Mad for you in Madrid (Building Love Book 3) Page 11

  “I couldn’t help it.” Elias’s tense voice sounded unfamiliar. He rubbed his eyes with his hands. “What a mess. Don’t worry, Lori, I’ll get you out of this.”

  “You had better,” Daniel spat.

  Lori’s heart was beating double-time, her head swimming. Thank God she was already on the floor. Her legs still felt wobbly. “I’m sure you can work this out, Elias.”

  “Of course I can,” Elias agreed, his voice brighter. “I mean, what else could possibly go wrong?”

  “Everything,” Daniel bit out.

  “Stop it, big brother. You are nothing but a worrywart. Fretting over nothing.”

  “I don’t suffer from paranoia, Elias. I’m practical. Unlike you.”

  “No, you’re paranoid.”

  “Guys, there’s no need to fight,” Lori cut in.

  “We’re not fighting,” the brothers said in unison. The synched timing belied their discord.

  “The two of you are upset,” she said. “Don’t be. Elias can blame the break-up on me. It won’t impact my life. When this project is over, I’ll be safely back home in the United States.”

  Elias tugged at his blue silk bowtie. Was his shirt collar buttoned too tight?

  “What my brother lacks the cojones to say,” Daniel said, “is that our parents will dig into your background if they’re pissed at you.”

  “No problem. There’s nothing bad for them to find,” she said. “If they want to go public about my occasional acne problem, let them. A mild skin condition is hardly newsworthy.” I never thought I’d be grateful to Mom for keeping me on a short leash my whole life.

  “That helps,” Daniel agreed. “They may pressure me to fire your mother’s firm. I don’t care. I will do business with any company I like.”

  Lori let out a sharp exhale. “Thank you. Go ahead and blame me when the time comes. Preferably, after I’m back in America.”

  “Don’t feel too relaxed. We’re not out of the woods yet. My parents know where you work,” Daniel said through gritted teeth. “They know who you’re related to. They fight dirty.”

  “Dirty how?” Lori said, her heart hammering.

  Daniel turned to Elias without answering Lori’s question. “You took your charade too far.”

  “You’re overreacting,” Elias countered.

  “What are you guys talking about?” Lori asked louder.

  “You don’t get it,” Daniel said to her, shaking his head. “This situation is dangerous. Mama and Papá can give your mother’s company a very hard time. My parents play rough in the sandbox. Ruthlessness has been their path to success.”

  Lori’s heart rate continued to rise. “It’s not fair to bring my mother into this. I only work for my mom. I can find a new job. If I need to, I can even get a new career. My mother can’t.” Lori’s hands went to her temples. This time, there was no rubbing away the pressure. “Now what?”

  Daniel glared at his brother. “Now we go through with this farce. Only for tonight. By tomorrow I will think of something. Unless Elias wants to fix this situation by himself?”

  Lori’s eyes darted to Elias, who solemnly shook his head “no.”

  Lori barely scrambled off the floor when Mrs. Vega returned. “Why are you still in here?” Mrs. Vega asked in English. “The guests are waiting for you. I’ve already started telling people about your engagement. I picked two newspaper reporters who are here. They want pictures for their stories. This will certainly make the society page. In a few minutes, we’ll walk out to the ballroom and announce your good news to everyone.”

  “Geez, Mama,” Elias said. “Don’t you want to get to know Lori better first? Before you throw her into the spotlight?”

  Mrs. Vega walked over to Lori and held her hand. “There will be plenty of time for us to get to know one another. What’s important now is that I already consider you part of the family. If Elias says you’re the one, I believe him. Besides, you have a good background. I have a good feeling about you. My gut is never wrong.”

  “Trust me. Your gut’s wrong,” Daniel ground out.

  Lori quickly translated his mother’s rebuke. Mrs. Vega tossed off a few colorful Spanish words. Lori blanched. Good Lord, I’m in the middle of a Spanish soap opera. Hopefully, this scene won’t turn into a horror show.

