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and that was when lily 's superior intelligence told her that there might have been more to mr.[SEP]freiberger 's offer of help than she 'd originally thought . |
not until she fully understood exactly what mr.[SEP]freiberger had in mind . |
okay , she was pretty sure she could tell now what mr.[SEP]freiberger had in mind . |
uncertain what to do with her own hands , lily only continued to grip the shelf she had grabbed in surprise when mr.[SEP]freiberger had initially touched her . |
but what actually came out was , mr.[SEP]freiberger , would you care to join me for tea and cookies ? |
i have a lovely earl grey that mr.[SEP]kimball brought me from england last month . |
because you and mr.[SEP]kimball are intimately involved ? |
there was no reason for mr.[SEP]freiberger to assume otherwise , she told herself . |
which meant it would be necessary to educate mr.[SEP]freiberger as to the proper way of doing things at ashling . |
somehow , lily managed to make herself release mr.[SEP]freiberger , and , with obvious reluctance , he let her do it . |
it might be helpful if you 'd leave your address on mr.[SEP]kimball 's desk , where i can find it . |
you will , mr.[SEP]freiberger had seemed to be talking about something other than seeing her tomorrow night . |
no problem , mr.[SEP]kimball , claudio replied . |
as he lifted his fist and rapped three times in quick succession on mrs.[SEP]beecham 's door , schuyler wondered how many hours chloe had passed on that bench . |
the door opened then , and mrs.[SEP]caroline beecham greeted him with all the enthusiasm of a dirt clod . |
as i said , mr.[SEP]kimball , she began experimentally , proud of herself for keeping her voice on an even keel , it was good of you to come . |
and as i said , mrs.[SEP]beecham , i had little choice in the matter . |
but all she could think about was the fact that he had the bluest eyes she 'd ever seen in her life , and that his mouth was so full , and so ripe , and so inviting , that it made a woman want to completely forget about herself and her position and her future and her past , and just- mr.[SEP]kimball , she tried again , reining herself in before she ran headlong into disaster-or schuyler kimball . |
there are those , mr.[SEP]kimball , who believe that a parent 's input where their offspring 's education is concerned , is rather , shall we say ... |
because it seems to have escaped your notice-again-mrs.[SEP]beecham , that chloe has been assigned by the courts as my ward . |
caroline nibbled her lip thoughtfully as she considered how to proceed , but when it appeared that mr.[SEP]kimball was taking far too great an interest in the action , she stopped . |
i think , mr.[SEP]kimball , she began , that a brain like chloe 's comes along only once in a generation . |
she ignored his interjection and continued , chloe may not resemble you in physical features-except for her eyes , of course , which are exactly like yours , mr.[SEP]kimball , something i doubt even you would deny-but her brain is ... astounding . |
yes , well , as you pointed out yourself , mrs.[SEP]beecham , i 'm not home very often . |
she extended her arm toward the door , indicating mr.[SEP]kimball should precede her , but he only glanced back at her with an expression that said , you 've got to be kidding . |
and what , pray tell , mrs.[SEP]beecham , would be your explanation for such a thing ? |
there 's no doubt that she was terrified of the prospect of coming to live with you , mr.[SEP]kimball- me ? |
well , just a shot in the dark , mr.[SEP]kimball , but maybe because she was leaving everything she knew , everything that was familiar-regardless of how dubious the comfort of those things might have been-and going to live with a man whom she 'd never met before in her life , a man who had never once illustrated any desire to make her a part of his life . |
nevertheless , she could n't help adding teasingly , had i been your teacher , mr.[SEP]kimball , you would have had no satisfaction from me . |
oh , i 'd have had satisfaction , mrs.[SEP]beecham , he said . |
i 'm surprised , mr.[SEP]kimball , that you seem to know so much about something like that . |
a lowly bookkeeper for kimball technologies , inc.[SEP]probably would n't pull in enough in salary to live in chestnut hill , let alone have acquired all the electronic wonders that made a single man 's life worth living , the way leo had . |
ooo , well , excuuuuse me , mr.[SEP]clean , eddie said , straightening as he lowered his feet back to the floor . |
