Flawed Perfection (An Eve Sumptor Novel) Page 2

  “You have more important things to worry about, Eve.”

  Eve took two quick steps towards Lainey, effectively boxing her in with nowhere to go.

  “You are important to me,” she whispered harshly. “I don’t like not knowing what’s bothering you.”

  Lainey could feel her heart beating faster. “Give me some space. Please, Eve,” she whispered when Eve didn’t move.

  Reluctantly, Eve backed away. “Are you and Jack having problems?”

  Lainey sighed. “Jack and I are fine, Eve.”

  Eve searched Lainey’s face for any indication of truth in the statement.

  “Oh my God, Eve. I said we were fine. Do you think that’s the only time I want you? When I’m having problems with my husband?”

  “You want me?”

  “Shit,” Lainey muttered. She sure as hell didn’t mean to say that out loud. Honesty is the best policy. Isn’t that what they always say? “Yes. Does that really surprise you?”

  “A little, yes. It’s been almost two years and you’ve said nothing to me.”

  “I was trying to be a good friend. To you and Adam. But, I’m not like you, Eve. I’m sorry.”

  “What does that mean?” Even with the blood pounding in her ears, Eve heard the bite in Lainey’s voice.

  “It means I can’t turn my feelings on and off like you.”

  “That’s not fair, Lainey,” Eve said, softly. “Do you think I don’t think about you every day? About how it felt being with you?” Eve closed in again. “About how much guilt you felt, and the pain you felt? You couldn’t even make love to your husband, which should have been easy and good for you, without feeling ashamed about it! We both made our choice that night I was shot. It was the right choice. I didn’t turn off my feelings, Lainey.”

  The rational side of Lainey knew what Eve said was right. It was the damn irrational side that just didn’t give a damn. She wanted Eve to feel what she was feeling. Maybe she just wanted to know that she wasn’t going crazy.

  “What do you want from me, Lainey?” Eve touched Lainey’s cheek with a soft caress, and bent her head close. “Is it this?”

  Eve’s lips were a breath away from Lainey’s. The anticipation spiked Lainey’s adrenaline and her skin flushed. But, before they touched, Eve eased back with a frown.

  “Can’t do it, can you?” Lainey smiled mirthlessly.

  “Don’t dare me, Lainey.”

  “I’m not trying to dare you. I’m just saying the guilt isn’t so easy.”

  Eve frowned again. “I was with Adam when we were together, Lainey. I know what guilt feels like.”

  “But, you weren’t married to him. In fact, you broke up with him.” Lainey reminded her.

  “That doesn’t mean I wasn’t in love with him.”

  The words stung, but Lainey had always known Eve’s true feelings for Adam. Even if Eve didn’t.

  Eve let out a frustrated grunt. “Tell me what to do, Lainey! What do you want?”

  “I don’t know!”

  “What’s going on with you and Jack?”

  “Nothing! I told you we’re fine! In fact, we’re more than fine.” Especially after I’ve dreamt of you, Lainey added silently.

  “Then why?”

  “It’s this time of the year, Eve. This is when we …”

  Eve’s eyes fluttered closed. “I know.”

  “You remember?”

  “I remember everything, Lainey.” She pulled Lainey into her arms and just held her. “But, there has to be more. Tell me.”

  “I saw you,” she confessed. “You told me you were working in your studio last night, so I thought I’d come by with a bottle of wine and talk.”

  “Oh, Lainey.” Eve thought about the night before. It was Adam who surprised her in her studio. He made love to her, quite passionately, there amongst the art Eve created. It had been erotic and beautiful. She wondered—for a brief, inexplicable moment—how she would have felt knowing Lainey was there.

  “I couldn’t stop watching.” Lainey lowered her eyes with shame. “I wanted to, my God I wanted to stop. But, watching you with Adam, all I could do was stand there and remember what it was like being the one with you. I’m sorry.”

  Lainey hiccupped a sob, and Eve tightened her arms around her. Eve pulled back, grasping Lainey’s face in her hands. “Honey…”

  “I should have called.”

