Taken by Storm by Cat Schield

Author:Cat Schield
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-03-15T15:42:36+00:00

Eight

After retreating to her hotel suite to kick off her shoes and order a late lunch from room service, Teresa gave herself half an hour to doze in the comfortable armchair. The combination of insomnia, long work days and the cozy warmth of the fireplace’s hypnotic flame made her eyelids heavy, and she saw no reason to resist the lure of a twenty-minute nap. Unfortunately, before she fully nodded off, her phone vibrated against the dresser’s hard surface, jolting her back to wakefulness.

As the days until the Richmond retreat counted down, Teresa was starting to dread every time her phone buzzed. This happened a lot. On average, at least five things went wrong each hour that required her input.

Although she’d done events for the ultra-wealthy before, nothing had been on quite this scale. Before when she dealt with this level of A-listers, she’d arranged a single event or something over the course of the day. This was a three-day extravaganza, wining and dining and entertaining the sort of people who were used to the finest of everything.

The phone buzzed again, rousing Teresa from her thoughts. This time the call was from Isabel.

“Hey,” she said. “What’s up?”

“There’s a reporter here, looking for you,” Isabel said.

Panic flared through Teresa at the news. Had the man who’d threatened her several weeks ago tipped off a reporter about the things Joshua had been up to and the lengths Teresa had gone to hide her brother’s illegal activities? Or had Joshua himself let something slip? As much as Teresa loved her brother, she knew he hadn’t demonstrated his ability to make good decisions.

“Did they give you a name?” Teresa asked, telling her pounding heart to slow down. The Fixer had done his work and erased all trace of Joshua’s bad behavior. If this was a smear campaign there wouldn’t be much by way of proof. Or so she hoped.

“She didn’t have to,” Isabel confided, the smile apparent in her voice. “It’s Nicolette Ryan.”

“Oh!” For a second Teresa’s thoughts froze. She’d known to expect the lifestyle reporter, but in the rush of everything still to do, she’d forgotten today was her arrival date. “Of course. Tell her I’m on my way.”

Once Teresa reached the lobby, it was pretty clear where the celebrity stood. The Opulence catered to the sort of people who could afford to charter airplanes and fund lavish weddings, but actors, musicians and other famous people turned into gawking fans just like the rest of the ordinary folks. The beautiful television reporter was signing an autograph for a teenage girl.

Despite the boost from five-inch pumps, Nicolette Ryan was more petite than Teresa expected. She was dressed in a figure-hugging black sheath and stylish cream-colored coat with a shawl collar. Her long black hair framed an oval face with big brown eyes and an engaging smile.

Teresa waited until the beaming girl had raced back to her family before approaching. “Hello, I’m Teresa St. Claire.”

“Nicolette Ryan.” The two women shook hands. “I’m covering the Richmond fifth anniversary for a lifestyle piece.

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