One Long Embrace (Eternal Bachelors Club #5)

“Why? I thought Whelan was richer than Bohannon.”


Jay could firmly imagine the skin between Deborah’s eyebrows furrowing, something he’d always considered cute, but which now made him want to kick somebody or something. He knew he should get up and show himself, but he was frozen in his seat, his hands trembling with rage.

“Actually, Whelan’s family is richer than Bohannon. Theoretically, it still all belongs to his parents, and though he’s an only son, you don’t want to have to wait for his parents to kick the bucket, do you? I mean, he probably has to do whatever his parents say to get at the money while they’re alive. Trust me on this. You don’t want to deal with that. I’d vote for Bohannon. Reel him in and get a ring on your finger asap.”

A sigh from Deborah. “You’re probably right. At least then I won’t have to sleep with Whelan anymore. Frankly, it was a chore.”

The other two women laughed. Jay heard the clinking of glasses. Then the sound of glass breaking.

He looked at his hand and the shards of his martini glass cutting into his skin. Blood mixed with the spilled gin and spread over the pristine white tablecloth.

But he didn’t feel the pain. He’d gone numb.

The woman he’d thought himself in love with had been two-timing him. And not only that. The only reason she considered marrying him was because he had more money than the next sucker in line.

Jay stood up, not caring that his jerky movement pushed the table toward the other end of the booth and made a loud grating noise on the polished wooden floor. Nor did he care about the cuts on his hand.

He tossed a twenty on the table and took a few steps to face the booth with the three women.

Deborah’s girlfriends looked up at him, checking him out. When he remained standing there, saying nothing, the women exchanged curious glances.

“What?” Deborah asked, looking over her shoulder.

Jay met her surprised gaze.

“Oh, hi, Jay, I didn’t—”

He raised a hand, the uninjured one. “Spare me.” He motioned to the piece of paper in the middle of the table. “And you can take me off that list of yours. I won’t continue dating a calculating woman who’s clearly only after my money.”

He enjoyed the moment when the penny dropped for Deborah. She didn’t even try to deny it, knowing she was caught.

“If I ever get married, it will be to a woman who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about my money.”

He pivoted and charged toward the door. It opened just as he reached it. He almost bumped into his business associate.

“Oh, hey, Jay!” Milton greeted him cheerfully. “Sorry for the—”

“Evening Milton, do you mind if we go somewhere else? This isn’t really my scene.”

Jay walked out into the cold winter night, realizing too late that he’d left his coat at the coat check. But he had no intention of going back into the restaurant where Cassie and Sharon were right now consoling his ex-girlfriend and probably already convincing her that maybe Whelan wasn’t such a bad catch after all. Poor Whelan.

As Jay hailed a cab, his heart turned to stone. From now on, he would be very careful whom he opened his heart to. The first hint that a woman was after him only for his money, and he’d be leaving her in the dust.





1


Montauk, Long Island, NY

Today



Alerted by the angry voice of Paul Gilbert, his friend and fellow member of the Eternal Bachelors Club, Jay turned his attention toward the pool house. He wasn’t the only one who was now staring at the fight about to break out.

Paul, impeccably dressed in a tuxedo like Jay himself, was gripping an obviously drunk, middle-aged man by the collar. “I said, leave my girlfriend alone!”

“Girlfriend? She’s a fucking hooker!” the man yelled.

Jay cursed under his breath, stunned by the outrageous accusation.