Aiden had been talking to a young man who was trying very hard to sell his company’s services to the Hamilton Hotels, but out of the corner of his eye Aiden was watching the approaching man. He knew who he was. He dismissed the enthusiastic young man by saying, “I’m not in the habit of discussing business at these affairs. If you’ll call my office and make an appointment, we’ll talk.” He didn’t take his eyes off the man coming their way.
The man stopped just a foot away from Cordie, and his smile widened. She couldn’t help but notice the adorable dimple in his cheek.
“Cordie.”
“Yes?”
“I’m Liam Scott.”
He took her hand, pulling her to him. Aiden still had his arm around her shoulders and wasn’t letting go. A tug-of-war ensued until Cordie stopped it by extracting her hand from Liam’s and shrugging Aiden’s arm away. Liam’s greeting was not over. He bent down and kissed her on both cheeks. He finally turned to Aiden and shook his hand.
“Aiden,” he said briskly.
“Liam,” Aiden responded curtly.
Aiden didn’t have to be reminded of Alec’s warning that Liam was a womanizer. The way the man was looking at Cordelia was all the evidence he needed, and Aiden didn’t like it one bit. He was downright rude when he asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” he said, keeping his gaze locked on Cordelia. “I’m a patron of the arts.”
Cordie didn’t know what Aiden’s problem was. There was absolutely no reason to be so antagonistic. “Then you attend these Gallery Balls each year?” she asked.
“No, this is my first.” He added as he tugged on his collar, “And hopefully my last.”
Aiden wasn’t amused. “Again, why are you here?” he asked, and before Liam could answer, Aiden guessed, “Alec sent you, didn’t he?”
Liam nodded. “He wanted me to meet Cordie.”
“And you chose the Gallery Ball to introduce yourself?”
Liam shrugged. “From what Alec told me about Cordie, I was curious to meet her as soon as I could.”
“What did he tell you about her?” Aiden folded his arms across his chest so he wouldn’t give in to the urge to shove Liam down the steps. He had taken an instant dislike to him and wasn’t in the mood to play games.
“He said she was drop-dead gorgeous.” Turning to Cordie, he said, “He was right.”
She could feel herself blushing and wanted to turn the discussion away from herself. “Alec mentioned you used to work for Interpol?”
Liam gave her a quizzical look and then began to laugh. “He said that, did he?”
“You didn’t work for Interpol?” she asked, confused.
Evidently he thought her question hilarious, because his laughter grew louder until she could almost see tears in his eyes. “Alec does have a sense of humor. I didn’t work for them. I was wanted by Interpol. It was all a misunderstanding,” he said offhandedly. “A painting was there, and then it wasn’t, but then it was again. See? Just a misunderstanding.”
Cordie couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, but she wasn’t given the chance to pursue the subject because Liam grew serious when he turned the conversation to another matter.
“Now it’s my turn to ask questions,” he said. “What are you going to do when Simone and Craig Rayburn arrive? I’ve already checked. You don’t have a gun, so I know you aren’t going to shoot them. What’s the plan?”
Aiden answered for her. “Cordelia wants to give Simone the shock of her life, but she doesn’t want to talk to her.”
“Then how is she going to shock her?” He turned to Cordie. “Did you bring a Taser? That would shock the hell out of her.”
“No, I—” Cordie began.
“Because if you didn’t,” he continued, “I’ve got one in the car you can borrow.” He looked around at the gathering crowd. “Are you hiding behind this pillar?”
“No, of course not,” she said, knowing full well it was a lie. “I’m waiting for the Rayburns to arrive.”
He grinned. “So you can shock them.”
Liam was having a bit too much fun for her liking. Before she could tell him so, he changed the subject again by asking her how she liked Sydney and then launching into a litany of the attractions she should see. As he spoke, he took her hand and pulled out a chair at the table for her. He sat down next to her and leaned in, focusing on her as though she were the only person in the room. She could tell that Aiden was trying his best to remain composed and polite, but he was not happy about Liam’s intrusion. He looked as though he was about to say something when a man came up and greeted him. From that point on he was distracted by a steady stream of men and women who recognized him. Each man wanted to talk about various projects he just knew Aiden would want to invest in, and each woman simply wanted Aiden. Cordie couldn’t blame the women. Aiden was what she’d heard one of them call a real catch, and from the way they were eyeing Liam, he was just as attractive to females on the prowl. Cordie wasn’t immune to Liam’s good looks and charm, but in her estimation he paled in comparison to Aiden. She thought that was a pity. She desperately wanted to be attracted to another man.
A waiter appeared with glasses of champagne on a silver tray. Cordie was so nervous she had to force herself not to guzzle the drink. There was a short welcoming speech by the president of something or other—she wasn’t paying attention—and then the orchestra began to play.
Aiden extricated himself from his growing entourage and walked over to Liam. “I’d like a word with you, Scott,” he said, his tone downright belligerent.
Liam looked up. “Sure, go ahead.”
“I don’t believe you’ve answered my question yet. Why are you here?”
Liam pushed the chair back and stood. “Alec thought there might be trouble, and I owe him a favor, so here I am. He’s worried about Cordie.”
“I can take care of Cordelia.” Aiden’s voice radiated anger.
Liam wasn’t fazed by the heated response. “And I can take care of Rayburn and his sons . . . if there’s trouble.”
Cordie rolled her eyes. She wasn’t impressed by the testosterone throwdown. She stood between the two men and sweetly said, “How about I take care of myself?”
“Heads up,” Liam said, looking over Cordie’s shoulder.
Cordie and Aiden turned toward the entrance.
“The Rayburns are here,” Aiden said.
TWELVE
Simone and Craig Rayburn seemed to be the in couple.
They stopped just inside the entrance, apparently oblivious to the fact that they were clogging the pathway for other guests behind them as they greeted friends and business associates. Craig removed Simone’s wrap and handed it to a hovering coat-check lady, then took Simone’s elbow and guided her through the crowd. They slowly made their way to the opposite side of the ballroom, pausing again and again to chat with people vying for their attention. Cordie couldn’t get a good look at Simone because other guests obstructed her view. She saw Craig clearly, though, and the bulldog comparison was even more accurate than she’d imagined. His jutting lower jaw was rather impressive, and his bottom teeth showed when he spoke. He wasn’t an attractive man by anyone’s standards, but from the way people were reacting to him, he obviously had achieved a certain level of stature among the wealthy elite. Shaking hands and kissing cheeks, he worked the room with great finesse. Each person he greeted seemed happy, even thrilled, at his attention, and there was no doubt he relished all the adulation. His smile seemed genuine enough, but there was a hint of arrogance behind it.