  “Mama, you didn’t even ask Lori what she wants,” Daniel challenged. “Maybe she doesn’t want to be stared at like a prize cow showed off by a farmer. Why don’t you just shove a blue ribbon on her chest and be done with it.”

  Lori watched Elias press his lips together tightly. On the surface, he looked mad. Lori guessed he was suppressing laughter. “Daniel, are you comparing my woman to a cow?”

  “Elias,” Daniel spat, “I am going to kill you.”

  “You will do no such thing to my baby,” Mrs. Vega shrieked, stepping in between her sons, oblivious to Daniel’s hyperbole. “This discussion is over,” Mrs. Vega declared. “I know what every young woman wants. She wants the world to know that she is engaged. Come Lori, mi hija preciosa, I will take care of you. Please forgive both my boys. Clearly they have not learned all the manners I have taught them.”

  “Um . . .” Lori stammered.

  Mrs. Vega cut her off. “You do not need to worry, precious girl. I will be very involved in your marriage. I will take care of everything. Isn’t that grand?” she jubilantly exclaimed.

  ~ ~ ~

  “This is crazy,” Daniel muttered. He jabbed Elias in the ribcage as they trailed after the women. “What are you going to do to fix this?”

  “Nothing. I’m going to sit back, relax, and enjoy. This is actually turning out to be way more fun than I thought.”

  “Elias, for once in your life, stop thinking of yourself. You don’t want to marry Lori. You don’t want her harmed. Or her mother’s company damaged.”

  “Don’t worry. A thought occurred to me while Mama was yelling at us like a lunatic on a rampage.”

  “A thought occurred to you. Finally. Hallelujah.”

  Elias waved away the sarcasm. “Relax. No harm will come to Lori or her mama. I like Lori. She’s been a real trouper to help me out. She’s shy at first, but when you get to know her she’s very sweet and has guts. She’s my kind of woman. Or would be, if I had any interest in settling down. Which I don’t.” Elias lifted his hands to draw an hourglass figure in the air. “Lori’s got a great body too.”

  “Do you think it’s possible for you to stay focused? For a whole minute? Challenge yourself.”

  “Okay, sure. Here’s my solution. All I have to do, is to do what I always do.”

  “Screw up?”

  “Well, yeah. Kind of. I’m going to tell Mama my eye wandered. I set my sights on another woman.”

  Daniel straightened up to give his brother a hard pat on the back. “Good. You’ll take the fall from grace. Very brave. Of course, you will need to find another job.”

  “No problem.”

  Daniel arched an eyebrow. “No? I’m not trying to be cruel, Elias. Just realistic. I want you to know what you’re getting yourself into. Job hunting is never an easy prospect. Especially with your low skillset.” Daniel sighed. “You’ve got an even lower work ethic. With an inflated salary history. If you promise me you’ll actually learn the construction trade and work hard, I’ll make some calls on your behalf.”

  “Call yourself,” Elias answered with a broad smile. “I’ll be working for you.”

  Daniel’s hands tightened into fists. “Nothing doing. You made this mess. You clean it up.”

  “I am cleaning it up. You said you don’t want Lori harmed. I agree. I’ve offered you a perfect solution.”

  “Perfect for who? How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t want you working for my company?”

 
“You can tell me a million times because it doesn’t matter.” Elias grinned wider than the Iberian Peninsula. “But go ahead and say it again if it makes you feel better. Boss.”

  Daniel raked his hand roughly through his thick blond hair. His fingers needed to grab something. It was either his hair, or Elias’s throat. “Elias, my company is valued at roughly a hundred million euros. Quite tiny compared to Papá’s, which is valued at over a billion euros. The half-million euros they pay you annually to sit around and do nothing is way too rich for my blood. I have to hire people based on their skillset and work ethic. We both know you’ve got neither.”

  “I could change,” Elias offered, the cavalier tone of his voice already proving him wrong.

  “You’ve got to mean what you say, Elias. How exactly do you propose to change? You’ll stop taking four-hour lunches? Start traveling to job sites so you can actually check in on the construction teams? Create budget reports and project schedules for the first time in your life?”

