Dirty Proof (Novak Springs) Read online

  “You will not believe the day I have had,” she proclaimed.

  Ginnifer smiled at Tori before saying, “I’m sure I won’t. Your days are inherently more interesting than mine, but do tell. I’m all ears.” Ginnifer leaned her chair back in a more relaxed position, awaiting Tori to tell her the latest tidbit in the entertainment world. The stories she weaved were always interesting and full of the juiciest gossip.

  “Well you remember that new client of mine? The sexy football player, just signed a two-year multimillion dollar deal with the Seattle Seahawks? Well it appears he needs a little hand holding. I am going to have to fly out to Washington and deal with some issues he created in the tabloids.” She rolled her eyes. “Apparently he’s gonna be a proud poppa in oh about eight months give or take a few weeks, except he swears he has never laid a hand on the baby mama.”

  “What are the chances he’s telling the truth?” Ginnifer asked.

  “With this one I’d say the odds are in his favor. The bastard doesn’t know how to flirt and totally ignored my suggestions for a little side fun. I swear he acts like a monk. This woman’s getting a little money hungry and is trying to saddle him with her bill.”

  Ginnifer sat up and looked at Tori with shock on her face as she asked, “You actually hit on him?”

  “Don’t look at me like that, have you seen him? All rock-hard muscle and a face that would put a Greek god to shame. I just wanted to run my hands through that unruly mahogany mane of his.” Tori shivered as she sighed. “You know I have a weakness for long hair, but no, it didn’t happen. Thankfully he doesn’t bend easily. Trust me, I gave it my all, and most men can’t resist all things Vitoria Miene.”

  Ginnifer rolled her eyes at her best friend. “You did this knowing you were going to work with him? Isn’t it taboo to hit on your potential clients?” Tori was gorgeous, and she’s right, most men fawned all over her. She’s very choosy who she picks as a lover, though. It could be a little disconcerting to go out with her at times. Sometimes Ginnifer thought she should bring a stick or cane along to beat them off of her best friend, but she knew how much Tori enjoyed the attention. Having them close in on you was a little suffocating, and she had no idea how Tori managed them all.

  “Well I actually tried before we signed a contract. You should know I don’t like to mix business with pleasure, besides he wasn’t biting.” After a long drawn out breath and sigh, Tori said, “I didn’t honestly think he’d take me up on the offer. It was a test to see how far he was willing to go.”

  Tori continued to make herself comfortable in Ginnifer’s office, pushing the chair back into its original position and leaning against its comfortable cushions. She took one of her crimson stilettos off and began to rub the bottom of her left foot. It wasn’t easy walking around in four-inch heels all day, but Tori had a height issue. She was barely two inches above five feet. She made up the difference by wearing very high heels on a daily basis. She often told Ginnifer how lucky she was to be at least five feet five. Tori would love to be taller so that it would be easier to access the tall men she adored so much.

  Ginnifer nodded her head at Tori in understanding and asked, “So when do you leave?”

  Tori reached down and replaced one shoe and took off the other one to give each foot equal attention as she said, “Well that’s partly why I came by here. Not that I don’t love you, but this isn’t entirely a social call.”

  Ginnifer groaned and she was almost afraid to ask, “What do you need?”

  “Well could you do a nice little interview with him? Publish it in next month’s edition? He needs to give his side of the story, and I know you’ll give him a fair interview.”

  The reason Tori and Ginnifer had met was because of their career choices. Tori was a successful publicist. Ginnifer worked for a prominent magazine and also did some freelance work if the magazine didn’t want to pick up one of the articles she wrote. She made a decent living writing and traveling when the story made it necessary. They met at a media conference and hit it off immediately. Because of their mutual interests and similar tastes, they had been best friends since that fateful encounter. A little tit for tat was commonplace for them, and if it was possible to help each other out, they didn’t think twice about it. That didn’t mean they didn’t make each other work for the favors they bestowed. Nothing should ever come easy, even between best friends.

