Read Rebecca Hagan Lee for Free Online

He boarded the boat and headed toward his accustomed table in the dining salon. He nodded to several acquaintances before being joined by Will Keegan, his second-in-command at Craig Capital, Ltd.
    Will removed his hat and topcoat, then slipped into a seat opposite James and helped himself to a cup of coffee from the pot on the table. “We missed you at lunch,” he said as James turned away from the window.
    Lost in thought, James looked at Will blankly, then slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Bloody hell!”
    “Not to worry,” Keegan assured his boss. “Even without you there to oversee everything, business went on as usual. The papers were signed, sealed, and delivered to the bank for safekeeping.” Will reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an envelope. “By the way, this came foryou at the office while we were at the meeting.” He handed James the envelope.
    James accepted the telegram, then wrinkled his brow in annoyance. He couldn’t seem to get her out of his mind. Perhaps, it was because he hadn’t been able to say good-bye. But even now, as he sat across the table from Will Keegan discussing business, James was reminded of the color of Elizabeth’s eyes every time he glanced out at the sparkling waters of the Bay. He’d been so concerned about Elizabeth that he’d forgotten about conducting his business. Instead, he’d spent the day out searching the endless rows of shops, on the off-chance that Elizabeth had meant it when she informed the desk clerk at the Russ House that she had some shopping to do.
    “I can’t believe I forgot about the meeting with the Central Pacific board.”
    Will shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t worry about it. The deal had already been made. Today’s meeting was only a formality, and besides”—he looked over the rim of his coffee cup at James—“I needed the experience and you needed to know the company wouldn’t fall apart simply because you missed one meeting.” Will set his cup down in its saucer.
    “Damn,” James said. “I never forget a meeting. That isn’t like me at all.”
    “I figured something important came up.” Will’s brown eyes twinkled merrily as he gave James a broad knowing wink. “Don’t fret about it, Jamie. No one would blame you for spending a day in San Francisco pleasuring a woman in bed. You’re entitled. Hell, you’re more than entitled, you’re due.”
    “What the devil are you talking about?” James eyed Will suspiciously.
    “I heard you created a little … um … disturbance this morning at the Russ House.”
    James raised his eyebrow. “You don’t normally pay attention to idle gossip, Will.”
    “I do where you’re concerned,” Will Keegan answered,meeting James’s unrelenting glare with one of his own. James knew that Will wasn’t just talking about this morning’s episode at Russ House, but about the other gossip that had followed hot on his heels from Hong Kong. “Don’t frown at me, Jamie. You know you’d do the same if our situations were reversed.”
    James sighed. Will was right. James couldn’t blame his friend for paying attention. Will had almost as much at stake in Craig Capital as he did, and any gossip about James that affected CCL affected Will as well. “What did you hear?” James asked abruptly. “How bad was it?”
    “I heard you had a helluva morning. I heard you appeared at breakfast at the Russ House in a silk robe and nothing else, that you were arguing with the management because a prostitute named LilyBeth had stolen your clothes and your money and that you kicked your door out of its frame because the hotel management refused to allow you access to your belongings unless you paid your bill in full.” Will grinned at James. “In short, I heard that the fabulously wealthy James Craig rolled, and was rolled by, a Barbary Coast whore in one of San Francisco’s most exclusive hotels. How close did the gossips come to the truth?”
    “I kicked my hotel room door