  Elias pretended to frown. “I am very hurt. Good thing I know you will make the right decision.”

  “Funny, I thought fratricide is never the right decision.”

  “True. A good principle to keep in mind.”

  “I’m beginning to think you rigged this whole engagement fiasco just to force my hand.”

  “Never,” Elias said solemnly. “I am not that smart.”

  “Good. Then at least we can agree on something. Let’s go after Mama and see what we can do to help Lori survive.” God willing.

  Chapter 19

  Elias and Daniel left the library and weaved through the mansion’s crowded hallways. The amount of people at the party radically increased. Soon, bodies would be coming out of the very walls. A curvaceous blonde slid up to Daniel. She was tall, billowy, and wearing a tight-fitting burgundy dress. Then it dawned on him—he knew her. He had temporarily forgotten her face. Understandable, since she’d spent more time showing him her ass than her eyes. He racked his brain for the name of the sexting queen. None was forthcoming. Something with an ‘S.’ Serena? Selena? Stephanie?

  Sexting Queen’s arms wrapped around his waist. Her vibrant blond hair bounced from the effort, along with her ample chest. “Hello, again,” she cooed. Her plump lips jutted out, as if begging for a kiss. “I haven’t forgotten about our night together, Daniel. In fact, I’ve been thinking about nothing else. I’ve been sending you sexy pictures, hoping you wouldn’t forget me. Why haven’t you answered?”

  He gave her an awkward pat on the shoulder. “Hi,” he said, ignoring her question. “Good to see you.”

  “Good to see you too,” she said with a sly smile. Her eyes roved over his body, pausing at his crotch.

  “How are you?” he asked stiffly.

  “Fabulous. I’ll show you how fabulous I am when I see you later.” The way her sultry voice said “later,” definitely meant “later in bed.” Luckily, Sexting Queen let go of him and disappeared.

  “This is why you should never sleep around,” Elias quipped, an unknown brunette beauty tucked at his side.

  Daniel rolled his eyes. Already? Even for Elias that was quick. Daniel observed the brunette’s hand slowly travel down his brother’s pants. Dios mío. That’s more of Elias’s sex life than I need to see. Ever. “Excuse us,” Daniel said to the brunette. “Elias and I have to go.” He yanked his brother by the arm and propelled him forward.

  They made their way to the ballroom. The room was lavishly decked out, as it always was for these events. Overpriced linens covered round banquet tables. Dance space stretched out next to an eight-piece band. His parents’ roundabout tactic for gaining new customers was pure genius. Obviously his parents hadn’t become a mega success by being clueless.

  Then again, he never hosted anything this elaborate and his business managed just fine. Profit without pomp and circumstance. Of course, having the last name Vega didn’t hurt either.

  The sound of glasses clinking drew his attention. He glanced up to see his mother tapping a knife against a crystal goblet and loudly clearing her throat. His stomach lurched. The sight of Elias and Lori standing behind Mama made the stomach acid bubble over. Mama held Lori’s hand high in one hand, while holding Elias’s hand equally high in her other.

  Mierda. How the hell did Elias get away from me?

  Mama launched into her speech, first in Spanish and then in English. “Attention, everybody! My family has a wonderful announcement to make. My youngest son Elias is engaged to a lovely American woman, Lori Cayne. Three cheers for the happy couple!”

  There was no stopping the carnage now. Daniel battled a fresh wave of indigestion while his mother continued the “happy” news. When his father joined the trio, the crowd cheered louder.

  Daniel rubbed his temples, a futile effort to stop the stampeding migraine. His gaze flew to Lori. Her skin was pale, but her expression surprisingly serene given the circumstances.

  Irony hit him with blunt force. To think he had been mad at her a few days ago for leaving him high and dry at an upscale event. What he and his family did to her was way worse. She was acting a hell of a lot more gracious. Lori Cayne was a better person than him. She put other people’s needs ahead of her own.

  He should learn to act the same. Fixing this sticky situation would be the first step on this journey. Taking migraine and stomach medication would be the second.