now , mind you , mr.[SEP]harrison rigby was one helluva of a businessman . |
chapter fourteen when lily arrived at the address mr.[SEP]freiberger had left for her on schuyler 's desk , she was surprised enough by her surroundings that she double-checked everything to be sure . |
either that , or else mr.[SEP]freiberger was a big fat liar . |
right behind marlon came mr.[SEP]freiberger , who , upon witnessing the scene , smacked his open palm against his forehead . |
okay , so maybe thirty-five minutes was just a tad more than just a tad , but still ... hello , mr.[SEP]freiberger , she said coolly as mr. |
freiberger , she said coolly as mr.[SEP]brando , with one final check to be sure she could stand on her own , released her on her own recognizance . |
eddie dolan , he told her with a smile that was dazzling , and really kind of sexy , if you went for that dark , brooding , am- gon na -make-you-an-offer-you-can't-refuse kind of thing , instead of that rumpled , tweedy , goodbye , mr.[SEP]chips kind of thing . |
she opened her mouth to ask him how he knew her name , but mr.[SEP]freiberger cut her off with a hastily offered , eddie is my , uh ... my , um ... that is , he 's ... ah ... i 'm leo 's astrologer , he announced , his smile growing unmistakably mischievous now . |
but instead of answering her , mr.[SEP]freiberger-leo , she corrected herself-only grumbled something unintelligible under his breath again . |
and just what are mr.[SEP]freiberger 's needs ? |
eddie ... the threat in mr.[SEP]freiberger 's warning-or was it a warning in mr. |
freiberger 's warning-or was it a warning in mr.[SEP]freiberger 's threat ? |
simply put , if mr.[SEP]dolan continued with his description of mr. |
dolan continued with his description of mr.[SEP]freiberger 's needs , then mr. |
freiberger 's needs , then mr.[SEP]freiberger would hurt him . |
and what have the stars-and you-predicted for mr.[SEP]freiberger 's immediate future ? |
eddie ... mr.[SEP]freiberger-or rather , leo-muttered menacingly . |
but just as before , mr.[SEP]dolan seemed not to notice or care . |
my goodness , mr.[SEP]dolan , you do seem to have an amazing gift , to see all that detail . |
have fun tonight , kids , mr.[SEP]dolan tossed over his shoulder as he headed down the steps . |
she 'd been thinking that maybe the two of them could engage in some quiet conversation , move a little beyond the mr.[SEP]and miss phase , and then get na**d and make wild monkey love . |
le-i mean , mr.[SEP]freiberger ... she began . |
he had simply been mr.[SEP]freiberger , alleged bookkeeper for kimball technologies , for so long , lily was n't sure she could view him as anything else . |
instead , they had brewed a pot of coffee before mrs.[SEP]kaiser , the cook , had even come in to work . |
where i come from , mr.[SEP]freiberger , she added pointedly , that qualifies as an offensive action , one that requires an apology . |
and if she had n't funneled off all that money , then there would have been life-threatening repercussions that mr.[SEP]leonard freiberger-or whoever that man was that had just left-could n't possibly have imagined . |
sure enough , the instant kimball loosened his grip , the man scrambled out of the booth and through a door nearby that was labeled in peeling letters , res ro ms.[SEP]kimball , however , did n't move . |
it was identical to the one mr.[SEP]dolan wore in his own lapel , so lily was certain it was leo 's friend who was responsible for the adornment , and not leo himself . |
the two men strode forward-mr.[SEP]dolan with considerably more finesse than leo-but she scarcely noticed the other man at all . |
and you brought mr.[SEP]freiberger-or whoever he is-with you . |
to his credit , mr.[SEP]dolan seemed not to be at all surprised by the query . |
lily made the necessary introductions , marveling at how mr.[SEP]dolan , too , seemed inordinately eager to make janey 's acquaintance . |
you 've disrupted my entire household since you came to ashling , mr.[SEP]freiberger , and i think the least you could do is tell me why . |
his name is n't mr.[SEP]freiberger , lily said . |
convince me not to take what i 've found to the board of directors of kimball technologies , inc.[SEP]tell your boss why you 've been stealing money from him for years , and see what he has to say about it . |
but instead of offering the explanation leo had demanded , lily turned to look at him full on and made a request-or was it a command ?[SEP]of her own . |
before i spill my guts to mr.[SEP]not-freiberger , i 'd like to know more about him , she said . |
