Tell Me Something Good (33 page)

Noel’s eyes narrowed. “You realized you
didn’t have to settle for one painting. You would romance me and
win the whole prize. Hell, why stop there? Go for stock options, a
house, and my trust fund. Louisiana is a community property
state.”

Lyrissa flinched at the way he looked at her.
“You don’t believe what you’re saying.”

“I’ve been in this game before, baby. At
least those debutantes were honest. I knew what they wanted. But
you...” Noel clenched a fist.

“I didn’t plan what happened between us. You
wanted to be with me, too, Noel.” Lyrissa wanted to remind him of
the tenderness they’d shared. Instead, her words only hardened his
expression.

“So it was my fault. Okay, I’ll give you that
one. I let your charm blind me.” Noel wore a brutal smile. “But I’m
seeing you pretty clearly today.”

“The painting is ours. But—”

“Our attorneys will deal with your claim,” he
broke in. “Fine. Let’s talk about us,” Lyrissa said softly.

“For some reason I’m not feeling particularly
roman-tic.” Noel punched a button on his phone. “Eddie, get my
lawyer on the phone. Have the archives brought to my office. I’ll
need to review that stack of contracts we talked about. I can’t let
our business grind to a halt.”

Noel issued a string of instructions as he
sorted through papers on his desk. He seemed determined to block
out Lyrissa’s existence. He succeeded. She felt invisible. A cold
hollowness gripped her. She fully realized in one awful moment the
precious thing she’d lost. Despite his heated words there had been
no mistaking the anguish reflected in his eyes. Lyrissa ached to
explain but couldn’t. No words could go far enough to help him
understand her betrayal of his trust. His anger masked the pain and
he would use work to numb it. All she had left was the pain.

Lyrissa picked up her purse from the table
where she’d left it and walked out his door.

After a week with no word from Noel, Lyrissa
couldn’t stand it anymore. The two families fought each other with
dueling press releases and news articles. Mrs. St. Denis had
enlisted the aid of another prominent local magazine edited by a
longtime friend. The result was a series of articles in praise of
the St. Denis family and a companion piece on the life of Jules
Joubert. The stories revealed that Jules had a less than sterling
reputation himself. Mama Grace was livid. She demanded that Ebony
issue ultimatums that barely stopped short of threatening physical
violence. Lyrissa spent fifty percent of her emotional energy
trying to reason with the fiery matron. The other half was tied up
with thinking of Noel. He finally called, but she took no comfort
from the tone of his voice. She called Mr. Taylor to let him know
she’d be in after meeting with Noel and headed for Tremé£
Corporation.

“Hi, Eddie. Let Noel know I’m here.” Lyrissa
nodded toward the dosed door.

“Hi. You okay?” Eddie wore a sympathetic
expression. Lyrissa became tearful at the genuine concern in
Eddie’s voice. She hadn’t realized her emotions were so close to
the surface. Lyrissa took a deep breath before answering. “Sure.
I’m doing okay.”

“Good. He’s on a long distance conference
call, but he should be through soon. I’ll bring you a cup of
coffee.” Eddie started toward the kitchen.

“Don’t stop working because of me.” Lyrissa
twisted the strap of her purse. She considered bolting while she
still had the chance.

“Any excuse will do.” Eddie grinned at her.
“I’ll be right back”

Lyrissa sat down on the sofa. She tapped a
foot nervously and became lost in thought. Noel was angry, and she
could understand why. Yet they needed to clear the air. Or maybe
Lyrissa just needed her conscience soothed. His office door swung
open and she steeled herself to face him. Instead Julie walked
out.

“I’m surprised you have the nerve to come
here.” Julie stared down at her. When Lyrissa didn’t reply, her
mouth lifted in a scornful smile. “Your ‘assets’ won’t get you out
of trouble this time, honey.”

Eddie came back carrying a tray that held a
carafe and cups. “I poured a fresh pot. I’m sure the one in Noel’s
office is empty by now, and—”

“You shouldn’t have bothered. They won’t be
meeting long enough for Miss Thang to even sit down.” Julie crossed
her arms.

“Ahem, I’ll tell him you’re here.” Eddie
ignored Julie and went into Noel’s office.

“Great,” Lyrissa muttered, convinced she’d
made a huge mistake in coming.