  Eve knew firsthand how painful it was to watch. “I can’t apologize for it happening, but I can be sorry that you saw that.” Eve wiped a tear from Lainey’s cheek. “You’re wrong about me, Lainey. I can’t turn my feelings off, but I can bury them deep enough to where they won’t hurt anyone. I’ve had a lot of practice at that. But, I love you, Lainey. I will always love you,” she admitted, softly.

  The desire to kiss Lainey hit Eve hard, and the tremendous guilt she felt for that almost brought her to her knees. Before she could do either, her cell rang, shattering the moment to pieces. Recognizing the ringtone, she stepped back.

  “Hi, gorgeous.”

  Lainey tried to make a break for it, not wanting to be this close to Eve while she spoke to her husband. Especially like that. But, Eve grabbed Lainey’s arm and held her still.

  Eve’s voice was a husky whisper that never ceased to turn him on. Hell, let’s be honest, everything about his wife turned him on. “Hey, beautiful. Are you busy?”

  “Never too busy for you.” She held Lainey’s eyes as she spoke. It was stupid. She should have let Lainey go, instead of making her be a witness, but she wasn’t done talking.

  Adam cleared his throat. “You may want to stop talking like that since I have to be in a meeting in a few minutes and don’t need a hard on when I get there.”

  Eve chuckled. “Sorry, baby. What’s up?”

  Blank. Adam’s mind was completely blank. That’s what she did to him. “Um. Oh! I called to tell you we got the account.”

  “That’s fantastic! I didn’t doubt it for a minute.”

  “I want to celebrate,” Adam laughed. “Dinner, drinks … a little more.”

  “Just a little?”

  “Ok, a lot more. I would like to invite Lainey and Jack.”

  “Just for dinner and drinks, right?” Eve teased. Adam’s laughter rumbled through the phone, vibrating in her chest. Hearing him laugh was one of her favorite things. It was almost up there with hearing Bella laugh.

  “You think I would let anyone else touch my woman?”

  The tremendous guilt Eve felt earlier came back with a blowing crush, and she struggled to keep her voice light. “I’ll ask about dinner.”

  “Thank you, beautiful. I have to get to this meeting now. I just wanted to share the news with you.”

  “I’m proud of you, amant.”

  “Thank you, Eve. That means a lot to me. See you tonight. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” Eve ended the call, and turned her attention back to Lainey.

  “Now that you’ve completely ripped my heart out, can I go?” Lainey was seething.

  “That wasn’t my intention.”

  “Then what was, Eve? Making me listen to you speak like that to Adam after what we were just talking about was a shitty thing for you to do.”

  “I’m sorry. Lainey, I’m sorry. I wasn’t done talking to you, and I thought if I let you go you would try avoiding me again.”

  “So, this was your alternative?”

  Eve closed her eyes and took a breath. When she opened them, she saw Lainey staring at her with tears threatening.

  “You’re right. That was a shitty thing to do.”

  “Well, now that we’re agreed, can I go?”

  Eve dropped Lainey’s arm, but stood her ground. “Adam got the Griffen account.”

  “That’s really great.” Lainey couldn’t help but feel pride and happiness for Adam. He deserved this account after working so hard on it. “Tell him we said congratulations.”

  “You can tell him yourself. He invited you and Jack to dinn
er to celebrate.”

  “Shit. Now I feel like an even bigger ass.”

  Eve raised an eyebrow. It was a quirk that, with her wink, had somehow become almost a signature trademark for her, according to those around her. She didn’t even realize she did it that much.

  “I’m standing in his wife’s office telling her I want her, and he’s inviting me to dinner,” Lainey explained to Eve’s questioning look.

  And, there was the desire again. Fighting tooth and nail against the guilt. Damn it.

  “Will you come?”

  Lainey studied Eve, wondering if the question was as full of innuendos as she imagined.

  She decided no, there were no innuendos, just a question. “Yes, Jack and I would love to be there.” She turned to leave Eve’s office, only stopping when she felt Eve’s soft hand on her arm.

  “Are we okay?” Eve’s voice was soft, almost pleading.

