Dating Games(67)

My breathing is still labored from the after-effects of the orgasm rolling through me as I peer into his eyes, desperately wanting to crush my lips to his, wrap my arms around him, and allow him to consume me in a way I believe only he can. But can I really do this? I feel like I’m standing in the door of a plane, torn between jumping out and experiencing the exhilaration of flying, or returning to the ground from the safety of my seat.

I’m about to share my fears when Sadie’s familiar voice cuts through. “There you two are!”

I jump away from Julian, as if we’d just been caught doing something we shouldn’t. I’m not Catholic, but I have a feeling this is what the Catholic guilt I’ve heard so much about must feel like. I search the area, my eyes settling on her approaching with Christopher and a man I estimate to be in his fifties.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I wanted to introduce you to my uncle Clinton.” She leans in, lowering her voice. “He’s my cool uncle.” She winks an exaggerated wink as he laughs politely.

“Trust me,” Clinton says. “It’s not a stiff competition. Most in the family are—”

“Uptight,” Sadie offers.

“Pricks,” Clinton interjects immediately. “I was going to say pricks.” He beams down at Sadie, an affection between them I haven’t seen much out here. It’s obvious she has a great deal of respect for her uncle, and he has a great deal of admiration for his niece, regardless of any fallout from her marrying Christopher. “But I suppose uptight is more agreeable.” He returns his attention back to us, extending his hand toward Julian. “Clinton Alderman.”

I stare at it, horrified over the idea of Julian shaking his hand after what he just did, then realize he used his left one with me. If he was that talented with his left hand, I can only imagine what he could do with his predominate one. A blush heats my cheeks as they shake politely.

“Julian Gage.”

“Nice to finally meet you, Julian.”

“And you.” He turns his attention toward me. “This is my girlfriend, Guinevere Fitzgerald.”

Clinton looks toward me, his eyes finding mine. But unlike so many other men I’ve met here, he doesn’t appraise me like a piece of meat. He looks at me like I’m a human being. It’s refreshing.

“Lovely to meet you, Guinevere.”

“Evie,” I correct. “You can just call me Evie.”

“Evie.”

After we all exchange pleasantries, Clinton turns back to Julian. “Sadie mentioned you’re in the process of expanding your charitable branch overseas and are trying to get the ball rolling to open up shelters for women in high-risk areas.”

I snap my head toward Julian, surprised by this. I’m not sure what I thought this big project of his was. I simply thought it was to build some ridiculously luxurious hotel in Dubai, something that could increase his income substantially. But to find out it’s a charitable project? Another piece of the Julian Gage puzzle snaps into place.

“I’m sure I didn’t get all the details correct,” Sadie adds. “Just what I picked up from Christopher.”

“It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.” He turns his attention to Clinton, his demeanor becoming serious, flipping the switch from seductive Julian to businessman Julian. “When I inherited Theodore Price’s fortune, the first thing I did was begin a charity here in the States. Our mission is to provide a safe haven for women in abusive relationships. At least here, we get some assistance from criminal justice agencies. Which got me thinking about what it must be like for women in countries and cultures where this kind of abuse isn’t frowned upon. In fact, it’s encouraged as part of their customs. I want to do something to help these women, but expanding overseas isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. There’s quite a bit of red tape I have to cut through to even consider the possibility.”

“Well, I may just be able to help you. I’m not sure what Sadie’s told you about me, but I’m in the oil industry.”

“I know.”

“And in the oil industry, red tape is our specialty.” He winks, then jovially slaps Julian on the back. “Come with me. A few of us are digging into Graham Salazar’s cigar stash. You should join us.”

“I’d love to.” Smoothing the lines of his shirt, he steps away from me, exuding all the confidence and poise I’ve come to expect from him.

“Chris, you should join us, as well.”

Christopher’s dark eyes widen. He drops his hold on Sadie, joining Julian and Clinton.

“Great to meet you, Guinevere,” Clinton offers with a smile.

“Likewise.” My gaze shifts from him to Julian. We haven’t finished our conversation about the unexpected fireworks display earlier. Maybe it’s for the best. Maybe it’s one of those things we shouldn’t discuss, that we should just forget happened. “You boys enjoy those cigars.”

Clinton tips his imaginary hat, then turns, leading Julian and Christopher away from the verandah.

When the men are out of sight, Sadie winks. “That never would have happened if you weren’t here.”

“What do you mean?”

“My uncle. He’s great, don’t get me wrong, but he’s from a different generation. He recognizes things aren’t how they once were, but he’s still from old money. He hasn’t fully embraced this new dynamic. It shouldn’t matter if Julian were a bit of a playboy. But it does to these people. They don’t want to be associated with someone like that. So seeing him with a woman…” She shrugs. “Some of them are coming around and accepting him as someone who will be around for the foreseeable future, someone they could benefit from doing business with. They’re starting to see what I see.”