She braced herself for more condemnation.
Noel came out of the office. Tall, and gorgeous as ever, he was
dressed in tan slacks and a white shirt. She stared at the full
lips that had left their mark on her body, the strong arms that had
held her close. There was no denying how much she missed his
touch.

He stood gazing at her for a few moments.
Lyrissa felt exposed and guilty. Maybe he wanted to throw her out
personally. His anger would be better than nothing at all. She’d
use it as a starting point, at least Silence was a more deadly
weapon.

“Hello, Lyrissa. Come on in.” His tone was
mild, almost without inflection.

“I’m glad we can talk.” Lyrissa stood.

Julie snorted. “You’ve got to be kidding.
After what you pulled? Don’t worry, Noel. I’ll show her the
exit.”

“No more scenes, Julie,” Noel said tersely.
“I asked her to come here.”

“You shouldn’t talk to her without your
attorney, Noel! Don’t be her fool again,” Julie snapped.

“Goodbye, Julie.” He stared at her until she
stomped off.

Lyrissa barely noticed her departure. She
gazed at Noel. How she wanted to caress the smooth vanilla caramel
skin. Even now she could not stop thinking about their night
together. His cold gaze sent a shock through her. He nodded for her
to walk ahead of him. Lyrissa lifted her chin and went into his
office. Eddie was at his desk gathering papers. The young woman
sent Lyrissa a silent message of support with her dark eyes then
left. Once the door closed gently, Noel nodded to her again to take
a seat.

“I haven’t heard from your attorney.” He sat
across from her.

“She’ll send a letter soon.” Lyrissa fought
hard not to shrink from his relentless gaze.

“Here, for services rendered.” Noel handed
her an envelope.

Lyrissa opened it and found a check. “Let’s
talk.”

“About what?”

“You know the answer to that question,
Noel.”

He studied her for a while longer. “And you
must know there’s nothing left to talk about. You got what you came
for, Lyrissa.”

Lyrissa lost the staring battle and looked
away. “Being with you wasn’t part of the plan.”

“Being with me,” he echoed. “Nice way of
saying it.”

“I care about you so much. I really do,” she
protested when his jaw tightened into a cynical expression. The
scornful glint in his eyes stung her already bleeding heart. “God,
I wanted our relationship to work. Inside I still do, but I’m
realistic. There is such a gulf between us, Noel.”

“Right. So you don’t feel so bad lying to me,
is that what you’re saying?” Noel’s voice sounded strained with
controlled anger.

“No, I feel terrible about everything that
has happened. Why else would I come?” Lyrissa felt tears pushing at
her eyelids again. “I’m sorry about this whole crazy mess.”

“So am I, Lyrissa. But I’m not going to roll
over.” Noel glanced away from her for the first time. His jaw
muscles

worked as he clenched his teeth. “You can
look as sexy and vulnerable as you want to, it won’t work”

“What?” Lyrissa’s heart sank at his
words.

“Tell your lawyer to send the letter. Your
act doesn’t play anymore. My grandmother is determined to fight
you. Frankly, I don’t blame her.” Noel stood.

“You think I’m lying about what I feel?” She
looked up at him.

“Yes!”

Lyrissa stood and walked dose to him until
they were an inch apart. His anger radiated out in heat waves, yet
there was more. Noel’s expression wavered between resistance and
desire. She found hope in the way he gazed at her face.

“Please talk to me. I know you feel betrayed.
You really haven’t let me explain it all to you.” She touched his
solid upper arm and instantly longed to feel his embrace.

He didn’t move away. Instead he seemed to
watch her in fascination as she leaned closer. With great care,
Lyrissa brushed her lips across his. She put her arms around his
narrow waist and sighed. Noel stood rigid for only a moment before
he pulled her hard against his broad chest. He moaned as his mouth
covered hers. His kiss was rough, needy. Then he let go abruptly
and stood back.

“I can’t believe I’m letting you play me all
over again.” He rubbed a hand across his face.

“I’m not and you know it.” Lyrissa touched
her finger-tips to his chest. He placed a hand over them. “Let’s be
together tonight.”

Noel seemed to fight a mental battle for a
time. “I must be crazy, but...”

He fingered a tendril of her hair and kissed
her again. This time it was a lingering exploration that was as
much spiritual as physical. Lyrissa trembled at the jagged desire
that tore at her. The aching lonely hours of being without him had
taken a toll. She rubbed her hips against his hungrily. Noel
responded by lifting her until she stood on tiptoes.

