By the time Donna finished signing autographs and talking with some of her fans, it was lunch, so Richard treated her and Sam to a meal at Romanos.
“I told you signing autographs would boost your sales,” Richard grinned. “Now all we’ve got to do is start auditioning musicians.”
Donna furrowed her brow and smiled incredulously. “You’re serious?”
“Of course I’m serious, pet. I’ve seen you on stage. I know how much you love performing – even if you didn’t get to tour with the band, like you’d planned.”
“How am I going to find time to do that, plus work on our project, which incidentally I want to get started on Monday?”
“If you move in with me, we could work on your music after hours,” Sam suggested.
Richard frowned. “You’re going to move in with Sam?”
Donna snorted. “I didn’t say that. I told you I would stay for the weekend.”
“You’re spending the weekend with Sam? Donna is that a good idea? Have you forgotten what happened to you at the cemetery in Louisiana?”
Donna frowned. “No, Richard, surprisingly, despite my… enhance healing abilities, I haven’t forgotten being shot.”
“I won’t let anything happen to her Richard.”
Richard smirked. “How are you going to protect her, Sam? Your apartment complex is nowhere near as secure as the Hall.”
Donna held up her hands. “Ah – hello – excuse me! Where I spend the weekend, or where I live, for that fact, is my decision. Richard, your father helped me out, and I’m grateful for that. He gave me a job with a decent salary and a chance to continue my research, and I’m grateful for that too, but Triplet International doesn’t own me any more than Forrest Enterprises did.”
Sam glanced at her out the corner of his eye and grinned. “I was right. She’s a feisty one.”
Donna frowned. “I am not feisty, Sam. I’m just tired of people telling me what to do. Richard, I know you don’t want to hear this, but I enjoy being with Sam. He makes me laugh, and I haven’t done that in a long time.”
One corner of Sam’s mouth turned up in a sexy grin. “That’s not all I made you do,” he whispered as he kissed her wrist.
Donna smiled slightly and turned her attention back to Richard, who was getting irritated. “Donna, your safety is paramount. You’re a huge asset for Triplet International. If one of our competitors tries to get at you, you will not be safe at Sam’s apartment. John and Danny Greene, two of our top security have been sitting outside Sam’s apartment all night, making sure nothing happened.”
Donna tightened her jaw and narrowed her eyes. “You’ve had someone watching us? The whole time?”
“It’s a typical Triplet tactic, sweetheart,” Sam mocked.
Donna turned on Sam. “Did you know about this too?”
“No! I didn’t, but it wouldn’t have mattered to me anyway. I don’t have anything to hide. We didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You might not mind, but I don’t like prying eyes, Sam. A very close… friend taught me that only leads to trouble. What you did for me at the music store was sweet, Richard, but it was also risky. Forrest doesn’t know where I am. If he watches BBC, he will now.”
“Why do you think he did it, Donna?” Sam asked. “He’s leaving you little choice but to go back to the Hall. It was probably his plan all along.”
“That’s enough Sam!” Donna snapped. “Bad mouthing Richard will not win extra brownie points for you. I’ve been down this road already, and I’m the one who lost. I won’t go through that again,” she said cutting her eyes at Richard. “For either one of you, so stop beating your chests.”
The waiter brought their food, and the three ate in silence.
Richard couldn’t argue with Donna, and neither could Sam. They were clearly fighting for her attention. Richard knew what Donna meant and why she was upset with him and Sam. Richard and Jared had done the same thing, but Sam didn’t know about Jared.
Sam knew someone had hurt Donna very deeply, and she’d said it had been her fault, but she hadn’t said why. From her reaction to what the salesperson talking about the sexy American Indian, Sam suspected Jared might have been the one Donna had been talking about, but that really didn’t bother Sam. Even if Jared was the one who hurt her, the chances of him showing up in the UK were slim, unless, of course, Richard brought Triplet International in as he had with the album promotion.
Again, this really didn’t bother Sam either. He was extremely arrogant and confident that he made a lasting impression on Donna. What bothered him was the fact that Donna was clearly upset with him. For once, having a woman upset with him disarmed Sam and made him feel uncomfortable. He didn’t understand why it should. Women were often upset with him, especially when they found out he was playing them for his own purposes. He usually brushed it off and went on to the next one, but there was something different about Donna. He didn’t like her being upset with him. Finally, he spoke up.
“There’s a solution if Donna is willing,” he added quickly, when she turned her cold eyes on him.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“John can stay in one of my VIP apartments downstairs for the weekend. The one next to the lift is vacant at the moment. That way, he could keep an eye on things, and Donna and I would still have the privacy we needed. That is,” he said, reaching for her hand. “If she still wants to spend the weekend with me. It’s her decision.”
Donna intently studied Sam’s eyes. “I’ve had Sir Richard’s men following me around before,” she said. “As long as I know they’re there, it doesn’t bother me. I understand your father’s reasoning,” she added, turning her attention back to Richard. “The question is will he go along with this?”
