“Hmmm.” Tori tapped a long, manicured nail on the table, accepted the cocktail the waiter provided, and took a sip. “Do tell. What did you do to screw up?”
“I got too greedy with Mick Riley, and I messed with his nowfiancée who was his girlfriend at the time. I didn’t think she was good for him, and I tried to intercede.”
“Oh. Bad move, princess. Never mess with a client and his woman.”
Elizabeth raised her glass. “Amen to that. Lesson learned the hard way. I figured out I don’t know everything. Imagine that.”
Tori laughed. “Well, our egos do get the best of us sometimes, and we like to think we can walk on water, cure cancer, negotiate the best contract for our client, and do it in killer high heels.”
“When will we learn we can’t have it all?”
“Why can’t we?”
Elizabeth shot Tori a direct look. “Do you? Do you really have everything you’ve ever wanted?”
“Of course. I have a career I love, tons of money, a great apartment in New York, incredible clothes, amazing friends, and I take ridiculous vacations. What more could I want?”
“So you don’t feel like you sacrificed a husband and kids to get what you wanted?”
“No. I date fabulous men all the time, have great sex, and then I boot them out the door when I get bored with them. And I don’t have a single maternal bone in my body. My younger sister has three beautiful children whom I adore and can visit in Connecticut whenever I feel the need to cuddle little ones. Believe me, that cures me of any feelings I might have ever had that I was missing something. And men have about a six month shelf life in my world.”
Elizabeth laughed. “So you’re perfectly content.”
“Perfectly. But it sounds like you’re not. Biological clock ticking?”
“I never thought so before. I was always happy with my life.”
Tori took a swallow of her martini. “That must mean there’s a man in it who’s making you think of husband and babies.”
“Oh, hell no.”
Tori laughed. “Liar. It’s written all over your face. My God, Elizabeth. You’re in love.”
“I am not. I’m in lust.”
“Lust never makes you think of babies, Liz. Maybe you’d better reevaluate this relationship you’re in.”
“I’m not in a relationship.”
“Again. Liar. Written all over that beautiful face of yours. Time to sit back and figure out what you really want out of life. Maybe a career as a sports agent isn’t it.”
“God, Tori. Sometimes I hate you.”
Tori smiled at her over the rim of her glass. “No, you don’t. You love me because I never lie to you like you lie to yourself.”
Shit. She was going to have to work harder at keeping her facial expressions in check, or the next thing she knew Gavin would find out how she felt.
And that could never, ever happen.
ELIZABETH FELT BOTH PENSIVE AND REENERGIZED after her lunch with Tori.
How could she have ever thought that she didn’t like women or that she put more value on her relationships with men than with women? She could have never had a conversation with a man like she’d had with Tori today. No man could understand the drive and ambition and sheer willpower it had taken to rise to the top like Tori did. Nor could any man ever understand the yearnings Elizabeth had. Yet with one look at her face, Tori got it. She may not have the same cravings Elizabeth had, but she identified.
There was nothing like a little female empowerment to spark the creative juices, as well as a cold slap of reality across her face to make her realize that maybe she couldn’t have it all.
She loved her career, had loved it since the moment she’d stepped foot through the agency doors as a green newbie not knowing what the hell she was doing but knowing this was the only thing she’d ever wanted to do with her life.
She’d loved sports, had always loved them. She loved contract law and marketing, and the marriage of all three meant being a sports agent was a win on all counts. She couldn’t see herself doing anything else for the rest of her life.
Until the night she’d slept with Gavin. And every night since, she’d felt a tug in her priorities. Her wants and needs were starting to shift, and she was beginning to think of other things besides her career.
And she wasn’t certain if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
All she knew was she’d been at this conference for three days and she was missing Gavin. He was on the road, too, and had texted her and called her.
Like it or not, they were in a relationship, for whatever that was worth.
It was starting to feel like it was worth a lot.
And that scared the hell out of her because her world was tilting on its axis.
EIGHTEEN
GAVIN HAD A BOUQUET OF FLOWERS IN HIS HAND WHEN he went to Elizabeth’s condo. It had been almost a week since he’d seen her, and he missed her so much he ached inside.