“God, I missed you,” he murmured, his mouth
still on hers.

“Tonight we’ll work it all out,” she
whispered. “I’d better go, or we’ll end up on your desk.”

Noel cupped her face with one large hand.
“Tonight,” he said softly.

“Tonight.” Lyrissa pried herself from him
with great effort. She walked out of his office on a cloud.

Eddie looked at her hard as she walked out.
“You might want to fix your lipstick.” She gave her the thumbs-up
signal and a big grin.

The rest of her day went smoothly. Nothing
bothered her. Mr. Taylor’s excitement about the publicity had been
warranted. A steady stream of people curious to get the inside
scoop on the scandal came to the gallery. He was even more
delighted with the increase in serious buyers. Lyrissa was more
than happy to let Mr. Taylor take center stage and deflect all the
attention from her. At the end of the day, she sighed with
contentment. Her good spirits vanished when Mama Grace met her at
the door when she got home. Today seemed to be the day to face the
music.

“Lyrissa.” Mama Grace stared at her hard.
“Ebony tells me you went to see him”

“I did.” Lyrissa walked past her and put her
briefcase down on the hall table.

“You went behind my back and risked our
claim.” Mama Grace glared at her.

“You went behind my back and released that
damn story,” she tossed back.

“I couldn’t count on you to take action.”
Mama Grace lifted her nose in the air.

“So you didn’t trust me,” Lyrissa said
through clenched teeth. “After I busted my butt researching,
following leads, and setting up the whole thing? I planned for
months.” “Yes, you did,” Mama Grace agreed.

“I took a job with Taylor Gallery instead of
that position clerking at the Presbytere. Do you know how hard it
is to get in there?” Lyrissa put her hands on her hips.

“Yes, I know what you gave up. But you fell
in love with Noel St. Denis.”

Lyrissa shivered. Was she hopelessly in love
with a man she could never have? She shoved away the frightening
thought quickly and threw up her hands in exasperation. “I have no
intention of giving up our painting!”

“Really?” Mama Grace gazed down her nose at
her. “We’re going to meet tonight and work things out.” “While he’s
holding your hand and staring into your eyes, his lawyers will be
hard at work,” Mama Grace retorted.

“Well, you didn’t help by tipping them off
before I had a chance to test the waters. He might have been able
to deal with his grandmother,” Lyrissa said with a frown.

Mama Grace gave a sharp, humorless laugh.
“You’re definitely living in a fantasy world.”

“Have you fed Dionne more dirt? I’m hoping
the article today will be the last one.”

“It won’t. I could keep an army of reporters
busy for months with the scandals from that family.” Mama Grace
wore a victorious smile.

“Lord, have mercy! Mama Grace—” Lyrissa broke
off when the phone rang. She marched to the phone. “Hello,” she
barked into it.

“Okay, I don’t need to ask how you’re doing,”
Ebony said. “I leave town for a few days and all hell breaks loose.
Folks are buzzing about the war between the Joubert descendants and
Mrs. St. Denis.”

“I didn’t release the stories. Mama Grace did
it without consulting me!” Lyrissa raised her voice and frowned at
her grandmother.

“Humph!” Mama Grace turned and walked off.
“Damn, girl. The legal sharks are circling as we speak. I’d better
put on my armor and get my ammo ready.”

“I’m trying to avoid a bloodbath.” Lyrissa
sighed.

“Too late. We have a subscription to New
Orleans Life. Have you seen the stuff they printed about your
illustrious ancestor?”

Lyrissa could hear pages rustling. She sighed
again. “Yes. Some of it I knew. Anyway, I’m meeting with Noel
tonight.”

“You still sleeping with the enemy?” Ebony
quipped. “Brave woman. Listen, he’s no lightweight when it comes to
taking out opponents. Remember, he’s a St. Denis. They got their
reputation the old fashioned way, they earned it!” “I wish everyone
would stop telling me that.” Lyrissa rubbed her throbbing temples.
Her good mood was definitely gone now.

“Oh right, you’ve got a secret weapon.” The
grin in Ebony’s voice came through the phone lines clearly. “Funny.
I’ll talk to you later.” Lyrissa hung up and

glanced at her wristwatch. She had just
enough time to run an errand before she met Noel.