knockout. Eat, drink, and dance. Blow in his ear. Keep him happy. Let me handle the Matherlys. I’ve been handling them quite well for three years. I know how they think. I know how they react to given situations. This must be carried out with extreme delicacy. It can’t be rushed or the whole thing could blow up in our faces.”

His timetable had been in place for years. Now that the finish line was in sight, he wasn’t going to sacrifice all his careful planning and strategizing to recklessness. By doing it his way, on his schedule, everything had gone according to plan.

The first step had been accomplished when Daniel Matherly hired him. By toeing the company line, he had earned the old man’s trust. A major hurdle had been cleared when he married Maris, further solidifying his position. Then, when the time was right, he had subtly, through Nadia, telegraphed to Blume his interest in a merger. Blume was still working under the misconception that the idea had originally been his. Not at all. WorldView had been in Noah’s game plan from the start.

Up to this point everything had been done Noah Reed’s way, the only way that Noah Reed would have it. He wasn’t going to screw himself now by rushing toward a quick finish.

“I don’t know why you’re being testy with me,” Nadia said. “Morris issued the deadline today, not I.”

That had been the one crimp in Noah’s plan that he hadn’t seen coming, and the reason for his querulousness tonight. Throughout his cocktail hour with Daniel, he’d been only half listening to the old man’s rambling speech. Instead he’d been remembering Blume, with his lizardlike smile, imposing on him a two-week deadline to either fish or cut bait.

Blume had reminded Noah that he had been extended ample time in which to review the proposal, that either he was interested enough to move forward and make this deal happen or he wasn’t. Noah had reminded him that his father-in-law wasn’t a minor stumbling block but a major obstacle. “Daniel has stated unequivocally that his company is not for sale.”