“Putting all the ‘chest beating’ aside – as you call it - you would be safer at the Hall, and Sam knows that, as well….”
Sam rolled his eyes. “…And you would be able to watch every move we made.”
Donna held up an imperious hand and groaned as she pushed her empty plate aside. “I’ll tell you what. You two sit here and work this out. For the time being, I’m going home. John, it’s Donna. Where are you?”
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John’s eyes widened. “Um – I’m – ah….”
“I know you’ve been following me and Sam, so don’t try to deny it. I don’t know whether you’re watching us or not, but I’m sitting at a place called Romanos. Do you know where that is?”
John shared a worried look with Greene. “Yes, Donna, I do. What’s wrong?”
“I’d like to go back to the Hall, and right now, I don’t want to be alone in a car with either one of these testosterone-heightened Alphas. You can come get me here, or I’ll meet you out front.”
“Ah, stay there. I’ll come get you.”
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“Thank you John.” Donna ended the call. “Now…” she said, turning to Sam. “…I would appreciate it if you would move my things from your car to John’s.”
Richard glanced at Sam and slightly grinned. “John is in a van, pet. Unless you want to ride in the back….”
“Don’t call me pet. I am not your pet, and honestly, I don’t care if I have to ride on somebody’s lap.”
Sam pressed his lips together to suppress a grin. Donna was fuming, and she was extremely sexy when she was upset. It was almost as if you could see the fire dancing in her dark eyes. He’d seen something similar in them last night, but it certainly hadn’t been anger. It was raw passion, more than he’d ever dealt with.
John and Greene approached. “Are you ready to go, Donna?”
Donna stood, and slung her purse strap over her shoulder. “Sam, you have my number if you decide to call later. I may or may not accept the call. It just depends on how I feel. Right now, I’m pretty pissed, so I’d wait a while if I were you. Richard, I suppose I’ll see you later.” She turned to John. “I’m ready now.”
John sighed, glanced at Richard and walked away.
“John!” Richard called out.
“Wait for me out front,” he said to Greene. “What is it, Ricky?”
Richard stood and handed John the keys to his black Mercedes S-class. “Take my car. It will be more comfortable for Donna than the van. I’ll ride home with Danny.” He turned to Sam. “You need to move Donna’s things to my boot.”
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“Are Richard and Sam always this competitive?”
“They are when it comes to women,” Greene softly chuckled.
“Great!” Donna groaned and leaned her back against the wall as they waited. The doors swung open.
Richard, Sam, and John approached. Donna pushed away from the wall and stepped between John and Greene. Sam and Richard shared a knowing glance and trailed behind them.
John pressed the key control in his hand and the boot of Richard’s car popped open. Sam unlocked his boot. Quietly, he and Richard started moving Donna’s bags and boxes. Donna turned, narrowing her eyes at John. “I’m not riding with him!”
John led Donna to the passenger side of Richard’s car. “You’re not. We’re taking Ricky’s car. He’s riding home with Danny.”
Richard crawled in the passenger seat of the van. Sam tapped on Donna’s side glass. She locked her eyes on his and put the window down. Sam glanced across at John and cautiously leaned in. He studied Donna’s eyes for a few seconds, grinned slightly and tenderly kissed her. “I’ll call you later,” he said and stepped back.
Donna nodded. She licked her lips and put up her window as John backed out and headed for the exit. “Did you get all your shopping done, or do you need to stop somewhere?”
“No, I’m done.” She unlocked her cell phone. “Gary, it’s Donna. Do you have any plans for today?”
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Gary glanced across at Sir Richard, who was finishing the last of his ham sandwich and soup. “What did you have in mind?”
“I felt like going for a horseback ride. I thought maybe you might like to go with me, but if you’ve got plans, I can go alone.”
“You’re not going with Sam or Richard?”
“No, Gary. I need some time away from both of them. They are getting on my nerves.”
“Is Sam bringing you back now?”
“No, John is, in Richard’s car.”
“In Richard’s car?”
Sir Richard wiped his mouth and studied Gary’s eyes, his attention peaked.
“I’ll explain when I get there.”
“OK, D, I’ll get the horses ready. Which horse did you want to ride?”
“The white mare. She was full of fight and reminded me of Ghost. I miss her. Bye Gary.”
“OK, D,” Gary said and locked his cell phone.
“What’s going on Gary?”
“John is bringing Donna home in Richard’s car.”
“How did she get from Sam’s car to Richard’s, and how did she know to call John?”
“I don’t know, Sir Richard. Donna said she would explain when she got here. I need to saddle up a couple of horses. Donna wants me and her to go riding.”
Sir Richard raised an eyebrow. “Curious,” he mused as he rubbed the stubble on his chin, reminding himself he needed to shave. “Something must have happened between Donna and Sam.”
“Yeah,” Gary said, pushing his chair under the table. “Alice, could you make some peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches and a thermos of tea, please? I have a feeling Donna, and I will be out for a while.”