“What was that for?”

“I wanted to kiss you. Now can I meet the amazing people who created you so I can shake their hands?”

With that, I put my hand in hers and walk to where my parents are standing.

“Callum, you look so handsome tonight. That suit is so you,” my mother comments, her hands running over the jacket’s lapels.

Releasing Lucia’s hand, I step forward and kiss my mom on the cheek. “Thanks for coming, Mom.”

“You know we’ll always come to celebrate your buildings. Is this Lucia?” she asks, looking around my shoulder to where Luce is standing, waiting for my introduction.

Stepping back, I hook my arm around Lucia’s waist and press her gently forward. “Lucia Harding, this is my mother, Maree, and my father, Jared.”

Lucia holds out her hand to my mom who grabs it, pulls it and her forward, and hugs Lucia tight.

“So glad to meet you, Lucia. You’re beautiful,” Mom says to her, locking eyes with me over Lucia’s shoulder as she does. Keep her, she mouths to me.

“Maree, you’re going to squeeze the poor girl to death, and I haven’t had a chance to meet her yet. Let her go before your son goes all caveman on you.” Dad shakes his head and comes up to me, giving me an unmistakably proud shoulder clap. “Lucia, excuse my wife,” Dad muses, “she’s determined to see our son settle down, and since you’re the first woman we’ve met that Callum has been involved with, she is somewhat excited about the prospect.”

A gasp sounds behind me. Following the sound, I find Jodi staring daggers at Lucia’s back as she talks to my father. When I catch her eye, I glare at her, shaking my head in a silent warning that I pray she heeds. Graves grabs her arm and she looks away.

I reach out and grab her hand again, needing to touch her. She must sense my tension because she gives my hand a gentle squeeze before leaning into me. “What’s wrong?”

“Mom, Dad, we’ve got to keep mingling, but we’ll come sit by you when dinner is served. Save us a place,” I say.

Still holding Lucia’s hand, I lead us through the crowd, shaking hands and introducing Lucia to the guests. Finally, we make it to the back of the restaurant, and I find a quiet corner.

I turn to face Lucia. Her soft concerned eyes have a calming effect on my scattered nerves. “What’s wrong, Cal?”

I look back to where Gregory and Jodi are standing with a group of draftsmen, deciding that it’s better to alert her to Jodi’s presence rather than risk her being blindsided if Jodi chooses to make a scene. I reply with a half-hearted smile. “It seems that an ex . . . acquaintance of mine has been invited to tonight’s gathering by one of our interns.”

“Acquaintance?” She rises up on her toes and whispers to me, “You could just say ex-lover, ex-bedmate, ex—“

“Luce . . .” I growl in warning, her wide grin melting my aggravation.

She giggles. “You’re worried she might do something?” She smirks and adds, “Don’t worry, Cal. I’ll protect you from the big, bad ex. I bet I could take her out.”

I chuckle and with my hands on her hips, pull her in close to me. Lifting my arm, I tuck a loose tendril of her hair behind her ear then run the back of my hand down her neck. “I have no doubt that you can. But tonight is not about her. It is about the firm, and the project, and about you and me.” Leaning forward, I whisper against her lips, “And nobody is going to ruin that.”

Pulling my head back, I see her eyes are bright and excited.

“Want to meet my scary brother?”

“Let’s do it. Tonight is going to be anything but dull, so if he decides to give me the talk about my intentions for his sister, I’m ready for it.”

“Oh, stop. He’s my brother not my father. Believe me, my father would already have pulled you away, sat you down and plied you with Ouzo to find out your deepest darkest secrets.” Her comment is in jest but it still gives me an uneasy feeling, something she must see in my eyes.

“Cal, I’m joking.”

I shake my head, the mask locking into place. “I know, sweetheart. Where’s Gino?”

“Right here,” a deep voice replies from my right. I was so lost in his sister I didn’t see the man approach us.

Turning toward the voice, I’m met by a tall, muscular, very male version of Lucia. The same colored hair, the same eyes, and the same smile. It’s uncanny.

He holds his arm out to me, he says, “You must be Callum. I’m Gino Harding.”

Placing my hand in his, I’m not at all surprised by his strong grip.

“Gino, don’t damage his hand. It’s his money maker,” Luce teases, making her brother laugh.

“True. Never thought about that.”

“Thank you for hosting our event tonight,” I say.

“Thank you for paying more than the night’s takings would’ve been,” he retorts, making me laugh.

“You’re welcome. Grant and I have been here a few times now. The food is fantastic.”

“I bet you think the scenery is a hell of a lot better though.” He tilts his head toward his sister and she slaps his bicep half-heartedly, her eyes full of love.

“I can’t argue with you there. You have me pegged.”

There’s a loud whistle from the kitchen, grabbing Gino’s attention. “It’s nice to put a face to the name, Callum. Unfortunately, duty calls.” He wraps his hand around his sister’s head and kisses her temple reverently. “We’ll have to meet up for drinks one night when we finally have a day off together. Have a nice night.”

Gino disappears through the swinging kitchen door, leaving Lucia and I alone again.

“All done,” she says.

“And no mention of virtue or intentions . . .”

“Callum Alexander, I am almost thirty years old. I’m long past needing my brother’s permission to date a man.”

“Good to know,” I reply.

She reaches around me and pinches my ass. “Stop being a smart ass and go be with your people. The king must socialize with the help occasionally,” she adds.

“Just you wait till I get you alone.”

“I can’t wait. Now lead the way, Mr. Alexander. I want to meet your people, too.”

We return to mingling with the staff until five minutes later when we’re asked to be seated.

Thankfully—and surprisingly—the rest of the night goes off without a hitch. Jodi keeps her distance, Graves sticks by her side, and Lucia ends up swapping numbers with my sister, Heather, and sister-in-law, Julia.

And without me realizing, my mask dropped precisely five seconds after sitting down.

Until the next morning when Carmen Dallas’s paper ran the first of a series of stories about the rise and fall of Callum Alexander: the firm, the project, the investigation, my relationship with Lucia, and yes . . . an exposé on my nights with Jodi for all and sundry to read.

Since the first Tribune story broke a day after the ground breaking, I’ve failed to hide the true effect the exposé has had on me. I’ve been quiet, more brooding than usual, preferring to stay home with Lucia than keep up with my usual heavy schedule of public appearances.

What’s made it worse is that there has been no reprieve—the hits have just kept coming. None of the stories have had any merit, except for the complaint made about our concept and the interview given by Jodi. Above everything else, it was her interview that aggravated me the most.

Not only did Carmen do a number on me, Jodi attempted to drive the last nail in the coffin but talking about our physical dalliance, in graphic detail. Never cross a woman scorned, or if you do, make sure you’re not a person of interest to the public.

Having my past sexual dalliances laid out in very specific detail—with some artistic license thrown in for good measure—is not something I would wish on my worst enemy. For a man that is notoriously private and who made a conscious choice to keep his personal life exactly that—personal—to have sordid details of my sex life spread far and wide, published for everyone to see, is shameful.