  Which gave Ginnifer a brilliant idea on how to get Tori to agree to change their vacation from a tropical island getaway to a ranch. “Well I’ll consider it on one condition.”

  Tori looked at her with skepticism in her eyes. “That was almost too easy. Am I going to like this?”

  With a shrug, Ginnifer said, “That depends. How do you feel about changing our yearly vacation plans? Instead of sunny beaches, we’re going to a ranch for horse riding and yoga.”

  Tori raised her eyes at her with shock and disdain radiating from them. “You’re joking, right? That doesn’t sound very relaxing to me. That sounds like some sort of torture, not a vacation.”

  Ginnifer frowned before saying, “I forgot I agreed to do a story on the ranch. I need to go out there the first two weeks of September.”

  “I don’t think this is actually a fair trade. If we change our plans, you’ll owe me.”

  Ginnifer shook her head as she said, “No, it’s either you go with me or I go alone. I made a promise, and it’s one I plan on keeping. This could be a good thing. Please say you’ll go, and I’ll definitely make your football player look better than a Greek god.”

  “I don’t think that’s even possible.” Her voice was tinged with disbelief. “What could be better than a god?”

  A knowing smile formed on Ginnifer’s face. “A sexy cowboy.”

  With that, Tori grinned at Ginnifer as if it just occurred to her there would be men on a ranch and the things she was capable of doing with them. Tori loved to flirt; it was by far her favorite hobby. “That’s a good point, don’t know if they’re better, though. I’ll just have to play with a few to find out.”

  “So are you gonna go?”

  “Yeah count me in. I’ll cancel our other vacation plans. Where’s this ranch, anyway?” Tori asked as she grabbed her purse and started to rifle through it. She located her phone, opened her calendar, and updated the vacation plans to show a ranch in September. “I need to input it in my calendar.”

  “Washington state, not too far from Seattle. I’ve seen some pictures on their website. It’s breathtaking. I can’t wait to see it in person.”

  Tori rolled her eyes. “Only you’d be excited to see a ranch.”

  “You know how I feel about cowboys.” Ginnifer shrugged. “Maybe you’ll get lucky and find a long-haired blond cowboy.”

  “Unlikely. Don’t they like their hair more manageable? As in too short for my tastes?” Tori winked at her. “You don’t mind that as long as they’re wearing a hat and some cowboy boots, but would you know what to do with one if you found him?”

  Ginnifer laughed so hard tears started to come out of her green eyes. Trust Tori to get right to the heart of the matter. With her, the point was always how do I get this one to fall in love with me the fastest.

  “Oh I hope I’d know what to do with the right one,” she told her best friend.

  “Well no worries. I’ll be there to help you out if you need to sexify yourself.” Tori wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Ginnifer.

  “Thanks, Tori. You truly are the bestest.”

  “Don’t I know it. Washington state? Maybe I can mix with a little business and pleasure on this trip too. I am sure Colt Lewis, quarterback extraordinaire, will continue to need my help after training camp and preseason are over with. I believe the first game is at home the beginning of September too, I’ll have to double check the schedule. He has to be a little shell-shocked at all of this. His first NFL season, and he gets a scandal at the top of it. This is going to be an eventful summer.”

  Reaching for her desk calenda
r, Ginnifer asked, “When do you want to set the interview up?”

  “Let me get back to you on that. I’ll need to clarify his schedule with him. I’ll call you sometime tomorrow so we can compare schedules. It’ll be easier to find something that works when I know more. And with that, I’m off.”

  Tori blew a kiss at Ginnifer as she walked out of her office in much the same fashion as she entered it, with flair only she could pull off. Her purse was swinging on her shoulder and both stilettos once again on her feet, clicking as she sashayed down the hall.