before he could answer that he had no idea , that he had often wondered about that himself , she hurried on , and tell me , mr.[SEP]friday , what is it you do for a living ? |
oh , i bought all kinds of things , mr.[SEP]friday , you ca n't possibly imagine . |
but , leo , perhaps it would be beneficial , too , to ask your friend , mr.[SEP]dolan to come along when we address the board . |
in the library , lily rose to follow schuyler as he fairly raced out the door-honestly , what was his hurry ?[SEP]but leo 's soft voice halted her from making a clean escape . |
in that case , mr.[SEP]friday , she said , her own voice none too loud or smooth , you 'd better do exactly as i say . |
this year alone , she 'd been featured in forbes , inc.[SEP]working woman , cosmopolitan , and cigar aficionado magazines-that last one still bugged the hell out of cohiba man-and she had made appearances at dinners for the united way , planned parenthood , and now . |
and as he left the boardroom , he heard the newest board member , the one who 'd begun working just this week , scarf woman , ask , so that was lily 's mr.[SEP]rigby , huh ? |
that was when the young woman from the bookstore stepped in and , in a very effective crowd control voice , indicated that the question-and-answer segment had now concluded , and ms.[SEP]french would be happy to sign her book , and would everyone please line up in an orderly fashion who wished to have their copy of high heels and champagne and sex , oh , my ! |
the book is a- you ca n't disguise a man 's identity simply by changing his name , ms.[SEP]french , the man continued relentlessly , as if she had n't spoken . |
cautiously , she ventured , um , a lot of men wear paisley silk boxers , mr ... .[SEP]still , he did n't give her the name she 'd not-so-subtly requested . |
even at that , however , mr.[SEP]paisley pants still towered over her . |
not that there were n't a host of other names he had already called her ... .[SEP]gavin expelled a long , irritated breath . |
and if his intentions had n't been made clear enough to ms.[SEP]french then , they 'd become crystal clear on monday when his attorney contacted her publisher . |
and the way her black hair had tossed back bits of silver under the lights of the bookstore ... .[SEP]by monday afternoon , violet 's anger was still sizzling , in spite of the passage of nearly two days since i'm-not-ethan's-lawyer-i'm-ethan had slapped down his business card and whipped up her resentment . |
and at worst , mr.[SEP]paisley silk shorts could conceivably find a judge who was sympathetic enough about his charges to put a halt to the presses and book promotion until the legal battle could be settled . |
the only other bit of information on the card had to do with something called gmt , inc.[SEP]followed by the posh michigan avenue address directly across the street . |
gee , violet was going to go out on a limb and bet that gmt did n't stand for greenwich mean time in this case , and probably stood for gavin mason something-that-starts-with-a-t.[SEP]training her gaze up , up , up the massive building-since the address on the card indicated gmt , inc. |
training her gaze up , up , up the massive building-since the address on the card indicated gmt , inc.[SEP]was on the thirty-third floor-she flipped the scrap of paper back and forth and back again . |
definitely with a capital t.[SEP]and that rhymed with p. |
and that rhymed with p.[SEP]and that stood for- pooh , she said softly under her breath , forcing her feet to move her in the direction of the crosswalk . |
not with any kind of case on the t.[SEP]she 'd faced worse problems than him in her life . |
okay , maybe not laughing , she amended as she entered the skyscraper that housed gmt , inc.[SEP]because the building did n't lend itself to levity , and it reeked of serious big business . |
the offices of gmt , inc.[SEP]were in keeping with the rest of the building , but somehow seemed even more severe . |
i 'm afraid mr.[SEP]mason has a very full schedule today . |
maybe if you told mr.[SEP]mason i 'm here , he would- mr. |
mason i 'm here , he would- mr.[SEP]mason has a very full schedule today . |
i think maybe mr.[SEP]mason has a moment right now . |
then there was the quick rapping of knuckles on a door and an even less-quiet-and even less professional-screech of oh my god , mr.[SEP]mason , that horrible woman is here to see you . |
after a few delicate ahems , she said , mr.[SEP]mason will see you now . |
and hello to you , too , mr.[SEP]mason , she said . |