  Lainey hesitated briefly. Were they okay? Could she keep her emotions in check? Does she really need more with Eve, and if she did and couldn’t have it, could she live without Eve in her life at all? No. Lainey didn’t believe she could.

  She gave Eve a small smile, and touched Eve’s cheek. “We’re fine.”

  When Lainey walked out, Eve let go of the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Feeling even a sampling of the guilt that Lainey must’ve felt when she was with Eve, only strengthened Eve’s determination to not put her through that again. She wouldn’t be selfish this time. Or, was it this decision that made her selfish? Who the hell knew. All she really knew was that she didn’t like the agonizing guilt she felt thinking of Adam when her lips were close to Lainey’s. Whether she was doing it for Lainey or herself, it didn’t matter.

  Why do my problems come in multiples?

  Pushing those thoughts aside, Eve sat down at her desk and picked up the phone. She’d be damned if she was going to let that idiot of a man Branson head the investigation of her missing art. She was surprised he was even clever enough to own the delivery service at all.

  With a sigh, she punched the numbers into the phone and waited for the answer. She had no right to call him, especially after what he did for her two years ago.

  “Hello?”

  “James?”

  “Ms. Sumptor?” His voice was filled with surprise. “No, wait, it’s Mrs. Riley now.”

  Eve smiled, as she always did when she heard her name. “How about you just call me Eve. I think you deserve that much.”

  “Eve. I would ask how you’ve been, but I’ve been keeping track.”

  It was Eve’s turn to be surprised. James was one of Tony’s henchmen that turned on Tony to help Eve. When she asked him why he put his life on the line for her, he told her it was the right thing to do. He had just become a father then, and couldn’t fathom how a man could treat his daughter the way Tony treated Eve. Perhaps he saw Eve as a daughter himself. He was older, though she didn’t think he was nearly old enough to be her father. Maybe an older, protective brother. Whatever the reason, Eve owed this man her life. Still, the incident was two years ago. Why would he still be keeping tabs on her?

  “Keeping track?”

  He cleared his throat, obviously not meaning to divulge that bit of information. “Just making sure my efforts were worth it.”

  “And? Were they?”

  “It would seem so. You’re happy.” It wasn’t a question. “To what do I owe the pleasure of you contacting me?”

  “I wish it were to just say hello.” She felt rueful now, knowing that it mattered to him that she was happy. Eve never once followed up on how he was. It wasn’t that she didn’t care, or think about him. She just got busy living her life. A life without having to look over her shoulder.

  “You don’t have to feel guilty,” he told her softly, somehow reading her thoughts. “If you need something, I’m there.”

  “I just need information, James, if you still have contacts.”

  “I do. What information are you looking for?”

  “Have you heard of any art heists around the area lately?”

  “Art heists?”

  “Yes. High end. They would fetch millions on the black market.”

  “Have you been stolen from?”

  “I have. A delivery that was made to my gallery today was missing three pieces. The ones that actually made it here are forgeries.”

  Eve was hoping he would say yes, that others were being stolen from as well. That would mean she wasn’t a specific target. If the answer was no … well, she would have to worry about that later.

  “Hmm. I haven’t heard anything.”

  Damn!

  “However,” he continued before Eve could respond. “I will keep my ear to the ground and see what I can find out.”

  “I would appreciate that. Is your account still active?” Eve asked, referring to the bank account she would funnel money into when he helped her before.

  “There’s no need for payment, Eve. It’s just information.”

  “James, I owe you for way more.”

  “That debt has been paid.”

  Eve stayed silent for a moment. “I will wire $50,000 to the account,” she said quietly. “If the information turns out to help me, I will wire more.”

  “Eve …”

  “It’s done, James. If you don’t need it, or don’t want to use it, then put it towards your son’s education.” She heard his sigh of resignation, and smiled.

  “Thank you. I’ll dig around and see what I can find out. Send me a list of your items, and I’ll pass it around, see if I can’t get your items back to you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’ll be in touch.”

  With that, there was a click to disconnect that made Eve chuckle. James wasn’t one for sweet goodbyes. He preferred to get to the job and be done. It was a quality Eve admired.