  Well at least that was settled. Tori and she were definitely visiting a ranch for some yoga. The only thing left to do was to make a phone call to Emmaline Novak and tell her to expect both of them in September. Maybe they would be lucky and each find a sexy cowboy on the ranch. It had been a long time since she had met a man she wanted to spend time with, let alone get naked with. She was on one hell of a dry spell lately. Maybe a vacation at a ranch was something she needed to get back in the saddle again, so to speak.

  Unbridled Pursuit 1

  Vitoria's eyelids were narrowed into tiny slits, still heavy from sleep. The sun’s bright rays bounced in a diagonal through the room and landed across Vitoria’s face in sync with the shrill of her alarm clock. The screeching noise reverberated against the bedroom walls and recoiled throughout her eardrums. The light blinded her sleep-filled eyes. Reaching out her hand, she batted her alarm clock with more force than necessary to end the constant stream of annoyingness.

  Mornings and she did not get along very well.

  They were her least favorite part of the day, but time waited for no one. It kept beating steadily on whether she was ready for it or not. Sadly, Tori was almost never equipped to take on the infernal clock constantly counting down the seconds of her life. She had so many things to do in a single day it was next to impossible to accomplish it all.

  Today she had a plane to catch, a flight scheduled to take her to the west coast—to be more specific, Seattle, Washington. The state her best friend now called home. The past three months without her chipped away at Tori’s thick shell.

  Loneliness invaded her world in a way it hadn’t in many years. Not since the days before she met Ginnifer Zeiss, or as she was often called, Ginny. Prior to meeting her best friend, she only existed and went through the motions of her day-to-day life. She gave the impression of happiness, but in reality, she was just an empty shell. Without someone to shake up her world, she feared she would sink into oblivion.

  She missed the ability to drop in on her at a moment’s notice. Tori and Ginnifer didn’t go a day without talking. The difference now was it almost always involved a telephone, whereas before she stopped by for an impromptu lunch or a nightly glass of wine. Ginny had to go and fall in love and ruin it all.

  Her dearest friend was getting married. The wedding was several weeks away. Now Tori had to fly out to Seattle to help with some of the planning and of course check in with her growing clientele.

  Her work was never done.

  Vitoria owned and operated a public relations firm. She also handled some legal work for her clients. She had passed the bar in several states. It gave her the opportunity to negotiate contracts when they were up for renewal. Her business wasn’t merely a public relations firm. It had been designed to meet any and all necessities that might arise. The sheer level of energy she required to get through her day took its toll. She wanted a change, and she missed her best friend terribly.

  The distance between them was more difficult for her than anything else in her life. Tori needed to be near Ginnifer. So much so, she seriously considered a more permanent solution to her situation. While in Washington for this trip, she planned on scouting the area for a place to set up business. Thanks to her growing client base on the west coast, the transition should go smoothly. It made sense to move when the majority of her clients were on a different side of the country. The boon was her best friend lived there too. In her mind it was a win-win situation. So why did she have such a hard time making a decision?

  Tori rolled out of bed and stumbled into her bathroom. She flicked on the light and rubbed her face. The lack of sleep played a toll on her normally gorgeous exterior. Her caramel-blonde hair could be compared to dried straw and her blue eyes were dull.

  The constant back and forth had to stop. It didn’t matter if everything was completely settled. When she arrived in Washington she required a change. So she made the decision to start arrangements for her move immediately.

  Resolution made, she picked up her cell and scrolled through the contact list. After several rings someone answered with a muffled hello.

  “Alison, good you’re up.”

  “Damn it Tori, do you have any idea what time it is?” she asked.

  “Of course I do. I figured you would already be awake and ready to start your day.”

  “If I had known how evil you were, I wouldn’t have taken a job with you after Ginnifer moved to Washington.”

  “Well, you came highly recommended, or I wouldn’t have hired you at all. You should be thankful I gave you a job.”

  Vitoria stared at her fingernails. The nail polish had started to chip at the top and one of her nails had a ragged edge where it broke the day before. When she got to Seattle, at some point she would get a manicure.

