Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood

Uncle Daniel left her with a large fortune, and she had put it to good use. From the response the audience gave after her considerable accomplishments were listed, it was apparent that Emma was well loved and appreciated by everyone.
    As soon as the music started and couples headed to the dance floor, Olivia asked Grayson if he was ready to leave. He draped her wrap around her shoulders and followed her out of the ballroom.
    Aiden Hamilton intercepted them just as they were crossing the lobby. He reminded Olivia of a model in
GQ.
Was everyone in Grayson’s life perfection? Impeccably dressed, Aiden looked as though the tuxedo had been invented with him in mind. He was tall and terribly fit, and he approached them with a wide smile. The greeting between the two men was a bit humorous. Grayson slapped Aiden on his shoulder, and Aiden retaliated in kind. Then they shook hands like gentlemen.
    Grayson introduced Olivia to his friend, and after pleasantries were exchanged, Grayson asked him, “How long are you in town?”
    “Just overnight,” he answered. “I leave for Sydney first thing in the morning.”
    “Are you building another hotel?”
    Aiden nodded. “Hopefully,” he said. “We built one in Melbourne and didn’t run into any problems, but we’re having trouble with permits in Sydney. It will work out,” he added. “What about you, Grayson? Still working twenty-four/seven?”
    He shrugged. “Pretty much.”
    “I wish we had time for a poker game,” Aiden said. “I’m sure you still have a few dollars left for me to win.”
    “Your luck is bound to run out someday, Hamilton,” Grayson countered. “I’ll get my revenge.”
    Aiden turned to Olivia. “Sorry to bore you with this chatter,” he apologized. “I’m sure you don’t want to hear about our poker games.”
    “Actually, Olivia is quite a poker player, too,” Grayson said.
    Aiden looked at her admiringly. “Is that so?”
    “I learned when I was a little girl,” she explained. “My friends and I loved to play. We haven’t had much opportunity lately.”
    “Then perhaps the next time I’m in town, you can join us,” Aiden offered. He smiled warmly and took her hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
    Grayson pulled her hand away. “We were just leaving,” he said abruptly. He put his arm around Olivia’s shoulder and turned her toward the door. She nearly tripped, trying to keep up with him.
    Olivia thought that Aiden Hamilton was one of the most attractive men she’d ever met. He was a real charmer who, no doubt, could have any woman he wanted, whenever he wanted, but she didn’t see a reason for Grayson to be jealous. In her mind, he was much sexier.
    Once they were in the car and on their way, she asked, “Tonight . . . how did you know all those people?”
    “I run into them now and then at different events, and I don’t know all of them, just some.”
    But you do run in their circle, she thought. He was so at ease with the movers and shakers in D.C., and she realized, there wasn’t any question, she was completely out of his league.
    “Thank you for introducing me to James Crowell. It was the highlight of the night for me.”
    Grayson thought about all the people he had introduced her to, including several A-list celebrities, and yet she was most impressed by a short, skinny, balding man who, without seeking publicity or fanfare, had made a real difference in the world. The fact that she recognized what Crowell had done made Grayson like her all the more.
    “The men and women who met you tonight, including James Crowell, won’t forget you because, frankly, you’re pretty unforgettable, Olivia, and if there are cutbacks and you have to leave your current job, you have a connection with all of them.”
    “You were networking,” she said.
    He shook his head. “No,
you
were networking. You just didn’t realize it.”
    She didn’t know how to react. She wasn’t used to people doing nice things for her, at least