I give a small shudder, thinking about that horrible tape from Masque and wishing that we had put a kibosh on this particular topic of conversation.
“Daily reports,” Damien says, reaching for my hand. “But he’s found nothing so far. I have to give the guy credit, though. He’s trying hard. Clearly, he’s as mortified by the breach of Masque’s policies as Nikki and I are that the tape is in someone else’s hands.”
“Well, I’m glad all of this didn’t put you two off on going forward with your ceremony,” Jane says.
“No. We thought about canceling the press, but if we did, they’d just dig for a reason. And the truth is,” Damien adds, “I want them there.” He squeezes my hand, then smiles at me.
“The first time we exchanged vows, we were by ourselves on a beach in Mexico. I wouldn’t change a thing about that day, but this time, I want all the world to see it. The more reporters, the better. The more pictures of my beautiful wife, the better,” he adds, then lifts our joined hands and kisses mine.
“So we’re just part of the crowd?” Dallas asks with a grin.
“Absolutely,” Damien says with a perfect poker face. “It wouldn’t be a party without Long Island’s most famous party boy.”
Jane lifts a glass. “To bad boys who settle down,” she says, looking between the two men and then smiling at me. “So long as they settle with us.”
I clink my glass against hers and laugh, once again thinking how glad I am that they made the trip down to celebrate with us.
“And, Jane,” Damien begins, “Troy gave me the list you emailed over as I was leaving. Thank you for the recommendations. I’ll make a few calls tomorrow.”
“Not a problem at all,” Jane says. “But remember that book is Bree’s baby. Help her, of course, but she needs an agent who loves the work, not who thinks having Damien Stark owing them a favor is a good thing.”
I turn in my seat and point to my nose, because that’s exactly what I said to him when he told me he was going to ask Jane for a list of agents who might be interested in reading Bree’s book.
“No author wants to think that an agent or an editor took on her project just because that agent or editor owed someone a favor. Surely, you of all people understand how unpleasant it is to lose that bit of control.”
Damien chuckles. “In that case, I’ll ask a favor of someone I know will tell me to fuck off if it’s too impertinent.”
“Who?”
He levels his gaze on Jane. “You,” he leans back in his chair. “Would you read her manuscript? If you like it, pass it on to your agent or a friend.”
Her eyes go wide, and she lifts her shoulders. “Of course, I’d be happy to. But I write nonfiction. This is ... You haven’t actually told me what this is.”
“It’s women’s fiction with a hint of magical realism,” I say. “Her mother’s Cherokee and her father’s Jewish, and she used that as a lot of the basis for the characters in the story. It’s set in Colorado and the Bronx, and it jumps time periods. I wasn’t expecting to like it, honestly, but I did. And Jamie absolutely loved it.”
“So did I,” Damien said. “And I confess I wasn’t expecting to.”
“That’s endorsement enough for me,” Jane says. “Go ahead and send it.”
Damien hesitates before answering, then says diplomatically, “I’ll ask her if it’s okay, and then I’ll send it to you.”
The corner of Jane’s mouth twitches.
“What?” Damien asks.
“Just that Dallas is a lot like you. You want to make everything happen for the people you love, and it’s hard to learn that they need to have a hand in it, too.”
“Isn’t that the truth?” Damien says with a sideways glance at me. I blow him a kiss as the waiter comes over and refills our wine glasses. Dallas takes a sip, then points at Damien after he sets his glass back down. “By the way, I heard you’re interested in Ashton Stone.”
I see Damien tense, but I don’t think that Dallas noticed. “I’m interested in his tech, anyway. But how the hell did you hear about that?”
“He called me up a few days ago. I’ve met him a few times. I’m a fan of racing. Back in my wild and wooly playboy days, I attended a lot of races. After-parties, too. We crossed paths a lot.”
“Really? And what kind of man did he come off as?”
Dallas laughs, and Damien and I exchange glances, unsure what’s so funny.
Dallas waves off our looks. “It’s just ironic. He asked exactly the same thing of you. For the record, I like him, though I don’t know him well.”
“What did he ask about me?”
“Well, he asked what kind of man you were and how you’d handle something if he licensed the tech. I gathered that you were interested in something he designed, probably that fuel system I’ve heard rumors about.”
“So he’s doing his homework.”
“Maybe. To tell you the truth, I got an odd vibe. I like the guy, like I said, but he plays it close to the vest. Honestly, he reminds me a lot of you. Before I liked you,” he adds.
Damien presses a hand over his heart. “There was a time you didn’t like me?”
Dallas chuckles. “I can’t say I disliked you, but you intimidated the hell out of me, and that’s saying a lot. You have that effect on people.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“So did you meet with him?” Jane asks.
Damien nods. “I think it’s sufficient to say that I’m not on his favorite person list. Not only did he decline, but he basically flipped me the bird.”
I see the shock reflected on both their faces. “He must not be as intelligent as they say,” Dallas says.
“Well, it gets better. Seems he spent much of his time this week trying to poach my employees.”
I turn to face my husband, certain my mouth is hanging open with shock. “You hadn’t told me that.”
“It’s news to me as well. Preston just learned about it. A few of the employees who were approached are perfectly happy where they are and reported to Preston about Stone’s advances.”
“That’s horrible,” Jane says.
“On the contrary,” Dallas says. “It’s business. I’m sure he wants the best staff, and I’m sure that Damien has the best people. What?” he says as everyone looks at him. He shrugs. “Just laying it out there. I’m not saying it makes him a good guy. He’s definitely an asshole. But what’s his motive? Does he just want these good people? Or is he holding a grudge?”
“I’m assuming a grudge from the way he spoke to me.”
“Why? Did you steal his teddy bear?”
“More like I didn’t buy him one.” He lays out the theory that Ashton was offended by Damien’s refusal to finance the racing team.
“Have you considered that he might be the one behind your strange texts?”
“We have, but the truth is, it doesn’t seem to be his style. His reaction to me in the office was more of an I don’t like the way you do business comment than you’re the scum of the earth. But until I know for sure, I’m withholding judgment. Because you never really know about people, do you?”