  “What do you need? I’d like to get some more sleep today. You do realize it’s a Sunday, right? I don’t work on the weekend,” Alison mumbled.

  “Well you do now. I have a job for you to start working on immediately.”

  Tori could hear the groans coming through the speaker of her phone. She probably should feel guilty, but she didn’t really. Perhaps she did a little—she didn’t like getting woken up and ordered around. It just plain sucked. But Alison knew what her job would entail when she agreed to work with her. An early morning wakeup call shouldn’t come as a surprise. Vitoria explained the possibility to her, and she knew a last minute assignment could pop up at any moment.

  “I repeat, what do you need?” A growl came through loud and clear. Nope, Alison was far from happy. Tori didn’t consider that her problem. She paid well and expected results.

  “I’m going to move to Seattle. I want you to contact some movers. I want my entire apartment and office packed up in preparation for the move. I don’t plan on coming back once I fly out there later this afternoon.”

  Tori rattled off her list. “I also would like you to contact every person on my east coast client list and inform them of my move. If they want to consider moving to a more locally-based agent, I’ll allow them break their contract for a nominal fee, but please explain to them I am not coming back to New York unless it’s an emergency. From now on they will have to meet with me in Seattle.”

  “What? So I’m going to be out of another job?” Alison asked.

  “Only if you don’t want to move to Seattle with me. I’ll pay your moving expenses if you want to transfer out there. If not, I will give you a letter of recommendation.”

  Alison really was a good assistant. Plus Vitoria had already broken her in. All of her expectations were fully ingrained in her. She really didn’t want to train someone new. Paying her to move out to Washington was a sound business decision. If Tori was lucky, and she didn’t rely on luck very often, Alison would grab at the opportunity to relocate.

  “I will have to think about it and let you know. Where’s everything going to be sent to?” Alison asked.

  “I’m not exactly sure. I’ll call you in a few days with the information. It’s going to take at least a week to pack both places up anyway. Just make the other arrangements first.”

  “All right. I will call and see who is available. It’s kind of last minute, and there might not be too many openings.”

  “Just do the best you can. I have faith in your ability to make this happen. It’s a good thing I’m not a coffee nut like Ginny. Everything else you do stupendously. That was her only complaint as to your skills.”

>   “If you can keep a secret, I’ll tell you why I failed miserably at that.”

  “Let me guess. You did it on purpose.”

  “How’d you guess?” Alison asked.

  “It’s what I’d do. No one wants to be that person. The one who fetches coffee repeatedly. If you show your ineptness for it, they’ll quit asking.”

  “Exactly,” Alison agreed.

  “Anyway I have a few things I need to do before my flight. I’ll be in touch with the rest of the details. I have an extra set of keys to my apartment in my office safe. You have the combination, so just retrieve them when you need to let the movers into my apartment. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Tori ended the call and got ready for her trip. She had packed the night before, but in light of her change of plans, she packed an extra bag with a few essential items. The additional cost of the baggage would be worth it to take everything she needed. With care, she folded more clothes and placed them in the large suitcase. Ginnifer often made fun of her over-packing, but she believed in being prepared for any scenario.

  The one thing Vitoria hated more than anything was being blindsided.

  In a lot of ways, she was a control freak. She hated giving anyone any kind of power over her. Her parents were tyrants and meticulously planned every part of her childhood. Their need to have successful, ambitious children led to her estrangement from her sister, Vivian. She hadn’t seen Viv in over two years. The last time they saw each other the conversation had been stilted and heavy with tension.

  The encounter happened purely by chance. They were almost like two ships passing in the night.

  Her sister was walking into a lawyer’s firm Vitoria had been leaving. At first seeing her sibling directly in front of her startled her. They normally kept a large distance between them. Vivian could be very coldblooded and distant. She developed her attitude as a coping mechanism. At times Tori wondered if she was actually sociopathic because of some of the things she did to get ahead in their parents’ eyes. Nothing stood in her way, not even her own sister.