  Alone now, and having done all she could do for now, Eve sat back in her chair, and studied the photos in front of her. Before Lainey, Eve’s expansive, frosted glass and steel desk was bare of any mementos. Now, it held family photos that were more precious to her than the priceless paintings she held in the gallery.

  A silver frame with Mickey Mouse cut-outs along the edge, held her first such photo. It was a gift that Lainey had given her after returning from their first vacation together. Eve had extremely fond memories of her time at Disney with Lainey, Kevin and Darren. She and Lainey had been lovers then, and even the boys had found their way into Eve’s self-professed cold heart. Lainey had learned a lot about Eve during that trip, much to Eve’s dismay. But, she couldn’t regret any of what happened, because it brought her to where she is now.

  She turned her attention to the next photo. Eve and Adam’s wedding photo. Her dress was a modern, brilliant white satin and chiffon gown, adorned with crystal beads around her waist. If Adam’s face was any indication when he saw her walking down the aisle, he loved the way the silhouette dress flattered her body. He confessed to her later that night in bed that it took all of his willpower not to march her out of there, and have his way with her before the ceremony even started. Eve knew exactly how he felt. When she saw him waiting for her at the altar, in his white tuxedo—beautifully contrasted by his black hair—her heart stuttered. And, her body reacted so intensely, she couldn’t stop shaking until her hand was in his.

  She continued inspecting the photos, coming across one of the entire Stanton family, that Eve had taken herself. She thought back to that day when she had Lainey, Kevin, Darren and Jack in her studio. Eve had actually been nervous having Jack there. The brief time they had spent together up until that point hadn’t exactly been all that friendly. Jack had blamed Eve for a lot of the problems he and Lainey had. She couldn’t entirely argue with that, given her relationship with Lainey, but she reminded herself that Lainey and Jack had problems before Eve came into their lives. Thankfully, the shoot had gone smoothly, and the relationship between Jack and Eve began to settle.

  Eve picked up her fav
orite photo, and touched a finger to Bella’s beautiful, chubby face. In the photo, Eve held Bella and Adam’s arms wrapped around them both protectively and lovingly. Adam peered down at the two of them, while Eve hugged Bella close, and leaned her head on Adam’s shoulder with her eyes closed in blissful happiness. The smiles on their faces clearly showed the joy and love they felt for each other and their baby girl. A small smile touched Eve’s lips, thinking about the loves of her life. Her family. She went from having no one in her life, to being surrounded by incredible, loving people. It was almost more than she could conceive of.

  For her entire life, she didn’t believe she deserved love. The monstrous things her father made her do killed that hope for Eve. He had made her a whore—at least in her mind—and she didn’t think she would ever be able to open herself up enough to let someone in. It was Lainey who showed Eve that she was, indeed, worthy of love. Even though Eve was involved with Adam, she kept had their relationship strictly physical. It killed her not to let him in, but she just didn’t know how. Nightmares kept her from letting Adam sleep with her. Shame kept her from letting Adam love her enough to erase her past.

  Eve found it easier to open up to Lainey. This was mainly because Lainey was married, and that made Lainey safe. This was also because Eve knew, deep in her heart, that Lainey was in love with her husband, Jack, despite the problems they were having. She knew it was selfish of her to take advantage of Lainey’s situation, but Lainey was no less a willing participant. When the guilt started setting in for the both of them—not to mention their lives being on the line—they made the decisions that were best for them.

  That brought them to where they are now, almost two years later. Eve, married to Adam with a daughter. Lainey and Jack doing well, their sons happy to have their parents not fighting anymore. They were happy. Or so that was what Eve thought before this morning when Lainey confused the hell out of her.

  Again, she had to push that aside and focus on her work. James would find out what he could, and until then, Eve’s life would go on. Adam’s celebration dinner was going to be wonderful. This weekend, Bella’s birthday celebration would be spectacular. She knew this because she would make it so. Eve was a self-made, successful woman. Despite her past, or perhaps because of it, she vowed to herself, to her mother—who was murdered by her father—that she would make something of herself.