She looked reed-thin and stylish in a black suit with tan piping. Her dark hair fell in a smooth page boy that formed identical sickles over her ears and revealed the small diamond studs he had given her last week for their third wedding anniversary. Although she was only thirty-four, faint lines had begun to appear near her eyes. It would not be long before he would have to arrange plastic surgery for her.
"Take off the bracelet," he said, eyeing the silver bangle at her wrist with distaste.
She obeyed him instantly. Nicole's dedication to pleasing him was one of the qualities he liked most about her. He had chosen well. Not only was she the daughter of one of the more prominent members of the FBT Board of Directors, but she had been in love with him for years, even when he was engaged to Susannah. At the time, however, Joel Faulconer's daughter had been the bigger prize. His jaw tightened. How he would love to see that bitch's face when he took office today as FBT's chairman.
"It's a zoo in the lobby," Nicole said. "Half the world has shown up to watch you take office." She gazed around her at the well-appointed office. "I can't believe this has finally happened. I'm so proud of you, darling."
As she chattered on, he watched the adoration glimmering in her eyes, and he could almost pretend that he loved her. But he wasn't a sentimental man, and he no longer believed that he was capable of that sort of emotion. The closest Cal had ever come to love had been with Susannah, and that had led to the greatest humiliation of his life.
Even after six years, his stomach still churned when he remembered standing at the altar and watching her run away on that motorcycle. Instead of easing his desire for revenge, the passing years had fueled it. He had been patient for so long. While Joel was alive, the old man had prevented him from doing what needed to be done. In the years after his death, during Paul Clemens's reign, Cal's position had been precarious and he hadn't been able to allow himself the luxury of taking even the mildest risks. But with the success of the Falcon 101, all of that had finally changed.
His intercom clicked on, interrupting the monologue Nicole had been delivering on the suitability of the dress she had chosen for the reception that evening.
"Miss Faulconer is here."
"Send her in."
He could feel Nicole's resentment, and he smiled inwardly. His wife made no secret of the fact that she detested Joel Faulconer's daughter. But that was all right. His long-term friendship with Paige kept Nicole on her toes.
The door burst open and Paige breezed in, carefree and beautiful, her skin golden from the sun. She greeted Nicole with a cool cheek-press and headed toward Cal. "I can't believe you made me come back for this hideous ceremony. Calvin. One of the photographers goosed me on my way in through the lobby. He had a great ass, but even I draw the line at body odor." She slid into his arms. "No tongue, sweetie. Your wife is watching."
He brushed a suitably chaste kiss across her lips. Being with Paige was exhausting, but necessary. It was ironic that she, rather than Susannah, had provided the weapon that had allowed him to rise to his current position. From the beginning, Paige had hated the responsibilities that went along with the huge block of FBT stock she had inherited, and Cal had made certain he was always there to advise and comfort her. Within a year of Joel's death, Paige had given him her proxy so he could vote her shares in any way he wished. In return, he had promised not to burden her with the FBT responsibilities she detested. Heads, he won. Tails, he won.
"You know I wouldn't have asked you back today if it hadn't been absolutely necessary," he said.
She stuck out her lip in a playful pout. "But there are going to be speeches. I hate speeches."
"Really, Paige," Nicole said stiffly. "Life can't always be one of your parties."
"Who says?" Paige settled on the edge of Cal's desk and crossed her long legs. They were bare of stockings, he noted with disapproval. At least her raw silk suit was appropriate, although he doubted that she had bothered to put on a bra beneath it. He remembered with some nostalgia the time before Joel's death, when Paige had dressed conservatively and behaved with at least a modicum of dignity. That had changed within a year of her father's funeral-about the time he and Paige had made their agreement.
"I haven't bothered you for months," he said. "You know I wouldn't have asked you to fly in if it hadn't been absolutely necessary."
She regarded him evenly. "You couldn't miss having your picture taken with me today of all days, could you, Calvin? A photograph for all the world to see of Paige Faulconer symbolically passing on the mantle of her father's power."
Sometime Paige was smarter than he gave her credit for. He always tried to remember that.
Nicole fluttered near the doorway, obviously reluctant to leave the two of them alone. "I'm supposed to meet Marge Clemens. I'm afraid I have to go."
"I'll be down in a few minutes," he told her.
She had no choice but to leave. As the door shut, Paige regarded him with cynical amusement. "Poor Nicole. Doesn't she realize that if we had wanted each other, we would have done something about it long ago?"
She slid down off the corner of the desk. In a manner that was too offhand, even for her, she said, "I'm cutting out of the FBT dinner early tonight."
"Any reason?"
"Susannah sent me an invitation for some sort of party SysVal is holding." She tucked a wayward strand of blond hair behind her ear and wouldn't quite meet his eyes. "I decided to stop by."
Cal kept his voice carefully neutral. "You've received lots of invitations from Susannah over the years. I don't remember that you've ever been inclined to accept one. Why now?"
"I'm in town."
"The only person who detests Susannah as much as I do is you. Why now?" he repeated.
She hesitated for a moment and then, withdrawing a folded white card from her purse, passed it over for him to read. It was an invitation to a party SysVal was holding to celebrate having reached half a billion dollars in sales for their fiscal year. Handwritten at the bottom of the invitation in Susannah's neat script was the message, "How long are you going to keep running away from me, Paige? What are you afraid of?"
Paige snatched the card from him and shoved it back in her purse. "Can you believe it? That prissy bitch actually thinks I'm afraid of her."
"She's very successful," he said calmly, even though the word tasted like poison in his mouth. "Probably the most prominent female executive in the country today."
"And I ended up with FBT and all of Daddy's millions. Well, tonight I'm going to rub every one of them in her face."
The enlarged Blaze logo that took up much of the back wall was the first thing that caught Paige's eye as she entered SysVal's soaring lobby. As she stared at the logo, she thought of how much her sister had accomplished in six years, and she was so filled with envy that she felt dizzy. Her eyes darted through the crowd. When she saw no sign of Susannah, she forced herself to relax. If only she hadn't shown Cal the invitation, she could have backed out, but now it was too late.
A bar was set up off to the left. As she made her way toward it, she noted that SysVal's party guests favored denim and old running shoes. The beaded white satin gown that had looked so stunning at the FBT dinner she had just left was distinctly out of place here, but she didn't care. She had never been the sort of woman who needed to dress like everyone else to be comfortable.
Most of the guests were drinking beer, and the bartender had trouble finding the champagne she requested. While she waited, she thought about checking into a hotel instead of returning to Falcon Hill. The furniture was under dust covers and the house still bore the faint, sweet smell of death. Falcon Hill carried too many memories of that year when she had tried so desperately to make a home-running around baking pies and planting herb gardens like a demented Betty Crocker. She had even worn her sister's clothes. In the end it had been meaningless. She still hadn't been able to make her father love her.