  It was a full hour before Daniel could make his way over to Lori and his family. “Let’s not monopolize the bride-to-be,” he said to the well-wishers, his voice falsely cheery. He put his hand on Lori’s back and propelled her out of the room. She had been staring at people with a plastic smile, pretending she didn’t understand a word around her. “This way,” he ordered Lori, ignoring his mother’s protests. Elias discretely winked at him.

  “Where are we going?” Lori whispered.

  “Out of here.”

  “Believe me, I’m happy to leave, but won’t that put your family in a bind?”

  “Yup. Elias better come up with a good excuse. We’re making a right-hand turn here.” She followed him down a hallway that led to a lower staircase. “The servants’ exit.” He reached behind him and smiled when her hand found his. He grasped her fingers gently. A tingling sensation surged forth.

  “There you are,” a different female voice from behind him said. He stopped short. Lori barely avoided crashing into his back. Standing behind Lori was the Sexting Queen. He groaned. Tonight really takes the cake. Maybe I’m cursed.

  Sexting Queen sauntered over. She gave Lori a through once-over. Her stare felt as rough as sandpaper. “Hello Lori, I’m Sophia. Congratulations on your engagement to Elias.”

  Sophia. That’s her name! Was he imagining things, or did Sophia emphasize “Elias” to make a point?

  “Thank you,” Lori answered politely.

  “You aren’t leaving, are you?” Sophia asked Lori, in a sugary sweet voice. “It’d be weird to walk out on your own engagement party. Especially with your finance’s brother.”

  “Of course we’re not leaving,” Lori lied, using the same falsely sweet voice. “That would be silly, wouldn’t it? If I left, I wouldn’t be able to meet all of the guests. Now that we’re chatting, why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

  “I’m a reporter for a popular online news site. I write the celebrity column.” Sophia puffed out her ample chest. “The Vega family has reached superstar status here in Spain,” Sophia said. “I wouldn’t miss a Vega party for the world.”

  “Celebrity is too powerful a word,” Daniel demurred politely.

  “Not powerful enough,” Sophia retorted, giving him a seductive grin. “You promised we’d meet later on tonight.” She made an elaborate show of pulling her smartphone out of her purse and checking the time. “It’s later.”

  “I am so
rry, Sophia. Something has come up. Please forgive me. I have to handle a situation that cannot wait.”

  Sophia narrowed her eyes at Lori. “I hope your brother’s fiancée is not the situation.”

  Daniel’s heart pounded. “If you are going to make unflattering accusations, Sophia, there is no need for us to meet up at all. Good evening.” He turned heel and pushed through large double doors, Lori in tow. He didn’t hear a retort from Sophia, but with blood pounding in his ears from anger there was no way to know for sure.

  As soon as they were outside he spoke softly to Lori, whispering in case Sophia was within earshot. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s all right,” Lori said, despite a dazed expression.

  He fought the urge to touch her. Hold her until she got her senses back. It was hardly her fault she’d been thrown off balance. Dumbly, his arms hung stationary by his waist. What does it take to reach out to somebody? He cleared his throat. “Let me apologize for this entire night. I think you’ve had enough torture for one evening.”

  “True. The Spanish Inquisition would be a piece of cake after this.”

  He gave her a half smile. Her ability to joke was admirable. Even if the situation lacked humor. “I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.”

  “No kidding. I think I’ll need some time to recover.”

  “Carlos will get us out of here,” he said gently. “Okay?”

  “Thanks. I’m glad to leave. Although I never get this much excitement at home. This is what happens when my mother lets me loose.”

  “The same thing when Mama lets me loose: total chaos.”

  “I knew we had something in common. Let’s drink to that.”

  “Fabulous. I have Madeira in the car.”

  Carlos pulled the Mercedes around. The car barely stopped moving before Daniel grabbed the door handle. “Let’s go.”

  The minute she slid into the backseat, he hurried to his side of the car. He slammed his door closed so fast a wind gust kicked up. As soon as he sat, he pressed a button on the door. A dark partition rose up, obscuring their view of Carlos.